Two Hundred Million

After Shiraishi pointed this out, quite a few people realized it as well—

Indeed, although the severed ears' cut surfaces were no longer pressed flat due to how they had been placed and had curled somewhat, a careful comparison of the auricular cartilage structure showed a great deal of overlap!

"Even if they look alike, what does that prove?" Megure asked, still somewhat confused after his initial surprise.

Seeing that most of them still did not understand, Shiraishi explained, "Everyone's auricle shape is different. For them to be this similar—unless that Sato had an ear fetish and specifically sought out lovers of the same type." Shiraishi shook his head as he spoke.

Then Shiraishi continued, "Of course, there is another, more plausible possibility—cloning."

"C-cloning? Wait—Chief Shiraishi, are you saying—there is another duplicate?" Megure was instantly shocked.

If a duplicate person suddenly appeared, it would be an enormous challenge to both law and ethics.

"Of course not. Using mice to clone human ears on their backs for reconstructive surgery was already possible in the 1990s. The technology is very mature now." Shiraishi shook his head.

Hearing that it was only ear cloning, Megure finally sighed in relief.

"So—you mean mice can grow human ears, right?" Megure summarized simply.

"You could put it that way. First, the patient's stem cells are isolated and extracted, then induced to differentiate and filled into a biodegradable framework shaped like an ear. After that, a fascial pocket is created on the mouse's back, and the framework and cells are implanted inside. Once the ear has 'grown,' it can be removed."

"The mouse merely acts as a nutrient medium. The cells come entirely from the patient, and the framework is usually shaped by scanning the patient's ear. That way, once the ear matures, you can obtain a