Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

Last night, Masahiro Hanyu heard noises from next door, so he can be sure that his female neighbor is currently in her room.

He deliberately slowed down his knocking, then raised his voice, "Excuse me, I'm Masahiro Hanyu from Nishi-Arai Real Estate Center."

The room was quiet, without any echo.

"Hello, Mrs. Tanaka has passed away. I am here to confirm the rental details for room 501 on behalf of the new landlord."

"If we don't get confirmation, there might be some unnecessary trouble during the handover process with the new landlord."

The entire apartment building is owned by Keiko Tanaka. That bloated woman is a rich woman. Masahiro Hanyu only learned this from Yui Satsuki yesterday.

If he had known earlier, he might have wavered when Keiko Tanaka came to his door that day to hint at her intentions.

Yui Satsuki told Masahiro Hanyu to figure out a way to investigate every resident in the building.

He came up with an idea: to impersonate a real estate agent at the property center and, taking advantage of the gap before the new landlord took over the property, to fabricate a reason to conduct an investigation.

His first target was his female neighbor in room 501, and he took advantage of the fact that she was home.

There was silence for a few seconds inside the door, then the sound of the door chain sliding came, and the door opened a crack just wide enough for one person to peek through.

A young girl's delicate face appeared, her expression weary, her eyes warily scrutinizing Masahiro Yuzuru.

It was that mysterious female neighbor.

"Mr. Yuzuru, you weren't the agent I was dealing with before!"

Masahiro Hanyu remained completely calm, raising the file folder and shaking it; it bore the words "Nishi-Arai Real Estate Center."

"The agent who was originally handling things with you, Mr. Takahashi, has left the company, and I will now be handling the handover with the new landlord."

"Oh, is that so!" The female neighbor opened the door.

Suddenly, she paused, startled. "Mr. Yuzuru, we seem to have met somewhere before, haven't we?"

Did he recognize him as a neighbor? Masahiro Hanyu was prepared for this; he had already prepared his explanation.

"Oh, I accidentally bumped into you when I was on the train at Hibiya Station. What a coincidence!" the female neighbor said first.

Yuzuru Masahiro sized up his female neighbor. Her eyes were clear and innocent. Did she really not know he was her neighbor?

His expression showed the same surprise. "Ah, I remember now, what a coincidence, to run into you here!"

"That's right. After Mrs. Tanaka passed away, the original lease agreement was lost, and the tenant needs to cooperate by filling out a new identity information."

The female neighbor said "Oh," and then added, "I see. My name is Izayoi Akizo, and I work at the Ohon Church."

Masahiro Hanyu never expected that his female neighbor would reveal her identity so easily.

He has no right to view the resident registration form; he can only authenticate it through conversation and facial expression analysis.

The female neighbor's words should be believable; the man with the scar on his forehead called her Miss Mingkong.

This suggests that the name "Izayoi Akizo" is likely real.

Izayoi is a surname that is not very common in Japan.

"Please wait a moment!" Masahiro Hanyu took out a pen and notebook, made some notes, and then patted the camera hanging around his neck.

"Ms. Mingkong, may I come into the room?"

"The existing furniture and facilities in room 501 need to be photographed, and then the handover should be completed with the new landlord."

Izayoi Akira hesitated for a moment, "Actually, it's not convenient. Please wait a moment, I'll pack quickly, it'll be quick."

She turned and went into the room, closing the door behind her.

Masahiro Hanyu didn't expect things to go so smoothly; none of the various excuses and coping strategies he had prepared in advance were needed.

This female neighbor was just avoiding strangers, but she seemed to be very naive and easily believed what others said.

Two minutes later, the door to apartment 501 opened, and the female neighbor stood in the entryway.

"I'm sorry to have kept Mr. Yuzuru waiting. Please come in!"

Masahiro Hanyu took off his shoes and entered the room. The room was decorated the same as 502, but it was obviously cleaner and tidier.

There was a faint scent of sandalwood in the air, as well as a delicate fragrance that only a virgin would have.

He was able to smell it because of his naturally keen sense of smell.

A black curtain hangs on the left wall, its purpose unknown.

The sandalwood scent was coming from behind the curtain, which Masahiro Hanyu was absolutely certain of.

He remembered the sounds coming from next door every night.

Masahiro Hanyu raised his camera and began taking pictures. Taking this opportunity, he carefully observed every corner to see if there was anything unusual.

Perhaps the secret is hidden in a cabinet drawer, or maybe it's hidden behind this curtain on the wall.

What exactly did Izayoi Akizo and the scarred middle-aged man exchange at the coffee shop? Yuzuru Masahiro originally didn't want to find out, but now the situation is different.

Before he left the detective agency yesterday, Yui Satsuki told him that only by completing the investigation of every tenant in this apartment building could he officially become her partner and participate in the commission.

Masahiro Hanyu needs to obtain Yui Satsuki's approval before the system will provide an information prompt.

With the intelligence, he was able to demonstrate his outstanding investigative abilities in front of Yui Satsuki and become a full-fledged detective.

Of course, the reward for completing the commission through intelligence was also something he could look forward to, since he had previously had the option of dating women and doing whatever he wanted.

He would seriously consider it if the intelligence reward included Satsuki Yui as an option.

When Masahiro Hanyu was taking the photos, he stepped back and leaned against the curtain.

He turned slightly to the side and reached out to pull back the curtain.

A cool, smooth little hand suddenly grabbed his wrist; Izayoi Akira's speed was faster than anyone could have imagined.

"Mr. Yuzuru, taking photos here is not allowed!"

Masahiro Yuzuru struggled with his wrist, trying to shake off the small hand.

But the little hands were like iron clamps, with a force far greater than he had imagined.

Masahiro Hanyu gave up. "Okay, I won't take pictures, but I still have to take a look, otherwise how am I going to explain it to the new landlord?"

Izayoi Akira's eyelashes were thick and curly. "These are my personal belongings behind the curtain. When I move out, this place will be restored to its original state. The new landlord doesn't need to see them."

Yuzuru hesitated for a few seconds, "Ms. Mingkong, there's actually an even more coincidental thing that I thought you knew about."

Izayoi Akizo looked at him curiously, "Even more coincidentally! What is that?"

"Actually... I'm your neighbor, I live right next door," Masahiro Hanyu said calmly.

Izayoi Akira's eyes widened suddenly. She exclaimed, "Ah! Are you the neighbor of room 502?"

Masahiro Yuzuru nodded solemnly in confirmation, "Yes, I am Ms. Mingkong's neighbor."

Izayoi Akizo's expression changed. "I overheard you talking to someone named Sato. You're not a real estate agent; you must be a famous detective!"

When she finished speaking, Masahiro Yuzuru felt a chill run down his spine. He sensed a murderous aura filling the room!