Chapter 65

The biggest clue was a photo taken inside the company late at night.

Based on this, were they able to narrow down those without an alibi?

Aisha’s manager, the in-house designer, the accountant, the photographer, and even a fellow idol.

The suspect of the stalker case was narrowed down to these five.

Raven, with a hint of uncertainty, asked Bold who had a serious expression.

“Hmm, were these five suspects really in the office when the picture was taken?”

“Yes, I clearly confirmed it with my own eyes. These people are the only ones who remained in the office late that night for their own reasons.”

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

With that remark, Raven nodded confidently as if brushing off any lingering doubts.

Then he explained the situation to the suspects who didn’t even know why they were summoned.

Aisha had been receiving threatening messages containing death threats from a malicious stalker over the past month, along with photos of her back or places she visited sent via email.

Luckily, evidence identifying the culprit was found in the photos, and based on that, you all have been singled out as possible stalkers.

Even without knowing the full details, it was a sufficiently summarized explanation to understand the current situation.

“Such an incident…”

“Hah, seriously. Why would I do such a thing to Aisha? We’re colleagues from the same agency.”

“This treatment is so unfair! Who’s stalking whom?!”

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

“It feels unpleasant! Why would I harass Ms. Aisha!”

Alice struggled to calm down those who raised their voices in protest.

Apparently, some of them found being suspected of being a malicious stalker quite unpleasant.

But Raven, unfazed by them, calmly continued speaking in his professional manner.

“There’s no guarantee that you won’t become the next target. So, catching the stalker as quickly as possible will put your minds at ease, right? If you cooperate willingly, we won’t detain you for long. Now, one by one, tell us what you were doing at that time.”

Perhaps due to Raven’s unwavering composure and business-like demeanor, despite the commotion,

those who had been protesting their innocence gradually calmed down and began explaining step-by-step what they were doing at the time.

The manager had to drop Aisha off at home, so he was warming up in the lounge.

The designer had urgent album design work, so he was working alone in the studio.

The accountant was fixing a mistake made during the day, working late into the night at her desk.

The photographer had briefly stopped by the office to submit photos due the next morning.

The fellow idol had finished practicing dance and singing and was about to leave when questioned.

Of course, since they were considered suspects, there was no one to confirm their alibis.

However, each of their reasons for being at the company seemed reasonable enough, leaving Raven stroking his chin with a puzzled expression.

“I’ve heard your stories well. Indeed, there seems to be something resembling an alibi.”

“Hoo… I don’t know much. Could it be that one of these is the stalker?”

Bold, the overall supervisor, muttered that none of them seemed to be lying blatantly.

Well, having worked with these people, it might be hard for him to believe any of them could be the culprit.

But then, Raven, who had been nodding slowly, turned his gaze toward one person.

His eyes landed on none other than Aisha’s manager.

“But something seems odd. Manager, you claimed that you were quietly sitting in the lounge, making it impossible for a photo to be taken of you… yet there’s evidence of you visiting a café outside the company at the same time?”

“Ugh…! Th, that’s…!”

“Very cleverly avoiding the internal CCTV, but… you never imagined external CCTVs would catch you, did you?”

Snap. Raven confidently pulled out a photo in front of the manager.

It was unmistakably a photo of the manager himself, captured on an external CCTV screen.

To think he’d make such an obvious lie.

The murmurs grew louder, and I swallowed hard, imagining myself munching on popcorn.

And as if to add credibility to Raven’s words, David stepped forward and spoke.

“I also have something to say. In fact, there was testimony from the scene where the stalker’s photo was taken—about a red-haired man quietly following behind Aisha…”

“Gasp! The manager has red hair too…”

“A vivid red color!”

Excluding the manager, the other suspects gasped and turned their heads toward the red-haired manager.

A false alibi exposed, and circumstantial evidence pointing to him as the stalker.

No matter how you looked at it, it was undeniable, leaving even Aisha herself wide-eyed in shock.

“Ma, Manager… It’s a lie, right? Wh, why…?”

“…”

“Answer me! You’re not the stalker, right? We said we were like family!”

Aisha’s expression revealed betrayal through her heavy makeup.

It was hard to believe that the man who had cared for her since her debut was the stalker tormenting her.

