Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 557 Stalker

Fushimi Shika's plan went even more smoothly than originally intended.

Fushimi Shika's current appearance is roughly equivalent to Momonosuke. Although there are a small number of brainless female fans whose values ​​are dictated by his looks, the vast majority of normal people believe that he is a piece of trash.

After the program aired, the recordings sold very well, generating another wave of popularity.

People were initially just observing the situation and morally condemning Fushimi Shika, until a financial news outlet somehow dug up information about bond reselling... This caused an uproar not only in Tokyo but throughout Japan.

A trader in the financial industry had an epiphany: "Wow, this is how it can be done!"

Like sharks smelling blood, they began a massive gold rush, acquiring and holding non-performing loans and attempting to resell them abroad. For a time, the Japanese economy even showed signs of recovery.

The farce only came to an abrupt end when the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Financial Services Agency intervened and urgently introduced a series of regulations, including the Anti-Monopoly Law and restrictions on foreign trade agreements. The nascent economic recovery then plummeted like a sudden bout of diarrhea.

Now everyone knows that Fushimi Shika is a despicable person. He not only deceived the innocent and kind-hearted policewoman, but also pioneered the practice of reselling bonds both domestically and internationally. In some ways, he has become infamous.

Fushimi Shika pretended not to care at all. After finishing the moving chores, he moved all the kitchen utensils over, set up the access control, and sent invitations to Watanabe Shun and others, inviting them to drink at the mansion.

Watanabe Shun and Kazama Takusai arrived as promised, bringing two junior officers from the police station. One was named Muto Yuta, an active detective at the Ikebukuro Police Station; the other was named Abe Rokuro, a patrolman from Sugamo Koban. He had previously worked with Watanabe Shun on a mission and happened to witness Honda Yuto's bridge-jumping incident.

Yuan Yuzi thought there was going to be a housewarming party at home, so she invited Ya Lan as well. Ya Lan brought two policewomen with her, named Kawada Sanae and Shen Qi Ayaka.

As everyone entered the villa, Yuan Yuzi set up a barbecue grill on the lawn, preparing to enjoy camping. She invited everyone to sit at the wooden table on the lawn, with men and women sitting in two rows facing each other. The atmosphere became strangely awkward, feeling somewhat like a social gathering, with everyone trying to make small talk.

"Ah, I was so nervous when I came in..." Police Officer Rokuro said, blushing.

"Did you run into reporters too?" Ayaka Kamisaki asked.

"Yes, yes, there are so many reporters outside. I always thought Fushimi-senpai would definitely become famous, but I never expected it to be in this way..." Patrolman Rokuro still admired Fushimi Shika and Minamoto Tamako.

Upon hearing this, Watanabe Shun sat to the side, chuckling foolishly, his face practically screaming schadenfreude. He pulled Fushimi Shika over, mimicking a famous scene from a variety show: "No, no, no, no, no, there must be some mistake!"

Fushimi Shika called them over not for a housewarming party, not to let them eat and drink for free, and certainly not to embarrass himself again.

He sat down at the head of the table with a blank expression and said, "Only a fool would take TV variety shows seriously. They're all fake; I acted them out, okay?"

"I don't believe it." Watanabe Shun looked at Kazama Takusai: "Boss, do you believe it? The scenes in the show were all acted out?"

"Don't always rub salt in the wound. Variety shows are definitely staged," Kazama Takusai criticized, but he didn't let Fushimi Shika off the hook either: "Didn't Fushimi-kun only act halfway through? I thought his acting was superb, especially that line, 'I am Fushimi Shika, a detective who has no interest in money or power, whose daily life is filled with work'..."

Watanabe Shun slammed his fist on the table and burst into laughter, while Moriki Masahiro joined in, doubled over with laughter. The other juniors, wanting to laugh but holding it in, all managed to make soft, snickering sounds.

"Laugh all you want," Fushimi Shika waved his hand. "Only people as idle as you would have time to watch that kind of trashy variety show."

He straightened his collar and said, "I'm different, I'm very busy..."

"Are you busy with TV shows?" Moriki Yalan interrupted.

Watanabe Shun burst into laughter again, and he couldn't wait to take out his pager to share the day's new joke with his friends and old colleagues.

Four or five seconds later, a text message notification sounded in the Sugamo Police Station office. Section Chief Kinoshita picked up his phone, glanced at it, and exchanged a smile with his subordinate.

Fushimi Shika looked around and, seeing that no one brought up the recent serial murders, he gave Minamoto Tamako a look, signaling her to come over quickly.

Genji was grilling meat next to the grill when she noticed that Fushimi Shika's expression was off. Thinking he was hungry, she brought over a plate, placed the grilled beef ribs on the table, and asked, "What's wrong? What are you talking about?"

