Chapter 81, Chapter 80: Unexpected Permission to Stay Overnight

Small things are like bread, big things are like cake.

After a lively dinner, Date Wataru, Hagiwara Kenji, and Matsuda Jinpei were to return to the police dormitory together, and then go to work at the police station together the next day.

Although Natalie and he started living together after they both came to Tokyo to develop their careers, Date Wataru didn't want to interfere with his girlfriend's life, so he kept going back and forth between the apartment and the dormitory.

These days, his outings have been basically like this: whenever he leaves a building, there is at least one person following him, whether openly or secretly.

The process was a bit complicated, but considering the possibility of unexpected events, Ida Kou had no choice but to be on high alert.

The police officers were about to leave, and it was naturally time for Zhuge Tongzhi to go home as well.

The children, having just finished their meal, helped the hostess clear the table, tilting their heads back and smiling in response to the various compliments they received, before putting the dishes into the sink.

Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda also helped wipe the table and clean up, and with their combined efforts, the living room was quickly tidied up.

The night outside the window was deep. Natalie opened the French doors to the balcony, looked at the moonlight for a while, and then drew the double curtains.

The blonde woman, who had her blonde hair tied into a small braid at the back of her head, turned around and looked at the child who was looking up and teasing Matsuda Jinpei, protesting something. She smiled and said, "It's late. Why don't you stay here for the night, Tongtong?"

Huh? Zhuge Tongzhi was taken aback and immediately declined.

"I won't bother Nata so late!" The black-haired girl touched her delicate braided hair and smiled shyly, "But I'll come to visit Nata often."

However, Natalie was not convinced. The woman, who was a force to be reckoned with at work, tucked a stray hair behind her ear and turned her attention to Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda, who were taking on the task of picking her up and dropping her off, and gave them a gentle smile.

Sensing the change in atmosphere, the two police officers swallowed hard. Meanwhile, Ida Wataru, who had just changed his shoes, looked on with admiration and a hint of affection, and gave his girlfriend a hearty smile when she looked over.

“I heard that Tongtong is living with Midorikawa-kun, who was busy today and couldn’t come over, is that right?” Natalie said gently. “If you’re too busy to go home, it wouldn’t be right to leave an elementary school student alone at home.”

No, no, no, actually I'd much rather live alone. Zhuge Tongzhi's eyes lit up with a half-moon look as he thought of the cleaver at home that clattered so loudly.

Although when Morofushi Kagemitsu was at home, she had a regular schedule and delicious meals every day, and he was indeed a very caring person... it was nothing like the freedom she felt when she was alone.

Regardless of whether she wanted to go home or not, Morofushi Kagemitsu and Furuya Rei, who knew the inside story, certainly wouldn't feel comfortable letting her stay at the same house. Morofushi Tongzhi thought with a slightly awkward feeling that the reason was the same as her not wanting to stay with Scotland.

Because in the eyes of the two undercover men, she should first be ale, and then a fake child with a biological age of six.

No, absolutely not!

"Nata, I..." The black-haired girl scratched her head, about to say a few words to save face for her guardian, when the blonde woman reached out and pulled her into her arms.

“Why don’t we ask Mr. Midorikawa if Tongtong can stay with me for a few days?” Natalie smiled gently and tilted her head toward her two boyfriends, who both looked troubled. “It’s a holiday, so I have time to take good care of the child.”

Zhuge Tongzhi, who was being hugged by his older sister, was silenced.

“Ah… well.” Kenji Hagiwara scratched his cheek, exchanged a glance with Jinpei Matsuda, and then, with a nod from his curly-haired childhood friend, said to Natalie, “I’ll go ask Midorikawa, since we should let him know.”

"Okay." Natalie rubbed the child in her arms. "Look at what you're dressed like. How can such a cute child be dressed so plainly? Do you not have any suitable clothes at home? And this hair, did you cut it yourself?"

"Hmm..." Zhuge Tongzhi nestled in Natalie's arms and mumbled a few words in response.

It's really just her own aesthetic sense. Besides, she lives alone and has to be late for school every day, so she doesn't really have the energy to go shopping or play Miracle Nikki.

The blonde woman changed her tone from praising everything she had said before. She pointed out a few minor details that clearly showed the girl hadn't been properly cared for. Finally, she looked at Kenji Hagiwara, who was on the phone, and sighed, "Really."

Completely understanding the reproach and questioning in his sister-in-law's words, Matsuda Jinpei's gaze drifted, Date Wataru frowned slightly, and Hagiwara Kenji wore an awkward smile, waiting somewhat impatiently for the call to connect under Natalie's gentle gaze.

