Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 580, How could a vacation in Karuizawa lead to a murder case?

That evening, Uesugi Muneyuki, who was exhaling more than inhaling, was practically dragged back to the villa by Asuka, with white smoke puffing out of his mouth.

Minami and the others, having just recovered from a day of rest, couldn't help but suppress their laughter when they saw Uesugi Muneyuki return like this, thinking how hard he must have worked up last night with his relentless battle.

The clever Asuka didn't tell Minami and the others about Mai-senpai's affair, after all, she had received a favor from Mai-senpai.
A person should have backbone!
Asuka thought to herself with delight.

However, Miss Minami still noticed something amiss with Uesugi Muneyuki.

"Sōyuki, what exactly did you go out to do?" Minami suddenly noticed a tally mark written on Uesugi Sōyuki's thigh with a marker: "Didn't you take Asuka out to play?"

"Um, we went out to play together, and then we met Mai-senpai, and then we played games together... and then I lost, I lost five times, and I got a tally mark written on my face." Uesugi Muneyuki said with a wry smile, half-jokingly.

"Oh? Hmph~ I see." Miss Minami thought to herself that Shirakawa Mai was truly her mortal enemy!
His original plan was to completely drain Uesugi Muneyuki so he wouldn't have any energy left to go out and fool around, but he didn't expect that his Mai-senpai would also come to Karuizawa?!
This is probably not a coincidence, is it?

Miss Minami let out a strange cry, exasperated.

Zong Xue is mine! She belongs to me alone! I, Minami, can give her to you! You can't take her away!
However, Mai Shirakawa's status and power... left her helpless; she was someone even her father couldn't afford to offend.

Uesugi Muneyuki tried his best to play dead, while Erena was eager to see if Uesugi was still alive. Ishihara was in charge of stirring things up, and Asuka, laughing and joking, turned back into a submissive little bird, thinking that it was no wonder that Minami-neechan didn't take her along and deserved to be cheated on by Mai-neechan!
After a brief bout of impotent rage, the private French chef hired by the Imperial Household Agency arrived with a large quantity of ingredients. Seeing this, Miss Minami couldn't press the matter further. She hummed twice, signaling that the chef could begin preparing the meal.

Having seemingly engaged in ample exercise, everyone had a particularly good appetite for the French dinner that evening. In addition, the chef arranged by the Imperial Household Agency was exceptionally skilled, and everyone was very satisfied with the meal.

After dinner, everyone watched the famous Bosnian film "Nikha Father and Son" together in the villa.

Adapted from a Bosnian novel of the same name, the film tells the story of an old rifleman, Ni, who painstakingly raises his son, but the boy lacks ambition, shattering Ni's hopes for his son's success.
"Zaiwu, what championship did you win?" In the movie, a child poked his head out of the bathroom and asked loudly.

"major~"

"Ah, me too, I also got a major one~" the child immediately chimed in.

Emerging from the restroom, Evil Big Potato Zaiwu was discussing with Volga Demon King Xiaodong, Zaiwu holding a huge Blast trophy: "I just got this, guess how much it cost?"

The child eagerly squeezed in: "Four, four hundred thousand dollars?"

The evil big sweet potato was speechless and too lazy to pay attention to the kid, so he said to the little hole, "Don't you even know what kind of championship this is? The Austin Major in the United States! Half a million dollars!"

"Yes, that's the price. I got it at See High too." Little Hole said calmly, "Back then, I used an AK to completely destroy my cousin's tactical board."

The child watched enviously as the two boys both won trophies, then left in a huff.

Back home, the child said to his father, Old Ni, "Hey, I want to win the Major championship!"

Old Ni was taken aback by his son's question: "What army?"

"Major!" the child shouted impatiently.

Father Old Ni didn't understand at all, so he could only go to his good friend, the barber Old Li, and ask, "Old Li, what do you think of the champion? Ilya said it's like... something without a seat?"

“Like that base? I don’t have a base like that for a championship. I only have five minor championships.” Old Li the barber said, “I’ve looked at it. Ilya can get this one.”

He pointed to the IEM inside your station.

"Then, then I'll take the IEM championship first, let Ilya have some fun, and then go get the base championship?" Old Ni looked very excited.

Old Li glanced at the IEM championship trophies in the display case and thought, "These are from ages ago, at least ten years ago." He sighed and said, "Take them."

Old Ni excitedly carried out the IEM trophy, just in time to run into a child: "Ilya, Ilya!"

"The salary and transfer fee have all been transferred, and we didn't even use them all. They even returned a few butterfly knives and gloves, and... look, Ilya, I got you a medal! Look!" Old Ni excitedly tried to hand the IEM trophy to the kid: "IEM Dallas! Champion!"

"No, I want the major, the major!" The kid angrily pushed Old Ni aside, caught up with the two people in front, and formed the TOP 3: "Don't suddenly take off your headphones and bother me again!"

"Who is that old man?" asked Evil Big Potato, glancing at him curiously.

