"There's indeed a grove of cherry trees around the lodge," Otomo Hiroki said, overhearing the siblings' conversation. "The petals in the stream must've fallen when the wind swept through."
At that moment, a black sedan pulled up to the gas station.
A short, stout young man stepped out, scanning the area. Spotting Otomo, he hurried over.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"We just got here ourselves," Otomo said, introducing everyone.
The man was Akita Keito, whose fiancée had vanished. He eyed Hayashi Shuichi skeptically. "Shuichi-kun looks pretty young, doesn't he?"
"I'm still in school. First year of high school," Hayashi Shuichi replied casually.
Akita glanced at Otomo, his expression saying it all: You hired a kid for this?
"Shuichi-kun may be a student, but he's helped the police solve plenty of cases," Otomo explained. "The detectives I hired before came up empty, so let's give him a shot."
"Fine," Akita sighed. "If you find the necklace, I'll match whatever commission Otomo's paying you."
His words were cooperative, but his face betrayed his doubt in Hayashi Shuichi's abilities.
"Onii-chan's amazing at solving mysteries," Reiko huffed defensively.
"Is that so?" Akita smirked, turning back to his car.
"What a jerk," Fujimine Yukiko muttered, annoyed. "Who looks down on people like that?"
"Akita-san's a company president," Otomo said, trying to smooth things over. "Shuichi's young, so it's natural he'd underestimate him."
"He mentioned a necklace, not his fiancée," Hayashi Shuichi noted. "What's that about?"
"When Akita-san's fiancée disappeared, she was wearing their family's heirloom necklace," Otomo replied. "Worth tens of millions of yen, apparently."
"See? I knew he wasn't the sentimental type," Fei Yingli said with disdain. "He's just after the money."
As they spoke, preparing to return to the cars, Akita let out a startled yelp.
He'd been walking past the scaffold where workers were painting when one accidentally knocked over a can, splashing half a bucket of paint onto him.
The worker scrambled down to apologize, while Akita cursed furiously.
Otomo went to mediate, leaving Hayashi Shuichi and the three girls to watch the chaos unfold.
In the end, the worker paid Akita some compensation, and the matter was settled.
"Seriously, this suit was brand new," Akita grumbled, peeling off his paint-splattered jacket.
"Wipe it off quick," Otomo advised. "Once the paint dries, it'll be a pain to clean. Got any tissues?"
"Yeah."
Akita opened his car's trunk, revealing rolls of tissue paper—and a massive cactus he'd bought on the way to keep as a houseplant.
Tossing his jacket into the trunk, Akita grabbed some tissues and started scrubbing the paint from his forehead. But paint was stubborn, and even after wiping for a while, his clothes were still streaked.
"Let's head to the lodge," Hayashi Shuichi suggested. "You'll need a bathroom to clean the rest properly."
Akita nodded, visibly frustrated.
…
Ten minutes later, the two cars pulled up to the Togo Lodge, nestled halfway up the mountain.
Akita rushed inside without hesitation.
Hayashi Shuichi and the others stepped out, sizing up the lodge. As Otomo had described, it was small, likely a converted residence, with a weathered exterior. Two stories, about ten rooms total.
Hayashi Shuichi studied the structure closely. If the two missing girls were truly held here, there had to be a hidden room—something that had eluded the police's two searches.
He was deep in thought when Otomo suddenly gasped, "Mio?"
Following his gaze, Hayashi Shuichi saw a woman standing at a second-floor window on the right.
"Mio!" Otomo shouted, sprinting into the lodge.
"Found her already?" Fujimine Yukiko said, stunned.
Hayashi Shuichi didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the window.
The woman, hearing Otomo's shout, didn't acknowledge him. Instead, she quickly stepped away.
"…Let's go inside," Hayashi Shuichi said, motioning to the others.
In the first-floor lobby, a woman in her fifties—the lodge's owner—blocked Otomo's path. "Otomo-san, I've told you before, Mio-san isn't here. Why are you back?"
"Nonsense! I saw her clear as day up there!" Otomo pushed past her, charging upstairs.
"Wait!" The owner hurried after him.
Hayashi Shuichi and the others followed close behind.
On the second floor, a hallway stretched out with four rooms on each side—201 to 204 on the left, 205 to 208 on the right, with a communal bathroom at the end.
Otomo stood at Room 206, pounding on the door. "Mio, I saw you! You're in there, aren't you?"
"Otomo-san, that room's occupied," the owner said, trying to calm him. "You'll disturb the guests!"
"The guest has to be Mio!" Otomo yelled. "I'm seeing her today, no matter what!"
At that moment, the door to Room 202 opened. Akita Keito, who'd arrived earlier, stepped out in a bathrobe, ready to wash off the paint in the communal bathroom. "What's… going on?"
"I found Mio!" Otomo answered, still banging on the door.
"Your Mio-san's really here?" Akita froze, then grabbed the owner's arm. "What's going on? If Mio's here, where's Saho? Are you hiding that woman too?"
"It's a misunderstanding! You must've seen wrong," the owner insisted. "Room 206 is occupied by Mizuno-san. She's here with her boyfriend to see the cherry blossoms."
"I didn't see wrong! Open the door!" Otomo demanded, frantic.
Amid the commotion, a young man emerged from the communal bathroom, towel-drying his hair. Seeing the crowd at Room 206, he approached, visibly irritated.
"What are you all doing? Why are you bothering my girlfriend's rest?"
"Otomo-san must've mistaken Mizuno-san for his missing girlfriend," the owner explained quickly. "He insists on entering."
"I didn't mistake her!" Otomo said firmly. "The woman at the window was definitely Mio!"
(End of Chapter)
----------------------------------------
If you'd like to follow the story earlier than the public release, come join my Patreon:
👉 patreon.com/TripleCrown07
There, you can read up to 40 chapters in advance, enjoy exclusive content, and help support me to keep releasing chapters more regularly.
Thank you so much for your support and for being part of this journey! ❤️