Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

A gentle breeze swirled on the terrace, causing Ayari Ozawa's skirt to flutter, and the sweet scent of gardenias once again filled Masahiro Hanyu's nostrils.

It was faintly visible, hazy and indistinct, just like the glimpse of spring light he had just seen in the bedroom, causing him to be momentarily dazed.

"Once I took my Shiba Inu, Ono, to a bar, and it mischievously ran away."

Ayari Ozawa's voice was husky and had a sexy magnetism, which pulled Masahiro Hanyu out of his reverie.

"I realized that Xiao Ye was missing. I thought it had gone to play with its old friends, so I went out to look for it and called its name everywhere."

At this point, Ozawa couldn't help but laugh out loud, "And that's how we met, since we ended up calling Ono-kun over."

Masahiro Hanyu sniffed slightly; the scent emanating from Ayari Ozawa was one he liked.

"Oh, I see! When did this happen?"

Ozawa tilted his head. "Hmm...it was about four months ago."

"Does Hanyu suspect Ono? I don't think he's the kind of person who would steal underwear."

He won't do things I don't like.

Masahiro Hanyu nodded slightly. "Ozawa-san seems to know Ono-kun quite well."

Ozawa Ayari chuckled, "I know a little bit about the regulars at the bar."

"Ono-kun...have you been here before?" Masahiro Hanyu suddenly asked.

Ozawa Ayari frowned. "Hanyu-kun, you asked Takahashi a question earlier, and now this is the second time you've asked me a similar one."

Masahiro Hanyu smiled. "Ozawa-san, I'm sorry, I did this for the needs of my investigation."

Ozawa sighed softly, "Well, Ono-kun has never been to my house before."

"A bar is a business, which is why I maintain polite interactions with my customers."

"Business is business, and life is life. To maintain a proper distance from customers, business can last."

"Whether it's Ono, Takahashi, or Tanaka, they're just bar patrons. I won't let them into my private space."

Masahiro Hanyu bowed slightly. "Thank you, Ozawa-san. I've learned a lot!"

Ozawa was taken aback. "Take my advice? I don't have the habit of being a teacher. I just want Yuzuru to understand my life situation so that I can find out about this matter as soon as possible."

We've found clues for the first and third pieces of intelligence, but we haven't made any progress on the second piece of intelligence.

Masahiro Hanyu crouched down and reached out to pet Ono, the Shiba Inu, once again.

Ono retreated warily, baring his teeth and barking menacingly at Masahiro Hanyu.

Ozawa gently scolded, "Ono, this is my guest. You need to be polite."

The Shiba Inu paused for a moment, then immediately stopped barking and adopted a docile expression, but remained wary of Masahiro Hanyu's approach.

Ozawa explained, "Ono doesn't let strangers touch her."

Masahiro Hanyu's gaze fell on the collar around Ono's neck, and a thought stirred within him.

The second piece of information must be useful; there were no spying devices found in the room, could it be...?

Masahiro Hanyu asked earnestly, "Ozawa-san, may I take a look at the collar around Ono's neck?"

Ozawa nodded, "Of course!"

"This collar was a gift from photographer Tanaka when I took Ono to a bar."

"Ono really liked it after putting it on and never wanted to take it off."

Masahiro Hanyu's suspicions deepened. "Was it a gift from Tanaka Photography? I'll have to take a closer look!"

Ozawa's expression changed. "Hanyu-kun, do you suspect there's something wrong with this necklace?"

Masahiro Hanyu's expression turned serious. "It's too early to say. We'll have to do the tests to be sure."

Ayari Ozawa bent down, grabbed the Shiba Inu, took off its collar, and handed it to Masahiro Hanyu.

This is a black oiled leather choker with a simple arabesque pattern embossed on the surface, and Ono's name is engraved on the metal clasp.

A round shell resembling a brass bell was welded to the side of the collar, producing a dull, not crisp, sound when shaken.

Seeing Masahiro Hanyu holding the collar, Ono bared his teeth again and growled.

Ayari Ozawa crouched down, stroked the Shiba Inu's head, and gently comforted it.

In 1992, Tokyo's most advanced miniature camera was larger than a pinhole and consumed power quickly, requiring an additional battery; it was impossible to achieve a completely invisible result.

Masahiro Hanyu examined the collar several times, but found nothing unusual.

He returned the collar to Ozawa, saying, "It's not what I thought. Maybe I was overthinking it."

Since no other useful clues could be found, Masahiro Hanyu took his leave.

As Ozawa Ayari was escorted to the hospital gate, Yuzuru Masahiro, recalling the contents of the first intelligence report, felt compelled to offer a reminder.

"Ozawa-san, until the reason for the missing underwear is found, you should temporarily change some of your daily habits."

Ayari Ozawa's cheeks flushed slightly. "Thank you for reminding me, Yuzuru-kun. I'll remember that!"

As Yuzuru Masahiro left, Ayari Ozawa felt a little puzzled. This detective shouldn't know that she didn't wear clothes at home!

Will Yui Satsuki tell Hanyu? She specifically told him not to tell anyone!

After leaving Ozawa's residence, Masahiro Hanyu first went to buy a copy of the 23rd issue of this year's "Flirting Weekly Manga".

Turn to the last page, where you'll find the addresses of the editorial office and the publishing house.

Masahiro Hanyu first went back to the detective agency and made some small props to disguise his identity.

An hour later, he arrived at a narrow alley in Ikebukuro Ward, where a wooden building stood with a sign that read "Watanabe Manga Studio".

This is the editorial department of "Flirting Weekly Comics". Because the subject matter of the works is sensitive, in order to keep a low profile, the office address is not in a typical office building.

Masahiro Hanyu came here to find out who the author of issue 23 of "Flirting Weekly Comics" is.

Masahiro Hanyu pushed open the wooden door, and the air was filled with the murky smell of instant coffee and cigarettes.

In the editorial office area, a dozen or so editors were busy with their own tasks, and no one paid any attention to the visitor who came in.

A young editor wearing thick glasses was hunched over his desk revising a manuscript. Masahiro Hanyu walked closer, but the editor merely raised his eyelids slightly.

"Sending the original manuscript?"

Masahiro Hanyu adjusted the badge on his chest; the silver double-leaf clover was a high-quality replica he had made, serving as his identification.

"Excuse me, I'm from Futaba Club. Is Watanabe-sensei there?"

Futabasha is a publishing house that caters primarily to young adults and adults, and often has field staff and editorial departments to communicate on special topics.

Therefore, field staff are like the God of Wealth who bring business to the editorial department, and they can't afford to offend them.

The young editor looked up, glanced at the badge on Masahiro Hanyu's chest, and forced a smile. "Are you looking for Editor-in-Chief Watanabe?"

He pointed to the sliding door to the inner room. "It's inside. I'll take you there."

"No need to trouble you, I can go in by myself."

Yuzuru Masahiro bypassed the pile of manuscripts blocking his way and gently knocked on the sliding door.

"Please come in!" came the voice of a middle-aged man.

He opened the door and saw a man wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt with his back to him, looking down at the sketches on the table.

Hearing the door open, the man turned around.

The two men locked eyes, and Yuzuru Masahiro was taken aback. Wasn't this the middle-aged writer he had met at the "Misty" bar last night?