Chapter 59
Rina glared at him.
Kurosawa Shiran was very perceptive. His deep gaze swept over her reddened ear tips, and he blinked, hiding the aura that had just surfaced. He then put on a well-behaved and sensible appearance again and took a step to follow her.
Rina possesses exceptional intelligence and a meticulous mind, and is inherently a strong-willed person. Kurozawa Toki, on the other hand, is fundamentally a twisted and cruel psychopath with a strong desire for control and possession. He frequently contemplates imprisoning Rina. If the two cannot compromise, they are destined to be natural enemies, locked in a constant struggle between conflicting identities and a conflicting mix of love and hate. Such an ending is inevitably tragic, so both tacitly restrain their tempers.
Kurosawa Shiran asked, "Sister, haven't you eaten?"
"I have other plans for tonight." Rina walked out of the alley and looked around. "Where's the car?"
Kurosawa Shiran's eyes widened in shock. "Sister, are you going to leave me alone in this empty room?"
Does he really think he's Wang Baochuan? Lina was both amused and exasperated. When the passerby walked into the clothing store, she slapped him angrily, "Just stay here and watch over him."
Kurosawa Shiran clutched her "injured" shoulder, her eyes looking so aggrieved she was about to cry. "Sister, how could you bear to see me so listless and unable to eat or sleep?"
Rina began to doubt whether she had really hurt him with the force she had used: "Then follow me!"
After saying that, Kurosawa Shiran laughed and pounced on her, tightening her arms and pressing her waist into his embrace. "Sister is the best! Indeed, in this world, only sister loves me the most!"
Whether it's the best or not, I don't know, but Rina was being choked so badly she couldn't breathe.
As the two were tearing at each other...
Just then, a mother and daughter walked by hand in hand. The little girl pointed at them and said worriedly, "Mom, look! That older brother is bullying my sister!"
The mother said earnestly, "Xiaobao, your older brother and sister are dating, it's not bullying."
The little girl looked confused: "But that older brother put his hand inside my sister's clothes."
The mother didn't notice at first, but when she heard the girl say that, she glanced at her subconsciously, and then heard a loud "Aww!"
“I mean wait in the car,” Rina pinched Kurosawa Shiran’s ear and warned, “If you push your luck any further, I won’t take you anywhere.”
The little girl stared blankly at the impactful scene before her, which had already left a deep impression on her mind.
So it turns out that you get beaten if your boyfriend doesn't listen to you.
Back in the car, Kurosawa Shiran suddenly remembered his business. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing a muscular and powerful arm, placed his hand on the steering wheel, and gave a knowing smile. "Sister, I met a woman today."
Rina hummed in response, her reaction was very calm.
Won't you be jealous? Why isn't my sister jealous? Kurosawa Shiran thought to herself, glancing at her with a hint of cautious anticipation. "Sister, just ask me anything you want to know. I'm not the type to keep secrets."
Rina, with her serene and peaceful demeanor, poured cold water on his enthusiasm, her expression seemingly saying, "I have nothing to ask."
The heart shape in Kurosawa Toki's blue eyes shattered instantly, and she childishly expressed her dissatisfaction and resentment: "Sister, don't you care at all?"
Rina opened her phone and replied to Hanazawa Yu's text message, coaxing him by saying, "You met your mother at a British restaurant."
Kurosawa Shiran exclaimed in shock, "Sister, you..."
Rina curled her lips into a smile: "Let me emphasize, I didn't put a tracking device on you."
Kurosawa Shiran looked at her inquisitively: "How did you know, sister?"
Rina: "Think for yourself."
Perhaps it was that phone call. Kurosawa Shiran pretended to sniff, reached into the glove compartment, took out a file folder, and placed it in Rina's hand. "They're definitely planning something, but that woman is tight-lipped. I can't get anything out of her."
Rina: "Perhaps they want to recruit you."
Kurosawa Shiran does not deny it.
