When 9-year-old Emiko first woke up, she was not expecting her photos to appear on social media.

Then again, when one is dating a celebrity, don't expect privacy. Seeing her phone and saw that her Instagram and Twitter were blowing up with photos from her fans and followers of Red Illumination, not to mention, hashtags of #ShiroGF as no.1 trending in the whole of Japan was not what she was expecting.  They were all asking among themselves if the photos were real, where they were taken, and who he was with.

She then scrolled through the comments on the post and saw that most people were speculating about the identity of the girl in the photos. Some thought it was a celebrity, while others thought it was a model or influencer. But so far, no one had correctly guessed Emiko's identity.

It was a lucky thing she listened to Ranran's advice yesterday night, wearing a hat and sunglasses. At some point, she didn't want to listen to the 6-year-old because idiots wear such gear at midnight. There is no daylight or sun after all, and she was certain people would make fun of her. In addition, she even advised the artist to dress up in something she doesn't normally wear. Cause if she does, it will link back to Tantei Association. She even went as far as to suggest Emiko have a different hairstyle.

Looking back, she has to pat herself on the shoulder thankfully, for listening to Ranran.

Cause so far, she then scrolled through the comments on the post and saw that most people were speculating about the identity of the girl in the photos. Some thought it was a celebrity, while others thought it was a model or influencer. But so far, no one had correctly guessed Emiko's identity.

That said, however...the same could not be said for the people who suspect it is her, especially within her inner circle.

Especially her parents, the same ones that barely took notice of her. They were all asking if the photos were real, where they were taken, and who she was with. Even her eldest sister called her from overseas to ask, the one that genuinely cared for her, but she denied it and play it down easily.

Feeling relieved, Emiko decided to focus on her day ahead in the afternoon. She had a meeting with the association at 3 pm sharp, and it is the school holidays. Not to mention, the weather is perfect, and signs of spring are seemingly appearing around the streets of Japan.

Taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling city around her. She loved the feeling of being in the heart of Beikai District, surrounded by the vibrant energy of the city.

As she walked towards the meeting venue, she noticed the first cherry blossom trees of the season, their delicate pink petals standing out against the blue sky. She couldn't help but stop for a moment and admire the beauty of it all.

But she quickly remembered her meeting and picked up her pace, not wanting to be late.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Picking it up, she sees that on the ringer ID, it reveals to be none other than Shiro, answering in a haste, he apologizes over the phone, "Hey, Emiko. I just wanted to call and apologize for the paparazzi situation earlier. I know it must have been a bit overwhelming for you," Shiro said, sounding genuinely apologetic.

Emiko smiled on the other end of the line, "Oh, it's alright. I mean, no one knows it's me in the pictures anyway, so it's not that big of a deal."

Shiro breathed a small sigh of relief, "I'm glad to hear that. Still, I feel bad for putting you in that situation. Although the photos of you entering the hotel with me were taken outside the entrance, I should have been more careful."

"It's okay, really. Besides, it's not like it's your fault. Paparazzi are just part of the package when it comes to celebrities, right?" Emiko replied, trying to reassure him.

Shiro chuckled, "Yeah, I guess you're right about that. But still, I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Emiko paused for a moment before replying, "Actually, there is something you can do."

"Sure, anything."

"If there ever comes a time that you become ticked by them...channel that energy elsewhere."

"Emiko..."

"You have every reason to be mad, but don't ever let others exploit your anger. The reason why you ended up having that bag in the first place, is because framing you for kidnapping Ryo would ruin you easily thanks to that. If you ever feel mad, write out those lyrics."

At first, all she received was silence. Instead, Shiro spoke in a low remorseful tone, "You could've scolded me for that rather than advice me this."

"It's okay, Shiro. Don't worry about it. No one knows it's me in those photos," Emiko reassured him.

"I know, but still, I feel terrible about it," Shiro replied.

Emiko let out a small laugh, "It's not like I'm a famous celebrity or anything. Plus, I'm not easily recognizable in those photos. It's fine, really."

Shiro sighed, relieved that Emiko wasn't upset with him. "Thank you for understanding. I promise to be more careful in the future."