Xiao Zhufu! Master Jing! Please answer the phone!

Fortunately, heaven heard his call, and within ten seconds, Morofushi Kagemitsu's voice came from the other end: "What's wrong, Hagiwara? What happened?"

"It's nothing. Matsuda, the class president, Kiri-chan, and I just finished dinner at Natalie's house and are heading back now," Hagiwara Kenji briefly explained.

Morofushi Kagemitsu knew about the dinner party, since he had asked Hagiwara Kenji to pick up the kids and take care of dinner at the last minute. So he naturally replied, "Yeah, did she bring her keys? I'm going tonight..."

“Natalie wants Kiri-chan to stay at her house for a few days. She wanted to ask Midorikawa-kun if that’s okay.” Hagiwara Kenji interrupted him, specifically reminding him, “I’ve turned on speakerphone.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Well, I hope Natalie won't hate you because of this, Morofushi-kun. Morofushi kicked his foot, looking at his sneakers lying in the entryway, covered in mud from climbing up and down the tunnel. He'd better wash them when he got home tonight…

There's also the issue of drug testing. Judging from Conan's eagerness, they'll probably arrange to test the drug at Dr. Agasa's house tomorrow. She mentally calculated the things she needed to do recently. Fortunately, it wasn't far from Teitan Elementary School, so she should be able to sleep in a little longer.

"Okay." A gentle voice came from the other end of the phone.

Zhuge Tongzhi was taken aback, subconsciously rubbed his eyes, and then realized that this was just as foolish as Matsuda Jinpei taking off his sunglasses to show that he was all ears. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, and then began to doubt whether the person on the other end of the phone, Morofushi Kagemitsu, was a fake.

But the person on the other end was indeed the real person, and didn't say anything like "but" or "however," but rather seemed a mix of embarrassment, delight, and relief, saying:

“I have been busy these past few days, and if Ms. Natalie doesn’t mind the trouble, it would be a great help.” Morofushi Hiromitsu’s voice came through the speaker and echoed in Natalie’s small house, which was bathed in warm yellow light.

“Tongtong is very cute and sensible. I hope my future daughter can be as intelligent as her.” Natalie replied, raising her hand to pinch the cheek of the girl with a stunned expression, and said to Morofushi Hiromitsu, “Please rest assured and continue your work, Mr. Midorikawa.”

"Thank you so much." Morofushi Hiromitsu maintained the polite distance that was appropriate between strangers who had met a few times, and finally reminded Morofushi Kirito, "Kirito-chan, be sure to listen to Ms. Natalie at home."

Huh? Zhuge Tongzhi blinked, and after a beat of delay replied, "Oh... okay, Hikari-chan."

"Okay, then let's do it this way."

Like any parent who would leave their child at a friend's house overnight, Morofushi Hiromitsu exchanged a few pleasantries with Natalie on the phone, spoke a few words with his colleagues, and then politely said goodbye and hung up.

The black-haired girl, who had been waiting for something to suddenly happen that would force her to come home and deal with it, scratched her head and fell into deep thought as she listened to the dial tone after the phone was disconnected.

What's going on? Isn't she a little ticking time bomb? Thinking about it, she couldn't help but smirk.

Having resolved their plans for the next few days, the three police officers quickly bid farewell to Natalie.

When Date Wataru was about to kiss his girlfriend goodbye, Zhuge Tongzhi changed his shoes and saw Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei to the stairwell. The two gorillas, who had breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the room, each pressed one of their shoulders down as a cane.

“Well, no wonder the class president always says Natalie is a very opinionated lady.” Kenji Hagiwara winked exaggeratedly and said, “I think if Midorikawa hadn’t given in immediately, she probably would have argued her case.”

Matsuda Jinpei felt that the way he was putting his arm around the girl's shoulder was too low, so he moved his hand to the girl's head and pressed it down a bit, saying nonchalantly, "It's just a matter of staying for a few days."

But you two can tell at a glance where the real problem lies, right?

Zhuge Tongzhi, whose small body was bent over by the two gorillas, twitched at the corner of her mouth. All the old and new grudges from dinner came flooding back, and she slapped away the two troublesome arms. "You two!"

"Oh dear, I'm so scared! Kiri-chan's angry!" Kenji Hagiwara, who had just been slapped, didn't seem to care. He just smiled and leisurely walked down the stairs, waving to Wataru Date as he stepped out the door behind him.

