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Tokiyoshi Kenshi had two studios, one for the students and a relatively smaller one for himself, where he also stored his unsold paintings.

As soon as Kiyomi Ruri entered the studio, she felt a sense of unease. On one side of the wall hung a huge landscape oil painting, with vibrant colors and bold strokes, depicting a unique pastoral scenery that had a strong visual impact.

However, that wasn't the main point. She didn't understand oil paintings and couldn't appreciate them. What was important was that the landscape painting had a large expanse of blue sky. Combined with Matsuchi Yūto's enigmatic clue of "pointing to the sky" before his death, Tokiyoshi Kenshi's suspicion as a despicable wolf increased instantly.

But before she could remind Nanahara Takeshi, she held her breath and noticed that there were several paintings in the studio that also had a sky in the background. It was inevitable for landscape paintings to have a sky, to some extent.

She calmed down and realized that the clue and the paintings were unrelated. She had been too sensitive.

Feeling embarrassed, she decided to follow Nanahara Takeshi as his companion and see if he discovered anything.

At that moment, Tokiyoshi Kenshi finished his quiet conversation with his student, Ichinoya Uno, at the entrance and caught up with Nanahara Takeshi. He saw Nanahara Takeshi admiring a portrait of a young girl, which was his masterpiece. He immediately smiled and asked, "Nanahara-kōhai, what do you think of this painting?"

If Nanahara Takeshi liked it and praised it even a little, Tokiyoshi Kenshi was ready to consider him a "rare kindred spirit in the world" and give him the painting as a gift, even if he couldn't understand how Nanahara Takeshi mysteriously found out about his affair.

But Nanahara Takeshi didn't even spare him a glance and casually replied, "It doesn't look great. It imitates the style of Miller, but it's a third-rate work without a soul. It doesn't even have the taste to be hung in a house. It's not worth much money, but... considering the preferences of the insurance company's fools, if the artist were to die, it might sell for some money."

Then he turned to Tokiyoshi Kenshi, looked him up and down, and asked with concern, "How is your heart health? Do you have high blood pressure? Have you been feeling depressed lately? Do you feel that life is not worth living?"

"Haha..."

Kiyomi Ruri chuckled and covered her mouth, amused by Nanahara Takeshi's words. She thought his sarcastic remarks were worth praising, while Tokiyoshi Kenshi's face turned completely dark. He couldn't help clenching his fists repeatedly, but he didn't dare to punch Nanahara Takeshi.

Nanahara Takeshi didn't care if he was angry or not. In his eyes, such a person didn't exist. He was always the one taking advantage of others, and no one could take advantage of him. He casually walked around the room and then turned to Tokiyoshi Kenshi, asking, "Tatsuo-san, what animal does Matsunai-san resemble?"

Tokiyoshi Kenshi hesitated for a moment and uncertainly replied, "A donkey? Uh, no, actually more like an old ox. That guy is quite diligent when it comes to work."

He didn't understand the meaning behind Nanahara Takeshi's question, nor did he care. He approached him and whispered, "Nanahara-kōhai, you may not believe me, but I swear on my life that I have nothing to do with Matsunai-san's death. I have criticized him behind his back a few times, but in my career, I have criticized dozens of journalists and commentators. If it weren't for his sudden death, I wouldn't have a deep impression of him. I couldn't have killed him, so what happened earlier..."

Nanahara Takeshi stared at him for a moment, nodded with a smile, and greeted Nakano Eri, "Miss Nakano, we can leave now."

"Wait, about what happened earlier... I apologize, also to Kiyomi, I didn't know..." Tokiyoshi Kenshi grabbed Nanahara Takeshi and looked anxious.

Nanahara Takeshi smiled and said, "Uh, what are you talking about? I didn't understand."

