In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

I understand.

"I think you're the only one who really cares that much."

Yuan Qianye didn't spell it out too clearly. He could tell that Eriri and Kazuha seemed somewhat concerned, but he still didn't intend to speak.

After all, it involves a murder case, and the person is dead; it's not a lighthearted topic.

"Saeko," Gen Chiya called softly a moment later.

"Understood." Saeko responded and stood up, then came over and gently coaxed the group away like a mother.

"Tch, stingy..." Rikka came with a glimmer of hope, but left disappointed with nothing to show for it.

Having dealt with this minor problem, Gen Chiya prepared to discuss more case details with Hattori Heiji.

But what they received in return was a look of astonishment mixed with awe and wonder.

"Qianye, you really are something else." His tone was a mix of teasing and admiration, and he gave a firm thumbs up.

"what?"

Hattori leaned closer, lowered his voice, and rattled off the details in a rapid-fire manner: "When we first met at the hotel entrance yesterday, you were playfully joking around with Kasumigaoka-kun, completely oblivious to everyone else."

At the crime scene, your protective instincts kicked in, and you hugged Yukinoshita tightly to prevent her from seeing the bloody scene. The key point is that she actually let you hug her so obediently, without the slightest intention of resisting.

And now, Busujima is completely obedient to you, so gentle and considerate that she's like... well, a model wife who's utterly devoted to her husband. You don't even have to say much; just a glance is enough for her to understand your intentions and handle things perfectly for you.

“If you want to discuss this, then I’m going to go play UNO with them.” Gen Chiya made a move to leave.

Hattori smiled apologetically and quickly pulled him away, saying, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Let's get back to the main topic."

Seeing that Chiya had sat down again, he put away his joking expression and said seriously, "But before that, the detectives should be arriving at the scene soon. In order to ensure that we can get some more specific information from them, I need to make a call first."

"For your father?"

During their casual conversation while soaking in the hot springs, the two had already learned about each other's basic information.

Heiji Hattori's father, Heizo Hattori, was the Osaka Prefectural Police Chief, holding the rank of Superintendent General. He was one of the most senior figures in the entire Japanese police system, second only to the Superintendent General of Police.

"What a joke, my fox-eyed, stinky dad would never agree to help. If I asked him, he would most likely give me a good scolding and tell me to strictly follow the rules and not to be clever and interfere with the police's case-handling procedures, causing trouble for him and the police system."

“From your father’s perspective, that’s not entirely wrong,” Yuan Qianye objectively commented.

Hattori sighed softly: "I know that's true, but I'm still a little dissatisfied. Couldn't he have a little more trust in his son's observation and reasoning abilities? Even just a little bit, like how your father did for you. He not only supported you in starting your own company, but he was even willing to act as the legal representative of your company in his own name. That kind of trust and support is enviable."

Yuan Qianye said calmly, "Every family's situation is different, and there are many ways a father's love is expressed. In your case, it might essentially be the kind that is strict on the outside but reserved on the inside. You're such a good older brother."

The two returned to their room.

Those who had only gotten a rough idea of ​​the situation from Yukino gathered around.

After being comforted by the women, Kazuha's complexion had improved considerably from the fright she had just experienced. Although a trace of lingering fear remained in her eyes, she was no longer trembling.

Everyone sat down at the table again. Saeko poured water for the two of them, and Gen Chiya gave Hattori Heiji a brief overview of the situation.

They're not going anywhere until the detectives finish their work today.

The girls huddled together, lamenting the unpredictability of life. However, since the victim was not someone they knew, they didn't feel much of a connection to the tragedy. Their kind nature, however, made them feel immense regret and sadness for the victim.

Yuan Qianye used the phone in her room to call the hotel restaurant, ordered some breakfast, and had it delivered directly to her room.

Although we were asked not to leave the room at will, we still had to eat.

After dinner, the girls gathered in front of the television, trying to dispel some of the oppressive atmosphere with lighthearted TV programs.

