Tokyo Detective Chronicles

After watching the movie, the two walked side by side on their way to Mr. Takeda's house.

Rina Hoshizaki hummed a song softly, holding a bouquet of flowers she had received from Fushimi in her arms. The bouquet consisted of light pink lisianthus and white daisies, wrapped in pale green frosted paper, and she swayed as she walked.

This is a gift I prepared for visiting Professor Takeda.

Recalling the movie we just watched... the sea breeze, the fireworks, the young couple finally embracing after all they'd been through... even if the world were to end tomorrow, I still want to watch the fireworks with you today...

How romantic!

Suddenly, she hopped in front of Fushimi, holding the flowers, and tiptoed slightly to get herself into his downcast gaze.

The sunlight shone down from behind her, giving her hair and eyelashes a fuzzy golden edge. She tried to open her eyes wide, filling her always bright eyes with a sparkling light.

"Hey, Iori."

Her voice suddenly softened, carrying a hint of girlish mischief: "Aren't you planning to take advantage of this atmosphere and confess your feelings to me or something?"

Fushimi found it somewhat amusing: "What's the atmosphere like?"

"That kind!"

Hoshizaki straightened up and exaggeratedly spread his arms: "Sunshine, breeze, a beautiful girl who just finished watching a romantic movie... To be honest, I'm super—sentimental right now."

"Maybe I'll impulsively agree the moment you ask!"

After saying that, she couldn't help but burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking. She quickly pursed her lips and pretended to be serious.

As she spoke, her dark eyes shimmered in the early autumn sunlight, and her cheeks flushed slightly, whether from excitement or something else, it was hard to tell.

Fushimi stopped and looked at her.

Hoshizaki felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, but she still forced herself to stay composed. Holding the bouquet to her chest, she stared at him shyly, stubbornly refusing to look away even for a moment.

A few seconds later, Fushimi suddenly laughed.

It wasn't the usual perfunctory fake smile, but a bright smile with eyes that curved slightly.

Hoshizaki rarely saw him smile like that, and was momentarily stunned.

"Close your eyes," Fushimi said softly.

"Huh? Huh?!"

Hoshizaki's heart skipped a beat. He looked around frantically, then at Fushimi's face, which was getting closer and closer.

Is he serious?

"Close your eyes quickly," Fushimi urged again, his smile deepening.

"Okay, alright..."

Hoshizaki responded softly, obediently closing her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling nervously.

She pursed her lips, her mind in turmoil.

The next moment, Fushimi took the large bouquet of flowers from her hands, and the girl, now empty-handed, became even more nervous... She could only place the bouquet in front of her chest in a prayerful gesture.

Is it a hug? Or... a kiss?

Is he going to use that bouquet to confess his feelings?

Please, that's a gift for Takeda-sensei! This is such a perfunctory response!

"Um...Iori...I..."

She was trying to say something incoherently, her cheeks were so hot they could fry an egg on them, and her heart was pounding loudly.

"Click."

An untimely, strange sound rang out.

Then there was silence.

A while passed in tension and anxiety... but nothing happened. Slowly, she realized something was wrong...

Where is Iori?

Hoshizaki secretly opened his eyes a crack—

"Huh?"

She opened her eyes wide and looked around blankly.

Not far away, three elementary school students—two girls and a boy—were staring at her as if she were a strange person. The little boy with glasses was even whispering to his companion:

"That woman was talking to thin air with her eyes closed just now..."

Rina Hoshizaki gripped the ground with her toes and turned her head awkwardly, only to find that Fushimi had already walked more than ten meters away with the bouquet of flowers, and was now looking back at her with a wicked smile on his face.

He even waved at her mischievously.

"Fushimi Iori—!!!"

The girl's face flushed instantly. She stomped her foot in embarrassment and anger, finally realizing what the "crack" sound had been.

"Hey! You stop right there and delete the photos!"

"I won't delete it."

"Delete it! It's too embarrassing!"

……

Professor Takeda's home is in a south-facing apartment building with excellent natural light.

Hoshizaki was still sulking, clutching the bouquet she had won back, her cheeks puffed up like a hamster's.

Fushimi rang the doorbell as if nothing had happened.

"You're here." A gentle voice came from inside the door, belonging to Ms. Takeda.

The door opened, and Ms. Yuko Takeda, wearing a loose and comfortable maternity dress, had a gentle smile on her face. She looked much better than when she was in the hospital.

Upon seeing the two of them, she immediately broke into a joyful smile.

"Ah, Rina, Fushimi-kun, you're here! Welcome, welcome!"

"Teacher Takeda!"

Hoshizaki immediately switched back to her obedient mode, smiling sweetly as she handed over the bouquet: "This is for you, we hope you like it, teacher!"

"Oh, thank you so much! I really like it."

Ms. Takeda accepted the flowers, her eyes crinkling into crescents, and she lowered her head to gently sniff them: "Elisiros and daisies...you really know how to choose. Come in and sit down."

She stepped aside and called softly into the house, "Darling, our guest has arrived."

At that moment, Ms. Takeda's husband came out of the kitchen.

He was a gentle man wearing black-rimmed glasses, who looked to be around thirty years old, wearing a checkered apron, and holding a soup spoon in his hand.

Upon seeing Fushimi and Hoshizaki, he scratched his head, grinned broadly, and bowed slightly.

"Hello, I am Yuko's husband, Kenta Takeda. I was unable to properly thank you both at the hospital before, so thank you so much."

His attitude was sincere and polite, and then his eyes were full of tenderness when he looked at his wife.