Rina opened the file folder, poured out four photos, and asked, "Has she had contact with Dante?"
Kurosawa Tokiaki said, "I've made contact, but Dante refused to cooperate."
Rina carefully examined the men in the photo and realized they were the same people they had met at the bar last time. "Do you think there's a high chance they'll silence them?"
“She once used a royal scandal to sabotage the marriage of a British minister and get the Duke’s attention,” Kurosawa Shiran paused for a moment, “She may be able to maneuver among various forces, but I have never heard of her killing anyone.”
Rina put the photo back and sighed deeply. "Let's put this case aside for now."
Kurosawa Shiran thought of the newspaper article, "Is my sister going to investigate the Red Lady case now?"
Rina was taken aback: "How did you know it was red hair?"
Kurosawa Shiran: "It's written in the newspaper."
The police did not release this clue to the public. Rina's expression was somewhat complicated. She glanced at him and then looked away.
"Let's go to the Salon Tavern."
-
The moment the door was pushed open, the copper bell hanging above emitted a clear "ding-a-ling" sound.
With its dark oak counter, warm yellow gaslights, and walls covered in London bus posters, this pub has a unique Victorian-era ambiance.
Rina looked around and soon saw Hanazawa Yu sitting by the window, looking down at her phone with a furrowed brow, the contents of which seemed to be troubling her.
"Sorry I'm a few minutes late." Rina sat down opposite her.
"It's okay," Hanazawa Yu turned off her phone screen, quickly composed herself, and asked, "Are there any dietary restrictions?"
Rina: "No."
Hanazawa Yu smiled and called the waiter to order cold meat dishes and fruit tarts.
"The pale ale at this tavern is quite good, would you like to try some?"
Rina: "Okay, I didn't come by car."
Hanazawa Yu handed the menu to the waiter, "How have you been lately?"
Rina smiled awkwardly, "I'm at a loss."
Hanazawa Yu was silent for a while, looking at her clothes in disbelief: "This shouldn't be. She's an Oxford University graduate, finding a job shouldn't be a problem. Is she having difficulties?"
Rina turned her face to the window, took a sip of her drink, and said, "There are always more solutions than problems."
"It seems the detective profession isn't for you," Hanazawa Yu said. "How old are you this year?"
Rina: "Twenty-six."
"Twenty-six is the age for adventure. At that time, I had just broken up with my boyfriend and was depressed for a long time, but I quickly realized that happy marriages are all based on rationality, but love makes people blind," Hanazawa Yu said with a faint smile on her lips. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Rina breathed a sigh of relief: "We're in talks."
Hanazawa Yu: "People at school used to say that you were bisexual."
Rina smiled helplessly: "Why do you say that?"
"You have a very attractive aura, but you don't let people get close to you easily," Hanazawa Yu said, taking a sip of her drink.
Rina started thinking about her: "Excuse me for asking, why did you and the professor break up?"
Hanazawa Yu was silent for a moment, then touched his hair: "Have you seen 'The Phantom of the Opera'?"
Rina nodded.
Hanazawa Yu asked very seriously, "Have you ever thought about whether Christine and Eric would be happy if they got together?"
Unfulfilled love and beauty triumph over darkness? Rina said tactfully, "Christine loves the Duke."
Hanazawa Yu barely managed to suppress a laugh: "Assuming Christine likes Eric."
Rina: "Then it might be a tug-of-war between redemption and damnation between them, two broken souls resonating with each other."
Hanazawa Yu shook his head. "You didn't understand what I meant. I meant to project them into reality."
Rina: "..."
She had only attended one of the professor's philosophy classes and didn't know much about him, but since he used "The Phantom of the Opera" as an example, it meant that the professor had some of Eric's traits. For instance, the professor had large burn scars, and the students were all afraid of him.
