The elderly man with graying hair was the general manager of the design company.
The pockmarked man with long yellow hair was the company's chief designer.
After the introductions and pleasantries, Serika Wakamatsu called out, "Satake, are you there?"
A door near the entryway opened, and a woman in an OL suit wearing glasses poked her head out.
"Madam, what is it?"
Serika Wakamatsu said, "Ikuro said he's hungry. Manager Shiina brought some Baumkuchen, so let him have some. Also, go to the kitchen and brew some black tea for the guests."
"Yes!" the woman in the OL suit nodded slightly and turned toward the kitchen.
Masumi asked curiously, "Who is that woman?"
The withered Serika Wakamatsu introduced her: "She was my husband's secretary, helping with company affairs. Since my husband died, she's become my secretary. Her name is Yoshimi Satake."
"It just so happens the company has been very busy lately, so Satake moved her office to my house. It's much easier for her to get my opinions and stamps.
Please follow me, Consultant Hoshimiya. Since you've graced us with your presence, I must entertain you properly!"
Everyone followed Serika Wakamatsu toward the living room.
But before they could take many steps, the front door was pushed open again.
A clumsy housekeeper burst into the villa and cried out upon seeing the scene, "How did you all get here so fast? I haven't prepared anything yet!"
This housekeeper was actually an acquaintance!
It was Sakurako Yonehara, Naeko Miike's best friend—the maid with the incredibly cute, childlike voice.
Yuu Hoshimiya had previously considered "abducting" her back to his own home.
However, she had said she already had her next job lined up. He didn't expect that the "Wakamatsu household" she mentioned back then was this very house.
Come to think of it, this clumsy little maid had actually been promoted to housekeeper.
Sakurako Yonehara froze, pointing at Yuu in shock: "Eh? You massive lecher, what are you doing here?"
Hearing this, Yuu's brow twitched.
He hadn't done anything inappropriate to Sakurako yet; calling him a "massive lecher" right off the bat was a bit out of the ordinary!
As for his business with Naeko Miike...
Even if the two were best friends, Naeko shouldn't have blabbed about it.
Even if she did, it certainly wouldn't be this fast!
He had only sent Naeko home about an hour ago!
The women beside Yuu all shared the same expression, their eyes narrowing as cold glints flashed.
Serika Wakamatsu scolded, "Sakurako, watch your tongue! Apologize at once!"
Sakurako Yonehara snapped out of it and immediately bowed in apology.
Yuu knew she didn't have any malicious intent and hadn't done it on purpose, so he expressed his forgiveness.
Only then did the group continue following Serika toward the living room, leaving the little maid—no, the little housekeeper—behind.
The little housekeeper, Sakurako Yonehara, watched them leave and let out a long sigh.
Soon, everyone was seated on the living room sofas. Ikuro Wakamatsu was also called in, and Secretary Satake served the black tea.
The mistress of the villa, Serika Wakamatsu, began: "Consultant Hoshimiya, at the time of the incident, everyone in the Karuizawa villa was present."
"Actually, that day was supposed to be my birthday party. But my husband was obsessed with DIY handiwork. His custom magnetic tiles had just arrived, so he was in the bathroom tiling by himself, even forgetting my birthday."
"The rest of us were in the living room playing cards. We didn't gather at the bathroom door until after the incident, where we found Kohei collapsed, covered in blood.
The police initially suspected us and asked many questions before letting us go."
"But since we were all in the living room and could provide alibis for each other, and there were signs of forced entry at the window, the investigation shifted toward an outsider."
"There shouldn't be any doubt about that. I just don't know what kind of enemy my poor husband made to be murdered so heartlessly, wuu wuu wuu!"
The woman's tears came on command, though crying only made her look even uglier.
Yuu asked, "Who was the first person to discover the body?"
Sakurako Yonehara weakly raised her hand from the side.
"It was time to cut the cake, so I went to the bathroom to call the Master, but I found his body instead."
Sakurako's small face still held a look of guilt, an expression that seemed strange.
Masumi spoke up: "Miss Yonehara, I heard about this case from Aunt Shizuka. I remember your statement said you saw a dying message left on the wall, but by the time you called the others over, the message had vanished. Is that true?"
Sakurako nodded: "Yes. After I called the Madam over, she told me to call an ambulance and the police."
"By the time I returned, everyone was gathered at the bathroom door, but the bloodstains on the wall were gone."
