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The biggest clue was a photo taken inside the office at a late hour.

Based on this, were we able to narrow down those without alibis?

Aisha’s manager, the office designer, the accountant, the photographer, and even fellow idols.

The suspects in the stalker case had been reduced to these five.

Raven, feeling a serious expression for the unknown, asked Bold.

“Hmm, were all five of these suspects actually inside the office at the time the photo was taken?”

“Yes, I confirmed it with my own eyes. They were the only ones who stayed late in the office that night for their own reasons.”

“With that statement, I am now convinced. So the culprit must be one of them.”

Raven nodded confidently, as if he had shaken off any lingering doubts with that remark.

He then explained the situation to the suspects, who had no idea why they were called in.

Aisha had received threatening messages from a malicious stalker over the past month, including photographs of her from behind and pictures of places she visited.

Fortunately, evidence from the photo helped identify the suspects who might be the stalker.

Even if they didn’t know the details, it was a sufficiently clear summary to understand the situation.

“Such a thing….”

“Ha, seriously. Why would I do something like that to Aisha? She’s my coworker in the same agency.”

“I’m really upset being treated like this! Who’s stalking who here?!”

“Hey, please calm down. We’re not saying you’re the culprit, just that there’s a possibility….”

“That makes me feel worse! Why would I ever harass Aisha?!”

Alice had a tough time calming down those who protested loudly.

It seemed there were indeed some who found the suspicion of being a stalker uncomfortable.

Yet Raven remained unfazed, continuing to speak calmly with the professionalism expected of him.

“There’s no guarantee you won’t be the next target. So, wouldn’t it be easier for you all if we caught the stalker sooner? If you cooperate willingly, I won’t take long with you. Now, one at a time, tell me what you were doing at that time.”

Despite the chaos, Raven treated them with an unwavering professionalism, which gradually calmed those who had been throwing a fit, allowing them to explain their activities.

The manager had to take Aisha home, and had warmed up in the break room.

The designer was working late in the studio due to a rush job for album design.

The accountant was also working late at her desk, resolving mistakes made during the day.

The photographer had briefly stopped by the office to drop off photos he needed to submit the next morning.

The fellow idols answered that they had just finished practicing dance and song and were about to leave.

Naturally, since they were all suspects, there was no one to vouch for them, but their reasons for being in the office were plausible enough that Raven stroked his chin in thought.

“Thank you for your stories. It seems there are indeed parts that could serve as alibis.”

“Huh… I don’t know. Are you saying one of them is the stalker…?”

The general manager, Bold, muttered that it seemed no one was lying too significantly.

To him, who had worked with these individuals, it might be hard to believe that one of them was the culprit.

But at that moment, Raven’s head turned slowly in a specific direction.

His gaze was directed at none other than Aisha’s manager.

“But something seems off. That manager clearly claimed he was quietly in the break room that day, yet there’s evidence of him visiting a café outside the office at the same time?”

“Ugh…! Th-that’s…!”

“It seems he cleverly evaded the office CCTV… but I guess he never considered there was external CCTV, did he?”

Crack. Raven boldly pulled out a photo right in front of the manager.

It was a photo from the external CCTV, clearly depicting the manager himself.

How foolish to tell such an obvious lie.

A murmuring wave spread through the crowd, and I imagined eating popcorn while swallowing hard.

Then to add credibility to Raven’s claim, David stepped forward and spoke up.

“I have something to say too. In fact, a witness testified that a man with red hair quietly followed Aisha at the crime scene of the stalker…”

“Gasp! The manager’s hair….”

“Is bright red!”

The remaining suspects inhaled sharply, turning their heads towards the red-haired manager.

The revealed alibi was a lie, and the evidence supporting the suspicions of stalking was undeniable.

No wonder Aisha was startled, her eyes wide open as she realized the situation.

“M-manager… is… is this a lie? W-why…?”

“….”

“Please answer! You’re not, right? You said we were family!”

Aisha’s expression was thick with betrayal, cutting through her heavy makeup.

It was hard to believe that the one who had been looking out for her since her debut could indeed be the stalker harassing her.

Just as the shocked Aisha was about to approach her manager, Raven stopped her, stepping forward as if there was something left to say.

