"For a normal person, 4 million followers is enough to live comfortably, or in general, quit your job to focus on becoming a full-time Youtuber."

The founder and the other members of Tantei Association were listening intently to the founder's words.

"I recalled that before the director married Primrose's sister, Primrose herself and her mom used to live in a normal average neighbourhood. After the marriage, things changed for the better. I mean it is definitely a Cinderella moment for her. Considering she had tasted all of the finer things in life, do you think Primrose is the type who would be content with earning income from sponsors that barely anyone might remember?"

The children pondered Ranran's question, realizing that Primrose's aspirations and ambitions likely went beyond what she had already achieved.

"I highly doubt it," Emiko chimed in. "If there is a gold spoon and a diamond spoon for her to choose from, no way she will forfeit the diamond spoon."

"Which means it is also likely that Primrose is still heavily relying on whatever privileges her brother-in-law has, right?" Michio figured.

"But that doesn't make sense," Shinichi can't fathom that thought, "Although Primrose is his wife's sister, he ain't obligated to pay for her lifestyle."

"Exactly as Shinichi said," Junko nodded in agreement, though she then gave Ranran a confused gaze, "Also, you mentioned that Primrose's sister went missing. What was that about?"

"About that," Ranran sighs, "I don't have all the details, but from what I gathered during my time at Edgewood Academy, Primrose's sister disappeared after a quarrel with the husband, apparently she couldn't stand the wails of her daughter after Millie was born, let alone, she felt like having Millie would eventually withhold her dream as a famous actress for good, so she abandons her with the dad since to pursue her dream. Though I doubt she succeeded since it had been years since she vanished." Ranran explained.

"What a douche! It's one thing to have a kid, but to just simply abandon them?! Ugh!" Michio's eyes twitched at that in response.

"I agree! Although Millie isn't a good child, it doesn't condone getting abandoned by the parent!" Ran voiced out her thoughts.

"By the way, I heard that you mention Millie isn't the daughter of the director, Alaric Fairchild Fisher, right?! How did you know that!?" Shinichi suddenly interjected.

"Who is Alaric Fairchild Fisher anyway?" Takuma can't help but be perplexed.

"Who doesn't watch his movie works should seriously consider watching," Shinichi suggested with a smile. "Alaric Fairchild Fisher is a renowned actor and director. He's known for his captivating performances and his ability to bring complex characters to life on the big screen. His movies have received critical acclaim and have been box office hits, and in case you are all wondering how I know all of this, I learn of his work through my mother who used to work as an actress."

"Oh, that? Simple, piece of cake, I didn't even need to do a DNA test at that time." Ranran chuckled while she revealed how, "When Millie's mom was reported missing at that time, on the poster, her blood type read 'O', and Millie herself had a type 'O'. However, Mr Alaric has type AB blood."

"So!?" Emiko and the others were confused over what Ranran was having with this.

"Genetically laws say it ain't possible to have a kid who has an 'O' type since the father is AB. In other words, Millie's mom was probably after having an affair while still married to Alaric to end up with Millie, or Millie's mom saw someone before meeting and marrying the director, right?" Shinichi guessed.

Ranran nodded, impressed by Shinichi's deduction.

"That's quite a revelation," Junko remarked, trying to process the information. "And was he aware?"

"Yes, he met her while she was pregnant, and he was fine with it. That was until she fled the house and abandon her of course," Ranran scoffed.

"No way!" Takuma nearly dropped his smartphone, but he manage to get a good grip while pretending to watch the video, "The audacity! That meant that child actress Millie had brazenly lied to the press when interviewed about who her dad is."

"Seriously!? No wonder she is boycotted, a bully and a liar," Ran thinks.

"Not quite, she had no idea that ain't her real dad at that time," Ranran corrected her, before elaborating a bit about the family, "Truthfully, no one knows who was her biological father at that time. Even until now, the director has no idea who is her real dad."

"But wait a minute," Emiko was hit with a realization, "If what you said is true, that meant Primrose-"

"It ain't just her, even Millie and everyone around her had more to lose," Ranran listed everything they needed to know.

