Tokyo Detective Chronicles

This is an ability that Fushimi Tsuyoshi unexpectedly gained a few years ago when he recalled his memories of his past life.

Being able to see the obsession displayed by a creature manifests as orbs of light of varying sizes and colors that can only be seen by him.

These obsession balls are like blind boxes; when the obsession is completely resolved, the outcome will vary depending on the magnitude of the obsession.

You can randomly obtain attribute points that enhance your various abilities, temporary or permanent special abilities, strange gadgets, and some inexplicable Easter eggs.

Previously, Fushimi Iori had even experienced suddenly turning into a cat.

Although it is not very controllable.

However, based on past experience, the effects are mostly positive and can play a significant role at crucial moments. Even his ability to see the spirits of monsters and the dead was something he acquired incidentally while completing a commission.

Therefore, as long as the client's obsession is strong and interesting enough, Fushimi Iori is often happy to accept a commission, even if the payment is low.

So, what group in the world has the deepest obsessions?

Are they those incompetent husbands who, upon hearing strange noises from their wives and bosses beside them, know what's happening but can only feign drunkenness with tears in their eyes?

Is she a full-time housewife who, upon hearing the phrase "Your wife doesn't want your husband to know about xx's affairs, does she?", grits her teeth, unsure of what to do?

No, neither is correct.

The correct answer is... a dead person.

They are the souls of those who departed with intense resentment, bitterness, regret, or unfulfilled wishes...

"clang--"

Just then, it was 17 PM.

Inside the room, the unsettling chimes of the grandfather clock rang out, their sound long and muffled.

The hour of twilight has begun.

The twilight light slanted through the old-fashioned glass doors and windows of the Fushimi Detective Agency, casting dappled shadows on the slightly scratched wooden floor.

Fushimi Iori's shadow was stretched out on the floor, becoming unusually long and distorted.

Almost the instant the bell tolled, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the courtyard, stirring up the long-neglected, knee-high weeds and making a "rustling" sound.

Even the wind chimes at the porch emitted a series of rapid, clear chimes.

Something unseen is approaching...

Under the eaves, four dusty paper lanterns suddenly burst into warm yellow flames, seemingly shielding the entire house and courtyard from the impending darkness.

Outside, where it had been quiet, voices began to rise, and the sounds of children running and playing echoed in the corridor. Creaking shadows appeared in various corners of the courtyard, swaying gently in the night breeze...

Immediately afterwards, Fushimi Iori's shadow seemed to come alive, suddenly wriggling on its own, defying the laws of physics.

Slowly rising to his feet, he came behind Fushimi Iori, blocking the last ray of natural light from entering the room.

Fushimi Iori seemed oblivious to this, and simply turned on the retro table lamp on her desk.

Bathed in warm yellow light, he opened his service logbook and began recording the services requested the previous week.

The dark shadow approached step by step like flowing sewage, and a sense of oppression gradually came over him, as if it would engulf and devour him completely.

Just like in all types of horror movies.

A flock of crows cawing outside the house... a creaking attic at night... the mysterious appearance of small animal carcasses... a dog barking loudly every now and then... a erraticly flickering incandescent light bulb...

These seemingly ordinary little things, which were actually quite unsettling, started happening frequently in a short period of time.

Everything seemed to indicate that something extremely terrifying was about to happen.

Just when everything was heading towards an irreversible and terrible end...

The next moment, a beautiful woman with white bandages wrapped around her eyes jumped out of the shadows. Through the holes in her tattered mourning clothes, her fair skin, almost transparent, was faintly visible underneath.

She flashed her cute fangs, opened her arms, and joyfully pounced on Fushimi Iori from behind.

"Iori~!"

Her cool, delicate cheek pressed affectionately against Fushimi Iori's right cheek, rubbing vigorously: "Long time no see!"

Fushi, expressionless, reached out and pressed his hand against her left cheek, pushing her away.

