Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 496 Things Couples Should Do

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is the headquarters building of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and is one of the iconic buildings in Shinjuku Subcenter.

Construction began in 1988, during the peak of Japan's bubble economy. Its luxurious governor's office and high maintenance costs sparked controversy over "wasting taxpayers' money" and it was sarcastically dubbed the "Bubble Tower."

The bubble tower was officially completed at the end of December last year. In April of this year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government officially moved in and put the building into use, replacing the old office building in Marunouchi.

Bombing the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building was tantamount to declaring war on the government.

Yuan Yuzi felt as if she had been electrocuted, her whole body going numb from her scalp to her toes.

Her first thought was, "Could it be that Uesugi Shion is the real culprit behind the divine punishment?" Her second thought was, "Is he really going to bomb the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building?" What is that guy after? If he really hates Fushimi-kun, then he should come after Fushimi-kun. What kind of skill is it to bully innocent bystanders?
Fushimi Shion's ominous premonition came true; Uesugi Shion kept her word and released Hirako, then issued a terrorist attack warning in the name of divine punishment.

Even One Piece wouldn't dare to draw something like this. Declaring war on the World Government usually just involves burning a flag, but Uesugi Shion went straight to bomb the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. It just goes to show that reality is more fantastical than movies and TV shows.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has entered a state of high alert, with all three sections of the Public Security General Affairs Department mobilized to conduct a thorough search, determined to find every member of the Uesugi family.

The police escort division escorted dignitaries away from the Metropolitan Government Building, the traffic investigation division cordoned off the area, and the newly established organized crime countermeasures department also redeployed a significant number of personnel, temporarily suspending its crackdown on organized crime, all to focus on investigating the source of the explosives.

The entire city of Tokyo was filled with unease, creating a sense of impending doom.

After seeing Yalan off, Minamoto Tamako exchanged a few pleasantries with Hira Sakurako. The latter didn't seem too frightened, probably because she had previously dealt with Uesugi Shion and her brainwaves matched those of the mentally ill person, so she was relatively calm and even had the mood to ask Minamoto Tamako what she was eating and if she had prepared dinner for her.

Fushimi Shika gave Hirako an extra meal, and Minamoto Tamako's appetite recovered slightly. The two of them sat at the table and enjoyed their meal.

Yuan Yuzi's bad mood had affected her appetite, and she planned to just eat a few bites to get by. However, she found the food increasingly delicious and couldn't stop eating. With her cheeks puffed out, she chewed and ate two bowls of rice before letting out a satisfied burp and putting down her chopsticks.

"Thanks for the hospitality."

She clasped her hands together in gratitude, following Japanese dining etiquette.

Ping Yingzi had no manners; to be precise, her family of origin hadn't taught her anything about this. After finishing her meal, she threw down her chopsticks, pressed a 100-yen coin at the bottom of her bowl as a dishwashing fee, patted her bottom, and prepared to go back to her room to rest.

Fushimi Shika didn't care; he was already used to it. In any case, Minamoto Tamako would still wash the dishes in the end, so it wouldn't be tiring for him.

He has more important things to do right now.

After Hirako returned to her room, Fushimi Shika brought the conversation back on track: "Where were we?"

Yuan Yuzi hadn't forgotten; she had a very good memory. They had just talked about "things couples should do."

Now that Sakura is back, with no worries and both of them having eaten and drunk their fill, it seems they should, maybe, possibly, and probably be able to talk about this topic.

Adults should talk about adult topics!
Yuan Yuzi's face was a little hot. She subconsciously straightened her back, looked down at her toes, and her palms were slightly sweaty. She couldn't help but rub her knees back and forth.

"We... talked about... you know... things couples do... hiccup!"

Yuan Yuzi had just finished eating and her stomach was a little full. When she straightened her back, her lower abdomen was compressed, and she couldn't help but burp.

Oh, how embarrassing! How can a lady burp like that without any decorum?
When she lived with her mother before, she wouldn't do this kind of thing; she would just close her mouth, burp, and then exhale.

Now that she lives with Fushimi-kun, she feels that her manners are becoming more and more casual. When she came in just now, she didn't put her shoes out properly and just casually rubbed off her little leather shoes before running in.

