Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 34 The First Unlucky Guy

"H-How do you know his last name is Natsume?"

Beads of sweat broke out on Yoshimura Yu's forehead. While asking the question, he couldn't help but glance at Instructor Shirata, hoping that the latter could stop Gen Yuko from talking nonsense.

He has always been the student with the highest GPA and the best performance in the class. This graduation exam should be his personal show. Rather, he believes from the bottom of his heart that being a police officer is a profession that belongs only to men, and female police officers are just vases.

A little girl like Yuan Yuzi should comfort the victims, serve tea to the superiors, do some unimportant chores, and finally find a reliable man to marry. Women should behave like women. This is a battlefield for men, so why should gossips interfere?

He was not the only one who thought so. In the police force where the Showa era prevailed, 90% of the police officers thought so. In Japan in the s, gender discrimination in the workplace was extremely serious. The "gentlemanly treatment" enjoyed by female police officers was completely disproportionate to their "salary benefits".

Yuan Yuzi turned her head, and under the shade of the trees, her pupils reflected hazy spots of light.

"His full name is Natsume Shiro, and his name is written on the horse racing ticket. He is a restaurant owner and chef. Because his hands have calluses from years of using knives, his change smells of cooking oil, and the name of the restaurant is printed on his wallet, called "Shiro Izakaya."

As the words fell, the woods became silent, and the sound of birdsong could be heard in the distance.

Yoshimura Yu comforted himself in his heart. Anyone could see what Yuan Yuzi said. This guy just acted a little faster. If it were him, he would also come to the above conclusion after investigating the scene...

"In addition, this case is most likely committed by an acquaintance," Yuan Yuzi continued.

"Huh?" The other three were all stunned.

"This lighter is a custom-made one. The pattern printed on it is a plant called Abelia, whose flower language means "good fortune and prosperity". When you light the lighter with your left hand, you can push open the metal cover smoothly while ensuring that the pattern faces you regardless of whether it is on the front or the back."

Yuan Yuzi held the metal lighter and showed it to everyone: "This means that the original owner of the lighter was not the deceased himself, but a close friend of the deceased. Gamblers are very reluctant to lend their "lucky items" to others. They believe that doing so will borrow their good luck..."

The other people's thoughts were beginning to fall behind. Yoshimura Yu looked at her with a complicated expression, and no one spoke to refute.

"…In summary, combined with the cigarette butt at the victim's feet, we can basically infer that the crime was committed by an acquaintance." After saying this, Yuan Yuzi put the lighter into her pocket.

Xiu had the illusion of returning to high school and listening to his math teacher's lectures. At the beginning, he was reviewing the multiplication table, but when he looked up again, the blackboard was already full of English letters.

"Well, how can we tell that the lighter didn't belong to the deceased?" The pigtailed girl raised her hand weakly and asked, "Also, what does this have to do with the cigarette butt at the deceased's feet? How does it connect to the crime being committed by an acquaintance?"

As soon as she heard the key words, Yuan Yuzi came back to her senses and thought, is this what it feels like to be asked why? It's so refreshing! No wonder Fushimi likes to be a riddle teller!
She looked so proud that she couldn't suppress her smile. It felt like she had taken a big gulp of ice soda in the dog days of summer, and she felt refreshed from head to toe, and her whole body was numb.

"Oh, hey, it's actually very simple. Let me explain it to you..."

Before Yuan Yuzi finished speaking, she was interrupted by Yoshimura Yu: "Okay! Now that the identity of the victim has been investigated, we should rush to the witness location as soon as possible. There is no time for procrastination and explanation... Let's go, it's time to set off."

Yuan Yuzi thought to herself what a pity. If someone didn't understand her reasoning, she would scratch her head and try to explain it clearly.

She wanted to chat with the girl with pigtails on the way, but she never had the chance to speak. Yoshimura Yu was leading the way, and he was walking very fast, so she had to jog to barely keep up.

In less than an hour, Yuan Yuzi was already sweating profusely. Her blue and white uniform was soaked with sweat and became translucent. She felt like her heart was about to explode, and couldn't help asking, "How far is it?"

"It's almost there. We'll probably be there in half an hour." Yoshimura Yu spoke without even taking a breath.

“What? There’s still half an hour left…” Yuan Yuzi’s head drooped.

Yoshimura Yushin said that this is right, how can a girl's physical strength be compared with that of a man? Even if she is more careful than a man, she can't catch the murderer on the front line, and can only do some logistical analysis work.

He stopped, looked back at Yuan Yuzi, and said with a smile: "If you are too tired, how about I carry you? It's ok to use my hands to support you, which can help you save some energy."

Finally, it's my turn to show off! Yoshimura Yu is already imagining how soft Yuan Yuzi's body is when he hugs her. When Yuan Yuzi leans on his strong arms, she will definitely praise him and say, "Squad leader, you are so manly and gentlemanly..."

Hearing this, Yuan Yuzi looked up in astonishment, thinking, your intention is too obvious, isn't it? Instructor Shirata is watching right next to me! If you help me at this time, won't it mean that I will lose points?
She thought about it and realized that this exam was a ranking system, and everyone was a potential competitor! She didn't expect the monitor to be so thoughtful. Was he already thinking of ways to eliminate his competitors? It looked like a strong rival!
Before Yuan Yuzi could open her mouth to refuse, she saw Yoshimura Yu suddenly step on empty air and his body sank into the grass, letting out a scream.

"--ah!!"

The girl with pigtails was frightened and started screaming as well. Her voice was even louder than Yoshimura Yu's, and it was like a devilish sound that pierced the ears.

The forest birds were startled and flew away flapping their wings.

……

Fushimi Shika sat on a rock on the top of the mountain, shivering and putting his hands into his sleeves. The cold wind was as cold as a knife, and his face was numb from the cold.

Hearing the panicked shouts coming from the forest, he stood up, stamped his feet, and flexed his muscles.

"Finally, there's an unlucky guy." Fushimi Shika sighed.

Last night, Instructor Shirata called him to his office and said that he needed a student to play the murderer, and asked Fushimi Lu if he wanted to try. He decisively said no, but it was useless to not want to, as this was a notification, not a discussion.

At first he thought it was not a big deal. It was just a murderer. What was so difficult about it? He didn't have to kill anyone, he just had to run fast.

But when he was sent to the top of the mountain, he realized that it was a huge pit. The instructor did not give him a map or a compass, but only three bottles of water and a backpack of compressed biscuits, and let Fushimi Shika do whatever he wanted.

——Without a map, how could he get to the assembly point in Sanin?
There isn’t even an instructor accompanying him. What if he gets lost in the mountains?
Facing Fushimi Shika's questioning, Instructor Shirata simply patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "I never planned to let you graduate... I said that on my first day in office, right? If your attendance is not good enough, you will have to postpone your graduation. Even if you are dying of illness, there is no room for negotiation."

Fushimi Shika pulled his thoughts away from his memories, stretched himself, and the joints in his spine crackled.

"In that case, then don't graduate."

(End of this chapter)