61 Exclusive post from Jinjiang
◎Cake and hot coffee◎
63
Although she kept reassuring her parents that everything was alright, Kawakami Wakana thought that she was probably the one who knew best that it was impossible for everything to be alright.
After all, given Feja's style, it's impossible that she would do nothing after provocatively inviting her parents to the detective agency.
However, the four of them searched the house from top to bottom, but they found no living people, no dead people, not even bloodstains, signs of furniture being disturbed, or fingerprints left during the struggle.
The room was so tidy that it seemed its owner had simply forgotten to close the door when leaving the house.
"..."
Is this... possible...?
Watching Kunikida Doppo tell his parents, "No news is good news," Wakai wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Think about it... and think about it again...
The other party is Fedia. It's known that he chose to take her father's friend but left no trace to warn her. Therefore, the most likely explanation is—
"...!"
Kawakami Wakana quickly found Yosano Akiko, who was staying at the detective's office, in her contact list and called her.
The voice of Yosano Akiko on the other end of the phone was very low, which only confirmed her suspicions.
"Dr. Yosano, has the detective agency received any anonymous emails, or have you had any clients?"
"How did you know, Wakai-san?" Yosano Akiko said, "Actually... just now, someone who called himself Sigma came to the detective agency and even played a video. I'll forward it to you now."
A short while later, I saw the video sent by Yosano Akiko in the chat software.
The video content is very simple; it shows a family of three inside a huge sealed container, which is slowly but steadily being filled with water.
“That Sigma…” After confirming with her father that he was indeed the missing owner of the house, Ruoyi calmed herself down, turned on the speakerphone on her phone, and asked, “Is he Russian, and—his hair looks like a double-flavored ice cream cone?”
Yosano Akiko affirmed, "Yes."
"—And he said that although he knew where the couple was, he would never reveal it unless he was severely tortured."
"..."
really--!
She knew Fei Jia was here again!
Kunikida Doppo was scribbling and calculating in his little notebook when Wakami hung up the phone. He then adjusted his glasses and said:
"Based on the volume of the container and the speed of the water flow, it can be seen that the water could submerge their heads in just two hours."
"Damn it—" He couldn't help but grab a handful of his hair.
Kunikida Doppo was well aware that if he really used violence against Sigma, regardless of whether Sigma was saved or not, the detective agency would be given a handle against them.
However, if Sigma wasn't subjected to violence, the background of the video was blurred out, presumably to prevent the detective agency from using other methods, such as Edogawa Ranpo, to locate the victim. This time, he really couldn't guarantee that they could find the victim within two hours.
Even after a person dies, the detective agency will still be subject to gossip.
No matter what he chooses, it won't meet his ideal!
The situation was already quite frustrating, but then I had a hallucination of Dazai hanging himself on the stairs.
etc--?
Hallucination...?
Kunikida Doppo rubbed his eyes, but the image of Dazai Osamu hanging on the stairs didn't disappear; in fact, he was pulled back by Nakajima Atsushi. Then, he went downstairs and politely greeted Wakana's parents.
"..."
"Dazai—! Who sent you?!"
"And you promised not to do this in front of my parents—!" Noticing the bewildered expressions on her parents' faces when they saw Dazai Osamu hanging in the air, Wakai chided them as well.
“But our plan is over, isn’t it?” Dazai Osamu patted his trench coat. “Speaking of which—you guys encountered something quite serious, didn’t you?”
"For example, should we use violent means to find the owner of this house?"
“Let’s go. Anyway, this place has definitely been cleaned up and there’s no evidence left. There’s no point in staying here.” He walked towards the door. “Let’s go back to the detective agency and see that Sigma.”
…………
Twenty minutes later, with about an hour and a half left before the time limit predicted by Kunikida Doppo, Wakana returned to the detective agency's office and saw the legendary "Sigma" on the sofa.
When Ruoyi met him in A's basement, the surrounding light was so dim that she could only see Sigma's face clearly now.
She looked like a young person about the same age as her, but she was holding a cell phone and looked reserved and nervous.
At least it didn't have the fearless coldness in Fyodor's or Gogol's eyes when they showed her murderous intent.
The only obvious evidence was the listening device on his body, which was not even concealed, yet it spoke of the existence of the "mastermind" and the pressure of "no tricks allowed."
Could it be...
Mr. Sigma, are you not used to doing this kind of thing?
Why did Fedia choose him instead of Gogol...? Was it simply because he looked weaker than Gogol?
"What did you find out?" Kunikida Doppo asked Edogawa Ranpo, who had been trying to communicate with Sigma, before he could.
Ranpo shook his head.
"He won't say anything."
“Except for the man who said he was not a rat in a dead house, but a man with the five signs of decay.”
sky--
Ruoyi's pupils contracted sharply.
She had seen the phrase "the five signs of decay of the heavens and man".