It's possible that Fushimi Shika doesn't pay much attention to her personal image in her daily life, which led her to be influenced by what she saw and heard and picked up bad habits.

Yes, it must be Fushimi who corrupted him!

"Oh right, I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it," Fushimi Shika said, feigning ignorance, "What exactly are things couples are supposed to do?"

Minamoto no Tamako sensed Fushimi Shika's sinister intentions. She was already a little shy, but Fushimi kept asking her questions. This guy was definitely doing it on purpose!
She snorted, turned her face away, put her hands on her knees, and looked out into the living room: "It's nothing."

"Eh—I'll be really bothered if you don't explain clearly." Fushimi Shika pretended to be troubled, looking at first glance like an innocent young man who 'doesn't understand adult topics at all'.

“This is not the time to talk about this,” Gen Tamako said, repeating her old trick: “We haven’t caught Uesugi Shion yet, and we haven’t avenged Jun. How can we waste our energy on this kind of thing?”

"you're right."

Fushimi Shika agreed, adding that he also wanted to settle scores with Uesugi Shion: "So what do you think we should do now?"

Yuan Yuzi fell silent.

Upon closer reflection, it seems they really do have nothing to do.

Kujo made it very clear that, as individuals involved in the case, they should recuse themselves in principle. The Public Security Division would not allow them to participate in counter-terrorism operations, and the Metropolitan Police Department did not have enough manpower for them to assign. Even Watanabe Shun, who had been slacking off, had been transferred. Now they had neither manpower nor clues, and could only wait for news at home.

“We…we can…” Gen Tamako stammered, her brain racing as she came up with a terrible idea: “We can ask Sakurako, maybe we can get some clues.”

"The Special Investigation Division should have already taken a statement, right?" Fushimi Shika asked, squinting.

“There might be something we’ve overlooked!” said Gen Tamako.

"Why don't we let Sakura rest for a bit?" Fushimi Shika rarely showed such humanity, actually taking the initiative to be considerate of others.

"Right."

Genji Tamako genuinely cared for Sakurako. After hearing what Fushimi-kun said, she calmed down and realized that she really shouldn't have disturbed Sakurako's rest.

The thought of rest made her think of sleeping; the thought of sleeping made her think of dreaming; and the thought of dreaming made her think of Fushimi-kun's time as a tutor...

"By the way, do you remember what I did in your dream?" Gen Tamako recalled this incident.

Fushimi Shika leaned back tactically. He remembered it clearly: in his dream, Minamoto no Tamako was like a super-evolved beast, changing every day.

On the first day, Minamoto Tamako was just an apartment thief, easily beheaded by him with a single slash; on the last day, Minamoto Tamako became a Japanese special agent, and after taking a super serum, she could become Captain America. She inexplicably learned to make rifles by hand, climb high-rise buildings, snipe from a distance, and set up ingenious traps, and could cripple him in no time.

"Ah, I vaguely remember something."

Fushimi Shika sighed, looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle. "Hiss, it seems like they're helping me raise cats or something..." He changed the subject and asked, "Did you sense anything unusual after you woke up?"

Yuan Yuzi wanted to say no, but after recalling for a moment, she did find something strange: "Yes, when I opened my eyes, my head was in a very, very bad pain, like it was going to split open. I've never felt this bad when I did profiles before."

"Oh? And then?" Fushimi Shika pressed.

"Then I felt like I had gained some strange little bits of knowledge," Gen Tamako imitated Ikkyu-san, closing her eyes and twirling her small hands near her temples. "Hmm, let me think about it carefully..."

"Forget it!"

Fushimi Shika slapped her shoulders with both hands, looked her straight in the eyes, and said seriously, "Forget it! They're all unclean things!"

Genji Tamako hadn't taken it seriously at first, but Fushimi Shika's words piqued her interest, and she racked her brains to recall if it was something embarrassing about Fushimi-kun.

Militia Military Training Manual... What is this?
"Friends of Dual-Use Military and Civilian Talents"... How come there are still publications like this?

"The Complete Guide to Wilderness Survival"... Survival experience keeps pouring out!
"Complete Illustrated Guide to World Classic Light Weapons: Rifles"... How come the book also mentions practical combat effectiveness?

