Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 519 Keeping a Mistress
Such a touching friendship was also experienced by Minamoto no Tamako—coincidentally, her best friend also died, and she also wanted to bring the truth to light.

The only difference is that Owada Fuga passively waits, while Minamoto Tamako actively pursues the truth.

Fushimi Shika couldn't comment on this, so he could only remain silent, listening to Minamoto no Tamako's long sighs until the train arrived at the station, finally giving him some peace and quiet.

The second interviewee was the lover's mother. When Fushimi Shika arrived at the other party's doorstep, she learned from Minamoto Tamako that Kujo Hikaru's lover's name was Ichikawa Akira.

He suddenly remembered something, stopped at the entrance of the courtyard, grabbed Gen Tamako who was about to ring the doorbell, and asked, "Hiss, didn't Kujou Yuka say before she died that she hated autumn lately? Does that mean she had a motive to kill Ichikawa?"

Gen Tamako smiled smugly again, letting out the captain's signature laugh: "Ha, ha, ha, ha! Idiot! Kujou Yuka doesn't know her husband's mistresses at all, nor does she know who her husband's mistresses are. We've confirmed this repeatedly. When she said she 'hates autumn,' she meant autumn."

Fushimi Shika was quite displeased, feeling that her position in the family was being challenged, and couldn't help but retort, "What's there to be proud of? I didn't know this information. Does revealing things that others don't know make you smart?"

“Of course!” Yuan Yuzi crossed her arms, feeling a sense of exhilaration at finally winning the intellectual battle.

Fushimi Shika said expressionlessly, "Fun fact: Bananas are poisonous; eating too many bananas can be fatal."

Minamoto no Tamako didn't believe her: "Hmph, you're lying just to pretend you know things I don't..."

“No, it’s true,” Fushimi Shika turned to look at Hira Sakurako: “If you don’t believe me, ask Sakurako, do bananas have radiation?”

Ping Yingzi tilted her head and thought for a moment before giving an affirmative answer: "Yes, I saw it in the encyclopedia. Bananas contain the natural radioactive isotope potassium-40."

"What?!" Yuan Yuzi was shocked. This was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing. "Then, the fruit shop dares to openly sell bananas? I've eaten bananas before, and nothing happened to me?"

Fushimi Shika pressed the doorbell, put his hands in his pockets, and said, "Each banana has a radiation dose of about 0.0778 microsieverts. Eating 250 bananas is equivalent to taking a chest X-ray. To reach a lethal dose, you would need 3500 million bananas, which would take about 200 years."

"..."

Yuan Yuzi was stunned for a few seconds before she gradually came to her senses. She stomped her foot in anger, wanting to retort but not knowing what to say.

It seems that trying to appear smart by knowing things others don't know is definitely not going to work; it just feels like maliciously showing off one's intelligence...

As Minamoto Tamako was thinking, she suddenly felt that something was not quite right: "Wait, back in the police academy and the inter-unit, you seemed to often brag about things I didn't know, and even mocked me for being an idiot..."

"I don't remember," Fushimi Shika said, turning his face away.

Before Minamoto no Tamako could have an attack, Ichikawa Akira's mother came to answer the door.

Upon learning that the two detectives had come for her daughter, Ichikawa Riko quickly welcomed them and led them into the living room, where she not only made tea but also cut fruit, treating them with great hospitality.

As usual, Gen Tamako first calmed her down, saying some standard phrases like "the police are investigating with all their might, and it is inconvenient to disclose specific details," before taking out her notebook and pen and starting to ask questions.

Riko Ichikawa was equally responsive and cooperative in answering Tamako Minamoto's questions.

"Yes, I know that Qiu Tian is someone's lover. Although it's certainly immoral, murder is still going too far..."

"She didn't give me anything, she just said that if she died, it must have been Kujo Hikaru who did it, and I had a bad feeling when I heard that..."

"The day before the accident, she sweetly asked for Lorraine quiche, and I made her several servings. Before she could finish them, she was already..."

As she spoke, Riko Ichikawa broke down in tears.

Her husband passed away years ago, and now she and her daughter depend on each other for survival. The tragic death of her daughter is nothing short of a devastating blow to her life.

