The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (宝石商リチャード氏の謎鑑定)

Thirty million!

Richard...

Episode 7 The Jade of Succession

One Week Earlier

I'll be counting on you.

Certainly.

Seigi, this is Ito-sama of the Ito Shobin Company.

Hello. It's nice to meet you.

Likewise.

Well, then...

The Ito Shobin Company?

Seigi, are you free next Friday?

I'd like you to accompany me to an auction.

An auction?

You mean an auction like you see on TV and in the movies?

Is something incredible going up for sale?

Yes. The collection of Azuma Soichi, who passed away last month.

Also known as the Azuma Collection.

Azuma was a managing director with profound cultural knowledge.

His massive collection made him

one of Japan's most prominent collectors of gemstones and antiques.

But since his passing, there's been a bit

of commotion surrounding the inheritance of his fortune.

I can imagine.

His eldest daughter, the new director of the Azuma family,

came up with a clever solution:

entrust her father's collection to an auction company

and liquidate all of it.

That's rather drastic.

I believe it's wiser than causing unnecessary discord within the family.

Yeah, I guess so.

Oh, right! Tea?

This is the collection that's to be auctioned.

This is all the Azuma Collection?

Yes.

The most eye-catching piece is the Buddha's hand citron.

Buddha's hand...?

Take a look at lot number 865.

So this is read "Buddha's hand citron"?

It's a 200-year-old jade piece

from the reign of the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong Emperor.

It's 200 years old?

I was asked to win this piece at the auction.

You mean by that guy just now?

Yes.

The Ito Shobin Company is a well-established antique shop in Ginza.

The Japanese word for jade comes from the kingfisher.

Because kingfishers are sometimes called "shobin,"

the characters for jade can also be read as "shobin."

The founder of the Shobin Company was so enamored by jade

that he named his store after it.

And this piece ended up in Azuma-san's possession.

Upon Azuma's passing, he was intent on buying it back if at all possible.

Then why not buy it himself? Why is he hiring you?

The Shobin Company has been banned from the auction hall.

Banned? Why?

Even after the collection was entrusted to the auction company,

Ito repeatedly offered to buy the Buddha's hand citron for a high price,

which compromised his reputation.

So he then turned to an acquaintance of his, my mentor,

who passed the request along to me.

A mentor? Richard, you have a mentor?

Is it that strange?

Er, well, no.

Seigi, if you're available, will you accompany me to the preview, as well?

The preview?

It's an opportunity to see the objects for auction in person.

Even the Buddha's hand citron?

Of course.

The Buddha's hand citron is a fruit thought to bring good luck in China.

Its shape resembles the Buddha's hand.

It really does. You said it's 200 years old, right?

It's been handled with care by so many different people since long before I was born...

But it looks more like an emerald than jade.

Jade isn't normally this translucent, right?

Good for you.

You're developing an eye for gemstones.

Highly translucent, blue-green jade is called jadeite.

It's highly valued.

So this one's top class.

Th-Thirty million?!

Quiet.

Er, sorry.

This is the estimated sale price.

The starting price should be much lower.

Wow...

Richard...

Huh?

Richard?

What a coincidence.

I didn't expect to see you here, Lord Claremont.

You have the wrong man.

Ah, come to think of it, I heard you go by Richard Ranashinha de Vulpian now.

Are you looking to buy the jade hand, too?

Were you hired by a Frenchman? Or perhaps an Englishman?

If you have business with the owner, I'll hear what you have to say.

"The owner"? You work for him?

That's right.

I forgot to introduce myself.

My name is Shin Ganapati Bertuccio.

I'm Nakata—

You needn't give him your name.

Obstruction of business is your specialty, Lord Claremont.

How truly amusing.

Did you give up on finding happiness with your fellow countryman

and choose a foreigner instead?

You don't know me.

You there... Stay with him too long, and you'll be met with disaster.

Be careful.

Well, Lord Claremont, give my regards to Ranashinha.

Ranashinha?

You're... not okay, are you?

I regret that you had to see that.

I apologize.

He was a former competitor of mine.

He would frequently claim that I stole his customers.

As long as you're selling it, your customers would buy plain stone.

They're too enchanted by your face to look at what's in their hands.

It was a troublesome time.

Where you used to work before... Was it your mentor's store?

Yes.

My mentor operates the main store in Sri Lanka.

There's a second store in Hong Kong,

and the third is Étranger here in Tokyo.

So who's this "Ranashinha" he just mentioned?

Saul Ranashinha, my mentor.

Is he a relative or something?

No. Due to certain circumstances, I'm borrowing his name.

We have no blood relation.

Any other questions?

No, it's fine. You've already told me plenty.

Thank you.

I appreciate your consideration.

You're a very kind person.

You're like a man drawing his face in just before a kiss.

What? A kiss?

I just meant that it's fine if there are things you don't want to tell me.

Are you a philanthropist or a coward?

It's difficult to decipher.

It doesn't matter either way!

I just hate guys who try to force themselves

on people who don't want to be kissed!

Oh, uh...

In other words, I don't want to force you to do anything.

I like you, and I owe you.

What? Don't look at me like that.

Sorry... I just realized how you really feel about me.

Did I really have to say it out loud for you to get it?

I'm grateful.

You're right. I should tell you myself.

Richard...

Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not desperate.

It just feels like it's the right time.

But can it wait until after the auction?

Of course.

If that man is here,

then there must be a buyer in Europe who wants this jade.

Thirty million...

I'm not sure that will be enough.

What?