Tokiyoshi Kenshi temporarily felt relieved and let out a sigh of relief. Nakano Eri glanced at him, adjusted her glasses, and a disdainful light flashed on her lenses. Without exchanging pleasantries with him, she left with Nanahara Takeshi and Kiyomi Ruri. However, when they reached the gate of Tokiyoshi's house, she went to start the car parked on the street, while Nanahara Takeshi stayed in front of Tokiyoshi's house and took out pen and paper to write a letter.

Kiyomi Ruri forgot to ask what he was doing and curiously asked, "What are you writing?"

Nanahara Takeshi wrote a few words, then turned and held the pen tip to her mouth, ordering, "Lick it."

Kiyomi Ruri looked at the pen tip in confusion and asked, "Why do I have to lick it?"

"The pen is clogged." Nanahara Takeshi sighed, "If it weren't for the clogged pen during the last exam, my writing wouldn't have been so intermittent. I wouldn't have had such casual grades."

Kiyomi Ruri found it even harder to accept. She said, "You could just change the pen or lick it yourself. Why do you have to bother me?"

"You talk too much. This pen is an antique. It's been around for forty-six years and has great commemorative value. It's worth a lot of money. Only this pen can match my taste. How could I replace it?" Nanahara Takeshi directly put the pen into her mouth and said, "Hurry up and lick it. The water in this old-fashioned pen has a strange taste. I can't stand it. You're my assistant, and you have to do everything I don't want to do. Now I don't want to!"

You jerk, even though you look like a person, you never speak like one and never do anything like one...

Just you wait. I'll overthrow you sooner or later!

Kiyomi Ruri couldn't do anything about him. She stared at him for a while, stuck out her small tongue, moistened the pen tip, and watched him continue writing. She put on a Tibetan Fox face and asked, "So, what are you doing exactly?"

Nanahara Takeshi calmly replied, "Teaching a lesson to that old man, Tokiyoshi."

Kiyomi Ruri was surprised for a moment, and then her heart warmed. She didn't expect Nanahara Takeshi to willingly stand up for her without asking for anything in return. She couldn't put on a Tibetan Fox face anymore and hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Thank you, thank you for standing up for me..."

This guy could be annoying at times, but he could also be warm-hearted. It was hard to decide whether to scold him or praise him. Perhaps she should spare his life and not overthrow him.

While she was feeling warm inside, Nanahara Takeshi said indifferently, "Don't get ahead of yourself. It has nothing to do with you."

Tch, this guy is so arrogant...

Kiyomi Ruri hummed and didn't expose him. She just whispered, "Even if it's not for the deceived girls and Mrs. Tokiyoshi, I'm glad you have a sense of justice."

"It has nothing to do with justice. That guy doesn't have the guts to force anyone. At most, he lures them into a consensual transaction. If the seduction fails, he gives up. It's Mrs. Tokiyoshi who deserves sympathy, but that's a family matter and has nothing to do with me." Nanahara Takeshi's tone became strange. He glanced at her while writing something and asked, "What strange thoughts are you having? Why are you talking so strangely?"

Kiyomi Ruri was stunned and hesitated before asking, "Then why? I thought you were going to let him off."

"Because I don't like being taken advantage of." Nanahara Takeshi continued writing, apparently writing a long letter, possibly embellishing it with exaggerations or coming up with a plan that would bring disaster to Tokiyoshi Kenshi. He said, "He dared to plot against me right in front of me. Even dogs look at their owners before biting. He completely disregarded me. If I let him off, it would make me look weak and easily bullied. Let me tell you, you should never leave such an impression on others. That's why he needs to be taught a lesson."

This jerk is really a jerk. He can't even speak like a normal person. Kiyomi Ruri realized that she had overestimated Nanahara Takeshi's personal integrity. She put on a Tibetan Fox face again and asked unhappily, "So, he's no longer a suspect? He's not the one who killed Matsuchi Yūto?"

"That's right. He doesn't have the courage or the audacity, nor does he have the physical strength to deal with large animals in the mountains. He's just a perverted old man with poor self-control. At most, he's shameless and good at flattery. He can't be considered an experienced hunting enthusiast, let alone a hunter. The hunting rifle he owns is for pleasing someone, most likely for entertaining his father-in-law, who is probably more dominant. Well, he doesn't care about his wife, but he's afraid of her. It's probably his wife's family who can handle him."