Yuan Yuzi offered a few words of comfort, then got up to take her leave.

The three left the Ichikawa residence and strolled along the streets of Sapporo, stopping frequently. Fushimi Shika suggested they find a coffee shop to sit down, reasoning that instead of wandering around searching for useless information, they should carefully analyze the case.

Gentama didn't want to go, but Hira Sakura agreed. She was a little tired and wanted to find a place to sit and rest.

To appease Sakurako, Minamoto no Tamako had no choice but to agree.

Sapporo has many cafes, some of which are more stylish than those in Tokyo. For example, the cafe they visited, 'Yukari', has been in business for 16 years and may continue to operate in the future.

As Fushimi Shika pushed open the door, a bell rang. He looked around and saw that the shop retained a strong Showa-era style.

Hira Sakurako was the first to find a seat. The waiter handed her a traditional coffee shop menu, and Minamoto Tamako craned her neck to look at it, hoping to see if there were any coffees she liked or desserts she wanted to try.

Fushimi Shika felt that this place had a Japanese-Western fusion feel, similar to the Edo period he saw in Japanese dramas. The owner of YUKA insisted on using bread from the old Sapporo shop "Okameya" and RI Brent coffee beans specially made by Kikuchi Coffee, but at the same time offered Western fast food such as omelet rice and Napoleon pasta.

As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, so he ordered a classic coffee, intending to try the local coffee specialty. Both Minamoto no Tamako and Hirako ordered desserts; the former wanted some traditional bread, while the latter wanted ice cream.

While waiting for their food, Minamoto no Tamako brought up the murder case again, asking Fushimi Shika if he had any leads.

"Aren't you the captain? You must be smarter than us two vice-captains, right? Captain Tamako must already have an idea. Tell me quickly, don't test me." Fushimi Shika was too lazy to think. He quickly flipped through the menu to see if there were any dishes that would take a long time to arrive.

If so, I might as well linger here this afternoon.

"Uh, I... I still want to hear your opinion first." Yuan Yuzi had no ideas whatsoever.

"I have no objections and fully support Captain Tamako." Fushimi Shika bowed his head and raised his hand.

"You have no complaints at all? Then what use are you to me?" Yuan Yuzi's temper flared up, unable to bear being fooled by Lu Jun: "I haven't settled the score with you for what happened earlier. Didn't you always bully me because I was inexperienced, always calling me stupid, unable to see something so obvious..."

"Really?" Fushimi Shika pretended to think for a moment. "No, don't slander people."

Gen Tamako immediately gave an example: "How could there not be? Back in police academy, he played the turtle soup game with me and even got someone to cheat, saying it was the first lesson he taught me. Wasn't he just showing off his intelligence by using things I didn't know..."

"That's ancient history, why do you still remember it? You always say I'm petty, but I think you're even more petty than me."

Just as Fushimi Shika finished speaking, the waiter brought over the coffee. He casually asked for a straw and showed the hole in the straw to Minamoto Tamako: "Look, it's about this big."

Yuan Yuzi was unhappy again, pouting. She was about to criticize Shika-kun, but then she thought that if she did that, wouldn't she be just like her mother back then?
That won't do! How can I become the kind of person I hate?

Yuan Yuzi pursed her lips again and hummed through her little nose, not directly saying that she was angry, but just humming and humming to express her dissatisfaction indirectly.

"Where did this little pig come from?" Fushimi Shika asked with a smile.

源玉子涨红了脸，她心想这家伙怎么看都气人，不能怪妈妈酱忍不住，有时候自己的恋人就是欠揍！

She had heard Ya Lan say before that some people date just to be pathetic... Maybe Lu Jun is one of those people!
Yuan Yuzi couldn't hold back any longer. She clenched her little fists and questioned, "Didn't Grandpa also entrust you with investigating the case? How are you going to explain this to him?"

"I have a brilliant plan," Fushimi Shika said with another mysterious smile.

"what?"

Genji's anger vanished instantly. She looked at Fushimi Shika with suspicion and asked if he had already deduced the truth and was deliberately keeping it a secret, just like before.

"How could I possibly do something so obnoxious?" Fushimi Shika shook his head, sipped his coffee, burned his tongue, coughed twice, and put the coffee down.

