The Case Files of Jeweler Richard

This chapter was a bit hellish to translate. If there’s something unclear, please let me know.

The Kataura Ballet Company was founded immediately after the war, and apparently, it was one of the oldest ballet companies in Japan. About thirty years ago, they were very active and did frequent overseas performances, but now that the world economy had changed, they cozily continued with the support of benefactors from various fields.

The school, near Gotanda Station, was a two-story building with large windows that looked like something uprooted from a European street. The plate at the iron gates where guards stood read “Kataura Ballet School” in gold letters. A flyer with a ballerina pictured on it was posted to a bulletin board, the same image as the one Shinkai-san sent me.

“This is the private school we run. It also serves as a practice base for the company and an office for the foundation.”

When I asked what an artistic director did, Director Kataura answered that for a ballet company, anything. She spoke with a voice like a chirping bird, but the stability of her standing posture was uncommon. In terms of their auras alone, she and my karate instructor were a lot similar. They were masters who didn’t move in the slightest even if they received a serious seiken zuki .*

(TN: In karate, a seiken zuki is “is to punch with the fist in a way that the joints of the forefinger and the middle finger (2 knuckles) will hit the opponent”, according to the site Japanese in Karate.)

Only Richard was necessary for her business, but I also received an invitation since I was acquainted with Shinkai-san. I felt somewhat uncomfortable, like I was made into a leash to lure the owner. On Sunday, Étranger was put into the owner’s hated “temporary closure” state, and we went to the ballet company office near Gotanda. If there was even one appointment, the owner surely wouldn’t have closed the store. When Richard drove up to the parking lot, not saying one word the whole way there, Director Kataura was waiting for us.

There was the sound of a piano playing from somewhere when we went inside the building. I was nervous. It was the first time I was entering a place like this. We walked up a staircase with a stylish handrail with the ends curled like a scroll, and then walked down a long corridor. It was decorated with many pictures of dancers in black-and-white. Director Kataura entered a room at the end of the hallway. It had the air of a principal’s office. There was a reception table in front of us, and a desk and chair in the back.

Black tea and sweets were prepared on the reception table, but Richard probably wouldn’t eat them. Before he sat down in a chair, Richard started things off by saying, “Just one thing.”

“Before I look at it, there is just one thing I want to ask you, Kataura-sama. Who is the customer who introduced me to you? I am merely an insignificant jeweler, so this type of business is out of my area of expertise.”

“…That is fair. Do you know the company Homura Corporation? A person named Homura Takayuki?”

I knew what the Homura Corporation was. I had a business card from there. It was the company with the rich boy who brought a huge ruby and a typhoon of commotion to Richard’s store just when it opened. I didn’t think his name was Takayuki. Since it was the representative director, that was probably his father. I remembered Richard telling me that he had become acquainted with Homura-san’s family, who were enthusiastic jewelry collectors.

Richard had a sour look on his face as he nodded slightly.

“Homura-sama, I see, thank you very much. But even so, I do not understand. Why me? Did he think that every British person has the qualifications to become Sherlock Holmes?”

“His company has supported our ballet company as a part of their patronage activities for many years. I am also well-acquainted with his family. I had the opportunity to see them a few days ago, and when I talked to them about this case, they referred you. I was told, ‘If it’s a request regarding gemstones, he will never refuse you.’”

“…Takayuki-sama said something like that?”

“No, it was his son who enthusiastically recommended you to me.”

At Director Kataura’s smile, Richard returned a bitter smile. Was Homura-san possibly trying to distract from the time with the ruby? No way. A grown adult with a position in society wouldn’t do such a thing. Probably. When I thought about, that was also an incident that was caused by my meddling.

Richard sat down in the chair, as though he gave up, and Director Kataura opened the cabinet behind the desk that looked like it belonged to a principal. When the double doors opened, I could see a huge safety deposit box in the center. She inserted a small key into its door, entered a PIN from an angle we couldn’t see, and then the safe’s door opened with a “thunk”.

Director Kataura took out a black velvet box. It looked like Richard’s Urashima’s casket, but a size smaller and thicker. I quietly moved the tea set on the table aside.

“Here it is.”

Director Kataura went down on her knees on the floor between us, placed the box on the table, and then opened the lid.

A necklace was shown to us. It had five layers of silver chains, and on the opposite side of the clasp, five strands of green gemstones were vertically connected in a lacework snowflake-like motif. Because it was quite wide, so you would have to wear clothes that exposed your shoulders. Oh, was this a stage costume? The ballerina from that DM did wear something like this.

The gemstones that adorned the necklace were all beautiful emeralds, if I wasn’t mistaken.

