Mystery-type series with a cat-and-mouse chess game between the "detective" and an unidentified mastermind

"Mucho texto" enjoyer
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Basically, I'm looking for something where a person is trying to solve a set of mysteries or deal with a large set of situations, going through all kinds of mind games, deductions, etc. to stop or solve things, and all the while there's this knowledge of a hidden mastermind behind it all. No clue who the mastermind is. Could even be someone very close, a dear friend. But it's not someone locked away in a castle or something, completely unseen and unheard. The core is a mixture between trying to stop the mastermind or solve crimes committed/instigated by the mastermind and trying to use clues gained throughout to uncover their true identity. Something like the fight between Patrick Jane and Red John in the old TV show The Mentalist.

Best example I know that's currently airing is "You are a Four-Leaf Clover", where the female lead has been jumping back in time over and over trying to stop the abuse of her childhood love that, left unchecked, would eventually lead to his suicide. Partway through she gains evidence that much if not all of the factors in his life that are breaking him down were orchestrated by a mysterious individual who simply goes by "Clover", who either hates the boy and wants him to end it, or hates the girl and wants her to break from her powerlessness to stop this end. Either way, once some progress is made on his situation much of the story starts to focus on identifying Clover based on various clues (such as actions that show Clover to have personal knowledge of some people and not others, narrowing down who they know and don't know and from that how close they may have been to the main characters at different points in time).

And as that series demonstrates, it doesn't matter at all whether this "ghost" is getting his/her own hands dirty or working through others. Could be someone that does all the work him/herself, someone that has a number of secret helpers who he/she is "helping" or receiving "help" from, could even have an entire organization under him/her. The point is the strategy, the mind games, and the mystery element trying to find the culprit or force them to reveal themselves.
 
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"Mucho texto" enjoyer
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Not sure what in that went so far above what's common knowledge to require a spoiler tag. It's pretty common knowledge that the story is centered on time travel to divert or defeat bullies and other situations while helping Uichi heal, and it was revealed VERY early on that this was due to someone named "Clover" manipulating things.
 

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