New customer Akashi Mami asks Richard to appraise her ruby brooch to see if it has been heat-treated. Seigi comments on the unusually bright colour, which Richard identifies as “Pigeon blood†meaning it was mined in Myanmar and is thus much more valuable. Richard is suspicious of Akashi’s interest in heat-treating as that only concerns the stone's monetary value. Seigi learns from Shoko, who has studied mineralogy, that heat-treating makes rubies 10 times more valuable. Richard is accosted by Homura Takashi, Akashi’s fiance, who believes she is having an affair with Richard...