Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 125, Orphan

Time goes back to that night.

Tokyo, Setagaya Ward, large-scale industrial park.

With the arrival of December, winter has completely covered the entire Tokyo. The cold wind is mixed with bone-penetrating pain. The winter sunset slowly sets in the clouds, like the inevitable aging, gradually taking away the last bit of warmth.

15-year-old Asuka Saito was wearing a winter uniform and walking quickly on the way home. Her half-new Haruta uniform shoes reflected the dim light around her, making this girl chosen by God as dazzling as a winter elf.

The girl looked a little lonely.

She knew that it was going to snow in Tokyo soon.

The girl, like her sister, came from Hokkaido. If it were Hokkaido, the first snow would have arrived in October.

Just now on the tram, classmates were also discussing this topic enthusiastically. The young girls were excitedly discussing the winter snow, the New Year's holiday, romantic dates, lively snowball fights, hot drinks in winter, and the KFC dinner on Christmas.

Yes, in the Japanese concept, KFC is a must-eat on Christmas. This is an extremely successful marketing campaign by KFC. The special images and brainwashing lines have been deeply rooted in people's hearts.

But the girl doesn't like snow and she has never eaten KFC.

Unusually, Asuka, who has always been very good at reading the air, remained silent the entire time. She just said hello to her classmates briefly when getting off the bus, and then walked towards home alone.

Asuka really doesn't like winter, especially the snow and the coldness in Hokkaido.

But no matter how she prayed or how much she longed, she knew that one day, snow would cover the entire land of Tokyo, just like the sea of flowers covering Asahikawa in Hokkaido, burying everything in the pale desert.

The girl's small lips exhaled cold air as she walked with heavy steps. She was dressed in a winter high school JK uniform that made her look like a dream. The simple women's shirt school uniform was matched with a bright plush jacket, and lined with a thick student uniform blazer. Under the blue-gray plaid pleated skirt, a pair of slender legs were wrapped in black semi-transparent tights that firmly protected the girl's delicate skin. The bright red scarf was carefully tied into a beautiful knot. The girl's long black hair was messed up by the cold wind.

It is cold outside.

But it's also cold at home.

There is heating in the building, but the two sisters cannot afford the heating bill. The heating cost in Japan is relatively high, about 1000 yen per square meter per month, which means they have to pay about 12000-15000 yen per month for heating.

This is a notable fixed expense for an ordinary family, not to mention the two sisters. Apart from the money the elder sister earns from odd jobs, they have no fixed income. The expenses of living in Tokyo are astronomical, especially the university tuition fees that need to be paid in advance every six months, and the various expenses are countless.

During the more than one year since she came to Beijing, the girl has gradually gone from being ignorant to understanding a little bit.

"I am back!"

As she got closer to her home, Saito Asuka put away her slightly depressed and silent expression. She tried her best to show a bright smile and an energetic expression. Her sister was already having a hard time outside, and she couldn't let her sister feel the heavy pressure at home. She also firmly believed that everything would be fine in the end!
Sister will find a way!
The girl always believed it. For example, when her sister's tuition for the second half of her second year was about to pass the prepayment period, the university sent a letter to her home demanding payment. Suddenly, her sister produced a large sum of money and paid it.

It will definitely get better!

The girl shouted loudly.

"Sister, today Hinako and Yuri, the one I told you about last time...we made a lot of Taiyaki in home economics class today! It's still a little hot..."

The girl's voice suddenly stopped.

All that greeted her was the smell of moldy wood in the room and a cold wind blowing in her face.

My sister is not at home?
That’s not right, she should be at home today!
Asuka Saito took off her uniform shoes and walked into the house carefully, and sure enough, she found a note on the small table.

"Ah Xiu, I have to go out for a while. When I come back, I will give you a big surprise!"

surprise?

What kind of surprise?!

The girl immediately recalled the surprise she had on her fifteenth birthday – her sister brought back a Michelin dinner that day!

Spanish Iberian ham, red devil shrimp, caviar and black truffle, foie gras, butter bread, basil oysters, sea urchin barnacle fried rice, low-temperature braised lamb.

The girl swore that this was the best meal she had ever eaten in her life!

Any surprises?

It must be that person! It must be him!
Asuka Saito jumped and danced excitedly at home, waiting in the small room with great joy and anticipation. She clasped her hands together, made a wish towards the ceiling, closed her eyes, and finished all her homework while suppressing her excitement and restlessness.

Two hours passed and my sister still hadn't come back.

Asuka Saito was not in a hurry at all. She was wondering what surprise her sister would bring back.

Is it the black translucent pantyhose that I wear on my legs? Last time, my sister brought back a big bag of them.

No, no, no, this is too cheap. What kind of surprise is this?

Is that the pair of Haruta uniform shoes I brought back last time?

That’s not right, right?

Is this another Michelin meal?

You can have this! But today is not a special day, right?
Or is it the Toshiba laptop that my sister mentioned last time?

