Vol 4 Chapter 4 (1/2)

Chapter 4

I don’t often go to Ikebukuro, so I was soh it was near afternoon in the holidays, the people on the whole street reduced visibly after I was about one street’s distance fro by a road with nu a corner with a Gusto Italian restaurant, a park appeared beforemurky water, a public restroorowing lush leaves, working hard to create a shade, and a crowd of senior citizens silently playing Chinese chess on a bench with the sun shi+ning on it

I picked up the backpack holding an owl plushi+e with my sweaty hands and carried it on my back once more

There was a tall silhouette before the fountain, his hair dyed blonde looking as though it directly stuck the scorching rays of sunlight onto his hair Below the sunny skies, his sunglasses coaze Eh? I suddenly noticed the cellphone in Renji-san’s hand Possibly because he noticedaccelerated

“…… I’ like this by yourself, I didn’t say that itback soon”

Renji-san hung up right after that So this person speaks in standard japanese on the phone…… He didn’t seem like that when he spoke to me, and sounded like two different people

“I bought a new cellphone, as I had some income Everyone said that it’s inconvenient orkin’ and kept telling me to buy one”

Renji-san beamed and waved the cellphone in his hand

“I told in’, it’s just plain annoyin’ That’s why I don’t like to use cellphones”

I stopped about five steps before Renji-san and lowered my head Renji-san’s job— Is it to hinder Yondaime’s job?

There were just too e them to words and sentences

“Well then…… Please tell me your number”

Renji-san ser hooked on his phone strap

“Ain’t that useless? This is probably the last time we’re meetin’”

He stopped spinning his phone and tilted his head in puzzlement

“This isn’t the last ti the T-shi+rt”

Renji-san narrowed his eyes, and it felt as though his gaze was cutting my face like a wire saw

“If I return it to you right now, doesn’t that mean we can’t meet each other anymore? That’s why……”

However, after thinly piercing ht blue cellphone

“I’ll send it to ya by infrared”

I stared at the liquid plas nuht, it was the first tiuish that he was Hirasaka in a glance

The e been extinguished

“If so, what’re ya doin’ here, Narumi?”

Renji-san’s tone didn’t seeaze hidden behind his sunglasses had long lost its smile

“I’m here…… to talk to you Isn’t it the same for you, Renji-san?”

“In a scorchin’ place like this? I was plannin’ to finish this quick”

“You said in the phone that you have so to speak to me of……”

“There are just two matters”

Renji-san

“Firstly, thank ya The only thing thatto Tokyo was only meetin’ you, Narumi”

I tried not to avertthe summer sun

“In the end, it turned out as I said, ot broken”

Renji-san’s faint smile disappeared in the end as well

“Another thing Secondly, I’ll kill ya when I meet ya”

Hot sweat erupted in my clenched fists

“…… Is it because…… I’ Yondaime out in his job?”

“In Tokyo, is it popular for people to ascertain long established facts under the burnin’ skies?”

“You haven’t ht? After all, didn’t you part without saying a word to each other?”

“Look here I cahly break my old acquaintance How can I show up before him like this?”

If so, why did you appear beforeon Yondaime’s side

In truth, aren’t you still connected to each other?

“Although you shared sake with Yondai sake, it see even more important with each other as well, but even so……”

“Even though chivalry is commonly joked of by other people, those black shi+rted muscled blockheads still remeot about this as well”

Aren’t the both of theh it can’t be seen with the naked eye, the thing that you exchanged is still the most important to you When Yondaiaze and spat out ‘Stop saying these useless words’ Even so, they did not deny it

They haven’t forgotten about it

“Although we once shared sake, our bonds had already been cut What, do you think I will go easy on Sou? There ain’t such a nice thing”

“Why? …… If there’s any reason for this, pray tell”

“There ain’t any obligation for me to tell ya about this, Narumi”

“Of course there is! Aren’t orn brothers!”

That moment, Renji-san’s sradually lost in sand

“Sou and I argued just for a woman— Do ya think ya can believe in that?”

Behind the sarcastic tone, I felt the bitter taste of s

“…… Is that the person called Hison?”

“Oh? So ya heard of her?”

“Just her na about her”

“Ain’t knowing about that enough already? About the name Hison, only Sou and I…… and Min-san know about her, even though the rumor that Sou had a woman was quite widespread”

“Is she the person that Yondaime lived hen he first arrived at Tokyo?”

“That’s right”

“Which would be the person who made the T-shi+rt embroidery?”

