The police officer named Tsuda did not ask what he was going to do with the oranges. After returning to the crime scene in a police car, Fujiwara Yu picked up one of the intact oranges, washed it carefully, and wiped it with a handkerchief, as if he were treating a treasure.

Miyano Akemi noticed that Fujiwara was still in a depressed mood after catching the criminal. She realized that he was getting stuck in a rut, so she couldn't help but step forward and comfort him:

"Fujiwara-kun, I think you've done a great job."

After pausing for a moment in wiping, Fujiwara Yuu looked up at Saito Masami, and after a long silence, he said in a muffled voice:

"...I know that as a future police officer, it's not good to have such thoughts."

He was well aware that police officers couldn't let their emotions get in the way of a case, so while investigating the scene and reasoning, he did his best to suppress his negative emotions. So now that he finally had a chance to breathe, he fell back into a dead end.

If I had insisted on sending it upstairs, would this have happened?

The answer is yes.

Even if he had gone upstairs at the time, he probably wouldn't have been able to prevent such a thing from happening. Because after watching the surveillance video, he understood the real time of the crime. Unless he stayed at Grandma Huasen's house as a guest, the tragedy would still happen after he left.

There are not so many ifs in this world. Things have happened naturally and there is no way to change it.

"You can actually change your perspective and not be limited to what you think."

"?"

Fujiwara Yu blinked twice, not quite understanding what Saito Masami meant. Could he see anything from a different angle?

"It's because of your efforts and the police's that we were able to successfully solve this case, isn't it? A criminal like this who doesn't know how to reflect on himself will continue to commit crimes." Miyano Akemi finished her speech, putting her hands behind her back and looking at the scattered lights in the night sky. She said in a gentle tone, "You at least stopped him from committing more crimes, didn't you?"

To stop him from committing more crimes? It seemed so, and it was something he had not thought of before.

Fujiwara Yuu realized that in some aspects he was indeed inferior to Saito Masami. In the past, he would have fallen into a vicious cycle, eventually becoming obsessed with it. But now, someone was able to enlighten him in a way that he could accept, which was a different experience.

I feel like as long as she is around, I don’t need to worry about the future.

"Well, I'm too limited."

Miyano Akemi just smiled and didn't continue the topic. Instead, she fixed her eyes on the orange in Fujiwara's hand and asked:

"Are you planning to give this to Xiaoyong's parents?"

"Well, after all, these are the oranges that Xiaoyong likes to eat. His grandmother bought them for him."

It was this ordinary orange that helped him find the key evidence and convict the murderer.

"But it will take some time to get back from overseas, so I plan to entrust it to someone else."

Fujiwara Yuu finally handed the oranges to the first eyewitness, Kawai Yoshie, and left a simple letter to Xiaoyong's parents who were rushing back from overseas. He crumpled up the letter with the truth in it and put it in his pocket, replacing it with a white lie.

The pain should not be passed on to the victim's closest people. It would be better to tell them that they passed away peacefully.

"Let me take you home. It's getting late."

After experiencing such a case, I really have no appetite to enjoy dinner.

"OK."

"Well, let's go."

The shadows of the two people appeared very long under the light of the street lamp. Miyano Akemi walked in front to lead the way, while Fujiwara Yu followed beside her with a similar pace, shortening his steps to match the other's.

I don’t know if it’s because we’re reluctant to part, or if the journey is really long, but time seems to be passing unexpectedly slowly.

Only when they reached the apartment did Miyano Akemi slowly turn around and say:

"Fujiwara-kun, just take me here. Be careful on the way back."

She did not choose to walk downstairs to the apartment building, because she knew that if she turned the corner, she would see the organization's surveillance guarding downstairs. She did not want them to remember Fujiwara's appearance... If they knew that Fujiwara was a student at the police academy, they would definitely choose the option of "eliminating future troubles."

Fujiwara Yuu didn't think much of it. He put one hand in his pocket and nodded. His mood had improved, and he rarely joked. He raised his left hand in a salute, showing his upper left fang, and smiled:

"Yes, I will ensure that the task is completed."

The canine teeth that could not be hidden were exposed along with the smile from the heart. It was also the first time that Miyano Akemi noticed that Fujiwara's canine teeth on the upper left were sharper and slightly protruding. Such a toothy smile was inexplicably a bit silly.

"...Is there something on my face?" Fujiwara Yu noticed that she was staring at her face without blinking, and he couldn't bear it anymore and had to ask.

"No, I just think Fujiwara-kun has this side to him."

"Am I too boring on weekdays?"

"No, it's very interesting." Miyano Akemi also saluted like Fujiwara, and said with a faint smile: "Then Fujiwara-kun, who promised to complete the task, wishes you a good night in advance."

"Well, good night."

Fujiwara Yu turned around and took a few steps, then silently stretched out his left hand and fell into deep thought.

I never thought I would do such a thing. It’s just like what the book says, when you like someone you will sometimes “become stupid”.

——

23:47 after the interrogation ended.

Around midnight, the izakaya near the Metropolitan Police Department becomes packed with criminal police officers who come for team building after get off work. The small izakaya is packed. The cacophony of noise makes everyone chat at the top of their lungs, and I wonder if their voices will be hoarse by tomorrow's workday.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!