Zongman: Beginning and Snow under the Rain Escape from Raccoon City

With money, everything is negotiable.

Without money, you can't solve any problems.

but……

Where can they get money now?

……

On an autumn afternoon, sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains, dappling the room.

Hachiman Hikigaya was slumped over his desk, clutching a can of coffee he'd bought from a convenience store.

He barely slept last night; his mind was filled with the distorted visions of Silent Hill.

Even after returning to the main world, the shadow in my heart still lingers.

"Komachi——"

He was about to ask his sister to pour him a cup of hot tea.

"Ding-dong-"

The doorbell rang suddenly.

Komachi Hikigaya rushed out, peeked through the peephole, and her expression suddenly froze: "Brother, it looks like... a policeman?"

"police?"

Hachiman Hikigaya's heart sank, and he almost slipped out of his coffee can.

——No way.

Has my anonymous report against Tanaka Ichiro been exposed?

"Click——"

The door was pushed open.

Standing at the door was Inspector Megure, accompanied by Wataru Takagi and Miwako Sato.

"excuse me."

Megure Juzo took off his hat and sharply surveyed the room.

"Hachiman Hikigaya, right? We're from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division."

Takagi smiled slightly, her tone gentler than her senior's: "Please don't be nervous, we're just conducting a routine investigation."

"And we must have met before."

Hachiman Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to remain calm and nodded, saying, "...May I ask what you're investigating?"

Megure pulled out a document and slammed it onto the coffee table.

Above is a photo of Ichiro Tanaka and his wanted poster.

“A few days ago, we received an anonymous fax detailing Tanaka Ichiro’s escape route to Russia.”

Megure's eyes sharpened: "We checked the nearby surveillance footage and found that you had been near that print shop."

The air suddenly solidified.

Hachiman Hikigaya's mind was in turmoil, but he managed a stiff smile: "Huh? Surveillance? Maybe... I often go to convenience stores to buy things, so it's normal to pass by on my way, right?"

"What a coincidence?"

Megure Juzo didn't believe it, but there was no direct evidence that it was Hikigaya Hachiman who posted it.

It can only be said that he is the most suspicious.

And, most importantly.

Even if he sent the fax, he is not a criminal.

He was a whistleblower.

"So you mean you were just passing by?"

Sato Miwako crossed her arms and asked a question symbolically.

"Yes."

Hachiman Hikigaya spread his hands, his eyes deadpan: "Do I look like some kind of international detective? I'm just a salaryman in training, I don't have time to follow any fugitives."

Megure frowned: "But even we police officers might not have such a clear understanding of the details in the fax. Are you sure you really don't know anything about it?"

"If you know the details, I still hope you can cooperate with our police."

"This will help us apprehend criminals as soon as possible."

Hachiman Hikigaya's heart tightened, but he remained nonchalant: "Detailed? That means the informant is more dedicated than you. If you really can't find the person, you might as well just hire a detective."

"I read in the newspaper before that there was a very amazing detective named Shinichi Kudo."

"Perhaps you could ask him for help."

Inspector Megure's face darkened.

Should I hire a detective?

Isn't this a blatant slap in the face to the police?

"You kid——"

Megure Juzo's face turned ashen. He was about to speak when Sato Miwako reached out and stopped him.

"Inspector Megure, calm down."

She smiled and turned to Hachiman Hikigaya: "Hikigaya-kun, we understand that you may just be an ordinary student, or perhaps it was just a coincidence that you appeared near the print shop. But please remember that if you recall any clues in the future, you can contact the police at any time."

She handed me a business card.

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at it, but didn't reach out to take it. He simply nodded and said, "Hmm... I'll consider it."

"Alright, Takagi, Sato, let's go."

"Imperial Megure said irritably, then turned and walked away."

He didn't really have any feelings for Hachiman Hikigaya, even though his superiors had asked him to investigate.

But he wasn't actually in a hurry to find out anything.

How dare that kid Hachiman Hikigaya mock them, saying that police officers are inferior to detectives?

OK OK.

Now he absolutely has to investigate Hachiman Hikigaya thoroughly.

"excuse me."

Takagi Wataru awkwardly nodded to Hikigaya Komachi and hurriedly closed the door for Hikigaya Hachiman.

"Click—"

The entrance fell silent.

Hachiman Hikigaya slumped on the sofa, covered his face with his hands, and his heart pounded.

Good grief, he just mocked the police.

He would never normally do something like this.

I was really nervous just now, which is why I couldn't help but use such provocative language to change the subject.

only……

It seems he offended the police.

……

Night falls.

At the street corner near the Hikigaya family's house, an inconspicuous silver sedan was parked quietly.

The car window was slightly ajar, and the red dot of a cigarette inside flickered on and off.

"Tsk... It really is just an ordinary student's place."

The detective sitting in the driver's seat flipped through his notebook, his tone slightly disdainful.

The young detective in the passenger seat stared at the building across the street and said in a low voice, "Does Superintendent Matsumoto really suspect him? To be honest, that kid looks like a dead fish; he's just a gloomy, good-for-nothing student at best."

"Alright, just do whatever the boss says, it's not like you're not getting paid."

The veteran detective in the driver's seat exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Can day shifts and night shifts be the same?"

The young detective in the passenger seat muttered a few words of dissatisfaction.

The veteran detective chuckled: "You young people, we didn't have the same advantages back then. We didn't even have cars, and we could only stand outside in the cold wind."

"Be grateful that you have a car to ride in now."

The young detective pursed his lips; they were saying that kind of thing again.

However, he did not refute it.

A brief silence fell over the car, broken only by the ticking of the car clock.

Suddenly, the curtains in the building across the street swayed slightly.

The two detectives looked up almost simultaneously.

By the light, they saw Hachiman Hikigaya peek out at the street, his face bearing his usual deadpan expression, before pulling the curtains back shut.

The young detective was startled and instinctively said, "Has he discovered us?"

Chapter 200 The Impulsive Nakano Ichika

Late at night.

In the Nakano family's apartment, the room was pitch black, with only the ticking of the clock in the living room.

Maruo Nakano sat on the sofa, looking haggard, clutching a bank notice in his hand.

Since the doctors at the hospital went on strike, patients have been leaving the hospital, creditors are pressing for payment, and the cash flow has dried up.

Yes, that's right, now it's not just his employees pressuring him.

Even banks are withdrawing loans.

Because their hospital's situation was exposed by the media, the bank's risk control department keenly sensed the risk that the loan might be lost entirely.

So even though the loan hadn't matured yet, the bank demanded that he repay the full amount in advance.

How could that possibly be possible!

And it's not just one bank.

Three banks are now pressuring him to repay the debt, demanding a lump sum payment of 4 million yen.

Several other banks were also eager to make a move, constantly calling to sound him out.

It seems like the debt collection process is about to begin.

Nakano Maruo buried his head in his arms and remained silent.

Logically speaking, banks shouldn't do this.

Anyone who has ever taken out a loan knows that when you apply for a loan, the bank will always make you sign some unreasonable contracts.

They completely eliminated their own risks.

It will also state that they can ask you to repay the loan in advance at any time.

Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki sat to the side, all looking worried but helpless.

Only Ichika Nakano (017) silently stood up and went into the kitchen.

She turned on the tap, filled a glass with water, but didn't drink it.

Water droplets slid down the side of the cup, their coolness seeping into her fingertips.