Chapter 2 In short, Nekono Ikuya was accidentally...

Nekono Ikuya stared at the mug in her hand, feeling unhappy.

Of course, his displeasure wasn't due to the slightly childish design on the mug—that kind of playfulness was more in line with his age—nor was it the sweet hot cocoa steaming inside.

Nekono Ikuya picked up the mug in his hand, puffed out his cheeks, blew away the white steam rising from the top of the mug, and took a small sip. The warmth instantly went down his throat and spread from his chest to his whole body, making him feel lazy.

Nekono Ikuya squinted her eyes contentedly... The hot cocoa still smelled delicious.

Actually, the reason he was unhappy was that—Nekono Ikumi glanced down at the hands of his wristwatch on his right hand, then looked up at the busy crowd of police officers around him, and after a long while, he sighed in frustration.

It was already time for class, and he had planned to prepare a surprise for everyone today, but now he was stuck in the police station.

This is... terrible!

Here's what happened.

Today should have been a perfect day. Early in the morning, Nekono Ikumi got up happily, quickly shook off her followers, took a slightly detour to a confectionery shop in the distance, and bought a lot of her favorite desserts.

Everything went smoothly, except that as he skipped and hopped toward school with his spoils in his arms, Nekono Yuuya inadvertently turned his head and glanced at the alleyway next to him, instinctively catching something unusual in an instant.

His intuition warned him that something strange was lurking deep within this dark alley.

Nekono Ikuya stopped abruptly, his handsome brows furrowing. Ten seconds later, he stood still deep in the alley, looking down at the corpse lying at his feet.

Yes, a corpse, a body lying sprawled on its back deep in the alley, only discovered by Nekono Ikuya who happened to be passing by.

By this time, the body had already stiffened, and the eyelids were slightly open due to the hardening and contraction of the muscles, presenting an unsettling death posture that vividly depicted what it means to die with eyes wide open.

Nekono Ikuya has a big heart, so when he saw this scene, he didn't scream like the other children, but just calmly blinked.

Wow, it seems like they've discovered something amazing? Let him see...

The body appears to have been dead for some time, so the murderer is most likely no longer at the scene.

Nekono Ikuya looked around and, as expected, sensed no one else besides herself.

Yes, Blake seems to have said that children should not be curious when they encounter a murder scene, but should quickly move away to a safe place, because the murderer may return.

But there's no one around now, not even a cat. Matsuzaka-sensei has emphasized that you should find the police if you encounter a crisis. Does encountering a murder case count as encountering a crisis?

Well, there's no other way. Let's just take a slightly longer route to the police station. Anyway, the nearest police station isn't far from here, so it shouldn't take too much time.

Okay, it's decided then!

Nekono Ikuya gathered all the dessert bags she was carrying in her right hand into her left, and reached into her backpack with her free right hand to pull out a small camera.

The frozen corpse's cloudy, glassy eyes remained stubbornly open, staring intently at the camera, as if trying to confide something to the living.

Unfortunately, the deceased is gone, and all his attachment to the living and the world can no longer be expressed to anyone. The only remaining trace of his emotions in his cloudy eyes is the last embers of his feelings that he could leave for the world in his final moments.

With each click of the shutter, images taken from different angles were captured in a few small photographs in the hands of Yokono Ikuya. These photographs, only a few inches in size, contained all the resentment and attachment of a deceased person to the world before their death.

Following the still photo, Nekono Ikumi deftly put away her camera and nodded in satisfaction.

OK, all done. This way, we don't have to worry about the murderer returning or other passersby intentionally or unintentionally disturbing the crime scene when he left.

Now that the photos are taken, let's hurry up and go! Time is money, let's go!

Nekono Ikuya turned her toes and changed her direction, heading decisively toward the nearest police station.

A moment later, silence returned to the depths of the alley, only briefly breaking the stillness with a slight sound when the flowing wind gently blew through it.

The sound was like a sigh.

Fifteen minutes later, at the entrance of the police station, a cat named Yuya suddenly peeked out and met the gaze of a sleepy young policeman who had just arrived at his post early in the morning and was not yet in the mood to work.

Nekono Ikuya peeks out and blinks: Your little cutie suddenly appeared.jpg

The young policeman, who was halfway through a yawn, was suddenly startled: "?!?!" He hurriedly adjusted his state, and in the blink of an eye, he sat up straight and his expression became serious.