Emiko chuckled, "You don't need to apologize, Shiro. It's not your fault. Just be careful next time, okay?"

"Okay, I will. Thanks, Emiko," Shiro said, feeling grateful for her understanding.

As she walked past the cafe, Emiko couldn't help but bring up the conversation from the previous night. "Hey, Shiro, can I ask you about something?" she said, tentatively.

"Sure, what is it?" Shiro replied, looking at the phone curiously.

"It's about the conversation we had with Ranran yesterday night. The one about the deal she made with you, what was that all about?" Emiko said.

Shiro sighed, "I knew you were going to ask about it. Look, I can't really say much about it. It's just something she used to do in the past."

Emiko raised an eyebrow, "Used to do?"

"Yeah, she used to offer a service, and it involved certain risks. But she stopped doing it a long time ago," Shiro explained.

Emiko looked at him sceptically, "And what kind of service was that?"

"It's not something I can talk about, Emiko," Shiro replied, his tone serious. "But I can assure you that Ranran is a good person, and she wouldn't do anything that would harm anyone. Unless the person deserves it."

Emiko nodded slowly, still unsure of what to make of the whole situation. "Okay, I trust you. But if there's anything you need help with, just let me know."

Shiro smiled, "Thanks, Emiko. I appreciate it."

"Take care, Shiro," Emiko said before hanging up.

Such a thoughtful boy, unlike Kyo...

As Emiko thought about Shiro's words about Ranran, she realized that she didn't know much about her. Ranran was always a bit of an enigma to her, and no matter how hard she digs into her, she never seems to dig out a single thing about her. Which is why her intel is considered the highest in value among Teitan elementary school children. Normally, she doesn't stop digging if things like that on occasion.

But then after thinking about that ugly feud Shinichi had towards Ran the other day regarding her jeopardising Ranran's safety...she took a step back.

There is something going on with the founder, something...sinister.

It's like anyone who attempted to set foot towards her past, is swallowed into the pits of hell beyond return.

This brings her to the question...is Ranran really The Fox?

Emiko couldn't help but suspect so. The way she handled herself in front of the cops who refused to listen to her orders the other day... isn't something a first-timer could easily do, even someone as smart as Kudo Shinichi is not going to be able to manage the way she does.

Emiko's mind raced as she considered the possibility that Ranran could be The Fox. She had heard about the infamous child detective in the news and had long suspected The Fox are somehow connected to Ranran, which is why she joined the association in the first place. But after seeing all of the things she had to do to save and protect the innocent...she didn't have the heart to expose her anymore, seeing that the world isn't as straightforward as she used to assume back then.

Then again, Emiko thought, maybe she was just overthinking things. Perhaps Ranran and The Fox had similar personalities. Ranran was formerly a child actress after all.

But then....what about the Fox mask Shiro brought up?

Anyone could've bought a fox mask after all.

Emiko took a deep breath and tried to shake off her suspicions. She had a meeting to attend, and she didn't want to be distracted by unfounded fears. However, she couldn't help but keep a watchful eye on Ranran, just in case.

..........

Meanwhile, Shinichi was still preoccupied with the conversation that took place between Shiro and Ranran, sitting on his chair in the association main HQ while pondering his thoughts.

If one doesn't know any better, Shinichi naturally could've assumed that Shiro bribed Ranran.

Now Shinichi worked as her apprentice for a month plus, and the bribing method ain't something she does frequently. Sure, she is manipulative and cunning, and bribes are her forte, but she rarely offers it depending on circumstances.

When she offers, she either knew that the suspect was the true culprit, so she is setting the person up for humiliation by doing this bribe to expose him or her. Or...she knew this suspect is innocent, so she is bribing them to catch the culprit.

So which is it for his mentor to offer such a decision? Also, that conversation...she wasn't accepting money, nor offering anything. Instead, Shiro was the one who reach out to her 'service' as The Fox, asking to employ her service. Does it mean Shiro knew Ranran is 'The Fox', the child detective who vanished?

"I am calling you because I heard a lot of praise about the services you and that boy offered to my friend. I want to know...could you...open this service just for me today?"

"You only take in clients who are innocent."

