Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 524 Wedding
Minamoto Tamako pondered the matter of "Kujou Hikari's motive for murder" all night, but still couldn't figure it out.

Why would someone kill someone? Having never killed anyone before, Minamoto no Tamako couldn't understand it. She couldn't empathize with Kujo Hikaru. Lying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep for most of the night, she sneakily harassed Fushimi Shika, whispering at his bedside:
"Why? Why kill?"

When Fushimi Shika opened his eyes, he was still half asleep and thought a female ghost had come to claim his life. He tried to reason with her, but to no avail, so he simply covered his ears with a pillow and endured the night until dawn.

The next morning, the fishermen got up early again, and the sounds of ship horns and shouts echoed from the dock. Before Fushimi Shika could get up, Minamoto no Tamako washed up and changed her clothes, then hurried to the Sapporo Police Station, intending to find Kujo Hikaru and get some answers.

Life in Hokkaido moves at a slower pace. Minamoto Tamako stood in the autumn wind for more than two hours before the police officers came to work. Before that, there wasn't even anyone on night duty, which was really irresponsible.

She hurriedly sought out the chief of staff, saying she needed to transfer personnel for interrogation, only to learn that Kujo Hikaru had already been transferred to the court overnight to await trial.

Yuan Yuzi was quite shocked. She did not expect the Hokkaido Police Department to be so efficient. The case was closed yesterday, and the people were transferred that same night. How could these people manage to be late for work while completing such a large workload?

It has a strange feeling of being both fast and slow.

The suspect was already at court; there was no point in saying anything more, and the prosecutor wouldn't allow him to see outsiders. Yuan Yuzi noted down the court date, intending to attend as an observer.

She returned home dejectedly, just as Fushimi Shika was making breakfast.

Today, at least it wasn't a gout-related meal. After eating seafood every day, Fushimi Shika got tired of it, so she bought flour and pork, chopped them finely into a sauce, and steamed a basket of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).

Hira Sakurako's daily log continues. The xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) are delicious and suit her taste perfectly, but she still has the question of 'why Fushimi Shika always cooks Chinese food'.

Gentama arrived late, and there was only one cage left. She quickly ate her fill and told Fushimi Shika about Kujo Hikaru being taken away.

Fushimi Shika was not surprised at all. Kujo Mutsu's attitude yesterday had already made it clear that he intended to protect his own son. It was nothing more than bribing the judge to grant parole or to reduce the sentence by a few years. Therefore, the faster the case was concluded, the better.

In his understanding, this matter was within the bounds of the law. Since he had been arrested and sentenced by the judge, it was equivalent to Kujo Hikaru having been punished—whether the punishment was reasonable or not was not within his consideration.

If I had to say, Genji Tamako is more suited to meddle in this kind of thing than him.

Fushimi Shika didn't intend to make things clear. He had already been harassed all night and wanted to get a good night's sleep. It was better to avoid trouble.

If Minamoto no Tamako wants to get involved, then she'll have to figure out what the problem is herself. Fushimi Shika won't interfere in this matter, nor will she help in any way; her main strategy is to remain blissfully ignorant.

After the three of them had breakfast, they had nothing to do for a while.

Minamoto Tamako suggested meeting with Kujo Mutsu, so she could have a frank discussion with her grandfather about Kujo Hikaru's motives for murder.

Fushimi Shika rejected the suggestion outright, her reasoning impeccable, leaving Minamoto Tamako speechless: "We finally managed to win over your grandfather, and now you want to reset his favorability rating to zero?"

Hira Sakurako raised her hand, indicating that she had something to say. But Minamoto Tamako didn't notice, still arguing with Fushimi Shika about where they should go today.

Hira Sakurako had no choice but to stand up and raise her hand. Minamoto Tamako noticed this, but Fushimi Shika beat her to it, asking, "What's wrong?"

“I want to go to the Otaru Music Box Hall,” Hira Sakurako said.

The Otaru Music Box Museum, founded in 1912, houses nearly 3000 antique music boxes. Its Renaissance-style architecture makes it a worthwhile tourist attraction.

Yuan Yuzi was curious about how Ping Yingzi knew about this place, as she herself didn't know much about it, so she asked her.