Incredible. There was not a single scratch on them. I’ve seen emeralds several times at Richard’s store, but many of them had inclusions in them, and there were also a lot of stones that had noticeable bubbles and dark substances inside. It must have taken a lot of trouble to gather such pristine stones together. Was it a good idea to store it in such a small safe?

“…This is…”

“This is on loan from a company located in the northern United States called the Marienbad Ballet, which we have a friendly partnership with. The direction of their management changed years ago, and now they do not hold performances, instead seeming to be in the business of specializing in these types of rentals, but…”

Loaned jewelry. Was this what Director Kataura was talking about.

“Are these the ‘cursed’ emeralds?”

“If you believe the rumors where that came from, that would be the case. The real problem that I am troubled over is that this necklace is…how should I say this? It appears and disappears.”

Richard’s brows knitted together, and Kataura-san began to speak in a quiet voice.

The mysterious phenomena began two weeks ago, shortly after the stage costumes, including the necklace, arrived by airmail from the ballet they had a friendly partnership with. For some reason, the safe containing the jewelry, which only Director Kataura knew the PIN to, was taken out of the room. The safe was. Since the total weight was over two-hundred kilograms, even a strong muscular man wouldn’t be able to carry it out unless they dragged it out with a fair amount of effort. Director Kataura told us, with her eyes cast down, that the safe was taken to the hallway outside. Director Kataura and the theater staff became aware of the strange incident, and during the time they panickily went to call security, somehow the safe returned to its original place. That time was a little less than five minutes. At that time, we still didn’t have security cameras , Director Kataura said as she shook her head.

After deciding that a nasty thief had come in randomly* and left without succeeding, Director Kataura consulted with the police and secured a promise to increase patrols in the neighborhood, and then collected herself and carried out dress rehearsal with the company members. However, another incident happened. When the ballerina playing the role where she would be putting on that jewelry went into the dressing room to match it to her costume, the necklace was gone. I didn’t know about this, but since props should never be missing and not knowing where they were was outrageous, they were placed one by one in plastic boxes with numbered tags on them and managed flawlessly. It wasn’t like my mother’s closet where everything was stuffed in there randomly and you couldn’t find anything.

(TN: The word used here is 通り魔, which means a random attacker, like a slasher.)

There was also no indication that it was put in any other box.

They cut short practice temporarily and every company member was mobilized to search for the necklace. It took thirty minutes. Sure enough, the necklace turned up. Somehow again, it was neatly placed inside its designated box as though nothing had happened. This was a week ago.

The story up to this point is exactly what I told you on the phone , Director Kataura said with a smile. Richard, like a porcelain doll, looked at her with an impersonal face.

“I have said this the day before yesterday, but I can only think of this as simple attempted theft. I think you should question the treatment of those in charge of managing the jewelry.”

“There are several people, but all of them were so busy with their own duties that it was not even an alibi. Furthermore…if it was stolen and it meant something, then we could question their treatment. No suspicious people were found on patrol, and if you think about it carefully, you can see that there is a high possibility of it being an inside job, but…in the first place, this is not a reasonable thing to do at all.”

“Why?”

“Because what you stole is worthless.”

Huh? Even though it was so beautiful?

It seemed that I was the only one making a puzzled face. Director Kataura smiled wryly and took out the emerald necklace from the box, then let me hold it. Oh? It was lighter than I imagined.

“If these were all real emeralds, it would be worth a great amount of money, but the majority of them are manmade. There are barely any scratches on them, are there? That is proof that they are imitations.”

“Is that so…”

“However, this is a work of art of sorts by an eccentric jewelry designer in the past, and as evidenced by the appraisal certificate, there are several genuine emeralds in the necklace.”

Director Kataura pointed to only the center of the design that looked like a five-pointed snowflake. Oh, did that mean only the middle five of the motif are real emeralds? When I stared at them closely, it was true that only those stones had a different texture to them. They looked thick and soft. They were not uniformly beautiful.

“…However, if one didn’t know about the circumstances, then it would look like an ultra-luxury item. Does everyone know this?”

“Of course. Everyone knows very well that it is an extremely well-made fake. Even so, the reason we borrowed this from overseas is that this is the one that we have used in our ‘Jewels’ performance for many years. The designer was my grandfather, who was also the founder of this company and was a long-time advisor to the artistic director at the Marienbad Ballet. The five emeralds are like his stubbornness. That was the limit of our financial resources at that time. But, does that necklace not have a beautiful shape? Tradition and history are nurtured by people. Even if they are manmade gemstones, if they are continuously used for many years, then that brilliance will become real.”

I just haven’t the slightest idea why someone would try to steal it , Director Kataura added gloomily.

Tentatively, I tried asking her the price of the necklace. She told me that the current price would be around a million yen, but that was only the “production cost” from thirty years ago, and if they tried to sell it now, they would only get a much lower price for it. She said that also, using synthetic and natural gemstones together was unbelievable, generally speaking. That was because there would be no meaning in using natural gemstones. Even if you try to resell it, there was a high possibility that it would not be bought in the first place.

