Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 417 The Death of Fushimi Shika

In Japanese culture, the word "go die" is extremely serious, essentially equivalent to "baka ya shi" (idiot). If you say this to a relative or friend, it's tantamount to breaking off the friendship.

So Minamoto regretted saying it as soon as she did.

She simply meant that "Fushimi-kun will only be waiting to die if he doesn't actively seek treatment," which is equivalent to choosing the worst option among two choices, rather than cursing Fushimi-kun to die quickly.

Back in her room, Yuan Yuzi lay on the bed, buried herself under the covers, her mind a jumble of thoughts, unsure of what to do.

Fushimi Shika didn't think much of it. In his previous life, he would joke with ordinary friends by saying "go to hell." In his past context, saying "go to hell" was probably as serious as saying "idiot."

He assumed that Yuan Yuzi was just being difficult and didn't take it to heart. He knocked on the door and said loudly, "If you admit that you were the one who said you liked me first, then I might consider trying to salvage the situation..."

From inside the door came Yuko's shout: "Does this even matter?!"

“It’s very important,” Fushimi Shika said casually as he opened the refrigerator to look for food when she didn’t open the door. “Because I just had a flash of inspiration and thought of a clue to the antidote. If we can cure the Nue poison, we’ll have to figure out who liked the other first, right?”

Upon hearing this, Minamoto no Tamako abruptly pushed open the door and rushed into the living room, demanding to know what the clue was. The latter stubbornly insisted that Minamoto no Tamako admit it first before he would tell her.

"How dare you! What do you think your life is?!"

Genjiro swung her fist wildly, furiously punching Fushimi Shika. The latter leisurely unscrewed a bottle of milk, intending to make do with milk and a small bread roll for breakfast, and casually said, "Doesn't this just prove that your liking for me is more important than my life?"

Yuan Yuzi's hands paused, her eyes widened, her lips tightened, and she froze, her face turning bright red like a boiling teapot, her tuft of hair on her head seemingly about to steam.

"What nonsense are you spouting..."

"I...I don't like you that much..."

"Seriously...don't you feel ashamed to say something like that?"

Her voice grew softer and softer as she clutched the hem of her clothes, looking embarrassed and uneasy.

"So you admit it?" Fushimi Shika, ignoring his milk, ran back to his room, took out a tape recorder, and made Minamoto Tamako repeat it into the recorder, threatening, "If you don't tell me, I'll kill myself."

"..."

Yuan Yuzi's ears burned, and her heart pounded wildly. Standing by the coffee table, staring at the tape recorder, she felt as if the whole world's spotlight was shining on her.

What should we do...?

Do I really have to say it?
What if Fushimi-kun starts spreading this around?
When Yuan Yuzi was in high school and college, she often saw boys in her class bragging about things like, "xxx likes me," "She loves me to death," and "It's not happy, it's annoying." She deeply resented this kind of behavior and was also worried that her future partner would do the same thing.

If she had allowed Fushimi to record this shameful audio recording, it would have been equivalent to giving Fushimi a fatal handle, and the tape could very well have been preserved for decades or even centuries.

She could already imagine that when the two of them were old and frail, Fushimi and she would be leaning on wheelchairs, their children bringing their kids to visit, and their grandchildren would casually ask, "How did Grandpa and Grandma get together?" Fushimi would then take out this cassette tape, chuckle strangely, and say, "It was your grandma who liked me first. She confessed to me, and I had a real headache about it. I struggled for a long time about whether to accept her or not..."

Ughh ...
Yuan Yuzi found the thought terrifying; in her mind, this was like a naked loan, and once she made a mistake, she would be doomed forever.

She hesitated for a long time, then snorted and muttered, "You were the one who said you liked me first, I wouldn't lie!"

Seeing this, Fushimi Shika sighed, moved the tape recorder aside, placed some bread and milk on the table, and said, "Since you don't want to, I won't force you. Let's have breakfast first."

Yuan Yuzi's stomach rumbled at just the right moment. She hadn't eaten dinner last night and hadn't eaten breakfast this morning, so she was starving. If it weren't for her extreme emotional fluctuations these past two days, she would have been eating and drinking from the refrigerator long ago.

