Pathway to Japanese Literature

The Black Envelope's Challenge

The August afternoon sun beat down on the baseball field of Prefectural No. X Middle School.

On the field, the third-year team was engaged in rigorous practice.
In the stands on this side, third-year homeroom teacher Kuramochi conversed with a chemistry teacher colleague.

"That catcher has an excellent throwing arm and executes such precise plays—what remarkable form!"

"Oh, that one? Why, that's Haruta Ryuusuke—the very student who cracked last month's C.C.D. Submarine Incident."

“Ah, so he’s that boy detective... Hmm.”

“He’s the captain of the second-year team.”
“He’s very reliable.”
“They’re practicing hard every day in this heat for the National Middle School Baseball Tournament this autumn.”
“And after all that, he still helps his father with chemical experiments when he goes home, I hear…”

While they were talking—a mixed-race boy wearing a high-collared uniform and hunting cap climbed up to the stands.

“I would like to see Haruta Ryuusuke.”

“What business do you have?”
Teacher Kuramochi turned around and asked.

"I was asked to bring this letter."
The mixed-race boy said this and showed a document enclosed in a black envelope.

"Then wait here—he’s in practice right now.
It’ll be break time soon."

"Then please have the teacher pass it along.
I’m rather pressed for time."

Having said that, the boy handed the document in the black envelope to Teacher Kuramochi and briskly walked away.

When practice ended and Ryuusuke, drenched in sweat from head to toe, returned to the bench with everyone, Teacher Kuramochi came down from the stands and called out to him.

“Well done, everyone… Now then, Haruta-kun—someone just came to deliver this letter for you.”

“I see. Thank you very much.”

When he received it—a black envelope—he felt an oddly ominous sensation. When he opened it, written on white paper in vermilion ink were these words:

To the Boy Detective Haruta Ryuusuke,
We hereby warn you: We shall take possession of the Yellow Diamond Necklace stored at your uncle Viscount Wakabayashi’s residence at precisely 2 AM on the coming August 18th. If you possess such resolve, we shall engage in a one-on-one duel with the necklace at its center.

Black Collar Ornament Group Leader

“What a joke—utter nonsense.”

Haruta Ryuusuke said that, carelessly stuffed the suspicious letter into his pocket, bade farewell to everyone, and strode off the field.

Snap!
Vermilion Threatening Letter

When Ryuusuke returned home, a call had come from his uncle Viscount Wakabayashi’s residence, urgently summoning him over.
Thinking this might be the case, Ryuusuke set out by automobile.

Uncle Viscount Wakabayashi was waiting in his study for Ryuusuke to arrive.
Then, as Ryuusuke sat down in a deep armchair with his back to the large bookshelf, the viscount silently handed him a letter enclosed in a black envelope.
Ryuusuke was momentarily startled but took it and checked the contents.—Inside was a vermilion letter identical to the one the mixed-race boy had delivered to him, bearing these words.

Warning.
We hereby declare our intent to take possession of the Yellow Diamond Necklace stored at your residence.
The date and time: August 18th at 2 AM.
—And to prove the veracity of this matter, we shall infiltrate your study at 2 AM on the fifteenth and leave vermilion writing upon the desk.

Black Collar Ornament Group Leader

“This is the same one!”
With that, Ryuusuke took the challenge letter from his school uniform pocket and showed it to his uncle.
The viscount trembled violently upon seeing it.

“And you, Uncle—what will you do⁉”

“No—I thought it would be dangerous if something unexpected happened, so I had our legal advisor hire a private detective. He said he’d come at four, so he should be arriving any minute now. In any case, I’m thinking of hearing the detective’s opinion first before deciding how to proceed.”

Ryuusuke sprang up from the deep armchair.

"But—why would these guys pick a fight with me, talking about a one-on-one duel?"

As Ryuusuke muttered to himself, the viscount interjected from beside him, "I'm well aware of that. They know you're my relative and that you pulled off that big success with the Salvia Incident. That's why they've been belittling you as a child and mocking you."

“Alright!!!”
After pondering for a moment, Ryuusuke shouted with newfound resolve: “Alright! Let’s do this—will the Black Collar Ornament Group prevail, or will the boy detective Haruta Ryuusuke triumph? A one-on-one duel!!!”

