Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

This was the first time Li Xin had asked Crocodile for a favor, and Crocodile couldn't bear to refuse. So what if he wanted to acknowledge an ancestor? Anyway, when he was a con artist, he had used almost every surname in the Hundred Family Surnames, such as Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, and Wang. It wouldn't hurt to acknowledge another ancestor.

"But if I leave Japan, can you manage on your own?"

Crocodile asked Li Xindao.

He knew that Li Xin was not stupid; in fact, he could be considered quite intelligent. However, the problem was that Li Xin had spent the first nineteen years of his life in the countryside, which limited his perspective. If someone knew his true nature and used this weakness to deceive him, Li Xin would have a hard time defending himself.

Yes, that's how he tricked Li Xin.

"It's okay, I'll just try to avoid contact with strangers as much as possible."

Li Xin assured Crocodile Man.

“Not just strangers, but people like Kao Chieh are also not acceptable.”

"That's what the crocodile man instructed."

“I know that when you’re not around, he pretends to be missing when he tries to contact me.”

Li Xin smiled and said.

"Okay, I'll try to come back as soon as possible."

Crocodile nodded.

In Crocodile's view, it was just a trip to the Central Plains, and he would be back soon, in just a few days. But after he arrived at Shibali Village, he finally understood why it was called Shibali Village—this damn place was actually eighteen miles away from the nearest town! And that was the straight-line distance. With the winding roads, the actual distance was more than double. The roads were all small paths, and you couldn't drive there; you could only get there on foot!

At this moment, Crocodile had no idea what he would face in the next few days. He cheerfully packed his luggage, ready to see what kind of treasure land was the place that could give birth to Li Xin.

The next day, Li Xin took Crocodile to the airport. After Crocodile boarded the plane, he didn't go back to his rented room, but went to Cat's Eye Cafe instead.

As soon as Li Xin entered Cat's Eye Cafe, he felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange. Of course, he didn't mean that the atmosphere among the customers in the cafe was strange, because it was afternoon and there weren't many customers in Cat's Eye Cafe. So what Li Xin was referring to was the strange atmosphere among the three sisters of the Laisheng family.

"Ah, Mr. Ashin!"

Kisugi Ai was the first to notice Li Xin's arrival and greeted him. Then Kisugi Rui smiled and nodded to Li Xin, which was considered a greeting. Kisugi Hitomi also saw Li Xin, but did not greet him. Instead, she would occasionally steal glances at Kisugi Rui, as if observing her expression.

Li Xin sat down in his usual spot, and Kiyosa Ai naturally sat down opposite him: "Thank you, Mr. Xin. Miss Nishitani came to see me yesterday and said that her matter has been resolved. She is very grateful to you and asked me to give you the remaining payment."

He then handed 50,000 yen to Li Xin.

The place where Nagai Tatsuya's testicles were smashed by Li Xin was quite close to the family restaurant where Nishitani Miho worked. When the ambulance arrived, Nishitani Miho noticed it and then realized that the person being carried into the ambulance was Nagai Tatsuya. After asking around a bit, she learned that Nagai Tatsuya might have to change his name to Nagai Tatsuko from now on, and he would no longer be able to bother her.

Miho Nishitani knew that Li Xin must have done this, but she didn't mention it to anyone. She just made a special trip to Cat's Eye Cafe yesterday to hand over the remaining 50,000 yen to Ai Kisugi and ask her to pass it on to Li Xin. Then she went home to sleep with a relaxed expression. After so long, Miho Nishitani could finally get a good night's sleep.

Li Xin had just given all two million yen to Crocodile Man and was currently broke, so he quickly accepted the fifty thousand yen and asked, "What happened? Did your second sister and your eldest sister have a fight?"

Just as Ai was about to answer, she thought for a moment and said, "Why is it that the second sister and the eldest sister are arguing? Why can't it be that the eldest sister and the second sister are arguing?"

Although both are arguments between two people, the different subjects lead to significant differences in the situations they encounter.

"Because I don't think Miss Xiaolei is the type to argue with her own sister."

Li Xin answered decisively.

Lai Sheng Ai pointed at Li Xin and said, "You...you have a really good eye for people!"

It has to be said that Li Xin guessed correctly. It was indeed Kisaragi Hitomi and Kisaragi Rui who had a fight. No, it can't be called a fight. Rather, Kisaragi Hitomi did something that offended Kisaragi Rui, but Kisaragi Rui didn't hold it against her or scold her. This, on the contrary, made Kisaragi Hitomi feel awkward.