"I was watching TV outside when you were talking yesterday, and I saw it on TV." Ping Yingzi thought that there were many wooden boxes there, and their appearance was very beautiful and to her liking, so she wanted to go and see them.

Going to Fushimi Shika is fine; I have nothing else to do anyway, so I can wander around wherever I want.

Minamoto Tamako dotes on Sakurako, and since Sakurako rarely takes the initiative to ask to go out for fun, and her personality has become more outgoing, Minamoto Tamako has no reason not to support her and agrees wholeheartedly.

Having reached an agreement, the three took the tram to the Music Box Auditorium.

As the tram stopped at Otaru Station, the chimes of the steam clock came from the direction of the intersection. Hira Sakurako was the first to jump off the tram, looking towards the two-meter-tall steam clock in the direction of the sound.

The clock, crafted from brass, gleams warmly in the sunlight. White steam billows from the steam vent at the top, and the mechanical sound of turning gears blends perfectly with the hourly chime.

The red brick walls of the music box hall are covered with ivy, and various music boxes are displayed in the Renaissance-style arched window frames.

Gentama leaned closer to examine the most prominent one: an antique music box shaped like a steam locomotive, with its brass pistons swaying up and down in sync with the melody of "Snow Dream."

Fushimi Shika entered the room only to find that a wedding was taking place inside.

The newlyweds booked the entire hall, with family members seated in the front row and empty seats left in the back for passersby to come and offer their blessings. A giant organ-style music box stood in the center of the hall; as the bride walked down the aisle with her father, hundreds of metal tubes rotated simultaneously, creating a 3D echo in the seven-meter-high hall.

Overwhelmed with girlish excitement, Yuan Yuzi squeezed into the crowd to look around. The bride's dress was beautiful, and the groom was handsome. It was a dream wedding.

We really came to the right place today.

Fushimi Shika stood to the side, but after watching for a while, he got a little bored and wanted to go to other places. He heard that there were automata or something on the second floor, and he wanted to see something interesting.

But Minamoto Tamako refused to leave; she wanted to see more. A wedding is a lifelong dream for any girl.

Even though Minamoto no Tamako's goal is to become a famous detective and police inspector, and she claims that she has no interest in these romantic matters, she actually used to play house with Kawai and played the roles of bride and groom... except that she was the murdered bride and the groom who was chasing the killer.

Fushimi Shika could only watch from the sidelines. That's the downside of traveling in a group; when you encounter a place you don't like, you have to accommodate others.

After the bride walked down the aisle and the emcee finished his vows, it was time for the bride and groom to exchange words of love. The groom, nervously stumbling over his handwritten words on a small piece of paper, recited his vows of unwavering love for her.

It's obviously a cliché, but you can also tell he's sincere.

Next, it was the bride's turn to speak. She didn't have a script. Instead, she took the microphone and started talking about the groom's past confessions: "His first confession was on the cable car at Mount Hakodate. It was very foggy that day. We were originally going to see the night view, but the cable car suddenly lost power halfway up and we were left hanging in mid-air, 200 meters above the ground."

As the bride spoke, a smile appeared on her face, her tone full of happiness: "He fumbled in the dark and took out a small box from his backpack. Later I found out that it was a necklace he had saved up for three months' salary to buy. But because he was so nervous, the box fell on the cable car floor and rolled several times."

When the bride said this, the groom lowered his head and smiled shyly, and good-natured cheers came from the guests.

“His exact words were: ‘Anyway, we can’t see the night view now…why don’t we watch it together every day from now on?’ After saying that, he frantically searched for the necklace on the ground, and finally found it under the safety officer’s seat with a flashlight.”

The bride straightened her back, her necklace sparkling under the lights: "Look, this is the necklace that almost fell off the cable car."

A murmur rippled through the crowd, followed by prolonged applause, as everyone offered their blessings.

Genji was both moved and envious. She watched the two exchange rings, kiss each other, and the music end before the luncheon began. Only then was Fushimi Shika dragged her away.

The morning passed by in this leisurely manner. When it was time for lunch, the three of them found a small restaurant and sat down. The environment was somewhat similar to the roadside shops in The Solitary Gourmet.

As the restaurant served the food, Gentamako thought of the wedding she had just attended.