The instant he declared this, Ryuusuke suddenly noticed—outside the garden-facing window where a mixed-race boy roughly his age had apparently been spying on them—the figure swiftly pivoting on his heel to flee.

The private detective in the black fedora

When the clock struck four, a student servant came to deliver a calling card.
That was when private detective Katsuragawa Hanjuurou arrived, bearing a letter of introduction from the legal advisor.

Guided by the student servant, Detective Katsuragawa entered.
He was a large man wearing a white linen summer suit, a black bowler hat, and large tinted glasses.
His complexion was dark from sunburn, and he had grown a beard.
He spoke in a slightly nasal voice, his words dragging out sluggishly.

“Well then, Uncle, I’ll come again tomorrow.”
As soon as he said that, Ryuusuke—as if remembering something—hurriedly rushed out of the study.

“Alright, things are getting urgent!”

With that, Ryuusuke exited into the hallway and took out a business card from his pocket.
That was the business card of Detective Katsuragawa, who had just arrived.
Ryuusuke, upon seeing that,
"Oh dear—I’ve ended up bringing such a thing."

With that, he hurried toward the entrance with a wry smile.

The next morning, after breakfast, Ryuusuke visited the viscount by automobile.
The viscount had also just finished his meal, but upon welcoming Ryuusuke, he hurriedly led him to the study and pointed at the desk.

“See, Ryuusuke! Exactly as promised!!!”

When he looked, there on the desk, written large in vermilion chalk,

“Black Collar Ornament Group comes—August 14th at 2 AM” was written there.

“What happened to the detective?”
Ryuusuke asked.

“Well, listen—the detective and I entered this study at twelve last night and sat down.
And we locked both the window and entrance doors securely and kept watch.
At 1 o’clock, the two of us drank black tea.
Then, after about thirty minutes had passed, it seems we’d dozed off without realizing it.
When the clock struck two and I came to my senses with a start, the detective was asleep. I tried shaking him awake, but he was sleeping so soundly he wouldn’t wake up.
Even so, I finally managed to rouse him. When I went to check—there on the desk was writing in vermilion chalk! I immediately checked, but both the window and entrance doors were properly closed and locked.
Detective Katsuragawa was furious—said this was the first time he’d encountered such a thing.”

When Ryuusuke finished listening, he once again meticulously examined the vermilion writing scrawled across the desk.

"Hmm... remarkably crude handwriting."
"Might've been written left-handed."

After meticulously examining the study for a while longer, he announced he was going out for a bit and dashed out of the viscount’s residence.

Yet Another Strange Threatening Letter

“Alright! Let’s meet with the detective and ask about their perspective!”

As Ryuusuke stepped outside, he muttered this and took out the business card he had tucked into his pocket the day before.
The office was located on the fourth floor of the Tokyo Building in Uchisaiwaichō, Kōjimachi Ward.
Ryuusuke got into the automobile and had it head toward Uchisaiwaicho.

When he visited the Katsuragawa Detective Agency on the fourth floor of the Tokyo Building, he found a receptionist girl of about thirteen years old at the front desk, who informed him that no one would come out before ten o’clock.
At that point, Ryuusuke decided to wait.

“When was this office established?” Ryuusuke asked the girl who had brought the tea.

“I don’t know—I only came here about a week ago.”

“Ah, I see. About how many detectives are there?”

“Well, there’s Mr. Katsuragawa, about three others outside, and one small assistant person.”

“Thank you!”

The girl returned to the reception desk.
Ryuusuke waited about ten more minutes in the reception room but, unable to wait any longer, stood up.
And then,

"I came to inquire about last night’s incident but found you absent; I shall return," he wrote in a note before leaving the office.

After boarding the automobile, Ryuusuke addressed the driver:

“Hurry! Take me to the Metropolitan Police Department at once!!” he commanded.

After spending about an hour investigating something at the Metropolitan Police Department, Haruta Ryuusuke reappeared at the viscount’s residence.
The viscount was flustered.

