62 Jinjiang Exclusive

◎The Confessions◎

64

"Thump—"

Sigma's fingers loosened unconsciously, and the cake fork he was holding fell to the floor with a crisp sound.

“Dostoevsky never told me any of this…” he murmured.

"He only said... my plan is to influence the Armed Detective Agency through public opinion, and also to find the 'book'—"

But that wasn't what shocked him the most.

If Kawakami Wakana really was Dostoevsky's lover—

Did Kawakami Wakai foresee that he might sacrifice himself to save the hostages?

If he predicted it, would he... target his lover?

If it hadn't been predicted, and assuming Kawakami Wakai had actually done that, how would Fyodor view him? Would he still give him the "home" he had promised...?

Sigmar remembered something Dostoevsky had once told him.

He said that feelings are superfluous.

Is that really the case? That cup of coffee was so warm...

It even seems to have brought to life the concept of "home" that he had been searching for.

At this moment, Dazai Osamu seemed to understand what Wakami was trying to do, and hurriedly ran to his locker to take out the rope hanging inside. Although Kawakami Wakami did not intend to commit suicide, she still dangled the rope in her hand.

“Sigma, if you understand what I’m saying, then give Fedia a call.”

“Tell him that if he doesn’t release the hostages soon, I’m capable of anything.”

"……!"

Ruoyi's parents, standing to the side, widened their eyes in horror at these words, trembling as they tried to say something, but seeing their daughter's resolute gaze, they swallowed all the words they wanted to say.

They understood that what Ruoyi wanted to exploit was perhaps only that the other party did not want to see her sacrifice, rather than the sacrifice itself.

My daughter seems to have grown up overnight.

Sigma could only nod in agreement and dial a number. As soon as the call connected, he immediately asked:

"Dostoevsky, you have a lover in the Armed Detective Agency, and the hostage is a friend of her father. Why didn't you tell me this sooner? Did you do all this to force her to leave the agency?"

"In short, come over here! Ruoyi Sang, she said she's willing to sacrifice herself to end it all!"

When Sigma spoke, he used Japanese, which everyone present could understand. Only then did Kawakami Wakana realize that two gazes were fixed on her.

Kawakami Ruoyi: "..."

She was so focused on stopping Fyodor that she completely forgot...

Mom and Dad are here too!!

"Dad, Mom," Ruoyi scratched the back of her head and looked at her parents with an awkward smile, "We'll talk about some things later..."

In fact, when Kawakami Wakana made those harsh words in front of Sigma, she was also taking a gamble.

She was gambling that even if Sigma could stand by and watch Fedia take an innocent family hostage, he couldn't stand by and watch someone with zero murderous intent towards him, someone who had just bought him hot coffee, die because he refused to reveal information.

She was also gambling; she died, but she didn't kill him with her own hands. It was Feja's weakness.

However, it's clear that he made the right bet.

As seen in the video, the water flow has slowed down somewhat, and the mosaic that was originally stuck on the background has disappeared.

Edogawa Ranpo snatched Sigma's phone, put on his black-rimmed glasses, and stared at it intently for a while. He then tried to find a reflective spot and said, "You can see the glass roof of Yokohama's Third Warehouse District from here! The water level is dropping, so there might be underground drainage!"

Kunikida Doppo immediately called Izumi Kyoka and Oda Sakunosuke, who were originally on field duty.

In the nearby Third Warehouse District, Oda Sakunosuke successfully stunned several professional assassins lying in ambush by using his ability to predict danger. Izumi Kyoka also immediately destroyed the drainage system and smashed the containers with Yasha Shirayuki after she was safe.

“I’m from the Armed Detective Agency,” she said, extending her hand to the still trembling hostages. “You’re safe now.”

Sigma saw all of this through the surveillance video.

Since there was nothing more for her to do, Sigma intended to leave quietly, but was stopped by Kawakami Wakana. She handed him the cup of hot coffee.

"Since you've already bought it, you can take this with you."

"Thank you." Sigma nodded his thanks, opened the lid, and took a small sip. "Is this coffee? It's quite delicious."

"Isn't it delicious!" Ruoyi said with a smile. "You can come to the Armed Detective Agency for a drink anytime next time."

Meanwhile, Oda Sakunosuke had already made contact with the hostages and would arrive soon.

The members of the Armed Detective Agency finally breathed a sigh of relief.

only……

For the Armed Detective Agency, the old crisis was resolved, but for Wakana Kawakami, a new crisis had just begun.

At this moment, Ruoyi and her parents sat on the sofa in the detective agency, looking at each other in bewilderment.

It was Dad who spoke first: "Ruoyi, what exactly happened? Was it Ras who kidnapped Dad's friend?"

“RAS?” Dazai Osamu couldn’t help but laugh when he heard the name. “Isn’t that the name of one of the bands in some girl band project game? He really knows how to name himself.”

"—Or is rasu actually last (lasuto)?"

Kawakami Wakana glared at Dazai Osamu, who then obediently shut his mouth.

“Dad, Mom, I’m so sorry for keeping this from you!” Kawakami Wakana knew that no excuse could replace the honesty, so she had no choice but to tell the truth, “My so-called boyfriend is not named Raskolnikov, his name is Fyodor. He is a very dangerous person.”

“Raskol…” Dazai Osamu exclaimed in an exaggerated “Wow!” “This is even more difficult to pronounce than his real name! So do Lucia people have to have such long names?”