An old necklace made of synthetic gemstones. There was almost no value in reselling it. It also didn’t sound like the value of old synthetic stones have been secretly skyrocketing. Hmm, I guess an enthusiast would buy it?

“In the worst case, if the necklace disappears…of course, it is insured, but this is a small industry. Problems of trust are liable to shake up the future operations of the ballet company. In times like these, no organization could afford to get tripped up by strange incidents when they are all barely getting by. I do not want to think about it, but I cannot say that there is no possibility of bankruptcy due to refunds from canceled performances. Supposing that we could cover the financial problem, there is nothing that could be done about the great blow of losing the only link in this world that connects us and Grandfather, who was the cornerstone of this ballet company. It is not something that should be lost for a nonsensical reason. Anyone in this company should know that much. In the first place, I do not know if it will even sell or not…”

Even though there was no merit in stealing it, mysterious phenomena occurred around it. I see, so that was the “curse”?

When I snuck a peek at his face, Richard looked as cool as ever and followed up dispassionately.

“This is only speculation, but I don’t believe the quality and authenticity of the gemstones have anything to do with the essence of the matter. Just for jewelry for stage costumes and the like, it is quite common for them to fetch a premium price even if there is no particular value to the jewelry. If it has a history of being worn by a famous dancer or used on a historic stage, would that not be priceless to an amateur?”

“…Of course, this is a venerable item that has been worn and danced with by many primas in the past. However…that is all. I don’t believe either one of you know the names of our dancers. I don’t think it will fetch a premium price because of its wearing history. There is no such reason or history. As for collector’s items, I can still understand, but as for if it is something that you would try to steal by moving a heavy safe…”

I am at a loss . Her voice shook when she said those words. Director Kataura stood, took a tissue from on top of the desk, and lightly blew her nose.

When she turned around, Richard said, “One more thing.”

“Why did you call that a ‘curse’? If it is only an almost loss, then is it not a mystery case rather than a curse?”

For a moment, Director Kataura’s stiff expression looked like it cracked. I was sure Richard noticed as well.

The director, who had a face like a fair-skinned doll, seemed to take some time to bite down on her back teeth before speaking detachedly in a low tone. She sounded like she was stifling something.

“…The ballerina who should have danced the emerald role originally suddenly passed away due to illness last year. It’s said that her feelings of ‘I wanted to dance’ remained…It is only a rumor, though.”

“This may be an impudent question, but do you also think so, Kataura-sama?”

“It is impossible! Something like that. But…”

She raised her voice for a moment, and then choked up. She was clenching her teeth in frustration.

My condolences , Richard said and bowed his head. Director Kataura also bowed her head formally. She seemed terribly exhausted. Confused and tired. That was probably why she decided to borrow Richard’s strength. No matter how friendly the person introduced to you was, you must be at your wit’s end because you were discussing these kinds of things with an unfamiliar foreigner.

Perhaps struck by her desperation, the beautiful store owner seemed to have steeled himself.

“May I pick it up and take a look at it?”

“…Yes, certainly. Please go ahead.”

Director Kataura’s expression suddenly brightened. Thinking “Nice”, I looked next to me and swallowed my words.

It was the first time I was seeing it. Richard with such a serious expression on his face.

He took out the gloves he brought from his bag, quickly put them on, bowed, and took the emerald necklace in his hands. I watched that series of movements blankly. I thought I was already used to it, but this man, no, this human or rather creature, really was beautiful. He was beautiful even if he didn’t do anything, but I thought that his charm and attraction manifested the most when he encountered difficulties like this.

A clear light dwelled in his blue eyes as he intently looked at the green gemstones one by one. Richard was a man who spoke countless languages. Maybe he knew the language of stones, and in this stifling silence, he was exchanging words with these manmade gemstones in a language I didn’t understand.

For about twenty minutes, Richard focused on the five stones that were said to be genuine and meticulously studied the necklace, but in the end, he shook his head.

“As far as I can see, there does not seem to be anything of interest.”

“……I see.”

I suppose that was to an extent expected on both sides. Director Kataura, looking a little dispirited and relieved, apologized to us for all the trouble, and Richard was concerned for her. The three of us were all the same in that we weren’t fully satisfied.

Strange things were a constant in the world. It was probably just a series of empty-house burglaries and almost-losses. That was what I wanted to think. But, what if, by any chance, this was a real “curse”? What were we going to do?