“The professor taught me a lot, he loved me very much, but I… but I couldn’t firmly choose him. Ordinary people would only flee from the darkness, not coexist with it,” Hanazawa Yu’s voice trembled slightly. “I did like him, but love slowly gets replaced by a more complex emotion. He’s like a devil who controls my evil and deception. I only become more and more afraid of him. Do you understand that feeling? That kind of distorted love. In reality, leaving is the right thing to do. I can’t save him. A beast will not sympathize with its prey. Even if you can accept it, you have to be a hunter who can match it.”
Rina comforted her, saying, "It's all in the past now."
But Hanazawa Yu shook her head, took a deep breath to compose herself, and said, "You're right, it's all in the past."
Rina frowned almost imperceptibly.
“Stop talking about me,” Hanazawa Yu said. “Do you have any plans to change jobs? Someone as outstanding as you can’t just live a life of mediocrity.”
Rina smiled and said, "You overestimate me."
Hanazawa Yu: "I can introduce you to Ms. Fujiwara."
Rina: "It's a crucial time for the mayoral election, you must be very busy, right?"
Hanazawa Yu laughed and said, "I can't lie to you."
Even with makeup covering her dark circles, you could still tell she was very tired.
"At least it's a stable and well-paying job. Are detective jobs really that lucrative?"
When money was mentioned, Rina thought of the payment Mary Morstein had given her.
That day, after the deputy director of Cradle House, Durand, and the factory manager of the women's textile factory, Winmeru, were taken away by the police, all the investors in the orphanage, except for Mary Mostan, withdrew their funds.
The welfare home closed down, leaving the children homeless.
Upon hearing the news, the former hospital director was discharged that very day and went around raising money for the children.
At his age, he's still traveling around.
With a wave of her hand, Rina invested her money in Cradle House and became one of its shareholders.
Now that I think about it, I should have saved some money for living expenses.
"The economy isn't doing very well."
Sato had no intention of paying her for handling the case.
Hanazawa Yu: "Are you helping the police investigate this serial murder case?"
Rina nodded.
“There’s a legend about that lake,” Hanazawa Yu said. “Two lovers are buried at the bottom of the lake. They committed suicide when the sun rose, so the lake has a different view at sunrise.”
Rina looked up and asked, "A different view?"
Hanazawa Yu: "I've never had time to go there."
After dinner, the two chatted for less than ten minutes. Hanazawa Yu had to go back and organize some documents, so she mentioned the job change to Rina before leaving.
Rina pondered the matter silently for a moment, feeling a bit down. Suddenly, she looked up and saw Kurosawa Shiran leaning forward outside the glass, giving her a bright and charming smile. Her thoughts instantly vanished.
It's truly the devil's temptation.
The two can now feel excitement and security when they look into each other's eyes.
Rina's gaze shifted away with a soft cough.
After leaving the tavern, Kurosawa Shiran followed behind her and quickly noticed her unusual behavior. "What's wrong? You don't seem to be in a good mood."
Rina didn't say anything, silently got into the car, and rolled down the window.
Kurosawa Shiran felt a little guilty, after all, his sister wouldn't indulge him without limits. If she found out he was using a listening device to eavesdrop, she would definitely scold him.
He tentatively called out "Sister".
Lina stared absently at the busy crowd outside the car window, and subconsciously pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket.
Kurosawa Shiran grabbed her wrist, leaned forward halfway, and lowered her voice to say, "...Is my sister provoking me?"
A cool night breeze swept over her face. Rina's thoughts raced through her mind. She took a deep breath, lifted her hand, and pinched his chin. "Who exactly went too far?"
Kurosawa Shiran loosened her grip slightly, letting her do as she pleased. Her Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and her gaze shifted a few inches downward. "I'm worried something might happen to my sister."
Rina's lips curled up slightly: "An unexpected surprise?"
Kurosawa Shiran rubbed her cheek and kissed her, then said in a serious tone, "I'm worried she's the murderer."
Rina's lips curled up slightly: "What was the motive and method?"
