Tokyo Detective Chronicles

Even in the afternoon, the outpatient hall of Chiyoda Central Hospital was still bustling with people on Saturday.

The smell of disinfectant mingled with the whispers of the crowd, the sound of footsteps, and the occasional electronic call-outs, permeating the air.

Fushimi Iori walked through them with a frown on her face.

He hates hospitals, especially big hospitals.

Here, the line between life and death becomes quite blurred; newborns are born at any time, and patients die at any time.

What might be a slightly crowded and noisy environment to an ordinary person was a bizarre and wonderful sight to him.

The souls of the deceased, dressed in hospital gowns from different eras, wandered aimlessly in the corners of the corridor. Some even held newspapers from the 1990s, looking at them repeatedly and murmuring to themselves.

Annoying little sprites attach themselves to the shoulders of depressed patients or chuckle under waiting chairs.

Occasionally, one can see solemn spirits dressed in hunting robes and wearing masks, hurrying by carrying magical implements...

It was practically an indoor flower street parade.

These images and sounds superimposed on the real world forced Fushimi Iori to concentrate for long periods of time to avoid confusing reality with illusion and to remain constantly alert.

He rubbed his temples, took a deep breath, and walked straight to the information desk.

Upon hearing the name Yuko Takeda, a nurse with a gentle smile quickly found the information on the computer.

"Ms. Takeda, she's in single room 605."

"Thanks."

Fushimi nodded in acknowledgment and turned to walk towards the elevator.

Pushing through the crowd, a snotty-nosed bear-like child was sitting on a metal bench by the corridor.

He took a freshly wiped apple from his mother and was about to take a bite when his attention was drawn to the powerful aura of Fushimi Iori.

He just stood there, holding the apple, staring blankly as the expressionless older brother walked past him.

Unbeknownst to him, a tiny arm silently extended from Fushimi's shadow, reaching out to the snotty bear's shadow and taking away the apple's shadow from it.

When Snotty Bear came to his senses, he found that the once plump and red apple in his hand was withering rapidly, quickly becoming shriveled and black, and finally turning into a small clump of black powder with a "poof".

After a two-second pause, a deafening wail echoed throughout the hall.

"Wow!"

Realizing what had happened, Fushimi Iori sighed and had no choice but to turn around, giving Karin in the shadows a warning look not to do anything rash.

A faint, slightly smug chuckle came from the shadows, then returned to normal.

After taking the elevator to the sixth floor, the environment became much quieter.

As soon as Fushimi stepped out of the elevator, he saw Hoshizaki Rina's figure in the distance.

She was carefully supporting a young woman with glasses and a gentle demeanor. The two were chatting and laughing as they walked toward room 605 at the end of the corridor.

That must be Professor Takeda. She looks younger than I imagined, around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, and her belly is already noticeably protruding.

And on her lower abdomen, just as Hoshizaki Rina had described, there was indeed a blurry black shadow that was constantly wriggling, resembling a fat white leech, shrouded in black mist, which looked quite disgusting.

As he had anticipated, it was a little troublesome.

The monster's strength was negligible.

However, solving the problem discreetly without alerting Professor Takeda and the medical staff, and without causing any harm to the other party, is a skill in itself.

Fortunately, this possibility had been considered last night, which is why I brought along the ghost hiding in the shadows, Ms. Karin.

Fushimi went to a secluded corner in the corridor and took out a pre-cut yellow talisman from the lining of his robe.

With a slight movement of the fingertips and a gentle rubbing, the patterns drawn with cinnabar on the talisman paper briefly lit up with a faint light before disappearing.

Carefully fold the talisman into a triangle and stuff it into an empty amulet bag that has been prepared beforehand and printed with the words "Peace and Prosperity".

Then, he took out the wallet with the cute cat head printed on it that Hoshizaki Rina had left behind yesterday.

After doing all this, Fushimi Iori let out a soft breath, raised her hand to rub her cheeks, and adjusted her facial muscles.

When he lowered his hand, the usual indifference on his face and the disgusted expression that everyone owed him money had disappeared.

Instead, he adopted a gentle expression more suited to his age, one that carried a hint of sunshine and shyness, and even his eyes became clearer and more sincere.

He looked at the reflection in the glass of the corridor window, and after confirming that it was correct, he walked towards ward 605.

Arriving at the open hospital room door, he gently knocked, then waved to Rina Hoshizaki inside:

"Rina."

The two people in the ward turned their heads at the same time.