"Excuse me!" Hoshizaki bowed politely.

"You're too kind," Fushimi replied.

"Please sit down, please sit down. Don't stand and talk."

Ms. Takeda invited the two to sit on the sofa in the living room, while she carefully supported her back and sat on the single armchair next to her.

Hoshizaki obediently helped pour the tea, while Fushimi casually observed the house.

Several parenting books and pregnancy guides were on the TV cabinet, a diagram of the fetal development cycle was posted on the wall, and there was a newly opened box of a crib in the corner...

Kenta Takeda quickly returned to the kitchen to keep busy, leaving the three of them chatting in the living room.

"How have you been feeling lately, teacher?" Hoshizaki asked with concern.

"Much better, really."

"..."

The conversation shifted from school news to amusing anecdotes about pregnancy. Yuko Takeda even showed them her blog diary entries about her child, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

She paused, then looked at Fushimi:

"Fushimi-kun, that amulet... it must have been obtained from a very powerful shrine, right? Kenta and I are both thinking that we must go and give thanks after the baby is born."

"You're too kind." Fushimi lowered his eyes to look at Hoshizaki and the tea in his own cup.

It's just regular green tea.

He took a small sip.

His gaze fell on the teacup in Professor Takeda's hand, and he asked casually, "It doesn't seem like you're drinking green tea, Professor?"

"Oh, you mean this?"

Mr. Takeda swirled his cup and said with a smile, "Fushimi-kun has a very keen nose."

Fushimi looked on with interest.

She stood up with a smile, walked to the TV cabinet, opened a drawer, took out a small white porcelain tea canister, and handed it to Fushimi.

"This is it. The female doctor who examined me at the hospital during my prenatal checkup gave it to me. She said it's good for both preventing miscarriage and calming the nerves."

Fushimi took the porcelain jar.

It felt slightly cool to the touch. He unscrewed the cap, and a familiar, sweet, and exotic fragrance wafted out.

The bottom of the jar contained some irregularly shaped, dry white fragments, which were Anbaichun (Anbaichun).

"That doctor..." Fushimi put the lid back on and handed the porcelain jar back to him. "Which hospital did you meet, Takeda-sensei?"

Teacher Takeda took the porcelain jar, tilted his head and thought for a moment:

"It wasn't Chiyoda Central Hospital. It was a hospital in Katsushika Ward where I had my initial prenatal checkup... what was it called again..."

She raised her voice towards the kitchen: "Kenta! What was the name of the hospital I went to before?"

Katsushika Ward Third General Hospital.

The husband's voice came from the kitchen, accompanied by the sizzling sound of oil in the pan: "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Fushimi-kun asked."

Teacher Takeda turned back, looking at Fushimi with some curiosity: "Fushimi-kun, are you interested in this hospital? Is someone in your family in need of it...?"

She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.

As if he had thought of something, Takeda-sensei's expression subtly changed.

Her gaze swept back and forth between Fushimi and Hoshizaki, finally settling on Hoshizaki's face.

The girl was holding a teacup and sipping her tea, her face full of innocence.

Teacher Takeda frowned slightly, leaned forward unconsciously, lowered his voice, and asked with the concern and inquiry of an elder:

"Fushimi-kun...you're asking such detailed questions..."

She paused, seemingly considering her words, but ultimately couldn't help herself, lowering her voice to almost a whisper:

"Could it be... that you two... made some mistake you shouldn't have made?"

"Pfft—cough cough cough cough!!!"

Hoshizaki spat out his entire mouthful of tea.

She frantically grabbed tissues, wiping her face while coughing, her face turning red from her neck to her forehead, and tears streaming down her face.

"T-Teacher! What are you saying! How could that be! Absolutely not!"

Her voice was broken and intermittent due to coughing, and she looked as if she was about to faint from lack of oxygen.

Ms. Takeda was startled by her reaction and quickly handed her a tissue box:

"I'm so sorry, I was just asking casually... Please don't get agitated, breathe slowly..."

Fushimi remained unfazed.

She calmly took out a tissue and wiped the water splashed on Hoshizaki's face.

Once Hoshizaki's cough subsided a little, he raised his eyes and met Takeda-sensei's still questioning gaze.

"You've misunderstood. It's my cousin who's recently gotten pregnant and is experiencing severe morning sickness, making it difficult for her to sleep at night. After hearing about your situation, she asked me to inquire about reliable treatment methods or recommend a hospital."

His lies flowed so smoothly, and his expression was so sincere that no one could find a single fault with them.

If you ignore Hoshizaki's shocked expression, as if to say, "Where did you get this cousin from?"

After hearing this, Mr. Takeda visibly breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest.

"I see... That's good, that's good. Oh dear, I was overthinking it, teacher. I'm so sorry."

Rina Hoshizaki: "Ha...haha..."

Mr. Takeda sat back down in his chair and recalled earnestly:

"The OB-GYN at that hospital is a very nice person, especially patient. But..."

She paused, her tone slightly hesitant:

"The environment is a bit old, after all, it's an old hospital. And the location is a bit remote, in the Katsushika Ward near the Arakawa River, it takes about ten minutes to walk there from the station."

Fushimi smiled and nodded.

"It's okay, I'll write down the name first and tell my cousin later so she can decide for herself. Thank you, teacher."

He took out his phone and typed "Katsushika Ward Third General Hospital" into the memo app.

It's near Arakawa, in a remote location, and the hospital is in a dilapidated state...

Everything matched what was shown in the wedding ceremony.