If Shinichi were to look back on his investigation of The Fox, she is a child detective who solves criminal cases, with no mention of her offering services.

Suddenly, he jilted at the sound of someone sliding the door open, revealing the hoodied boy in the cap. "Yoh, Kudo! Who knew of you to be an early bird!"

Shinichi looked up to see the familiar face of Takuma, who had just entered the room. "Hey, Takuma," Shinichi greeted him with a small smile. "What brings you here so early?"

Takuma shrugged nonchalantly. "I was supposed to be on a date with Reina, but then the date got cancelled, thanks to her mother taking her to see her stepdad, who slipped off a roof while repairing."

"Damn..." Shinichi cringed.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Takuma dismisses the apprentice's worries, "He only suffered a fractured arm, they had a large trampoline beneath it when he slipped and fell, it prevented his fall, but it didn't stop his arm from hitting against a wall."

Shinichi let out a small laugh at the description. "Well, at least he's okay, all things considered."

Takuma nodded in agreement before heading to one of the bookshelves to inspect one of the pieces of equipment in the box.

Shinichi watched as Takuma examined the equipment, his eyes focused on the task at hand. After a moment, the blue-eyed boy suddenly asked an unexpected question, "Neh, Takuma."

"Yeah?"  The other male's eyes remain focused on the task at hand.

"Did Ranran ever... mention anything about being a child actress?"

Takuma turned his head back to Shinichi in surprise. "Child actress?" Takuma thought hard about this, "She didn't. But I found out by accident that she used to be."

Shinichi's interest was piqued. "Really? When?"

"I can't quite remember most of it, but I remembered there was this one time that Moriko actually was a huge fan of this child actor, a boy," Takuma recalled. "Ranran and I were forced to watch this supposedly cute romance movie on kids our age. And Moriko really liked him, and he was at the premiere of the movie. He portrayed himself as a gentleman and prince-like. But..."

That perked Shinichi's interest. "...but what?" He encourages the athlete to continue.

"When we met him by accident while accompanying Reina to the washroom. She actually forced herself not to go because the movie was about to end, but she had a case of severe food poisoning, so I promised her to take her and watch the movie another time. After the washroom, we bumped into that child actor coming out from the males section, the moment he  eyes laid on Ranran, he initially formed a sneering gaze at her."

"Sneering gaze? Did he know her?"

"I guess so, because he taunted her. Said that he now owes it to her stupid decision to turn it away from it all from becoming a pro actress, he is living her dream."

"H-her dream!?"

Takuma nodded. "That's what he said. Apparently, when Ranran turned down her contract on becoming a pro actress, it was offered to him."

"Wait, he actually said that?!"

"Ah," Takuma nods, "And he became successful since then."

"And how did Ranran react? Did she regret this decision?"

"No, but the way he said it made it all so hateful. As if he is stomping onto her pride."

"And so, how did she respond to this?"

"Thanks for taking out the trash so I didn't have to. It ain't surprising you had to use my trash to get you to where you are now, cause I can't imagine how bad you would have been without my gracious sacrifice. Just a tiny little yapping chihuahua, all bark no bite." Takuma mimicked his friend's tone at ease.

Shinichi's jaw dropped before laughing out loud, "Oh My God!? She actually said that!?"

Takuma grinned. "Yeah, Ranran can be pretty savage when she wants to be."

"Then how did he react to her words?"

"Embarrassed, angry. He attempted to punch her. But she dodged him effortlessly." Takuma then remembered something else, "And oddly, she kept eying on the watch she was wearing, which she ended up getting struck in the face as a result."

"What?!" Shinichi grew stunned, "Ranran isn't that careless when it comes to that sort of thing. Also, why keep checking on the time?"

"Well, when all of that was going on...." Takuma paused, "The movie actually premiered on the day itself just ended. Apparently, Ranran later revealed to me that she has a habit of timing movies if she ever leaves the cinema hall to go to the washroom so that if she ever gets her hands on a pirated movie, she will drag the progress of the show where she last left off. In this case, however, she knew this will be the time when the press and other viewers would be leaving since the movie ended around the time he punched her, so the timing was clear the moment they saw him doing what he did to her. Long story short...."