"Of course you can! You've done it countless times!"

After saying that, Minamoto no Tamako got up and moved to sit next to Fushimi Shika, and once again used her signature move, which was the 'Tang Monk chanting method' that Fushimi Shika hated so much: "Tell me, tell me... hurry up and tell me... please tell me... we're not on the same team, are we..."

Fushimi Shika felt like a thousand mosquitoes were swirling around his ears. He knew that if he didn't offer some valuable reasoning today, Minamoto no Tamako would definitely not give up.

"Since you're begging me so sincerely, I'll be merciful and use my brain." He coughed lightly.

Gen Tamako raised her eyebrows, finding those words very annoying.

Who asked you for help? What's so great about you...?

If you try to fool me with things I don't know, I'll make you pay!
Ignoring her little glance, Fushimi Shika rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a while, and actually came up with some ideas: "If I'm not mistaken, Ichikawa Akira should have something on Kujo Hikari."

He is very sensitive to these kinds of things; he can basically guess the truth just by smelling it.

"Huh? Why do you say that?" Gen Tamako asked.

“There’s no reason, I’m just guessing,” Fushimi Shika said. “If I had to give a reason, I could find some evidence to support it.”

"What evidence?" Yuan Yuzi hurriedly asked.

Fushimi Shika countered, "Does the file say what Ichikawa Akira's mother did for a living?"

Gen Tamako nodded. She had memorized the case file thoroughly and could recite all of its contents from memory: "It is written that Ichikawa Riko is in poor health and is currently unemployed at home."

"And what about Ichikawa in the fall?" Fushimi Shika continued to ask.

"Why go to work if you're a mistress? If you're going to work, why be someone's mistress?" Yuan Yuzi thought this question was a bit silly.

"In other words, the mother and daughter don't work, yet they can live in downtown Sapporo, a first-tier city in Hokkaido, and not just in an apartment, but in a detached villa with a small yard. After Ichikawa Aki died, her mother was still able to serve fruit to guests, which means they have quite a bit of savings..." Fushimi Shika shook his head with a click of his tongue: "Being a mistress is too profitable, isn't it?"

Genji Tamako also realized what was going on: "Could it be that Ichikawa Akira once extorted Kujo Hikaru?"

Fushimi Shika picked up the stirring spoon, licked the remaining liquid with his tongue to make sure it wasn't too hot, then picked up his coffee again, took a sip, and said:
"It's highly likely, but it's also possible that Kujo Hikaru just likes to spend money lavishly on women. Plus, the two of them are lovers, so it's common for him to give his female lover expensive gifts. So I'm just guessing."

Minamoto Tamako, however, thought this was a deduction, and a very reasonable one at that. She continued along this line of thought: "Ichikawa Akira has been dead for a month now. If that villa with the small yard was rented, Ichikawa Riko should have moved out by now. There's no need to pay such an expensive rent... Unless, Ichikawa Akira has already bought that villa!"

The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed: "Even if someone is incredibly extravagant, it's impossible for them to buy a villa for their lover, right?!"

"What do you know about the world of the rich?" Fushimi Shika scoffed. "It's just a villa. Can't your Kujo family afford it? Don't underestimate the power of the zaibatsu!"

Yuan Yuzi felt that what he said was strange, but she couldn't put her finger on why. She could only refute it based on the facts: "You probably don't socialize much and you're already out of touch. These days, it's all about splitting the bill on dates!"

Fushimi Shika was taken aback: "Are we that far ahead?"

Yuan Yuzi wasn't on the same wavelength as him, but she still nodded and agreed, saying, "Of course! Everyone is fighting for women's rights. Women are independent individuals too. Since we're spending money together, we should split the bill... Even if you're keeping a lover, it wouldn't cost this much!"

“What a wonderful era,” Fushimi Shika remarked, then asked, “How do you know that?”

Gen Tamako looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before whispering in a gossipy tone, "I heard from someone that the chief is keeping a mistress! Not the chief in Sapporo, but the chief in Sugamo... Shh! Don't tell anyone I told you! I won't tell you who told you either! Remember to keep it a secret for me."

"Watanabe Shun said it, right?" Fushimi Shika squinted.

