Elmer Stingray

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* Holmes family (by employment)

* Assistant to the Holmes family

**Elmer Stingray** (エルマー・スティングレイ, *Erumā Sutingurei*) is a former classmate of Ron Kamonohashi and his self-proclaimed friend and partner. He works as a crime researcher, and helps detectives and the police as a consultant.

## Physical description

Elmer has yellow eyes and shoulder-length blond hair that falls right below his shoulders. He has a parting on his left that is swept to the side, falling just at his eye level. His left side is longer than his right, covering his ears. The tips of his hair are unruly and slightly curled. His hair is in a modern mullet.

## Biography

### Bloody Field Trip Case

Elmer is originally from America. He transferred to BLUE three days before the Bloody Field Trip Case. On his first day, Elmer attracted a crowd who wanted to know more about him because not many students transfer to BLUE. They asked what he did to get into the school; Elmer avoided the question and instead inquired about Ron Kamonohashi. After finding out that he is BLUE's top student, Elmer went to talk to him, but Ron told him to leave him alone. Still, Elmer was determined to become Ron's friend.

At some point in the following three days, Elmer somehow injured himself, and Ron treated his wounds. When Elmer asked him if they were friends, Ron left the choice to him, and Elmer decided they were friends and partners although they had only known each other very briefly.

However, by Ron's account, Ron spent the majority of his time before the training exercise alone in a basement room. Furthermore, a man with a stingray charm similar to Elmer's disguised himself as a police officer and looked into the Bloody Field Trip Case's file.

After Ron's expulsion, Elmer tried to track him down.

### Coin and Carving Murders Case

Years later, Elmer manages to track down Ron at his home right after getting involved in a hit-and-run. He listens in to Ron and Toto's conversation about Ron not having had any friends at BLUE before he knocks. Elmer falls into the apartment after Ron opens the door, and he declares himself as Ron's only friend at BLUE before he loses consciousness because of his injuries.

### Obon Dance Murder Case

Toto and Ron bring Elmer to Suzuki Hospital to get his injuries treated. Despite having been in a hit-and-run, Elmer is not severely wounded; he also refuses to file a police report. While Ron and Toto discuss Elmer, he joins them and remarks that Ron does not remember him not because he did not pay any attention to him but because he is too much of a coward to remember. Elmer then introduces himself as Ron's former classmate and friend. He transferred to BLUE only three days before the Bloody Field Trip Case, and they quickly became friends and investigate partners after Ron helped Elmer once.

After Elmer finished his explanation, Ron proposes to take him sightseeing. Elmer then gets his things before they leave the hospital.

While they walk and converse, they hear music for the Obon dance and spot two children wearing yutakas. Because the festival sparks Elmer's curiosity, Elmer, Ron, and Toto head to the fairground. There, Chicory stumbles into them; she is at the dance to gather material on summer festivals. Because she addresses Toto as "Officer Isshiki," Hiiragi approaches them and takes them backstage to Nana Haruno's tent as she needs some advice from a police officer: Fifteen years ago, Haruno received a death threat when she performed at this very Obon festival; they fear the culprit might return to take revenge. Elmer, Toto, Ron, and Chicory are both honored and willing to help and promise to keep an eye out.

While Haruno is performing, they split up and patrol the fairground: Toto checks the front gate and the school building while Ron looks around the pool; they do not find anyone suspicious in those areas. Ron points out that the possible culprit might be onstage, but Elmer informs Toto and Ron that the performers—Kimura, Tateishi, and Tsutsui—are all locals and unlikely to be the threatener from fifteen years ago. Elmer knows that because he asked around and verified their identities while Ron and Toto were searching the fairground. Ron is impressed by Elmer's dedication and skills. Then, Toto hears a loud sound. He automatically assumes it is a gunshot and tells everyone to get down before he runs toward a man and urges him to drop the "gun"—it is only a harmless laser gun though, and the "gunshot" was the sound of fireworks. Embarrassed, Toto apologizes to everyone. Elmer reassures Toto that everyone could have made that mistake.

Right afterward, all the lights suddenly turn off which leads to confusion among the attendees. Then, a scream is heard through the loudspeakers; Elmer, Ron, and Totomaru recognize the voice as Haruno's and run to the stage. By the time they arrive, the lights have turned on again and they find Haruno lying on the stage with a knife protruding from her chest. An ambulance is called and Haruno hurried to the hospital; she suffered a deep chest wound and her life is in danger. While Hiiragi heads to the hospital to be with Haruno, Elmer, Toto, Chicory, and Ron stay at the fairground to investigate.

Soon, the murder weapon is identified: The knife was stolen from the owner of the *takoyaki* stand; the owner has an alibi for the time of the crime and is, thus, not a suspect. The mask was sold at another stall, but the employees cannot remember who bought it. Furthermore, they discover a change of clothes in Haruno's tent, and the man who turned off the lights is found. He is from the neighbourhood association who testifies that he only followed the instructions someone texted him. Because the text apparently came from Hiiragi, Totomaru tries to call her but she does not pick up. Instead, he finds her phone discarded in a nearby trashcan. He then calls one of the EMTs to contact Hiiragi.

