Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 425 You're Moldy
Under normal circumstances, Minamoto no Tamako's words would be quite touching, a genuine expression of emotion, enough to make a prodigal son turn back—but Fushimi Shika is not a prodigal son; he hasn't even started his prodigal ways yet, so naturally he is not moved at all.

Human joys and sorrows are not shared; he only found Minamoto no Tamako noisy.

Fushimi Shika lied and said that Hira Sakura wanted to eat the lunch she brought from home instead of buying food at the school cafeteria, in order to get closer to her friends... That's how it is in elementary school; if you haven't eaten lunch together, you're not really good friends.

Minamoto no Tamako thought that Fushimi Shika was planning to get up at five o'clock to make a bento for her sister, and she was touched for five seconds, because five seconds later Fushimi Shika asked her to go to the kitchen to fry tempura.

“You know I have strict standards for my sleep schedule. I should be sleeping at this time. Waking you up is already fulfilling my responsibility as an older brother…”

Fushimi Shika rambled on for a few minutes, then lay on the bed like a paralyzed patient: "I'll deliver on the seal, okay?"

With her messy hair and the collar of her pajamas askew, Yuan Yuzi couldn't help but yawn. She secretly stuffed a towel into the blanket to cover the heart-shaped mark, and then, with an unhappy expression, she bargained, "At least two."

"Okay, two it is."

Fushimi Shika just wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible.

Yuan Yuzi retrieved the two stamps, slipped on her slippers, went back to her room to change her clothes, and then went to the kitchen to make a bento box.

As soon as the sizzling sound of hot oil filled the air, Fushimi Shika quickly threw off the covers and dragged Uesugi Shion out of bed. The latter had been sleeping soundly, her dream reaching a crucial moment, but Fushimi Shika forcibly pulled her up and shoved her into the wardrobe.

"Don't make a sound!"

Fushimi Shika tried to intimidate her with a fierce tone, but she let out a soft moan and curled up in the corner of the cabinet, staring at him expectantly, it was unclear whether she understood him or not.

Fushimi Shika slammed the cabinet door shut behind him. Just in case, he used a coat hanger to wedge the cabinet handle, tested the tightness, and only breathed a slight sigh of relief after confirming that he couldn't push it open.

If only we had sleeping pills or anesthetics, it would be so convenient. It would be really troublesome if we didn't have a way to make someone unconscious in a critical moment. No wonder books say that sleeping pills are an essential item for home, travel, and adventure.

He sat back on the bed and found a towel on the sheet. This was the towel he usually used to dry his feet before getting into bed after showering. It was usually hanging by the bedside, and he didn't know how it had suddenly ended up on the bed.

I hope Minamoto no Tamako didn't use this towel to wipe her face.

Fushimi Shika lifted the towel, intending to hang it back by the bedside, when the cabinet suddenly moved.

He turned his head and saw a clothes hanger wire sticking out from the gap in the cabinet door, twisting nimbly from side to side, and quickly prying the clothes hanger off the door.

The wardrobe door slowly opened, and Uesugi Shion peeked out, trying to escape.

Fushimi Shika had no choice but to bind her hands and feet with tape, lock her back in the closet, and remove all the hangers from it.

However, less than five minutes later, a piece of wood peeked out from the gap in the wardrobe, rubbing back and forth, and knocked off the clothes hanger that was locked.

He now understood why Uesugi Shion was able to escape.

This guy is a designer who is familiar with the structure of various furniture and buildings, and he designed Japan's largest and most realistic escape room - Cat Island - escaping from a closet or basement is a piece of cake for him.

Fushimi Shika became increasingly suspicious that Uesugi Shion was faking madness, but he didn't have time to investigate further at the moment.

He had limited materials in his room and no tools to restrain Uesugi Shion. He should have played more bondage games with the drunken Minamoto Tamako...

"You want to come out, right? Fine, I'll let you out." Fushimi Shika pulled Uesugi Shion out again.

He stood to the side with his hands on his hips, wanting to see what Uesugi Shion was up to.

The latter looked around cautiously for a moment, and after confirming that there was no danger, quickly crawled into Fushimi Shika's bed and curled up into a ball.

"..."

Fushimi Shika was worried that there might be witnesses or that Uesugi Shion might be caught on camera when she sneaked back, so he didn't dare let her stay for long. However, he hadn't figured out what to do, and he was really in a dilemma.

The two sides remained deadlocked for more than two hours.

Genjiro prepared the bento box and, as usual, woke Hirasakurako up. She supervised Hirasakurako brushing her teeth and washing her face, and thoughtfully reminded her to bring her bento box. Hirasakurako didn't know why Genjiro had suddenly started making bento boxes, but she naturally wouldn't refuse such a kind gesture, so she accepted it without really understanding why.

