Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

"I already said it's an urban legend, how could a swamp man possibly exist in the world?"

Yamamoto Koji paused for a moment, then said, "However, describing the killer as a swamp man is quite fitting... Alright, I've decided, let's give that guy a code name, Swamp Man."

He chatted with great interest, increasingly convinced that bringing Yuan Zhisheng along for drinks was the right decision—this guy always seemed to have something in common with him, and he'd even heard of the swamp man ghost stories on the anonymous 2ch forum.

Unlike Akio Yoshioka, who knew nothing when asked.

Yuan Zhensheng picked up the sake, took a sip, and said, "It sounds rather gloomy."

Yamamoto Koji nodded: "Yes, that's very apt. That guy is a creepy pervert. Who knows why he peeled the widow's face off?"

Yuan Zhensheng thought to himself, "That's not what I meant. I wanted you to change your nickname... Swamp Man or something like that, it sounds like a mud man."

He silently grumbled to himself, said nothing more, and smiled apologetically. After downing a glass of wine, his face flushed, and he pretended to be unable to hold his liquor, staggering as he got up to say goodbye.

"I'll take you home," Yamamoto Koji said, worried that something might happen to him on the way.

"No need..."

"Yoshioka, see him off," Yamamoto Koji instructed.

"Yes!" Yoshioka Akio hadn't drunk much. He had been listening to ghost stories and was a bit paranoid, but his mind was clear now.

Unable to refuse, Hara Masaki had no choice but to ask Yoshioka Akio to take him back to his dormitory; as luck would have it, someone was on duty downstairs at the dormitory that night.

If he sneaked out in the middle of the night, it might arouse suspicion. He thought that there was no rush to withdraw the money, and he had to be extra careful when collecting the final payment. Cases of double-crossing were not uncommon, so he decided to wait until tomorrow.

I'll rest tonight.

Yuan Zhensheng took a shower and lay down to rest. He had slept for a long time during the day, and his wounds were still throbbing. In addition, he hadn't received the money, so he couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

Something feels off.

He then recalled how Shinomiya Rin knew about the assassination target in advance, and to this day he still couldn't figure out how it happened.

Thinking too much is pointless; I should focus on getting better first.

Yuan Zhensheng turned over, clearing his mind. Even though he couldn't sleep, he kept his eyes closed and rested.

……

Let's rewind to noon today.

Inside the villa in Bunkyo Ward, Masakazu Shinomiya sat leaning against the table, slowly rolling a cigar; Rin Shinomiya stood in front of him, biting her lower lip and remaining silent.

"You don't actually think you can prove your worth by catching a few thugs, do you?"

Without looking up, Shinomiya Masaru continued, "The Shinomiya family's current status has never been based on cheap sense of justice, but on absolute control over values."

"The rules of this society have always been set by people like me."

He raised his head, sniffed his cigar, and looked up at his daughter:

"The core of the rule is only one thing—a person without value is wasting the world's resources even by breathing; they do not deserve to stand in the sunlight, much less have a place in this society."

"You think that just because you have the surname Shinomiya, you're born with the right to stand here? From the day you were born, the identity I gave you, your wealth, and all the resources you have access to all came with a price tag."

"What I need is an heir who can bring benefits to the family, a pawn to solidify the political and business alliance, not a good-for-nothing who runs around the streets entangled with thugs and has unrealistic fantasies in his head."

Shinomiya Rin lowered her head, remaining silent, her small fists clenched as she tried her best to suppress her anger.

She survived by the skin of her teeth, but when she returned home, she was met not with a concerned inquiry, but with a set of values ​​ingrained in Shinomiya Masakazu's very being.

Twelve years ago, in this same study with its thick cashmere carpet, Masakazu Shinomiya would gently call his mother's name, hold young Rin Shinomiya on his lap, and tell her that she had the most amazing mother in the world.

Until her mother committed suicide by shooting herself, Shinomiya Rin believed that she had a happy family.

To this day, Rin Shinomiya still doesn't know why her mother died. She only remembers asking Masakazu Shinomiya at the funeral, "Why did Mom do this?"

My father said in the same icy tone he used now, "People who have no value don't deserve to stay by my side."

From that day on, Shinomiya Rin ran forward with all her might.

She forced herself to finish reading obscure financial classics, practiced martial arts until she was covered in injuries and collapsed in the dojo, and learned social skills, conversation techniques, and everything that Shinomiya Masakazu required her to learn.

She once naively believed that as long as she was strong enough, valuable enough, and useful enough, she would not be discarded like her mother.

She even hoped that if she could please her father, he might regret her mother's death and take her seriously as his daughter, instead of treating her as a valuable pawn...

She no longer harbors such unrealistic fantasies.

Shinomiya Rin raised her head and said, word by word, "I don't care about the things you've given me. Even if I live my whole life as an ordinary person, even if I die on the street, I will never live like you."

Shinomiya Masakazu sneered. So many people dream of living a life like his, but this kid talks as if he could achieve it through his own efforts.

"Whatever, just don't use the Shinomiya family name to cause trouble again." He gave a word of advice, then lost interest in continuing the conversation, waving his hand to let Shinomiya Rin leave quickly, out of sight, out of mind.

Rin Shinomiya turned and left without a second thought.

The secretary brushed past her, entered the study, and closed the door behind her, saying, "Mr. Shinomiya, the 80 million yen in cash has been raised. Where should we send the money?"

"Something unexpected happened, so you don't need to deliver it."

Shinomiya Masakazu said, "Allocate some money, a budget of about 20 million, hire a familiar cleaner to lie in wait at the Momo dating phone club... and have him take care of the guy who comes to collect the money."

He lit the cigar with a match, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled.

Pity.

That guy was very useful, but unfortunately he wouldn't listen to orders and killed Kuwata Kenkichi.

The Sumiyoshi-kai and the Yamaken-gumi are at war every day, and construction sites dare not start work. Real estate development projects will likely be delayed indefinitely until the two sides reach a settlement and ceasefire... But the group leaders are all dead, so how can they be mediated?

A loss of tens of billions!

He even asked for the final payment? Are you kidding me?! Does he really think his money is so easy to take?!

In Shinomiya Masakazu's view, everything has a price.

A death on a construction site only warrants a million yen in compensation; the life of a yakuza boss is worth more, around one hundred million to two billion yen; and those nameless "cleaners" hiding in the shadows are worth at most fifty million yen...

Through the thick smoke, the secretary nodded in agreement:

"Yes, it will be handled properly."