"The motive was to punish men who were unfaithful to their lovers and to try to cleanse himself of his sins," Kurosawa Shiran held her hand, gently sucking and kissing it a few times, his pupils slowly dilating with excitement. "As for the method, I'm not quite sure."
Rina: "Not stupid either."
“My sister taught me well,” Kurosawa Shiran said. “Shall we go home?”
Just then, Rina's phone rang.
-
Xuehui went to the supermarket to buy things in the morning and got home at around 7:30. Because the elevator was broken, she had to take the stairs next to it.
It was dark inside, and there were hardly any people. The lights were flashing. Xuehui climbed to the seventh floor in one go, but while she was looking down to find her keys, she was pushed down the stairs.
"The lights in the stairwell were too dim at the time, so I couldn't see the face clearly, but the person seemed to have red hair."
Rina: "What's the gender?"
Xuehui bumped her head and twisted her ankle. Her tone was uncertain, "Long red hair, a woman, right...?"
Lina glanced at the newspaper beside the hospital bed and said softly, "Don't think too much, just focus on recovering."
Xuehui hesitated for a moment, then asked with a worried expression, "Is this related to the case you're investigating?"
Rina said, "It's too early to draw a conclusion."
Yukiho was quite frightened and couldn't be left alone. Rina and Sato went out to discuss the case, leaving Kurosawa Shiran in the ward to watch over her.
The two never spoke to each other and could only stare at each other blankly.
After thinking for a moment, Xuehui pointed to the fruit plate on the table, "There are sliced apples over there."
Kurosawa Shiran said politely, "No need to trouble yourself."
Xuehui paused, then looked up and asked him, "Are you Rina's boyfriend?"
Kurosawa Shiran replied without hesitation, "Yes."
“They look like a good match,” Yukiho smiled with satisfaction. “Kane has always hoped that she could settle down.”
Kurosawa Shiran: "Why do you say that?"
“Kane told me before that Rina was being pestered by a little kid,” Yukiho sighed. “I didn’t think much of it at first, but Kaon said that the little kid has mental problems. He has eyes that can see through everything, but he has no emotions.”
Kurosawa Tokiran: "..."
This incident made Sato somewhat irritable. When he answered Sagara's call, his tone was a bit harsher than usual.
After hanging up the phone, he looked at Rina: "You've been drinking?"
Rina: "I drank a little."
Sato looked at her and said, "Do you think this is a coincidence?"
Rina stated bluntly: "It's clearly a warning."
“Be careful when you go out,” Sato said. “The forensic department has the results. The hair found at Baba’s house and the hair that Munakata mentioned were dyed with the same product and were bleached to roughly the same degree. Based on Baba’s statement, Sagara is now heading to the Thirty-One Club to gather information.”
Rina's expression immediately faded.
-
Club Thirty-One, as an entertainment and social venue for the upper class, has never been just a place for leisure. For them, it is a core venue for resource exchange and the maintenance of social circles. It is a completely private business venue where deals are made in casual conversation, like a power salon.
The club was not open to the public, only to members, and membership required strict verification. Fortunately, Sagara's father was the president of a prestigious newspaper, and by using this connection, he was able to enter the club openly and legitimately.
Sagara followed the waiter in a tuxedo, pretending to be nonchalant as they walked toward the banquet hall.
Here, men in bespoke suits, whiskey glasses in hand, and discreet mechanical watches on their wrists discuss things in hushed tones, accompanied by soft cello music that just barely drowns out their conversations.
Sagara looked around and quickly locked onto his target.
The club manager, wearing a gray suit and standing behind the bar, had the club's diamond member badge pinned to his chest. The horse racers came here to work under the manager's orders.
According to Maba's confession, on the evening of the 26th, he was working as a waiter here wearing that red wig when he was dragged into the restroom and violently beaten just before he was about to finish his shift.
There were three or four people opposite him. One of the men held his head down and pressed it against the wall, so his face was completely obscured.
In the end, it was the bar manager who intervened; he must know who those people were.
