She thought more and more suspiciously: "No matter how extravagant you are, you wouldn't buy a villa for a lover, right?!"

"What do you know about the world of the wealthy?" Fushimi Roku scoffed, "It's just a villa. Can't your Kujo family afford it? Don't underestimate the power of financial conglomerates!"

Minamoto Tamako felt these words were odd, but couldn't pinpoint why, so she rebutted with practical reasoning: "Maybe you haven't socialized much and are outdated. Nowadays, it's popular for couples to split bills equally!"

Fushimi Roku was taken aback: "That advanced?"

Minamoto Tamako wasn't on the same wavelength as him, but nodded along: "Of course, everyone is fighting for women's rights. Women are independent individuals, so if they're spending together, they should split the bill equally... Even if you keep a lover, it wouldn't cost that much!"

"It's really a great era," Fushimi Roku mused, then inquired, "How do you know this?"

Minamoto Tamako looked around, ensuring no one was eavesdropping, then whispered in a gossiping tone: "I heard from someone that the superintendent has a kept lover! Not the superintendent in Sapporo, the Sugamo one... Shh! Don't say I told you! I won't tell you who said it either! Remember to keep it secret for me."

"Watanabe Shun said this, right?" Fushimi Rokukyo squinted.

"How did you know?!" Minamoto Tamako was startled, then realized: "He told you too?"

"He's a frequent customer at the foam bath parlor and accidentally ran into the superintendent there. He promised the superintendent it would remain a secret, but told me the next day while drinking, even had me and Senior Kazama keep it secret..."

Fushimi Roku slapped his forehead, realizing: "How did I forget him? Senior Watanabe is the expert in these matters. I should be asking him."

Minamoto Tamako nodded repeatedly, urging Fushimi-san to call and inquire about the 'market price' for keeping a lover.

"Why don't you ask?" Fushimi Roku didn't want his reputation tarnished.

"How can a girl ask such questions? It would give Senior Watanabe the wrong impression!" Minamoto Tamako pressed her hands together, pleading for Fushimi-san to ask.

Fushimi Roku thought it over carefully and found the reasoning made sense.

With Watanabe Shun's personality, if he heard Minamoto Tamako was inquiring about the 'mistress market,' he'd definitely think Minamoto Tamako was planning to 'take it public' and spread it around, turning it into an 'open secret.'

No choice, for his girlfriend's reputation, Fushimi Roku reluctantly sacrificed himself and called Watanabe Shun.

"Moshi moshi... It's me..."

"Oh, nothing important. I'm currently in Hokkaido investigating a case, can't disclose details..."

"Basically, I want to know how much it costs to keep a mistress..."

"It's not what you think..."

"Really, it's not what you think..."

"No need for you to keep it secret because it's not what you think. I told you I'm investigating..."

"Forget it, think whatever you want. Just tell me how much it costs to keep a mistress..."

"Alright, got it, don't need your introduction, that's it, hanging up."

Fushimi Roku hung up the phone with a blank expression, and Minamoto Tamako immediately leaned in, asking, "What did he say?"

"Watanabe Shun thinks I want to keep a mistress." Fushimi Roku replied.

"I'm not asking about that. How much does it generally cost?" Minamoto Tamako was unconcerned about her boyfriend's reputation; she knew Fushimi-san was clean, and that was all that mattered.

"There's a difference between amateurs and professional girls. The former is hard to estimate, but generally doesn't exceed 200,000 yen a month; if it does, it's a loss—these are Watanabe Shun's exact words, don't give me that look—nowadays, compensated dating with schoolgirls is very common, with costs usually ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 yen. This includes monthly allowance and occasional dining and entertainment expenses... Watanabe Shun once kept an amateur, paying 180,000 yen per month, with 100,000 for living expenses and 80,000 for date expenses."

"If you want to keep a model or geisha, or even a gravure idol, the price is relatively higher, ranging from 1 million to 3 million yen per month. There's also brokerage fees, which supposedly take at least 500,000 yen, with 1 million used for teahouse membership fees and custom clothes, leaving the female with at most 500,000 yen."

Fushimi Roku finished quoting the prices, and Minamoto Tamako clapped her hands in realization: "Just like I said! Did Ichikawa Akiyuki use the money to buy a villa?"

In Sapporo City, standalone villas start at least 20 million yen, and a villa with a yard in Ichikawa Akiyuki's location would be at least 30 million yen and above. Minamoto Tamako calculated, even if Ichikawa Akiyuki was a top model receiving 500,000 yen a month, she'd need five years without spending a single yen to buy this luxury home.

