“……Alright, okay. Koyomi, ask the client various questions and shake them up. Kanako, just read the client’s mind as much as you can. If there are any secrets, tell me about them later.”
“Haa, I’m more worried about what kind of request this is.”
Naomi-san pulled my troubled shoulders closer.
“Don’t worry, there probably won’t be any dead bodies lying around.”
“Then what will be lying around?” asked Koyomin.
Naomi-san showed her jagged teeth and smiled.
“Well, my hunch is that rather than something [lying around], it’s more like something [went missing].”
“Could it be an investigation of lost property?”
“Given that situation, probably,” Naomi-san smiled cheerfully.
(This smile definitely means trouble. It’s probably not just ordinary lost property……)
Ignoring my worries, Naomi-san sent us off with a beaming smile.
“Well, I’ll leave this place for now. I’m counting on you, Koyomi. Kanako, don’t drag us down.”
“Understood. Now let’s go, Kanako.”
Koyomin pointed to the hall entrance. And I followed her… I don’t know which one of us is supposed to be the detective.
Such was our mismatched duo as we were guided by the receptionist toward the president’s office.
Logic Consulting, in front of the president’s office.
“President, Oba-sama has arrived.”
I entered the president’s office with a nervous expression. I mean, even if I’m a detective, I’m still a high school girl – there’s no way I wouldn’t be nervous facing a company president.
“Please, come in.”
Called by a gentle voice, I entered the room to find a portly middle-aged man sitting there.
“Thank you very much for coming all this way. I am the client and president of Logic Consulting, Akamichi Eijiro.”
The portly man – Akamichi Eijiro-san – stood up and bowed respectfully. His polite attitude made me feel quite humble.
“I-I’m Oba Kanako from Oba Detective Agency.”
“I’m the assistant, Ando Koyomi.”
Eijiro-san turned a gentle smile toward us, which eased my tension somewhat.
“I’ve heard rumors about you, that you’re very capable.”
“Ah, no no…”
“Please have a seat. Let me tell you about the job right away. Would tea be alright for drinks?”
A president who smartly serves tea… and sweet chocolate as a snack too, this is the best.
“……Don’t be too greedy.”
Koyomin immediately scolded me in a small voice, so I pulled back my extended hand.
“I-I know that, work comes first, right… Please take care of us!”
“Yes, please take care of us.”
As I swallowed the drool that came out, Eijiro-san began to tell us about the request.
“So your father’s will is nowhere to be found.”
In the president’s office that used an entire floor of the building, I repeated back the contents of the request. Having eaten chocolate and calmed down, I slowly looked around.
It was a spacious study and reception room combined, with a splendid desk polished so well you could see your face in it. The bookshelf was lined with specialized books whose titles alone would give you a headache. By the window, there was even something like a putting green for practicing golf – truly befitting a president.
And in front of me was the master of this president’s office, Akamichi Eijiro himself.
Slightly overweight build, neat appearance, wearing practical rather than brand-name items – giving a good impression to others.
But he seemed quite tired and his complexion was quite poor.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Though his face looked tired, his response was firm. Hmm, he gives the impression of a capable president.
“It must be difficult with your father’s passing?” asked Koyomin. Her face was expressionless but her heart was kind. That’s my sister for you.
Even to a high school girl’s question, Eijiro-san answered properly.
“Yes, I’m fine. He had been fighting illness for a long time, so I was prepared for it.”
That said, it seems to be quite hard on him – I can tell without reading his mind just by seeing how he occasionally looks down.
Such was he when he turned a serious face toward me.
“I really think I should report this to the police, but if word gets out that I lost the will before announcing father’s death, it would look quite bad. Even if it’s just misplaced, it’s a problem, but if it were stolen, that would be even worse……”
(Ah, I see.)
Well, since it’s a consulting business that provides guidance to various companies, losing a will would damage their credibility.