During this process, his wig was removed.
Sagara suspects that the red hair was probably pulled out at that time.
The manager saw a young man approaching, smiled, pushed the champagne glass in his hand towards him, and said gently, "Is this your first time here?"
Sagara nodded.
The manager ran his fingertips along the rim of his wine glass a couple of times. "Sir, you're here to gather information, aren't you?"
Sagara's gaze paused slightly, then she looked at him with a deep, enigmatic look: "How did you know?"
The manager said, seemingly frankly, "They're unfamiliar faces, and they don't strike up a conversation. People like that usually come to the club to gather information."
Sagara was silent for a few seconds, then stopped hiding it: "I do want to ask you about something."
“Sir,” the manager said casually, “here, if you want to get the information you want, the only options are money or playing bridge.”
Sagara asked, "Who beat up Baba in the bathroom on the night of the 26th?"
Manager: "Pay?"
Sagara: "Let's play bridge."
Young and fearless, the manager didn't want to be a good guy, but he also didn't want to lose a business deal. He shrugged slightly and said, "The bridge room is over there. The waiter will lead you there. But I still have to give you a piece of advice: if you lose three games in a row, it will be terrible."
Sagara was taken aback and bit his lip, but in order to investigate the case, he followed the waiter into the card room.
When the door was pushed open, three well-dressed men were sitting around a mahjong table covered with a dark green tablecloth and ivory-colored mahjong tiles. When they saw Sagara enter, the three men paused and their eyes were filled with vigilance.
The waiter led him to his seat.
A standing woman shuffled the cards and pushed them towards the four people at the corner of the table.
Sagara took a barely perceptible deep breath, reached for the cards, and picked up the Ace of Spades.
Then, he gently pinched the corner of the card with his fingertip. This is a habitual action of experienced bridge players, which is both to arrange the cards and to test the waters.
He can't act like a novice in this situation, or he'll definitely prove his manager right.
Then, Sagara glanced at his hand and considered the situation. His hand wasn't overwhelmingly advantageous, but it was balanced enough to allow him to control the game.
One of the men called first.
The man sitting in the main seat tapped his fingers lightly twice on the tablecloth, following suit without making a sound.
Sagara's gaze fell on the cards in his hand. After the third person played a card, he knew in his heart that he would win this round.
In the second round, Sagara became the dealer. The man in the main seat subtly curled the corner of his mouth and revealed the Queen of Spades.
Sagara's knuckles turned white as he gripped the cards, clearly uneasy about the bidding result. Sure enough, after the person next to him tapped the table to indicate a pass, another player threw out an Ace of Spades, and Sagara lost the second round.
Then, in the third round, the man deliberately paused for two seconds before throwing out a Jack of Hearts.
Just now, when he was collecting his cards, he deliberately showed the Ace of Hearts on the table so that Sagara next to him could catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. However, Sagara noticed this and took advantage of the opportunity to win the third round.
The waiter glanced at the man at the head of the table, and after receiving instructions, led Sagara away.
The moment the door closed, the man in the main seat spread out the cards in his hand, scattering them on the tablecloth. One of them was a card that could have completely blocked Sagara's hand.
"I'm having good luck today."
When the manager saw him come out, he handed him an envelope, saying, "The person you're looking for is in here."
Sagara took the envelope, thought for a moment, and said, "I need to go to the restroom."
The manager pointed out the directions to him: "Go straight to the end, then turn right."
Sagara nodded, carefully made his way through the crowd, and once the restroom was empty, he poured out the photo, his expression instantly turning serious.
This is a screenshot from a surveillance camera. Sagara is being pinned to the ground and beaten by two men, while a woman next to him is playing with a red wig in her hand, a cold smile on her lips.
—It's Natsume Rina.
Sagara took a full half minute to react before taking the photo and comparing it to the one in the corner of the bathroom.
However, the placement of both the potted plants and the trash cans is exactly the same as in the photo.
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