As the saying goes, comparisons are the worst thing in a relationship. She had never compared herself to others before, but after observing a typical wedding, she couldn't help but start imagining what would happen at her own wedding:
Witnessed by many relatives and friends, the bride, Minamoto Tamako, picked up the microphone and recounted their confession: "It's like this, Fushimi-kun tricked me into confessing. He was dying at the time, saying he wanted to fulfill his last wish, and then he just casually confessed to me, even forcing me to admit that I confessed first..."

How could I possibly say that?!

Yuan Yuzi slammed her fists on the table in anger, causing the condiment and soy sauce bottles to jump.

Fushimi Shika didn't know what was wrong with her and didn't dare to ask in detail, fearing that she would get entangled with Kujo Hikaru's motive for murder again. She took the beef donburi rice bowl handed to her by the clerk, stirred the soft-boiled egg on top, and let the sauce and egg melt into the rice.

Hmm, it looks delicious.

Fushimi Shika scooped up a large spoonful and had just put it in his mouth when he heard Minamoto Tamako say in his ear, "Hey, have you ever thought about seriously confessing your feelings to me?"

"What? Didn't I already confess?" He chewed on his beef donburi, turned around, and thought, "Wasn't the confession part over a long time ago? Why is it being brought up again now?"
"I meant a serious confession!" Gen Tamako took her tonkatsu combo rice bowl with both hands, muttering softly, "Your confession before was so perfunctory, I couldn't see any sincerity at all! At least others gave you a necklace... I don't want any expensive gifts, as long as it's the thought that counts..."

Fushimi Shika suddenly realized that she was envious.

As the saying goes, "If others have it, my girl should have it too." Fushimi Shika naturally couldn't bear to let Minamoto Tamako suffer any injustice. He showed a kind smile, took out a coin from his pocket, and said, "That makes sense. Take this five hundred yen and go find the bride to buy a necklace. I've checked it; it's just an iron chain."

"Huh?" Yuan Yuzi was stunned for a moment, and then she became even more unhappy: "You're just giving me the runaround again."

"How is that perfunctory?" Fushimi Shika asked, head down, eating. "I think I was very sincere."

Yuan Yuzi snorted, sulking as she hugged her bowl and chopsticks, moved a few meters away, and sat down on the other side of the table. It seemed she intended to eat alone and give the ungrateful Lu a severe cold shoulder.

Fushimi Shika, finally finding some peace and quiet, decided to coax him after he finished eating.

Before he could even take two bites, Hira Sakurako popped up again and said, "If you're planning to confess your feelings, I recommend you go to the Otaru bonfire party."

After saying that, she pulled a crumpled poster out of her overalls pocket, smoothed it out, and placed it on the dining table. Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a menu picked up from a trash can.

Fushimi Shika stared intently at the poster, a colorful mess, advertising this autumn's bonfire and fireworks festival, mentioning various customs and the worship of various deities… The specific words were illegible; Hira Sakura had folded it so many times that the poster was covered in white borders. "Where did you get this poster?" He reached into Hira Sakura's overalls pocket. "What kind of random stuff do you carry in your pockets… And here's half a bag of chocolate? It's all dirty, how long has it been sitting there? Why haven't you thrown it away?"

“It’s none of your business,” Hira Sakurako quickly covered her pocket and argued, “I need all of these.”

"Expired chocolate is useful?" Fushimi Shika asked, squinting.

"Of course, what if I encounter a fierce dog blocking my way? That's when the chocolate will come in handy. Just throw it at the dog and it will be poisoned."

After saying that, Ping Yingzi patted the poster on the table with her small hand to prove that her explanation made sense: "Look, this is a placemat I picked up at the coffee shop. The back has a fireworks festival poster. I never threw it away. Now it comes in handy."

Fushimi Shika suspected that the problem child had a serious collecting obsession, but at least it was better than her previous autism, so he didn't say much. He picked up the poster again and looked at it carefully, then asked, "Why did you recommend me to go here? Why don't you just buy her a necklace when you get home?"

“Look,” Ping Yingzi said, pointing to a line of text in the corner of the poster.

Fushimi Shika squinted, brought the poster closer, and finally saw the tiny print that read something like "Image for reference only":

"Highly recommended for those in a budding, less-than-romantic relationship; your chances of a successful confession increase by 99.9%!"

Fushimi Shika turned her head, looking constipated: "Are you serious? You think I might fail at confessing my feelings?"