"Since I knew Primrose is likely not to budge when I snap against her on moving Peggy's corpse upstairs, I knew the only way to put a stop, is to shut the tap of privilege she kept on receiving from Mr Alaric's side. I long suspected that Primrose is still heavily relying on the brother-in-law since he is still obligated to look out after his wife's family, thanks to her vanishing act that was triggered by their feud. Also, Primrose's mom, a.k.a Millie's maternal grandmother, had fallen quite ill recently and has remained in the hospital for a long while," Ranran recalled the last conversation she had with the director, "Although Primrose is about to turn 20, it is clear cut she may not have been the brightest when it comes to managing money without her mom around, which is why this is still ongoing."

The Tantei Association members exchanged glances, realizing the intricate web of relationships and dependencies within the Fairchild Fisher family. It was clear that Primrose, Millie, and even Aurelia had much more at stake than they initially thought.

"Ranran, what do you think this means for our investigation?" Ran asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Normally, just like any other case, I always say to approach it with caution, but now that one of my enemies in Edgewood is around," Ranran took a moment to gather her thoughts before responding. "It means we may have to deal with unreasonable adults jabbing at us while doing our jobs."

Those words were enough to resonate with the rest of them.

With all eyes individually on their smartphone, the other kids almost gave a shocked look at Ranran, but it would've blown their cover. "But didn't you use her secrets as leverage against her to ensure her cooperation in the investigation!?" Shinichi pointed out.

"It's one thing to blackmail, but considering she is somehow involved in Peggy's death, we need to be a lot more wary about Primrose." Ranran rubbed her own chin, "The way she behaved when I told her off about moving away her corpse, especially her expression of indifference when we discovered Peggy dead....it was as if she knew she was going to die."

"Wait, what do you mean she is 'involved' in Peggy's death?!" Junko's brows shot up while probing in a low voice.

"She is murdered," Ranran answered, while Shinichi silently nods.

This was enough to trigger an erupted gasp, their eyes widening at Ranran's revelation. "Keep it down!" Ranran hissed quietly, "Do you want the others to hear?!"

As soon as she said so, they quickly composed themselves, realizing the need to maintain discretion and keep their conversation private. They huddled closer together, ensuring their voices were barely audible.

"Are you sure she was murdered?" muttered Ran nervously. "It looked like an accident to me."

"She is definitely murdered," Ranran replied, ensuring no adults are paying attention to them, "Her hair was wet, and the smell of her hair...reminded me of that time my mother dyed my maternal grandmother's hair."

The other members of the Tantei Association leaned in closer to the founder as she ask them to come forward about, eager to hear more.

"When my maternal grandmother's hair got dyed, her hair smelled strongly thanks to the hair dye chemicals," Ranran continued in a hushed tone. "And I could smell that same distinct faint odour on Peggy's hair. It was fresh, not like she had dyed her hair days ago." Pausing, she recollected her thoughts then said, "Ran, earlier you mention that Peggy's hairstyle is always that signature beehive, correct?"

Ran nodded in response to Ranran's question. "Yes, Peggy always had her hair styled in that signature beehive. It was her trademark look."

"Earlier when we were inspecting Peggy's body, her hair was completely undone, loose and wet. It didn't match her usual hairstyle at all. For someone who had treasured her beehive-haired signature look like her own child for so many decades, do you think she is the type who would intentionally tamper with her hair?"

The founder's question hung in the air, causing the members of the Tantei Association to contemplate the significance of Peggy's altered hairstyle.

"She is right," Michio whispered, breaking the silence. "My mother always said that Peggy cherished her hairstyle so much. If Peggy did it, why would she intentionally undo it?"

"Could she be taking a shower before she tripped?" Shinichi suggested, "I mean it would make sense why her hair was wet and bleached before the incident happened."

"With that posh dress on?" Takuma was in doubt. "What woman would simply leave her hair wet while dressing up so elegantly? Especially now that it is still winter in February! If she wants to get hypertonia around this time, that would be a good explanation."