Yes, he wasn't secretly slacking off. What the others saw just now must have been their imagination!

Yes, it's an illusion!

Nekono Ikuya smiled brightly. Seeing the adorable smile of the cute cub so early in the morning, the young policeman reflexively softened his gaze and returned Nekono Ikuya's kind smile.

The little boy walked into the police station with such a clear purpose; did he perhaps need his help?

Hmm, could it be that he accidentally got lost? The young policeman made wild guesses.

People tend to soften their attitudes when faced with cute things. Young children are seen as adorable by most people, and for children with good looks, the cuteness filter is amplified several times over.

Coincidentally, Nekono Ikuya looked particularly good today, so the young policeman unconsciously raised his voice when talking to her.

Young police officer, tough-guy and with a slightly strained voice: "Little friend, is there anything I can help you with?"

The moment those words were spoken, the room fell silent. A flock of crows flew by, leaving a trail of silent black dots.

It turns out that not everyone is suited to speaking in a constricted voice, at least not the young policeman in front of Nekono Ikuya.

His normal speaking voice should be slightly rough and deep, so when you listen to it under your breath, it sounds particularly strange, so strange that it makes the young policeman sound like a weird uncle who is trying to abduct a little girl.

This is such a hardcore, tough guy's clamp! Its effect is so strong that even the upright aura emanating from his police uniform can't quite overpower it.

In an instant, the young policeman's female colleague, who was watching him from a short distance away, couldn't help but change her gaze slightly, and her small hand, which was reaching for the handcuffs at her waist, seemed to reflexively stir.

Let go of that boy and let me have him!

...No, it's the crime radar going off; the DNA of the criminals is stirring.

Although she was also startled by the young policeman's strange voice, Nekono Ikuya didn't show any unusual reaction. On the contrary, her eyes became more serious, and her tone was very calm:

"Officer, I need to report a crime!"

The young policeman looked down at Nekono Ikuya, who was even more adorable than before, and his expression became more serious as well. However, his subtle body language and eyes revealed that most of his mind was still immersed in the cuteness that had captivated him, perhaps because he was still quite groggy from the early morning.

But he quickly snapped out of it, as Nekono Ikuya immediately pulled a stack of Polaroid photos out of his backpack and handed them to him.

These were naturally the photos that Nekono Ikuya casually took when she saw the body.

Recording the initial scene could also serve as evidence of his discovery of the murder, preventing his words from being taken as a joke. Just in case, after all, he was still a child, and in people's eyes, he was never as reliable as an adult.

This also shows that Nekono Ikuya's emotions remained quite stable throughout and he was not frightened.

At the same time, Nekono Ikuya said what she hadn't finished saying earlier: "I found an old man lying on the ground deep in an alley. He looks like he's been dead for a long time... Hmm, shouldn't we report a body found?"

Nekono Ikuya said uncertainly, because although he had experienced many things in the past, this was the first time he had encountered a situation like this.

I feel like the world is starting to look strange.

The young police officer instinctively reached out and took the photo from Nekono Ikuya before finally realizing, with a dazed expression, what he had just heard.

He froze, his mind went blank for a moment, and his eyes stared blankly at the photo in his hand and at the serious-looking Nekono Ikuya in front of him.

Young policeman: "???"

Nekono Ikuya's expression remained unchanged, as if he had already anticipated the young policeman's surprised reaction. When their eyes met, he immediately nodded firmly, indicating that the young policeman was not hallucinating.

Yes, yes, don't bury your head in the sand, I'm talking about a murder case, you heard me right.

The morning drowsiness vanished instantly from his face, and the young policeman was now fully awake. He glanced at the photo in his hand to roughly determine its authenticity before immediately calling for his colleague in charge of the murder case.

It's so sad that work always comes so unexpectedly.

Of course, at the same time, he did not forget to keep an eye on Nekono Ikuya, who had reported the incident, so when Nekono Ikuya turned to leave, he reached out and grabbed him in time.

With fate gripped by the scruff of her neck, Nekono Ikumi turned around in bewilderment: "???"

What's wrong? Is there something else?

As Nekono Ikuya tentatively stepped forward, he glanced back to observe the expression on the face of the young policeman who was grabbing his collar…

As expected, he failed to take a step. The strange police officer really did fix him firmly in place; he could only stay in one spot.