“No, coincidentally, this manager is not the stalker.”

“Y-yes?”

“No, you said the manager was a liar! So what….”

“The manager had no motivation or benefit to stalk. He was simply used as a tool. Right, Bold?”

“Um, huh? What do you mean by that all of a sudden…?”

“The stalker is you. Am I wrong?”

Gasp!

The crowd gasped, caught by surprise at the shocking twist.

Who would have thought that Bold, the prime suspect, was uncovered as the true criminal!

Well, I might have guessed from the beginning.

Even knowing the end, I still find pleasure in enjoying the plot unfold.

Of course, Bold broke out in a cold sweat at Raven’s sudden accusation, stammering and trying to deny it.

After all, Aisha was like his own child; what reason would he have to do such a thing?

“The reason the manager could neither gain anything nor have a motive, the same goes for me. What do I gain from tormenting Aisha?”

“Hmph, you actually do gain something. The greatest benefit is to make Aisha willingly quit. You wanted to reduce the number of maximized idols that aren’t making money, right? You’ve basically been demoted here.”

“Haha…! What nonsense! We’re family! How could you slander someone like that…! No matter how much of a fixer you are, accusing an innocent person is unacceptable! I’ll report you to the police…!”

“Innocent? After hearing this?”

Raven, who had switched from formal to casual language, looked at Bold with a look of disdain, then took out a terminal and played a voice recording.

The recording was slightly muffled but unmistakably contained Bold’s own voice.

[“Hey, manager. What’s going on?”]

[“Huh, I need you to help me out. Seems like the higher-ups think our idols aren’t worth the money. They want to make sure she quits as soon as possible. Ugh, what a waste, maximized idols?”]

[“Well, can’t you just wait until her contract is over for a year and not renew?”]

[“Tch, I guess they’re too impatient for that. Just make sure it happens fast, okay? If you do well, I might give you a nice position.”]

Duh. The voice from the terminal came to an abrupt stop, and silence filled the room.

It was such shocking content. To think that the manager, who treated the idols like family, was actually a traitor planning to abandon them!

Even the threats and intimidation seemingly directed by a stalker were all to avoid company liability, leaving Aisha to lower her head in deep sadness.

Raven put the terminal away and looked at Bold, as if asking what he was going to do now.

“It seems you’re the one who needs the police in this matter.”

“Ugh, this is a set-up….”

“I guarantee on the honor of a fixer that this recording was in no way manipulated. What will you offer? Your wealth? Or your life?”

“Damn it!”

So Bold must have planned to sacrifice the manager as a scapegoat for the stalker incident while making a smooth getaway. He was now visibly distressed, his face crumpled in frustration.

He was now a far cry from the kind-hearted bald man I saw this morning, displaying the expression of a villain.

The situation had changed entirely. The stalker incidents directed at Aisha and the threats against her life weren’t just isolated incidents, but potential crimes that could impact the entire kingdom of Kodeoria.

If the police were called in to verify the facts, he would face nothing but judgement.

With tears welling in her eyes, Aisha rushed towards Raven.

“W-wait a minute!”

“Huh?”

“C-could you… not report Bold to the police?”

Aisha’s sudden defense of Bold threw the room into chaos once again.

After a month of being tormented, she suddenly steps in to defend him?

Even the manager, caught off guard, looked bewildered and opposed.

However, Raven seemed unconcerned with the external reactions, focusing intently on Aisha.

He realized that her intent wasn’t fueled by mere pity or self-soothing, and calmly asked her a question.

“May I ask why?”

“Well… it’s not really for Bold. There are still idols in Kodeoria that I respect and admire…. If we report this to the police, some innocent people might end up suffering from the backlash. I don’t want that to happen.”

Aisha wiped her tear-stained face, her eyes burning with a fierce determination as she gazed at Raven.

She wasn’t lamenting the betrayal of Bold or the manager who aided him.

If this incident were to spread and involve Kodeoria itself, the ones who would suffer would be the idols below the agency.

As the innocent idol of the end times, she clearly didn’t want anyone to suffer due to this incident.

In response, Raven scratched his head as if pondering, then shrugged as if it was her call.

“Then so be it. My duty is to find the stalker, not to punish them.”

“Jin!”