“Ah! You’ve come at just the right time!”
“Ryuusuke—look! Another vermilion threatening letter has arrived!”

What had been presented was the same black envelope. When he looked inside, there was vermilion writing that read:

Second Warning.
We shall reappear at your study on August 16th at 2 AM, whereupon we shall leave vermilion evidence upon the western wall. Should you report this matter to the police, your entire household shall be massacred without exception—thus it is declared.

Leader of the Black Collar Ornament Group

“Hmph, you’re quite something, damn it!!!”

Ryuusuke muttered that, returned the threatening letter, and without another word, briskly dashed out of the study.

A Sinister Shadow Dancing in the Dark

It was dusk that day when Ganko Souta arrived at Ryuusuke’s house, swinging his large fist and making his footsteps resound with heavy thuds.

“Young master, I’ve received a letter.”
“I hear there’s something you need done?”

“Mark my words, Souta-kun—if you call me ‘Young master’ again this time, that’s the end of it.”
“I’ll sever our friendship over this! You’d best prepare yourself accordingly!”

When confronted like this, Ganko Souta scratched his head and shrank in embarrassment.

“By the way, something has come up tonight where I absolutely need to borrow your strength—what do you say?”

“You bet I will! I ain’t got no book smarts, but if it’s smashin’ a demon or two you need done, I’ll take that job anytime!”

Souta swung his large fist demonstratively; Ryuusuke laughed—

“Alright!! Then let’s talk over dinner together—since we’re heading out at midnight.”

And Ryuusuke whispered conspiratorially with Souta over dinner about their plans.

At midnight, they left the house and circled to the rear of Viscount Wakabayashi’s residence before pressing themselves against the dark wooden fence of the opposing mansion.

“Now then, Souta-kun—rub this perfume on your face and legs,” he instructed. “If mosquitoes bite you and you stir up noise, those demons will bolt.”

Souta applied the perfume he’d been given and waited, crouching almost to the ground.
Ten minutes—twenty minutes.

“One o’clock.”
Ryuusuke checked his wristwatch and muttered.
Then another ten minutes—twenty minutes.
And—suddenly Ryuusuke whispered lowly, “Here they come!”

When they looked in the direction he’d indicated, a suspicious figure emerged from inside the viscount’s residence, climbing over the wall!
The figure looked around the area for a while, then lightly leaped down to the street.

“There! Go catch them!” Ryuusuke shouted.

Souta leapt out like a startled hare and, from behind the thug who was about to flee, firmly grabbed him by the collar—

“Hiyah!”
Just as he was about to throw him over his shoulder—two thugs appeared out of nowhere—ah!
In the blink of an eye, from behind, a thick Western-style cane-like object struck Souta’s head.

“Ugh!” Souta groaned and collapsed.

“Got you!! You damn bastards!!” Ryuusuke shouted as he leapt out like a swooping falcon—but⁉ A trap laid at his feet by unseen hands entangled his leg, sending him crashing to the ground.
The moment he fell, there was a hissing sound, and a liquid resembling water splashed across his face.

“Ahahahaha!” The three thugs who had laughed ran off into the darkness.
Among them, Ryuusuke did not miss that the small figure who had sneaked out from the viscount’s residence was none other than that mixed-race boy.

“Damn it, they really did a number on us!”
Souta got up and, while untangling the wire from Ryuusuke’s leg, said.

“Hey, Young mas—er, Mr. Haruta! Those bastards done splashed some water-like stuff on me!”

“That’s not water—it’s an anesthetic called ether. Inhale that much, and you’ll be out cold for about two days.”

“What?! Two whole days asleep? Y-you’re kiddin’! I ain’t havin’ that!”

“Don’t you worry. I figured something like this might happen, so I took precautions beforehand. What I applied to your face earlier wasn’t mosquito repellent perfume. That’s a new drug that neutralizes the effects of anesthetics. As long as you’ve applied that, there’s no anesthetic you need to fear.”

“Hah—.”
“Damn, Young mas—er, Mr. Haruta… You really are my boss for a reason.”

Souta jumped up and clapped his hands.
However, Ryuusuke glared fixedly into the darkness with sharp eyes.

