Tokyo Detective Chronicles

The tea room fell silent once again.

A crisp, abrupt "tap" sound came from the courtyard as bamboo was added to water.

Fushimi finished the yokan in two bites and patted the crumbs off his hands.

Frankly, these conditions are so generous that they leave no room for refusal.

Anyone with even a little bit of vigilance would suspect that there's something wrong with their marriage partner; perhaps they look like a Snorlax, a demon, or some ancient creature that lived during the Cretaceous period.

Otherwise, why would they give up everything the Morikawa family owns as a bride price just to find a son-in-law for this girl?

Fushimi Iori knows this.

Kanata Morikawa's fourteen-year-old sister, Aoi Morikawa, is not some kind of monster that is not to be seen, but a little girl with the same hair color as her brother and an extremely beautiful appearance.

Given a few more years, it's not hard to imagine how stunning she will become, a beauty that would captivate the world.

If her photos had been posted on social media back then, the men in the world who would have been willing to do anything to marry her could have lined up from Tokyo to Hokkaido...

In comparison, changing one's surname to Morikawa and becoming a nominal son-in-law is not a matter worth seriously considering.

Fushimi's gaze fell on Morikawa Kanata, but without any clear focus. Then he shook his head and said:

"There's one thing I can't promise you."

His tone remained unwavering, and this was not the first time Morikawa Kanata had brought up the matter.

Otherwise, the servants at the gate wouldn't have used such a nonsensical word as "come back," which clearly indicated that they already considered him a member of the Morikawa family...

However, Fushimi had no intention of marrying into the family. This had nothing to do with changing his surname or Morikawa Aoi himself; he simply did not want to get involved in the complicated disputes between the Morikawa main family and the branch family.

A commoner son-in-law who appears out of nowhere inherits the entire Morikawa family business along with a girl from the main family. The pressure and exclusion he will face from the Morikawa branch family will be unimaginable.

While it's not impossible to resolve, this is completely different from the life Fushimi desired.

In addition, there is an even simpler reason.

When Fushimi Iori looked up earlier, there was nothing behind Morikawa Kanata...

No obsession orbs of any size were generated.

This can only mean two possibilities: first, Kanata Morikawa was just joking with him and he didn't really intend to entrust Aoi Morikawa and the family to him.

Secondly, Morikawa Kanata was completely confident that Fushimi would eventually agree to his request.

Fushimi was not interested in either one.

At the same time, he had no doubt that, regardless of whether he agreed or not, Morikawa Kanata would arrange everything for his sister and the Morikawa family, after all, that was the kind of person he was.

He appears to be a kind and gentle gentleman, treating people and things with kindness and politeness.

However, over the years, the Morikawa family, which had been declining due to technological changes, has gradually expanded its power under the leadership of the young man, Kanata Morikawa, and has transformed a large number of its traditional industries...

In particular, workshops that once served as the backbone of the industry, producing addictive drugs and hallucinogens, were shut down one after another.

The reshuffling of various factions naturally drew both opposition and support.

Even if they had a lot of dissatisfaction with his decision, they never dared to act recklessly in front of this weak young man.

This has never relied on anything like "gentleness and politeness".

Morikawa Kanata looked at him for a long time, then sighed.

There was little disappointment in that sigh; it seemed as if it had been expected all along.

"Well, there's nothing I can do then. Why don't you try asking Xiao Kui and see if she's willing to help you?"

He smiled and picked up the slightly cooled tea again.

"It would be even better if you could help me drag her out of the room and let her see the light of day."

Fushimi nodded, observing his friend's physical condition, and said nothing more.

Even if Morikawa Kanata really agreed to help him with all his might, Fushimi wouldn't dare accept. What if this guy really died at his hands... Not only would it be troublesome, but he would also feel a little guilty.

He walked to the entrance of the tea room and then stopped.

After thinking for a moment, he pulled a small glass bottle out of thin air from his pocket and placed it on the cabinet by the door.

This was a reward he received from one of his obsession orbs. The bottle was transparent and contained about fifty or sixty milliliters of red liquid.

The red was extremely rich and alluring, appearing viscous and luminous like molten gemstones even in the dimly lit tea room.

"Souvenirs"

After Fushimi finished speaking, he opened the door and went out.

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor.

In the tea room, Morikawa Kanata sat quietly in his wheelchair.

Only after Fushimi's footsteps had completely disappeared did he speak softly, "Yui."

The air beside him distorted slightly, and a woman dressed in a modified maid outfit with her eyes closed quietly appeared.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with delicate features, but her eyes remained closed, as if she were resting.

"Master of the house."

"Push me outside to see the sunset..."

"Yes."

A maid named Yui quietly pushed Morikawa Kanata's wheelchair into the courtyard.

He sat quietly in his wheelchair, the setting sun shining directly on him, almost blinding him. He squinted, his gaze fixed on the flower field, seemingly piercing through the dense blossoms and falling into the distant past.

The pale figure appeared somewhat ethereal and transparent against the warm yellow sunset.

A dying person is always prone to reminiscing about the past.

His memory drifted back to that afternoon a few years ago.

It was raining outside, a downpour that hadn't been seen in nearly a decade.

In the same mansion, he had just seen off a councilor's secretary who had come seeking the "flower" with a worried expression. The hidden pain in his body had begun to visit him frequently, and he could only maintain the normal functioning of his body by constantly increasing the dosage of his medication.

The old servant whispered that the boy from the Fushimi family had arrived and was waiting in the reception room.

Although he was already ill at that time, he could still walk normally.

He walked all the way to the reception room and saw the boy standing in front of the huge ink painting.

Fushimi Iori was thirteen years old at the time and had just lost her parents in a car accident.

He was wearing a slightly oversized black school uniform, and his somewhat thin back was ramrod straight.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around. His arm was in a cast, and his face had shallow scars and bruises from the car accident, but there were no tears, no fear, and no confusion that a child his age should have.

His dark pupils, like a stagnant pool, reflected little light and were filled with weariness.

His doctor said the child may have suffered brain and emotional damage in the car accident, resulting in a dramatic change in his personality.

Only now did the other side realize what that meant.

"Mr. Morikawa."

After a brief eye contact, the boy spoke, his voice still carrying the immaturity of someone in puberty, but his words were mature beyond his years.

"I am Fushimi Iori. I would like to discuss with you the debt my father incurred by mortgaging our mansion."

Morikawa Kanata vaguely remembers being somewhat surprised at the time.

Before entering the reception room, he had anticipated all sorts of scenarios... crying and pleading, angry accusations, or numbly accepting the division of inheritance and debts.

The only thing I didn't expect was this indifferent expression, which was more indifferent than calm.

Of course, Kanata Morikawa would not refuse such a request.

He did not go to sit in the high seat of the family head, but walked to the chair opposite the boy and sat down, gesturing for him to sit as well.

"I know about your situation, please accept my condolences."

He paused for a moment: "The debt isn't urgent. You can continue living there."

"How much money does the Fushimi family owe in total?"

Fushimi Iori once again said something that surprised him.

How much rent do I need to pay each month?