Just as Aisha, deeply shocked, was about to approach her manager,

Raven held her back, stepping forward deliberately as if he had more to say.

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

“Eh, eh?”

“What? You were the one who said the manager was lying! What do you mean…?”

“The manager has neither the motive nor the gain from stalking. He was merely used as a tool. Right, Bold?”

“Eh, ehm? Suddenly, what do you mean…?”

“The stalker… isn’t it you? Am I wrong?”

Whoa!

Everyone involuntarily gasped at the shocking twist.

To think that Bold would be revealed as the real culprit, surpassing the prime suspect, the manager!

Well, I knew it from the start?

Even knowing the ending, I still found this development quite entertaining.

Of course, Bold, suddenly confronted by Raven’s words, broke out in a sweat and tried to deny it.

Aisha, who regarded him almost like her own child, couldn’t fathom why he would do such a thing.

“M, Manager has no reason or benefit to do such a thing, same goes for me. What do I gain by tormenting Aisha?”

“Tsk, you gain nothing. Except one big thing. Forcing Aisha to quit voluntarily. Weren’t you thinking of reducing the number of unprofitable Maximized Idols like Aisha? After all, you’re practically demoted now.”

“H, haha…! What nonsense! We’re family! How can you slander me like this! Even as a Pixie, falsely accusing an innocent person makes no sense! Let’s call the police…!”

“Innocent? Even after hearing this?”

Switching from polite speech to casual, Raven looked at Bold with disdain before pulling out a terminal device and playing an audio file.

Though the audio quality wasn’t great, it was unmistakably Bold’s voice.

[“Manager, what exactly is going on…?”]

[“Hoo, I need your help. Seems like the higher-ups think our idols aren’t profitable anymore. They want us to make them quit as soon as possible. Tch, what good are Maximized Idols? Maybe they meant trash.”]

[“Isn’t the contract period just one year? Can’t we just not renew it?”]

[“Tsk, I don’t know. Guess waiting is too bothersome. I’ll talk to you nicely. Handle it well. If anything happens, I’ll give you a position.”]

Click. As the voice from the terminal stopped, silence fell over the room.

The content was shocking. The manager who treated idols like family was evidently planning to abandon everything and run away!

Moreover, the fact that the stalking and threats were orchestrated to avoid company liability left Aisha bowing her head in deep sorrow.

Raven put the terminal back in his pocket and looked at Bold as if asking what he planned to do next.

“Looks like the one who needs to rely on the police is you, isn’t it?”

“Cr, crap… This, this is fabricated…!”

“If there’s even a bit of fabrication in this audio, I’ll stake my honor as a Pixie. So, what will you stake? Your entire fortune? Or your life?”

“Da, damn it!”

Seems Bold intended to offer the manager as a scapegoat and slip away quietly. His face contorted as things went horribly awry.

The kind bald uncle seen earlier this morning was now replaced by an evil, trash-like expression.

The situation had completely flipped. The stalker crime targeting Aisha and the death threats weren’t just about her; it implicated the entire kingdom of Kodeoria.

As the police were called to verify the facts, his fate would lead to judgment.

Isha approached Raven urgently, tears welling in her eyes.

“W, wait a moment!”

“Eh?”

“Th, that… C, could you not report Bold to the police?”

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

After being tormented for a month, why would she suddenly stand up for Bold?

Her abrupt action even sparked rebellion from the manager, who had been exploited as a pawn.

But Raven, seemingly unfazed by the external reactions, carefully observed Aisha.

Realizing her intentions weren’t mere pity or self-comfort, he calmly asked her.

“May I ask why?”

“That’s… It’s not particularly for Bold. There are still idols in Kodeoria I respect and love… If we report this to the police, others will suffer unnecessarily. I don’t want that.”

Aisha wiped her tears and stared at Raven with burning determination in her eyes.

What she envisioned wasn’t regret for the betrayer Bold or the manager who helped him.

If this incident spread and implicated Kodeoria itself, the victims wouldn’t be the company but the idols under it.

Despite being an apocalyptic destructive idol, she didn’t want anyone else to suffer unjustly from this incident.

Seeing this, Raven scratched his head thoughtfully before shrugging as if to say it was her decision.

“Then do as you wish. My job was to find the stalker, not to punish them.”