"It ain't really odd that one might want to change their hairstyle after a while, I meant it has been decades," Shinichi looked perplexed as if the mysteries of hairdressing were utterly beyond his comprehension. Then again, seeing his expression, Ranran was brought back to that future-telling projector her late mentor gave her.

Though she can't really say that it is one that tells the exact future so to speak.

Back then, it revealed that Shinichi is very oblivious when it came to women, let alone, their feelings towards him, so it ain't surprising why he has that look now. Which is why when Mouri Ran tried multiple times to confess it throughout their childhood leading up to their teens,  it was as if he was born with an impenetrable shield around him, anything she did to get his attention would end up getting prevented, not to mention, ever reach his understanding. 

Ranran sighed inwardly, knowing that for this future 21st-century Heisei Holmes, his cluelessness was likely to remain to the day he dies!

"But not necessarily," It suddenly occurs to Ran, "Perhaps she just left the hairdresser? Cause I know of one posh salon Sonoko often goes to get her hair cut done. And there was one time when I accompanied her because we had plans to go to the mall after that, I actually saw multiple people there who were very well dressed the way Peggy is. Had their heads tipped at the basin to the back after dyeing their hair."

"Oh yeah, that would make sense," Emiko and the others nod.

Shinichi considered about this theory before shaking his head, "Not possible, cause if she had truly returned from the hairdresser, don't you think her clothes would have traces of hair that were cut? So far, Ranran and I inspected, and there were no hairs."

"Also, when Primrose was driving us up the hills all the way to Peggy's place, I did not see a single Posh Hairsalon nearby. I was up all day staring at the window while the videos were buffering on Michio's smartphone," Takuma pointed out.

"Is it possible she took a vehicle to head to the city, then return before tripping?" Emiko suggests.

"Even if she did take a vehicle out to the city to cut, then come back, I doubt the hairdresser would simply let her walk out of the salon with wet hair." Junko adds, "Cause, if Peggy does die of hypothermia, should the hairdresser not blow dry it, don't forget that she is a huge star in the U.K and here, her children can easily sue them for negligence."

"Plus," Shinichi said, "Her head was facing towards down the stairs, if she just returned home, it would've been facing the opposite direction. Implying to us that she was at home, not the hairdresser."

Michio scratched his head, deep in thought. Then an idea came up to Emiko, "Neh guys, you know my boyfriend, Shiro?"

"That drummer from Red Illumination? What about him?" Ranran and the others sounded confused, it was getting difficult to keep their faces straight on the smartphone, but the developments of the case had grown exciting by the minute.

"This is what he told me, when Red Illumination was becoming more and more successful at that time, this was before he parted ways with them after you both threw the lead singer and keyboardist in that mental asylum, they used to have an army of stylists in the house they shared to do their hair for them. The purpose is to avoid bumping into paparazzi."

Ran's eyes widened in realization as Emiko shared this information while remaining composed, "That's right! Peggy is a big star for a comedian, she can afford stylists to be at her place! That way, even getting new clean clothes would do wonders!"

"Yeah, but again, it doesn't make sense," Shinichi is doubtful about this claim, "Why was her hair still wet then? Don't tell me it didn't matter if she had headed to the salon, or at home, that she could not afford a blowdryer?"

"Perhaps she got interrupted mid-way?!" suggested Junko. "The house phone could have rung, or someone could have come to the door..."

"Aside from her hair being wet, it was the diamond earrings that told me she was murdered." Ranran pointed out.

"Eh!?" All attention was back to the founder. "How is that relevant?!" Takuma furrowed his brows.

"Alright," Ranran took a deep breath before attempting to explain, "Ran, Junko and Emiko. After taking a shower, what is the first thing you would do?"

Ran, Junko, and Emiko exchanged glances, trying to comprehend the significance of Ranran's question. After a brief pause, Ran spoke up, "Well, I usually dry myself with a towel, put on some clothes, and then style my hair."

