The landlord was quite easy to talk to, so once everything was ready, Nana moved out decisively.
She had originally intended to invite Kimie to live with her. However, the Black-haired miko clearly had his own ideas. Kimie shook her head, rejecting Nana's proposal, instead found a place to live on her own.
However, from time to time, she would still come over to visit Nana, cooking a few meals for him, something of the sort, trying to save this clumsy child of a cook.
Although housing prices in Japan are not cheap.. it seems that the idle Kimie actually has her own full-time job—though Nana doesn't know what it is yet—the salary seems quite high, at least enough to afford the rent for the apartment.
Nana sighed, feeling the few coins in his pocket—it seemed he was still the poorest of them all!
Although Gin had been sending his money continuously, Nana still upheld the original agreement and only accepted a portion of it—and besides, she was about to graduate.
After graduation, she could no longer take money from Gin—taking it for nothing truly made her feel quite guilty.
Nani girl, who is already a senior, has clearly decided to become a detective—this is not just because he wants to uncover the truth behind the death of his parents and Sister, but also because he has developed a certain interest in the profession of 'detective.'
Kinda Ichichi is truly amazing!
Nana, who was gradually becoming a fangirl, thought so.
But he was still not as amazing as Zhenjun.
Nana, a die-hard fan of Gin, nodded with determination.
—One wonders what Gin, who had specially arranged the meeting between the two of them to help Nana level up, must be thinking in his heart.
Regarding his girlfriend's decision to become a detective, Niwang Yaji naturally expressed his support; naturally, Nana also expressed her support for Yaji's intention to continue his studies in tennis.
The Young detective watched as her Boyfriend swung her racket once more to secure the victory, an involuntary smile curled at the corners of her mouth.
After achieving victory, Yaji turned around, but his gaze inadvertently swept past Nana.
In the next second, he flashed a smile, the bright sunlight fell upon him in a brilliant, cascading glow.
At this moment, the sunlight was simply and purely bright, rather than dazzling.
Nana!
..
On the shaded path, a young couple walked side by side, one carrying a shoulder bag and the other carrying a tennis bag. They each had a bottle of soda in a different flavor; Yaji drank in large gulps, while Nana took small sips.
Niwang wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to look at Nana's profile: "It's so hot today.. puri~"
Nana turned her head to look at him, feeling somewhat speechless. "You just don't like being in the sun." Despite saying that, she still took out a handkerchief and handed it to Niwang. "Wipe it off."
Niwang took it readily, lifting his eyes to look at Nana's slightly flushed cheeks. "Don't you feel hot? You're wearing such a thick coat."
Nana shook his head. "I'm fine.. Okay, it is a bit hot."
"But once I take off my Coat, I'll feel cold.. so let's leave it like this for now." Nana used his hand to fan himself; the airflow was slight, yet it still caused the loose strands of hair at his forehead to flutter, his eyes and brows carrying a hint of faint exhaustion.
“Didn't sleep well again yesterday?" Niwang looked at his girlfriend with concern, well aware of her state. "Did you run into another murder case?"
He looked helplessly at his girlfriend, saw the same helplessness in her eyes.
I don't know if Kinda Ichichi has some kind of demonic influence, but ever since meeting him, Nana seems to have been infected by some kind of strange constitution.
Specifically, it manifested as—it used to be just simple tasks like finding cats or dogs, investigating affairs, or occasionally looking into theft cases.. But now, even without Kindaichi's frequency, she has already encountered three or four murder cases.
That's not all; there were also several kidnapping cases.
It was stifling.
It wasn't just one person feeling stifled.
Niwang Yaji rubbed his Girlfriend's head—it was true, he was already taller than Nani; as his palm touched her hair, the soft sensation made his mood significantly better.
“But then again.. this Victim doesn't seem like much of a good person either.” Nana sighed softly, his usually clear and lively gaze showing a hint of lifelessness.
Talking about these things, she felt her scalp tingling with a faint numbness once again.
