(wave)
Atsushi Kumano froze when Jiang Xia mentioned afternoon tea.
He quickly thought of something, glanced to either side, and lowered his voice. "Did Miss Yoko invite you?"
Jiang Xia was taken aback too, wondering how he had known, but he soon gave an affirmative hum. He remained as friendly as ever toward a potential client.
"I see. No wonder she said earlier that she might have a surprise for us." Atsushi Kumano fell into thought.
After a while, he came back to himself. "Actually, it's like this. One of my friends is about to get married..."
At that, Atsushi Kumano suddenly looked utterly dejected.
He paused for a moment, let out a troubled sigh, and continued, "But that friend of mine has recently been harassed by a stalker. At first, we thought it was just an ordinary brainless fan, but lately, the messages the stalker leaves have become increasingly excessive. They even vaguely threaten her personal safety.
"We also tried hiring several Detectives, hoping to settle this before her wedding, but they were never able to catch the person. Reporting it to the police was even more useless.
"Since we happened to run into you today... Sigh, actually, if I'm not mistaken, Miss Yoko might bring this up tomorrow too. Celebrities prefer to discuss commissions face-to-face—that's the safest way. In any case, if possible, I hope you can accept our commission and help us find that dangerous Peeping creep. This is truly very important to us."
As he spoke, he bent at the waist in a deeply sincere bow.
Jiang Xia agreed at once. "Of course. If something like that is really happening, I'll definitely do my best."
...What Atsushi Kumano said suddenly dredged up a possible case from Jiang Xia's memory.
—This might have something to do with