Junko nodded in agreement. "Same here. I dry myself off and get dressed before doing anything with my hair."

Emiko chimed in, "Yes, that's the usual routine. Dry off, get dressed, and then attend to the hair."

Ranran smiled, satisfied with their responses. "Exactly. Most people would follow that order of drying off, getting dressed, and then styling their hair. It's a common sequence of actions after taking a shower. But what happened if you are all wearing expensive earrings?"

The girls exchanged confused glances, trying to grasp the connection between Peggy's diamond earrings and the sequence of actions after taking a shower. After a moment of silence, Ran's eyes widened with realization. "I would take it off and put it away in the middle of having her hair washed because I wouldn't want to lose those precious diamonds! They are expensive!"

"I see, that would seem to be the logical thing to do for a woman," Shinichi nodded, impressed by Ranran's deduction. "It's highly unlikely that she would have kept the earrings on. They would be at risk of getting damaged or lost. My mother too does that."

Takuma's eyes widened as he connected the dots. "So, if her hair was wet and the diamond earrings were still on, does this mean she didn't have the chance to dry off, get dressed, or even remove her earrings after taking a shower!?"

Before anyone could answer, the kettle screamed to announce it was boiling and Ohta Bunko dashed to take it off the heat. It turns out she boiled the kettle earlier in advance.

She was intercepted by Primrose, who said with a contorted smile, "You're a guest here. I'll make the tea."

"It's alright, I will—" protested Ohta Bunko.

"I know she lived her entire life in Japan, but you don't forget that she doesn't like matcha tea. She is still English at heart, even though her family moved here," Bunko was a little taken aback at this revelation while Primrose dismisses her odd look, "She doesn't despise matcha, but it ain't her cup of tea."

Ranran observed the interaction between Ohta Bunko and Primrose, a few minutes later, Primrose placed cups in the 7 of them.

With slightly shaking hands, Primrose poured in a dash of milk, then the tea: boiling hot, not too strong. Then she dropped in three lumps of sugar each.

"Good for shock," she said, patting Ranran awkwardly on the arm before going off to pour tea.

Ranran watched Primrose's actions and her awkward pat on her arm, a sense of unease settling over her. There was something off about Primrose's behaviour, and it raised more suspicions in Ranran's mind.

As they each took a sip of their tea, Ranran couldn't help but notice that the taste was slightly bitter, not as smooth and comforting as she expected. It wasn't the pleasant cup of tea she was accustomed to.

Then again, Primrose barely knew Ranran's preference.

Also, Ranran didn't really need the sugar: since she wasn't particularly shocked.

After a long time in which both Primrose and Bunko struggled to make polite conversation while Aurelia maintained a frosty silence, the kitchen door crashed open to reveal it was none other than Sergeant Genzo.

Sergeant Genzo is a friend of Michio's late father and a childhood friend of Michio's mom, Majima Mio. So far, as much as Ranran still had a certain distrusts towards cops after the corruption situation last year, Genzo is one of those few that can be trusted.

When he isn't working, he is out hanging out with Mio at the store. At times Ranran would see them talking for hours at the boutique shop when business is slow.

"Speaking of which, Genzo's job as a Sergeant isn't stationed anywhere near this neighbourhood, let alone the hills," Shinichi realized, "How is it that he ended up here?"

"He is on leave today according to Michio, which is why he called him over here." Ranran then ponders something off about this, "Which is kinda suspicious."

"Why?" Shinichi looked at his mentor.

Contemplating how to articulate her suspicions, Ranran knew she had to say it as the other children were busy in their own conversation, "It's just...when I was 'The Fox', he never once took a leave in his entire working life. But after Mio-obaasan contacted him during the 'Extinction Heist' case...how should I put this? Hmph....it felt like he is doing so to meet up with his crush."

Intrigued by Ranran's observation, Shinichi was amused, "You think Sergeant Genzo has feelings for Michio's mother, Mio-obaasan?"