"....I can't imagine," Shinichi shook his head, blinking profusely at that, "Is he still acting after that?"

"Kudo, has anyone ever made it out unscathed whenever one crosses Ranran? His career was doomed from the moment he tried to mess with Ranran of all people, and he deserved it!" Takuma eyed Shinichi for a moment before speaking again. "Also, why did this actress thing suddenly pop up out of the blue? Did Ranran reveal this to you?"

"It ain't like that..." Shinichi hesitated before deciding to confide in him. "The other day at the hotel when we went to see Shiro, I overheard a conversation that through Shiro...that Ranran used to work as one."

"And?"

Shinichi shared everything in detail with Takuma, including the time Ranran used to run an online revenge agency, and to his surprise, the athlete was in the loop about this. Then again, he ain't Ranran's friend for nothing. "So I can't help but have many questions about their conversation. Like...when the Fox thing was brought up, I wondered if was he aware of her being The Fox? What sort of service was he employing from her that she willingly agreed?"

Takuma nodded, understandingly. "You might have been right, but I think you are not seeing the bigger picture."

"Eh?"

Leaning against the cabinets, Takuma revealed, "When you were going after her at that time to fuel your ego...around the time she quit becoming the Fox, the coverage about her didn't go as far to reach anyone's ears overseas."

"Eh?! Is that so?!" Shinichi became startled.

"The members of Red Illumination lived overseas for several years. According to what I managed to dig around, they were far more interested in the news there than here. After all, Hollywood is a big entertainment playground for scandals to come and go. When Ranran became The Fox, it was only a year, according to Reina's uncle who worked in news...there were no signs of her Fox exploits reported there."

"But anyone could've just searched online." Shinichi was in doubt, "I found out her existence through an online forum, there was a photo of her in the mask."

"True, but how much attention did it get? Only about 150 views." Takuma argued before adding, "The numbers may not have been an indication that tells us that is how Shiro discover Ranran is The Fox, but considering that the forum the photo was published in was a widely popular forum international and here...even if Shiro suspect it is her, would he be that confident to request her service just based on this photo alone?"

Shinichi nodded, taking in Takuma's words. "Then why is Shiro that confident?"

"I think I might be wrong, but....supposedly Ranran had been The Fox since her online revenge agency days?"

Confused, Shinichi blinked, "I don't get you."

"I mean..." Takuma sighs, "If one is online, one can choose to be anybody they want, right? No one truly knows who they really are and stuff in real life while being yourself. Especially if you are offering revenge online-"

"...what is your point, Tak-san?"

"Revenge as you know it is a dirty business, you will make enemies along the way, Kudo. What better way to do it without anyone knowing about your identity than by wearing a mask?"

At first, Shinichi did not know what to make of this. But then gradually his words sunk in deep as he recalled Amelia, a friend of Ranran during the extinction heist case, bringing up a boy who was always with Ranran, one who is known as 'The Deer'. "You know...about Amelia's words the other day while I was looking into Mamiko, she mentioned a boy name 'The Deer' was always with Ranran. Do you know anything about that?"

"Deer...." Takuma deeply frowned, "No, Ranran mentioned no one in particular."

Shinichi's mind was racing with all these new pieces of information. "This is all so complicated, why is anything about Ranran so confusing," he muttered.

Takuma let out a heavy sigh, "Who knows? Then again....anyone from Edgewood Academy, especially for someone like Ranran...is anyone, let alone a child there, normal to begin with?"

Shinichi couldn't help but agree with Takuma. It seems like the more he learns about his mentor's former school, the more it gave him the impression that it seems to be a breeding ground for extraordinary individuals, but with that comes a whole lot of secrets and mysteries.

........

Around 3 pm, everyone gathered at the headquarters for an urgent meeting. When they began trooping in, Michio met all of them with a despairing look.

"Mother wants me off the case," he announced. "I've tried talking to her, but she won't listen."

"My mother said the same, she wasn't pleased about the fact that I switch places with a celebrity," Takuma grumbled. He crossed to his pants and found his smartphone before playing with it, the same one he took back from Reina.