“What does it matter? The affected party doesn’t want it. If that’s how you feel, then that’s how it should be.”

At this point, Raven took a step back, despite Alice’s protests, and nonchalantly stepped away.

Thankful, Aisha approached Bold.

And with a cool voice, she addressed him as if challenging.

“Manager… no, bald guy.”

“B-bald guy?!”

“Yeah, you. Should I call you octopus? Want me to pluck out those stray hairs? Raising your voice at me? Aren’t you ashamed of what you’ve done?”

“W-what…!”

Aisha glared at Bold with a fierce expression, as if she could take him down at any moment.

He had now transformed into someone undeserving of respect.

With her fierce energy, it felt like she might pull a hammer from her pocket and smash his head in, just watching her sent shivers down my spine.

“Tell them the contract was terminated due to your mistake. Otherwise, I’ll take this matter public to the whole world.”

“C-cough….”

“Still no answer?!”

“O-okay! I got it, I got it!”

Bold lowered his head, looking thoroughly subdued by Aisha’s glare.

It seemed he had instinctively realized that crossing her now would be a foolish move.

Thus, the incident concluded for the time being.

Aisha agreed to dissolve her idol contract due to the agency’s fault.

This meant if he failed to keep his promise, they would inform the press and spread the news far and wide.

In the end, Aisha, who had dreamed of being an idol since childhood, ended up with an unsatisfactory sad ending.

“Ugh, I thought it would go well until now….”

“As long as the general manager is the culprit, continuing to be an idol isn’t an option. Ultimately… it’s unavoidable. Ugh…!”

I thought catching the stalker would bring happiness, yet it ended with her quitting as an idol.

Feeling the bittersweet aftermath, Alice and David looked utterly dejected as they lay atop the table at the café they had just finished working at.

However, Raven, sipping on his chocolate latte, merely clicked his tongue as if to say it didn’t matter.

“Why are you all so concerned about every little thing? We just have to do our job. No matter what choice the client makes, we have no reason to meddle.”

“But….”

“Look at the part-timer, calm and indifferent. What are you adults doing sulking in front of a kid? Isn’t that embarrassing?”

“…?”

Why the heck is he picking on me all of a sudden?

David might be clueless, but Alice is still a high school student!

I looked at him with an expression of disbelief while sipping on my apple mango juice.

Yet Raven met my stunned gaze head-on, continuing to address the pouting duo at the table.

“Don’t expect everything to wrap up with a happy ending. Most things in this world tilt in directions you don’t want. Don’t cling too much to outcomes. That’s how you avoid being stressed for a long time.”

“Huh… I guess you’re right?”

“And from what I’ve heard, it doesn’t sound like she wants to completely quit being an idol. There will surely be chances down the road. Although, I can’t guarantee success.”

Raven said those cold words, seeing reality for what it was, then finished off his chocolate latte.

There was some comfort in the adult-like demeanor he displayed.

Alice and David also began to sip on their coffee.

For a while, we sat in silence, nothing more than stillness occupying the space between us.

Suddenly, Alice, leaning her chin on the table and gazing out the window, muttered softly.

“By the way, when will Aisha, who said she would take off her makeup, be back?”

“Well… considering she’s got a lot to take off, it will probably take some time.”

Actually, we hadn’t come here just as a group of four.

There was one more person with us—today’s client, Aisha.

She had just left to take off her makeup and collect her thoughts.

And suddenly, a woman entered the café, exuding an awkward aura as she approached us.

She was undeniably a breathtaking beauty that would make anyone gasp in awe.

Even Alice, the official beauty of the Fixer Office, would seem a bit less radiant standing beside her.

Amazingly, such a stunning lady seemed to be passing by when she abruptly stopped at our table.

When Raven glanced to see what she wanted, she shyly smiled and carefully said,

“Uh, um… Raven? Can I place one more request? There’s something I want to ask for….”

“…Who are you?”

She seemed like a stranger trying to act familiar.

As Raven listened to her words, his jaw dropped in disbelief.

“I’m Aisha.”

“Eh!”

“What?!”

“…?”

Puhaha!

I secretly burst into laughter in my heart, feeling more flabbergasted than when Bold was revealed as the culprit.

Oh! So this is what a surprise feels like?

I had learned something new today.