The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel), Vol. 3

Format read: paperback
Reading time: 4h
Tags: slice-of-life, mystery, short story, Japan, lgbt (bi, ace)
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 10/10

Summary
As with my previous reviews, here's a summary of each short story:

1. The Sought-After Topaz: The Tamuras visit the jewellery store in search of a topaz to commemorate their 30th wedding anniversary. Teiichi, the husband, is adamant about buying the best stone of the highest quality, while his wife Hagino would prefer a stone that speaks to her rather than of the highest grade. Teiichi is a mineral collector, and his passion for stones overbears his wife's feelings. Frustrations mount with the couple fighting over a stone that is meant to symbolize their love.

2. Unsettling Turquoise: A fellow student at Seigi's university introduces him to a girl from another college who is searching for her missing boyfriend. Before disappearing, the man gave her a single turquoise earring as a token of their love. Okita pleads with Richard and Seigi for their help, and the two uncover a nefarious underground plot to lure young women into buying false stones. Richard plans to go undercover to dismantle this operation, but Seigi is worried for his safety so he tags along as his bodyguard.

3. The Jade Inheritance: One of Richard's old acquaintances, an antiques dealer in Ginza, approaches him with a proposition to buy a unique piece of jade at an auction sale. The piece is estimated to go for 30 million yen, a staggering amount of money, yet Richard expects that the final price will be much higher. Seigi accompanies his boss to the auction where they meet a shady character from Richard's past who tries to scare Seigi away with warnings about his secretive boss. Richard's true identity is uncovered, but Seigi is more concerned with Richard's well-being than this revelation.

4. Angelic Aquamarine: Tanimoto announces to Seigi that she has been set up for an arranged marriage with none other than Mr. Homura, the man whose fiancé ended up leaving him for her long-term girlfriend (see volume 1). Seigi is devastated and heartbroken, and resolves to support Tanimoto in her decision, but Richard convinces him to come clean with her about his feelings before it's too late. Seigi plans on giving Tanimoto an aquamarine as a symbol of his love, but Tanimoto declares that she does not understand feelings of love and romance in the conventional sense.

Extra: Fluorite by Your Side: Richard is at the airport when he meets a distressed woman whose bracelet broke and scattered all over the airport floor. Richard helps her put it back together and explains that fluorite is a special stone that can glow in the dark. The woman reveals that she is travelling to visit her estranged sister in America, and indirectly helps Richard understand that Seigi is not just an employee to him, but rather a friend.

Review
Ahhh the cliffhanger of the century ಥ⁠⁠ಥ If you watched the anime, you know what happens after Richard's sudden departure, but it still doesn't lessen the blow when you're reading it in the novel. Richard's abrupt departure, and his strained fight with Seigi over Tanimoto just squeezes your heart painfully. Everyone in Seigi's life tells him that there's more than meets the eye with Richard, yet he still remains obstinately blind. Even his estranged mother, who doesn't know Richard and barely knows about Seigi's life, hints at the fact that Richard might have more than friendly feelings for him, but Seigi just dismisses it. The fact that Richard repeatedly pushes Seigi towards Tanimoto because he feels that it's the right thing to do just hits you right in the feels. There were a lot of explosive moments between the two this time. Both Richard and Seigi were incredibly angry with one another at times, without necessarily understanding why.Key moments (spoilers ahead)I couldn't explain it, but for some reason, I felt really on edge. No, that wasn't the right word for it. I was actually pretty angry. Like, on-the-verge-of-losing-it angry. But why? Was the stuff that strange man said getting to me? That didn't make sense. A random stranger being rude to you was like getting unlucky and stumbling on a rock, If I got mad about that sort of thing, I'd be snapping at the gods every time it rained. That was why I thought it had to be something else. Why was I so mad? And at what? ... I was angry because [Richard] wouldn't let me worry about him. (p.120-121)“Thank you for being so considerate. You always were a very sweet person. Almost like a man getting cold feet and pulling back before going in for a kiss.”...“Fine. You wanna know what's pissing me off? I'll tell you. It's not the fact that you hid your identity from me. You think I didn't know that from the start? It's not normal to be with someone this long and not know a single thing about their family. But it's not because I don't care. The opposite, in fact. I just don't want to force you to tell me anything you don't want to.”“I honestly can't tell if you're being motivated by benevolence or cowardice.”“Does it matter?! My point is I'm not the kind of man who gets cold feet and pulls away from a kiss. I just hate the idea of valuing yourself so little that you feel like you have to kiss someone you don't want to. I'm done.”...“What? Why are you making that weird face at me?”“Oh, nothing, I just hadn't realized you felt so strongly about me.” (p.125-126)“I was expecting a deluge of inappropriate compliments from the master.”...He looked so young, all dressed up like that. I almost started laughing.“When you see something impossibly beautiful, it takes your breath away. That's why I didn't say anything. You know, you probably shouldn't just wander around town looking like that–you're liable to cause a multi-car pileup if a driver lays eyes on you.”“You've developed quite the silver tongue.”“You only have yourself to blame for that. I could just say you look incredibly handsome, but you always look incredibly handsome, so I had to get creative. Happy now?” (p.136)Don't you dare insult my boss. He's the best man I know. It doesn't matter if he invites misfortune in his wake or whatever. And I honestly don't care what you call him. I love watching him work, so if you interfere with his business, you're gonna piss me off. (p.145)“Sorry. I didn't mean to make things weird. Just pretend I didn't say anything–““I'm tired of pretending you didn't say things. The next time you're feeling exhausted, you should come see me.” ...When Richard smiled after saying that, I felt like time had stopped. (p.160)“... you could just call her. I'll give you five minutes.”“Call her and then what?”“You figure it out. How stupid are you?”“You're being so mean to me today...“Richard didn't respond. I was so preoccupied with my own problems that I just wanted some distracting small talk, but Richard was being really harsh. Really, it was kind of weird. The normal thing for him to have been doing was telling me to get my act together because I'm at work, but he was following everything I was saying even if he wasn't being very nice about it. (p.175)You're such a bright and charming young man, with a talent for cooking and a mastery of inappropriate compliments, who can be caring to a fault, but I seem to be the only one who knows it. Truly, it's beyond tragic. A great loss for the world as a whole.”Despite what he was saying, it sure didn't feel like a compliment. Richard was, without a doubt, scolding me. He was scolding me while trying to lift my spirits at the same time....“... I am also inclined to believe that those efforts would be best spent on people who truly matter to you. Like, for example, prioritizing the woman you hope to make your girlfriend over your boss at your part-time job.” (p.198)“I know you said you don't want to be my special someone and you don't want to leave your mark on me, but you already are someone special to me, and you've left a mark on me that's never going away.”... I knew he was trying to tell me to go to Tanimoto right now. But I had things I wanted to say, too–to him.“You have told me on countless occasions that you're fond of me, but as I explained earlier, I believe your affection is misplaced.”“You're saying I'm using you as a substitute, right? That's not funny. Why would I? Trust me, I know just how big of a coward I am.” (p.202)Just rereading these sections hurts me right in the feels ಥ⁠⁠ಥ I can't wait to read the next volume once it's out.