“So, you see, when I was looking for a detective, I heard there was a truly wonderful person… I even heard from police acquaintances that you’ve solved many cases. When I looked into your reputation, you had that stamp of approval from Ichiwada-san—”
“You have police acquaintances?”
To Koyomin’s question, Eijiro-san answered with an embarrassed face.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“……Yes, we’ve had dealings with police officers since my father’s time. I felt bad that I couldn’t answer when they asked why I was hiring a detective.”
Eijiro-san said he had old acquaintances among police personnel.
“So that’s how Naomi-san got the request,” Koyomin said in a small voice.
Not knowing that he was being watched by a particularly troublesome person in the police, Eijiro-san continued his story.
“There are no problems with inheritance or anything. I’m an only son and the company succession has been progressing for some time. It’s just, well, you know, losing the will is not quite proper, so I thought if a great detective could find it discreetly…”
(His speech is quite halting……)
Seeing Eijiro-san’s unnatural behavior as he stumbled over his words in places, I decided to peek into his mind, though I felt bad about it.
Like listening carefully, I peeked at what lay behind his words—
“Consulting business depends on trust, so……”
[There should be notes about our company’s wrongdoing enclosed with the will father left behind, this is troubling. If Funshoku comes to light, it would be a huge problem.]
(Funshoku? What’s funshoku?)
TLNOTE: Funshoku =accounting fraud
I was puzzled by an unfamiliar word.
Not knowing his mind was being read, Eijiro-san continued speaking.
“Since it might contain confidential company information. I’d like you to find it as quickly as possible.”
“……Could you show us the location first?”
Koyomin, faithful to her duties. Eijiro-san gladly showed us.
“It was stored in the safe in this room, right over there—”
Where Eijiro-san pointed, in the corner of the room, sat a safe about the size of a refrigerator. It was a dial type with no signs of being pried open, and when he showed us the inside, there were no unnatural points.
Apparently nothing else besides the will was stolen, so “it might be an inside job,” Koyomin said. I agreed.
“Yeah, that’s right. If it were an ordinary robbery, they’d steal anything valuable first, and there’s no sign of breaking in…”
“When did you notice it went missing?”
To Koyomin’s question, Eijiro-san scratched his head apologetically.
“Embarrassingly, since there were no signs of disturbance or anything, I didn’t notice at all. It was when I opened the safe with my secretary to check the will after father passed away.”
“When was the will put in the safe?”
“The lawyer put it there about two weeks ago.”
“During those two weeks, who could open this safe?”
“Including myself, four people.”
“I see. It’s quite narrowed down.”
By the way, this entire exchange was all Koyomin. She really is a great detective’s assistant… Well, I’ll get scolded later with “please do more work.”
Such was the great detective’s assistant Koyomin, putting her hand to her chin in thought.
“Hmm, the culprit might be among them. Or it could be considered an external crime.”
“External!?”
[If it gets sold to a weekly magazine or something, it would be terrible!]
Eijiro-san’s expression changed drastically. Is it really that serious? I don’t understand how bad accounting fraud is.
While I was thinking I’d ask Naomi-san about it later, beside me, Koyomin seriously advanced the investigation.
“Is there any information about suspicious individuals infiltrating?”
“No, there’s a veteran security guard keeping a proper watch at the entrance. Would you like to see the surveillance cameras?”
Where Eijiro-san pointed, a round-type security camera was installed that could properly survey the surroundings. It was installed in the corner of the ceiling and could film a wide range including the window, entrance, safe, and desk.
“The more clues the better. Let’s have a look,” said Koyomin.
“That’s right… President, please!”
We ended up following Eijiro-san to the security room.
On the way back to the first floor entrance, Eijiro-san pointed to the security guard standing at the entrance.
“Ah, that person is the veteran security guard who was on duty that day.”
“……”
A well-built security guard silently gazing forward. He had a silent pressure that suggested he’d quietly break your bones if you tried anything bad.
“The security is perfect too.”
So said Koyomin, but inside her brain—
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