She sat down at the coffee table, picked up a small bread roll, spread jam on it, and mumbled as she ate, "What's the clue? Tell me first! We can talk about the rest later..."

Before he could finish speaking, Fushimi Shika suddenly clutched his chest, his eyes rolled back, his whole body convulsed, and he collapsed onto the sofa, writhing in agony.

Genji was horrified. She tossed aside the small bread roll, grabbed Fushimi's head, and frantically asked him what was wrong. The latter, barely breathing, reached out a trembling hand and said, "It's...it's the Nue poison acting up...it hurts...it hurts so much!"

"Hang in there! I'll go buy some painkillers right now!"

Just as Minamoto no Tamako was about to leave, Fushimi Shika grabbed her, looking like he was about to die and was giving his last words: "No... the painkillers aren't working... I've tried them..."

"Then, what should we do?"

Minamoto no Tamako panicked. She knew that Fushimi-kun would die sooner or later, but she never expected that day to come so soon.

"I...I just want to hear you admit...that you were the one who liked me first..."

As he spoke, Fushimi Shika coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of thick, almost black blood.

Yuan Yuzi gripped his hand tightly, the sweet feeling she had just experienced vanishing completely. Her eyes welled with tears as she sobbed, "I...I like you...I liked you first...Please, please..."

She nestled against Fushimi Shika's chest: "Don't leave me... please..."

……

"Okay."

Fushimi Shika wiped his mouth, sat up nonchalantly, and pressed the record button.

Genji stood there stunned for a full five seconds, her little brain unable to process what was happening. There was a bit of Fushimi Shika's 'black blood' on the edge of her mouth, and she subconsciously stuck out her tongue and licked it.

It's jam.

"you you--"

Genji was furious, her ahoge (antenna-like hair) stood on end, she was so angry she was practically fuming. She grabbed a cushion and unleashed a tornado-like attack that destroyed the parking lot, then brutally beat the feigning-death Fushimi.

Fushimi's deer hide was thick and tough; being hit twice by a pillow didn't hurt him at all. Shamelessly, he rewound the cassette tape and started playing the recording he had just heard.

"...Since you're unwilling, I won't force you. Let's have breakfast first."

"What exactly is the clue? Tell me first! We can talk about other things later..."

……

With a leap, Minamoto no Tamako straddled Fushimi Shika and began punching him repeatedly in the chest with both fists, as if she wanted to beat him so badly that he would drink all the milk he had when he was three years old.

"You dare to broadcast it—you actually dared to broadcast it outside!! I'll beat you to death, you big liar!!"

Fushimi Shika felt a bit of pain and quickly raised her hands to defend herself, explaining, "Don't I have to listen to the recording to see if it's clear? What if it wasn't recorded?"

"How dare you say that!" Yuan Yuzi was furious, her anger burning so fiercely that her stomach felt like it was about to burst.

Just then, the recording played to its last segment, and the sound quality was exceptionally clear.

"I...I like you...I liked you first...Please, please..."

"Don't leave me... please..."

……

Hearing herself say these words was too shameful; Minako wished she could gouge out her own ears. She stood up and lunged forward, trying to snatch the tape.

But Fushimi Shika anticipated her reaction and grabbed her ahoge (cowlick) with one hand, immobilizing her for a moment. She could only watch helplessly as Fushimi Shika put the cassette tape into his pocket.

"Now the evidence is irrefutable."

Fushimi Shika patted his pocket and continued eating his bread: "Hmm, I'm so conflicted, should I say yes or no?"

Minamoto no Tamako clenched her small fists, her face darkening as she stared at Fushimi Shika, her expression resembling a character from a popular Chinese animated series. She gritted her teeth and said, "That recording doesn't count! Everyone can tell I only said it because you wanted to hear it!"

"Yes!"

Fushimi Shika slapped his forehead and chuckled, tapping Minamoto no Tamako lightly with his finger: "You reminded me that I need to demagnetize the previous content."