Meanwhile, Minamoto no Chiya and Hattori Heiji each held a cup of tea and walked to the spacious floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window is a meticulously maintained dry landscape garden, which appears tranquil and elegant in the morning sunlight.

The two people sitting cross-legged both looked out the window, but their eyes were somewhat unfocused, clearly their minds were not on the scenery.

“Hey, Chiya.” Hattori Heiji broke the silence first.

"Ah."

Hattori Heiji lowered his voice: "What are your thoughts on this incident?"

Yuan Qianye was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "It's a bit strange."

"Oh?" Hattori Heiji turned his head to look at him, a sharp glint of approval flashing in his eyes: "What's strange about it?"

"The traces at the scene are too obvious." Yuan Qianye's gaze remained fixed on the window.

His focus seemed to move across the courtyard and back to the blood-soaked room.

"The window was open, bloodstains pointed outside, wallets, phones, and jewelry were missing... All these traces at the scene pointed to a story that was too clear and too logical: a story about outsiders breaking in, killing, robbing, and then escaping through the window."

But this actually felt somewhat off to me. It was like a meticulously crafted suspense drama where the director didn't want the audience to rack their brains too much, so they placed every clue in the most conspicuous position, just waiting for the audience to easily discover them and connect the dots.

Hattori Heiji nodded, his gaze burning as he looked at Minamoto Chiya. He was growing to admire this man more and more.

"I feel the same way. If it really was an outsider who broke into the house to rob and then killed the victim, not to mention the mess and noise in the room, there's no need to kill the victim so many times."

The victim had so many fatal wounds, any one of which could have rendered him powerless to resist, allowing the murderer to escape. Yet the murderer did exactly that, giving the impression that the murderer harbored a deep-seated hatred for the victim and wanted to utterly destroy him.

There's clearly more to the story... uh!

Hattori Heiji suddenly stopped speaking because he noticed that behind him and Chiya, the girls, who were no longer focused on the television, had quietly gathered around and were eavesdropping on their conversation.

…………

Volume 2: Chapter 135: Do they really think we police are idiots?

Gen Chiya turned around as well, and tapped Rikka's forehead, who was closest to him, speechless: "Hey, what are you trying to do?"

Rikka chuckled sheepishly, "Well...we were just a tiny, just a tiny bit curious! Really, just a tiny bit!"

"Is this something you should be concerned about? Is the TV show not good or the games not fun?"

"But, this has already happened! You only gave a general overview, something about someone being murdered and the police arriving... It's making everyone uneasy and concerned, so we can't relax and watch TV or do anything else!"

"So?" Yuan Qianye raised an eyebrow.

Rikka smiled even more innocently: "So just tell us, we can't go anywhere right now anyway. Once you explain it to us, our curiosity will be satisfied and we won't overthink things."

Gen Chiyo glanced at Eriri and Kazuha, who were being led by the hand by each other.

She tilted her head and glanced at Shiyu, who was leisurely watching TV and seemed completely uninterested. She held her tea and watched Saeko with a smile, as well as Yukino, whose gaze met hers for a moment before quickly looking away.

I understand.

"I think you're the only one who really cares that much."

Yuan Qianye didn't spell it out too clearly. He could tell that Eriri and Kazuha seemed somewhat concerned, but he still didn't intend to speak.

After all, it involves a murder case, and the person is dead; it's not a lighthearted topic.

"Saeko," Gen Chiya called softly a moment later.

"Understood." Saeko responded and stood up, then came over and gently coaxed the group away like a mother.

"Tch, stingy..." Rikka came with a glimmer of hope, but left disappointed with nothing to show for it.

Having dealt with this minor problem, Gen Chiya prepared to discuss more case details with Hattori Heiji.

But what they received in return was a look of astonishment mixed with awe and wonder.

"Qianye, you really are something else." His tone was a mix of teasing and admiration, and he gave a firm thumbs up.

"what?"

Hattori leaned closer, lowered his voice, and rattled off the details in a rapid-fire manner: "When we first met at the hotel entrance yesterday, you were playfully joking around with Kasumigaoka-kun, completely oblivious to everyone else."