"Modern Design Theory and Methods of Automatic Infantry Weapons"... Wow, I feel like I can make my own rifle now!

Gentama sat blankly at the table, unmoved by Fushimi Shika's shaking and calling. Her eyes were completely unfocused, as if her brain had been fried.

Fushimi Shikashin said, "It's ruined, it's all ruined."

Back then, he thought that Genji was learning too fast, and he was always thinking about how to hide it from her so that she wouldn't learn anything she shouldn't from him.

So far, this initiative has been quite effective; Minamoto no Tamako has only learned some useless superficial skills (bad habits), such as "white lies," "super cold reading," "the perfect life reward chart," and "the specialization version of justice chanting"...

These are all just fancy decorations, harmless and not enough to threaten Fushimi Shika's position in the family.

But what Minamoto no Tamako learned in her dream was entirely different. That knowledge was all based on Fushimi Shika's life experiences from her previous life; Minamoto no Tamako even learned some legal cases—it was blatant plagiarism!

No, we must stop it!
Fushimi Shika pinched Minamoto no Tamako's nose, making it hard for her to breathe. After holding her breath for a while, she felt dizzy from lack of oxygen and finally came to her senses, sticking out her pink little tongue and panting heavily.

"What are you doing!" Gen Tamako turned her head and broke free from Fushimi Shika's evil hand.

"I'm trying to help you regain your senses. You have no idea how scary your expression was just now. You were rolling your eyes, sticking out your tongue, and your face was so red it looked like you were having an epileptic seizure." Fushimi Shika started talking nonsense again.

Yuan Yuzi didn't remember if she had rolled her eyes just now, but she did remember sticking out her tongue. She believed it halfway and quickly pursed her lips, reaching out to touch her cheeks, only to find that they were indeed a little hot.

"I'm fine, I was just reminiscing..."

Gen Tamako subconsciously breathed on the back of her hand to keep it warm, then placed it on her forehead to measure her temperature, muttering to herself, "37.1℃. Normal temperature is between 35.8℃ and 37℃. I have a slight fever."

After saying that, even Yuan Yuzi herself was startled.

She looked down at her little hands, wondering when she had mastered this skill. How could she measure an accurate body temperature just by looking at the back of her hand? Wouldn't there be any error?

Fushimi Shika sighed deeply; it seemed there was no way to make Minamoto no Tamako forget.

"What exactly did I do in your dream?" Gen Tamako became increasingly curious. "I felt like I learned a lot of things. Did you teach me?"

"I guess so," Fushimi Shika said.

“It is or it isn’t, what do you mean by ‘it’?” Yuan Yuzi persisted, feeling that she must have other untapped potential.

She picked up a chopstick and tried to spin it like Kung Fu Panda, maybe she learned Chinese kung fu in her dream... Unfortunately, she failed, the chopstick flew out, bounced off the edge of the table, and stuck into her nostril.

"Ugh!" Yuan Yuzi's nose was burning with pain. She pulled out the chopsticks, and blood flowed from her right nostril.

"..."

Seeing this, Fushimi Shika felt that Minamoto no Tamako still had a long way to go before becoming a super assassin.

But then he thought about it again and felt something was strange. Why was there such a big difference between reality and the Minamoto Tamako in his dream? Was it because he became a murderer in his dream?

Fushimi Shika rested his chin on his hand, looking somewhat apprehensive, as if he had inadvertently foreseen the consequences of "Divine Punishment's" identity being exposed.

Feeling embarrassed, Yuan Yuzi quickly stuffed a tissue into one of her nostrils: "Tell me quickly, what did I do in my dream?"

It seems like we won't get past this hurdle without making things clear.

Fushimi Shika stood up, left the dining table, and plopped down on the living room sofa: "You tell me first, and then I'll tell you."

Yuan Yuzi's curiosity overcame her shame, and she told everything in detail, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

This includes, but is not limited to, Fushimi tutor lying that she had finished her homework, Fushimi tutor lying that she wasn't studying hard enough, Fushimi tutor getting his leg broken by his mother, Fushimi tutor holding a family meeting...

Fushimi Shika listened quietly, feeling that this was something she herself would do.

"Okay, I'm done talking."