How to say it?
Nana gave a bitter smile. "How can I put it.."
She paused, then began to state slowly, "The Victim is Chikamoto Chieko.."
..
The Victim was named Chikamoto Chieko, a woman from a well-to-do family who was very assertive.
Her dominance was not reflected in her career, but rather in her approach to Emotion.
Chikamoto Chieko had a childhood friend she had grown up with since they were small. She was deeply in love with her childhood friend; however, her childhood friend did not like her and had always treated her merely as a friend.
But they were childhood friends after all, so even though she had repeatedly interfered with her childhood friend's romance, he endured it despite his anger.
However, in university, her childhood friend Ono Hiko got a girlfriend, Sasaki Miyoko.
Sasaki Miyoko was an ordinary woman with a beautiful face and a somewhat fiery temper, though she was kind-hearted at heart and occasionally a bit stubborn. Despite their daily bickering, it had to be said that she and Ono Hiko got along quite well.
But Chikamoto Chieko could not accept any of this.
Her love for her Childhood friend made it impossible for her to accept the fact that he had a girlfriend; she unilaterally believed that she and Ono Hiko were already dating, she even felt resentment toward Miyoko, believing her to be the third party who had come between them.
He had even attempted suicide multiple times, all just to keep Ono Hiko by his side.
Their parents were good friends and used to joke that the two were a couple, but everything ultimately depended on the wishes of both sides. Consequently, everyone felt at a loss in this situation.
Ono Hiko was deeply troubled—he had explicitly rejected Chikamoto Chieko many times and had even advised her to look for other partners, yet all these efforts seemed to have vanished into the sea, failing to have any effect at all.
Due to their childhood friend bond and the request from each other's parents, the soft-hearted Ono Hiko had to tactfully avoid Chikamoto Chieko after his rejection failed and she instead attempted suicide, trying his best not to provoke her.
However, his girlfriend, Sasaki Miyoko, finally exploded after this long, endless endurance.
At a murder scene, Ono Hiko, acting as a suspect, had to provide his alibi to the Police—he was in Miyoko's room when the Deceased was killed.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the relationship between the two was confirmed, which undoubtedly provoked Chikamoto Chieko, causing her to say resentfully, "How could you betray me?!"
This sentence caused the Onlookers to whisper among themselves, it undoubtedly provoked Ono Hiko and his Girlfriend, Sasaki Miyoko.
She angrily revealed the Truth.
You have had no relationship with him from beginning to end!
Chikamoto Chieko, listen carefully, I am his girlfriend!
She cried out, venting her grievances, "Why must you cling to him like this? Why must I endure this time and time again? I am the one who has been with him for three years! It was all just your own one-sided infatuation!"
Three years of grievance and pain finally made it impossible for his to endure this hopeless torment.
Clearly—clearly they had done nothing wrong.
Not everyone who is liked by others must reciprocate that affection—otherwise, wouldn't those celebrities have concubines on both sides and a harem of wives?
Love is never something that can be exchanged on equal terms.
This outburst made Ono Hiko realize his own feelings. He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately walked toward his long-overdue Girlfriend.
Although the Chikamoto couple felt heartache for their Daughter, they had to accept the rejection from Ono Hiko—after all, he truly owed them nothing. He had already done all he could.
They couldn't keep forcing him forever, making him tied to their Daughter for the rest of his life, could they? — Even though they had selfish motives, it was difficult to say much when faced with his firm decision.
Thus, this entanglement finally drew to a close.
It all seemed to have come to an end—not exactly a grand, happy ending for everyone, but it was an ending that seemed acceptable.
However, Chikamoto Chieko does not accept this ending.
She stared deeply, deeply at the face of Sasaki Miyoko, the face of the woman who had stolen her beloved man.
In her eyes, this face was the only thing at which Sasaki Miyoko was superior to her.
She looked at this face with hatred.
Then she used sulfuric acid to destroy it.
