Yusaku Kudo took a breath and slowly approached the man. "You must be wondering why I said you were lying. Do you remember calling yourself a mountaineering enthusiast? That one statement told me that you were a liar through and through."
Ronte with the ponytail thought for a moment, then turned around.
The man no longer had any of his former wretchedness or sleaziness. Now, before everyone's eyes, he leisurely sat down on the sofa, crossed his legs, picked up a cup of hot tea from beside him, and slowly took a sip.
Clink...
The sound of the cup touching its saucer spread through the entire manor.
"You said you were a mountaineer. After that, I inspected the shoes of all seven of us. Among them, I ruled out the shoes belonging to myself, my wife, Aizen, Julia, and Alice—their shoes were all somewhat smaller. That left only your and Richard's climbing boots. Of those two pairs, one was still very new, with almost no scratches. The other looked as though it had been worn often, its surface covered in scratches. Which pair do you think was yours?"
Ronte laughed. "Isn't that obvious? Of course it was the pair covered in scratches. When you climb mountains, there are lots of sharp rocks up there. Getting scraped up is only natural."
"..."
Ronte thought he was being clever, but before Yusaku Kudo could explain, Richard beside him immediately revealed a shocked, astonished expression.
The fat man rushed up to Ronte and said, "No, that's completely wrong. A real mountaineer's boots should be in good condition. They absolutely could not be battered shoes covered in scratches."
Ronte's expression froze instantly. He stared blankly, holding the cup in his hand without moving.
Yusaku Kudo nodded. "That's right. Because mountaineering is dangerous, keeping one's