After that, I waited for Director Kataura’s and Richard’s conversation to end, and when we left the principal’s office, there was a person with long legs waiting for us in the middle of the hallway decorated with pictures. They wore leg warmers over white tights and sheepskin boots thrown on over them. Even though it was almost summer. Their upper body was clad in a fluttering black athletic wear and a pink hoodie over that. They gave off the vibe of someone who came running from a construction site. A large green pendant hung from their neck. Was it a malachite or some kind of disk that was fastened with a leather strap?

Because her hair was all tied up, I didn’t recognize her immediately, but it was Shinkai-san. When she saw me, she called out my name.

“Wow, it’s really you. I was surprised.”

“Same here.”

I wanted to thank her for the tickets, but to think we’d meet again in this way.

“Oh, sorry I look so ridiculous. I was in the middle of practice.”

“I should be the one apologizing. If you’re looking for Director Kataura, she’s still in the room, cleaning up.”

“I’m not looking for the director. And you are?”

Shinkai-san prompted Richard, as though it was a matter of course. Did she also know about the jeweler’s visit? Richard took a step forward.

“I manage a jewelry store in Ginza’s 7- chome . My name is Richard Ranashinha de Vulpian.”

“Oh really? I know a dancer with the surname Vulpian. You’re French, aren’t you?”

Shinkai-san smirked and addressed Richard in a Western language I couldn’t understand. Richard beautifully returned fire at the arrow that was suddenly shot at him. I watched the Western language rally with my mouth half-open, and Shinkai-san smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, sorry. But it is strange. I just heard from the director this morning about an Englishman. Are you a hafu ?”*

(TN: A hafu is a Japanese term for mixed-race people, especially half-Japanese. However, English and French aren’t races, so I decided to just leave it like that.)

“Because of personal circumstances, I am familiar with the languages of many countries.”

“You’re also very good at Japanese, but can I ask you what those circumstances are? Sorry, but there’s something scary about someone who’s so excessively skilled showing up like he was specially ordered at a time when everyone’s panicking.”

Richard was slightly at a loss for words. I couldn’t watch this. I stepped in between the two of them.

“Oh! Our store owner is really skilled in languages. Before he came to Japan, he opened a store in Hong Kong, he also knows Chinese, and some time ago, a guy with a turban or something like that wrapped around his head came to our store. Of course, it’s not about language skills, but the spirit of valuing customers. He’s like a gemstone version of Tanimoto-san. I’ve been in his care for about half a year now.”

“Someone like Shouko…The type who can eat a lot of rice while having gemstones as a side dish?”

“Huh? I, I’m not too sure about that…”

“If I can have that one trapiche emerald* by my side, then I can eat three bowls.”

(TN: A trapiche emerald is a rare variety of emerald with a six-point radial pattern of dark impurities. I suggest you look it up since it looks pretty cool.)

Richard was straight-faced. I was astonished. Shinkai-san burst into laughter.

“…I’m so sorry, I didn’t think you were the joking type. That’s right. You’re the great king of sweets, I remember.”

Shinkai-san laughed, and Richard glared at me. Come to think of it, I did talk about that.

With her guard relaxed, Shinkai-san introduced herself once more.

“Shinkai Aki, the prima ballerina of the Kataura Ballet Company. When I heard the director invited a jeweler she didn’t know that well, I got so scared that I came here. My favorite rock sample is the fluorite, and what I want most right now is a pentagonite sample. I want to put it next to my cavansite.”*

(TN: Pentagonites and cavasites are minerals with very similar crystal structures, so they’re hard to tell apart. Pentagonites are rarer than cavasites so people would often get scammed into buying a cavasite for a higher price.)

“Eh? Shinkai-san, could you possibly be…?”

“You didn’t hear it from Shouko? I was also a member of the rocks and minerals club.”

A ballerina who loved rocks and minerals. What a combination. I was able to make a connection in an unbelievable way with someone who I thought was a resident of a world that had nothing to do with mine. It seemed that stones connected the world.

“Shinkai-sama, did you have experience working in France?”

“I studied abroad there. In high school, I won an international competition. I was able to receive the privilege of studying at my favorite ballet school for a year. I chose a French school, so I learned the language at that time. Sorry, I thought I tricked you into telling the truth, you’d expose yourself.”

“That’s a pretty scary thought…”

“I said I was sorry.”

If I remembered correctly, Tanimoto-san said she went to a combined junior high and high school, so I was wondering why she didn’t go to high school together with Shinkai-san, but now the mystery was solved. Because she won that competition, she started racing down the path to becoming a ballerina. Even though she was the same age as me, was it because she was carrying that resolution that she seemed to be incomparably bold and gutsy?

“I’ve also heard the stories. It’s becoming really serious, isn’t it.”

“It really is. It would still be fantastical if the truth behind it all was a muscular ghost or something, though.”

“There’s something pretty scary about a curse from a dead ballerina.”

“…Oh…the director didn’t tell you all the details.”