"But now we've grasped their tricks.
All that remains is drawing our net tighter!"

Tonight was for rest!

On the morning of the seventeenth, Ryuusuke rose while it was still dark.
As soon as he woke up, Ryuusuke brought his sister Fumiko into his room and talked with her for about an hour. Eventually, Fumiko nodded repeatedly, showed an expression of firm resolve, and quietly left the house alone, vanishing into the dawn shadows.

“Let’s hurry!”

After seeing Fumiko off, he left home without eating breakfast, repeating the phrase as he went.
Of course, he had borrowed his father’s car.

Thirty minutes later, when Ryuusuke returned, Ganko Souta had come and was waiting.

"You’re late, Souta-kun. I’ve already finished another job."

Souta stood up, scratching his head repeatedly.

“Now the case is getting truly interesting. By the way, this time I have to ask you to take on a difficult role—the truth is…”

And so another hushed, secret discussion began.

“Righto! Let’s do it!!!”

When he finished listening, Souta pounded his chest with his fist and roared.

“Damn it, this is payback for last night—I’ll beat ’em to a pulp! But man, they’ll be shocked, heh heh.”

“This isn’t a joke. If you’re not careful, it might be you who ends up shocked instead.”

“Damn it! This time for sure—”

And Souta headed out brimming with courage.

Ryuusuke then leisurely had breakfast and walked to visit Viscount Wakabayashi.

The viscount was still asleep due to last night’s exhaustion. However, upon hearing that Ryuusuke had come, he rubbed his sleep-deprived face and got up—but before he could even properly rise, Ryuusuke spoke.

“Good morning, Uncle. Is the front of your head hurting? If it does, I’ll give you some excellent medicine later that’ll fix it right away.—By the way, the Black Collar Ornament Group came again last night too, didn’t they?!”

“How do you know that?” the viscount asked, rubbing his forehead as he picked up a cigar. Ryuusuke continued.

"Uncle and Detective Katsuragawa had tea at one o'clock. About ten minutes later, fatigue set in and you drowsily dozed off. When the sound of the clock striking two made your eyes snap open, vermilion writing had been left on the western wall—am I right?"

“That’s exactly right—every bit of it.”

“Here’s the medicine—a good-smelling one at that.”
“If you smell this, your headache will improve right away.”
“So, Uncle—tonight, the same sort of thing will happen again.”
“Then tomorrow I’ll finally head out.”
“Tomorrow is when I and the Black Collar Ornament Group will begin our duel centered on the necklace.”

“Will you come tonight, Ryuusuke?”

The viscount appeared uneasy.

“I can’t come tonight—tonight’s for rest! Tonight’s for rest!”

And he left with composed dignity.

When he returned home, a letter from Fumiko had arrived.

When he opened it, there was simply the following text written:

Yokohama City, Kaigan-dori Street, Maxim Warehouse Number 8

"Alright," he murmured. "Now everything's in place."

Ryuusuke muttered that and sat down at the desk.

He raged at Detective Katsuragawa!

Now, finally on the night of August 18th, in the study of Viscount Wakabayashi’s residence, Ryuusuke and the viscount were reading the final threatening letter sent by the Black Collar Ornament Group.

*Final Warning.*
*We shall receive the Yellow Diamond Necklace at your residence’s study on August 18th at 2 AM.*
*You shall place the necklace upon the desk in your study. Should you defy this order, we shall slaughter your entire household without exception.*

*Black Collar Ornament Group Leader*

“Slaughter the entire household without exception, huh?!” After finishing reading, Ryuusuke sneered, “Uncle, these bastards should be the ones receiving this letter themselves. Because those bastards won’t live past tomorrow, you see.”

“You’re saying all that, Ryuusuke, but you do have a proper plan in place, right?”

“Just wait and see.”
“By the way, isn’t Mr. Katsuragawa running late?”
“As for Mr. Incompetent Detective—I’ve truly never encountered such a bumbling fool before.”

Ryuusuke burst into loud laughter.
At that moment, Detective Katsuragawa himself appeared with a theatrical *ahem* as he cleared his throat.
He had unmistakably overheard Ryuusuke’s insults.
Wearing a thoroughly sour expression, he offered the viscount a terse nod before plopping down into his chair in stony silence.