"Wasn't I the one who said it?" Fushimi Roku reminded.

"Ah, right, truly commendable for Team Fushimi to make outstanding contributions to the squad's case-solving," Minamoto Tamako extended her small hand, rubbed Fushimi Roku's head, and tousled his hair: "Here's your reward, a head pat."

"?"

Fushimi Roku had a question mark above his head: "What are you doing?"

"Rewarding," Minamoto Tamako blinked and said, "Now that stamps have stopped being issued, I have to reward you in another way."

She noticed the look on Fushimi Roku's face was off, so she spread her arms wide and said, "Want a hug instead? We can switch to a hug."

Fushimi Roku's gaze followed her slender fingers down, the girl's hug seemed small but notably soft, and she maintained the reaching gesture, like a gentle invitation to a paradise.

"Next time."

Fushimi Roku picked up his coffee, pretending he wasn't tempted: "We'll talk when there's no one around."

Minamoto Tamako remembered this, thinking she had a magical tool now. If Fushimi-san behaved well in the future, she'd give him a hug to reward him, possibly correcting his various bad habits.

She couldn't help but show a comical smile. Fushimi Roku saw it, feeling inexplicably annoyed, so he cleared his throat and steered the conversation back to the case: "Even if deducing Ichikawa Akiyuki has something on Kujo Hikari, the case is still stuck, not really useful."

Minamoto Tamako was dumbfounded, and upon careful thought, it was indeed true.

Kujo Hikari was already the suspect for two murders; finding out Kujo Hikari had a motive was just adding to the pile, but it's still not solving the real issue.

—How did Kujo Hikari commit a crime in two places at the same time?

—If it wasn't a crime in two places at once, then who is the real culprit?

Minamoto Tamako couldn't figure it out and urged Fushimi-san if he had any new ideas. This time, no matter how she pressed, Fushimi Roku couldn't squeeze out any good ideas.

The waiter brought the dishes one after another, and the small breads on the table were particularly tempting. Minamoto Tamako, feeling hungry, decided to work and rest, put the case aside first, and fill her belly.

Full of energy to investigate!

She reached for a golden, crispy small bread, instantly felt the small granules of sugar on the surface with her fingertips.

Gently breaking it apart, the warm wheat aroma mingled with honey sweetness wafted up, with a fluffy honeycomb interior steaming lightly.

As Minamoto Tamako bit into it, the outer caramel crust made a soft 'crunch', the filling was tender like a cloud, melting on the tongue and releasing a faint creamy aroma, leading her to squint her eyes involuntarily.

Delicious!

"This honey butter sauce is delicious..." Minamoto Tamako mumbled with a full mouth, scooping more onto the bread.

The light golden sauce seeped into the bread's texture, every bite overflowed with rich dairy aroma, with a hint of sea salt's mild saltness, compelling her to lick the sauce from her palm.

"Let me teach you a food description phrase," Fushimi Roku said while holding his coffee: "It's absolutely amazing, so good you stomp your feet, can't help but inhale like a storm..."

"That's weird, not learning, too sticky, sounds like whining." Minamoto Tamako said.

As she prepared to finish off the remaining small bread, her phone suddenly rang. She had to grab some napkins, wipe her hand clean, lick her fingertips, and pull out the phone from her pocket: "Moshi moshi, may I ask who is calling?"

Whatever the person said on the other end surprised Minamoto Tamako, widening her eyes: "What? How can this be?!"

Fushimi Roku glanced up, seeing Minamoto Tamako looking anxious: "But the case hasn't been solved yet... Alright... Can it be delayed... What's the final deadline?"

Finally, she nodded and said: "Okay, I understand."

Fushimi Roku waited quietly for her to hang up, then asked: "What happened?"

Minamoto Tamako hurriedly stuffed the bread into her mouth, wanting to quickly finish the dessert despite the rush, not wanting to waste it: "Kujo Hikari's lawyer is demanding his release. The lawyer informed the court about the errors of the two-location crime theory, claiming a major flaw in police work and that the detention lasted too long, exceeding the legal time limit."

"Oh!" Fushimi Roku understood immediately: "So you need to interrogate before the final deadline?"

"Exactly! It's this afternoon! The lawyer deliberately chose today to bring it up!"

Minamoto Tamako took a big bite of bread, urging with a full mouth: "Quickly, return to the police station with me! You're better at interrogation, try probing for new clues..."

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