"But we can't stop now!"Junko tried to hide her disappointment,  but she was failing miserably since it was evident that she cares for Kyo a lot more than she realized.

"Exactly!" Ran jumped from her seat, supporting Junko, "Ryo is still missing since yesterday, the mole is still on the run, and the police are achieving little in progress over the kidnapping!"

"Just like Junko said, we ain't gonna stop. When have we ever turned down a case, unlike things, take a turn for the worst?"Shinichi announced as Ranran was about to write down their findings.

Suddenly, Emiko burst into the room, "You wouldn't believe what just happened!?"

"That your name appeared all over online?"Ranran said.

"What!? How do you know that!?"

"It's old news already, everyone is posting it all on social media," Michio giggled, and held up his smartphone, Above Emiko and newspaper a photo of Shiro in the hotel foyer a banner headline screamed: "MYSTERY GIRL TAMES BAD BOY OF RED ILLUMINATION"

"I told you so, you are very likely to get caught, "Ranran couldn't help but snickered, "You were so adamant that you won't get caught. Even the most experienced celebrity already had a hard time containing a secret illicit affair from his wife, how is this any different?"

Emiko fell into a chair, showing an expression of relief, "Luckily I dressed up in disguise! Or else I would be screwed by my own parents. Especially the damn press!"

"Put it this way, everyone has their first time dealing with the spotlight." Ranran grinned.

Junko's curiosity got the better of her, "Enough of that. What was so urgent today, that you all had requested us to gather here for a meeting!?" she blurted out.

"Right! So as we were there...."

So for over an hour, everything about last night was shared on the projector screen. Including Shiro's phobia, his trauma not known to the public, the family dysfunction, jealousy, you name it, everything wasn't left out besides Ranran's secret dealings with Shiro.

As the meeting progressed, everyone was getting more and more invested in the case. After it ended, the first thing Takuma said was, "Jesus, with such parents...I would've gone mad overnight if I were him!"

"Agree!" Ran nods in anger, "What sort of parents would stab their own child!?"

"My mother always said drug brings out the worst in people, this is so messed up," Michio thinks.

"So the school incident where he was fighting with other kids, setting trash on fire and stuff...I assumed some of them poke fun at his druggie parents, right?" Junko wasn't pleased learning of this, "What trash those kids are. I would've done the same too if I was spoken ill of like that!"

"What I don't understand is, Ranran," Emiko's head turned to confront the red lip detective, "Based on your behaviour, you still don't think Shiro is completely innocent. Why is that?"

Ranran's expression turned serious as she responded, "It's not that I think he's guilty, but I have my doubts. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, and we can't rule out the possibility that he's involved in some way."

Emiko nodded thoughtfully, "I see. But what about his phobia and trauma? Do you think it's genuine?"

Ranran paused for a moment before answering, " His phobia is real. I spoke to the doctor from the crew who has been looking after Shiro, nowadays, you can't fake fainting without leaving medical evidence. I even brought his medical report this morning to get several opinions about it, it ain't a fake. He did faint and his blood pressure was unstable when he spotted the scissors in his bag."

"Then why-"

"Ranran thinks he might using it as an excuse to cover up something else." Shinichi chimed in, "In her old school, many children she knows of use it as a way to manipulate people's emotions and gain sympathy. She calls it 'play the victim' card."

Ranran nodded in agreement, "Exactly. It's not uncommon for people to use their weaknesses to manipulate others. And we can't ignore the fact that Shiro's family has a lot to gain from his disappearance. That said, however..."Ranran deeply frowned, "Shiro has more to lose but his parents had more to gain. I mean even if he does this to gain sympathy or make it look as if he could've been framed....this is a very high-risk scheme that could end badly for him in terms of his career."

"The problem is I looked into that," Michio cast out the report to them on the table, "His parents got into another fight not long ago before the kidnapping with some inmates, so they are locked up in a more secure cell for 48 hours separately. Even if they were to message someone outside the prison to do it, it brings the probability to zero."

"They could have planned the kidnapping in advance before getting locked up," Takuma suggests.

