Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

The middle-aged man in front of her was addressed as Takahashi-kun by Ayari Ozawa.

Based on the annotations in the weekly manga magazine and Masahiro Hanyu's deliberate confirmation just now, this person's identity should be Junichi Watanabe, the editor-in-chief of this manga studio.

Since his surname is Watanabe, but he tells Ozawa that his surname is Takahashi, it's clear that he's deliberately concealing his identity. Doesn't this indicate that he has something to hide?

Masahiro Hanyu's suspicions deepened, and Watanabe was also taken aback. "You are... Hanyu-kun!"

As he spoke, Watanabe's gaze fell on the Futaba badge on Masahiro Hanyu's chest.

"Oh, so Yuzuru-kun works at Futabasha! I was just wondering how you suddenly found me here."

Masahiro Hanyu didn't hide his surprise. "Yes, what a coincidence! We just met last night, and now we're meeting again today."

"I never expected that you were Watanabe-sensei."

"I'm a field representative for Futabasha, responsible for liaising on manga business."

Editor-in-Chief Watanabe stood up. "Yes, what a coincidence! Please have a seat! Is there any business with Futabasha that requires my assistance?"

Masahiro Hanyu sat next to a pile of comic books, took out issue 23 of "Flirting Comic Weekly", and placed it on the table.

"Futabasha appreciates this issue's manga and wants to meet the creator. If communication goes smoothly, the three of us can discuss collaboration."

If a comic book publisher intends to collaborate with an author long-term, they will first contact the editorial department and then communicate with the author. This was the industry norm at that time.

Watanabe smiled. "Oh, I see."

"It is a great honor to receive attention from Futabasha. I created the content for these 23 issues of the manga."

It really is Watanabe. So he's the thief who stole the underwear?

Masahiro Hanyu remained calm and said, "That's great. We can talk about the characters and storylines of episode 23 in detail."

Watanabe hesitated for a moment, "Although I created the story content of the manga, the characters and materials were provided by someone else."

Masahiro Hanyu asked with a puzzled tone, "Were the materials provided by someone else?"

Watanabe got up and poured Masahiro Hanyu a cup of coffee. "It's like this. About four months ago, the editorial department received some creative materials by mail."

"The material mainly consists of a female character and cartoon images related to lingerie, and there's a sentence that really touched me."

"The subtle fragrance was faintly visible, with the delicate scent of gardenias."

"The person who provided the material hoped that the editorial department could use it to create a comic story. After reading it, I felt inspired, so I made 23 issues of comics."

"This issue sold very well after its release, so I wanted to continue creating, but when I replied to the address where I mailed the materials, I didn't receive a response."

Masahiro Hanyu took a sip of his coffee. "No response? Has the person who provided the material decided to stop working with the editorial department?"

Watanabe shook his head: "I don't know, because that address is fake."

"Fake?" Masahiro Hanyu was even more puzzled.

Watanabe nodded. "Yes, I went to that address myself. It's an animal shelter."

"There is only one elderly lady taking care of things at the institute, and she knows nothing about the materials."

"Although I created the story for issue 23, the characters used as the basis for the story are not original, so I cannot go into more detail."

Masahiro Hanyu looked helpless. "I'm sorry, but if we can't find a material provider, Futabasha's collaboration with you will have to continue."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Watanabe-sensei, don't you think the female protagonist in issue 23 looks familiar?"

Watanabe smiled and said, "I understand what you mean, Hanyu-kun. The female protagonist of the 23rd issue of the manga does look a lot like Mr. Ozawa."

"However, since we are unable to contact the source of the material, it cannot be completely confirmed, as it may just be an image reference or a coincidence."

"That's exactly why I frequent the Misty Bar."

"I'm hoping to find some inspiration to create another story, but there hasn't been any good progress yet."

While Watanabe was speaking, Masahiro Hanyu was observing him closely.

He used his mind-reading ability to analyze Watanabe's thoughts, but he couldn't tell that the other party was lying.

Yuzuru Masahiro was somewhat disappointed, but the investigation still needed to be continued. "Mr. Watanabe, could you please show me the materials and mailing address?"

"I want to try again; maybe a miracle will happen. After all, this is a rare opportunity for collaboration."

Without hesitation, Watanabe took out a folder from the cabinet, and took out some hand-drawn comic strips and an envelope.

The cartoon character in the picture looks very similar to Ayari Ozawa, especially the red mole on her waistline.

Masahiro Hanyu took a closer look and found that the various lingerie images in the manga were almost identical to those he had seen at Ozawa's house.

He now has reason to believe that the person who provided the material is likely the thief who stole Ozawa's underwear.

The mailing address on the envelope is: 12-6 Kabukicho 2-chome, Shinjuku-ku.

Masahiro Hanyu frowned slightly. "This address shouldn't be too far from Golden Street, right?"

Watanabe nodded. "Yes, it's only about a 10-minute walk. I ran into Mr. Ozawa by chance when I went to this address."

"She's truly a captivating woman, and I'm sure Yuzuru thinks so too."

"Even if I'm not looking for inspiration, I'd still like to sit at the Misty Bar for a while."

Recalling that graceful waist and the subtle fragrance, Yuzuru Masahiro smiled. "Ozawa-san, truly captivating!"

When Masahiro Hanyu left the editorial department, Watanabe personally saw him off at the door.

"Hanyu-kun, I've told Ozawa-san that the person's surname is Takahashi. Please keep this a secret."

Masahiro Hanyu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Watanabe-sensei, I won't tell."

Watanabe is indeed a repressed guy; he's infatuated with Ozawa but too embarrassed to let her know his true identity.

Following the address given by Watanabe, Masahiro Hanyu found the stray animal shelter behind the adult cinema in Kabukicho 2-chome.

This is a wooden building converted from an abandoned warehouse. There are no neon lights at the entrance, only a faded white wooden sign that reads "Street Angel Animal Protection Shelter".

Pushing open the half-closed wooden door of the shelter, I saw many three-tiered iron cages inside, with dozens of kittens curled up inside.

Clearly used to the comings and goings of people here, when it heard someone come in, it merely raised its eyelids without making a sound.

Masahiro Hanyu noticed that two Shiba Inus with broken ears and legs were kept in separate cages.

As soon as he approached, the two Shiba Inus barked softly twice.

Masahiro Hanyu suddenly remembered what Ozawa had said: "I realized Ono was missing, and I thought it had gone to play with its old friends."

Masahiro Hanyu's heart skipped a beat. So, Ono the Shiba Inu was also a stray dog?

The second piece of information mentions Ono. What message is it hinting at?