It’s the winter of Aoi’s second year in university, and she’s been tasked with planning an exhibition of Ensho’s paintings at the Yagashira residence. As she’s struggling to come up with ideas, she joins a student group aimed at bettering the city of Kyoto, and the Kita-ku ward office asks for their help in revitalizing the Mount Funaoka area. Meanwhile, Kiyotaka receives an unusual request from Atsuko, who runs a flower arranging school and an underground club in Gion, and wants him to investigate her student’s fiancé on suspicion of cheating.

Kiyotaka and Aoi have finally confessed their feelings for each other and are now dating. One day, they learn of a string of thefts in Kyoto: someone is stealing Buddhist works of art from art collectors. Then Komatsu, the detective they met at Yoshida-Sanso Inn, comes to Kura to ask for help finding his missing daughter. The two cases turn out to be intertwined...

Aoi is now in her third year of high school, with entrance exams looming on the horizon. She and Kiyotaka are slowly and clumsily growing closer, but one day, Ensho—Kiyotaka’s nemesis—shows up and asks him to appraise a white porcelain incense holder. However, when Kiyotaka claims that it’s real, the counterfeiter denies it and leaves in an attempt to discredit him. Some time later, Aoi is approached by Ensho after school. Kiyotaka arrives just in time to save her, but then he breaks up with her, sending her into the depths of despair. Two months later, Aoi receives a phone call from the manager. “Kiyotaka came back from Hyogo,” he says. What will become of the two now?

While cognitive informatics and natural intelligence are receiving greater attention by researchers, multidisciplinary approaches still struggle with fundamental problems involving psychology and neurobiological processes of the brain. Examining the difficulties of certain approaches using the tools already available is vital for propelling knowledge forward and making further strides. Innovations, Algorithms, and Applications in Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence is a collection of innovative research that examines the enhancement of human cognitive performance using emerging technologies. Featuring research on topics such as parallel computing, neuroscience, and signal processing, this book is ideally designed for engineers, computer scientists, programmers, academicians, researchers, and students.