"How did you know?!" Yuan Yuzi exclaimed in surprise, then realized, "He told you too?"

"He's a regular at the bubble bath brothel. He bumped into the chief there by chance, swore to the chief he'd keep it a secret, and told me about it while we were drinking the next day. He even asked me and Kazama-senpai to keep it a secret too..."

Fushimi Shika slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing, "How could I have forgotten about him? Watanabe-senpai is the expert in this field; we should be consulting him."

Gen Tamako nodded repeatedly, urging Fushimi to call and inquire about the 'market price' for keeping a mistress.

"Why don't you ask?" Fushimi Shika didn't want his reputation to be damaged.

“How can a girl ask such a thing? It will make Watanabe-senpai misunderstand!” Minamoto no Tamako clasped her hands together, pleading with Fushimi-kun to ask about this matter.

Fushimi Shika thought about it carefully and found that what he said made sense.

Given Watanabe Shun's personality, if he heard Minamoto Tamako inquiring about "mistress rates," he would definitely assume that Minamoto Tamako was planning to go out with prostitutes and would tell everyone about it, turning it into an "open secret."

Left with no other choice, for the sake of his girlfriend's reputation, Fushimi Shika had to sacrifice his own feelings and make a phone call to Watanabe Shun.

"Moses, Moses...it's me..."

"Ah, it's nothing important. I'm in Hokkaido right now, investigating a case. I can't reveal the details..."

"It's roughly like this: I'd like to know roughly how much it costs to keep a mistress..."

"It's not what you think……"

"It's not what you think..."

"I don't need you to keep it a secret, because things aren't what you think at all. I told you I'm investigating a case..."

"Fine, think what you want. First, tell me how much it costs to keep a mistress..."

"Okay, I understand. I don't need your introduction. That's all. Bye."

Fushimi Shika hung up the phone expressionlessly, and Minamoto Tamako immediately leaned over and asked, "What did you say?"

“That Watanabe Shun guy thought I was going to keep a mistress,” Fushimi Shika replied.

"That's not what I'm asking. How much does it cost to keep a mistress?" Minamoto no Tamako didn't care about her boyfriend's reputation for chastity at all; she knew enough that Fushimi-kun was clean.

"There are amateurs and professional prostitutes. The price of the former is hard to estimate, but it generally does not exceed 200,000 yen a month. If it exceeds that, it will be a big loss. — These are Watanabe Shun's original words. Don't look at me like that. — JK escort services are very common now. The fee is usually between 100,000 and 300,000 yen, which includes a fixed monthly allowance and occasional food and entertainment expenses. Watanabe Shun used to hire amateurs, paying 180,000 yen a month, of which 100,000 yen was for living expenses and 80,000 yen was for dating expenses."

"If you want to hire a model, geisha, or even a gravure idol, the price is relatively high, ranging from 1 million to 3 million yen per month. This includes the agent's fee, which I heard the agent takes at least 500,000 yen. Another 1 million yen is used to pay for tea house fees and custom-made clothing, so the woman can only get a maximum of 500,000 yen."

After Fushimi Shika finished announcing the price, Minamoto Tamako clapped her hands and exclaimed, "What did I tell you?! Where did Ichikawa Akira get the money to buy a villa?"

In Sapporo, even a detached villa starts at least at 20 million yen, and a villa with a yard in an area like Ichikawa Akira's would cost at least 30 million yen. Gen Tamako did the math: even if Ichikawa Akira were a top model earning 500,000 yen a month, she would have to work for five years without spending a penny to buy this mansion.

“Didn’t I say that?” Fushimi Shika reminded him.

"Ah, right, as expected of Fushimi, you've made outstanding contributions to solving cases for the team," Minamoto Tamako reached out her little hand, patted Fushimi Shika's head, and ruffled his hair: "Here's a reward for you, a pat on the head."

"?"

A question mark appeared above Fushimi Shika's head: "What are you doing?"

“A reward,” Gen Tamako said, blinking. “Since the stamps have stopped being issued, I have to reward you in a different way.”

She noticed that Fushimi Shika's expression was off, so she opened her arms and said, "Want a hug? A hug is fine too."