“Mr. Jin!”

“What’s it to me? If the party involved doesn’t want it. Do what you want.”

Time to wash my hands of this. Despite Alice’s protests, Raven leisurely took a step back.

Grateful, Aisha bowed deeply to him and approached Bold resolutely.

With a defiant chin thrust, she coldly addressed him.

“Manager… No, Baldy.”

“B, Baldy?!”

“Yeah. You. Shall I call you Octopus? Want me to pluck the few strands of hair left on your head? Still raising your voice? Aren’t you ashamed of what you’ve done?”

“What, you… you…!”

Aisha glared at Bold with murderous intent.

He was no longer someone she needed to show respect to.

The ominous aura emanating from her felt like she might pull out a hammer and bash his head in at any moment.

“Report to the higher-ups that the contract is void due to your mistake. Otherwise, I’ll spread this incident far and wide immediately.”

“C, crap…!”

“Not answering?!”

“F, fine! I get it!”

Bold hung his head, thoroughly cowed by Aisha.

Now that his weakness was exposed, he instinctively realized crossing her would be a grave mistake.

Thus, the incident came to a close.

Aisha decided to terminate her idol contract citing the company’s fault.

This incident would be spread to the press if he failed to keep his promise.

Ultimately, for Aisha, who had dreamed of becoming an idol since childhood, it ended in a bittersweet conclusion.

“Ugh, I thought things would go smoothly until midway…”

“With the supervisor being the culprit, continuing as an idol was impossible. Ultimately… it’s unavoidable. Ugh!”

Catching the stalker should have brought happiness. Yet, it ended with quitting being an idol.

Feeling the bitter end, Alice and David showed visibly gloomy expressions slumped over the table at the café after finishing the case.

But Raven, sipping his chocolate latte, clicked his tongue lightly as if dismissing their concerns.

“Why dwell on every little detail? We just need to do our job. Whatever choice the client makes, it’s not our place to interfere.”

“But still…”

“Tsk tsk, look at the part-timer. He’s perfectly calm about it. What are you two adults doing sulking in front of him? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“?”

Why am I suddenly being dragged into this?

And while David might not know better, Alice is still a high school girl, right?

With a baffled expression, I slurped my apple mango juice and glanced at him.

But Raven, with a confident demeanor, met my gaze and continued addressing the two slumped over the table.

“Drop the notion that everything ends in a happy ending. Most things in this world tend to tilt in directions we don’t desire. Not clinging too much to outcomes is the way to live without prolonged stress.”

“Hoo… Indeed, right?”

“And from what I gathered, she doesn’t seem intent on quitting being an idol entirely. There will be opportunities again. Though I can’t guarantee success.”

Raven left those cold, realistic words as he finished his chocolate latte.

Perhaps his mature demeanor provided some comfort.

Alice and David began drinking their respective coffees.

For a while, silence reigned as no words were exchanged.

Suddenly, Alice, resting her chin on the table and gazing out the window, muttered softly to herself.

“Come to think of it, how long has it been since Aisha said she was removing her makeup?”

“Well… considering how much makeup she wears, it’s probably taking some time.”

In truth, it wasn’t just the four of us at this café.

There was one more person with us—none other than today’s client, Aisha.

The Maximized Idol, the Destructive Aisha, was gone.

She had gone to remove her makeup, determined to move forward.

And suddenly, a stunning beauty awkwardly approached from inside the café.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, the kind that makes you gasp.

Even Alice, the official beauty of the Fixer Office, seemed slightly overshadowed by her overwhelming aura.

Surprisingly, this incredible beauty, seemingly passing by, abruptly stopped at our table.

When Raven glanced to see what she wanted, she shyly smiled and cautiously spoke.

“Um, excuse me… Mr. Raven. Could I request one more favor? There’s something I’d like to ask…”

“…Who are you?”

Despite being a complete stranger, she spoke as if familiar.

Raven’s jaw dropped in utter disbelief at her next words.

“I’m Aisha.”

“Wha!”

“Huh?!”

“…?”

Pfft!

I secretly burst out laughing in my heart amidst the group’s reaction, which was several times more flustered than when Bold was revealed as the culprit.

Ah, this is why surprises are fun?

I felt like I learned something new.

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