Matsuda Jinpei, equally unfazed, flicked the little girl's head and followed his childhood friend, lazily saying, "Next time you see a bomb, don't steal my job, call the police first."

With a toothpick in his mouth, Ida Hang followed. After descending two steps, he turned back several times to wave goodbye to Natalie, who was walking out. The blonde woman held Zhuge Tongzhi's shoulders with both hands and smiled shyly at her boyfriend.

The three officers, arm in arm, got into the white Mazda and soon drove off the street bathed in moonlight.

Looking at the peaceful street, Zhuge Tongzhi felt that this night was too strange and surreal. She couldn't help but pinch herself to make sure it was real. However, before she could do anything, Natalie's voice came from behind her.

The blonde woman gently squeezed her shoulder, turned the child around, and led her towards the door: "Let's go back, Tongtong. We can sleep together tonight."

"Oh... um!"

The black-haired girl stepped out of the cold moonlight and into the warm, yellow room illuminated by the turned-on lights.

…

Late at night, in Natalie's bedroom

Zhuge Tongzhi, with his hair down, lay on the spacious double bed, looking up at the ceiling, which was partially illuminated by the light, while the sound of a woman's steady and rhythmic breathing came from beside him.

Natalie left a small nightlight on for her. Actually, she wasn't used to sleeping in a lit environment, but looking at the cute nightlight held in the palm of her hand, and especially at the blonde woman holding it, she nodded happily.

So much happened today: Bourbon, Ray, a murder case, the half-finished antidote, and Morofushi Hiromitsu's attitude. I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep, but...

The black-haired girl slowly closed her eyes to Natalie's even breathing. Soon, she felt her consciousness naturally blurring, and before she completely slipped into sleep, she heard Natalie softly murmur, "Tongtong."

Tongtong, she remembered that someone had called her that before... Zhuge Tongzhi thought vaguely, and was led into sleep by her last thoughts.

"Tong—Tong—" A woman's gentle voice rang out. She opened her eyes, but could not see the person's face as if she were in water. She only heard her say, "This is your name, Tongtong."

"Tongtong!" A young man's voice rang in her ears. She seemed to feel a sense of weightlessness, and her surroundings seemed to spin upwards. The man exclaimed joyfully, "My daughter called me Dad!"

"What? Who are you?" Zhuge Tongzhi tried to open his eyes wide, but everything he saw became increasingly unclear, like a thicker fog. The woman's gentle reproachful voice rang out indistinctly at the same time.

The spinning, weightless sensation pulled her, and she suddenly fell from the bright dream into a dimly lit place.

The voice in her ear changed to a younger one, asking, "What's your name? Do you remember where you got lost and what your mom and dad look like?"

When asked the question, she and the child from her dream answered together, "My name is Tong."

Three passports and plane tickets flashed before Zhuge Tongzhi's eyes, along with blurry scenery, blurry group photos, and indistinct sounds, culminating in the earth shaking and the frantic shouts of the crowd.

"We've encountered an earthquake," the child said calmly. Zhuge Tongzhi belatedly realized that the voice of the person who heard the news came from behind him, and his scalp throbbed with pain.

However, the child in the dream remained calm and did not show any pain. He simply narrated, word by word, "I was rescued, but my parents did not come to find me, so I came here."

"Then why don't you take the surname Zhuge like me? It's a surname that's been passed down for hundreds of years." The older child behind him finally finished his work, and looking at his creation, he couldn't help but grin and say, "Oops, it's crooked."

"Hmm, it's okay." The child raised his hand to touch the braided hair that was tied to his scalp, shook his head and said, "But this is very easy to come undone."

"That's because you have short hair, so you can't put it up in a bun." The older child patted her head and began to dream: "I will definitely improve my hairstyling skills in the future, and when you grow long hair, I will give you a beautiful hairstyling."

"Sis, my scalp feels a little tight."

"Ah, let me see before you untie it." The older child jumped up and rushed to the front, examined her for a while, and laughed, "Our Tongtong is so cute."

A young girl's face, equally young, came into Zhuge Tongzhi's view, her smile as bright as a sunflower.

The next second, she was suddenly pulled into pure darkness.

The girl lying on the double bed murmured for a while, then finally relaxed her furrowed brows and fell into a deep sleep.

…

Meanwhile, Kagemitsu Morofushi and Rei Furuya were surfing the forum at high speed.

"Chinese Sycamore Tree Care Manual (Login/Not Login)"

-----------------------

Author's note: Sigh, another plot point I planted has been guessed in advance.

Fortunately, I resisted the urge to reveal the secret.

…

Mwah!