T.A series Volume 2: The Illegitimate Extra

Chapter 16 - Bad Blood

While Namba was still attempting to reach his fiancée, Shinichi decided to browse through Takuma's smartphone on the Tantei association's group discussion since he was curious about the latest information they manage to gather on the case.

"After all of the controversies, Namba Pictures was taken over by another CEO." Ranran was studying Michio's smartphone. As Ranran assigned Shinichi the task of keeping the group updated on the case while she dug deeper, the two kids had lost their smartphones owing to the earlier kidnapping.

"Namba insisted that the woman who he had lived his whole life with his is true mother. But, according to Mr Tomio, Tadashi Sora is his real mother. So who is lying?" Ranran was confused when she listened to Shinichi's summary of Emiko's text messages shortly afterwards.

"Also the money part...they were in debt due to a loan shark signed by a woman. Could it be Tadashi Sora?"Shinichi ponders about this."How is it that she can easily forge or easily obtain Namba's step-father's signature, I wonder? You can't just go up to someone and ask them to sign for you."

"Perhaps his step-father knew Sora in some way. But we don't know what the connection is. Another troubling aspect of the issue is Namba's right to an inheritance. Our client didn't reveal anything about the inheritance situation besides the Ponzi scheme. Is our client conscious of Namba's motives, or is he deceiving himself to lie to us all?" Ranran is perplexed.

"Their blood relation is the one thing that connects everything together. The question is, say if Kamiko, his supposed mother, lied that Sora isn't his mom. Why? Why didn't she say a thing about their true relations to Namba? What is stopping her? Also, was Namba lying when he said the woman who raised him is his real mother? Or he was unaware?" Shinichi ponders. After a few minutes, he drew Ranran away and whispered, "Ranran, take a look at this sketch art Emiko gave us earlier on Seto Menami's brother."

"He looks...familiar?"Ranran scrutinized the picture.

"Right? I also think so too," Shinichi replied softly so the man couldn't hear them.

Ranran said nothing for a while, then she had an idea.

She then texted Emiko urgently a certain request, one that she knew would eventually break the case wide open with Emiko's sketch.

Right off the bat, as soon as Emiko received a ping from her phone, she checked the founder's request hurriedly, picking out her sketchbook and pencils to sketch over the art. Ran was sitting next to her when she noticed Emiko starting to draw the face, and as she worked on it, the more she realized she knew about the person as Ohta Bunko's grey car left the city behind and reached the Old Northern Highway.

Ohta was too busy to talk with the little girls as she was busy on her phone arguing with her fiance. Ran who was sitting next to her asked in a low voice, "Emiko, what are you doing?"

"I am drawing over the face of Seto Benjiro," Emiko said.

"Why?"

"Cause Ranran asked for it."Emiko continued sketching.

"What are you trying to do?"Ran stared in curiosity.

"She asked me to do an Age Progression on Seto Benjiro."

"Age progression?"Ran blinked confusingly.

"Ranran is curious to know how Seto Benjiro is like today for his age when he is no longer 18 years old."Emiko turned to Ran, "I think Ranran suspected she knew who the person is, except she ain't sure till one does Age progression. It's a technical interpretation for artists of what a missing person may look like when they have been missing for several years."