Chapter 16
Rina Natsume had an injury on her arm, and it took her a long time to take a bath.
After stepping out of the bathroom, I let out a soft breath.
At this moment, Kurosawa Shiran had already woken up.
He was studying the tungsten wires with his head down when he heard the noise. He looked up at her, looking like he had been electrocuted and was both funny and pitiful.
Rina Natsume's hair was still a little damp. She dried her hair with a towel, looked around, and asked, "Where are the other two?"
“It’s all taken care of,” Kurosawa Shiran lay on the floor, looking utterly dejected. “My sister doesn’t care about me at all.”
He spoke in a halting, drawn-out way, like a little puppy that had been abandoned.
Rina Natsume smiled helplessly: "I can't move you. Let's eat something and rest."
Kurosawa Shiran immediately sat up, her blue eyes suddenly brightening. "I want to sleep in my sister's bed."
Rina Natsume sighed, "If you don't mind what's up there, go to sleep."
Anyway, she usually sleeps on the sofa.
Kurosawa Shiran's lips curled slightly upward, his eyes holding a meaningful, enigmatic gaze. "I don't mind."
Natsume Rina pretended not to see anything, took the evidence bag and left the house. As she closed the door, she said goodnight and went to the living room.
She suddenly remembered something.
In the group photo in the living room, there's a small five-inch photo clipped behind the frame.
In the photo, Rina Natsume is wearing a junior high school sailor uniform.
She was holding the hand of a small child, about five or six years old, a head shorter than her. The child had long black hair, a slender build, and was very beautiful, like a delicate Western doll.
The little child, clutching a teddy bear, peeked out from behind Natsume Rina, his large blue eyes filled with curiosity, a sight that instantly brought joy to anyone who saw him.
Rina Natsume rubbed her fingertips together, put away the photo, and left the residence.
Hearing the click of the door closing outside, Kurosawa Shiran stood up, looked out the window, and stared expressionlessly at the black sedan.
He couldn't see the face of the person in the driver's seat clearly, and the other person was also very perceptive, intentionally avoiding him.
The only thing visible on the steering wheel is the half-arm of a burly man.
Kurosawa Shiran tapped the edge of the table twice with his long, slender fingers, looking down at him with a cold, indifferent gaze devoid of any warmth.
After the car drove away, she drew the curtains, angrily kicked the humanoid skeleton aside, and lay alone on the bed staring at the ceiling.
My sister likes men with strong, muscular builds. Isn't he strong enough?
Natsume Rina knocked on the window twice before opening the car door and getting in.
The man in the driver's seat was wearing a hat and black sunglasses, which covered half of his face, but could not hide his wild temperament.
With his unkempt stubble and the scar near his eye, he sat there like a towering mountain, making anyone who saw him wary.
The car slowly started moving.
Rina Natsume looked her up and down and asked, "How have you been lately?"
Shimono Gen smiled at her, revealing a set of flamboyant white teeth.
His cold and aloof demeanor instantly crumbled.
Natsume Rina, used to this, looked away, took out a bottle of milk that hadn't expired from the drawer, inserted a straw, and ate it for breakfast before taking a nap.
Gen Shimono was once a special member of the Metropolitan Police Department's Security Division, but he left the job for some reason and became a member of the Yakuzakura Detective Agency.
SP is an abbreviation for Security Police, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's agency specifically responsible for protecting important national figures.
Those who can enter SP have undergone rigorous training and possess excellent combat, guarding, and crisis management abilities.
As for why she resigned, she hasn't figured it out yet.
Shimono Gen said, "There's more bread in the back. I guessed you hadn't eaten breakfast."
Rina Natsume was exceptionally relaxed when she was with him; she didn't even touch the bread on the back seat, even though it was within her reach.
It was Shimono Gen who slowed down and handed it to her.
He said, "The tyrant disappeared after killing the leader, and only three of the seven executives remain. Now the Mafia is in turmoil, with countless deaths and injuries, and has split into two major factions. One group, led by Dante, wants to find the tyrant and make him the leader to continue organizing the Mafia. This is the old faction, still adhering to their previous beliefs. The other group wants to find the tyrant to avenge their leader. Their leader is a European named Frank, who is also one of the executives. The tyrant broke his leg, and he probably harbors resentment but doesn't dare to seek revenge. According to the information I've gathered, they have gone into hiding and their whereabouts are completely unknown."
Rina Natsume closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. "Were those executives also killed by Tokiaki Kurosawa?"
Shimono Gen: "Yes, and they all died horribly. The scene was a complete massacre. I've been following Dante recently, and he seems to have found the tyrant's whereabouts, but the old guy is tight-lipped and hasn't told anyone."
Rina Natsume: "She sounds like a dangerous person."
Shimono Gen said, "Don't have any hope for him. He's a madman. I saw him in a London pub before. He was only thirteen or fourteen years old at the time. He snapped a mercenary's neck with his bare hands without even blinking. He kills without mercy and has no complete respect for life."
He was like a beast lurking in the primeval forest, possessing savagery and ferocity, a natural hunter, and no one could easily set foot in his territory.
Rina Natsume: "Do you have any information about him?"
“All I know is that he likes cold weapons, his whereabouts are mostly a mystery, and he always appears alone without any companions,” Shimono Gen paused, “He is… quite handsome, and there are rumors that he is an exiled nobleman.”
However, it is reasonable for this personality to be banished, otherwise the family would only bring about its own destruction.
Rina Natsume frowned: "There's no need to investigate him. He's not a member of that organization."
Shimogen: "Reason."
Unable to come up with a reason to deceive him, Natsume Rina's gentle expression gradually turned cold, and she fell silent.