At the crime scene, your protective instincts kicked in, and you hugged Yukinoshita tightly to prevent her from seeing the bloody scene. The key point is that she actually let you hug her so obediently, without the slightest intention of resisting.

And now, Busujima is completely obedient to you, so gentle and considerate that she's like... well, a model wife who's utterly devoted to her husband. You don't even have to say much; just a glance is enough for her to understand your intentions and handle things perfectly for you.

“If you want to discuss this, then I’m going to go play UNO with them.” Gen Chiya made a move to leave.

Hattori smiled apologetically and quickly pulled him away, saying, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Let's get back to the main topic."

Seeing that Chiya had sat down again, he put away his joking expression and said seriously, "But before that, the detectives should be arriving at the scene soon. In order to ensure that we can get some more specific information from them, I need to make a call first."

"For your father?"

During their casual conversation while soaking in the hot springs, the two had already learned about each other's basic information.

Heiji Hattori's father, Heizo Hattori, was the Osaka Prefectural Police Chief, holding the rank of Superintendent General. He was one of the most senior figures in the entire Japanese police system, second only to the Superintendent General of Police.

"What a joke, my fox-eyed, stinky dad would never agree to help. If I asked him, he would most likely give me a good scolding and tell me to strictly follow the rules and not to be clever and interfere with the police's case-handling procedures, causing trouble for him and the police system."

“From your father’s perspective, that’s not entirely wrong,” Yuan Qianye objectively commented.

Hattori sighed softly: "I know that's true, but I'm still a little dissatisfied. Couldn't he have a little more trust in his son's observation and reasoning abilities? Even just a little bit, like how your father did for you. He not only supported you in starting your own company, but he was even willing to act as the legal representative of your company in his own name. That kind of trust and support is enviable."

Yuan Qianye said calmly, “Every family’s situation is different, and there are many ways to express fatherly love. In your case, it might be the kind that is strict on the outside but reserved on the inside.”

Hattori's gloomy expression lessened somewhat, and he couldn't help but chuckle: "You really know how to comfort people. I think I understand why you're so popular with the opposite sex."

"Hey." Yuan Qianye glanced at him.

"Haha, alright, alright, I really won't say anymore. Wait a moment, I'll be right back." Hattori Heiji got up and went outside.

Yuan Qianye saw him take out his phone, put it to his ear, and quickly answer the call, starting to say something.

He said he wouldn't call his father, but after all, he's the son of a police superintendent. He should have his own channels to get the detectives who arrive later to provide some convenience, within reasonable limits, and give these two people who were the first to discover the crime scene some informational assistance, so that they won't be treated like high school students who need to be dealt with.

Gen Chiya silently took a sip of tea.

Let's end this soon. It's rather frustrating that such a sudden murder has ruined a perfectly good trip.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Around 1 p.m., two plainclothes, capable-looking criminal police officers came to Yuan Qianye's suite.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties with sharp eyes and a short buzz cut. He introduced himself as Sergeant Michida from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Miyako City Police Station.

Following behind him was a patrolman who looked younger and was carrying a notebook; his surname was Hisama.

The two men were polite but professional. After stating their identities and purpose, they conducted formal questioning and took statements from Minamoto Chiya and Hattori Heiji, who had been the first to approach the scene and had made some observations.

The questioning took place directly in the suite's living room, which inadvertently fulfilled Rikka's wish to eavesdrop. She immediately pulled Eriri and Kazuha Toyama to sit upright in a slightly distant corner of the sofa, their ears perked up.

The questioning did not last long; it mainly involved verifying the details of when the scene was discovered in the morning.

After the normal procedures were completed, Sergeant Michida closed his notebook, looked at Hattori Heiji, and smiled with approval: "I've heard of you, Hattori Heiji, the high school detective from Kansai, right? And also the son of Superintendent Hattori."

I've read about you in the newspaper. You helped our police solve several difficult cases cleanly and efficiently, getting the perpetrators to confess on the spot and saving a lot of time on investigation and evidence collection. That's remarkable.