Tsunire Fails Every Time!

On the second floor of the Fujino residence.

Looking out over the newly arranged detective agency, Fujino could not help but nod in satisfaction.

The detective agency was located on the right side of the second floor of a four-story building, spanning roughly over one hundred square meters and divided into three bedrooms and a living room.

The fifty-square-meter bedroom inside served as the office area. A desk was placed near the window with an ergonomic chair in front of it, while right beside the entrance was a sofa with a coffee table in front of it.

Another second bedroom was fitted with a security door, and inside were displayed the contracts for the various commissions he had accepted, as well as some souvenirs he had obtained upon completing those commissions.

For instance, a signed poster of Yoko Okino, a snapped dagger belonging to a certain killer bound in kikko binding, and a knocked-off helmet belonging to a certain librarian.

It could be considered leaving a memento behind.

The layout of the reception room was similar to the office; the main theme was minimalist, and the furnishings were on par with the reception room of a large corporation.

I have to say, this million yen was well spent.

Looking at the room before him that finally looked like a detective agency, Fujino nodded in satisfaction.

Rring!

At that moment, the telephone rang again.

Fujino took out his phone, stared at the caller ID: Mieko Shibasaki, paused for a moment, and then answered the call.

"Detective Fujino, have you figured out who the person Tatsuya likes actually is?"

Mieko Shibasaki's hurried voice came from the other end of the line.

Hearing this, Fujino narrowed his eyes slightly, noticing that there seemed to be a hint of noisy commotion in the background on the other end of the call.

Was Mieko Shibasaki at a concert venue right now?

Pondering for a moment, he replied, "The investigation is almost done now; I should be able to give you an answer tomorrow."

"Is that so?"

Mieko Shibasaki on the other end of the line froze for a moment upon hearing this.

She really hadn't expected Fujino's efficiency to be this high.

It had only been a few days...

He certainly lived up to that high commission fee.

"I might not have time tomorrow, so let's make it the day after. I'll come over to your place after the concert ends."

With that, Mieko Shibasaki hung up the phone.

"So, their concert will end and they'll hold a celebration banquet the day after tomorrow?"

Fujino put away his phone and muttered, "Looks like I'll have to hurry..."

That afternoon, at the entrance of Tatsuya Kimura's studio.

Fujino changed into a set of work clothes, wearing a blue hat and a face mask to conceal his identity, and sneaked into Tatsuya Kimura's studio under the guise of fixing the plumbing.

The interior of Tatsuya Kimura's studio was very spacious, with all kinds of musical instruments readily available. His posters hung on the walls, and many music sheets were neatly organized on a table in the corner.

Fujino looked around, and then activated Enhanced Sensory Perception.

Soon, he found a group photo in a hidden spot.

The background of the group photo was an underground concert.

Tatsuya Kimura stood on the stage, gazing into the eyes of a girl with freckles on her face who was neither pretty nor ugly.

In the eyes of both of them was a full of longing for the future.

Tsunire really fails!

Fujino sighed, muttered that thought to himself, slipped the photo into his pocket, and left the studio.

"Tatsuya, there's still a concert tomorrow, remember to get up early to eat."

"You don't need to nag me!"

"Why are you acting just like an old woman?!"

"I'm doing this for your own good, you know."

At the entrance of Tatsuya Kimura's studio.

Mari Terahara watched Tatsuya Kimura's vanishing back, a fierce glint surfacing in her gaze.

After a sigh, she returned to her car and was just about to drive home.

Yet the moment she sat down in the driver's seat, she felt something amiss underneath her backside.

It felt as though there was a foreign object...

She lifted herself up and caught sight of a photograph.

It was a group photo of her and Tatsuya Kimura back when they were in a band together.

Looking at that photograph from a long time ago, a lonely expression crossed her face. "He wasn't like this before... Why?"

"He must have dropped it when he got out of the car."

She sighed, picked up the photo, and just as she was about to stash it away to return it tomorrow, she caught sight of the lyrics written on the back: Want to convey this to the bare-faced you.

"Want to convey this to the bare-faced you?"

Mari Terahara could not help muttering in confusion.

As she looked at the lyrics, the pupils in her eyes gradually dilated.

A moment later, a single tear fell, dampening the photograph.

She gripped the photo tightly in her hand and gazed toward the direction of the studio. "Could it be that Tatsuya..."

"Tatsuya, open the door."

Mari Terahara hammered on the door of Tatsuya Kimura's studio, calling out repeatedly.

"Ugly hag, why aren't you going home and coming to bother me again?"

Tatsuya Kimura opened the door, asked impatiently, and then noticed the photograph in Mari Terahara's hand.

Startled for a moment, he hastily snatched it back. "This photo... how did this photo end up with you?!"

"You dropped it in the car just now."

"Strange, I didn't bring this photo with me..."

Tatsuya Kimura scratched the back of his head in bewilderment.

Yet before he could finish speaking, Mari Terahara cut him off, "So, the lyrics on the back of that photo—did you write all of them?"

"You saw all of that?"

Hearing this, Tatsuya Kimura's expression wavered as he cast his gaze sideways.

His unyielding face revealed a faint flush. "I was originally planning to write them out after going solo to give you a surprise... That's right, these lyrics were all written for you, you ugly hag!"

Mari Terahara asked in surprise, "Then why do you call me an ugly hag?"

"Who told you to go get plastic surgery without my permission!"

He took a deep breath and said, "I never once said you were ugly; your original appearance was already really pretty to begin with!"

Hearing this, Mari Terahara's expression faltered.

Suddenly, she seemed to understand everything.

Yes, ever since she got plastic surgery, Tatsuya seemed to have stopped caring about her altogether, and even gave her a hard time with his words.

Could everything be because of the plastic surgery?

"Tatsuya, could you..."

"If you know, don't say it out loud, it's so embarrassing!"

The blush on Tatsuya Kimura's face grew even more intense, looking just like a boy newly in love.

Hearing this, Mari Terahara threw her arms around him in an embrace, while tears streamed down from her eye sockets.

Among them were remorse, or perhaps some kind of emotion like being moved...

In any case, a fierce battle capable of resulting in casualties was bound to happen tonight.

Not far from the battlefield, Fujino sat inside a Ford Taurus.

Watching the lights go out inside the studio not far away, his expression inevitably turned peculiar.

So, tsundere and that sort of thing went out of style ages ago...

A moment later, he drew a deep breath, propped his chin up, and muttered to himself.

Gazing out at the dark windows in the distance, the corners of his mouth curved into a knowing smile.

No one would ever know that there was an invisible hand pulling the strings behind the scenes to drive everything forward.

To be honest, this feeling wasn't bad at all.