“She died before finishi+n’ it She said that she came to japan fro here illegally as well And since the reason of her death ain’t really legitimate, there wasn’t a burial as well Even I don’t knohere she was buried…… Even though such a thing is quite commonly heard of”

An illegitimate reason of death I didn’t even knohere the sweat from my body flowed out from, and what sort of temperature I was bathed in anymore Probably, it wasn’t only because of the hot temperature

“She was a strange woman Even ent back utterly bruised or cohtin’ outside, she didn’t see the person Hison orkin’ for down as well! In the end, she actually allowed o in and out of her room just like that Not only did she teach Sou how to sew, she thought of teaching ?”

“…… Why does it seeether?”

“In fact, it was so like that But Sou and I spent ht because of work, so we didn’t meet often And she was really hot as well, people who often stay with her would definitely fall for her I really can’t believe that Sou actually never went for her”

“Ah— This……” As the topic suddenly turned realistic, I could only shi+fthappened between theether?”

“Because he promised me……” Renji-san smiled weakly “As ere already sworn brothers, becoht! So we proo for her before one of us found a woman better than her”

“This, ah…… Uh at this moment?

“As she orkin’ at a night club, it was soo for her were Sou and I, and we’ll beat them up if any other men dared to approach We definitely wouldn’t let anyone touch her— That was our promise”

That moment, I remembered Yondaime’s words—

I couldn’t protect her…… It was the same for Renji

“But why— Why did she die?”

“D’ya really wanna know? What can ya do even if you know? It can’t help anyhow”

Indeed, he was right Being in the steah my innards were substituted by chilly blocks of lead

I think that was probably what tied Alice to her bed, a sense of emptiness

Both the words of the deceased or the words of the living said for the dead would hurt so that is better, while the words that are dug out frorave are just ordinary words

Even so, we still have to extend our hands

If not, ouldn’t knohere to go

“Those ti known as the Gotouda-gumi As we chased away the head of the shop and snatched away their territory, it’s norretful to happen Hison was killed by the yakuza”

My teeth chattered in my mouth

“Sou was there that tiuy formed an alliance with the yakuza after that, and even accepted their money”

“What……?”

“If the media broadcast the fact that Hison was killed, the delinquents would have a headache as well And since she was an illegal irant, nobody would notice if they kept quiet about it, so it ended up like the woman called Hison did not exist from the start I couldn’t even see her corpse, so probably she was buried soreat deal”

“How can this be……”

“Besides, I heard froiven, the one as supposed to be stabbed was Sou He was assaulted at his apartment, and used Hison as by his side as a shi+eld”

“You actually believe in such a thing!? Yondaime…… How could he have done such a thi—“

“Sou admitted it himself, and looked like he didn’t care in the process The opposin’ party gave him ten million yen to shut his mouth as well”

I bent ers between h

Yondaime admitted to it? And accepted other people’s money?

“Actually, I planned to rush to their office and slaughter the person who killed Hison It was too large of a blow for ood, but I still couldn’t help but beat him up”

“That person…… Isn’t the type of person that you spoke of”

“What do ya know?”

Below the strong rays of sunlight in the summer, Renji-san’s voice suddenly turned into a chilly blade

“You’re just a kid runnin’ around by Sou’s side, whaddya think yer talkin’ about?”

That’s right I really don’t know anything However……

“I’uy sweated and bled by ular kid withoutto be sworn brothers with me”

It was as though a crack appeared on Renji-san’s originally frozen face

“The both of you said that your bonds have been severed and attacked each other— Perhaps you ht think that your whole face has already turned bloody and can’t even see the opposing party, but there’s still me between you”

I felt like et burnt because of my own voice

“Because of my existence, you are still connected”

Didn’t the two becohtly thicker than water?

Renji-san stood up and pulled his goggles sunglasses down to his throat, and what appeared after that was a pair of cold wolf’s eyes

“So what?”

I forcefully gulped down the saliva that had a slight taste of blood

So what? Even though he looks as though he was going to cry every time he mentioned Yondaime, does he think that he could conceal it with his shades?

Renji-san probably hates Yondaime quite a lot, and even I could see that But so what if that’s true? People like us live side by side in a bustling, croorld, so it’s natural that such a h they were close to each other, they couldn’t communicate, and could only extend their claws to hurt each other Being forced to part because of unreasonable reasons, both goodwill and malicious intents were stuck and fixed by theHowever—

Such a truth is just too strange Such a way of doing things probably has a fault somewhere around

“— How much money did you take?”

Hearing htly It was the first tih he took a serious blow

“If you really hate Yondaime, you could just beat his is just too strange You took action just to interfere in the event frolance that you’re not the one ants to do this Who did you accept anization called Yanagihara-kai?”