“Good evening, Mr. Katsuragawa.”
Ryuusuke addressed him amiably, “Do you always keep your hat on like that—even indoors?”

“A detective,”
Detective Katsuragawa answered sullenly, “might have his face recognized by villains anywhere. If they remember me, it’d hinder my work—that’s why I always hide my face like this, pulling my hat low over my brows.”

“Huh—sounds like detectives waste a lot of effort on pointless things.”
Ryuusuke said without hesitation, “And yet you always end up failing anyway…”

“Don’t say such impertinent things! Then do you think you can solve this Black Collar Ornament Group case?”
Detective Katsuragawa was fuming with anger.
Ryuusuke replied calmly,

“Me? Oh, I intend to have the entire Black Collar Ornament Group rounded up and arrested by 2 PM tomorrow.”

Upon hearing this, Detective Katsuragawa doubled over with roaring laughter.
There, Ryuusuke laughed back just as boisterously—"Wahahahaha!"

The Devil’s Hour of Two

The clock struck twelve.

The viscount, the detective, and Ryuusuke entered the study.
There was considerable disagreement over whether to place the necklace on the desk.
The detective said it would be better not to put it out.
Ryuusuke insisted it would be better to leave it out.
If they saw that the necklace wasn’t displayed, those scoundrels might truly slaughter the entire household without exception.

“But as a detective, I must oppose leaving the necklace out.”
Detective Katsuragawa held firm until the end.

However, the Viscount himself brought out the necklace and placed it on the desk.

“If it’s left like this, even if the necklace is stolen, there will be no harm to anyone’s lives.”

said the Viscount.

The Viscount and the detective sat facing each other across the desk where the Yellow Diamond Necklace lay.
Ryuusuke sat down on the bench by the window and leaned against the windowpane.

The clock struck one.
Detective Katsuragawa stood up and attempted to prepare the tea.
There, Ryuusuke helped with it.
Warm, fragrant teacups of fine quality were passed into the hands of the three.

Ryuusuke returned to his own chair.
And from time to time, he would quietly take out that familiar perfume from his pocket and sniff it.

Suddenly, amidst the sound of everyone sipping their tea, faint hissing noises could be heard.

1:20–30.
The viscount was the first to begin dozing off.
Then, immediately after, Ryuusuke slumped and hung his head.

Perhaps sensing danger, Detective Katsuragawa staggered to his feet and headed toward the wall.
The lights went out—in the darkness, someone groaned.

Time passed on in darkness—ten minutes, twenty minutes.
And then the clock struck two.

“Ah!” It was the Viscount who cried out—he had been awakened by the sound of the clock.
Because the study was pitch dark, he hurriedly flipped the switch, and the lights came on.

When he looked around, Ryuusuke was soundly asleep in THE chair by THE window, and THE detective had collapsed against THE wall.
He ran up,

When the viscount called out “Mr. Katsuragawa! Mr. Katsuragawa!”, the detective finally began to regain his senses,

“The necklace… What happened to the necklace?!” he shouted.

The necklace?
Of course, it was gone.
On the desk lay only the purple velvet box, left abandoned.

“I told you so! That’s exactly why I said it’d be better not to put it out!”

The detective roared once more.

The two then tried to wake Ryuusuke, but he simply wouldn’t wake up.
Grabbing his shoulders and shaking him vigorously, it took about five minutes before he finally opened his eyes.

“Ah! He must’ve been given anesthetic!”

The detective shouted.
Ryuusuke’s voice remained thick with sleep.

“Neck... necklace... Is it safe…?”

“Thanks to your meddling, it’s been cleanly stolen.”
The detective snarled furiously.

“So you still claim you’ll round up the Black Collar Ornament Group in one sweep, eh brat?”

Ryuusuke unsteadily stood up in a groggy voice,

“Ah, I slept soundly.”
“Uncle, it’s okay. There’s no need to worry.”
“Tomorrow... tomorrow I’ll get it back for you, really... Ah, sleepy.”

Having said that, he plopped back down onto the bench and fell fast asleep, snoring loudly.

