Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

Shinomiya Rin was a little nervous at first. It was her first time being a wanted criminal, and she had no experience. She was afraid of exposing her identity and stared at Komi Yui with trepidation.

Wow, what a big sister!

Shinomiya Rin looked up at the landlady and felt that she was more than a head taller than herself. The fabric of her pale yellow dress was stretched slightly tight, especially her chest, which was unusually full and presented a heavy visual weight.

She looked down at her chest, pursed her lips, and remained silent.

When Komi heard the other party remain silent, she thought of her previous misunderstanding, her face flushed slightly, and a sense of apology rose in her heart.

She tilted her head slightly, revealing a gentle smile. Her hazy eyes turned towards the direction of the voice, and she said softly, "Excuse me, my name is Komi Yui, I'm the landlady who lives next door... May I ask how I should address you?"

Before Shinomiya Rin could speak, Hara Masaki quickly said, "She's not in a good position to talk."

Rin Shinomiya subconsciously turned to look at Masaki Hara, and asked with dissatisfaction, "Why can't I speak?"

Her voice rang out clearly in the quiet room.

Koji Yui's smile faltered slightly.

Her ears and memory were extremely sharp; she had heard the radio news today—it repeatedly broadcast wanted notices about the bank robbery and the congressman assassination.

When police and media appealed to the public for clues, they played audio clips related to the suspect, Rin Shinomiya.

When Shinomiya Rin saw her expression change, she immediately realized that she had said the wrong thing, and her heart pounded with nervousness.

The three of them suddenly fell silent.

The room fell into dead silence.

As Hara Masaki racked her brains trying to figure out how to get past this, Shinomiya Rin broke the silence first, clenching her fists and supporting herself on her knees, and loudly said:

"I've been framed!"

"You recognized me, didn't you? That's right, I'm Shinomiya Rin, the wanted criminal they were talking about in the news!"

"But I didn't rob a bank, much less assassinate my father... That day I received a blackmail letter. Someone tricked me into going to an abandoned warehouse in the Sunshine Mall in the port area, and then locked me inside! I was locked up for a whole day and night, and I don't know anything!"

"When I finally got out, I ran back to the police station to explain the situation to the chief, only to find that everything had changed. The newspapers said I was a bank robber and that I had assassinated my father near the Imperial Hotel... Chief Nishio didn't believe me and even tried to handcuff me... I had no choice but to run away."

At this point, her tone lowered:

"I ran for my life, sirens were everywhere, I had no idea where to go... Just when I thought I was going to die, I ran into Mr. Hara... no, Mr. Suzuki."

"He let me into the car, helped me avoid being checked, and even let me hide here..."

She raised her head and said earnestly, "Please believe me! Don't report me! I'm not a bad person, I've never done anything wrong! I need to stay here temporarily until the truth is revealed and my name is cleared!"

After speaking, Shinomiya Rin, disregarding that the other person couldn't see her, clasped her hands together in front of her, bent down, and earnestly said:

Please!

"..."

"..."

It turns out everyone is numb.

He wondered if this guy was out of his mind. Did he not know that there was a bounty on the wanted poster?

The Metropolitan Police Department is offering a reward of 15 million yen, and this guy actually expects others to risk harboring a serious criminal and give up the readily available high reward to help her?

Renting a room to strangers and helping a wanted criminal are two completely different things!

Kojima remained silent for a moment.

She couldn't see the expression on Shinomiya Rin's face at that moment, nor could she see her bending over and crouching down.

But she can hear it.

She heard the despair in Shinomiya Rin's words—the feeling of being distrusted and having nowhere to turn; the urgency in her eagerness to prove her innocence only to be pursued instead; and the final, almost desperate "Please."

This feeling is so familiar.

Not long ago, she herself had just experienced a collapse.

The feeling of being deceived, kept in the dark, helpless and angry, and desperately wanting to know the truth but having nowhere to turn for help resonated strongly with another girl in her heart at that moment.

They were all people who were suddenly thrown into a dark vortex and left isolated and helpless.

She had once chosen to believe in and help the unidentified, wounded Shinya Suzuki, so naturally she wouldn't ignore a girl now.

