Tokyo Detective Chronicles

In present-day Tokyo, the ruins of the Fushimi Detective Agency.

A door appeared out of nowhere on the ruins.

The little monsters who were rummaging through the ruins were startled and looked warily in that direction.

Then the door opened, and Fushimi came out.

When the little monsters saw it was him, they breathed a sigh of relief and went back to their own business.

Fushimi stood before the ruins, looking at the devastation.

Another headache struck.

In the past few days, he has roughly completed the design of the psionic circuit and the basic plan for the reconstruction of the house. He has drawn up several versions of blueprints and compiled a multi-page list of materials.

However, these things will have to wait until after the matter of the Creation Cult is over.

Dr. Hoshino will probably arrive in Tokyo around noon by Shinkansen. He should be on his way now, with less than three hours to go. I need to hurry.

He took out his phone, scrolled to Hayakawa Chiho's name, and dialed it.

It rang a few times before being answered.

"Senior?"

The girl's voice came through the phone, tinged with surprise and joy.

"Chiho".

"Senior!" Hayakawa Chiho's voice brightened noticeably. "Why are you calling me all of a sudden?"

Fushimi smiled.

Are you free today? I'd like to come see you.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then came a slightly panicked voice.

"Yes, I'm free! Are you coming, senior? When?"

"Is now a convenient time?"

"It's convenient! I... I'll pack up! Take your time, senior, no rush!"

Fushimi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her somewhat incoherent voice.

Okay. See you in a bit.

hang up the phone.

After thinking for a moment, Fushimi dialed Kuroda Sousuke's number again.

……

The Hayakawa family, or more specifically, the Hoshino family.

Fushimi stood in front of the door, looking at the old mansion, located in the Katsushika Ward near the Arakawa River, where the streets were quiet.

Just now, he set up curtains around the area to prevent any accidents from happening.

Outside the mansion, special agents from the Special Affairs Division were on standby at all times on the roads leading in all directions. Kuroda Sousuke was not present because he was on another mission.

Fushimi took a deep breath.

Raise your hand and knock on the door.

Footsteps came from inside.

The door opened.

Hayakawa Chiho stood at the door.

She was wearing a white dress with a light green sash tied around her waist.

The skirt hem reached her knees, revealing a section of her fair calves. She wore white ankle socks and a pair of slippers.

Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, with the ends slightly curled.

Her cheeks were flushed a light pink with nervousness and joy, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Fushimi.

"Senior!"

Her eyebrows and eyes were curved, full of smiles, and the corners of her mouth turned up, revealing her pearly teeth.

Fushimi looked at her.

Suddenly, Hoshino's appearance flashed through his mind... The two had similar faces and similar eyebrows, which made Fushimi momentarily stunned.

"Senior?"

Hayakawa Chiho tilted her head, looking at him with some confusion.

Fushimi snapped out of his daze.

"Sorry to bother you."

"No, no!" Hayakawa Chiho quickly stepped aside. "Please come in!"

Hayakawa Chiho stepped aside, her tone filled with undisguised joy.

The entryway is very narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

A small green plant sits on the shoe cabinet, its leaves lush and green, clearly well cared for.

Hayakawa Chiho squatted down, took a pair of guest slippers from the shoe cabinet, and placed them next to Fushimi's feet.

"Please use this, senior."

She looked up and smiled at him.

Then he turned around and walked inside.

"Please wait in the living room for a moment, senior. I'll go make some tea!"

Her figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Fushimi stood in the entrance hall, raised his head, and looked into the depths of the corridor.

With the enhanced senses, the aroma of the white camellia was so strong it felt suffocating.

The curtain that had been covering the Buddha statue was still hanging properly above the fireplace mantel. The dark curtains hung down, completely obscuring what lay behind it.

A sinister and sticky aura was continuously emanating from behind the curtain.

It was as if something was breathing slowly there; it was a thick, dark red mist that was slowly writhing.

