Chapter 1 Part3 (2/2)

Her voice was listless, and carried a slight lisp. I caught a faint whiff of alcohol on her breath. s.h.i.+gure gave a small frown, so I knew she’d noticed it too.

“Nice to meet you. I am Tsuk.u.mo s.h.i.+gure, Yumie’s friend.”

“Oh?”

In contrast to s.h.i.+gure’s perfect manners, the woman’s eyes darted between the two of us disapprovingly.

“And you?”

“I’m s.h.i.+gure’s big brother. I’m accompanying her today.”

“Oh.”

I’d answered politely to her question, but she didn’t seem interested in what I had to say.

Judging by her half-lidded gaze and listless mood, I guess she’d just woken up from a nap.

“So what? You here with homework for Yumie?”

Notwithstanding the fact that Yumie-chan was missing, this woman didn’t even seem concerned enough to be someone’s mother. It was obvious that she wanted us gone.

“No. We’re looking for clues to understand Yumie’s disappearance.”

“Disappearance? She just ran away from home. She’ll come back once she grows hungry,” the woman replied, scratching at her scalp. There was no trace of anxiety about her.

As a mother, shouldn’t she have alerted the police, especially if she suspected her daughter had run away?

……Her daughter could have been caught up in some criminal activity somewhere, so shouldn’t she be concerned and ask for an investigation?

s.h.i.+gure turned to me, her eyes troubled.

If I didn’t come up with a good excuse now, we’d never have the chance to learn more.

Alright, it was time to make use of my glib tongue.

“You know, I never expected to find such a beautiful woman here,” I started, a charming smile on my face.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

As expected, Yumie-chan’s mother seemed taken aback by the sudden change in topic.

“Oh, I’m sorry! You must forgive me, I always speak my mind without thinking of the consequences. Miss, you must be the most resourceful employee at your establishment, am I right?”

This cla.s.sy apartment building, her unexpected youth, the style of her clothes and appearance; this mother probably worked at a nightclub of some sort. I was sure there were several male clients supporting her current lifestyle.

“What do you know about my establishment?”

There, she’d taken my bait and confirmed her place of work.

“Oh no, I’m sorry! It’s just that our father is looking for a place to conduct his business entertainment. I just thought an establishment with employees like you would be a perfect fit!”

Yumie-chan’s mother looked at me, then at s.h.i.+gure.

s.h.i.+gure was the perfect picture of a well-bred girl, of course. And I wasn’t too rough-looking myself.

At a glance, it would seem reasonable that we came from a well-to-do family.

“Hmm…… So, why are you here again?”

At the thought of potential business, the woman’s att.i.tude had relaxed.

“We hope to find Yumie, so can we please take a look in her room?” s.h.i.+gure repeated her request.

“Oh, that’s fine. You kids will pa.s.s my business card to your father, right?”

“Of course. We’ll definitely do that!”

“Then come on in. But only to Yumie’s room, mind you.”

Finally, we were waved through the door.

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