Tokyo Detective Chronicles

The ugly monster, resembling a leech, used a dozen legs to move forward with astonishing speed and coordination, roaring as if it could escape to heaven.

But she ran headlong into a large net woven by Fushimi Iori's shadow.

It was immediately bounced back, lunging left and right, crashing wildly, each time creating tiny ripples on the network cable, but it could never break through even an inch.

Soon, he was enveloped by the entangling shadows and dragged into Fushimi's shadow, disappearing without a trace.

The whole process took only two or three seconds.

To the average person, all that appeared to be Mr. Takeda was that after receiving the amulet, his body swayed slightly, his face turned pale, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He seemed to suddenly lose all strength and collapsed onto the hospital bed, breathing softly.

"Teacher! What's wrong?"

Rina Hoshizaki exclaimed in surprise and quickly stepped forward to support her.

"N-nothing..."

Teacher Takeda waved his hand, his voice weak but with a smile: "I just suddenly feel...so relaxed..."

She did feel that the inexplicable heaviness and fatigue she had been experiencing these past few days seemed to have been swept away in an instant with that moment of dizziness.

He instinctively gripped the amulet in his hand.

Rina Hoshizaki also noticed that the amulet was emitting a faint golden halo, and a warm current was seeping out of the amulet, slowly flowing into Takeda-sensei's abdomen, nourishing the area that had just been occupied by the dark shadow.

"Teacher, I'd better go and call the doctor to take a look!"

"I'm worried," Hoshizaki Rina said, reaching out to press the call button.

"Really, you don't need to."

Mr. Takeda took her hand, a smile spreading across his face, and his complexion seemed to have improved considerably.

"I feel great, I've never felt this good before. The discomfort I felt before has suddenly disappeared."

She lowered her head again, looking at the amulet in her hand with great reverence:

"Rina, Fushimi-kun, thank you so much. This must have been made by a very skilled priest or monk. Please introduce me to them if you have the chance."

Fushimi maintained his smile and readily agreed, "Yes, if there's an opportunity."

At this moment, the white sphere of light floating beside Fushimi, created by Hoshizaki Rina's faint obsession, quietly shattered, and a surge of energy gathered around Fushimi.

A moment later, it merged into his body, and a notification appeared in Fushimi's mind.

[Luck +3]

[Current Luck: 15] (Average luck for all humanity: 10)

【Strength +4】

[Current Strength: 27] (Average Strength of all humanity: 10)

Fushimi narrowed his eyes; luck was a rare attribute that had only appeared once before.

Although I don't know exactly how much of a role it will play, I imagine it must be a good thing.

As expected, Fushimi craves pure numerical values ​​more than those strangely designed items...

Soon after, at Hoshizaki Rina's insistence, they managed to find a doctor on duty.

After a thorough examination, the doctor was quite surprised to find that Professor Takeda's vital signs were very stable, much better than when he was admitted to the hospital. He could be observed for a few more days, and if there were no abnormalities, he could be discharged to recuperate.

Upon hearing the result, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Hoshizaki sat down by the hospital bed and started chatting with Takeda-sensei.

Fushimi stood not far away, quietly observing Takeda Yuko's abdomen.

Fortunately, it was discovered in time, and Fushimi Iori, a professional, happened to be there, which prevented a greater tragedy from occurring.

Under the gentle nourishment of the amulet's gushing golden light, the wounds on the soul inflicted by the demon are slowly healing and healing.

The talisman paper inside the amulet gradually lost its luster and turned into an ordinary piece of paper.

This matter should seem to have come to an end here.

However, some questions remained unanswered in Fushimi Iori's mind, such as how this monster managed to get entangled with Takeda-sensei.

Just as he was pondering.

Yuko Takeda, lying in her hospital bed, also noticed his gaze.

She asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Fushimi-kun?"

Fushimi Iori then realized that she had been staring at the pregnant woman's belly, which was quite impolite, so she pretended to be a little embarrassed and made up a story:

"Sorry, I was just marveling at how amazing life is, and I got distracted without realizing it."

Hoshizaki Rina's eyes were shining, and she also smiled and echoed:

"Yes, yes, I think so too..."

Seeing how well the two were getting along, Teacher Takeda couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle, then solemnly raised a finger to interrupt.