By the time she finished her work and got ready to go to work, it was already eight o'clock in the morning.

Fushimi Shika also washed up in his room, changed his clothes, and pretended to go to work with Minamoto Tamako, leaving Uesugi Shion at home—this was his well-thought-out solution.

He could simply pretend nothing had happened, and even if Uesugi Shion was exposed, he could argue that Uesugi Shion had sneaked in... In fact, it was indeed Uesugi Shion who had sneaked into his house.

On her way to work, Fushimi Shika, holding a parasol, asked Minamoto Tamako what she had dreamed about last night.

He wanted to understand Uesugi Shion's mental state from this, and if nothing unexpected happened, the two of them should have had the same dream.

Minamoto no Tamako stammered and changed the subject, claiming that she only dreamed of Fushimi-kun cheating on her, and repeatedly said, in a very convincing attempt to cover up her mistake, "I didn't dream of anything else."

Fushimi Shika expressed his doubts and kept pressing for details; Minamoto Tamako, unable to answer his questions, simply retaliated, questioning Fushimi-kun about the purpose of the tape.
Could it be a hypnotic tape that can induce erotic dreams?

Fushimi Shika naturally wouldn't tell the truth, lying that it was just an ordinary sleep aid tape.

Yuan Yuzi didn't believe it. One erotic dream could be a coincidence, but two erotic dreams meant something? It meant there must be a trick involved!

“Then I’ll ask Kazama-senpai,” she said, taking out her pink flip phone to text him: “Kazama-senpai definitely knows more about these tapes than you do…”

"Let's just forget it."

Fushimi Shika quickly pressed her hand down, urging her to give Kazama-senpai some face.

What if this cassette tape is used to treat an embarrassing disease, or has some strange effect? ​​How could Kazama-senpai possibly tell his junior about it?
Minamoto Tamako thought it made sense, but after listening, she became even more suspicious of Fushimi Shika and claimed that she would go to see Dr. Arima after get off work to find out what the hypnosis tape was for.

"up to you."

Fushimi Shika pretended to be indifferent and continued to press, "What was Uesugi Shion like in your dream? Did she seem to be in a normal mental state?"

Yuan Yuzi thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "It's hard to say."

"What do you mean by 'it's hard to say'?" Fushimi Shika pressed.

“The two of you in bed, besides doing *that*, didn’t communicate at all.” After saying that, Yuan Yuzi became unhappy again, deliberately quickening her pace, clenching her fists, and swinging rapidly towards the police station.

Fushimi Shika pretended not to notice that she was angry and questioned her carefully: "Didn't she communicate with you? Or... uh, did she have any normal human reactions?"

"No, no, no!!"

Minamoto no Tamako suddenly stopped, her jealousy flaring up, and turned to question Fushimi Shika about why she had asked that.

Fushimi Shika falsely claimed that the subconscious in dreams can reflect a lot of information. If Uesugi Shion in Minamoto no Tamako's dream is a rational and cold woman, then it is very likely that Uesugi Shion is pretending to be crazy—the subconscious can capture information that the conscious mind does not notice and ultimately reflect it in the dream.

As to whether Uesugi Shion was feigning madness, Minamoto Tamako had already considered this possibility. Since Fushimi Shika had brought it up, she might as well take the opportunity to explain her own plans:

“Let’s leave professional matters to the professionals… Once the investigation department finds Uesugi Shion, I’ll find a way to get her to see a psychologist, and then the truth will come out.” Fushimi Shika shrugged: “A psychologist’s diagnosis isn’t always accurate.”

His psychological diagnosis report is still in the bedside drawer, with a diagnosis of "sunny and cheerful, enthusiastic and lively, open-minded, and extremely creative".

“It’s inaccurate because he’s not professional enough,” Minamoto Tamako thought, already having a two-birds-with-one-stone plan: “I think Dr. Arima is quite professional, so I can ask him for help with the diagnosis.”

Fushimi Shika instinctively wanted to dissuade him, but then he thought about it again and felt that it might be a good idea.

If you can't discern the other person's mental state even by dreaming together, why not seek a professional for a second assessment... provided that the other person is truly, truly a professional.

A psychiatrist strongly recommended by the head of the psychiatry department at a national hospital should be more qualified than the head of the psychiatry department.

After finishing their conversation, the two could walk to the Sugamo Police Station and clock in for work.

As usual, Minamoto no Tamako was handling paperwork and files, but Fushimi Shika couldn't slack off. The investigation department was short-staffed, so he was transferred to investigate and help the investigation department find Uesugi Shion's whereabouts.

Kinoshita Shojin assigned him to search the Sugamo apartment complex because Fushimi Shika lived there and was more familiar with the local residents, transient population, and building environment than other officers.

