James sighed as though deeply troubled, then used his kindly image to look benevolently at the high school students before him.
"We're not entirely sure why that criminal secretly took photos of you. Based on my preliminary deductions, he may bear a grudge against Jodie, and after discovering that she was close to you, he decided to start with you in order to retaliate against the FBI who caused him quite a bit of trouble.
"The reason we didn't mention it earlier was because he had already successfully kidnapped Jodie, so he presumably wouldn't take his anger out on you again. That was why I felt there was no need to tell you these things and cause you unnecessary worry.
"But since you've already found the photos, there's no need to keep it hidden. Telling you this will help you be a little more vigilant, so you won't encounter danger like Miss Mouri did."
At that, James said seriously, "I'll give you an email address. If you see anyone suspicious around you, you can email me immediately—although Jodie and I will soon be returning to the United States, I can contact some people I know and have them investigate and deal with it."
"Is that so?" Mouri Ran froze for a moment. After considering it carefully, she felt that this explanation made far more sense than Teacher Jodie's earlier claim about "liking to put up photos of friends at home."
And Teacher Jodie's overly complicated expression from earlier, with far too many elements mixed into it, also seemed like it could barely fit this explanation.
With that thought, Mouri Ran's suspicions lessened somewhat. She took the Business Card James handed her and saved the email phone number on it.
Only then did Jodie finally come back to her senses. She