Chapter 25 Tumi
That was on the day of Anya’s funeral.
There were dark clouds in the sky, cold winds were blowing, and misty drizzle was falling.
Lin Yun held a black umbrella, looking straight ahead, and stepped into puddles without noticing. The lonely umbrella fluttered in the wind, like a black mandala.
Water splashed under his leather shoes and all over the ground. He looked forward and saw a woman waiting for him.
She stood in the rain without an umbrella. The continuous rain, accompanied by the slanting wind, hit her body and flowed down her hair.
The woman was probably in her 20s, and because it was a funeral, she was wearing a black women's suit. Her facial features were somewhat tough, making her look quite heroic.
Seeing Lin Yun coming, she raised her head, with a few water marks remaining on her pale face.
"sorry."
She murmured, her voice hoarse: "We are late."
Lin Yun said nothing.
He didn't know what to say, or maybe, "I'm sorry" wasn't what he wanted to hear.
The first thing everyone who knew Anya said when they met her was "I'm sorry". It seemed as if everyone took the blame for Anya's death on themselves. More importantly, their sadness was real.
But if Anya's death was their fault, then who was the murderer who killed her? What was he, who could only apologize helplessly in the face of nothingness? Who could he confide in to when he apologized as soon as he met her? At 16, he might cry bitterly, and at 26, he might shed tears. He was already over 30, and as the only remaining owner of the family, he had no room for tears in front of his daughter and the guests.
All that was left was silence. After all, even saying one more word would cause him to choke. How could he start talking? Just because he didn't speak, it didn't mean the woman in front of him wouldn't continue talking.
"We trusted and relied too much on Senior Sakura... or rather, we underestimated the enemy and became lax."
The woman clenched her fists, her face full of regret. "She said as usual that 'one person can handle it' and told us not to get involved. We all thought that a magical girl as powerful as her would not have any accidents, but in the end..."
Don't say anymore.
Lin Yun really wanted to tell him this. He didn't want to hear how Anya died at all, but he knew that this was impossible.
"When we arrived, Sakura-senpai had already been... and the enemy escaped right in front of us."
Her voice got lower and lower, her emotion sinking: "I'm sorry, we couldn't do anything, it was absolutely useless, and as her companion, I am a sinner."
The sound of rain continues.
Lin Yun took a step forward and walked towards the woman.
The woman stood still, but she clenched her hands tighter and closed her eyes.
As a comrade-in-arms, he allowed his companion and senior who had taken good care of him to die alone. It would be normal for him to be violently treated by the family members for such a despicable act, and she was prepared.
But Lin Yun didn't do that.
He just held the umbrella over her head, hugged her gently and patted her shoulder.
"Don't blame yourself, you have tried your best, Tumi."
He spoke, and although his voice was dry and his expression was indifferent, it was gentle: "Next, just do what you should do."
The woman called Tumi stood under the umbrella. She first opened her eyes wide and was stunned for a moment. Then, tears welled up in her eyes: "Cornflower..."
"Don't say that."
Lin Yun shook his head and interrupted her: "I don't like that code name."
"...Then, Delphinium-senpai."
Tumi tried her best to hold back her sobs, covering her mouth and remaining silent for a while. After a long while, she took a deep breath, looked at Lin Yun, and kept her words steady: "No, Mr. Lin Yun."
"We are planning to leave Fangting City."
Obviously, this is what she really wants to convey.
Lin Yun moved his fingers, but his face remained expressionless. He just nodded: "When?"
“It should be this week.”
Tears were still falling from Tumi's face, so she reached out to wipe them away: "Although the enemy escaped, we also judged from its appearance and the logic of its actions that it was not the remnant beast that killed Senior Ying, or at least, it was not just the remnant beast."
Not just remnants of beasts.
This sentence attracted Lin Yun's attention.
"This matter should be related to a mysterious organization that the country has been tracking. They seem to have some means of cooperating with the remnant beasts."
Tumi sniffed, and a resolute look gradually appeared in her red eyes: "So we will join the special investigation team organized by the Investigation Institute, follow the murderer's footsteps, and catch them."
"...is it dangerous?" Hearing some hidden meaning in her words, Lin Yun lowered his eyes and asked.
"It seems so. It seems that the investigation team in the Investigation Bureau has suffered the most serious reduction in staff."
Tumi opened her mouth and forced out a somewhat ugly smile: "But if we don't do this, I'm afraid we will never be able to face ourselves again."
"After we leave, new sowers will come to Fangting City and select new magical girls. Newcomers will protect the city. It's time for us old people who have not much time left in our term to give up our positions."
"And Senior Chao Yan... She has been retired for many years. Her real name is Hong Siyu now. As a staff member of the Strategy Bureau, she will also be transferred to Fangting City."
She was a little rambling, listing out one by one, as much as she could know.
Lin Yun listened to her for a long time without expressing his opinion or interrupting her.
"Good luck to you."
Only after she finished speaking did Lin Yun nod and hand the umbrella in his hand to Tumi: "Take it and go."
Tu Mi didn't answer.
She looked at Lin Yun, smiled bitterly, and shook her head.
After looking at each other for a long time, Lin Yun understood what she meant. He silently put away his umbrella, looked at Tumi deeply, and turned to leave.
"...Mr. Lin Yun, you don't need to respond to what I'm going to say next."
However, when he took two steps, Tumi's voice came from behind him again.
This time, there was some hesitation in her voice: "After I applied to join the task force, someone found me and claimed to be an officer of Lord Golden Green Cat Eyes."
When Lin Yun heard the name from Tu Mi's mouth, his pupils shrank slightly.
But Tu Mi said there was no need to respond, so he didn't turn around, but just turned his back to her and listened quietly.
"She told me that this matter is now very far-reaching. In fact, just this week, a karuta-certified adult disappeared during the investigation. So let me convey a message from the golden-green cat-eye master to you:"
——"'Think clearly about what you are carrying now and don't do anything impulsive.'"
After this sentence, there was no more voice behind him.
Realizing that this was a sign of the end, Lin Yun paused for a long time. Finally, he followed Tumi's instructions and still did not react. He just walked forward and left.
After he left, a light yellow stream of magic power burst out from an empty corner, and a faint rainbow light rushed up to the sky under the cover of rain.
A year later, Tumi joined the non-staff investigation team of the Investigation Institute and encountered an unknown enemy during an investigation operation.
After the fierce battle, in order to protect the safe delivery of intelligence, she took the initiative to cover the retreat and died in Binhai City.
After her death, her teammates who were also from Fangting City took over and started a new round of investigation.
But Lin Yun is still unaware of this.
(End of this chapter)
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