"I mean they had been neighbours growing up, also, Mio-obaasan had been a widow for 10 years,"Ranran nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips. "It wouldn't be surprising, considering how they spend so much time together when he's off duty. And I've seen the way they look at each other, the way they talk. There's a connection there."

Shinichi leaned back, crossing his arms, deep in thought. "Interesting. But....would Michio be happy about it? Having him around as his potential step-dad?"

"I don't think we should worry whether Michio would feel that way, he had been trying to get his Okaasan to date for years. Also, he and Genzo had warmed up a bit. Though...." Ranran pondered Shinichi's question for a moment, considering the implications of Sergeant Genzo potentially becoming Michio's stepfather. "I can't say the same for our situation regarding our HQ so to speak."

That comment caught Shinichi's attention, and he raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'our situation' regarding our HQ'?"

"Well, our main HQ is sponsored by Michio. And Genzo is like that overprotective parent you do not want to cross, especially towards Michio since he is after all the son of his late best friend. Considering he didn't like our interference..... if he becomes Michio's stepfather, he might insist on pulling Michio out of our investigations by shutting the HQ down. And you know Michio, he doesn't know how to say the word 'no', just like his situation with Junko."

Worried, Shinichi had to know, "Should we....sabotage their relationship?"

"If we do that, we are no different than Mamiko," Ranran shook her head vigorously.

The apprentice let out a sigh of relief, at least Ranran is aware of the absurdity of his suggestion. Otherwise, there would be no stopping her from scheming. Though his worries didn't end there, "But we can't shut down the main HQ."

"Then let's secretly look for one," Ranran suggests, "Make sure the others aren't aware, especially Michio."

"But....will we even be able to find one?" Shinichi grew a bit downhearted at that thought, "We are still 6 years old, and although our family do have the means to afford it, I doubt they would be willing to fork out the money to get us a place."

"......And since we are too young, we can't legally own a place. And even if we do succeed in getting a place, legally we would be forced to pay taxes considering we are running a legit Detective Agency." Ranran can't help but give him a determined stare, "But don't worry, I figured out a plan if we can't get a place."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "How?"

"Do it online." Ranran answered, "Just like my old days as The Fox in the U.K."

Still, Shinichi is worried, "I don't know of any Tantei Agency that works online only in Japan."

"Same feeling when I opened Fox and Deer with my late mentor, but it worked brilliantly."

"Alright, I'll trust you on that."

.......................................................

Soon, it was time for interrogation.

Since this was on the hillside, it wouldn't be practical to simply drive another 2 to 3 hours back to the police station in the city, so the interrogation had to be carried out in the victim's mansion.

Also legally, it wouldn't be practical for an elementary school child to do the interrogation, so Genzo took the lead in the interrogation, with Shinichi and the others observing from a distance. They positioned themselves in the study, where Genzo had set up a makeshift interrogation area in one of the luxurious living rooms.

But then the policy of having a child to interrogate them had become slight of an issue to Genzo since he ain't good in English. So he had no choice but to rely on Ranran to do the translation, since even his own men couldn't understand a word of English. 

The first person Genzo would start with is the comedian's daughter, Aurelia.

"Miss Berrycloth," Genzo began questioning Nakamura in Japanese, and Ranran swiftly translated his words into English. It was a delicate dance of listening, processing, and translating, ensuring that nothing was lost in the process. "I realize this is a difficult time for you-"

"No, don't call me Berrycloth anymore."

"Eh?"

"I got a divorce not long ago," she snapped. "And I am planning to go back to my mother's surname when all of this is over."

"Eh? You want to go back to a lame surname like Punchard?" Ranran stops translating midway to ask.

"Of course, I ain't that stupid to go back to that lame surname! It is her stage name after all!" Aurelia spat irritably. "Her real name was Eunice Hammerstein!"

Ranran blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting such a response. "Eunice Hammerstein? Then why did she tell everyone on the interviews that Peggy Punchard is her legal name?"

Aurelia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Oh, please! It's all part of her 'branding' nonsense. She thought having a catchy stage name like Peggy Punchard would make her more marketable in the entertainment industry. She never cared about being authentic."