In the heart of the fog, the statue of the living God sat quietly.

The three holes in his face were pointing in his direction...

Fushimi sat down directly in front of the statue of the living master.

Footsteps came from the kitchen.

Hayakawa Chiho came over with a tray and placed tea and snacks in front of him. The snacks were handmade cookies, baked to a golden brown, arranged on a white porcelain plate, with a few strawberries placed next to them.

"What brings you here today, senior?"

She sat down opposite him, resting her chin on her hands, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

"I've come to discuss with you where we'll travel next." Fushimi's smile was warm and genuine, without a trace of guile.

Hayakawa Chiho was stunned for a moment, then her face turned red.

"Travel, trip?"

"Hmm, didn't we agree to go at the end of the month?"

"Yes, yes!"

She lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt.

"I thought my senior had forgotten..."

Fushimi smiled and said, "How could I forget?"

Hayakawa Chiho looked up at him.

A shy smile graced her face, but the anticipation in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"So, where does senior want to go?"

I'd like to hear your opinion.

"My opinion?"

"Hmm, is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

Hayakawa Chiho thought for a moment, then scratched her face somewhat embarrassedly.

"Actually... I've never left Tokyo."

She paused.

"So... I don't know where to go..."

Fushimi looked at her.

"Then there must be places you want to go, right?"

Then she began to speak.

I want to see the sea.

"A quiet beach where there aren't many people..."

"There are also those open-air hot springs, where you can soak in hot water and watch the snowflakes fall... although the season doesn't seem quite right."

She became more and more excited as she spoke, and her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

He gestured with his hands in the air, describing landscapes he had never seen with his own eyes.

Fushimi listened quietly.

Looking at her face flushed with excitement, her hands constantly making small gestures, she was clearly making a name for herself.

When she smiles, her eyes curve into two crescent moons.

Then... her movements gradually slowed down, and her voice became softer.

She held her head and blinked.

"Strange...why am I suddenly feeling sleepy..."

Fushimi didn't speak, he just looked at her.

Hayakawa Chiho held her head, feeling dizzy, and her eyelids began to droop.

She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

"Senior...I..."

She opened her mouth... and then fainted on the table.

Her eyelashes cast a faint shadow under her eyelids, and there was a slight smile on her lips.

Breathing evenly.

This was obviously Fushimi's doing, he put down his teacup.

Stand up.

He walked over to Hayakawa Chiho, took out a talisman from his pocket, and gently tied it to her wrist. The moment the talisman touched her skin, it emitted a faint golden glow, which quickly disappeared.

He took out a few more talismans and set up a simple protective array around her.

The golden patterns lit up, connecting with each other to form a soft dome that enveloped her.

To avoid the possibility of the enemy being caught in the crossfire in the upcoming battle.

After doing all this, he turned around and looked at the curtain.

The living room was quiet, with only the even breathing of Hayakawa Chiho.

And the sound of my own heartbeat.

The curtains were not drawn, and the living room was somewhat dimly lit.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the blinds, casting beams of light across the floor, with dust particles floating slowly within the beams.

Fushimi took a step and walked step by step toward the statue behind the curtain.

Looking at the curtain, he felt much less fear, and the many talismans on his body were ready to be activated.

Soon... everything will be over, and everything will return to normal.

With his assistance, the Special Affairs Division will completely eradicate this organization called the Creation Cult and sever all the tentacles of this evil god reaching into the human world.

"Ring ring—"

Fushimi's cell phone rang unexpectedly at an inopportune moment.

He frowned... Who could it be at this moment?

People from the Special Affairs Section?

He had to stop and pick up his phone.

A message was displayed on the screen, from the black market information dealer he employed.

Something's happened.

[The target we were tracking, Hoshino Mayumi, is dead.]

Seventeen minutes ago, the Shinkansen carriage she was riding in exploded; no one survived.

……

Hoshino Mayumi, who is also Hayakawa Chiho's mother... is dead...?