Because she had no one to talk to, Lai Sheng Ai had been holding back for a long time. Now that Li Xin had arrived, Lai Sheng Ai could finally speak freely and tell Li Xin about what had happened last night.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Times Have Changed

Yesterday, Cat's Eye once again took action, targeting the 150-carat ruby ​​"Queen's Tears," which was on display at the Nanju Art Museum.

According to the intelligence gathered by Laisheng Lei, there were no extraordinary individuals among the guards protecting the "Empress's Tears," and the police force was within the capabilities of the three Laisheng sisters. Therefore, "Cat's Eye" did not invite Li Xin to help with this operation, but chose to handle it on its own.

Hearing this, Li Xin secretly lamented his loss, realizing he had missed out on five million yen!

Up to this point, everything was going smoothly, and Hitomi Kisugi, who was in charge of the operation, did indeed steal the gem. However, the problem was that the gem was fake; the real gem had already been taken away by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Of course, if that were all, it wouldn't be a big deal. Although the newspapers described this first failure of "Cat's Eye" as if the sky had fallen, the three Kisugi sisters were not professional phantom thieves. Their purpose in stealing was simply to find clues about their father's disappearance and to retrieve his collection. They didn't care about fame, let alone their "never failed" reputation (well, Kisugi Ai actually did care a little, it's just a girl's vanity).

However, everything changed when Utsumi Toshio, who had just come to the Cat's Eye Cafe to boast about his achievements, revealed that he had already told Kisugi Hitomi about the gem being switched. Kisugi Hitomi knew that the gem was fake, but she didn't tell Kisugi Rui this information, making yesterday's operation a joke. Although Kisugi Rui understood Kisugi Hitomi's behavior, Kisugi Hitomi couldn't forgive herself so easily, and the atmosphere between the two became so strange.

"Oh, I see."

After listening to Ai Laisheng's story, Li Xin took a sip of hot water and said, "By the way, Miss Ai, why was the hot water served so quickly this time?"

"That's because I specially boiled a kettle of water and poured it into a thermos, just waiting for you to come. Speaking of which, you didn't come yesterday, making all my efforts go to waste!"

Lai Sheng Ai replied, then slammed her hand on the table: "Mr. Ashin, I'm talking to you about my eldest and second eldest sisters, what are you talking about with hot water!"

But didn't you answer very enthusiastically?

Li Xin thought to himself, but fearing that Lai Sheng Ai would no longer give him free hot water in the future, he could only go along with Lai Sheng Ai's words and say, "Yes, I already know about your eldest sister and your second sister. It's okay, sisters don't hold grudges overnight, it'll be fine tomorrow."

He could tell that Kisugi Rui didn't actually blame Kisugi Hitomi. After all, Kisugi Hitomi had suffered a lot from repeatedly deceiving her boyfriend. This time, she chose to conceal the plan from the police in order to make amends to Utsumi Toshio. If Li Xin could understand this, then Kisugi Rui would understand even more.

The one who's having a tiff right now is Hitomi Kisugi. She can't get over her own conscience, feeling like she's betrayed her older and younger sisters. She wants to apologize, but doesn't know how to express it, which is why she's been secretly observing Rui Kisugi's expression.

"Mr. Ashin, you're making it sound way too simple..."

Lai Sheng rolled her eyes: "You have no idea how bad-tempered and petty my second sister is. She won't let things go overnight!"

Li Xin glanced at Lai Sheng Ai and winked at her, but because Li Xin was wearing sunglasses, Lai Sheng Ai didn't see anything. So she continued, "Before, Junfu-ge and a policewoman from the Metropolitan Police Department talked a few more words, and she hasn't spoken to Junfu-ge for several days. She's super jealous!"

Li Xin remembered that he was wearing sunglasses, so he stretched his neck and subtly gestured with his chin toward what was behind him to Kiyosaki Ai.

"My second sister has always had a bad temper since she was little. She's not as tolerant as my eldest sister, nor as cute as me. Sigh... It's really tough having a second sister like this!"

Lai Sheng Ai still didn't notice anything and sighed.

"Oh, is that so? So I'm making things so difficult for you?"