"I mean that's true," Shinichi muttered to no one while he and the other kids were observing their interrogation from afar, "It would be plain stupid to change their name to 'Punchard'."

Even the other children nodded at his words.

Ranran quickly resumed her translation duties, relaying Aurelia's response to Genzo. "She says her mother's real name is Eunice Hammerstein, but she used the stage name Peggy Punchard for branding purposes. She believed it would make her more marketable in the entertainment industry."

Genzo nodded, absorbing the information before jotting down everything.  "I see. Thank you for clarifying that. Now, Miss Berrycloth, there'll be a full post-mortem conducted on your mother, of course, after which we'll know more about what happened, she will be released back to you."

"Really! All this fuss over a broken heel," said Aurelia. "Can't you see it was an accident?"

Genzo raised an eyebrow, clearly sceptical. "Miss Berrycloth, a broken heel alone wouldn't necessarily be the main cause of someone's death."

Ranran translated his words to Aurelia, who later huffed, crossing her arms defiantly. "Well, if you ask me, it's just a waste of time. My mother was a clumsy woman, always tripping over things. She probably tripped and fell, hitting her head on something sharp. It's as simple as that."

"And yet, you had no desire to change back to your father's name?"

Aurelia's face twisted with anger and pain at Genzo's words. "You have no right to bring up my father! He's gone, and it's all in the past."

"Are you sure?" Genzo pressed his words through the translator, "He killed himself at his debt-ridden toy company when your mother revealed to the press that he attempted to extort money from her through alimony during the divorce through you. It was all over the news when that happen."

Aurelia took a deep breath, composing herself. "Fine. Yes, it's true. My father...he couldn't handle the shame and the debt. It broke him. And I blamed my mother for it. I blamed her for everything!" Then without warning, Aurelia's eyes grew wide in horror staring behind Ranran and Genzo, when she goes, "My shopping goods! Where is it? What have you done with it?"

Ranran and Genzo turned around, surprised by Aurelia's sudden outburst. To their astonishment, they saw the officers bagging her recently shopped luxury goods into the evidence bag. The sergeant's eyes narrowed, his suspicion growing. "Miss Berrycloth, these items will be taken into evidence for further investigation. We need to ensure that we thoroughly examine every aspect of this case, including your shopping goods."

Aurelia's face contorted with anger, her voice laced with indignation. "This is outrageous! How dare you take my belongings! They have nothing to do with my mother's death!"

Shinichi and the others couldn't hear Genzo's reply, but Aurelia's cries of protest rang loudly through the house. "Taken it? But it's mine! Why do you need to look through it? She just fell!" 

"Damn, I knew that she hated her mother deeply after what happened to her father years ago, but I didn't think it would be so bad that she would react strongly when her shopping goods are taken away." Takuma can't help but think, watching the comedian's daughter causing a scene while whispering to the other children.

Meanwhile, Shinichi and the other kids exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of how to react to Aurelia's outburst.

"This is pretty abnormal!" Ran gave a disapproving stare at the deranged woman, who is more concerned about her shopping goods than her recently deceased mother. "Had you all not told me about her Tousan committing suicide, I wouldn't have guessed she is that type who grieved for a parent. And why didn't she change her surname to her Tousan's by the way? I thought she prefer him."

"After the suicide, I heard through Okaasan that the comedian changed her daughter's surname, because every time someone brings that up, she goes emotionally unstable. So it seems like 'shopping therapy' was the way to go for her in order for Peggy to get good control over her daughter's grief," Michio adds, then rolled his eyes, "She had major concerns that if the daughter was taking for therapy since Peggy herself is famous, no one would want to employ her daughter, at that it may appear on the record that the daughter is emotionally wild."

"In the beginning, it did Aurelia good since she started to go out of the house more," Junko noted, "But now it seems like she's using shopping as a coping mechanism. It's not healthy, and it's certainly not helping her process her Tousan's death. Cause if it did, Aurelia wouldn't be hating on her mom up till now."