Before anyone else could make fun of him, Fushimi Shika spoke up first: "We were talking about what we've been busy with lately... Speaking of which, what case have you been working on lately?"

Watanabe Shun was very annoyed. This guy knew that all three of them had been fired, yet he still asked that question on purpose, clearly wanting to get revenge. He immediately complained to Kazama Takusai: "Boss, this guy is rubbing salt in the wound."

Kazama Takusai was very magnanimous and said he didn't care.

At this moment, someone finally brought up the topic that Fushimi Shika wanted to discuss.

"We've been investigating a serial murder case recently, which was in the newspapers a while ago. Several political figures have died..." Police officer Liulang was quite honest and answered whatever was asked.

Fushimi Shika immediately chimed in, "What a coincidence, Tamako and I are also in the Special Investigations Division, and we're working on this case right now."

Police officer Liu Lang scratched his head: "I'm not in the Special Investigations Division, I just do odd jobs on the perimeter, like setting up checkpoints or conducting interviews..."

Moriki Yalan noticed a blind spot: "Such a big case, you guys should be very busy, right? How do you have time to go on TV shows and have barbecue?"

“You’ve come to the right person.” Fushimi Shika finally smiled, his fingers interlaced as he leaned back in his chair with an air of authority. “I can’t reveal the specific details, but I can tell you that appearing on variety shows is also part of the investigation mission.”

"..."

The area around the long table in the courtyard was quiet for a few seconds, with only the sizzling sound of the barbecue grill.

Fushimi Shika looked around, frowned, and asked, "What's with those expressions? Don't you believe me?"

“Yes.” Watanabe Shun nodded, expressing his doubts directly.

Fushimi Shika was waiting for this sentence. It's like two kids arguing. One kid says, "Do you believe I can kill you?" and the other kid says, "No." That means it's time to fight. If the other kid says, "Yes," the conversation will come to an abrupt end and can't continue.

He slammed his heels down on the edge of the wooden table, placed his hands on his stomach, and said confidently:

"Although the team leader instructed me not to disclose this to outsiders, I think everyone here is an insider and knows the industry rules, so there is no need to keep it a secret."

"To tell you the truth, the killer's preferred targets are corrupt officials."

"What does it mean that he left a note at the scene, committed murder in a flashy way, and blatantly provoked the police? It means that the murderer was extremely arrogant and had a strong performative personality."

At this point, Fushimi Shika pointed to himself with both thumbs: "And I am the perfect prey."

"Think about it carefully. With my image on the show, isn't it the perfect match for the killer's murder preferences? I'm a big star now. If the killer kills me, wouldn't he also become famous overnight? If he kills me, he might become as famous as Jack the Ripper. A killer with a performative personality would definitely not let go of such a lucrative opportunity!" Detective Rokuro suddenly realized and excitedly said, "So, Fushimi-senpai volunteered to be the bait on the show to lure the killer into a trap!"

“That’s right! That’s exactly it!” Fushimi Shika nodded, looking confident and composed. “The people waiting outside aren’t reporters, they’re plainclothes police officers, just waiting for the culprit to take the bait!”

Yuta Muto hesitated for a moment and said, "But we know all the detectives in the police station, and I don't think I see any familiar faces..."

Fushimi Shikako said, "Would you die if you didn't talk?" He didn't blush at all and calmly continued to lie: "They are all elites transferred from other places, just to prevent the murderer from discovering any clues."

"I see!"

Ayaka Kamisaki, Rokuro Yamashita, and Yuta Muto nodded in unison.

However, Sanae Kawada had a different opinion. She genuinely loved the show and was a die-hard fan of prank variety shows. Since the director had always promised that the candid shots were unscripted, she was skeptical of Fushimi Shika's words.

Sanae Kawada, being a junior, couldn't openly question her senior, so she turned to Moriki Ayaran and asked, "Ayaran-neechan, what do you think?"

Moriki Yalan narrowed her eyes and said, "I think this guy is lying."

"I agree." Watanabe Shun and Kazama Takusai nodded in unison.

Fushimi Shika shrugged and said, "Believe it or not, do you think I have nothing better to do? Even if you don't trust me, you still have to trust Minamoto no Tamako, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kazama Takusai and the others turned their heads at the same time, focusing their gazes on Minamoto Tamako.

Gen Tamako had no choice but to explain, admitting that it was indeed their plan to "lure the snake out of its hole"—but the reporters outside were not plainclothes officers, the investigation department had no idea what they were up to, and the rest of their colleagues were busy investigating the social circles of the deceased political figures, and had no time to care about what the two of them were up to.

"Now you know how much I sacrificed to solve this case, right?" Fushimi Shika put his heels on the table and shook his leg triumphantly.