Unable to bear it any longer, Yuan Yuzi yelled and lunged forward, trying to slap that slutty face until it swelled up.

Fushimi Shika grabbed her ahoge again, stretching out her arm to keep a certain distance. Her arm span was not as long as Fushimi Shika's, so the Death Windmill with both hands was not even within Fushimi Shika's reach.

"Too much deception! Too much deception!"

Minamoto Tamako burst into tears: "You...you only know how to bully me...waaaaah..."

Her emotions have been fluctuating wildly these past few days, and she's become somewhat neurasthenic.

Fushimi Shika quickly offered a few words of comfort, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and, with the benevolent expression of a capitalist, pretended to be serious as he said, "Alright, alright, I promise you, okay? Sigh, sometimes being too charming can be a real nuisance..."

Seeing that Minamoto Tamako was still crying, he stuffed a piece of bread into her mouth and said, "Eat quickly, we still have important business to do after you finish eating."

Startled, Minamoto no Tamako, with a piece of bread still in her mouth, broke free from Fushimi's sinful hand and took several steps back, shrinking into the corner of the sofa. Tears streamed down her face as she said in a panic, "W-we're already getting down to business? Isn't that too fast? I'm not ready... No, I'm not that kind of woman!"

"I was referring to the matter of treating the illness."

Fushimi Shika finished his bread in a few bites, licked his fingers, gulped down his milk, stood up, and asked, "What did you think it was?"

"Uh, nothing..."

Genji quickly lowered his head and ate his bread, pretending nothing had happened. Fushimi Shika went back to his room to change his clothes. Now, he wasn't as indifferent to matters of life and death as before. In Satake Gen's words, he had a weakness, but having a weakness also had its advantages; at least he had a bit more attachment to this world.

After all, people without weaknesses often end up self-destructing.

He stopped dawdling and changed his clothes in three to five minutes. He then returned to the living room to urge Yuan Yuzi to hurry up.

Gentama had just finished eating bread and was choking a bit, so she was drinking milk to soothe her throat. Fushimi Shika came out a few minutes later, still urging her to change her clothes quickly, seemingly intending to take her to "take care of important business"—it was like the sun rising in the west!

She couldn't help but suspect that there was some kind of conspiracy involved. Maybe Fushimi-kun would use the pretense of investigating a case as a pretext for a date, just like last time... She was actually looking forward to it!

"What important business do you need to take care of? Are you looking for an antidote?" Yuan Yuzi asked as she went back to her room to change her clothes.

"Yes."

Fushimi Shika felt a void at his waist, as if something was missing. Suddenly, he remembered that he hadn't brought his police gun, so he went back to his room, opened the bedside table drawer, and searched for a while, only to find that the police gun was gone again.

"Tsk, where's Sakura?" he asked Gen Tamako as he left the room.

“She went out to play with her friends, so I lent her my phone. You don’t need to worry.” Yuan Yuzi changed her clothes, as usual, a white shirt and black trousers. She has several of the same style of “work clothes”. Japanese part-time workers wear this outfit when they go out to do business.

No wonder the police guns were missing.

Fushimi Shika sighed, too lazy to pursue the matter, and hurriedly led Genji Tamako out.

Genjiro followed behind him, asking as they walked what they were going to do; Fushimi Shika gave evasive answers and kept him in suspense, no matter what Genjiro asked him, he would say the same thing: "You'll know when you get there."

The two took the elevator downstairs, and Fushimi Shika waved to a taxi, giving the driver the address.

The destination is the National Center for Psychiatric and Neurological Medical Research Hospital.

Genji immediately thought of the female gorilla that had just flown into the house (she had already mentally labeled it as such), and pressed Fushimi Shika about whether the clue to the antidote was related to that woman.

"I knew it! There was definitely something between you two!"

She squinted, sat in the back seat of the taxi, crossed her arms, and questioned Fushimi Shika: "Otherwise, why would she come to our house? Why did she go into your room? You're definitely hiding something from me!"

Fushimi Shika knew that her old habit was acting up again and that she would definitely press for details, so she simply said, "Actually, you've met her before too."

"Huh? When?"