..
Not long after Sasaki Miyoko was disfigured, Chikamoto Chieko died—and it was a gruesome death." Nana sighed. "It is far too coincidental, making one wonder if it was revenge by Sasaki Miyoko.
"I see.." Regarding this kind of dramatic Plot, Niwang did not know what to say for the moment.
But the Police haven't found any evidence linking it to Sasaki Miyoko yet—she and Ono Hiko both have alibis." Nana continued explaining, "However, the Sasaki couple does not.
Regarding this, Nana was also quite helpless: "But there is also no evidence that Chikamoto Chieko's death was related to them."
However, this conclusion was clearly unacceptable to the Chikamoto couple. The death of their eldest daughter caused them immense pain. After repeatedly approaching the Police Agency to inquire about the progress, they had even once gone to the Sasaki family's home looking for them.
"Mr. Ono and the others are already considering moving.. Although it wasn't his fault, the tragic death of Chikamoto Chieko, combined with the wailing of the Chikamoto couple, has led some neighbors to point fingers at them.." Nana pressed his forehead.
"Miss Chikamoto.. died a tragic death?" Niwang Yaji asked with doubt.
Yes." Nana nodded, his gaze turning cold. "It was gruesome.
“His face was burned by fire.” After a pause, Nana continued, “An 'L' was carved into his back with a small knife.”
The only thing that brings comfort to the living is that Miss Chikamoto was killed by someone with a knife before these things were done to her.. at least she did not suffer such torture while she was still alive.
And.. speaking of which—" Nana said helplessly, "The progress of the Police's inquiry regarding Ms. Sasaki has not been very smooth.
"How so?" Such shocking news was clearly difficult for Niwang to accept, but he managed to compose himself; the boldness and curiosity inherent in his boyish nature also made him interested in this Case.
The Silver-haired youth drank the last sip of soda and held the empty bottle in his hand—there were few trash cans on the streets of Japan—intending to find a trash can to throw it away.. or just take it home.
The sunlight spilled over his hair, dancing with flecks of golden radiance.
Nana watched this scene, the golden light seemingly reflecting in his green eyes, his mood, which had been troubled by the case for several days, cleared slightly. Her brow relaxed, a hint of tenderness appeared in the gaze she directed at her boyfriend.
For Nana, no matter when.. seeing Niwang Yaji was always a good thing.
A very, very good thing.
"Even though Mr. Ono has said many times that he doesn't mind.. disfigurement must still be a huge blow for a woman." Nana said with a bitter smile. Seeing this, Niwang slowly approached her, reached out to embrace his girlfriend, lowered his head to rub his chin against Nana's face.
Although Sasaki Miyoko used her hands to block much of it at the moment the sulfuric acid was splashed, decisively protected her eyes to avoid blindness, the remaining corrosive liquid still ruined nearly half of her face.
Even after treatment, Sasaki Miyoko's face still suffered unavoidable damage; a portion of her face was pitted, uneven, hideous, even her once beautifully shaped lips were affected.
Facing this special consolation, Nana couldn't help but chuckle, then continued, "Ms. Sasaki is going crazy."
She cursed Miss Chikamoto like crazy.. She even applauded at Miss Chikamoto's death, showing extreme emotional volatility. She even said things like, 'If I could, I would have killed her long ago.'
Even if it was just said in anger, she clearly harbors a deep hatred for Miss Chikamoto—which, of course, is understandable." Nana leaned into her boyfriend's embrace, enjoying the warmth, closed her eyes helplessly. "After confirming Ms. Sasaki's alibi, Ms. Sasaki refused to provide any further information to assist the investigation.
“Right now, Kindaichi is tracking this case.” Nana left Niwang's embrace and looked at Yu Yaji, her expression solemn: “But I always feel.. that this case won't end so easily.”
Clearly unaware that his words had triggered some strange reaction, Nana looked at his boyfriend with a peaceful mindset.