Buried in the sofa, Aoko Aozaki lay as motionless as a corpse.
Her eyes were vacant, as though someone had drawn out her soul, and her pursed lips were deathly pale, without a trace of color.
"I was so stupid, honestly... I knew I absolutely couldn't trust Touko, but it never occurred to me that anyone in league with her shouldn't be trusted either..."
"In terms of craftsmanship, those banknotes are excellent. They're practically indistinguishable from officially printed ones... In a sense, that kind of skill is probably more dangerous than a Sealing Designation. I'm starting to understand why your sister took an interest in him."
The three banknotes were now in Alice Kuonji's hands. Apart from the fluorescent intaglio printing, she could find no differences either.
"Then don't add that unnecessary nonsense! If you can make them exactly like the real thing, why ruin them with extra flourishes?"
"To demonstrate his uniqueness, perhaps. Excellent counterfeiters often have that particular habit. And judging by the results, these notes have even better anti-counterfeiting features than the ones currently in circulation."
Even though some of that wealth would have come her way if it had been real, Alice Kuonji's tone remained unchanged, as though she experienced no shifts in emotion.
"Besides, the rest of the workmanship is identical. Ordinary checks wouldn't detect anything. If it bothers you that much, why not just pretend you don't know and spend them?"
"Because now that I know, I can't pretend I don't!"
Aoko Aozaki sighed with a pained expression, rearranging the cushions into something like a bed so she could lean back more comfortably.
"You always think too much."
Alice Kuonji's emotionless voice made Aoko grind her teeth.
Aoko understood the implications beneath her words. In fact, she understood them perfectly.
The outward appearance of