“Oh, aren’t ya smart? I’ve underestimated ya”

Renji-san viciously showed his teeth

“Even if I’m hired by the yakuza, so what? Do you think I will stop if ya give me more cash?”

“How can this be……”

Just when I was planning to speak, I stopped once more

That’s right, things should be so If giving him money could solve the problem, it wouldn’t turn out like this……

“Are ya an idiot? Who would accept money just for a dumb job like this?”

Renji-san answered in scorn

“I planned to do this fro that Sou accumulated, it’s just a coincidence that etso like Sou and I are still connected? Yer thinkin too ame of brothers”

Renji-san slowly raised his hand holding the light blue cellphone, veins surfacing on the back of his hands, while the skin on his fingers tightened so , and then the cellphone was torn in half, the outer shell of the liquid plasround When I heard that sound, I realized that I was so scared that I almost couldn’t breathe any its innards

“What did ya say was connected again?”

Renji-san’s voice was like theof soil that was about to freeze

“Don’t let ain, I’ll kill ya”

Even when his silhouette and footsteps disappeared froht The sweat onme

I directly returned to my home and took a bath After all, I went out fro only a pair of jeans, I thought if I should just go to sleep After I wake up, would everything end just like that? Let’s just pretend nothing happened, and I’ll start school on the first of Septe upstairs to take care of Alice, seeing Tetsu-senpai, Hiro-san and Major gah they didn’t have any money, and Yondaime would appear—

I clambered up and dried my hair that was still ith a towel

It’s better if I just face reality…… Firstly, since I returned from the station directly, my bicycle was still at the ramen shop, I still had to return the owl plushi+e to Alice, and I still had to talk things out with Yondaime as well

Even if I cover e It would only change from summer to autumn, and from autumn to winter— And the cycle continues thus

There were already guests at the detective agency

“Narumi! Hurry up and save me! These two probably think that I a!”

“Alice, don’t move Hiro-san, what do we do with the plastic wrap?”

“Mmm-hmm, Alice almost has next to no splits in her hair, and doesn’t dye her hair as well, just this place is slightly dry, so we’ll have to put on ht”

Ayaka and Hiro-san cla a tantru a hair treatment lesson There were combs, towels, hair dryers, conditioners, professional hairstyle s and other articles on the bed

“Ah, do you want to try this as well, Fujishi+ht ot”

Ayaka gave me a radiant smile

“If you dare to teach even Narumi, do not think that you can ever step into this office!”

I sighed and sat by the fridge outside the bedroom The reason that I was relieved was probably not only because of the extre in the room

“Ayaka, just followto discuss with Narumi-kun”

“Got it”

“Uuuu, it hasn’t ended?”

Ayaka forced the tearful Alice to sit on her lap and happily picked up a comb

On the other hand, Hiro-san left the bed, walked through the door of the bedroo down by my side:

“The coner seemed to have called just now Do you know about this, Narumi-kun?”

It was Mika-san’s coht now From Hiro-san’s heavy voice, I felt a hint of coldness and couldn’t help but raise my head

“I heard that the company wants to withdraw from this job, if it’s really related with acts of violence……”

“At…… Such a critical moment?”

“Nnn, it couldn’t be helped After all, someone was hurt so much that she was hospitalized”

“What about Mika-san? How is she? Is it possible……”

“She dealt with all the procedures and already got out of hospital I planned to visit her just now, but I was too late”

I was slightly relieved Good thing her wounds didn’t worsen or she had to continue to stay in the hospital

“Eh? Narumi-kun, don't you know? Didn’t Yondaime contact you? Mii-chan didn’t call you directly as well?”

“No……”

Probably it’s because Yondaime doesn’t want to speak to me? Anyway, he knows that I would know of it if he tells Hiro-san, and I’ on the internet Although I sent a e to Mika-san, it was sent to the nuht not have seen it if she just got out of the hospital

No, it’s possible that she doesn’t want to read it nor reply ed into an incident like that, perhaps she doesn’t want to have any connections to us anymore?

That radually intensified

“What should we do now? Anyway, I know Mii-chan’s phone nuet her, and using my sweet talk to convince her to continue Ah, but since she is still hurt, she probably can’t be so active on the bed”

I hugged , but Hiro-san suddenly approached

“…… If you don’t do a tsukkomi on it, it feels somewhat aard”

“Eh? A- Ahh, fine, fine…… I thought that you were serious”

“Actually, I’m always serious when it comes to women”

Is this the time to act cool?

However, Hiro-san is better at me in that aspect Actually, all of the h they had an excellent engine, and their fuel’s full, the key was usually not inserted

“…… Uht now?”