"Not possible," Ran sighed, producing her own report, "According to my dad's friends back to the time when he used to be a cop, one of them was a jail warden who is in charge of the jail Shiro's parents were in. And they lost the right to write letters or accept any visitors last month after the grandparents pleaded to the court to bar them from attempting to force their grandson Shiro to send them his paycheck. So overall: No one was able to pay them a visit according to him."

Emiko chimed in, "If it's not Shiro's family, who could it be?"

"That's the million yen-I mean dollar question," Junko added.

"What about Ryo and Kyo's parents? I heard they arrive last night. Which is odd though, we didn't see any of them when we drop by to see Shiro." Shinichi rubbed his chin.

"I chatted with Kyo before he went to sleep over the phone, due to the presence of the press at the hotel, they decided to check in at an unnamed hotel while being overly worried over the disappearance of their eldest son. Under the advice of the band's lawyer...they turned away anyone who demanded to interview them." Junko then remembered worriedly, "But besides that, they had undercover cops stationed around the area should they contact them. Kyo said they were restless and couldn't sleep since yesterday, he was no different and he ended up having to call over the manager's assistant to accompany him to sleep."

"Accompany him?" Ranran thought about it, "Kyo's hotel room is 44, right? Same with Ryo's?"

"Ah yes, that is the case," Ran produced another report of her own, "I spoke to Sonoko this morning, and she sent me documents that earlier before the kidnapping, in the same hotel where we met them, Ryo and Kyo normally share a room together while Ogawa and Shiro the other. Due to Shiro's sensitive ears, they decided Shiro should be with Ogawa, and he had no complaints over that matter. It has been like that for years."

"By the way, I was wondering about the drum set he trashed the room for...what do you think happened to those drums?" Takuma wonders.

"Who cares about those missing drums!? Ryo the lead singer is still missing!" Junko blasted at his insensitivity.

Ranran spoke up, "You know now that you mentioned it, I am also curious about what happened to those drums. Cause let's be real here, if those drums hadn't gone missing, Shiro wouldn't have been caught trashing the hotel room in the first place. Also, it was a restored drum set by his deceased beloved granduncle. Who wouldn't be mad that it has gone missing!?"

"Right? I mean I was thinking...since Shiro was likely to be framed, wouldn't be better to make him angry to look bad? By stealing his drums? If I was the culprit?" Takuma claims.

"That is true," Michio nodded in agreement, "We should look into it."

"I'll check with Ranran later at the stadium, maybe within a couple of days if Ryo is still not found." Shinichi jotted down his findings in the book.

"Neh guys, I was wondering something," Everyone shifts their gaze onto Ranran, with a pencil beneath her nose and mouth, "What would make a bodyguard go brazen into this kidnapping scheme?"

"Bodyguard?"Junko couldn't help but say before realizing what Ranran was saying, "The one who kidnapped Ryo, right?"

"That is right, him," Ranran climbed up on the table before stating, "Let's face it, bodyguards had to work long hours, even more so towards celebrities. You think about it guys, no matter how you look at it, they are well-paid to make up for the time they lost, I mean you are talking about protecting the life of a huge rockstar with millions of money on the line, it is physically demanding job where one is on their toes. So what I can't understand is...why do the kidnapping?"

"Really?!" Everyone grew surprised at that revelation before Takuma inquire, "Are they really highly paid?"

Ranran nods, "Definitely. Back in my old school, children of celebrities enrol there. You won't be surprised to see bodyguards, and I heard they make at least $200,000 in US dollars a year."

"Wow, that's a lot of money," Ran comments.

"If it were that much, it doesn't explain why he needs it." Emiko is in disbelief before she switches her gaze to Junko, "Was he underpaid? The alleged kidnapper? At least it would make sense why he kidnapped Ryo."

"No," Junko denied before pulling out the files, "The staff said no one is underpaid, even if they are overworked, Ogawa made sure not to cheat them of any money. Paper trials don't lie."

"So why would he participate in a kidnapping," Shinichi says, "Is there more to it than just the money?"

"Maybe he couldn't handle it anymore?" Michio suggests, "From the way Ranran put it, it seems like the bodyguards have to be highly trained, physically fit, and always on alert. It's a high-stress job, so even if there was money involved...he might think it ain't enough."

