Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

Yuan Zhensheng was awakened by the knocking on the door.

He worked through the night and didn't get back to the safe house until 5 a.m., where he spent another two hours bandaging his wounds—his left shoulder had a large bruise and severe subcutaneous hematoma; his right ribs had a sharp, dull pain, suspected to be a bone fracture or soft tissue contusion.

Minor injuries such as those to the arms and legs, as long as the bones are not broken and the tendons are not damaged, are all treated as superficial injuries.

After finishing his work at 8 a.m., he called his supervisor and left a message saying he needed to take the day off. He then took a few anti-inflammatory pills and went to bed for a long sleep.

dong dong dong-

A slow, deliberate knocking sounded at the door, jolting Yuan Zhen awake. He pulled a dagger from under his pillow, wiped the sweat from his face, got out of bed barefoot, walked to the window, parted the curtains, and peered into the doorway.

It was Komi Yui who knocked on the door.

Yuan Zhensheng observed her carefully for a moment, making sure no one else was behind her, before asking through the door, "...Who is it?"

"It's me," Komi Yui said, still facing the door. "We met once before, I live next door... Mr. Suzuki, do you remember my voice?"

"Ah, Ms. Komi." Hara Masao didn't open the door. "Is there something you need? I have a cold today and it's inconvenient for me to see guests, lest I infect you."

"That's exactly why I came here," said Komi Yui.

Yuan Zhensheng's heart sank as he carefully observed Komi Yui's hazy eyes.

She stood outside the door with her hands clasped together, the fabric of her pale yellow dress fluttering slightly in the night breeze, the heavy curves of her chest clearly outlined in the morning light.

Yuan Zhensheng quickly scanned the empty corridor behind her—there was no ambush, but the smell of blood might have given it away. The bruise on his left shoulder and the dull pain in his ribs from bandaging last night had taken a toll on his energy; he simply didn't have the strength to clean up the blood-stained gauze…

Komi Yui's voice was steady, and she sniffed almost imperceptibly, "There's a smell of disinfectant and blood in your room... Are you injured?"

She tilted her head slightly, the tip of her guide cane resting against the door frame: "I brought a first-aid kit. I used to be a nurse for a while, so I can help with bandaging. Pushing yourself isn't good for your health."

Yuan Zhensheng gripped the dagger tightly with his knuckles and said, "Don't worry about me, I just tripped and fell."

"I see... I understand. Mr. Suzuki probably got into a fight somewhere, right? Young people are hot-blooded, and it's inevitable that they'll act impulsively sometimes."

She paused for a moment, then said softly, "Everyone has their own troubles they don't want to talk about, and I won't pry... If you need anything, feel free to ask me for help anytime. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

something wrong.

In this situation, shouldn't a normal landlord's first reaction be to call the police? Her initial failure to check the tenant's identity documents is also highly suspicious.

Yuan Zhensheng narrowed his eyes, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind, and finally decided to investigate potential risks:

"...Then I'll trouble you."

He paused, not intending to let Komi Yui into his house: "But my house is too messy, it's not convenient... How about I go to your house to treat my wound?"

Koji Yui nodded slightly: "Of course."

She groped her way forward along the door frame, her pale yellow dress swaying slightly with each step, her curves rising and falling in the morning light. She smiled and said, "Suzuki is a shy and sensitive person... Come with me."

Yuan Zhensheng quietly opened the door, a dagger concealed in his sleeve.

He scanned the fire escape at the end of the corridor, and only after confirming that no one was lying in ambush did he move barefoot to the next room.

"Watch out for the threshold," Komi Yui warned.

Yuan Zhensheng stepped into the entrance hall, bowed his head and said "Excuse me" before glancing around. The interior was very simple, with only a low table and cushions, a television set against the wall, and picture frames and green plants on a wooden shelf.

"Do you watch TV regularly?" Yuan Zhensheng asked.

"If you can't watch it, you can listen to it! Manzai is fun too." Komi Yui groped her way to sit down and opened the first-aid kit. "Besides, I sometimes have family members come to stay, and we always watch TV together."

"Oh." Yuan Zhensheng's doubts were not dispelled.

"Alright, come on, please lie down." Komi Yui patted the soft cushion next to her.

Hara Shinsei lay on his side as instructed, still holding the dagger. Komi Yui gently asked where it hurt, made a simple diagnosis by pressing on the wound, removed the crooked gauze, disinfected and applied medicine again, and used a splint to fix the bruised area.

As the bandage wrapped around her ribs, she leaned closer, her heavy breasts casting a shadow on the neckline of her pale yellow dress; to avoid the bruise on her left shoulder, she fumbled to adjust the angle of the bandage, strands of hair occasionally brushing against the side of Yuan Zhensheng's neck.

"Tell me if it's too tight."

"Yeah, it's alright."

Komi Yui's knot-tying movements were swift yet gentle, her fingertips smoothing out the wrinkles at the end of the bandage. Finally, she couldn't help but remark, "Mr. Suzuki is very good at enduring."

"It doesn't actually hurt that much," Yuan Zhensheng said.

"Alright, lie down and rest. Don't do any strenuous exercise." She fumbled for the blood-stained cotton ball, her gray eyes reflecting the morning light filtering through the curtains. "There's a honeydew melon in the fridge. I'll cut some for you as a snack later."

Yuan Zhensheng had been waiting for her to make a move, but what she got in return was a plate of honeydew melon.

Perhaps the melon is poisoned.

Yuan Zhensheng looked suspicious. He didn't believe in unprovoked kindness in this world. This woman must have ulterior motives, but he hadn't noticed anything yet.

"Aren't you going to eat it?" Komi Yui said, "The melon is very sweet."

She picked up a piece, ate it in small bites, and knelt down on the tatami to rest.

Yuan Zhensheng couldn't help but ask, "Why do you do these things? It's not good for you at all, is it? What if I'm a bad person? What will you do then?"

"Ah, well..."

Komi Yui tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "There wasn't any particular reason, I just did it because I wanted to."

Yuan Zhensheng was speechless for a moment.

Perhaps sensing his unusual mood, Komi Yui smiled, put down the melon, patted her thigh, and said, "Alright, alright, don't be so tense. I'll give you a head massage to help relax your nerves."

"...No."

"Come on," Komi Yui said in a voice that sounded like she was coaxing a child, "If you lie down, I'll tell you why."

Yuan Zhensheng hesitated for a moment, wanting to know what she was up to. Reluctantly, he lay down on his back and looked up to see a pair of southern hemispheres blocking his view.

Komi Yui gently massaged his temples and said, "Actually, I know that Mr. Suzuki is fearful and wary of everyone... I could feel the wind when you poked my eye with something that day."

Yuan Zhensheng's back muscles tensed up, but gradually relaxed under Komi Yui's gentle massage. He could smell a pleasant fragrance and feel the warmth of her soft thighs through her skirt.

It felt like returning to my mother's embrace.

"You don't mind?" he asked.

"I don't mind at all. I just feel sorry for Mr. Suzuki. Living in constant fear with everyone he meets, his life must be a complete mess!" Komi Yui said sincerely, "I've been through it too; it felt like living in hell..."

What does that mean?

Just as Hara Masaki was about to look up and ask more questions, there was a knock on the door, and Yamamoto Koji's voice came through:

"Moshi, Moshi, is anyone home?"