Unexpected! The detective was but a facade of lies!

The next day.

At 10 AM, Ryuusuke visited the office of Detective Katsuragawa in Uchisaiwaicho, Kojimachi.

At the reception desk was a girl attendant, but she was different from the one from the other day.
As Ryuusuke was being led by the attendant, he muttered to himself.
"Is everything ready...?"

The girl attendant stopped for a moment,

“That is correct,” she said immediately, adding, “Here is Mr. Katsuragawa’s room.”

Ryuusuke knocked on the door and entered the room.
As he entered, he dropped a small piece of paper and an item in a black envelope.
The girl attendant picked them up, quickly slipped them into her pocket, and returned to the reception desk.

Ryuusuke entered the room.
In the office was Detective Katsuragawa; as usual, with his hat still on, he was working on some documents at the large desk.

“Pardon the intrusion, Mr. Katsuragawa.”
Ryuusuke greeted him.

“Ah, please do come in. Just a moment—I’ll finish writing this letter now.”

When he finished writing, the detective placed it into an envelope and pressed the call bell.
When the girl attendant arrived, he handed her the envelope and,

“In about five more minutes, the usual child will come, so hand them this letter.”
“That will do.”

Having said that, he dismissed the attendant from the room.

“Ah, my apologies. By the way, was there something you needed?”

“That’s right. I know it’s rude to come so early in the morning, but there’s something urgent I need to ask of you.”

“I see.
“And this matter you mentioned—”

“I would like to have the Yellow Diamond Necklace!!!”

“Wh-what!!!”

Detective Katsuragawa turned pale and sprang to his feet.

“Enough of this charade.”
“I saw right through your act, Detective.”
“Your methods were nothing but child’s play.”
“You’d be better off quietly returning the necklace.”

“I see, I see, I see!!!”

Katsuragawa, panting heavily, slowly rose from his seat, then quietly approached the exit door and swiftly locked it.
Then, returning quietly to his original seat, he stood firmly and glared at Ryuusuke.

“Brat!! Is that all you’ve got to say?!”

The detective’s attitude had shifted completely.

“There’s more!”
Ryuusuke remained utterly composed; grinning slyly all the while as he watched the detective, then suddenly jabbed a finger toward the man’s nose and shouted.

“Take off your hat!! Bishop, Yansen—there should be a large scar on your forehead!!!”
“Agh!!”

The detective stepped back a pace and simultaneously aimed the automatic pistol he had drawn from his pocket at Ryuusuke.

“Damn you, brat! You’ve seen through me—fine! Now that it’s come to this, I’ll spill every last secret.”
“I came here for revenge.”
“During the Salvia Incident, you really, really took me down.”
“That’s why I broke out of prison and sent you that challenge!”
“You came all the way here unsuspectingly—like a moth flying into flames! Go on, pray to your god! Within five counts, you’ll be done for!!! Ready? One… two… three…”

In the nick of time, Ryuusuke ventured into the tiger’s den and narrowly escaped disaster!

Fool! It was Ganko Souta.

At that moment, Ryuusuke spoke calmly.

“Yansen, you challenged me to a one-on-one duel.
But this one-on-one duel is undoubtedly my win!”

“What did you say?! Brat—”

“Look! There are no bullets in your pistol!”

“What?!”

He frantically shook the pistol to check, but Yansen’s face instantly turned pale.
And like a madman, he pulled out the pistol he was drawing—but every single bullet had been removed!
“Oh, and I’m afraid I’ve already taken the Yellow Diamond Necklace!”
At Ryuusuke’s words, Yansen—now thoroughly terrified—panicked and flung open the small secret safe embedded in the wall.
The moment he did—!!

“Hands up! Don’t move!!”

Ryuusuke shouted, his right hand gripping a Mauser automatic pistol.
Yansen, startled, raised both hands.

“Back off!
“More. More.”
“Back up to the desk—this one’s loaded with live rounds.”
“I’ll show you proof—here!!”

Sparks scattered with a flash—a soft *thud* sounded as the bullet struck the wall.
To their astonishment!! With a heavy rumble, the wall rotated, revealing a secret escape route.