"No, you can't."

Fushimi and Hoshizaki looked at him in confusion, not understanding what Takeda-sensei meant by "you can't"...

"Even if you're dating, please don't get pregnant in high school, or Mizuno-sensei and I will have a lot of headaches."

Fushimi Iori: "..."

"ha?!"

Rina Hoshizaki blushed instantly, her hands flailing wildly like she was forming hand seals: "How could something like that be possible?!"

……

An hour later, the two said goodbye to Mr. Takeda and left Chiyoda Central Hospital, walking home together.

The fact that the matter was resolved smoothly brought a sigh of relief to both of them.

Rina Hoshizaki followed half a step behind Fushimi, slightly lost in thought.

She dressed up specially for today, wearing a well-tailored black dress with a white knitted cardigan over it, perfectly outlining the youthful curves unique to high school students.

Her shoulder-length short hair was carefully styled into a bun at the back of her head, revealing her fair neck and giving her a refreshing and neat appearance.

The fluffy panda plush toy dangling from her handbag adds to her girlish charm.

Her eyes were somewhat unfocused, as if she were sleepwalking, staring at Fushimi's back.

Recalling the scene in the hospital room earlier, Hoshizaki Rina hesitated, turning her head away as if to avoid the question, and asked:

"By the way... why did you say you were my boyfriend?"

She thought to herself, "Could it be that Iori, who always wears a sour face and acts like he doesn't care about anyone, has finally given up and decided to make a move on this cute girl?"

He actually said something in front of the teacher that he couldn't directly refute.

That's so despicable!

Hmm... but what if he takes this opportunity to confess his feelings to me... should I say yes... or pretend to be angry and hold back...?

Ugh, why did I even think about that kind of thing!

It's all that wicked guy's fault.

Subconsciously, she raised her hand and gently patted her slightly flushed cheeks.

Fushimi Iori, however, reverted to his usual deadpan expression. He immediately discerned what the girl was thinking and sighed softly.

"If Professor Takeda is wary of the amulet I gave him, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced."

This is the truth. Whether it's protecting the body during exorcism or repairing the wounds on the soul afterward, if the person holding the talisman firmly believes in it, the effect will be excellent.

Conversely, it may cause the holder intense discomfort or even pain.

The fact that he is Rina Hoshizaki's boyfriend will undoubtedly arouse her curiosity and lower some of her guard.

The warm smiles that were always present in the ward were for the same reason.

Looking back, though, if I had known earlier that the other person knew me, I wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble.

Rina Hoshizaki playfully punched his arm, pretending to be angry.

"What am I going to do if this gets back to the school?"

"Ms. Takeda has taken maternity leave and will not be going to school for several months."

"And then...?"

"And then? Just tell me you dumped me."

Rina Hoshizaki was fuming; this guy had said all the nice and mean things, so she raised her hand and punched him again.

"No way! I'm going to tell them you're my boyfriend! You said it yourself anyway!"

Fushimi stared blankly, letting her be; he didn't care anyway.

At that moment, Hoshizaki Rina remembered to open the wallet she had taken from Fushimi earlier, and then she stopped in her tracks.

She counted carefully, and the tens of thousands of yen that were originally inside were still lying there intact.

The girl tilted her head and looked at Fushimi with some confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Why is the money still inside? Wasn't this paid to you...?"

Fushimi asked, even more puzzled, "Didn't we agree before that the commission would be for you to make me lunchboxes for a month?"

"But……"

She suddenly realized that even if Fushimi took the money, plus the cost of making lunch boxes, she would still get a great deal compared to the commission she was supposed to pay.

Rina Hoshizaki suddenly felt like she was some kind of 'bad woman' who 'got a huge advantage but acted like she didn't know what was good for her'...

Am I also the kind of woman with a bad personality?

No, it's not!

The girl tidied her hair a little awkwardly, pursed her lips, and looked at Fushimi, who had already turned and walked away.

She straightened her handbag, letting the adorable panda plush toy sway, and followed with light steps.

He nervously scratched his face beside Fushimi, wanting to speak several times, but then stopped himself.

I don't know what to say.

After a long pause, he mumbled and asked:

"What would you like for lunch next Monday?"

"Then... hamburger patties will do..."