As expected, Mr. Suzuki is a gentle and kind person; otherwise, he wouldn't have helped Ms. Shinomiya.

Komi Yui felt once again that she hadn't misjudged him.

"I trust you."

Komi Yui said earnestly, "I understand that feeling of not being able to find a way out."

She paused, as if making up her mind:

"If you don't have anywhere to go for the time being, you can stay here. Although my abilities are limited, I can at least provide a place where you can rest in peace. As for other things, we can take care of them slowly."

Rin Shinomiya felt a sudden surge of warmth in her heart. The weariness brought on by the grievances and loneliness of the past few days seemed to have found a harbor where she could temporarily find refuge.

She sniffed, and just as she was about to straighten up, wondering how to thank him, her stomach suddenly spoke:

"Gurgle...gurgle..."

Rin Shinomiya's face turned bright red, even her ears turned blood red.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Komi Yui smiled. "If you don't mind, please join us for dinner. I've prepared quite a few ingredients."

She turned slightly to the side: "Mr. Suzuki, please come along too. You can try the new dishes I've learned."

Before Hara Masaki could refuse, Shinomiya Rin, who was already starving, immediately stood up and said without any politeness:

"Then I'll take my leave."

Hara Masaki reluctantly followed, and the three of them went into the next room. Komi Yui told Shinomiya Rin to have some dessert to fill her stomach before starting to cook dinner.

Although she was blind, her movements were methodical, and the sounds of chopping vegetables and cooking soup echoed continuously.

Soon after, a simple dinner was laid out on the low table: steaming white rice, fragrant miso soup, fried fish and grilled dishes, and a small dish of pickles.

Komi Yui knelt down by the table: "These are just some home-style dishes. I hope they suit your tastes. Please don't be shy."

"It looks delicious, I'll start eating!" Shinomiya Rin said politely, putting her hands together, before wolfing down her rice with chopsticks.

……

Yuan Zhensheng facepalmed, not understanding why things had turned out this way.

Komi Yui and Shinomiya Rin seemed to get along very well. They had a meal together, then took a shower together. When they came out, they started whispering to each other, laughing and hugging each other like best friends who hadn't seen each other for years.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content and washing up, Shinomiya Rin refused to leave, wanting to stay there, and clung to Komi Yui's waist, refusing to let go.

Komi Yui was worried that no one would take care of Shinomiya Rin when Mr. Suzuki was not at home, so she suggested that Shinomiya Rin stay at her house for a while.

The police wouldn't make things difficult for a blind woman, and besides, she's the daughter of Kenji Kuwata, so the yakuza wouldn't bother her. She's much safer than Rin Shinomiya living alone next door.

"No, it's too dangerous. What if someone sees us?" Hara Masaki was really worried and wanted to take Shinomiya Rin away to a secluded mountain to deal with her.

"I can put on makeup, so no one will recognize me," Rin Shinomiya said, raising her hand.

"Then how does Miss Komi explain the addition of a girl to the family?" Hara Masaki pressed.

"Just say it's a distant cousin coming to the city to look for work." Shinomiya Rin directly copied the excuse that Hara Masaki had just used.

"Isn't that inappropriate? Who comes looking for a job without leaving home? It sounds too fake; people will immediately become suspicious." Yuan Zhensheng shook his head.

"Then let's have an illegitimate daughter," Komi Yui suddenly said.

She held Shinomiya Rin as if she were holding a little girl, and said half-jokingly:

"People often say I have the air of a mother, and some even think I'm over thirty but just look young because I take good care of myself... If I were an illegitimate child, it would be reasonable for me to stay home and avoid going out, right?"

She is the illegitimate daughter of Kenkichi Kuwata.

For a fleeting moment, she thought of her father. Perhaps he had lied about being a real estate agent to hide her away, all to protect her.

Shinomiya Rin felt something heavy pressing down on her head. She was held in Komi Yui's arms, as if she had returned to the embrace of her deceased mother. Her words of protest were swallowed back down. After muttering for a moment, she said:

"I don't look that young... well, I do often get mistaken for a child."

The two wounded girls are now leaning on each other.

Yuan Zhensheng scratched her head with both hands, feeling that the two of them were a bit crazy—how did they suddenly become mother and daughter?