Following the keywords, Yuan Yuzi bit her thumb and kept searching her memory.

A beautiful woman, with a princess-cut hairstyle, who once nearly drowned, both Fushimi-kun and I have seen her...

Yuan Yuzi was taken aback. She thought of a woman who matched all the characteristics, including her eyes—although the gaze was completely different, the shape of the eyes was very similar!

"It's...it's the one on Cat Island..."

She lowered her voice, unable to resist asking Fushimi Shika for confirmation. The latter raised a finger, glanced at the driver, and whispered, "Shh, let's talk about it when we get to the hospital."

Yuan Yuzi was full of doubts, thinking to herself, "Isn't that guy already dead?"

If she wasn't mistaken, that woman was the chief architect of Cat Island, the one who once battled Fushimi underwater. She witnessed that woman drown, her body floating motionless in the water... How did that guy end up here?

Was he rescued afterward?
A flood of questions arose. Gen Tamako wanted to know what the woman's purpose was, why she had returned, whether the brain injury was real, and what had happened on Cat Island after they left…

But the driver was still ahead, and Yuan Yuzi knew the importance of keeping quiet; it was best not to discuss such matters in front of outsiders. She felt like a hundred kittens were scratching at her heart; she wanted to speak but could only force herself to hold it in.

After finally getting off the bus, and after Fushimi paid the fare, she eagerly grabbed Fushimi Shika, and they crouched furtively behind the roadside, hiding behind the green belt, and whispered, "Are you sure it's her?"

"probably."

Fushimi Shika remembered that the chief designer of Cat Island was named Uesugi Shion, but at that time her crime index was not 1%, but 57%, which had already broken through the 50% mark. Even in a novel, she would be considered a super villain with principles and ideals.

But the Uesugi Shion he saw in the morning really looked like a three-year-old child, and her fighting power was even less than that of Hira Sakurako.

Logically, the crime index should fluctuate, and Fushimi Shika had encountered this situation before. However, the difference between Uesugi Shion and the previous one was too great, making him always suspect that they were not the same person.

"How did you recognize her?" Gen Tamako casually picked up a twig and poked at an ant. "Did you have a strong impression of her?"

“I was almost killed by her, how could I not remember her?” Fushimi Shika said irritably, “I’ve seen her face, so of course I can recognize her.”

“That makes sense.” Yuan Yuzi thought it made sense. She remembered that Fukimi-kun had once barged into the broadcasting room, and that was probably when the two of them met.

She drew a circle in the mud around the ant and continued, "Then why did you come to see her? Didn't you say you wanted to find a way to cure the poison?"

"Have you forgotten? Nue tea is raised quite a bit on Cat Island. As the chief designer of Cat Island, she must know about Nue tea, right? There are specific rules for planting flowers in green belts. If she didn't understand the habits of Nue tea, how could she plan the planting locations?"

As she spoke, Fushimi Shika covered her forehead with both hands to shield her eyes from the sunlight: "Even if she doesn't know how to cure the poison, she at least knows where Cat Island is, right?"

Summer has arrived, and Tokyo is unusually hot; the sun is scorching. The taxi had air conditioning, so Fushimi Shika didn't feel the heat, but after getting out, he felt like he was melting.

Yuan Yuzi understood. She knew there was a laboratory on Cat Island that specialized in researching Nue Tea. If she could find those researchers, there was a high probability that she could find an antidote.

Of course, it would be even better if that guy who calls himself the chief designer knew the antidote.

"What if she doesn't remember anything?" Gen Tamako was very worried. "She can become a designer on Cat Island, so her family must be quite well-off, right? Two bodyguards came looking for her this morning! Besides, aren't you curious about how she survived? Aren't you curious about why she left Cat Island? And why did she come to our door this morning..."

"Ask first," Fushimi Shika interrupted.

He felt his whole body burning up, like he was being roasted alive. He hadn't expected Tokyo summer to be this hot; if he stayed outside any longer, he was sure to get heatstroke.

After saying that, he walked straight into the hospital without waiting for Yuan Yuzi's reaction.