Fushimi Shika's gaze followed her slender fingers downwards. The girl's embrace seemed somewhat petite, yet looked exceptionally soft. She maintained the outstretched gesture, as if a gentle embrace was extending an invitation.

"Next time."

Fushimi Shika picked up his coffee, pretending he wasn't interested: "Let's wait until no one's around before we talk."

Minamoto no Tamako made a note of it, thinking that with the anti-demon treasure, she could hug Fushimi-kun as a reward for good behavior, and maybe that would correct his bad habits.

She couldn't help but chuckle, which Fushimi Shika noticed and felt inexplicably annoyed. He coughed and steered the conversation back to the case: "Even if we deduce that Ichikawa Aki has a weakness for Kujo Hikari, the case is still stuck in the same place and it's useless."

Yuan Yuzi was taken aback, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that it was indeed true.

The suspect in both murders was already Kujo Hikaru. The fact that Kujo Hikaru was found to have a motive for the murders is just icing on the cake; it doesn't solve the real problem.

How exactly did Kujo Hikaru commit the crimes in two locations simultaneously?
—If the crimes weren't committed simultaneously in two different locations, then who is the real culprit?
Minamoto no Tamako couldn't figure it out, so she pressed Fushimi-kun for any new ideas. This time, no matter how much she nagged, Fushimi Shika couldn't come up with any good ideas.

The waiters brought out the food one after another, and the small bread rolls on the table looked particularly tempting. Yuan Yuzi was craving it, and she decided to balance work and rest, put down the case first, and fill her stomach first.

You need to be well-fed to have the energy to investigate cases!

She reached out and picked up a small, golden, crispy bread, her fingertips immediately feeling the fine sugar granules on the surface.

Gently break it open, and the steaming aroma of wheat mixed with the sweetness of honey wafts out, while the fluffy honeycomb structure inside still emits wisps of heat.

The moment Yuan Yuzi took a bite, the outer caramel crust made a soft 'crunch' sound, while the filling was as soft as a cloud, releasing a faint creamy aroma as it melted on her tongue, causing her to unconsciously squint her eyes.

Really delicious!
"This honey butter sauce is so delicious..." Yuan Yuzi mumbled indistinctly, then scooped out a full spoonful and spread it on the bread.

The pale golden sauce seeped into the bread along its texture, and every bite was bursting with rich milky aroma. The aftertaste also had a hint of sea salt, making her unable to resist licking the sauce off her hand.

“Let me teach you a term to describe delicious food,” Fushimi Shika said, holding a cup of coffee. “It’s absolutely amazing! So delicious that I’d stomp my feet in delight and then gulp it down in a mad rush…”

“How strange. I won’t learn it. It’s so cloying and sounds like I’m being coquettish,” said Yuan Yuzi.

She was about to finish off the remaining bread rolls when her phone suddenly rang. She grabbed a few napkins, wiped her hands clean, licked her little fingers, and pulled the phone from her pocket: "Moshi moshi, who is this?"

Before anyone could hear what the other person said, Yuan Yuzi's eyes widened immediately: "What? How could this be?!"

Fushimi Shika looked up and saw that Minamoto no Tamako looked anxious: "But the case isn't finished yet... Okay... Can we postpone it a bit... When is the deadline?"

Finally, she nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."

Fushimi Shika waited quietly until she hung up the phone before asking, "What's wrong?"

Yuan Yuzi hurriedly stuffed the bread into her small mouth. She wanted to finish the dessert as soon as possible. No matter how busy she was, she couldn't waste it: "Kujou Hikaru's lawyer is demanding the release of the person. The lawyer has raised the fallacy of committing crimes in two places at the same time to the court. He believes that there are major problems in the police's handling of the case and that the detention time is too long, exceeding the statutory time limit."

"Oh!" Fushimi Shika, being in this line of work, understood immediately: "So you're rushing to conduct the interrogation before the deadline?"

"That's right! It was this afternoon! The lawyer deliberately chose today to say it!"

Gen Tamako stuffed a large bite of bread into her mouth and mumbled, urging, "Hurry up and come back to the police station with me! You're better at interrogation; try probing them, maybe you can dig out some new clues..."

(End of this chapter)