A voice filled with gritted teeth came from behind. Lai Sheng Ai swallowed hard, twisted her neck with difficulty, and then saw her second sister, whom she described as "temperamental, petty, jealous, unlike her eldest sister who is tolerant and not as cute," standing behind her. Her sister had a forced smile on her face, and the anger and resentment emanating from her were almost visible to the naked eye.

"Mr. Ashin, please save me!"

Li Xin held up his water glass, drinking as he looked toward the Metropolitan Police Department, seemingly observing something important.

"Mr. Ashin, you have no conscience!"

"Ai Kisei shouted before being dragged away by Hitomi Kisei."

She painstakingly boiled water for Li Xin, but Li Xin didn't even help her. That's too much!

You idiot, if I were to help someone, it would definitely be your eldest sister who gave me the cookies and your second sister who gave me the milk. How could I possibly help you!

Li Xin silently drank his water.

After Kisugi Ai was dragged away by Kisugi Hitomi, Kisugi Rui silently sat down opposite Li Xin. She said to Li Xin, "I didn't see Mr. A-Xin yesterday, and I thought something had happened to him. It's so good to see that you're alright."

"There were some things to take care of, but they're all taken care of now. Thank you for your concern."

Li Xin said to Lai Sheng Lei, "So, if there's anything you'd like me to do, please just say so."

He knew that Lai Shengrui must have something to ask of him. He still owed Crocodile seven million yen and was in a hurry to recover the money. If Lai Shengrui asked him for a favor, he would be more than happy to oblige.

"I think we're about the same age, so Mr. Ashin, you can just call me Little Tears."

Lai Sheng Lei smiled slightly.

Li Xin felt a little guilty. He was actually several years younger than Lai Shenglei, but Crocodile Lao had dressed him to look more mature and composed in order to make him appear more reliable.

Despite feeling guilty, Li Xin still said to Lai Sheng Lei, "Okay, Xiao Lei, then don't always call me Mr. A Xin, just call me A Xin."

“Okay, Ashin.” Lai Sheng Lei smiled, then quickly suppressed her smile and said to Li Xin, “Ah Xin, you should have heard about Xiao Tong’s matter from Xiao Ai just now. I really don’t mean to blame Xiao Tong. On the contrary, I feel very sorry for Xiao Tong for putting her in the middle of us and Junfu time and time again. So this time, I don’t blame Xiao Tong for helping Junfu keep it from us at all.”

“However, it seems that Xiaotong cannot forgive herself. I don’t want her to continue to suffer like this, so I decided to steal back that ‘Queen’s Tear’.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I faced Li Xindao in my next life.

Xiaotong's guilt stems from letting Laisheng and the others miss out on their father's collection. Since that's the case, as long as we retrieve the "Empress's Tear" and tell Xiaotong that she didn't cause any irreparable damage, she will naturally feel better.

"Need my help?"

Li Xin asked.

“That’s right.” Lai Sheng Lei nodded. “‘The Queen’s Tears’ is a collection of a very wealthy man. It was only lent to an art museum for exhibition before, but now he has taken it back. I plan to steal the gem back from him.”

Li Xin thought for a moment and asked, "Is the house of that wealthy man heavily guarded?"

If it weren't for that, Hitomi wouldn't have quarreled with her older sister. All she had to do was steal the gem back. It was only because stealing the gem was so difficult, even dangerous, that Hitomi felt so guilty, knowing that her willful actions had caused her sister to take such a huge risk.

"Ah-Xin, you are indeed very smart."

Lai Sheng Rui nodded: "But it's not just a matter of heavy security. The key is that the wealthy family has a vault, the posthumous work of the renowned mechanic Misui Kichiemon, a vault known as the 'Iron Lithium Vault'—a vault that no one can breach. Unless you know how to open it, no one can open it from the front, and it's impossible to damage it. It's said that the family that owns this vault hid in it and survived air raids during the war. And now, the 'Empress's Tear' is hidden in that vault."

Such a large vault, which cannot be opened or destroyed, is indeed a tricky situation.

Of course, if that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. In fact, Lai Sheng Rui doesn't mind spending money to buy the "Queen's Tear." Money has never been a problem for her. But the problem is that the current owner of the "Queen's Tear" is a famous eccentric who is not interested in money. He seems to have other uses for the "Queen's Tear" and will never sell it to anyone else, at least not for money.

Therefore, Lai Sheng Lei can only return to her old profession of "Cat's Eye" and steal back "Empress's Tears".