“Surprised, Yansen? I saw everything when I came here last time.”
“As for that escape route—by the way, the necklace is in this safe, right?”

As he spoke, he quietly approached the secret safe Yansen had just opened and took out a necklace glittering brilliantly from within.

“Aha! Here it is!—That talk about having already taken the necklace was a lie.”
“You see, if you panicked and checked whether it was gone, that’d immediately show us where it was hidden.”
“No—thank you for that.”

At that moment, Yansen gradually approached the desk and, careful not to let Ryuusuke notice, stepped on the switch attached to the floorboard.
A clear metallic ring sounded nearby.

Just then, the door to the adjacent room flew open, and a bearded thug came bursting out.
Yansen kept his hands raised,
“Beat that brat to a pulp!!”
he bellowed.
Then the thug,

“Now’s our chance!!” No sooner had he shouted than—in a shocking reversal—he lunged at Yansen instead.
Yansen, startled a second time,
“Have you lost your mind?! Attack that brat—!”
“Shut your trap, foreign devil! We’re Ganko Souta!”
“Did ya forget the taste o’ my fists from the Salvia?!”
With a “Gotcha!”, he executed a hip throw, hurled him down with a thud, and lunged at him like a rabid dog.
“Alright, I’ll leave that guy to you.”
“Tie him up tight! The Metropolitan Police will be here soon. I’m heading to Yokohama!”

With those words, Ryuusuke snatched the key from Yansen, opened the door, and leapt outside—leaving Souta behind to pummel Yansen into submission.

The automobile carrying Ryuusuke headed to the Metropolitan Police Department.
And, accompanied by three automobiles carrying about ten police officers, he sped headlong toward Yokohama.

Chaotic Brawl at Maxim Warehouse

Inside Maxim Warehouse No. 8 on Kaigan-dori in Yokohama City, amidst mountains of smuggled goods, seven or eight rough men—mixed with foreigners—were gathered in disarray. They were all clad in black suits with black collar ornaments.

The sound of a car arriving outside echoed.

“It’s the boss! Look!” one of them whispered.

The vehicle that arrived outside was a large black-lacquered automobile, its sole passenger being the mixed-race boy—he nimbly leapt down and dashed into the warehouse,

“Everyone! The net’s closing in!” he bellowed.

“What’s going on, George?! What happened?!”

“That Haruta kid meddled again—they’ve caught Boss Yansen! Run! Three Metropolitan Police cars’ll be here within twenty minutes!”

“That’s terrible! Run, run!!”
Everyone suddenly erupted into panic.
The boy shouted loudly again.

“There’s a car outside—a covered one, perfect for this.”
“Come on, everyone! Let’s all get in that one!”
“Right! Use that car to escape!!”

The panicked thugs, clamoring about hats and pistols, tried to push their way outside—when suddenly, at the warehouse entrance, there appeared...

“Wait, don’t be fooled!!” someone bellowed.
Because they were already on edge, everyone froze in shock.
And the moment they saw him, they cried out in unison,

“Ah! Wha—!!!”
they cried out in surprise.

And no wonder—look! Standing at the entrance was none other than the mixed-race boy George himself!

“Watch out, everyone! That’s Ryuusuke—the brat who captured Boss Yansen and came to wipe us all out! If you get in that car, they’ll snap the lock shut from outside and ship us straight to the Metropolitan Police Department! Watch out!!”

The George who had arrived later closed in on the George who had come first as he spoke.

“No! You’re all wrong! This guy is Ryuusuke—the brat! He’s spouting nonsense like this because *I* beat him to the punch! Don’t let him trick you! If we keep dawdling around, the Metropolitan Police cars *will* show up for real!”
“Ignore that guy and get in the car now! Escape even a minute sooner!!”
The George who had arrived first now also began desperately shouting to everyone.

“You damn beast of a fraud! How dare you do this to us?!” snarled the real George through gritted teeth.

“You’re the one scheming to fool everyone, you two-faced fox brat!!”
The first George roared back defiantly, refusing to yield an inch.

“I can’t tell a damn thing!!” A rough-looking man scratched his head and bellowed, “Which one’s the real George, damn it?! Cut this crap already!!”

