Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

The room was unusually dark; the curtains must have been drawn.

But Masahiro Hanyu clearly remembers that he did not draw the curtains when he left home.

You can't see the apartment windows unless you go around to the back, so Masahiro Hanyu didn't know the curtains were closed before he went upstairs.

This situation startled Masahiro Yuzuru. The cause of Yonemura's death was still under investigation, and he had to be careful.

Although he couldn't hear any breathing in the room, he could smell a faint fragrance, the unique scent of a virgin, which felt familiar.

Masahiro Hanyu was about to leave the apartment, but instead he walked into the room, looked into the darkness, and said softly, "Izayoi Akizo."

He casually turned on the light in the entryway and then closed the door.

No one was in the room. Yuzuru Masahiro looked up at the door in the entrance hall and saw Izayoi Akira, dressed in a black bodysuit, supporting herself on the wall with her hands and feet, suspended in the air.

The two hadn't been apart for long, but he felt that Izayoi's breasts seemed to have become much fuller.

Masahiro Hanyu walked to a chair and sat down. "Ms. Mingkong, aren't you tired? Why don't you get off and continue?"

Izayoi Akira landed silently on the ground. "How did you find me, Yuzuru-kun?"

Yuzuru Masahiro looked her up and down and noticed that she was wearing light makeup, which was unusual for her as she never wore makeup before.

A woman's makeup can be as transformative as plastic surgery, especially for a girl like Izayoi Akira who is exceptionally beautiful even without makeup. Her exquisitely made-up face surprised Masahiro Hanyu.

He regretted it a little; he should have taken things further when they first moved in together. But if he had, she wouldn't be able to experience what they have now.

"I can smell it; I'm very familiar with your scent and your body!" Masahiro Hanyu said bluntly.

Izayoi Akira's cheeks flushed slightly, which surprised Yuzuru Masahiro. When the two lived together, she was never shy about talking about such things.

What has Izayoi Akira experienced in less than a month? Why has she changed so much?

While she remained silent for a moment, Masahiro Yuzuru said, "You must have something to discuss with me at this hour, right?"

Izayoi Akizo regained her composure. "Where did you get those two plain-eyed shrine statues of Floating Life?"

Masahiro Yuzuru opened the drawer on the table. The wooden box he had taken from Abu Mizuren was still inside. It turned out that the pair of small statues were called the Sugan Shindo Floating Life Statue.

"Miss Mingkong, did you search my room?"

Izayoi Akiku walked up to him and stopped, but still maintained a safe distance. "I came to see you because of this pair of Shinto Floating Life statues."

Yuzuru Masahiro opened the wooden box and looked inside. "I don't think I informed Miss Mingkong. How did you know I had a Shinto Floating Life statue here?"

Izayoi said, "The wood used to carve Shinto Floating Life has been specially treated and has a scent that humans cannot smell, but a certain type of flying insect can smell it. I now have that kind of flying insect."

Masahiro Hanyu looked around but didn't see any insects!

He suddenly remembered that after bringing the Shinto statue home, he kept having dreams about it at night. He also thought about that night; he remembered locking the wooden box, but when he woke up in the morning, the box was inexplicably open.

"Miss Mingkong, can this statue induce dreams?"

Izayoi tilted her head and pondered seriously: "Dreaming? Perhaps. This wood has been soaked in a special solution. Even though you can't smell it when it's near you, it might excite your nerves. Dreaming is a normal reaction, but it won't harm your body."

Masahiro Yuzuru nodded. "It's good that no one was hurt. Did Miss Akari come to my place the night I brought the Shinto Ukiyo statue home?"

Izayoi Akira shook her head. "I've never been here. Why do you say that?"

"Because I had placed the wooden box on the table, and when I woke up in the morning, I found that the box had been opened, but I didn't know why."

Izayoi Akizo's expression changed slightly. "That means they've already been here. The fact that they didn't restore the wooden box to its original state is a sign that they've been here."

Masahiro Hanyu was taken aback. "Them! Who are those people?"

"I'm not the only one with insects that can be attracted to this statue; some other people have them too. For example, the person I hid here with, deliberately avoiding," Izayoi said.

"What are they doing here? Will they hurt me?" Masahiro Hanyu asked, somewhat worried.

Izayoi Akira shook her head again. "No, quite the opposite."

Yuzuru Masahiro recalled what Abu Suiren had said, "Does possessing these Shinto life statues grant one the protection of an ancient family? Is Miss Akemi from that ancient family?"

Izayoi's eyes were clear. "If even a pair of Shinto Floating Life items can't receive protection, there must be other tokens. Yuzuru-kun obtained them by accident, so he doesn't know the reason, right? So, where did you get these plain-eyed Shinto Floating Life items?"

Masahiro Hanyu looked at her. "It's a secret, and I usually can't talk about it, but if you tell me about Shinto Ukiyo, I'll tell you."

Izayoi hesitated for a moment, "Since you don't know, I can't tell you for now. Let's talk about it another time."

She walked to the window and said, "Goodbye, Yuzuru!" With that, she leaped out of the window.

Masahiro Yuzuru frowned: "What kind of person can receive Shinto Ukiyo's protection? Hey, you can use the door!"

It seems that these two small statues called Shinto Fukisei are involved in some secrets. Masahiro Hanyu called Mizure Abu.

Since accepting the commission, Masahiro Hanyu has been calling Mizuki Abu every day to discuss the progress of the investigation.

"Madam Abu, based on some clues, those Shinto statues might be connected to some secrets, which might help in finding your sister, Abu Ruri. Think carefully about what Abu Ruri said and did when she gave you the Shinto statues."

Abu Shuilian was silent for a moment, then said, "I've already told you what my sister said, that's all."

"Oh, right, after my sister gave me the Shinto Floating Life statue, she also gave me a knife-shaped pendant, saying she made it herself and that I must always keep it with me to protect me. You should have seen it!"

Yuzuru Masahiro remembered that Abu Mizure did indeed wear a delicate, small, knife-shaped ebony pendant on her chest, which she hadn't taken off even when the two were being intimate.

The knife-shaped pendant might be one of the other keepsakes that Izayoi mentioned.

Why did Abu Ruri send Shinto Fusei to Abu Mizurei? Is there any need to worry about the safety of the East Asia Association President's wife?

Did she feel safe and see no use in keeping the Divine Path of Life, or did she have other intentions?

Masahiro Hanyu plans to return the two Shinto statues to Abu Mizuren after returning from the tea room tomorrow. He doesn't want to have to worry about strange guests suddenly appearing in his room every day because of these statues.

On Sunday, he and Sayuki Yui came to Inoue Kazuhiko's teahouse in Nishiazabu, Miyako District, as scheduled.

The dark brown wooden gate was ajar. Masahiro Hanyu pushed it open, and the two of them walked into the courtyard.

Ms. Kyoko, dressed in a plain, ultra-thin kimono, came out to greet us. "Welcome, Mr. Inoue. We've been waiting for you for a long time."

Yui Satsuki gently licked the antigen film stuck to her upper palate with the tip of her tongue, still feeling somewhat uneasy.

After drinking the sacred tea today, will the two of you be able to control yourselves? Especially Yuzuru-kun!