Fushimi Shika had no choice but to investigate himself.

In the morning, he was still doing his normal work, such as taking statements from residents and looking for possible witnesses. In the afternoon, after confirming that no one had witnessed Uesugi Shion in Sugamo Apartment or the surrounding area, he felt at ease and started to slack off, going straight home to rest, planning to go to the police station to report for duty when it was almost time.

Another boring day.

When it was time to leave work, Fushimi Shika submitted his resident statement and refused to work overtime. Kinoshita Shojin had no choice but to let him go.

On the other side, Minamoto no Tamako also didn't stay to work. She rushed home, intending to find Uesugi Shion as soon as possible and cure Fushimi-kun of the Nue poison.

Fushimi Shika is rather lazy and finds summer too hot, so he takes a taxi directly after get off work and gets home before Genji Tamako.

"I am back."

He casually shouted something in the entryway, and immediately the sound of bare feet running around came from the living room.

Uesugi Shion, wearing a loose men's shirt, came running over and pounced on Fushimi Shika, shouting:

"Dad! Hug me!"

Fushimi Shika was startled, thinking it was some new assassination method. He kicked Uesugi Shion squarely in the face with his bare right foot, sending her flying backward and sliding several meters on the ground.

"..."

"Woooooooo..."

Uesugi Shion got up, a footprint now etched on her beautiful face. She reverted to her pitiful expression from the underground warehouse, and with her head down, she slipped back to Fushimi Shika's room.

Fushimi Shika was stunned for a few seconds before she realized what was happening.

"It seems like finding a psychologist is becoming increasingly urgent..."

He muttered something under his breath, went into the living room, lay down on the sofa, took out his wallet, and searched for Dr. Arima's business card, preparing to dial to schedule a consultation.

Just then, there was a knock on the door from the entrance.

Hearing a noise outside the door, Uesugi Shion peeked out of the room, acting furtively and observing secretly.

Fushimi Shika thought it was a salesman and didn't intend to answer the door, but his phone suddenly rang. It was Yazaki Momo calling to ask if he was free, as she had something very important to discuss in person.

"You're not just standing at my doorstep, are you?" He got up from the sofa.

"As expected of Detective Fushimi, how did you deduce that?" Yazaki Momo praised him.

Fushimi Shika opened the door and said irritably, "Because I'm home."

Momoya was slightly surprised. She visited the police station right after closing time. She had knocked on the door but no one answered, so she thought Fushimi Shika was not home... She didn't expect that Fushimi Shika was not working overtime, nor was he entertaining guests, and he didn't even answer the door for his guests.

...I feel like I'm staying home even more than before.

Yazaki Momo did not come alone; Ono Ken was with her, standing behind her. After Fushimi Shika opened the door, she bowed politely.

Instead of welcoming the two inside, Fushimi Shika blocked the doorway and asked them directly what they wanted.

"It's like this, Princess Kiko would like to ask for your help..."

Before Yazaki Momo could finish speaking, Fushimi Shika turned and prepared to close the door: "I'm busy."

Ono Ken quickly held the door open, claiming that this matter was very important and that Princess Kiko really needed a reliable professional to help her. He told Fushimi Shika to just ask for whatever reward she wanted.

Fushimi Shika was already annoyed; the Nue poison in his body hadn't been cured yet, so how could he be in the mood to help others solve their problems? Besides, the reason he was poisoned by the Nue poison was because he went to help Princess Kiko!

I almost lost my life last time, who knows what I'll lose this time.

He braced himself against the door, continuing to exert force, slowly pushing Ono Ken out, and casually said, "I want to know how to cure Nue poison. Can you offer me that reward?"

Ono Ken was taken aback: "You drank Nue tea again?"

"What do you mean 'again'?" Fushimi Shika thought the maid wasn't quite right in the head: "She drank Nue tea last time, and the poison hasn't been cured yet."

“Drinking one cup won’t hurt,” Ono Ken said, equally puzzled. “It’s only when taken for more than a month that it will cause organ damage…”

She later investigated the origins of the tree spirit and learned about Dr. Fukuyama's laboratory from Momoya Yazaki. The latter had sneaked in and looked at the experimental data; although she couldn't understand it, she could at least recount a few sentences.

"One cup is alright?"

Fushimi Shika unbuttoned her shirt, revealing the demon claw marks on her body, and questioned her about what had happened.

Ono Ken was silent for a while before saying, "It's probably caused by fungal infection of the subcutaneous tissue. Just sunbathing it will eradicate it..."

She paused, then couldn't help asking, "Have you not been in the sun for the past three months?"

"..."

Fushimi Shika's first reaction was to keep it a secret from Minamoto no Tamako.

As long as Genji Tamako doesn't know, he will always be a 'dying man'.

(End of this chapter)