"Stay away... I can smell the old man stench on you..."

"Huh!? Really?"

Miss Ghost froze, took a half-step back in surprise and uncertainty, spun around, and lowered her head to sniff her arms and chest.

Heaven knows where a female ghost got her sense of smell.

The so-called "old person smell" was of course made up by Fushimi Iori; she just thought I was annoyed by her being close to her.

"Hey! No old lady smells bad! You're going too far with your words. She smells wonderfully like an older sister!"

"Is she an 800-year-old woman?"

Miss Ghost was furious. She puffed out her cheeks, turned her back like a punching bag, and started to throw a tantrum.

But after a short while, she smelled a trace of Hoshizaki Rina's scent on Fushimi. After such intimate contact, it was impossible not to leave a scent behind.

But Fushimi Iori obviously didn't take it seriously either.

"It's...the scent of another woman."

Miss Ghost rushed forward anxiously, as if she were a cherished personal item in a dormitory that had been secretly and vigorously used, and hovered around Fushimi Iori restlessly.

Her eyes suddenly reddened, and her lips trembled as she said:

"Don't I need to be your personal sex toy anymore? You were so...so gentle with me before...sob..."

As she spoke, she actually curled up in the corner and started whimpering and pretending to cry.

Fushimi Iori: "?"

"Wow..."

"I heard some incredible words..."

The courtyard behind him was already crowded with all sorts of monsters and ghosts who had gathered there at some unknown time, eavesdropping...

"Young people these days are really daring..."

"Indecent!"

These are all regular visitors who come to join the fun after hearing the noise. They come in all shapes and colors and are of many kinds, but most of them are small.

Paper umbrella demon, cat demon, lacquer wall demon, kappa...

They were talking amongst themselves, their voices rustling like the wind blowing through the leaves.

Today is the last day of August, the time when yin energy is at its peak. It is also the day when these little monsters, who pose little threat to humans and have no great ambitions, meet.

They exchanged their recent observations and experiences...

Fushimi Iori's office does not only accept commissions from humans, but also from the dead and yokai, thereby capturing their obsessions.

He would occasionally contract with monsters to handle trivial matters that humans couldn't handle themselves, as well as to gather intelligence and watch over his house.

It's a mutually beneficial relationship.

Of course, there were also a small number of people who, after causing trouble for Fushimi, were hung up and disciplined by him several times before they obediently worked to pay off their debts.

Fushimi Iori's mansion gradually became a temporary sanctuary for weak yokai. As long as they weren't wicked or burdened with bad karma, most of them could enter the mansion's courtyard and the first-floor reception room.

If you help him guard his house and clean up the dust on the ground, you can get a certain degree of protection from him and avoid being eaten by a powerful demon who happens to pass by.

Only those yokai who have truly gained Fushimi Iori's approval can pass through the layers of barriers to reach the second floor and other areas.

For example, there's Miss Ghost, who's still whining in the corner right now.

As Fushimi Iori listened to her fabricated stories and sobs, along with the increasingly noisy discussions among the yokai in the courtyard, he rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"If you keep making up this kind of nonsense, I'll throw you out."

The crying from the corner suddenly rose another octave.

After finally finishing recording last week's requests, I closed the notebook.

He suddenly noticed the wallet he'd forgotten to return to Hoshizaki Rina on the table, and remembered that she was going to visit her teacher in the hospital the next day. After a moment's thought, he turned to her and said:

"Karin, there's something I need your help with tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, the ghost girl called Karin immediately stopped crying.

She pricked up her ears, turned her head while sobbing, and blinked her golden eyes, which should have been alluring but were now brimming with tears, peeking through the gaps in her bandages.

"Hmm...?"

A moment later, she crossed her arms and turned back angrily.

"When they need something, they call her 'Sister Huali,' but when they don't, they say she smells like an old person and is having an affair..."

*Sound of blowing nose*

"Waaah..."

Fushimi Iori: "..."