"You never know, nothing is absolute." Ping Yingzi shook her head with her hands on her hips: "What if Tamako suddenly regains her senses? Once she realizes you're a terrible guy, you're doomed."

Upon hearing this, Fushimi Shika felt a real sense of crisis.

He leaned back and glanced at Genji, who was sulking alone. Genji was chewing on a pork chop, making a crunching sound, and was thinking to himself, "Why isn't that Deer-kun coming over to talk to me yet?"

Yes, indeed, we need to plan ahead.

Fushimi Shika put the poster away, stuffed it into his pocket, finished his beef rice bowl in a few bites, wiped his mouth, and leaned over to Minamoto Tamako, asking, "Are you full?"

Yuan Yuzi was eating angrily, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, holding the bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other: "Hmph, not yet."

Fushimi Shika pulled a poster out of his pocket, unfolded it casually, and said, "Hmm, this fireworks festival looks pretty good, and there's even a bonfire. Shall we go check it out together in a couple of days?"

Gen Tamako glanced at the poster; it was tattered, wrinkled, and had suspicious stains on the edges, as if it had been rummaged through some trash can. Her heart sank immediately, feeling that Fushimi Shika was still just going through the motions, not even bothering to choose a proper date location.

"Hmph, I'm not going." She lowered her head and continued eating.

"Really not going? It looks beautiful. August 8th, we have time right now," Fushimi Shika coaxed, leaning against the dining table with one hand, looking like a delinquent trying to pick up a high school girl. "Anyway, you're just sitting at home doing nothing, why not go out and have a stroll?"

"What? You mean it's boring to be with me?" Yuan Yuzi automatically extracted the negative information.

Fushimi Shikano stared blankly. According to the "Gen-Tamako User Manual," this state of hers would probably last for a long time until she stopped sulking... or maybe he could buy her some sweets to cheer her up.

Fushimi Shika chose the latter.

He used the same trick again, bringing over dessert. But Minamoto no Tamako wasn't appreciative, because Fushimi Shika had secretly eaten half of it, his mouth covered in cream, and he stubbornly refused to admit it, which made her even angrier, leading her to unleash a super one-sided silent treatment.

The so-called "super one-sided passive-aggressive behavior" refers to the fact that Minamoto Tamako would answer Fushimi Shika's questions in a very angry tone, while not taking the initiative to talk to Fushimi Shika. Even if her face turned red, she would ask Hira Sakurako to relay the message.

Fushimi Shika was petty. Although he wouldn't admit it or think it, he was genuinely unhappy. He deliberately said loudly, "Fine, don't go then. I'll go alone then..." This made Minamoto no Tamako stomp her feet in anger.

This was the first time the two had a serious argument, and it was done in a very awkward way.

Yuan Yuzi was thinking, "As long as Shika-kun gives me something, we can make up"—not counting half-eaten ice cream, that would be too casual.

Fushimi Shika was thinking, "If Tamako-mon gives in, I'll take the opportunity to back down"—pretending not to care but actually blushing like a monkey's bottom, it was obvious at a glance that he was very angry.

Ping Yingzi had no opinion; she remained neutral and objective, secretly recording with a video camera.

After lunch, the three went home to rest, and this awkward argument continued throughout the afternoon. Then, Kujo Mutsu called, saying that Minamoto Tamako's cousin had invited her to dinner to chat about girly topics and perhaps strengthen their relationship.

Genji Tamako didn't agree immediately. Instead, she pouted and looked at Fushimi Shika, deliberately putting the phone on speakerphone: "Well... are you going to stay overnight there?"

Kujo Mutsumi replied, "It depends on whether you want to stay here overnight. The Kujo family mansion has guest rooms, as well as your room. If you'd like, you can also sleep in Yui's old room, which has remained exactly as it was."

Minamoto no Tamako covered the microphone, leaned closer to Fushimi Shika, and asked, "Don't you have anything to say to me? I'm about to hang out with other girls!"

"Remember to bring a few bottles of Coke when you come back tomorrow. We've run out of Coke in the fridge." Fushimi Shika lay half-reclined on the tatami mat in Nobita's pose, reading a magazine.

"Fine, fine, fine!" Yuan Yuzi gritted her teeth and said loudly, "Then I'm going back to my parents' house!"