"Towards the end, she became a shopaholic, but by miracle, I am surprised Peggy didn't end up going broke thanks to her daughter. I mean had you even seen the things she wore and bought in the magazines....it's ridiculous." Emiko clicked her lips at that.

"No wonder she is what she is now," Takuma couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. "She has been using them as a shield to avoid facing the reality of her Tousan's death for years."

"I wonder if she is using it to do the same towards her mother?" Shinichi wonders.

"Anyway, I think it made sense why she choose not to." Ran's voice tinged with empathy. "I mean he died not through normal means, and that was the only parent who she loved besides her mom. It would remind her of those horrible memories if she does so, even though she loves her father."

As the interrogation continues, Aurelia reacts in exclamation, "Why do you need to do where I have been before my mother passed away!?"

As time wore on, Shinichi wondered if Ranran is able to get this incorporative daughter to talk.

Michio leaned closer to Shinichi and whispered, "She's not making this easy, is she?"

"Obviously no," Shinichi shook his head, frowning. "But I can understand her frustration to some extent. Losing a loved one is never easy, and it can make people act out in unexpected ways."

Takuma chimed in with a sarcastic comment, "Well, at least she'll have a fancy wardrobe to mourn her mother's death."

The children couldn't help but let out a collective chuckle at his dark humour, momentarily lighting the heavy atmosphere in the room.

Surprisingly, Ranran was eventually able to talk the comedian's daughter down with calmness and reassurance. Though the way she did it was unexpected, "Do you want to get your inheritance quickly? As well as your shop goods? Not to mention, obtain your mother's inheritance?" 

Ranran's unexpected approach caught the attention of Aurelia, who paused in her defensive stance, eyes flickered with a mix of greed and hesitancy. The allure of gaining control over her mother's wealth seemed to overshadow her initial resistance.

"Then behave well, you will get your reward."

Because no one is well-versed in English besides Ranran herself, Genzo and the other cops were stunned to see Aurelia finally cooperating. They exchanged surprised glances, not expecting such a sudden change in Aurelia's demeanour.

Then, Genzo began by asking about her mother, as Ranran translates to, "Did anything odd appear out of your mother this morning? Like was she happy or sad?"

"What? You surely don't think she killed herself?" said Aurelia with withering scorn. "She may have had her lows since divorcing a total of 25 times, but it didn't mean she would do so for any man! She is too much pride to do so."

"Just answer the question, Miss Hammerstein."

"Yes, as far as I could tell."

"You sure of that? Was anything bothering her?"

"Of course not!" exclaimed Aurelia. "She had everything! Money, a great house, a beautiful wardrobe. What could possibly have been bothering her?"

"The 24 other ex-husbands she divorced, did they not demand her to pay up alimony and stuff?"Ranran countered.

"They did, but she always managed to handle it. My mother wouldn't let something like that get in her way," Aurelia replied defiantly.

"Ok, next question," Genzo told the little girl what to relay to the woman before she nodded to press the woman before them for more answers, "Miss Hammerstein, from my understanding, he mentioned reading the news that this property, the mansion we are all in was supposedly her home to retire to. So how did you end up living here in Japan instead of the U.K.?"

Ranran translated Genzo's question, and Aurelia's face contorted with a mix of anger and bitterness. "My mother lived her entire childhood here growing up, then decided to settle in the U.K after her career took off there. She believed she had better prospects and opportunities in the comedic industry. Then you know the rest, married 25 times in the U.K. stuff, and I lived my whole life there in one of the mansions she previously sold, used to live there, then left when I was around eighteen. Married my ex-husband. Then ditch him last year, ended up moving back with my mother here in Japan after that."

"And did you all get along well?" asked Ranran.

"We had our ups and downs like any mother and daughter would. But overall, I suppose we got along fine" Aurelia's expression softened momentarily, a hint of melancholy crossing her face.

There was a pause. Then, not waiting for Genzo to utter a word, Ranran suddenly said, "Was she alright with your shopping spree?"

"What has that got to do with anything?" replied Aurelia rudely.