When Hoshizaki Rina saw Fushimi, she was clearly taken aback, thinking he would call to let her know first.

Fushimi Iori walked into the ward naturally, handing over the cat-shaped wallet and the amulet, her tone tinged with a hint of affectionate reproach:

"How careless of you! Your wallet, and the amulet we specially went to Senso-ji Temple to get, are both left with me."

Rina Hoshizaki's eyes widened, and her brain briefly went blank for a moment.

Whoever you are, get out of Iori's body!

Looking at the rare gentle smile on Fushimi's handsome face, and hearing the words "we" and "intentionally," her cheeks flushed slightly uncontrollably.

"oh oh!"

She took the wallet and amulet somewhat flusteredly, unsure of what to say next.

Seeing that she didn't react, Fushimi turned to Takeda-sensei, bowed slightly, and smiled politely:

"Hello, Takeda-sensei. I'm Rina's boyfriend, Fushimi Iori. She often mentions you, saying that you take good care of her at school."

"Huh? Huh—?!"

Rina Hoshizaki's face turned completely red this time. She stood there helplessly, her gaze shifting between Fushimi and Takeda-sensei.

Ms. Takeda was initially surprised, but then a gentle and knowing smile appeared on her face as she looked at Rina Hoshizaki:

"Rina, I see. I've never heard you mention this before."

Faced with Takeda-sensei's curious and questioning gaze, Hoshizaki Rina's heart pounded. She ultimately forced herself to remain calm, pursed her lips, lowered her head, and responded in a voice barely audible:

"……Um."

Why did this guy suddenly pull this stunt?!

At the very least, they should have given us a heads-up!

Taking advantage of the opportunity to observe it up close, Fushimi saw the leech-like monster more clearly. Its sucker-like structure was faintly visible, constantly drawing nutrients from the fetus's abdomen.

It seemed to sense the dangerous aura emanating from Fushimi and began to wriggle uneasily, but it did not flee immediately. Instead, it clung to him greedily, refusing to let go.

If this continues, the worst-case scenario might be a miscarriage...

Yuko Takeda did indeed come to the hospital for a checkup because of this, but modern medical methods naturally could not detect any problems.

He can only stay in the hospital for observation for a period of time.

"Fushimi-kun... I know you."

Mr. Takeda pushed up his glasses, his tone slightly amused, breaking the brief silence.

This time, Fushimi was a little surprised: "You know me?"

"Yes, I'm good friends with Ms. Mizuno, your homeroom teacher in Class 2E. She often brags to me about a handsome student in her class who is an all-rounder with extremely high academic performance but not good at socializing."

Teacher Takeda smiled:

"Having met you today, aside from your lack of social skills, you are exactly as Mizuno-sensei described."

Fushimi then revealed a slightly embarrassed expression, as if he had been teased by an elder, and raised his hand to scratch his cheek.

After a few casual words, Fushimi turned his head and looked at the still dizzy Hoshizaki Rina, gesturing with his eyes to the amulet in her hand.

The girl came to her senses and understood Fushimi's intention.

She tried her best to suppress her shyness and nervousness, stepped forward, and presented the amulet to Teacher Takeda with both hands:

"Teacher Takeda, this... this is a talisman that Iori and I... went to the temple to get for you. We hope it will protect you and the baby in your belly, ensuring your safety and good health!"

As she spoke, her gaze inadvertently swept over the strange dark shadow on the teacher's abdomen again. Unlike Fushimi, she couldn't see it clearly; she could only vaguely make out the unsettling writhing outline.

She swallowed unconsciously, trying to maintain her smile.

Mr. Takeda was somewhat surprised, and then his eyes welled up with emotion.

She reached out and took the small cloth bag, holding it in her palm. "Thank you, Rina, Fushimi-kun. You're so kind..."

And just as Takeda-sensei's fingers touched the amulet...

The shadow beneath Fushimi Iori's feet spread out like a spider web from him, covering the entire ward floor, walls, and even ceiling with a fine, imperceptible net.

At the same time, the amulet was activated, and a holy power that was against evil spread out.

The leech monster in Takeda's abdomen shuddered violently, writhing as if burned, emitting a painful scream that only Fushimi and Hoshizaki Rina could perceive.

Unable to maintain its parasitic state any longer, it detached from Professor Takeda's abdomen, bringing with it countless fine tentacles and growing more than a dozen slender legs.

He ran forward and leaped, trying to escape through the wide-open window!