Chapter 1212 Problem Solving

Although I knew that the Yokohama Detective Agency was highly efficient, I didn't expect it to be this high.

After having dinner with Atsushi and Jinghua on Saturday, I received a call from them the next afternoon.

"Miss Jiujing, we found your father."

According to the coordinates given by Atsu-kun, it was almost evening when I arrived at the scene with Yamaubakiri.

They were located in a warehouse outside of Yokohama, and when I arrived, several people from the detective agency were standing inside chatting boredly.

"Ah, Homura..."

"Oh, here it comes, ah, Homura~"

"It's alright, Dun. Why are you calling me so affectionately? Just do your job properly."

"Huh? Is this the kid I missed last time I was on a business trip? He looks a bit like Renzi."

Ah, there's a new face. But now's not the time to introduce yourself to them.

It's been almost a year since I last saw Tatsuya Hongo. I never expected my father, who used to look so handsome, to be in such a state of disgrace.

“It… is you!?”

He sat slumped on the ground, his beard unshaven, his clothes wrinkled and a bit dirty. Behind him were piled up a lot of things that looked like daily necessities, even food, water, and a generator. And although the warehouse looked shabby from the outside, the windows inside were barred with iron bars, and the door had been specially treated.

"No wonder the various forces couldn't find him. Ever since his crimes were exposed, he's probably been holed up here, not leaving his house. It's a stupid trick, but he actually managed to take advantage of it."

"Well, that's not the case. After all, this gentleman also spread false news that he escaped from Yokohama." Kunikida and Dazai Osamu, one serious and the other smiling, casually revealed some details of their investigation. "Luckily, Mr. Ranpo returned early, otherwise we might have had to search for a while."

"These cases are all trivial. I figured it out in three seconds."

"Damn it... Why are you here? Are you here to laugh at me?!"

Perhaps because of the days of fear and anxiety, my father seemed to be in a state of emotional collapse. He glared at me with his bloodshot eyes and then shouted at the detectives.

"You too! What do you want to do by colluding with such a monster? There's nothing good to gain from killing me. I've been wrongly accused!"

"Yes, yes, I was deceived and I am also a victim!"

Dad is still the same as always. When he gets emotional, he doesn't pay any attention to other people's emotions or the atmosphere.

"Please, please, as long as you can contact the Hongo family, you can get whatever reward you want."

"That's all."

Just as he was chattering away and the people in the detective agency had different expressions on their faces, and Yamaubakiri was about to rush forward with his fists clenched tightly without me pulling him, a voice suddenly came from behind us.

"Hmph, Boss is right. Instead of kidnapping a little girl who has no connection to the Hongo family, following you will actually allow me to get what I want sooner."

Several men in black suddenly appeared, blocking the door of the warehouse with guns in their hands.

"Okay, if you don't want to cause trouble, just hand him over to us."

The leading man was not tall. He was also wearing a black suit and a slightly retro hat. His orange-brown hair was tied into a small braid and hung on his shoulders.

"Who?"

As soon as the other party opened his mouth, Yamaubakiri suddenly pulled me behind him and put his hand on the hilt of the sword.

"It's the Port Mafia." Despite being surrounded, Kunikida-san remained calm and explained. "He's one of the Port Mafia's leaders, and he's the one currently investigating your father."

“Well, I don’t know why a hot-blooded idiot like Chuuya was put in charge of this.”

"Huh?! Who's the idiot, you green mackerel bastard!"

...Why do I feel like everyone in Yokohama is basically trying to antagonize Dazai-san? Is he really that unpopular?

"Wha...what?! Are you kidding me? I didn't do anything!"

"Just tell the boss the details. Tsk, what a hassle."

"Wait! Haven't your losses and goods been recovered?"

"That's none of your business."

"Is it because he's part of the Hongo family?" Mr. Dazai looked relaxed, his hands tucked into his windbreaker pockets as he approached me. "I'm afraid he's trying to gain greater benefits through Hongo Tatsuya. Isn't his father quite famous in the shipping industry?"

Although there's no basis for this, I believe this speculation. My father himself wasn't very capable, but the logistics company my grandfather owned was incredibly famous, still holding a significant advantage in shipping. And the head of our family, the "Monster of the Showa Era," was even more terrifying.

No matter how you look at it, using him as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Hongo family is a sure win.

"...Whatever you say, will you give me the person or not?"

"Help, help me! Are you from the Armed Detective Agency?" Dad, who was slumped on the ground, suddenly grabbed Mr. Dazai's windbreaker. "Don't hand me over to those guys, please! You can pay any amount of money! Please take me back!"

Mr. Dazai looked at the man who looked devastated. "Hmm—what should we do, everyone?"

"Tsk, what troubles!"

"Well, I don't care which side it is. It won't affect us much anyway."

