I'm a teacher in Tokyo!

Xiao Hei had been with her for many years and had long been her emotional support; Kayako could hardly imagine life without it.

The thought of that scene made her tremble uncontrollably.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. Didn't it just eat some nutritional paste? It'll definitely pull through."

Although Yoshizaki wasn't entirely sure himself, he knew he had to put on a positive front in this situation, otherwise the latter probably wouldn't be able to sleep all night.

This cat held a special place in Kayako's heart; compared to her parents, it was more like Kayako's true family.

After hearing Yoshizaki's words of comfort, Kayako, though still worried, at least gained a little confidence.

Kayako squatted on the ground, staring at the little black creature lying in front of her, until Yoshizaki Kawa handed her instant noodles. Only then did she remember that she hadn't made dinner.

Just as he was about to apologize, he heard Yoshizaki Kawa say gently, "Let's eat first. Kuro certainly doesn't want you to go hungry."

She responded softly. Although she had no appetite, she still ate it bite by bite because it was made by the teacher. Then she subconsciously prepared to wash the dishes, but was stopped by Yoshizaki Kawa.

"I'll go, you just keep an eye on Xiao Hei."

Washing dishes is a simple task, and Yoshizaki Kawa would never let Kayako do anything at a time like this, since he wasn't born into a family like Kawamata Yoshida.

The baby is still in the morgue; it will be cremated tomorrow…

At the same time, after hearing Yoshizaki's words, Kayako inexplicably felt that perhaps this was what home was all about.

Unlike before, the teacher now genuinely treats him and Xiao Hei as family.

and so--

Xiao Hei, you absolutely mustn't get hurt! We've finally found our real home.

She prayed in her heart.

As if in response to her prayer, an hour later, Xiao Hei struggled to its feet and meowed.

Kayako's face lit up with surprise, and she turned around and called out, "Teacher, Kuro has stood up!"

Just as I was relieved and was about to pick it up, I was afraid that I would aggravate its injury, so I could only gently stroke its head.

"never mind?"

Yoshizaki was startled; he had also been keeping a close eye on Kuro's situation.

Because of Kuro's death, the first wall that broke down Kayako was broken, and it was also the beginning of Ju-on!

If the black cat had been alright, Kayako's resentment wouldn't have been so strong.

Moreover, it can prove something very important.

That is—he broke the predetermined plot of Ju-on!

He walked over and watched the latter, weak but still standing up and licking its fur, and breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great."

Seeing the teacher's genuinely relieved expression, Kayako felt even more strongly that the teacher was indeed a kind person, even though he had only known Kuro for a short time...

If she could be with her teacher in the future, raise Xiao Hei, and grow old together, she could almost see happiness beckoning to her.

—Okay, and there's also Saito-sensei.

Waaaaah, I hope Saito-sensei likes Kuro too...

After learning that Kuro was safe and sound, Kayako, exhausted, hugged Kuro for a while longer before falling asleep on Yoshizaki River's bed.

Seeing the latter's condition, Yoshizaki sighed, carried her to her own room, and then covered her with a blanket.

The next day, Yoshizaki was woken up early in the morning by a phone call from the police;

Remembering that Kayako's parents were to be cremated today, he knocked on Kayako's door.

Kayako, still half asleep, pushed open the door, about to apologize for falling asleep in front of the teacher again yesterday, when Yoshizaki interrupted her: "Quick, get dressed, we're going to the crematorium today!"

"what?"

Kayako only remembered this incident now. Yesterday, her mind was focused on Kuro, and she had completely forgotten about her parents.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 75 Cases Around the Tomie House

Kayako doesn't have any feelings for her parents, and since Kuro had an accident yesterday, she naturally didn't focus her attention on that.

Hearing Yoshizaki Kawa say this, she suddenly remembered and felt a little embarrassed, though not because she had forgotten about it.

The embarrassment stemmed purely from "forgetting about it in front of the teacher," but it quickly dissipated.

Kayako remembered that her teacher had asked her a question after her parents died: "Are you feeling any more relaxed now?"

He didn't answer himself, but nodded instead.

The teacher understands me and has always stood firmly behind me, so I don't need to feel guilty at this time.

"I'll be right there!"