Hiiragi states that she lost her phone right before the start of Haruno's performance. Ron wonders if it had been stolen, and Elmer backs this theory as she was keeping her phone in her jacket pocket. Because that pocket has less body contact than her pants pocket, it would have been easy to steal Hiiragi's phone. Ron remarks that Elmer knows surprisingly much about pickpocketing, and Elmer reveals that he is a crime researcher who works as a consultant for the police.

Afterward, they gather Tsutsui, Kimura, and Tateishi. They did not notice anyone coming onstage during the blackout, and when the lights turned off, they had kept playing because they believed it to be part of the show. Furthermore, because all three of them play instruments that require both hands, they would not have been able to stab Haruno while playing; they also have no traces of blood on their clothes. Elmer points out that the culprit might have used the mask to avoid getting blood on themself: Placing the mask between the knife and Haruno, it would have caught all the blood.

Elmer also believes that one of the musicians might be the threatener from fifteen years ago who pretended to be a performer to blend in and get to Haruno. Chicory says that the threatener often sent out bottles of sulfuric acid and poisoned chocolates to various idols before she leaves for a while to double check whether she is right or missing something. Toto also calls Hiiragi to learn more about the threat incident.

Hiiragi informs Toto that Haruno is still unconscious before she tells him the little she knows of that time: The president of the agency told her that a box cutter and a bullet arrived around the time of the incident; because of the bullet, she then inquires about the earlier commotion but Toto ensures her that it is unrelated to the case. At the same time as Toto ends the call, Chicory returns and announces that the threatener was arrested for a separate crime two years ago and died in prison which surprises Elmer. He apologizes for making a wrong deduction.

While the others become slightly disheartened, Totomaru wholeheartedly continues the investigation. He obtains a recording of the music played during the blackout and tries his best to replicate the sound by playing the instruments one-handedly. However, he cannot do it, and as he frustrates over the mystery, he finds something lodged deep inside the stage's paving stones. Ron retrieves the object with some tweezers: It is an artificial nail which was on the middle finger of Haruno's left hand; Ron was looking for it after noticing its absence. Seeing the nail and wondering why it was lodged so deeply, Ron solves the case and thanks Toto for helping him. Elmer is rather amused and surprised to see their interaction, noting how different Ron has become.

Right after Ron and Toto get off the stage, Toto receives a call from the hospital director: Haruno has regained consciousness. He then passes the phone to Ron who requests the director to get Haruno a bodyguard as the culprit is still running free. Ron ends the call and instructs Elmer and Chicory to check the whereabouts of the musicians.

Elmer, Ron, Chicory, and Totomaru later hurry to the hospital and arrive right on time to stop Hiiragi from killing Haruno. Totomaru confronts her about being the perpetrator.

Hiiragi denies the accusation and reminds him that she was in front of the stage and could not have stabbed Haruno. Toto knows that she is lying though: Hiiragi was, in fact, under the stage because she had to hand Haruno the clothes for the costume change which was planned for the blackout; only Haruno and Hiiragi knew about that. When it was time, Hiiragi lifted the panel and drove the knife into Haruno who was kneeling at the opening. Haruno was stabbed perpendicularly, and Hiiragi put a mask between Haruno and the knife to ensure no blood would drip down on her. Haruno's false nail got lodged when Hiiragi closed the panel.

Furthermore, Hiiragi mentioned a commotion over a gun earlier, and she now confirms she saw a silver or black gun. Everyone who was in front of the stage knows that there was never a gun though; the "gunshot" came from a handheld paper firework.

However, the fact that Hiiragi sought out an officer for help shows that she did not plan to kill Haruno. She only formulated a plan after she learned of the death-threat-incident and the candy Haruno gave out afterward. Hiiragi confesses and reveals that, fifteen years ago, her mother died after Hiiragi had given her the candy she received from Haruno at the Obon festival. Hiiragi researched her mother's symptoms and found they all point to arsenic poisoning which cemented her theory that the poisoned candy killed her mother; she then decided to murder Haruno.

After her confession, Hiiragi attempts to stab Haruno with the syringe but Toto can stop her. Haruno then speaks up and tells Hiiragi that she did not give her any of the candy fans gifted her that day but macarons that were bought only for her. Chicory confirms the threatener only sent out poisoned chocolate, never anything else. And when Haruno reveals that she employed Hiiragi as her manager because she remembered her as the girl from fifteen years ago, Hiiragi breaks down and apologizes.

Later, when Elmer, Toto, and Ron walk back home, Elmer "compliments" Toto and states that he now knows what Ron needs in an investigative partner. He also reveals he decided to stay in Japan for a while, and that he knows Ron is fighting a certain powerful organization. A train then passes by, and Elmer vanishes from Toto and Ron's sight. Elsewhere, Elmer briefs someone about his time with Ron.

## Trivia

* Elmer learned Japanese because he likes the language.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 96, page 9
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 70, page 8
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 74, page 9
4. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 68, page 4
5. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Unlockable bonus sketch
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 68, page 5
7. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 74, pages 9-10
8. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 74, pages 15-16
9. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 75, pages 18-19
10. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 68, page 7
11. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 68, page 3
12. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 67, pages 11-13
13. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 68, pages 2-12
14. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 69, pages 2-19
15. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 70, pages 2-20
16. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 71, pages 2-4
17. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 71, pages 7-20
18. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 68, page 9