Hehehehehe~ The girl rolled on the tatami excitedly, both to release her emotions and to keep warm.

There was no other way. There was no heating at home. Sitting on the floor would make her feel colder and colder. In the excitement of the girl, the sun went down and the sky was full of stars. From next door came the sound of the TV and the long beep of boiling water in the kettle, followed by the whispers of family members. The aroma of food entered the girl's nose, and her stomach made waves of groans.

Humph~ What’s the matter!
The girl thought unconvincedly: Wait a minute, I will eat something better than you!
And just like that, four hours passed.

My sister still hasn't come back.

Dinner time had passed and the aroma of the food had dissipated. After the initial excitement, the girl finally couldn't help but curl up into a ball. The weather was getting colder and colder, and clothes alone could not keep her warm. She was forced to take out her bedding and wrap herself in the quilt and mattress, along with, of course, the Taiyaki she had left for her sister.

Six hours passed and my sister still didn't come back.

The girl finally couldn't bear it any longer. She was so tired and hungry from waiting that she could only boil some water and eat the frozen Taiyaki mixed with the hot water.

Sister, what on earth are you doing? Why does it take so long?
This was the first time this thought occurred to the girl.

But it doesn't matter, she will wait!
Eight hours passed, then ten hours passed, and finally Asuka Saito, who could no longer hold on, fell into a deep sleep, feeling sleepy and hungry.

She dreamed of the snow in Hokkaido, the flowers in Asahikawa, the red leaves all over the mountains, and her broken home.

There is no mother in her memory, only her father and sister, who raised her together. Her father was a very strict and hardworking man. He worked very hard and would not be home until late at night every day. The father and daughter hardly had many opportunities to meet. Most of Asuka's memories of her childhood come from her sister.

Her memory of her father was limited to his good craftsmanship. He would personally repair any problems that had arisen in the old, dilapidated one-family building. She learned to be frugal at a very young age, because she could feel the depressing atmosphere at home every month when she received the bill. For example, when it came to heating bills, her father would only allow the heating in a small room on the first floor to be turned on on December 12st, and it had to be turned off on March 1st, no matter how cold it was.

This kind of life continued for a while, until her father's health deteriorated due to hard work, until one morning, she and her sister suddenly received a call...her father died on his way to work.

Since the death was not sudden at work, the construction company only paid a small compensation. At their father's funeral, the two sisters cried bitterly. After that, the elder sister was admitted to university, and the two sisters came to Tokyo with their father's pension and the money from selling the real estate.

My elder sister decided that she must complete her hard-earned education even if she had to work part-time. Relying on my father's previous connections and my elder sister's pleading, she also completed the admission procedures.

Things will definitely get better in the future, right?

Saito Asuka fell asleep sweetly like this.

She dreamed that her sister graduated from college and received an offer from Sony. She dreamed that the two sisters moved into a single-family house with floor heating throughout the house. She dreamed that her sister and "that person" entered into marriage and the three of them formed a new family together. She dreamed...

"Dong Dong Dong~"

What woke Saito Asuka up in the morning was not the alarm clock for school, but a series of rapid knocks on the door.

"Dong Dong Dong~"

The girl then realized that she had fallen asleep in bed in her uniform, but it didn’t matter anymore!

Sister is back!
Sister, you obviously have the key, why don’t you just open the door?

He must have brought too many gifts and couldn’t free his hands!

The girl immediately stood up, almost falling down due to malnutrition, and rushed to the door in two steps: "Sister! You finally..."

"Excuse me, are you Saito Nanami's family?"

However, the voice that came from the door was not my sister's, but a greasy middle-aged male voice.

The girl fell silent almost immediately, covering her mouth and sitting like a duck on the cold tatami.

Oh no! The NHK toll collector is here again!
Oh no, oh no, oh no!

Now I can't pretend that no one is home, I can only...

"I don't have a TV at home!" the girl shouted loudly towards the door.

There was a pause outside the door, and then the greasy middle-aged male voice sounded again: "We are not NHK toll collectors, we are police officers. I am Naoki Tanaka from the Otsuka Police Station in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. Excuse me, are you a family member of Saito Nanami?"

"Family members?" The girl was stunned.

The memory of the death came back to her mind.

"Excuse me, are you the family of Saito Ryoko?"

Through the peephole, she saw Tanaka Naoki's police notebook, so the girl opened the door tremblingly.

Obviously, Naoki Tanaka did not expect that there would be a JK girl in the house?

"Are you Saito Nanami's relative?" Tanaka Naoki could only bite the bullet and say.

"Yes, I'm her sister." Saito Asuka answered stupidly. She already had a bad feeling in her heart: "Excuse me, is there anything wrong?"

"We are here specially to inform you." Naoki Tanaka felt bitter in his heart, and he handed a notification certificate to the girl.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Your sister, Saito Nanami, passed away last night."

"Hey?!"

(End of this chapter)