"The police didn't believe me at all; they said I was having hallucinations."
The gray-haired GM, Masashige Shiina, explained: "Because the police performed a luminol test on the tiles Sakurako mentioned, but found nothing."
"Moreover, the tiles have a gradient color from top to bottom. There's no possibility of them being swapped, so the police didn't accept Miss Yonehara's testimony!"
The yellow-haired designer, Sumio Fujinami, added: "Sakurako might have been too tired then. After all, she had just gotten out of that case with her previous employer. A temporary hallucination is understandable!"
Hearing this, Sakurako Yonehara clenched her small fists and lowered her head with a look of deep guilt.
Masumi was a bit confused—what was the case with the previous employer?
Yuu, however, knew very well; it was the Itou family case that Naeko had asked him to help with last time.
He didn't expect this little maid to rush straight to the Wakamatsu house only to witness Kohei Wakamatsu's murder. Talk about bad luck!
At this point, Kazuha asked curiously: "So Sakurako, can you tell me what the dying message you saw was?"
Just then, Ikuro Wakamatsu suddenly interrupted: "Stop talking about it! Enough is enough! This Baumkuchen I worked so hard to buy won't taste good if it gets cold!"
Serika Wakamatsu quickly chimed in: "Right, right, right! Let's cut the cake!"
Secretary Satake and Sakurako Yonehara went to the cake together and began slicing it onto plates.
While the two women were busy, the incredibly obese Ikuro Wakamatsu glanced at the people around him and let out a cold sneer.
"Since the main members of the company are all here, it's time to decide on the position of President!"
At these words, everyone's expressions shifted, and they all turned to look at Ikuro.
"My mother is currently acting as the temporary President, but the company must eventually be inherited by me, the son who carries my father's blood."
"Even though I'm just a minor employee now, becoming the President was my father's expectation, wasn't it, Mother?"
His stepmother nodded stiffly: "Mmm..."
Ikuro noticed Sakurako and Secretary Satake bringing the plates to the table. There were two pieces left in the original box, so he walked over and grabbed one to start eating.
Yuu watched this with a cold eye, having no intention of warning him.
The fat man continued talking while he ate: "When I become President, I'll definitely make the company bigger and stronger, leading you all to earn even more money, ugh..."
The man who was just bragging about his grand dreams suddenly turned pale. He clutched his throat, let out a scream, and collapsed to the floor.
Everyone present gasped in shock, several people standing up to try and help him.
Yuu, still sipping his tea, barked: "Don't move! Everyone stay exactly where you are unless I tell you otherwise."
"Masumi, go check on him!"
Masumi Sera stepped forward immediately. As she leaned down, she smelled almonds. She checked his pulse and shook her head.
"He's dead. The cause of death is likely potassium cyanide poisoning. No one touch the cake on the table."
Yuu then spoke: "It seems someone here didn't want him to live. Everyone, out of the living room until the police arrive."
After saying that, he pulled out his phone to call the police.
The others obediently left the living room and stood in the hallway.
Witnessing Ikuro Wakamatsu's collapse, Sakurako Yonehara's eyes were full of terror. She stared down at her own hands, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.
After finishing his call, Yuu entered the living room. Seeing Sakurako's expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Sakurako, why do you look like this?"
"It followed me... the Reaper's curse must have followed me!"
"I've encountered so many cases like this at work. Mrs. Itou's death, Mr. Wakamatsu's death, and now even Mr. Ikuro is dead. It must be because of me!"
Hearing this, Yuu was instantly speechless.
Beside them, Kazuha patted Sakurako on the shoulder and laughed softly, "You haven't seen anything yet! I know a guy who runs into cases all day long from the time he was a kid and never thought it was a Reaper's doing. You've only seen a few and you're already saying this? You're overreacting!"
Kazuha was, of course, talking about Heiji Hattori, who was currently abroad.
It was a good thing Ran didn't follow, or she'd have added Shinichi Kudo to the list.
Hearing this, Sakurako let out another long sigh.
Momiji then spoke: "However, this case might truly be the work of an evil spirit. We saw a white ghost at President Wakamatsu's old home in Osaka!"
Hearing this, Sakurako was instantly scared out of her wits, scurrying behind Yuu and clutching his arm tightly.
It was truly Yuu's first time seeing a girl more afraid of ghosts than Ran Mouri.