The cool air blew on his face, and Fushimi Shika squinted his eyes in enjoyment, unbuttoned his trench coat, and fanned himself back and forth to cool off, looking like a perverted exhibitionist.

Yuan Yuzi quickly followed and asked in a low voice, "Do you know which ward she's in? We can't possibly search every single room..."

Fushimi Shika looked at her as if she were an idiot. It's said that women's IQ drops drastically after falling in love, turning them into fools controlled by their emotions. I thought it was just a rumor, but now it seems to make some sense.

"What kind of look is that?" Yuan Yuzi was very unhappy; she felt that she was being looked down upon.

Fushimi Shika didn't reply. He stopped a nurse and asked her where she was. She kindly pointed him in the right direction. Fushimi Shika quickly went to the nurses' station, found the head nurse, showed her police badge, and claimed that she was a detective from the Sugamo Police Station and wanted to question a patient named 'Uesugi Shion'.

"She's in A-203..."

The head nurse had no suspicions and even offered to lead the way, cautiously asking Fushimi Shika what had happened.

"I'm sorry, this involves a criminal case and I cannot disclose any information to the public."

Fushimi Shika turned to leave, but was stopped by Minamoto no Tamako. She pulled Fushimi Shika to the corner of the corridor and asked in a low voice, "Isn't this an abuse of power? How can you use your position to pry into someone's private affairs?"

"What abuse of power?" Fushimi Shika asked, looking completely bewildered. "Aren't you planning to investigate Cat Island?"

Yuan Yuzi had forgotten about this, but she still argued her case: "Of course we need to investigate, but we need to open a case first..."

"According to the Japanese Code of Criminal Procedure, prosecutors, public prosecutors, or judicial police officers may arrest a suspect after giving reasons if they have sufficient grounds to suspect that the suspect has committed a crime punishable by death, life imprisonment, or a maximum sentence of three years or more, and if the situation is urgent and there is no time to request a judge to issue an arrest warrant..."

With that, Fushimi Shika shrugged: "I suspect the suspect is planning to flee, so I am exercising this authority. If you think the reason is not sufficient, according to the Police Duties Execution Law, the police have the power to conduct preliminary investigations on suspicious persons. This morning she broke into my house, and I have the right to investigate her according to the law."

"..."

Minamoto no Tamako thought to herself, "Here we go again. Fushimi-kun's shrewish face has reappeared."

Since they returned from Cat Island, Fushimi-kun hasn't given a legal talk like this in a long time, to the point that Minamoto no Tamako once thought that Fushimi-kun had reformed.

It seems a leopard can't change its spots.

Minamoto Tamako felt that as Fushimi-kun's lover, partner, colleague, confidant, and best friend, she had an obligation to correct Fushimi-kun's bad habit of exploiting legal loopholes. In the past, she would have foolishly thought that what Fushimi-kun said made a lot of sense, but now she understood that Fushimi-kun was just taking advantage of legal loopholes!

But now is not the time. Fushimi's fate is uncertain. We should find a way to cure the poison first, and then consider implementing the "Fushimi Deer Transformation Project".

Yuan Yuzi made a decision in her heart, but on the surface she didn't show it. She laughed it off and said, "Alright, alright, since you're acting in accordance with the law, then I can't control you."

Fushimi Shika didn't bother arguing with her. He followed the small map on the wall and found Uesugi Shion's hospital room.

Just as he was about to enter, Minamoto no Tamako remembered something else and asked Fushimi Shika how she knew her name. The latter could only make up a lie, saying that the two of them had introduced themselves to each other, which made Minamoto no Tamako a little jealous again.

"excuse me."

Fushimi Shika pushed open the door and entered the ward. He saw two bodyguards sitting on either side of him, looking down at newspapers. Uesugi Shion was lying on the hospital bed, or rather, bound to the bed, her whole body wrapped in restraints. At first glance, she looked like a female version of Hannibal Lecter.

He showed his police ID again and asked the two bodyguards to leave.

But this time it didn't work. The bodyguards stood up, one of them blocking the two men, while the other took out a walkie-talkie and whispered for help.

(End of this chapter)