After a pause, he added, "Of course, his alibi also proves that I didn't find any problems with him. He didn't have the opportunity to kill anyone, so he has nothing to do with this case."

Kiyomi Ruri nodded and agreed with his statement. She felt that there was nothing to question anymore. But when she saw him finish writing and flip his hand, a white envelope appeared in his hand. He put the letter in and started writing on the envelope. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "So, this letter is for his father-in-law? And how did you happen to have an envelope with you?"

"Let them handle their family affairs themselves. As for the envelope, I'm a part-time magician. Magicians don't perform without preparation. It's natural for me to carry various props with me. Do you need to ask about that?" Nanahara Takeshi finished writing and smiled happily. He handed the envelope to her and gestured for her to lick the adhesive on the envelope flap. "Alright, go and put it in Tokiyoshi's mailbox, together with those advertising flyers. Someone will take it and inform on him for a reward. Tokiyoshi will have a pleasant night."

Kiyomi Ruri glared at him but didn't protest, licking the adhesive on the envelope flap carefully. Then, she discreetly mixed the letter into the pile of advertising flyers in Tokiyoshi's mailbox. She turned back and asked, "By the way, how did you find out about his affair? Was it because he was plotting against me? But he didn't show it so obviously at the time. I didn't... I just had a vague feeling."

She had been obedient just now, licking the pen as he asked, and Nanahara Takeshi didn't give her a hard time. He directly replied, "There's a circular indentation on the wallet's card slot."

Kiyomi Ruri was puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"Didn't you see when he took out his business card? There's a circular indentation on the layers of the wallet where he keeps his bank cards. Now you can think about why there would be such a strange indentation there."

Kiyomi Ruri followed him as they walked towards the car and imagined the scene. Suddenly, she realized, "Ah, I understand. He wears a wedding ring on his hand, and he often puts it in the wallet. So you suspected him of having an affair. But..." She hesitated and wavered, thinking for a moment before asking in confusion, "But maybe it's because of his work. He's an artist, and he might take off the ring frequently to avoid getting it dirty. You're so sure, what if you're wrong? It would be so embarrassing!"

Nanahara Takeshi looked at her with a speechless expression. "Never mind whether wearing the ring would hinder his painting. Let's say he works at home and has a dedicated studio. He can just take it off and put it aside. Why would he be afraid of losing it? Why would he bother to stuff it in the wallet slot? So, it can only mean that when he goes out to meet his lover, he's afraid that the lover would be unhappy or that it would be strange for a couple to be together with only one person wearing a wedding ring. That's why he takes it off, but he's afraid of losing it, so he stuffs it in that place. Therefore, he must have done something wrong outside."

Kiyomi Ruri had nothing to say. She felt that she still had a lot to learn, but she wasn't too disappointed.

Although she had made a wasted trip and didn't find the real culprit, she had exposed a scumbag and possibly changed the miserable lives of a few girls. It could be considered a half-good deed, and she didn't lose out.

No, she might have gained something. She had learned a new trick, a fruitful side quest.

Yes, when she returned home, she would find an opportunity to look at her father's wallet and see if there were any strange marks inside. It might be useful in the future. If she ever met "the one" in her destiny and started a relationship or even a family with him, she should frequently find reasons to check his wallet to prevent herself from becoming a pitiful wife like Mrs. Tokiyoshi.

Yes, that's a good idea!

Lost in her thoughts, she got into the car with Nanahara Takeshi and continued on to the location of the next suspect. She regained her enthusiasm in the strange gaze of Nakano Eri. After all, there were only two suspects in total, and if Tokiyoshi Kenshi wasn't the one, then the killer must be Uchii Tatsuo.

The killer was right in front of them. Now it was time to defeat him!