Seeing Hanada Emi enter, Takato suddenly froze—she was around twenty years old, and she called Saeki Tadashi "Uncle."
In that instant, Takato wondered if she might be the illegitimate child of Mr. Nishikawa he was looking for—after all, he didn't know if the child the actressHanada Shochi was carrying was a boy or a girl. If it was an illegitimate daughter, it wasn't impossible.
"Uncle Saeki, do you have guests?"
Hanada Emi approached Saeki Tadashi, handed him a bag of sweets, then saw Takato and asked.
"Yes, we're discussing something. Emi, weren't you supposed to go back yesterday?"
Saeki Tadashi took the bag, a little puzzled.
"Oh, that's because I originally wanted to meet up with friends to say goodbye before leaving, but one friend wasn't available yesterday, so it was postponed until today."
Hanada Emi explained.
"So, have you rebooked your flight?"
Saeki Tadashi asked.
"Yes, it's been changed to this afternoon. I just wanted to say goodbye to Uncle Saeki before I leave."
Hanada Emi said.
"Oh, you. It would be good if you came back to see me more often when you have time."
Saeki Tadashi said with a relieved smile.
"Well, since Uncle Saeki still has guests, I won't disturb you. Goodbye, Uncle Saeki."
Smiling, Hanada Emi bid farewell to Saeki Tadashi, then turned and left.
Watching their family farewell and Hanada Emi about to depart, Takato frowned deeply. Listening to their conversation, this woman was about to leave by plane. If she really was Mr. Nishikawa's illegitimate daughter, he should clarify things as soon as possible, but Saeki Tadashi hadn't given him an answer yet.
"Mr. Akechi, let's continue our previous topic."
After watching Hanada Emi leave, Saeki Tadashi spoke, pulling Takato's thoughts back.
"You want to ask, since I, originally surnamed Hanada, happened to buy the diamond you're investigating at auction, are you suspecting that the actressHanada Shochi you're looking for is related to me?"
Saeki Tadashi translated Takato's meaning.
"Simply put, yes, that's correct."
Takato did not deny his intention.
"Since Detective has investigated this far, there's no point in me continuing to conceal it."
After a pause, Saeki Tadashi continued to explain.
"You guessed correctly, I do know Hanada Shochi. Because she is my biological elder sister!"
Takato was not surprised by this outcome.
"My elder sister was a very strong-willed person. Back then, she originally intended to marry Nishikawa Taisei, who had recently lost his wife. However, due to his son's opposition, Nishikawa Taisei ultimately abandoned his plan to marry my elder sister."
"So, Hanada Shochi and Nishikawa Taisei really intended to marry back then?"
Hearing this conclusion, Takato felt a bit strange. If they intended to marry, it meant they had an emotional foundation, but it seemed very odd that Nishikawa Taisei had not actively sought out Hanada Shochi in the twenty years that followed.
"Yes, the blue diamond Nishikawa Taisei gave my elder sister was their token of love."
Saeki Tadashi explained.
"Did Mr. Nishikawa ever look for your elder sister afterward?"
Takato raised his doubt.
"How could he possibly find her?"
Saeki Tadashi said with a half-smile.
"My elder sister couldn't accept the reality of being abandoned by Nishikawa Taisei back then, and in a fit of anger, she went to America! Even we couldn't contact her at the time!"
As he spoke, Saeki Tadashi's tone became increasingly agitated, eventually turning somewhat angry.
"What happened then?"
Takato continued to ask.
"Then, that was six years ago."
"Because of that gem?"
Hearing Saeki Tadashi say this, Takato roughly understood.
"Yes, after seeing the 'tears of moonlight' at an auction in America six years ago, I immediately recognized the diamond on it as the one Nishikawa Taisei had given my elder sister! So I spent a large sum to buy it and found the jeweler who made this 'tears of moonlight.'
"Through this jeweler, I learned that my elder sister, out of necessity, had eventually sold this diamond. And through the address provided by the jeweler, I found my elder sister's residence, but…"
At this point, Saeki Tadashi choked up a little.
"But my elder sister had already passed away a few years ago! She only left behind the young Emi, who grew up under the care of the local church."
Hearing the name "Emi," Takato realized it was the woman who had just left!
"So I brought Emi back to Japan to raise her. She is very smart and even earned the qualification to study at an American university during her time at Nanyo University."
Saeki Tadashi recounted the events simply, but his speaking speed was not fast.
Hearing this, Takato suddenly remembered the woman saying she was taking a flight to leave, and connected it to Saeki Tadashi saying she had the qualification to study in America—could it be intentional!
Thinking of this, Takato suddenly stood up, while Saeki Tadashi remained calm.
"Nishikawa Taisei abandoned my elder sister back then, and didn't care for her and her daughter for twenty years, but now he comes looking for them, heh heh."
Saeki Tadashi didn't continue speaking, and Takato also understood there was no need for him to stay. After saying "Goodbye," he turned and left, chasing towards the airport—but which airport!
It was at this moment that the panel appeared!
"Phase Three: Through the clue of the gem, you have found a person who might be Nishikawa Taisei's illegitimate daughter. Now, please obtain crucial evidence and return to report! By the way, the car accident incident can now be investigated."
"Phase Three has been activated. Phase Two settlement is now beginning."
"Observation: A"
"Knowledge: A"
"Logic: A"
"Phase Two Overall Rating: A"
Looking at the content of Phase Three, Takato knew what crucial evidence he needed to obtain—to find an illegitimate daughter, what could be more convincing than DNA?
Although he didn't need to bring the person back directly, the difficulty of this was not simple!
After walking a few steps into the bustling downtown area, Takato passed by the trash can where he had discarded his empty coffee cup on his way earlier, and suddenly remembered something—that's right, the bag of sweets the woman brought when she arrived, wasn't it from the same shop where he had bought coffee earlier!
Thinking of this, Takato considered a possibility and prayed as he ran back to the coffee shop where he had bought coffee earlier.
By asking the staff, Takato learned that the blonde woman named "Emi" had indeed drunk a beverage in the shop, a cup of tea with lemon slices.
Because this shop used disposable cups, even when dining in, empty cups would be left as trash and eventually collected by the staff and thrown into the trash can outside the back door of the shop!
So, Takato went to the trash can outside and began rummaging through the trash!
At the same time, outside Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Hanada Emi, who had just gotten out of a taxi, received a phone call.
"Hello?"
"You've already met the Detective who came looking for Saeki Tadashi, haven't you?"
A cold male voice came from the phone.
"Yes, as you requested, I appeared before him at the appropriate time, letting him know I am Saeki Tadashi's niece."
"Very good."
"However, do I not need to do anything else? Is just this enough?"
"No need. The more you do, the more mistakes you make. For the rest, I have my own arrangements."