"But if he is unhappy, he can just quit," Ran said, crossing her arms. "Not go kidnapping Ryo."

"Exactly," Junko agrees, "There must be another reason why he would go to such extremes. We need to dig deeper into his background and personal life to see if there are any clues."

"The problem is...there was a flaw years ago," Ranran scoffed, before revealing on the projector screen, "The person who recruited him back then didn't follow the proper procedure before hiring him, he wanted to speed up the hiring process and skipped some crucial steps."

"Why?" Emiko can't help but ask.

"Self-interest," Shinichi replied before revealing, "The person who recruited him was someone who hired his own family members into the team. From what I had gathered, it seems like the alleged kidnapper Elijah was able to put together that the hiring manager recruited his own family, so he blackmailed the manager into getting him the job. In a way, it led Ogawa to not notice some of the red flags in the candidate's background."

"In a way, a clear case of nepotism and favouritism." Ranran grins mockingly.

"Anyway, when the hiring manager got caught red-handed years ago...for some reason, Elijah was never exposed. But the rest of the hiring manager's family members were kicked out of the team after Ogawa discovered it, and he was honest in his own words: Surprised. He even had no idea that Elijah was one of them till Ryo's kidnapping took place. Even surprising was...the records of his resume were built so convincingly that it fooled Ogawa," Shinichi said quietly.

"How odd, how is it that Elijah is like a mysterious figure that Ogawa has no idea....was a fraud?" Ran is perplexed.

"Either Ogawa lied due to Elijah having something on him to prevent him from getting fired, or..."

"....or?" Takuma prompted the artist to continue.

"Ogawa was telling the truth, and Elijah has something towards the hiring manager that kept him from exposing him," Emiko concludes, "And that's how he was able to get the job without proper background checks till now."

"It seems that way," Shinichi nods, "But what did he have that would prevent him from getting fired? That's the question."

"Hopefully Genzo is able to find something," Michio chimes in, "At least track down the hiring manager and see if he knows anything about Elijah's motive for kidnapping Ryo. Maybe he has some information that could help us understand why Elijah went to such lengths."

"There is another thing I find disturbing, and I ain't sure what to make of it," Ranran kept flipping her pencil out of habit.

"Like what?" Shinichi wondered.

"This morning, you and I went through the files of the other guards. So far, we were able to verify that some of them were either employed through an agency, through personal connections or even had military or law enforcement background that landed them the job." Strumming the fingers on the table, she revealed, "Elijah's resume as one would expect was filled with holes. However..."Her eyebrows knitted together, "It was too good, the way the resume was presented. One would not have suspected that it was a lie."

"Such as?" Michio told her to continue.

"Example: In his resume, it revealed that in America, he formerly worked for a company that no longer existed anymore due to bankruptcy and that his former employer committed suicide by setting the place on fire." Ranran reads out the paper to the association members, "Although the company existed and the story does, in fact, check out...the rest of the companies in that resume where Elijah allegedly used to work....for some coincidence, is no longer active anymore due to mysterious incidents of accidents, deaths, and suicides from his former employers."

"What is your point, Ranran?" The apprentice wonders where she was heading with this.

 "If his resume is a carefully made-up lie, it seems like it will be a huge convenience for him that no one will be able to look for any trace of records to question his work experience thanks to these series of incidents, enough to convince Mr Ogawa. However..."

"....are you suspecting Elijah has some sort of connection or involvement with these incidents?" Shinichi concluded.

"I doubt it," Ranran answered, "If a future employer were to see this, one would think that it might have been too much of a coincidence that all the companies he supposedly worked for ended up with mysterious accidents, deaths, and suicides. It's enough of a red flag to give him a good check."

"He must be the unlikeliest employee to have death surrounding him," Takuma chuckled.

"What are you trying to imply, Ranran?" Junko demanded.

"Red Illumination had a huge number of staff members to keep track of, even Ogawa have his hand full with three celebrities in general. And I was thinking that since Elijah work with them for several years, enough experience to commit the kidnapping, did he really have that much confident to do it alone? Especially knowing that your own colleagues who were with you might recognize you out of the blue?"