"Goodbye and don't bother seeing me off." Fushimi Shika didn't even look up.

Yuan Yuzi snorted, practically snorting out white breath, then hurriedly changed her shoes and went out alone.

Hira Sakura held up the video camera, and the lens followed Minamoto Tamako as she moved. After the room door closed, she quickly pulled the lens back to Fushimi Shika, displaying the demeanor of a professional documentary filmmaker.

Fushimi Shikagumo sensed the camera and abruptly put down his magazine, making eye contact with Hira Sakurako across the video recorder screen.

With a snap, Hira Sakura slammed the video recorder shut, pretending nothing had happened.

Fushimi Shika kept staring at her, making her feel a little uncomfortable, so she took the initiative to change the subject and said, "Impressive, you just met your father-in-law and you already made your girlfriend go back to her parents' house in anger."

"What's so great about it?" Fushimi Shika asked with a blank expression.

"You didn't do it on purpose?" Hira Sakurako was genuinely surprised. "I thought you were annoyed by her and wanted her to go back to the Kujo family so you could have some peace and quiet for a day or two."

Fushimi Shika certainly didn't do it on purpose; it was rare for him to lose control of his emotions, and this time he truly acted impulsively.

He slammed the magazine on the ground in frustration, and after thinking it over carefully, he realized that he had been influenced by the idea that "Yutako might leave"... In the end, it was all Hira Sakura's fault for selling anxiety and bewitching the troops, and she must be severely punished.

Fushimi Shika gave Hira Sakura a stern lecture and confiscated her memory card before lying down to continue reading her magazine.

Ping Yingzi observed for a while, then switched to taking notes with pen and paper. She subtly inquired, "Aren't you planning to go after them?"

"What are you chasing? Do you think this is a romance drama? Let's talk about it tomorrow," Fushimi Shika picked up the magazine and flipped through it idly. "You're right, it's definitely quieter without her."

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, Gen Tamako was traveling by car to her grandfather's house, feeling like she was a combination of the Little Match Girl and Little Red Riding Hood.

She was sullen the whole way, and her mood worsened when she saw her cousin whom she used to dislike.

Years later, my cousin is still annoying. She wears an over-the-top sailor dress, her phone is covered in stickers, she has at least three or four chain accessories, and her skin is tanned dark. She doesn't look like an adult in her early twenties, but rather like a delinquent girl who hasn't graduated from high school.

When Yuan Yuzi arrived, the delinquent girl didn't say a word, just played on her phone and occasionally laughed. Yuan Yuzi sat there for a long time, trying to strike up a conversation several times, but the other girl ignored her, not at all like she wanted to 'talk about girl topics to get to know each other better'.

If you don't want to chat with her, why did you call her over?

Yuan Yuzi couldn't understand it, and she couldn't get any answers from asking, which made her increasingly frustrated.

In fact, the little delinquent girl wasn't as rebellious as she seemed. At least she listened to her grandfather. When her grandfather told her to call Yuan Yuzi back, she did so without asking why.

While the two sat awkwardly in the restaurant, Kujo Mutsumi changed his clothes and put on the haori kimono again. He sat in the tatami room making tea and waiting for the person he was to meet.

After a while, footsteps came from the porch. A servant opened the sliding door, and a man with a gloomy face walked in. He knelt down in front of Kujo Mutsu and bowed his head to greet him: "Father."

The newcomers were none other than nine beams of light.

He should have been in court preparing for his trial, but instead he returned home, without even an electronic ankle monitor on his ankle.

Kujo Mutsu gave an ambiguous "hmph," stuffed a few pieces of charcoal into the stove, then placed the kettle on the stove and sat quietly waiting for the water to boil.

Kujo Hikaru waited for three or four minutes, but only white steam appeared from the spout of the kettle, without any sound. He couldn't wait any longer and opened his mouth to speak: "Father, I..."

"Shut up!"

Kujo Mu shouted.

His face was aged, with wrinkles as if carved by a knife and axe. When he slowly raised his eyes, his pupils were not cloudy at all, but still shone with a sharp light: "Look at what you've done, you've really brought shame to the Kujo family! Even when Yui was seven years old, she was smarter than you! You can't even beat her daughter, and you still have the nerve to call me father?"

(End of this chapter)