Yuan Yuzi's mouth was dry from talking, so she gulped down a large mouthful of water to moisten her throat.

"What are your thoughts?" Fushimi Shika asked, squinting his eyes.

"What...what are your thoughts?" Yuan Yuzi was taken aback.

"The fact that you didn't have any friends when you were little, and that your parents always argued," Fushimi Shika sat up, patted the cushion next to her, and gestured for Minamoto Tamako to sit down. "Do you still care about that much now?"

Gen Tamako thought he was going to confess what happened in his dream, so she obediently sat down next to him, thought about it carefully, and said, "I don't care at all."

"Really?" Shika Fushimi asked. "Someone was still pestering me to pay them a partner fee back then, it sounds like they hired me as a friend..."

When Yuan Yuzi's embarrassing past was exposed, she blushed and retorted, "That's called hiring a consultant! Do you understand what a consultant is? I didn't pester you to pay me a partner fee!"

She didn't think there was anything wrong with doing this before, but now that she's gotten to know Fushimi-kun, she feels ashamed just thinking about it.

“I see,” Fushimi Shika continued, revealing Minamoto Tamako’s shortcomings: “So your parents’ arguments didn’t affect you, did they? Did they leave you with a psychological shadow regarding relationships?”

"Absolutely not!"

With her two small hands outstretched and waving, Yuan Yuzi exuded a mix of trepidation, blind confidence, and 94% self-assurance: "I will never be like Mommy-chan, arguing all the time... Hmph, I already decided back then that if I were to date in the future, I would definitely be tolerant of my boyfriend, accept every single one of his shortcomings, and guide him to correct them."

Fushimi Shika felt the last sentence was a bit redundant.

But that was irrelevant. He didn't intend to nitpick and followed up on what Yuan Yuzi had said, asking, "Is that so? Then why didn't you say what couples should do?"

He paused, then added insult to injury: "Is it because you harbor resentment?"

Minamoto Tamako really wanted to say that these were completely different things, but she also felt that she seemed to have been influenced by her mother.

She never saw her parents being affectionate as a child, probably because their passion had already been exhausted before she was born.

Minamoto no Tamako didn't want to be that kind of boring adult, and deep down she was grateful to Fushimi-kun—the things he did for her in her dreams filled the void of her childhood.

She was just too shy to say thank you.

Since that's the case, Gentamako decides to express herself in a different way.

She lowered her head, her hair falling down and obscuring her eyes, and whispered, "No... I have no grudge against you."

Fushimi Shika couldn't see her expression, only her profile and neck, which were turning red at a visible speed.

"What should couples do?" Fushimi Shika said seriously, "I'll make a list, and we'll follow it step by step from now on."

He decided to play it safe first, just in case what Minamoto Tamako said about "things couples should do" was different from what he imagined, so that he wouldn't be in deep trouble.

"Well, it's just... a date or something."

Gen Tamako's voice trailed off as she bent over, clutching her water glass, curling up in a ball, staring at her toes: "And...and holding hands...kissing...watching movies...changing...changing nicknames..."

"..."

Fushimi Shika thought to himself that he was lucky he had played it safe.

However, taking things step by step is also a good approach. The normal process for couples to deepen their relationship is to go through "dating," "getting to know each other," and "deepening their feelings" one step at a time.

Of course, some people do the exact opposite: they go through the steps of "deepening feelings," "getting to know each other," and "starting dating"... If they are not satisfied or find that they are not compatible during the process of getting to know each other, they may not take any of the subsequent steps.

His relationship with Minamoto no Tamako was rather unusual. They first got to know each other well, knowing each other inside and out (Minamoto no Tamako had even met him in his previous life). There were no secrets between them (except for matters of principle), and then they began to "foster their feelings" and tentatively encourage each other to confess their love.

As for dating, Fushimi Shika doesn't recall ever having one...

However, it actually happened. When Fushimi Shika first joined the Koban, he took Minamoto no Tamako around under the guise of investigating a case in order to slack off, which Minamoto no Tamako took as a date.

Later, they took Hira Sakura to find her mother and strolled around Izu Town. They originally planned to go on a date, but it didn't go very smoothly. The two inexplicably entered a phase of exchanging harsh words. One claimed that he had three girlfriends to choose from, and the other lied that he had twelve boyfriends to choose from, saying that they wanted to test each other. In the end, nothing came of it.

