“Hey, Holmes, what price would you put on this?”
“Hmm... It’s in good condition, so a hundred thousand yen, perhaps? Would you like to sell it to us?”
“Nah, I’ll take it to a more gullible shop,” Ueda answered without hesitating. He then proceeded to wrap the hanging scroll back in the cloth.
A hundred thousand yen. That’s a lot in itself. Personally, I’d be more than happy to receive such a sum.
It would’ve been awkward to continue staring from a distance, so I wandered farther inside the store. I couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of the pottery and tea bowls neatly adorning the rows of shelves. On the opposite side were Western-style items like candle stands and tea sets. Everything was arranged beautifully—though the items varied from expensive pieces to low-price sundries that even I could afford, it didn’t seem disorderly at all. It looked like everything was being treated with extreme care.
They really do have all kinds of things. There were vases, dressers, and tea ceremony utensils that looked like they came from a Chinese palace, as well as a beautiful antique Western doll with porcelain skin, big blue eyes, and silky blonde hair. Staring at the doll made a chill run down my spine for some reason. It was beautiful, but also kind of creepy. I hurriedly averted my gaze and looked at the other items.
Oh, there’s some nice ornaments over here. There were even rare packages of tea. I was starting to have fun looking at all of the different things, and I stopped in front of a tea bowl in a glass case. It was white with a reddish-brown pattern on it, and at first glance, it looked warped out of shape. Its appearance was unsophisticated, but for some reason, I found myself attracted to it. As I stood there, staring at it...
“Do you like it?”
I turned in surprise at the sudden voice, and saw Holmes standing behind me, smiling gently. I shakily replied, “Ah, um, I don’t know. I just thought it was, um, nice.” Th-This guy is even more handsome up close. Silky hair, tall stature, long legs. Above all, he seemed really refined. As my eyes darted around, another gentle smile rose to his lips.
“I see. Feel free to take your time looking around.”
He began walking away, and I called out to him on the spur of the moment, “E-Excuse me!”
He turned around. “Yes?”
I wanted to hold out my paper bag and say, “I’d like you to appraise this,” but the words weren’t coming out.
“Umm... Why are you called Holmes?”
He blinked in surprise at my sudden reckless question.
“I-Is it because you figure out things like Sherlock Holmes?” My embarrassment compelled me to continue.
Holmes grinned, his eyes narrowing into slits. “Let’s see... You’re a student at Oki High, but you were originally from Kanto, not Kansai. You moved to Kyoto around half a year ago. You came to this shop to have something appraised, but it doesn’t belong to you. That’s what I can tell so far.”
“W-Wow.” My jaw dropped at the accuracy of his deduction.
“Anyone could figure out as much. You’re wearing the Oki school uniform and you have a Kanto accent.”
I immediately looked down at myself and saw the navy blazer and checkered skirt. Indeed, I was wearing my school uniform. How silly of me.
“Wait, but, how did you know I moved half a year ago?”
“That was just my intuition. You don’t seem like you just moved here, but you don’t seem too accustomed to being here either. So, I guessed that you moved here during summer vacation.”
He was spot-on. I transferred to this high school at the end of summer vacation. It’s March now, so it’s been half a year.
“Then, how did you know that I want to appraise something that doesn’t belong to me?”
“A high school student wouldn’t own the kind of thing that you’d get appraised here. So, it’s natural to assume that it probably belongs to a grandparent. On top of that, you seem hesitant to get it appraised—because it’s not yours. Am I mistaken?”
I was at a loss for words. He said that anyone could figure out this much, but was that really true? No, a normal person wouldn’t think that way. That’s probably why he’s called Holmes.
“However, you’re currently in desperate need of money. That’s why you brought that here without permission, right?”
My pulse skyrocketed.
“H-How...”
...did you know? My voice gave out in the middle of the sentence.
“If you had permission, then you wouldn’t be hesitating.”
I couldn’t breathe. It was as though a knife had been thrust at my throat.
“The fact that you’re displaying hesitation suggests that you’re not the kind of girl who would sell off her family’s things. But the reality is that you’re here. So, you must be truly pressed for money. You’re being cornered by something. Am I correct?”
I was too shocked to remember to blink or close my gaping mouth. As I stood there, utterly defenseless, Ueda sighed and said, “Hey, Kiyotaka, you’re scaring the poor thing. I keep telling you to stop that. This is why you’ll always be ‘Holmes.’” Judging from that, Holmes’s real name was Kiyotaka.
The young shopkeeper smiled wryly and said, “Oh, sorry. I got carried away.” He looked apologetic, and I shook my head, telling him not to worry about it. But my heart was still beating a mile a minute.
“By the way, I’m not called Holmes because of Sherlock. It’s just a nickname.”
“B-Because you can figure out anything, right?”
“No, because my surname is Yagashira, written with the characters for ‘home’ and ‘head.’ So, it’s more like they’re calling me ‘Homes.’” He pointed at the nametag on his chest, and I paused to look. He was right.
“Oh, I get it.” I suddenly didn’t care anymore.
Mieko leaned over and proclaimed proudly, “That’s not all. Dear Kiyotaka’s so smart, he’ll be attending graduate school at Kyoto University this spring.”
Grad school at Kyoto University? He really is a student, then...at Kyoto University, no less.
“Th-That’s incredible,” I murmured, honestly impressed.
Kiyotaka, a.k.a. Holmes, smiled in amusement and said, “That’s not what’s incredible about me.”
“Huh?”
“My father and grandfather both went to Kyoto University, so I always wanted to go there too.”
“Okay...”
“However, I didn’t pass the entrance exams, because I was always playing with my grandfather.”
Wait, what? Did he just say he was playing with his grandfather? No, I must’ve heard wrong. How could you play that much with your grandfather? Anyway, does that mean Holmes failed the entrance exams but kept trying so that he could get in the next year? That really is incredible. If it were me, I’d be satisfied with just going to whatever university I could get into. I nodded, and Holmes continued, holding up his index finger, “So, I decided to go to Kyoto Prefectural University.”
“What? Kyoto Prefectural University?”
“Yes. However, this spring, I’ll be attending Kyoto University’s graduate school. When I’m finished there, what do you think my final academic record will be?”
“U-Um, a Kyoto University graduate?”
“Exactly. It’s pretty easy to get into Kyoto University as a grad student, and the prefectural university has a program that lets you skip the line. Isn’t it a brilliant strategy?”
My face twitched as I listened to his enthusiastic boasting. Th-That’s kind of underhanded.
“Just now, were you thinking I was underhanded?”
“N-No.”
What the heck?! This guy really is Holmes! I felt like I was going to break out in a cold sweat again.
“What’s your name?”
“Aoi Mashiro.”
“That’s a lovely name. Was it given to you by your grandparents?”
“Yes, it was.”
“I see. So, your family moved into your grandparents’ house?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Do they live in Sakyo-ku?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Close to Shimogamo Shrine?”
“Y-Yes. How do you know that?”
I stared at him in shock, and Ueda and Mieko burst out laughing.
“How indeed?” quipped Ueda.
“Yes, about that...” continued Mieko.
“When you hear ‘Aoi’...”