Above Fyodor and Gogol's heads, it was displayed that—
"One of the five signs of decay in the divine."
She had initially thought that the "Five Signs of Decay" was like the "Three Great Beauties of the World" or the "Three Great Talents of Jiangnan"—just five dangerous individuals given a title. After all, the name didn't sound like an organization's name. But now it seemed she had been too narrow-minded.
“Sigma,” she said to Sigma with a slight smile, “my name is Kawakami Wakai, a member of the Armed Detective Agency.”
She already knew Sigma's name, and sure enough, after introducing herself, her supernatural abilities became usable.
Sigma's label is—
[One of the five signs of decay in a celestial being.]
[Favorability: 0. 】
[Murderous intent: 0.]
...Huh?
He's clearly on Fedia's side, a member of the Celestial Five wrestling team, yet he doesn't seem to have any murderous intent towards her, a member of the opposing detective agency?
It seems her guess might be correct.
This Sigma was likely also tricked into joining some kind of "five signs of decay".
"...!"
As she thought of this, Ruoyi suddenly felt a dull ache in her head. Just like when she first met Fei Jia, images that didn't exist in her memory suddenly flooded her mind again.
The person who appeared before her was Feja, but his smile was so warm that it was as if the "demon" she knew was all a lie.
Do you need a home?
She saw a pair of hands stretched out in front of her, and Feja in front of her seemed to really see the halo of a god above her head.
Could this be... Sigma's memory?
When they came to their senses, Kawakami Wakana had already been helped to the sofa by someone, while Kunikida Doppo, pushing up his glasses, was analyzing something with Sigma.
“Sigmasan, I think you should know this. If you insist on interrogating us to reveal our whereabouts, we only have three possibilities—”
"Either they actually interrogate you and successfully rescue the person. The methods might be criticized, but at least the result is good."
"Either they would be condemned for torturing you and failing to save them, but at least they tried."
"Or, no matter how stubborn you are, you can't use violence. In that case, the person is very likely to not be saved, and the detective agency will also be criticized."
"Since it will affect the detective agency's reputation no matter what, our best solution is to use Tanizaki-kun's special ability—"
"Wait!" Ruoyi stopped him from continuing.
“Sigma, right?” She smiled and extended her hand to Sigma. “It’s quite cold today. Would you like a hot cup of coffee?”
"...?" Kunikida Doppo was completely dumbfounded.
He was trying to reason with Sigma, making him understand that the detective agency wasn't afraid to use violence, and why bring up hot coffee.
There's never enough time to begin with!
Just as he was about to remind Kawakami Wakana that this was not the time for coffee, Dazai Osamu suddenly grabbed Kunikida Doppo's shoulder from behind.
“Kunikida-kun—” he said, “Don’t rush, let’s see what Wakai-chan means first.”
"Don't forget how she joined the detective agency."
Since Dazai Osamu had said so, Haruno, the detective agency's clerk, followed instructions and went to the Whirlpool Cafe on the first floor to buy several hot coffee lattes to take back to the office. After thanking her, Kawakami Wakana picked up one of the hot coffees and gently handed it to Sigma.
The coffee was still hot, and the steam rising from the cup warmed Sigma's fingers instantly.
However, he cannot let his guard down.
After all, Fyodor had warned him that the detective agency members were all enemies.
But Kawakami Wakana simply declined the small cake that Haruno had asked her to buy on her way, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"Happy birthday."
Sigma: ?
Today isn't his birthday at all.
Or rather, he himself didn't know exactly what day he was born.
But I must say—
The cake and hot coffee looked much more appealing than the large loaf of rye bread that Fyodor had given him.
Moreover, the air conditioning in the Armed Detective Agency was on with warm air, unlike the cold weather in Siberia.
"Can I make a deal with Sigma-kun?"
At this moment, Kawakami Wakai suddenly asked the company president, who was also present due to the difficult situation.
After receiving permission, she leaned close to Sigma's ear and whispered:
“Sigma, let me tell you a secret. I’m actually Fyodor’s lover. He only made you do this because you’re going to be at odds with the detective agency, so he had to find a way to get me out of there early.”
"Also, the person Fyodor asked you to kidnap is my dad's friend."
Sigma: !
Although the other person was smiling as they spoke to him, it was like the first spring rain—a sign that should have been warming the weather, but instead made him feel cold.
Sure enough, the girl's smile deepened the next second.
She whispered in Sigma's ear:
"So, now, besides whether or not to interrogate you, I have another option."
"That is—I will disappear from this world."
"...?!"
[Author's Note]
(1) Original lines by Fyodor
Small Theater
April 1st
Fyodor told Sigma that she should call Ruoyi "Mama".
Sigma: ?
Fyodor: You are the one I brought back.
Fyodor: She's my girlfriend
Sigma: So what?
Fyodor: So we're your second parents!
Sigma: "...?"
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