"Dazai——"

Kunikida Doppo grabbed Dazai Osamu's ear and dragged him to the computer. "Now, organize the files for this incident!"

Osamu Dazai: qwq

You're targeting me—!

Meanwhile, on the other side, Kawakami Wakana slowly began her story from the "Jinjiang" app, briefly and frankly recounting her experiences with Fei Jia to her parents. After finishing everything she needed to say, she finally let out a long sigh and took a sip of coffee to soothe her throat.

"In short, Dad, Mom, he's a very dangerous person. Don't get close to him easily, and don't believe anything he says. As for me—"

She wanted to say that even if she really gave up her job at the detective agency, even turned down the hospital offer, and went back to Sendai with her parents, Fedia might not let her go.

"Ruoyi, you can stay here," her father said.

Kawakami Wakai: Eh—Eh?!

She thought that after telling everyone everything, her parents would take her away from Yokohama for her safety, but to her surprise, her father said something like that.

The father explained, "Actually, we've been inquiring about Yokohama all this time. Coincidentally, there really is someone with superpowers around you. He said that if you get involved in a superpower incident, running away would be even more dangerous."

Mom wiped her eyes. "The way you worked today made me realize that although I still subconsciously see Ruoyi as a child who needs protection, my daughter has grown up."

“That person, um… Fyodor? He won’t let you off easily. In that case, you might be safer staying with the Armed Detective Agency than with us.”

At that moment, Ruoyi felt her eyes welling up with tears.

She threw herself into her parents' arms and began to wail, crying even harder than she had in front of Hinata Natsumi last time. Her parents simply patted her back gently...

Sigma, who was standing at the entrance of the detective agency and had not left, witnessed all of this.

After leaving the Armed Detective Agency, Sigma went straight to a nearby McDonald's. He found a quiet corner to sit down and made another phone call to Fyodor.

"She's still staying at the detective agency?" the other party asked as soon as the call connected.

“Hmm,” Sigma said slowly.

He desperately wanted to ask Fyodor what he really meant. Was this plan to target the Armed Detective Agency or to target Kawakami Wakai?

But the tone on the other end was calm and collected: "I understand."

"Now that you understand her thoughts, just treat her like an ordinary member of the detective agency."

He had anticipated that Kawakami Wakana would do this, and if it could make her misunderstand his weakness, it would be perfect.

So--

"The 'Five Signs of Decay' plan has officially begun."

As he spoke, Fyodor pointed to the open coffin behind him.

Inside that coffin lay a vampire, with only half a body, almost fused to the cross.

"I understand," Sigma replied, hanging up the phone. His hand, however, remained firmly gripping the cup of hot coffee.

The coffee wasn't cold yet; he could still feel its warmth on his fingers.

…………

The incident ended with Oda Sakunosuke and Izumi Kyoka successfully taking the hostages to a nearby hospital, and Wakana accompanying her parents to visit them.

The task of writing the report was pushed onto Dazai Osamu by Kunikida Doppo as a form of punishment.

However, the latter is certainly not capable of working seriously.

Taking advantage of Kunikida's momentary lapse in attention, he slipped out. And he headed straight for the Port Mafia building.

The Mafia members who noticed him were initially preparing to attack because of the intruder's appearance, but when they saw Dazai Osamu's face, they all took a few steps back.

He arrived at the door of the leader Mori Ougai's office with complete confidence.

As Dazai Osamu reached for the doorknob, his expression suddenly hardened, and he abruptly clenched the fist that was attacking him.

"Chuuya, it's only been four years, have you already forgotten my ability? Even if you activate 'Corruption,' you can't hurt me."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Chuuya Nakahara snapped. "Speak! What do you, a former defector, want from the boss at this point?"

"What are you doing?" Dazai Osamu released his grip on Nakahara Chuuya's fist and waved his hand as if to leave.

"If a little slug doesn't want to know the 'demon's' next move, then I don't care."

Chuuya Nakahara: !

"Dazai—" he roared, "You stop right there!"

“Alright.” Dazai Osamu obediently stopped. “I can stop here, and I can tell your leader everything I know. After all, who knows, the Detective Agency and the Mafia might still need to cooperate someday.”

"—However, my condition is that I meet that person once."

“That person…” Nakahara Chuuya’s eyes widened; as if they were about to burst out of their sockets.

Was he referring to Pushkin, a member of the House of the Dead who had been imprisoned in a Mafia cell since the "Hybridization" incident?

But Dazai Osamu continued speaking to himself: He went on to say, "You know, right? That girl who just joined our detective agency. Dostoevsky is trying to use her family to make her betray the agency."

"Either Kawakami Wakai is his weakness, or he wants us to misunderstand him. But no matter what, Wakai-chan is the key."

Nakahara Chuuya: "..."

This isn't a discussion at all!

"I understand." Chuuya Nakahara gritted his teeth and snorted.

[Author's Note]

Xiaoxi: Do you think I'd be tempted by a cup of coffee?!

Small Theater

Ever since Fyodor and Wakana Kawakami got together, Sigma has discovered that their days of public displays of affection are his days of suffering.

After finally getting Kawakami Wakai to memorize a Chinese character, Fyodor came to teach her Russian.

So much so that—

Fyodor: How do you say goodbye in Russian?

Sigma: baka

(There's a Russian expression for goodbye that sounds similar to "baka")