“It’s none of my business!” the child said casually, leaving the old nun standing there heartbroken and speechless.

It is indeed a film with profound themes and deep meaning.

Miss Minami was on the verge of tears upon seeing this scene. Even Uesugi Muneyuki sensed the old man's heartache, and Mikoto also thought of Uesugi Kuninori's painstaking and shrewd calculations, all aimed at ensuring the Uesugi family would have an heir. The humiliation of being forced to give birth subsided considerably. Only Erena was very dissatisfied with the old man, thinking that the main responsibility lay with him, as he had spoiled the child too much.

After watching "Nigah and Son", everyone went back to their rooms to rest, and the night passed without incident.

————This is the dividing line for Major champions————

The next day, Miss Minami officially announced that today was her day.

"Zong Xue is going to drive me around Fengkouya today!"

Uesugi Muneyuki had no choice but to let her have her way.

The two rented a convertible and embarked on a road trip.

Summer in Karuizawa is a poem composed by crushed emeralds and sunlight. Tall larch and birch trees intertwine to form an endless dome, generously showering coolness onto the tree-lined avenues. The air is filled with the cool fragrance of conifers, mixed with the faint sweet scent of European hydrangeas drifting from the gardens of distant villas.

The rented, elegant cream-colored vintage convertible slowly drove along the winding ramp.

Uesugi Muneyuki was driving. He was wearing a soft linen shirt with the cuffs casually rolled up to his elbows, revealing his well-defined forearms. His calmness and sharpness beyond his years were cleverly concealed by the Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses perched on his nose, leaving only the slightly upturned corners of his lips, revealing a rare relaxation and the unique nobility of his Chinese heritage.

In the passenger seat, Minami Watanabe stretched her hand out of the car window, feeling the cool breeze flowing through her fingers. She wore a pale yellow floral dress, the simple cut of which accentuated her fair skin. Her bright eyes conveyed both the competence of a professional woman and the charming coquettishness unique to women in love.

“This is what a vacation should be like. It’s a completely different world from Tokyo,” Minami took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. “Muneyuki, look at that cloud. Doesn’t it look like a giant cotton candy?”

Uesugi Muneyuki looked in the direction she was pointing, and the cumulus clouds on the azure sky were indeed lovelyly fluffy. He chuckled, his voice sounding particularly gentle in the wind: "Hmm. But rather than cotton candy, I think they look more like some kind of colony growing in a culture medium, with a very standard shape."

"Oh! Really!" Minami playfully slapped his arm. "Dr. Uesugi Muneyuki, a forensic pathologist from the University of Tokyo, please stop making professional connections! We're on vacation right now, on vacation! There are only Uesugi Muneyuki and Watanabe Minami here to escape the summer heat, no Chief Inspector or Superintendent!"

"Haha, sorry, sorry." Uesugi apologized readily, but a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. "It was my fault. So, Ms. Watanabe Minami of the First Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Department, what are your instructions for the upcoming itinerary?"

Minami excitedly pulled out her phone and started planning: "I'm going to play tennis with His Majesty the day after tomorrow afternoon, and I'm a little nervous. So how about we go shopping in the old Ginza area this afternoon? I heard there's a jam shop that makes really delicious blueberry jam. Apologetic! Best! And then tonight, isn't there a really hard-to-book Italian restaurant next to the villa arranged by the Imperial Household Agency? I've already booked it."

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say, I'll do whatever you say, Minami-sama!"

"Hehe, that's more like it!"

Sunlight filters through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled, shimmering shadows on the road.

Uesugi Muneyuki also felt very relaxed.

This is what life is all about: on a sunny day, driving a convertible with your beloved girl, weaving through crowds, enjoying the attention and admiration of everyone.

The sun shines brightly, and they are in their prime.

Time seemed to be stuck in honey, flowing slowly and thickly.

But just as the two of them had strolled around Old Karuizawa and entered a quieter villa area, a shrill, distorted scream, completely out of place with the peaceful surroundings, pierced the tranquil air like a sharp blade.

The sound came from a Western-style villa not far away, half-hidden by lush green trees.

Their eyes met instantly, and all the leisure of their vacation vanished in a fraction of a second, replaced by a professional instinct ingrained in their very bones.

"It's a scream!" Miss Minami realized instantly.

"Something's up!" Uesugi shouted and immediately stopped the car. Minami had already jumped out of the car and the two of them rushed towards the source of the sound like two arrows released from a bow.

In front of the villa, a middle-aged woman in a cleaning company uniform slumped to the ground, her face deathly pale. Her finger trembled as she pointed at the half-open villa door, stammering incoherently, "In...inside...dead people...stinks!"

Her screams attracted people nearby.

In the air, besides the fresh scent of pine, there was indeed a faint, cloying, and rotten smell—a smell that was as familiar as an alarm bell to Uesugi Muneyuki.

His face showed utter astonishment.

Are you kidding me?
How could a vacation in Karuizawa lead to a murder?!

(End of this chapter)