“Fine!! If none of you are coming, I’ll just escape alone!” the first George shouted.

“You all can go ahead and play around with this guy if you want—I’m out of here! Later!!”

And he started to run.
The George who had come from behind lunged at him.

“I ain’t lettin’ you escape!”

“What! You dare come at me, you brat?!”

One of them suddenly grabbed a chair and hurled it; the other sank low to evade. “Damn you!!” he snarled, lunging forward like a hurled stone.

Both were formidable; the thugs could do nothing but watch, unable to take either side.

“Escape! Use the car outside to escape! Once it hits 2 AM, they’ll come from the Metropolitan Police Department!!”
The first George shouted desperately.

“Don’t be fooled! He’s lying! If you get in that car, you’re done for!”

The latter George shouted while being pinned down.

“I’ve had enough of this!!” A foreign-looking thug slammed his hat against the floor and roared. “I don’t understand anything! I don’t believe anything!!”

At that moment, someone appeared at the doorway and shouted.

“Then I’ll make it clear—hands up!!”

And then—ah!! In the blink of an eye, over ten detectives and police officers came bursting in haphazardly, each gripping pistols in their hands.

“Hands up! Move and we’ll shoot!!”

No sooner had this happened than the George who had arrived later dashed down to the basement as swiftly as a rat.

“Damn it!! I won’t let you escape!”

The first George also gave chase like a fleeing rabbit, but there must have been a secret escape route there, for unfortunately, he ultimately lost sight of him.

“Good work, everyone.”

The George who had returned from the basement removed the reddish-brown wig from his head and wiped off the white powder from his face—unmistakably Ryuusuke.

“Hey, gentlemen!” Ryuusuke said as he approached the handcuffed villains of the Black Collar Ornament Group.

“See? I told you they’d come from the Metropolitan Police Department at two!
“—
“I don’t like telling lies, ahahaha…”

It was exactly as the boy detective had said.
The Black Collar Ornament Group were arrested in one fell swoop at precisely two o'clock.

In front of his father and uncle, the viscount, Ryuusuke was recounting the recent incident.

“When I saw that provocative letter, I thought, ‘This must be someone holding a grudge against me.’”
“Considering who might bear a grudge, Yansen was the prime suspect—so I went to check with the Metropolitan Police Department, and they told me he’d escaped prison about ten days earlier and was being secretly pursued as a political criminal.”
“Then when I met Mr. Katsuragawa and saw him wearing a black hat pulled low over his brows with tinted glasses, I thought, ‘This has to be a disguise.’”
“Right then, I decided he was the most suspicious one.”
“After that, I investigated his office—and finding it even shadier—I had my sister Fumiko disguise herself as a maid and infiltrate the place.”

"When I heard they were sneaking into the study to write those vermilion letters and that Uncle and the detective always dozed off, I figured it must be an anesthetic agent. When I checked, there was a tiny hole at the bottom of the windowpane. Putting my nose to it and sniffing, I detected a faint smell of ether. I thought they must be using a sophisticated sprayer to pump ether through here. While staking out outside the mansion, I realized that when inside, the detective made tea and drank it with Uncle—and since it was extremely hot, the two slurped noisily, using that sound to mask spraying ether. So I realized the detective was colluding with outside accomplices and plotting something."

“After that, there was nothing to it. I had Ganko Souta infiltrate them disguised as one of their underlings and also had my sister Fumiko—who was working as a server—completely remove all the bullets from Yansen’s pistol beforehand before heading out. Then I swapped out Yansen’s letter and had Fumiko deliver my forged one—mine instructed everyone to gather at Maxim Warehouse! It said, ‘Everyone gather at Maxim Warehouse!’ As for that being their gathering place, Fumiko had investigated and found that out, you see.”

Both Father and Viscount Wakabayashi could only let out sighs of admiration.
Ryuusuke eventually added regretfully,
"But the real shame is letting that mixed-race kid get away, Father. He'll surely come back for revenge in a few days, you know…"

Then, taking his uniform bag, he briskly walked off toward the school’s baseball ground for intense practice ahead of autumn matches.