Thinking of this, she slammed the door shut and ran back with lightning speed, quickly taking off all her pajamas and changing into the clothes that Saito Asuka had bought for her.

When Yoshizaki saw her again, Kayako had already changed her clothes.

"...Actually, there's no need to be in such a hurry."

Anyway, we just need to get rid of it today; it's just a matter of burning the body.

As for the funeral, it certainly can't be done today; it will have to be at least next week.

and so--

"Let's grab a bite to eat first, Kayako."

Kayako, who was already all set to go, suddenly heard her teacher's words and smiled: "Okay!"

……

It was around 10 a.m. when I got from the house to the police station.

Although the body is at the hospital, it can only be taken away after signing a form at the police station, along with the previous receipt for Kayako's compensation and non-liability claim.

These all require signatures again, making the process quite cumbersome.

—In fact, the speed of those previous compensations was completely off.

It's like sealing it off. There might be some hidden secrets, but if we insist on arguing about it, given the government's pace, it might take a year to get any results.

That's why he chose to back down when he had reached the maximum he could.

Looking at the form handed to him by the police, Yoshizaki glanced at it and, not finding any extra agreements, gestured for Kayako to sign it.

The latter trusted Yoshizaki Kawa completely, and without even looking at it, began to write the name seriously;

At that moment, the police officer's walkie-talkie suddenly crackled to life;

Perhaps because he needed to keep his microphone on, he didn't mute it, so Yoshizaki Kawa easily heard their conversation.

"Boss, the report on the body is out. The deceased had a long criminal record and had committed many illegal acts. Most recently, he was sentenced to three years in prison for molesting a girl in a bar and was just released two weeks ago. The last place where he was captured on surveillance footage was on a street near Saitama University. He then fell from the road into a ditch and died. The cause of death in the autopsy was: asphyxiation."

"Blood flowed into the respiratory tract, causing physical asphyxiation and loss of lung function, resulting in death. Multiple fatal injuries were found to his eyes and neck, suggesting murder. The time of death determined by the forensic examination differed from the time captured by the surveillance camera by about two hours."

"It's normal for there to be such a margin of error. The main thing right now is to find the murder weapon."

"Based on the comparison of the wound size with the knife found next to the body, the injuries are completely consistent. The deceased should have first blinded himself with a flying needle, and then stabbed his neck and abdomen dozens of times with a dagger to the death. But strangely, we did not extract any DNA from the knife."

Upon hearing this, the policeman visibly paused for a moment;

If it was suicide, this is too cruel. Besides, he personally examined the scene before, and there was not a drop of blood on the knife, nor has any DNA been extracted. It is obvious that it has been manipulated.

But why is it necessary to address this? And who is handling it?

The most crucial question is—where does the logic in this case lie?

Why would the deceased commit suicide in this way?

"By the way, after the investigation, there is another very important piece of information: the deceased's family has a history of superstition. At the beginning of the year, they were complained about by the animal protection association for abusing animals for sacrifice and were subsequently warned. If this was a sacrificial ritual, it should explain the deceased's motives."

"And this morning, his family expressed a strong desire to bring the body back, stating that it was just an accident."

"Criminal cases are not to be tolerated!"

Yoshizaki handed over the signed contract, and the other party looked embarrassed: "Sorry, I have something to attend to. Here's a note. Take the note and go pick up the person."

He pulled out a piece of paper from the side, wrote his name and the date on it, and handed it to Yoshizaki Kawa.

Yoshizaki nodded, said nothing more, and led Kayako away.

But in fact, he was still thinking back to what the policeman had said earlier: a man committing suicide, offering sacrifice... which movie is this?

At first, he didn't think of it that way, but when he heard words like "sacrifice," he immediately became alert.

After thinking for a long time, I couldn't think of any Japanese movies that started like that, so I had to put the idea aside for the time being. Anyway, as long as I don't provoke anything, nothing will happen.

As for the rest... there are tall people to hold up the sky if it falls!

Moreover, Kotoko, a big shot, is present in this tiny Saitama Prefecture right now!

But just as Yoshizaki had walked halfway out, he faintly heard them continuing to talk over there—

"...Let's continue our search along Meiji Road and see if there are any witnesses."

Upon hearing this, Yoshizaki paused slightly before resuming his pace.