"We're not planning to bring Xiaotong along on this mission, not because we don't trust her, but because we're afraid she'll be too impulsive."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I faced Li Xindao in my next life.

In dangerous operations like this, a calm mindset is even more important than skill itself. Also, one must have the determination to retreat immediately if the operation fails—it doesn't matter if the gem is lost, but the three sisters cannot be harmed.

There was definitely no problem with Hitomi Kisugi in the past, but the "Tear of the Queen" was lost because of Hitomi Kisugi. In order to make up for her mistake, Hitomi Kisugi was inevitably too eager and lost her composure. Even if she encountered danger, she would not put her own safety first, but would insist on stealing the gem back. This might cause her to miss the opportunity to escape.

For Rui Kisugi, her father's collection was important, but even more important were her two younger sisters who depended on her for survival. She was absolutely unwilling to let Hitomi Kisugi take such a big risk for a gem.

However, Hitomi Kisugi has always been the executor of the "Cat's Eye" trio. Without Hitomi Kisugi, and relying solely on the half-baked Ai Kisugi, Rui Kisugi is not confident enough to succeed, which is why she sought help from Shin Li.

"I understand. When do we act?"

Li Xin asked.

"I still need to investigate some intelligence tomorrow night, but I should be able to finish it by tomorrow morning. Then I can spend the afternoon making a plan, and I think that should be enough."

Tears will fall in the next life.

The timeframe was actually quite tight, but there was nothing I could do about it. To avoid making my precious little sister feel guilty for too long, this was the only option.

"Okay, it's decided then."

Li Xin nodded.

The next evening, Kisugi Rui and Kisugi Ai left the Cat's Eye Cafe, ostensibly to go see a movie. They even asked Kisugi Hitomi if she wanted to go, but Hitomi was having a tiff with herself and couldn't possibly go. So she politely declined.

Well, all I can say is that Rui Kisugi really knows her little sister too well.

After leaving Cat's Eye Cafe, Kisugi Rui and Kisugi Ai immediately disguised themselves. Kisugi Rui put on a business outfit, wearing a light yellow high-shouldered suit jacket and a milky white short skirt, instantly transforming from a gentle and virtuous cafe owner into a capable career woman.

While changing her clothes, Rui Kisugi also disguised her face to make herself look different from her original appearance, but still beautiful and charming. She also put on a golden wig.

"I will disguise myself as the daughter of that wealthy foreign friend, come to Japan to discuss business, and visit him on the way to stall him. The rest is up to you."

The transformed Lai Sheng Lei meets Lai Sheng Ai and Li Xindao, who has arrived to join them.

"Okay, we understand."

Li Xin nodded and said, "I love you in the next life."

"Xiao Ai, you'll be in charge of operating the tools to steal the 'Queen's Tears' from the treasury."

Tears for the next life, love for the next life.

"No problem, ma'am!"

In the next life, Ai held up something that looked like a tentacle and said.

Lai Sheng Lei said to Li Xin, "A Xin, if the operation doesn't go smoothly, I'll trouble you to bring Xiao Ai out. Whether we can steal the gem is secondary; the key is that Xiao Ai must be safe."

Kisugi Ai's father disappeared before she was born, and her mother passed away not long after. It can be said that Kisugi Ai was raised by Kisugi Rui, and perhaps because of this, she dotes on her little sister the most.

Li Xin was secretly observing the strange object in Lai Sheng Ai's hand. After hearing Lai Sheng Rui's words, he replied, "Okay, I understand."

When Laisheng Ai heard Laisheng Rui's words, she pouted in dissatisfaction, feeling that her eldest sister was looking down on her again. However, Laisheng Rui had accumulated a lot of power over a long time, so Laisheng Ai did not dare to talk back. She could only tell herself in her heart, "Xiao Ai, you can do it. You can definitely complete the task well and make your eldest and second sisters look at you with new eyes!"

Lai Sheng Lei left first, and at this moment, Li Xin finally had the opportunity to ask Lai Sheng Ai a question.

"Xiao Ai, what's that in your hand?"

Li Xin asked about the path to love in the next life.

Do you know what a gastroscopy is?

In the next life, I will love to dance with the things in my hands.

Li Xin shook his head. He knew about his stomach and he knew about the mirror, but he didn't know about them together. Did his stomach need to look in the mirror too?

Because of Li Xin's ignorance, Lai Sheng Ai, who was about to give a long speech, suddenly stopped talking and could only briefly explain what a gastroscopy is.