Seeing this, Yuan Yuzi reached out her small hand and patted his calf: "You're being rude, put your foot down right now."

Fushimi Shika was feeling great; he'd finally gotten his revenge, so why would he listen? Everyone else was watching; he wouldn't be known for being henpecked no matter what he said.

"Mind your own business and go grill your meat," Fushimi Shika waved his hand.

Gen Tamako's eyebrows immediately stood up. She didn't directly confront Fushimi Shika, after all, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public, and arguments shouldn't be made in front of others. So she simply turned her head and added to everyone, "But the footage secretly filmed by the production team is real. I was originally supposed to be the bait."

"I knew it! Hahahahahahahahahaha!!" Watanabe Shun slammed his fist on the table and stood up, letting out an exaggerated laugh, just like a villain in a Japanese drama laughing wildly on the protagonist's humiliated face after succeeding.

Kazama Takusai chimed in, "I knew it! Why did you suddenly invite so many people to dinner? It was all just to spout nonsense."

Yes, that's Fushimi Shika's true thought.

However, Kazama Takusai's choice of words was inappropriate. In Fushimi Shika's opinion, it was not called "being stubborn" but rather "whitewashing".

He invited so many people over to reveal his plan to "lure the snake out of its hole," demonstrating his noble spirit of self-sacrifice as bait, thereby salvaging his reputation in one fell swoop.

If everyone knows he's a fraud, how will he continue to deceive people?

For Fushimi Shika, reputation is an intangible asset. He can squander it lavishly without caring about what others think; but once it's gone, he has to initiate bankruptcy protection and find a way to make his assets bounce back so he can continue to squander them in the future.

"What do you mean by being stubborn? That was exactly what I planned all along. I deliberately made the production team and Minamoto Tamako think that I had chosen her to be the bad guy..."

Before Fushimi Shika could finish speaking, Moriki Masahiro started giggling beside him. He could only put his legs down, slam his hand on the table, and loudly emphasize, "That was originally my plan!"

"Okay, okay, yes, yes, yes..." Everyone nodded in agreement, but they were still smiling.

"You don't believe me?" Fushimi Shika used that trick again.

Unfortunately, no one took the bait anymore. Even Watanabe Shun didn't argue, nodding and saying, "I believe you, I believe you really intend to... Enough said, let's hurry up and eat the grilled meat, it won't taste good when it gets cold!"

Fushimi Shika wanted to continue his sophistry, but everyone started drinking, eating, and talking about other things, and the atmosphere suddenly became unsuitable for discussing the matter anymore.

There's a timing to chatting. If you bring up something that's already been discussed, it will make him seem like he cares a lot about it.

Fushimi Shika could only suppress his anger and continue to pretend he didn't care, treating them to barbecue and beer while secretly looking for an opportunity to steer the conversation back to the variety show and the murder case.

Unfortunately, no one gave him that chance; once everyone had laughed, they didn't want to talk about it anymore. Continuing to talk about the same joke only makes it lose its appeal.

For this reason, Fushimi Shika kept drinking alcohol, and he himself drank quite a bit as well.

After several rounds of drinks, everyone was full and it was getting dark. They got up to say goodbye and prepare to go home to rest. Some of the younger colleagues had to go to work the next day, while Mori Muyalan had to go for a job interview.

Watanabe Shun and Kazama Takusai planned to go to an izakaya for another round of drinks.

Fushimi Shika thought for a moment. The mansion had guest rooms, so it wouldn't be a problem for two people to stay overnight. He asked Minamoto no Tamako to make a hangover soup and fed it to the two of them, letting them stay in the guest room for the time being—not for any other reason than that he absolutely had to find a chance to clear his name.

Kazama Takusai drank the hangover soup and became half-sober. He didn't want to rush home by train late at night, so he decided to stay overnight, go back to his room to wash up and go to sleep.

Watanabe Shun was a heavy drinker and not so easy to appease. After drinking the hangover soup, he wanted to continue drinking. But since there was no beer at home, he started making a fuss about going to an izakaya (Japanese pub).

There was no other way, so Fushimi Shika had to go out and run an errand to the nearby convenience store to buy ice-cold beer—it wasn't appropriate to let Minamoto no Tamako or Hira no Sakurako go out alone so late at night.

On his way back, Fushimi Shika was still thinking about whether he should hire a housekeeper. But then he reconsidered, feeling that since Minamoto Tamako and Hirai Sakurako already cleaned the house, hiring a housekeeper who ran errands at night would be a waste…

The streetlights cast many shadows as Fushimi Shika walked alone through the streets and alleys, carrying a plastic bag.

A breeze came from behind him, and he noticed something was wrong, so he gradually slowed his pace.

Someone is following us.

(End of this chapter)