"A lot, I mean....she had 24 ex-husbands her whole life wanting to cash out with her paycheck."

"Are you implying that I killed her so that I could continue having an endless flow of money to shop!?" she snapped.

"The retiring property we are currently in was purchased under your mother's name, and you are in your 30's," Ranran answered smoothly. "Everyday without fail, there is always a photo of you in luxury goods, but there was no mention of what you work as. So it implies to me that you are heavily relying on your mother's money."

"You-"

"Listen, your mother had died unexpectedly, we have to look into everything, consider every angle. It's what this man here," She pointed to Genzo who is sitting next to her, "Had to draw his day-to-day pay cheque accordingly to the laws of Japan. So let's try to cooperate and provide the necessary information to move forward with the investigation. If you have nothing to hide, then answering these questions shouldn't be a problem."

Reluctantly, the shopaholic growled, "I ain't going to lie, I used to work back in the U.K as a receptionist in a luxurious hotel a year ago. But I ended up losing my job shortly after my divorce, and my mother agreed to let me live with her here in Japan until I could find another job."

"Then what is with you purchasing all of those luxury goods instead of looking for a job?" Ranran can't help but ask.

"Well, after I charge my purchases to my mother's account, I try to sell them triple the price," growled Aurelia.

"She must have been one generous lady," Genzo commented after Ranran explained everything to him. He changed tack. "Did you see anyone when you left the house this morning? Waiting by the gates, say, or walking in the grounds – did you notice anyone who shouldn't be here?"

"No. Not that me, my mother or Primrose know of."

"You didn't let anyone in?"

"Of course not! No way I would let any vermin enter our property!"

Then Genzo cleared his throat. Then he instructed Ranran to relay to her, "Miss Hammerstein, according to the police investigation, your mother who works as a popular comedian is worth approximately 500 million yen, correct?"

"Yes, obviously." Aurelia agreed reluctantly.

"Aside from you alone, would anyone else benefit from her fortune?"

"I wouldn't know any of that, considering she did the will without us present, "Aurelia said coldly. 

"Wait, us?" Genzo grew curious.

"Yes, I mean I ain't the only child, so I can only assume that she's divided everything between me and my half-elder brother, Felix. Which would be the fairest thing to do, judging my mother."

"Your brother? Felix Fizzleton right?" Ranran guessed, "Is he with you?"

"Ah no, he's away. Somewhere in South America, I believe, saving the rainforests or something. I don't know exactly. I ain't that close with my half-eldest brother."

"We'll find him. Thank you, Miss Aurelia, you've been very helpful."

As soon as the interview is brought to a close. Once more, it appears Aurelia wasn't finished." By the way, when will I get my shopping goods back?" she asked.

"As soon as we've verified your alibi," Genzo replied. "You can return to the others now, Miss Ford. Would you be good enough to send your mother's secretary to me, Miss Hammerstein?"

"Sure, Primrose! Your turn!" Aurelia gave one last, indignant sniff and then they heard her heels clacking out of the room and back across the hall. 

"Her mother's corpse is only discovered 2 hours ago, and she is already shouting orders to her mother's temp secretary as if she runs the house her mother purchased with her own money." Emiko can't help but comment with a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

Shinichi rolled his eyes and replied sarcastically, "Oh yeah because nothing says grieving daughter like demanding your shopping goods back right after your Okaasan's death. Classy move. Her Ijaasab would be so proud."

The athlete then chimed in, unable to resist adding his own sarcastic twist, "Yeah, I'm sure the grieving process involves selling luxury goods for triple the price. Totally normal behaviour, right?"

But her disturbing yet unsurprising behaviour didn't just end there.

Cause as soon as Aurelia reached the kitchen, she sat down at the table and began to pick off her nail polish again, but Ranran noticed a smile had crept into the corners of her mouth.

Not even Ohta Bunko attempted to talk to her, after learning of her past, it was a delicate thread not to be stepped upon. 

Curling up in an armchair, Aurelia soon fell into a doze.