Motohara

Yuga sat beside Ryuichi, feeling somewhat a little emotional. Who were Ryuichi and Mr. Kuni'o? What kind of individuals could command such respect from Luminescent Jewelry Shop?

As Yuga drifted into thought, Juliana returned to the reception room, clutching the sales record once more.

She opened the record book to the section related to the emerald bracelet, then placed it in front of Yuga, saying, "Young sir, the information you seek is right here."

Yuga glanced at the record book, which was filled with detailed information. It not only contained a photo of the emerald bracelet, the date of sale, but also the names and photos of the purchasers.

Yuga quickly spotted Fiona's photo in the record.

Luminescent Jewelry Shop was indeed peculiar. Recording the buyers' names should suffice, so why include their photos? Nevertheless, this made it convenient for Yuga.

He swiftly located the information he sought under the "Source" column.

Not only did it have a name, but there was also a photo. Yuga pointed to the half-body photo of Motohara, a middle-aged man with a rugged appearance, thick eyebrows, and bold features.

The photo only showed his upper body, making it hard to gauge his height, but based on what was visible, he didn't appear very tall.

There was no additional information available.

Yuga pointed at Motohara's photo and asked Juliana, "May I take this photo with me?"

Juliana hesitated briefly but eventually nodded. She then said to Yuga, "Please wait a moment."

She left the reception room once again. When she returned, she held an identical photo detached from the record book.

"Here you go. I hope this helps."

Yuga accepted the photo and thanked Juliana, who nodded in resignation.

"Alright, we're done here, Young Master Shimizu. Let's go."

Ryuichi stood up from the sofa, signaling Yuga that it was time to leave.

Yuga nodded and safely stored Motohara's photo. He was ready to depart alongside Ryuichi.

Before leaving, Ryuichi told Juliana, "Give my regards to Genos."

"Don't worry; I will."

By now, Juliana had lost much of the fear and unease she had shown earlier when meeting Ryuichi. She probably realized that Ryuichi wasn't there to cause trouble.

As soon as Yuga and Ryuichi left the meeting room, Juliana dialed a phone number.

"Boss, Mr. Ryuichi came with a young man and took away a customer's information."

A young male voice came from the other end of the line.

"Oh, whose information did they take?"

"It was a customer named Motohara."

"Motohara? The name sounds familiar, but is he an important client?"

"He's not particularly significant; he only visited the store once. We haven't investigated his identity thoroughly. Should I look into it?"

"If he's not important, let it go. However, I'm quite interested in the young man Ryuichi brought with him. Do you know his identity?"

The young man on the phone sounded genuinely curious.

"I only know his name is Shimizu Yuga, but I don't have any further details."

"Check it out."

"Understood."

The phone call ended, and Juliana let out a deep sigh.

Ah, what a frustrating boss who doesn't appreciate his employees' work.

On the other side of town, on their way back to the estate, Yuga turned to Ryuichi and said, "Thank you, Ryuichi."

Ryuichi replied nonchalantly, "No need to thank me. It's what I should do."

Yuga didn't press the matter further; otherwise, Ryuichi would likely start talking about how he was valued by "the Master" again.

"Oh, by the way, Young Master, are you looking for someone named Motohara?" Ryuichi suddenly asked.

"Yes, do you know him?" Yuga asked eagerly.

Ryuichi shook his head and replied, "No, I don't."

Yuga felt disappointed. If he didn't know him, why bother asking? It was a waste of his emotions.

"Do you have any other information about this person? Like where he lives or any other details? I could help you look into it," Ryuichi continued.

Yuga shook his head and said, "I don't know anything else. I didn't even know about this person until recently."

Ryuichi stroked his chin and furrowed his brows. "That complicates things. In a world this vast, who knows where he might be?"

Yuga nodded in agreement and said, "Indeed, it's quite frustrating."

Ryuichi then asked, "By the way, why are you looking for this person? Didn't you say you didn't know him at all?"

Yuga contemplated for a moment and decided to confide in Ryuichi. Perhaps he could offer some advice.

"I suspect this person might be connected to my parents' deaths."

"Why do you think that?" Ryuichi was puzzled.

Ryuichi was aware of Yuga's parents' tragic deaths, as he had helped Mr. Kuni'o investigate Yuga. However, he had no idea that this Motohara person could be related to the case.

Yuga explained, "He sold the emerald bracelet to Luminescent Jewelry Shop, and it was my mother's heirloom."

"I see! In that case, we must find this person!" Ryuichi's tone became resolute.

As soon as Yuga mentioned his mother's heirloom being sold, it was hard to believe that this person had no connection to him.

"However, at the moment, all I have is this photo and his name. I don't have any leads," Yuga sighed.

"Wait a moment! There might be a place where we can find this person!" Ryuichi suddenly exclaimed with excitement.

"Really? Where? Please take me there!" Yuga grabbed Ryuichi's arm, thrilled.

Seeing Yuga's eagerness, Ryuichi chuckled and said, "Young Master Shimizu, let's discuss it tomorrow. It's getting late, and you can see that the sun is about to set. We should head back."

Yuga looked up at the sky and realized that it was already late afternoon. He had spent most of the day going back and forth.

"Alright, let's talk about it tomorrow. It's not urgent for now," Yuga agreed, feeling more composed.

"By the way, Young Master, I bet you're hungry. How about I have the kitchen prepare something delicious for you? Is there anything specific you'd like to eat?" Ryuichi asked warmly.

Yuga smiled and said, "I'll eat anything; I'm not a picky eater."

"Not picky? Excellent! I'll have the kitchen make something then," Ryuichi happily responded.

Yuga couldn't help but find it odd that Ryuichi, who looked imposing and spoke with a tough demeanor, was now using such warm and caring words. He remembered that Ryuichi had mentioned that only he and Mr. Kuni'o lived in the estate. So, if the kitchen staff were also Grass-type Pokémon, weren't they afraid of fire?