: In Hong Kong, Seigi meets Vincent Lai, a man whose motives are dangerously opaque. Vincent appears to be helping Seigi find Richard, yet he also seems poised to betray him.
The volume opens with a seemingly simple request: a university professor, Dr. Tachibana, brings in a rhodolite garnet ring. He claims it was a gift from a deceased colleague, but he wishes to have it appraised and sold—secretly. Seigi is puzzled: why the secrecy? As Richard investigates the stone’s origin, they uncover a decades-old academic rivalry, a stolen thesis, and a friendship destroyed by envy. The rhodolite, whose name means “rose-colored,” holds a bitter irony: it represents a love that turned to resentment. Richard’s cold, forensic dismantling of the professor’s lies is particularly sharp here, reminding Seigi (and the reader) that justice isn’t always kind. the case files of jeweler richard vol 9
Nanako Tsujimura (the author) uses the gemology not as a gimmick but as a narrative scaffold. Richard explains that aquamarine is a member of the beryl family, often heat-treated to remove yellow or green tones to enhance its blue. "Like a memory," Richard muses, "it can be altered by the heat of time and emotion, but the core crystal remains." The Subtle Art of Repair: Unpacking The Case