The young policeman, unaware that Nekono Ikuya had secretly given him a strange code name in his mind, still had a smile on his face, but he didn't let go of Nekono Ikuya's hand.

Putting aside the issue of taking a statement, this young child has just been confronted with a murder scene. I wonder how much of a shock he has suffered. As a police officer, I can't just do nothing and let the child leave, can I?

That would be incredibly irresponsible!

Besides, a murder just happened nearby, not far from here, and the murderer has not yet been arrested. What if a child wanders around the street alone and accidentally runs into the murderer?

Hehe, you'd better come over here obediently.

After reporting the murder case she had discovered and drawing the location of the crime scene on the back of the photo, feeling that all her tasks were completed and thinking that the rest was none of her business, Nekono Ikumi, who was about to turn around and head to school as if nothing had happened, looked at the police station gate getting further and further away from her: ...QAQ...No!

If we don't leave now, we'll be late for school!

In short, that's how it happened. Soon after, many kind-hearted police officers who heard the news pieced together a bunch of snacks such as cookies and jelly, including a cup of hot cocoa that was brewed to a rich and fragrant consistency.

They even found a cute mug with a design suitable for Nekono Ikuya's age to hold the hot cocoa, perhaps thinking that such an environment would help Nekono Ikuya relax and reduce the horror of facing a murder case and discovering a corpse.

The older brothers and sisters at the police station were quite kind. Nekono Yuuya sat in a corner of the police station, a spot that had been specially cleared for her. She looked at the table, which was overflowing with snacks, and took another sip of the hot cocoa she was holding.

To be honest, this hot cocoa is actually quite delicious. However, Nekono Ikuya still wants to say that a corpse can't be moved, so she doesn't understand what's so scary about it. She really doesn't want to be left with any strange psychological trauma.

And although everyone at the police station treated him very well, with gentle smiles and snacks for him, he still longed to go back to school.

so--

Nekono Yuumi drawled out his words, gazing longingly at the gentle and sweet policewoman who had been specially chosen to comfort and accompany him. He blinked his starry eyes, trying to charm her and soften her heart.

It would be best to allow yourself to leave.

"Officer, can't I really go back to school? Look, I'm actually fine, in great spirits, you don't need to worry about me... I'm going to be late for school QAQ~"

...Actually, he was already late.

Under the expectant starry-eyed onslaught of Nekono Ikuya, the gentle policewoman resolutely shook her head: "No, you have to wait for the adults to pick you up."

Nekono Ikuya's expectant expression instantly crumbled, and her eyes gradually turned slightly disappointed, quite obviously enough for the policewoman next to her to see.

Of course, the policewoman could see clearly, since it was an angle that Nekono Ikuya had specifically chosen.

This effort was not in vain; at least it made the gentle policewoman who had just cruelly rejected Nekono Ikuya's suggestion to leave feel a strange pang of conscience.

The gentle policewoman thought to herself, biting her handkerchief: Damn it, she actually felt guilty for being a bad person and doing bad things, such as preventing a studious child from going to school. That sounds terrible, but now is definitely not the time to think about being late for school, right?

Personal safety is obviously more important.

"Ahem." Finally unable to withstand the pressure of Nekono Ikuya's gaze, the gentle policewoman cleared her throat and softly explained to Nekono Ikuya, "Ikuya, don't worry about being late for school. We contacted Ikuya's school and explained what happened here. Ikuya's teacher will be here to pick you up soon."

The reason they didn't notify Nekono Ikuya's parents was because they learned from Nekono Ikuya that his parents were currently not in the country, supposedly abroad on business (Nekono Ikuya: Actually, they were mainly enjoying a sweet time together; business was probably just an excuse). So, they had no choice but to contact his teacher instead; they couldn't leave their child alone.

Nekono Ikuya glanced around at the crowd watching him with concern, then listlessly lowered his head and reached out to rummage through the various snacks spread out on the table. In the end, he reluctantly gave in.

Forget it, it looks like I really can't leave this time, so I guess I'll just have to say, "Okay."

We had no choice but to compromise. After all, they had obediently presented the tribute!

Actually, what Nekono Ikuya was worried about wasn't being late, but rather his classmates who were eagerly anticipating his surprise! Sigh, he hoped they wouldn't be too disappointed or miss him too much after seeing that he wasn't there.

In short, Nekono Ikuya accidentally ended up trapped in the police station.

A note from the author:

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