Chapter 50: He Doesn’t Understand the World of Love-Fools

Late at night, in the reception room on the second floor of the Fujino Detective Agency.

The warm, milky-white light shone softly on the clean floor, scattering gentle glimmers.

The brand-new furniture was neatly arranged, and there was still a faint scent of freshly cut wood lingering in the air.

Sitting on the white sofa, Shibasaki Mieko stared blankly at the surroundings, a bit dazed by it all.

Is this really the reception room of a detective agency?

Why does it feel more luxurious than the reception room at the record label that signed their band?

"Miss Shibasaki Mieko, please have some tea."

Across from her, Fujino sat on a white armchair, handing her a freshly brewed cup of black tea.

"Thank you…"

Mieko accepted the cup, her movements a bit stiff and awkward.

"Detective Fujino… have you figured out who Tatsuya actually likes?"

"I've figured it out."

Fujino nodded, then smiled meaningfully.

"It's someone you definitely wouldn't expect."

"Could it be… Koizumi Yumi?!"

Mieko's brows furrowed, and she spoke with clear agitation.

"I always thought the rumors about them dating were just media hype… but don't tell me…"

"It's not her."

Fujino quickly cut off the delusions of the lovestruck young girl.

"Then who is it?" Mieko looked at him, confused.

"Actually, the person Kimura Tatsuya likes…" Fujino paused for a beat, then continued,

"Is none other than your band's manager—Terahara Mari."

"Eh?"

She froze for a second, then confirmed again in disbelief,

"You're saying… Manager Terahara Mari?!"

"That's right."

Fujino adjusted the glasses on his nose,

"According to my investigation, Kimura Tatsuya's feelings are for her. I'm certain there's no one else."

"No way. Absolutely impossible."

Mieko let out a light laugh, shaking her head repeatedly in disbelief.

"If you told me he liked Koizumi Yumi, I might have believed it. But Mari? That's impossible."

Of course she knew who Terahara Mari was—she was their band's current manager.

And although Mari always seemed to care a lot about Tatsuya, Tatsuya never appreciated it.

In fact, he often snapped at her with sarcasm and disdain.

No matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem like he liked her!

"Do you really understand Kimura Tatsuya?"

Seeing her skeptical expression, Fujino couldn't help but curve his lips into a smile.

"Are you sure you know him that well?"

"Of course I do!"

Mieko lifted her chin proudly.

She knew Tatsuya extremely well—maybe not down to the number of hairs in his armpit, but close enough.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to confess to him…

…And then get rejected.

"Then you should also know that before joining your company's band, Tatsuya used to perform in an underground band, right?"

"I do know about that."

Mieko nodded, "He told us before."

"But what's that got to do with who he likes?"

"It has everything to do with it."

With that, Fujino leaned forward slightly and placed a folder on the coffee table.

Mieko eyed the folder curiously.

"What's this?"

"These are all the materials I gathered over the past few days," Fujino explained.

"All of the evidence points to one thing—Kimura Tatsuya definitely has feelings for Terahara Mari."

Clutching the file tightly, Mieko felt her heart tighten.

"But… Tatsuya always looks down on Mari… how could it be?"

Fujino chuckled softly, his tone filled with hidden meaning.

"As someone by Tatsuya's side, don't you understand his personality?"

"Tatsuya's personality…"

Mieko bit her lip gently, then murmured,

"Tatsuya… to me, he's always seemed cheerful, optimistic… but also a bit tsundere… Wait—could it be?!"

Before she could finish, a look of realization spread across her face.

"That's right."

Fujino nodded again, pulling out two photos and placing them on the table.

"These are pictures of Tatsuya and Terahara Mari when they used to be in that underground band."

"Is… is this really Mari? It doesn't look like her…"

Mieko stared closely at the photo, completely baffled.

The man in the picture was unmistakably Kimura Tatsuya.

But the woman? Who was that?

Why didn't she recognize her at all?

Seeing her bewildered expression, Fujino confirmed with certainty,

"That is Terahara Mari."

"You're saying that's Mari?" Mieko looked at the freckle-faced girl in the photo, stunned.

"She looks completely different…"

"That's because she had cosmetic surgery…"

Fujino nodded and explained further,

"In reality, Kimura Tatsuya and Terahara Mari have known each other for a long time."

"Back then, they were in the same underground band. They went through a lot together. Later, after the band disbanded, your company signed Tatsuya—but he insisted that Mari come with him."

Mieko nodded slowly, still feeling uncertain.

"But… if they knew each other for so long, why does Tatsuya act like he doesn't care about her now?"

"If my guess is right, it's because of the cosmetic surgery."

Fujino pointed at the photo on the table.

"On the back of that band photo, Tatsuya wrote lyrics to a song called 'What I Want to Say to the Bare-Faced You'. I believe he wrote those words for Terahara Mari after her surgery."

He then read the lyrics aloud:

'Even though your appearance has changed so much, I still like the you from before…'

"I think all those harsh words he's said… weren't meaningless. He's waiting. Waiting for the real, bare-faced Terahara Mari to come back."

"So that's how it is…"

"In other words… the reason he rejected me was because his heart is already full, right?"

As she spoke, Mieko's voice faltered slightly, her cheeks tinged with faint red.

"According to the investigation results, that's exactly the case."

Fujino nodded silently and handed her a couple of tissues.

"Honestly, from the very beginning of this investigation, the result was already inevitable. Whether it was Koizumi Yumi or anyone else, the answer would've been the same."

"I know… I know… but… I just can't let it go…"

Watching Mieko sob softly, Fujino let out a long sigh.

As expected—he really didn't understand the world of love-fools.

And so, the soft sound of a young girl's crying echoed through the second floor of the Fujino family home.

A while later, Mieko finally calmed down. She stood up, bowed deeply, and sincerely said,

"Detective Fujino, thank you for helping me find out who Tatsuya really likes."

"No need for that. I was just doing my job."

Fujino chuckled, rubbing his hands a bit awkwardly.

"But on that note—about the remaining 450,000 yen of the commission fee, when will that be settled?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a card reader.

"This time, we're accepting card payments."

A bit of writer's block today, sorry for the delay in this chapter.

(End of Chapter)