“Ah, Major……” Hiro-san shi+fted his gaze apologetically “He went to Ikebukuro with so that there’s an important battle”

I sighed Playing survival ga weather? How leisurely of him

“Tetsu is borrowingthat the police was looking for him as well”

“Eh? What…… What did he do this ti crimes because of a lack of money?

“I don’t know, but you probably don’t need to worry so much”

Although Hiro-san’s smile was extreive the person listening an impression of this

You don’t need to worry about this

You still don’t have the right to worry about this

I kept rubbing hed for quite sout and intestines were going to flow out from my mouth

“You went to see Hirasaka again, right?”

Hiro-san asked nonchalantly Why did he know? That’s right, he probably heard from Alice

That moment, I finally understood that what I did was actually a kind of betrayal to Yondai Renji-san, and parting after saying soless

“Did you get a way of contacting him? Because he still owes me someat dice So I was thinking of calling hiet my money back”

I really don’t knohy he can still laugh like this, as it’s already impossible for such a warm promise to still exist I should have first reported this to Yondaiumi to conceal the Renji-san in one go Thus, everything would be solved perfectly— Because that person cauarded as well

I felt a hot flow in the interior oftears

That person did indeed go alone Was it because of his trust in ht?

Why was the person stuck in this position me?

The person clamped between Yondaime and Renji-san is just a lost, flustered, incapable kid

When I was about to hug

“Naru me back my Minerva! And your report!”

When I raised e of the bed with her feet stepping on empty space Akaya, whose hands were full with a co hair that was like black honey

“Why do you think you are staying here? Is it possible that you will forget that you are my assistant if I do not remind you of it every thirty minutes?”

“Eh…… Ah, nn…… Nnnn”

I stood up while grabbing the hand of Hiro-san, as s wryly, while Alice wore an annoyed expression, rapidly snatching away the owl that I took out from my backpack

“And also, this is your lost belonging Really, you kept wailing out that it was so cold, so cold, when you were sleeping, and in the end, you kicked away your sweater and the blanket when I just raise the tehtly You are so spoiled that I am speechless”

Alice tossed the sweater that was scrunched into a ball to ht, and left it here in the end without taking it out That moment, Ayaka looked rather shocked

“Fujishi+ma-kun, you slept here yesterday? Eh? Eh? On Alice’s bed?”

“…… Eh? Mnn, uh huh Since it was already late night, and Alice said that I could use the very edge”

“T- That won’t do—! Why are you so insensitive every time?”

As Ayaka suddenly stood up, Alice nearly fell from her lap, while I hastily held onto her

“What are you doing! That was dangerous!”

Alice, who fell on er

“It’s only dangerous for Alice! Listen, in any case, Fujishi+h he’s so slow that he’s co, and doesn’t s froether on the sa would happen!”

What harsh criticis!

“U- U- Uuu…… What do you think would happen?” Alice widened her eyes “I have lenthappened”

“But wasn’t it like he was unconscious last time?”

While s wryly, Hiro-san added at a side

“Sleeping together on the saood”

“What, even Hiro…… Uwaa! Ayaka, do not do that, I am not a kitten!”

Ayaka grabbed the back of Alice’s back and dragged her to the innermost side of the bed Hiro-san walked over after that as well, and the two explained to Alice as between theether actually means……” ,while Alice’s face slowly turned redder and redder like the setting sun on the Caribbean Seas

“Narumi! You shameless fool!”

The third tie ideas?

“From now on, you are not allowed to pass this absolute line of defense without a visa!”

Alice piled up her dolls at the edge of the bed to form a wall, while I was so speechless that I could only scratch my head

“Erm…… It’ll be inconvenient if I have to send meals or Dr Pepper to you”

“Uuu…… The said visa would be the red cans in the refrigerator!”

So I’ Dr Pepper? Whatever, do as you wish!+

“Fujishi+!”

“Don’t treat me as a child!”

How h Hiro-san still saved me in the end He told Ayaka that we probably had some official business to discuss, and kidnapped her out of the office

“Is this really fine? Letting Fujishi+ma-kun stay alone with Alice?”

“It’s fine, fine……” Hiro-san answered while holding in his laughter, and I could see that the back of his silhouette was shaking as well Ayaka seemed to be truly worried, but Hiro-san really just wanted to look at the show What an annoying fellow

When the two of them walked out of the corridor and closed the door, the detective agency finally recovered its usual nostalgic silence, with the sounds of ether

I faced the annoyed Alice as looking at a side, and started my report

And of course, the contents would be of Renji-san Alice’s chilly gaze only returned when I spoke of hi because he received money from the yakuza

“It is somewhat incomprehensible— Hirasaka Renji’s motive”

Alice said while tapping on the keyboard on the moveable table by her side with one hand