While turning the steering wheel, Shimono Gen laughed and said, "I've been an undercover agent for so many years, don't worry, nothing will happen."
Before she could finish speaking, Natsume Rina's heart skipped a beat. She opened her eyes, turned her head, and stared intently at him.
Shimono Gen didn't look at her, but he could sense the unease and fear in her gaze.
He knew what Rina was thinking, and assured her earnestly, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."
She can't afford to lose anyone else.
“This isn’t a risk that can be avoided by being careful,” Natsume Rina said, turning her gaze away and touching the back of her neck. “There’s no point in investigating this kind of person, and besides, I already know who he is.”
“Rina,” Shimono Gen said, “you are the last person who should be involved in this, but you are the one who is most deeply involved now.”
This was originally just a promise between him and Takizawa Nanase.
Rina Natsume didn't like hearing these words, so she turned her head to look at the moving scenery outside the window and put on a pretentious, sour face.
Shimono Gen continued, "Nanase wanted me to take good care of you, and I went against his wishes by involving you. However, he anticipated that you would disobey."
“Arrogant,” Natsume Rina said.
Upon hearing this, Shimono Gen laughed heartily, a genuine laugh from the bottom of his heart.
But Natsume Rina's expression was still not good, and she said in a deep voice, "Drive carefully."
After he finished speaking, the air fell silent.
Both of them, without prior arrangement, recalled the scene of the three of them traveling together, and their expressions became very serious.
After an unknown amount of time, Shimono Gen, wanting to break the silence, coughed and said, "Nanase..."
"You shouldn't bring this up, but the words have already been spoken. Nanase said that Jones, the head of the Blue Whale organization, must be among the Mafia's executives. But the Tyrant killed four people in one go. Besides Dante and Frank, there was also Golden Butterfly. Is it possible that he is already dead?"
“No, Jones won’t just die like that. I found the Golden Butterfly. She’s still doing those experiments,” Natsume Rina said. “She must have noticed me too.”
Gen Shimono: "Be careful."
Rina Natsume clicked her tongue: "I won't fall in the same place twice."
“I know,” Shimono Gen nodded in agreement. “I believe in you… You can definitely overcome your inner demons and get your life back on track.”
Rina Natsume's expression shifted slightly: "Could you please not say such things? It's cheesy."
Shimono Gen turned his head to look at her, and after a moment, a smile bloomed on his face behind his sunglasses. "This season is perfect for grilling steaks and drinking beer on the outdoor terrace."
"Okay." Let's go eat barbecue next time we meet.
Rina Natsume opened the passenger window, feeling the cool breeze on her face, which made her feel much more relaxed.
They had already put a small matter out of their minds.
However, there's nothing that can be done about it; her memory has indeed deteriorated significantly.
The doorbell rang twice.
The girl, with her hair tied in two low ponytails and carrying a pink cartoon backpack, dressed in a Lolita-style outfit, asked cautiously, "Excuse me, is this Natsume Rina's house?"
Kurosawa Shiran leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and looked her up and down. "Is this it? Who are you?"
"I'm her friend, Arisu Kazumi. She's the one who sent me here." The girl screamed inwardly when she saw the ascetic-looking boy in front of her, but remained completely calm on the surface.
Kurosawa Shiran raised an eyebrow, decided to let her in anyway, and then poured her a cup of coffee in a hostess-like manner, "She went out this morning, and it's not certain when she'll be back."
Ahhhhh! Is this Rina's boyfriend?!
When did she become so discerning?!
With broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs, this man would definitely be a super cool suit-wearing thug if he wore a suit!
When did people who pointed at a man wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, looking like a QR code, and said he looked good have such good taste?
Arisu Kazumi mentally ranted about Natsume Rina's aesthetic sense, but her eyes sparkled as she stared at him: "Yeah, I know."
Kurosawa Shiran felt something was off about her, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. "What do you want with her?"
Kazumi Arisu stood up and performed the proper etiquette. "Let me introduce myself first. I am a member of the Sakura Detective Agency, responsible for clerical work. I am here today on the request of Ms. Rina to process your onboarding procedures."
Kurosawa Shiran looked completely bewildered.
Arisu Kazumi bit her lip, a bad feeling creeping over her: "Didn't Rina-san tell you about starting work?"
Kurosawa Shiran: "No."
Arisu Kazumi's eyelids twitched, and she took out her notebook from her bag. "Did she talk to her senior about her upcoming work?"
Kurosawa Shiran: "No."
Kazumi Arisu tried to maintain her smile as she turned to a blank page in her notebook: "Rina... didn't you tell your senior anything?"
Kurosawa Shiran: "No."
Arisu Kazumi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and held back.
Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer and instantly flew into a rage, slamming her hand on the table and standing up: "Ugh! Seriously, Rina, that idiot, she's so headstrong, she ruined my date and my time to see men, and she hasn't done any work at all, and she even has the nerve to tell me she has an emergency."
She bought a plane ticket overnight and took an eight-hour business class flight. What was she thinking? Has her brain deteriorated to this extent?
Kurosawa Shiran: "........."
I've heard that those who can get into the Suzaku Detective Agency are no ordinary people.
Kazumi Arisu gritted her teeth, suppressed her emotions, silently packed up her laptop, stood up and bowed to the person, "I'm sorry, I was a bit out of line. I have something to do, so I'll leave first."
“It’s nothing,” Kurosawa Shiran didn’t even bother to lift his eyelids, crossed his legs, and gently put down his teacup. “Anyway, I never intended to let you leave.”
Arisu Kazumi: "???"
She suddenly sensed a murderous intent, and her expression went blank for a few seconds.
What kind of partner did Rina find for her?
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