Tokyo Detective Chronicles

Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo

At the entrance of a detached house with a small courtyard, the words "Fushimi Detective Agency" on the wooden sign hanging above the door have faded somewhat.

Inside the living room, which doubles as an office, the young girl Rina Hoshizaki sat opposite the desk, resting her chin on her hand.

She was wearing the standard shirt of the high school at Seijundai Private Academy, with the top two buttons undone. As she was half-lying on the table, the shirt fabric outlined an astonishing fullness in her chest, held together only by one button.

"Iori... I think I saw a ghost."

The girl sighed, her beautiful eyes filled with melancholy.

"Um."

Fushimi Iori, who was also wearing a uniform, was engrossed in picking at the food in her lunchbox. Upon hearing this, she only gave a vague reply.

He nodded noncommittally, assuming that the girl had been reading some strange shoujo manga these past few days and was experiencing hysteria as a result.

Come to think of it, this isn't the first time.

Seeing this, Hoshizaki Rina immediately understood his thoughts and puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"Seriously! I really saw a ghost!"

She emphasized this, then leaned forward with both hands, completely slumping onto the table.

A ghost...

Fushimi Iori raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the girl lying down and landing on the faint, indistinct shadow behind her.

It was the silhouette of a woman radiating a hazy glow, her face obscured as if through a layer of flowing mist, making it impossible to discern her features.

Even so, it can make those who consider themselves beautiful feel ashamed of themselves, and feel from the depths of their hearts a kind of 'beauty' that transcends human aesthetics, cannot be accurately described in words, but can be clearly recognized.

Even a brief moment of direct eye contact will burn your eyes.

Mysterious rumors about ghosts, monsters, demons, and evil spirits are prevalent in this world.

Ghost tales, secrets, and ancient legends passed down orally permeate every corner of cities and countryside.

But only a very few people know that these are not unfounded rumors.

The other side of the world, called "Eternal World," truly exists, but it is separated from "Real World" by an invisible veil.

The phantom floating behind the girl at this moment is a wild god of considerable importance.

He has been there since five years ago, when Rina Hoshizaki's family moved next door and he first met this overly lively girl next door.

However, Rina Hoshizaki herself was completely unaware of this.

This made Fushimi Iori hesitate. Although there was only a one in a thousand chance, if she could really see it... that would be troublesome.

Why do you keep looking behind me?

Rina Hoshizaki tilted her head, her pretty face meeting his shifty gaze precisely:

"No, it's nothing..."

Fushimi Iori withdrew her gaze, calmly opened the drawer under the table, fumbled for a moment, and took out a bronze mirror with ancient patterns carved on the edge, a rusty back, and a polished, shiny surface.

He adjusted the angle, turning the mirror towards the girl, and asked with a serious expression:

"What did you see?"

Seeing his serious expression, the girl also dropped her playful demeanor, frowned, and squinted as she looked intently at her reflection in the mirror:

"Hmm, I see... this is..."

The girl's expression made Fushimi feel a little nervous.

"A contestant-level beauty!"

She raised her V-sign, winked at Fushimi, stuck out her tongue, and curled the corners of her mouth, striking a childish and embarrassing pose that usually appears in anime but shouldn't be made by a real high school student.

Fushimi Iori: "..."

It's unbelievable that she can say something like that so naturally; she's hopeless.

He silently put down the bronze mirror, picked up his chopsticks again, and buried his head in his food.

The girl remained in that position alone, and the air in the room seemed to freeze.

She belatedly felt her cheeks burning, her toes awkwardly curling up inside her shoes, and she couldn't help but stomp her feet.

"Hey! Please, just say something to my liking! This is making me really embarrassed!"

If you have this kind of self-awareness and sense of shame, then behave a little more normally.

With a sigh, Fushimi Iori casually pulled a business card from the drawer:

"This guy is pretty good. He's a long-term partner of the firm. You should check him out if you have time."

The girl took the business card, which listed a mental health clinic.

"You despicable bastard! You don't believe me? Spit out the bento I painstakingly made!"

She stormed around the table and lunged at Fushimi Iori, gently grabbing her by the neck:

"It contains magic that makes the food taste even better!"

Fushimi Iori paused, turned her head, and asked in surprise:

"Poppy shells?"

Hoshizaki Rina: "?"

The girl blushed more than any words could express, and it was clear she was about to get angry, her fists clenched.

Fushimi Iori coughed lightly and patted the other hand that was gripping her neck:

"Alright, alright, tell me, what did you see?"

"That's more like it."

The girl snorted and then released her grip with satisfaction.

"Do you remember Mr. Takeda from our first year of high school? He was our homeroom teacher and also the instructor for the archery club."

Rina Hoshizaki lives next door to him; she's his junior at the same school and just started high school this year.

Fushimi Iori had no recollection of the Takeda-sensei she mentioned, only vaguely remembering her from the girl's description.

"When I got off school today, I ran into her coming to the school to apply for maternity leave, so I went up to say hello..."

Rina Hoshizaki's tone lowered:

"I saw a dark shadow on her pregnant belly...it felt sticky, like it was attached to me with suction cups..."

The girl was a little worried: "It seems like only I can see it. I secretly asked the other classmates, and they all said they didn't see anything..."

Fushimi Iori paused in her chopsticks, this was no small matter.

