"Ah, of course, I knew you would accept the invitation. I was merely extending some hospitality as the host." Soichiro Miyama smiled at the detective before him, whose expression remained composed, his own demeanor equally mild. "After all, this morning, I heard some things from my junior, and I couldn't help becoming curious about you. Detective Akechi, you truly are no ordinary detective."
Ever since public safety had steadily deteriorated, detectives, who effectively took on the role of solving cases at all kinds of crime scenes, had risen higher and higher in status. This was especially true in Tokyo, where the admiration for detectives had reached a rather astonishing degree.
That had created the aura of the so-called Great Detective. The performances of famous detectives in various cases further burnished that aura, to the point where a detective who was not quite so righteous or self-sacrificing instead seemed somewhat unusual.
Understanding what he meant, Tangze flexed his joints and answered casually, "Is that so? Perhaps my ideas differ from those of my Japanese peers. Detective is only a profession. Blindly believing in someone's image because of that profession can be fatal."
"Is that why you discovered that I kept in contact with my junior?" Soichiro Miyama raised an eyebrow and could not help asking, "Does your background investigation of clients include things like that as well?"
Tangze shook his head and smiled.
It was not the gentle, professional smile he usually wore, but a helpless, affectionate smile.
Had these people playing criminal make-believe actually managed to fool themselves?
Finding a few idiots and having him solve their idiotic puzzles would not make him seem smart, but it would certainly make the idiots seem extremely idiotic.
"Mr. Miyama, do you take every detective for a child playing house?" Tangze countered. "First,