Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

Chapter 141 The Stone Shadow in the Photograph

The late public relations hostess Hanatama lived in Room 1907, Sunshine High-Rise Apartment, 3-chome, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku. This apartment was purchased in her private name.

Masahiro Hanyu arrived here under the cover of night, a time when he could do things that were inconvenient to do during the day.

The investigation team was unaware of Abruri's situation. Although they had already sent people to investigate, he still felt it necessary to make the trip himself. He wanted to find clues related to Hanako and Abruri.

There is a security guard on duty at the entrance of the Sunshine High-Rise Apartment, but he is not paying attention to the people coming and going and is dozing off.

Masahiro Hanyu took the elevator to the 19th floor without any hindrance and found room 1907.

Night had fallen, and the stairwells and corridors were quiet, with no one walking around.

According to the investigation, Hanako's hometown was in Hokkaido, and her parents did not sell or rent out the apartment after her death.

According to the investigation, room 1907 was unoccupied, but Masahiro Hanyu still listened carefully to the door and found no sound from inside.

He only began to act after confirming that the room was unoccupied.

Seeing that no one was around, Masahiro Yuzuru took out a thin wire and inserted it into the keyhole.

In the detective profession, it is not allowed to use extraordinary means to enter a room for investigation, but the skills of how to enter a room are learned.

However, Masahiro Yuzuru wasn't very familiar with the place, and it took him a full minute to open the door. Luckily, no one was passing by at that time.

The apartment is a 1-square-meter room that has been uninhabited for two years, yet it still has a faint scent of women's cosmetics wafting through the air.

Yuzuru Masahiro gently closed the door, turned on his pocket flashlight, and looked around. The furniture and belongings in the room were all there, as if someone had lived there, except that the surfaces of the items were covered with a thin layer of dust.

The search team came in, but left no trace; they conducted a very professional search.

Masahiro Hanyu didn't want to leave any traces, so he took out shoe covers and rubber gloves and put them on before starting the search.

Actually, he didn't know what he was looking for when he came here; he just hoped to find useful clues through the items left behind by Hanako.

It seems that all of Hanatama's personal belongings have been taken by her family, so it's unknown what else might be found.

Yuzuru Masahiro searched aimlessly until he finally made a discovery: he found a photo album in a drawer under the bed.

The album contains a few scattered photos, mostly landscape shots, but none of them feature Hanako or any other people. This is why the photos have survived.

Masahiro Yuzuru casually flipped through the album, and was about to put it back when a thought suddenly struck him, and his gaze fell on a photograph.

The photo shows the sunset, with the setting sun dominating the entire scene.

What caught Masahiro Hanyu's attention was a corner of the photo: the eaves of a Buddhist temple bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun and the stone slabs covered by oblique shadows.

The photograph has clean light and shadow layers, with heavy outlines pressing down on the twilight. The stone shadows tilt and cover the entire stone slab ground, and the sidelight of the setting sun makes the edges of the shadows clear and sharp, forming a solemn band of shadow.

Masahiro Hanyu noticed this photo because it reminded him of the last letter that Ruri Abu wrote to Mizure Abu.

He remembered the original text of the letter very clearly: This ancient temple is very old. When dusk falls, the shadows of the stones are cast obliquely on the stone slabs, and it is so quiet that it is inexplicably similar to the rocks on an island.

The composition of one corner of this photograph seems to be a direct visual representation of Abululi's text.

If the scene in the photo is the temple mentioned in Abu Ruri's letter, it would prove that Hana-tama and Ruri are related.

But Hanako has been dead for two years, while Abruri's letter was written a year ago. Is there really a connection between them?

Regardless, Masahiro Hanyu felt it was necessary to continue the investigation, as the information obtained through the intelligence system was all useful clues.

Based on his experience from previous commissioned investigations, Masahiro Hanyu trusted his intuition.

Masahiro Hanyu took the photo out of the album, put it in his bag, and kept it safe. With this photo, he might be able to find the temple.

He wiped away all traces before quietly leaving the room. It was late at night, and there was no one in the corridor.

When Masahiro Hanyu got home, it was almost midnight. He had just washed up and lay down in bed when the phone rang.

He picked up the phone, and Yui Satsuki's voice came through, "You're back. Did you find anything at Hanatama's apartment?"

Yuzuru Masahiro was taken aback. "Ms. Mio, how did you know I went to Hanatama's apartment?"

"From today onwards, the investigation team will begin protecting your safety. I know where you've gone." Yui Satsuki didn't hide anything.

Masahiro Hanyu suddenly realized, "So that's how it is." However, he had been very careful and hadn't noticed that he was being secretly followed.

Yui Satsuki continued, "The location tracker shows that Naoko Yonemura returned to Tokyo and then stopped."

Masahiro Hanyu was taken aback. "Oh, you left Tokyo and then came back. Was it on purpose to avoid being followed?"

""

"Perhaps!" Yui Satsuki's tone was uncertain. "According to the investigation department, Naoko Yonemura is currently located in a manor in the Kumotori Mountains. This manor belongs to Fudo Kongo-ji Temple and is adjacent to the temple."

""

"Fudo Kongo-ji Temple on Mount Kumori!" Masahiro Hanyu was startled. "I remember Toyotomi Kazusuke was in this temple, what a coincidence!"

Yui Satsuki said, "Yes, this coincidence is already a bit strange, so there must be some secret hidden in it."

Although the investigation department is conducting further investigations, we should also review all the information; perhaps we can find some useful clues.

Masahiro Hanyu said, "In that case, we'll need to meet and discuss this together. Would Ms. Mio like to come over?"

"Ah, to your place?" Yui Satsuki asked in surprise. "Now?"

'

Yuzuru Masahiro said sincerely, "Yes, Miss Mio, you can come to my house now. I have tea and wine, and we can even try to find that feeling of being a couple together."

This Yuzuru-kun, ever since the two of them shared their second kiss in the tea room, his words seem to have become more unrestrained, yet they seem to be right, just at the wrong time.

Satsuki Yui's tone was somewhat helpless, "No, it's too late. One more night won't make a difference. Let's talk again when we meet tomorrow."

Now, Masahiro Hanyu no longer needs to worry about President Satsuki's attitude. He can make small requests as appropriate, and it doesn't matter if he gets rejected.

Oh, okay, whatever you wish, Ms. Mio. Maybe next time.

, 7

After hanging up the phone, Masahiro Yuzuru drifted off to sleep when he suddenly heard a "ding-dong, ding-dong" sound. Someone had opened the window and entered the room.

"It must be Izayoi Akizo again," Yuzuru Masahiro opened his eyes. He was about to make a joke, but suddenly shut his mouth.