章節 42: Chapter 42 : Kagemachi (2)
"Midori-chan?"
Ignoring Arata's call, Midori wandered along the street like a mindless ghost. Three okiyas down from the okiya they stopped the rickshaw at, another rose-colored memory fragment was waiting for her.
[Congratulations, Midori-san! You have found 2/3 memory fragments to complete the Third Mission! One more to go!].
Midori let out a choked scream as she collided with the man who had just bolted from the okiya. Both of them stumbled backward from the impact, sprawled on the cobblestone path. Through a veil of tears, Midori lifted her gaze to meet the man's eyes. This man was a stark contrast to the usual patrons of Kagemachi, who walked around with their silken kimonos and polished manners.
His layman clothing, disheveled and worn, spoke of a different life, a world far removed from the glamorous Kagemachi's estates.
But it was not his humble appearance that sent a tremor of fear through her. It was the vivid stain of crimson that marred the front of his kimono, a stark testament to violence unseen.
"Aahhhhhhhhhhh...!!!" Midori cried out, her voice breaking with terror. The world around her began to spin, her vision blurring before slowly fading to black. Just as she felt the ground rushing to meet her, a pair of strong arms caught her, gently pulling her back from the precipice.
"Forgive me!" A frantic male voice resonated through the air. "It wasn't my fault!"
The man fled down the street, but his escape was short-lived. Midori watched in utter horror as a group of uniformed men stepped out of the shadow and cut the man down with long samurai blades.
Before long, the sickening sound of blood splattering on the street's rough surface ceased, and the man lay motionless on the ground. Midori was frozen on the ground, her eyes wide with shock. A murder, brutal and swift, had unfolded before her very eyes. The weight of what she had witnessed pressed down on her, leaving her breathless and trembling.
The last rose-colored fragment hovered just above the ground in front of her. Midori swiped it from the air, and S-9898's voice exploded in her head without further delay.
[Congratulations, Midori-san! You have found 3/3 memory fragments to complete the Third Mission!].
[Combining the three memory fragments into one... Please wait.]
[Consolidating the combined memory fragments into the original host's memory... Please wait.]
[Basic reward upon completion, 100 Life Points have been added to your account!]
At the end of S-9898's series of announcement, Midori was transported to that fateful morning again.
She was still sitting on the ground, her legs felt numb under her weight.
Behind her, a man spoke in a calm, deep tone.
"It is best if you forget what you saw just now."
Paralyzed by fear, Midori couldn't bring herself to face her captor. The heavy grip of his large hands clamped on her shoulder, anchoring her to the spot like iron shackles.
And then, a sharp pain descended on her neck. The only thing she saw before her vision blurred and faded into black was a majestic dragon tattoo that sprawled across the man's naked chest when he spun her around and caught her in his arms.
The next time she opened her eyes, she was already at the Koishikawa residence, and Madam Koishikawa was screaming at her face for being a disgrace to the family.
"Midori-chan!"
Arata shook his youngest sibling's shoulders, his face was pale from worry.
"Midori-chan, what happened? Did you recall something?"
Midori blinked several times before she gave a curt nod.
"I remember. Onii-chan, I remember everything that happened that morning. I believe I saw the murderer," she continued in a whisper.
"Really."
Arata inhaled deeply, trying to steady his nerves. He scanned the surrounding area cautiously before speaking in a hushed tone, "Why don't we take the rickshaw back to the police station first? Do you think that you can give us some hints to help us find the murderer?"
"Onii-chan, I disagree," Midori said as she clutched Arata's wrist urgently. "Let's not go to the police station. Can we go to your house instead?"
"But... Why?"
"You will understand later, Onii-chan. I promise, it is better that way."
Although puzzled, Arata agreed to take Midori back to his house.
As soon as they arrived, Arata made a call to his superior, an inspector by the name of Serizawa.
News of Arata's breakthrough in their ongoing investigation spurred Inspector Serizawa into action. He arrived at Arata's doorstep within thirty minutes, eager to hear the details.
Inspector Serizawa was a middle-aged man who had worked in the law enforcement section for twenty years, way before Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was established.
Uncompromising and unforgiving, Inspector Serizawa was known for his unwavering pursuit of justice, regardless of the cost to those who stood in his way.
The three people gathered in the living room, the spacious room in the house. Arata made sure to close all windows and lock the door before he allowed Midori to speak.
Without further ado, Midori told Arata and Inspector Serizawa everything she recalled after recovering the three memory fragments at Kagemachi.
The two uniformed men listened intently, their expressions hardening with each detail.
"This doesn't add up," Inspector Serizawa declared, his voice gruff. "Our investigation points to Representative Watanabe's murder as singular, with no other reported killings in Kagemachi on that day."
Arata's brow furrowed. "Inspector, unless I misinterpreted Midori-san's vision, two individuals were murdered on consecutive days – the first being Representative Watanabe, followed by his killer."
"Exactly, Onii-chan," Midori confirmed Arata's analysis. "And the person behind the second murder was the man who hit me at the back of my neck and rendered me unconscious."
Inspector Serizawa interjected, "The man with the dragon tattoo, you believe?"
"Indeed," Midori said, her voice laced with certainty.
The inspector left his chair and paced the room, his brows forming a deep crease. "This suggests a calculated act. He used someone else to eliminate Watanabe, then silenced the person. This reeks of a criminal organization at play."
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