He believed he understood Hoshizaki Rina's personality fairly well; she wouldn't joke about something like this, much less fabricate something so convincing. So, it was most likely true.

Can't you see the wild gods behind you, but can you see the weak spirits...?

As she pondered, the girl noticed that Fushimi Iori had fallen silent again, and assumed that he didn't want to get involved in the matter.

"Great Detective Doraemon, Iori! Think of something quick!"

Fushimi Iori finally snapped out of his daze, looked at the girl who was acting coquettishly towards him, and gave a fake smile that only seasoned office workers would have, saying with a grin:

"By the way, Hoshizaki-san, you should know our agency's fee schedule, right?"

"Well……"

The girl scratched her cheek, feeling a little embarrassed. She was just an ordinary high school girl, and her allowance was simply not enough to pay for the commission.

With a touch of heartache, Hoshizaki Rina took out her wallet, glanced inside, and then stuffed it into Fushimi's arms.

Fushimi Iori was amused, never expecting that the girl would actually be willing to pay him. He opened the wallet with a cute cat head printed on it, and found about 50,000 yen inside...

That's probably all the pocket money she's saved up over the past few months.

"Please! I'll make you lunchboxes for the rest of my life! If all else fails, I'll just have to marry you to pay off my debts!"

Fushimi Iori was just joking with her and was about to return the wallet to the girl.

As they were talking, Hoshizaki Rina suddenly pounced on him and pulled him into her arms from behind.

She wrapped her arms around him and shook him for a while.

Fushimi's face was half-buried in her shirt, and a faint, sweet fragrance belonging to a young girl lingered around her nose.

"Hey! You better stop now."

Fushimi's eyes twitched slightly as he tried to break free, but was held even tighter.

"I won't let go until you agree!"

Rina Hoshizaki closed her eyes and said shamelessly.

Her slender arms tightened even more, her slightly sweaty chest pressed tightly against the back of his head, and through the thin fabric of her shirt, he could clearly feel the girl's heartbeat, body temperature, and the soft touch of her skin.

"Let go of me, I can go take a look, but..."

Fushimi Iori sighed.

Ultimately, although this matter had nothing to do with him, it wouldn't be right to ignore it now that he knew about it.

However, he didn't intend to work for nothing.

"Make me lunchboxes for a month as payment."

I'm getting tired of the fast food and bread from the supermarkets around the school, and cooking for myself is a bit of a hassle, even though Fushimi's cooking skills are pretty good.

As for making bento boxes for the rest of my life and marrying him, of course, those are not jokes to be taken seriously.

"Hmm, a month is too long... how about two weeks?"

The girl stretched out two slender, beautiful fingers from behind him and waved them in front of his eyes, trying to bargain.

"Then for a lifetime."

Fushimi Iori interrupted her mercilessly, "Is this guy a goldfish? He just said something like 'forever' and then went back on his word."

Hearing him say that, Hoshizaki Rina blushed.

He slowly loosened his arms, his thin shirt slightly damp with sweat from the previous contact, clinging tightly to his body, which was far too mature for a high school student, bringing a slight coolness.

Her face was flushed, her eyes were unfocused, and her speech became somewhat slurred.

"Eh, one, a lifetime...?"

She suddenly became somewhat awkward and flustered, lightly biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, one hand pressed against her chest, feeling her pounding heartbeat, while the other hand gently twisted the strands of hair that fell to her shoulder. She turned her head away and muttered:

"W-why are you proposing to me so suddenly? I...I'm not mentally prepared to be a wife yet...but since you've said it...if Mom and Dad agree..."

"But they all seem to like you quite a bit, I think..."

"..."

Is this guy an idiot?

When the girl turned around and saw Fushimi's dead fish-like eyes filled with doubt and disbelief, she angrily turned her face away again and waved her hand:

"Okay, okay, one month it is!"

"I'm going to visit Mr. Takeda in the hospital tomorrow, would you like to come with me?"

The girl sat back down in the chair opposite the table, resting her chin on her hand, and asked.

"She brought a complete stranger, a male student she didn't know, to visit your pregnant teacher, and then said she was possessed by something dirty."

Fushimi Iori raised an eyebrow: "Don't you find this strange?"

"Ah, that's true..."

Upon hearing this, Hoshizaki Rina also felt somewhat troubled: "Then what should we do..."

"Now that I've accepted the task, I'll find a way to resolve it. What time do you plan to visit her tomorrow?"

The girl lightly touched her lips with her finger, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"It was around 2 PM, at Chiyoda Central Hospital..."

"Okay, I understand."

"Hey, thank goodness for your help, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do!"

The girl leaned close to his face, clasped her hands together, and her eyes curved into beautiful crescents: "Just tell me what dishes you'd like to eat!"

After saying that, she packed up the food box that Fushimi Iori had finished eating and skipped away from the office.

The door closed with a soft "click".

Everything returned to calm.

Where Rina Hoshizaki had previously sat, there remained a soft white sphere of light, about the size of a tennis ball.

As Fushimi Iori raised his hand, the ball of light seemed to be drawn to him and floated lightly into his palm.

This is a small "obsession" that a young girl developed because of the strange phenomena that occurred in her pregnant teacher.

He weighed it in his hand with some doubt; the size of this obsession far exceeded his expectations.

It seems that some rather troublesome matters have been involved...