So it seems they really didn't do "things that couples should do".

Fushimi Shika actually wanted to go on a date not because he was a womanizer, but simply because he was a homebody and didn't really want to go out.

Besides, Tokyo is under martial law right now, where are they going to go on a date?
If Minamoto no Tamako has other indoor dating activities, Fushimi Shika is willing to cooperate wholeheartedly.

"Let's watch a movie together."

Fushimi Shika got up and rummaged under the TV cabinet for videotapes. These days, watching movies meant renting cassette tapes and playing them on a VCR.

"What do you want to see?" he asked without turning his head.

Gen Tamako secretly pulled out the tissue, hurriedly tidied her hair, straightened her clothes, sat upright on the sofa, and said, "Anything is fine."

“Hmm, here are ‘Tora-san’, ‘Lupin III’, ‘101st Proposal’, ‘The Incompetent Man’…” Shika Fushimi rummaged through the boxes one by one.

“Then let’s make ‘101st Proposal’,” said Minamoto Tamako.

Fushimi Shika is fine with anything; he can watch whatever he wants. These are all games he rented when he bought the game consoles; some he's seen before, and some he hasn't.

Click.

Fushimi Shika inserted the videotape into the machine; the mechanism clicked, and the television displayed "Reading." He stood up, drew the curtains, and turned off the lights, plunging the living room into a dim, hazy atmosphere.

"W-Why did you turn off the light?" Yuan Yuzi twisted her toes, a hint of unease in her voice.

“Watching a movie with the lights off creates a better atmosphere, and the screen won’t reflect light,” Fushimi Shika said, sitting down next to her. “Haven’t you noticed that movie theaters turn off the lights before the movie starts?”

“Yes, that seems to be true,” said Gen Tamako.

About ten seconds later, the television began to play a picture, and the screen became the only light source in the living room, shining on the two people on the sofa.

They all seemed somewhat uneasy.

Gen Tamako placed her hands on her knees, forcing herself to straighten her back, but she still kept her head down, looking petite and shy;
Fushimi Shika crossed his legs, looking very relaxed, but he was shaking his leg, his thumb constantly rubbing the side of his index finger.

"101st Proposal" is a classic pure love drama. Neither of them had seen it. The reason why Minamoto Tamako chose this film was mainly because the title seemed to be related to love, and she thought that watching a love drama would add some atmosphere.

Fushimi Shika hadn't seen it either; he didn't even remember renting this videotape. It was probably strongly recommended by the shop owner, so he just tossed it into the purchasing basket and rented it along with other videotapes.

The opening scene of the TV series was quite interesting.

Hoshino Tatsuro, a 42-year-old section chief at a construction company, has failed 99 blind dates due to his plain appearance and taciturn personality. On the day of his 100th blind date, he mistakes cellist Yabuki Kaoru for his date.

Kaoru has been closed off since her fiancé, Yoshiyuki Makabe, died in a car accident three years ago on the eve of their wedding. This blind date was just to appease her mother's urging.

When the two first met, Kaoru was touched by Tatsuro's sincerity and encouraged him not to give up on pursuing happiness before parting. Little did she know that this unintentional remark would become the foreshadowing of changing their fate.

……

Perhaps because the male and female protagonists resonated with them, Minamoto no Tamako and Fushimi Shika gradually became engrossed in watching.

The story really does continue; Taro falls in love with Kaoru at first sight and begins his almost "clumsy" pursuit:

He spent his entire year-end bonus on lottery tickets just to discuss "life after winning the lottery" with Kaoru; to help Kaoru recover her overdue performance fees, Taro offended a client, causing him to miss his chance to be promoted to section chief... When Kaoru hesitated because she was afraid of losing her lover, Taro stopped a speeding truck in traffic, proving with his life that he would not suddenly disappear like Kaoru's fiancé, breaking Kaoru's fear of "death equals loss".

Minamoto no Tamako stared blankly at the screen, instinctively tightening her grip on Fushimi Shika's hand. She glared at Tatsuro and screamed, her heart pounding faster than ever.
"I won't die!"

"Because I love you, I will not die!"

(End of this chapter)