“…”

"By the way, instead of arresting me, why not arrest this kid!" Hearing my father's voice, my heart skipped a beat and I slowly turned my head. The person he pointed at with his dirty right hand was none other than me. "Compared to me, that guy is more valued by the old monster in this family, and this guy has connections with the government-"

"Why?"

His words were suddenly interrupted. Atsushi, who had been silent since a while ago, stared with his eyes wide open and his brows furrowed into a knot.

"Why would you say something like that? Aren't you Homura's father?"

"Huh?! Who would want to be the father of a monster like her?! What do you know? My life is completely ruined because of this guy!"

His voice was piercing.

"If it weren't for her, Miaozi wouldn't have died, and I wouldn't have been sidelined by the family as an unlucky person and sent to this shabby place to be a minister! That old monster is completely crazy!"

After he finished speaking, he gasped violently and knelt on the ground dejectedly.

Such a person is actually my father... Is he really my father?

“…They said my mother died in an accidental fire.”

"How could the delivery room suddenly catch fire?! Not only Miaozi, but also the doctors and nurses who delivered the baby, everyone was burned to death! Except you!" He stared at me with bloodshot eyes, "And the sanatorium? That sanatorium was built by the Hongxiang family themselves, with the best security facilities. It was peaceful for several years until you moved in!"

"Ha, I get it. That stinky woman Renzi must not have told you the truth."

My heart was pounding, and the man in front of me suddenly became a stranger.

"She's been a liar since the beginning. She's a young girl who's already had two miscarriages. She probably thought she could use you to kidnap the Hongo family and get money. Let me tell you, you're just dreaming. You're a disaster that kills people wherever you go. Why wasn't it you who died in the first place—"

“Shut up!!”

Yamaubakiri grabbed his father by the collar and lifted him up from the ground: "If you dare to insult my master again, I—"

"Yamaubagiri, forget it."

"Owner?"

"I said forget it, you back off."

He looked at me for a moment, lowered his eyes, pushed his frightened father away, and knelt down on one knee.

"Yes, sir."

The golden head hung so low that I couldn't even see the expression on Bei Bei's face.

I felt a surge of apology in my heart, but now was not the time to apologize.

I watched my father, who had crawled a short distance away, using his hands and knees, "...Actually, I don't remember anything you said. I just have this vague feeling that I might have killed my mother or something." It was amazing how even though my ears were ringing and I wanted to punch the man in front of me, my voice remained steady: "What you say doesn't matter to me, but... you shouldn't have slandered my aunt like that."

"So what if I had a miscarriage? It's much better than a coward like you who runs away and blames others when things go wrong!"

Now I really don’t want to care about his affairs at all. What does the affairs of the Hongo family have to do with me?

My surname now is Jiujing.

"Wow, Homura is so handsome." Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Mr. Dazai. He had come to my side without me noticing, looking as relaxed as ever. "I remember Hitoshi-chan said that when her sister Naeko got pregnant, Mr. Hongo Tatsuya had no intention of marrying her. You two even had a fight, didn't you? You wanted her to give up the baby."

Huh?

"The evidence is that Miss Miaozi still used the surname Jiujing when she was in the hospital, and she was emotionally unstable during her pregnancy. Isn't that because you're getting engaged to someone from another family?"

"That, that's just a family agreement! I have no intention of fulfilling it!"

"So you re-engaged and married that divorced daughter of a wealthy family two years ago because you found true love?"

...There was such a past. No wonder my aunt always treated him badly.

"And from the information we've obtained, it seems you weren't abandoned by the family due to bad luck. You were simply demoted to Yokohama due to your lack of ability and the serious mistakes you made while serving at the headquarters."

"It would be more appropriate to reduce the punishment by sending you to Yokohama as a minister."

"Huh? Mr. Kunikida, Mr. Ranpo, why didn't I know about this?!"

"Because you and Jinghua went out with Miss Jiujing that day."

“Ah… t-that’s it…”

“…”

"So, there's no need to blame yourself, Homura."

Mr. Dazai's voice rang in my ears, and I subconsciously turned around and met his eyes.

The corners of his mouth were raised and he was smiling gently, but his brown eyes were cold.

It makes one's back feel inexplicably cold.

"After all, Hongo Tatsuya is a scumbag."

"You, you know what—ah!"

His father was very angry when he heard this, but Mr. Dazai just looked up at him and he turned off the car.

I suddenly found it a little ridiculous, and then I laughed out loud. "You're right, you're really a scumbag." After I finished speaking, I felt a slight pain in my palm, probably because I clenched my fist too tightly. "I was thinking of handing you over to the police, but now, whatever."

"Oh yeah, one more thing."

I glanced at the men in black suits standing not far away, took a deep breath, and spoke loudly.

"While you were hiding in a place like this like a rat, the old man, the head of the Hongo family, had already chosen a suitable successor."

"It seems that I can't do what you want, Dad."

The author has something to say:

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Well, I won’t go into detail about the Hongo family’s affairs. Just treat it as a story about a wealthy family’s fight for inheritance rights.