An infinite journey starting from paradise

"call…"

Dongzi sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

Zi covered her with the quilt and said, "I'll go find the health teacher right away."

Touzi tightly grasped Dongzi's cold hand and said dissatisfiedly, "What's going on? Why isn't the teacher in the health room?"

"Yes, if it were Teacher Zhu Qi, he would definitely stay in the health room the whole time." Zi agreed.

Compared to the current health teacher Kitami Reika, Zi prefers the original teacher Zhu Qi Ningning. Teacher Zhu Qi is more serious and responsible, but Teacher Kitami always gives people a frivolous feeling.

Anyway, Zi doesn't like Kitami Reika very much.

"I'm fine." Dongzi said softly, "I'll be fine after a rest."

She half-jokingly said to Touko, "After all, you can't skip breakfast."

"Then I'll go find the teacher first."

Zi got up to open the door and almost bumped into Kitami Rika who had just returned.

Zi faintly smelled a strange smell like blood on Teacher Kitami.

"Oh, there's someone here. Did something happen?" Kitami Rika asked with a smile.

Zi replied, "Ah... Teacher, a classmate suddenly collapsed. It might be anemia. He's inside. Since the teacher is here, I'll go back to the classroom."

"Stay here for a while."

Kitami Reika put her hand on Zi's shoulder:

"School is almost over, it's okay for you to stay here. There won't be any serious classes back in the classroom anyway."

As she spoke, Kitami Reika winked at Zi playfully.

After returning to the infirmary with Kitami Reika, Zi walked to Fuyuko's bedside again: "Teacher Kitami is here..."

Both she and Toruko focused their attention on Fuyuko and did not notice the strange smile that suddenly appeared on Kitami Reika's face.

……

The bell rang, and Yukari left the infirmary first. Fuyuko was no longer seriously injured, and with Touko and Kitami-sensei by her side, it was time for her to leave too.

When Zi came to the corridor, Zhuizi was already waiting there.

"Zi Zi, your schoolbag! Hehe."

"Ah...thank you."

Zi took the schoolbag back from Zhuizi, who was smiling brightly.

"Hey, there are no club activities on the first day of school, so let's go home together."

Zhuizi extended her hand to Zi.

"No, I have to go to my brother's place."

"Oh...I see. Then let me escort Zi Zi to the station!"

This is what makes Tsuiko so likable. She is always so optimistic and lively, which makes her totally out of place in this serious and dull girls' school.

"Let's go." Zi said with a smile.

After walking to the station with Tsuchiko, Yukari took the train to Shinjuku.

According to school rules, students are not allowed to enter the downtown area alone, but Zi still came here. After all, her brother, who she depends on for everything, works here.

After walking out of the station and buying some meat buns on the street, Zi walked through a small alley and came to a small Western-style building.

There was a sign reading "Tokisaka Detective Agency" on the mailbox in front of the small building. Her brother's office was in this building.

Walking into the room on the third floor where the office was located, Zi knocked on the door.

"Brother, are you there?"

No one answered, maybe they were out at work.

Zi took out a brass key from her bag and opened the door of the detective agency.

"Ugh……"

As soon as she saw the scene inside, Zi sighed helplessly: Papers were scattered all over the floor, leaving barely any space to step. Several bottles lay toppled over. The quilt on the table was stained, and the ashtray was full, with a half-eaten piece of bread on it.

"Really? I just cleaned it two weeks ago! What on earth is he thinking? Can't he just clean it up himself?"

Full of complaints but with no one to vent to, Zi had no choice but to vent her anger on doing housework.

She put her bag on the sofa and began to sort out the papers scattered on the floor. Because there might be important documents among them, they couldn't be thrown away easily.

Zi squatted on the ground, flattening the papers one by one and carefully sorting them out. Most of the papers were scribbled with disturbing words such as "murder", "dismemberment", and "abduction".

"Brother is still the same, only taking jobs like this. I understand him... but I still hope he won't push himself too hard."

Murasaki's brother, Tokisaka Reito, is a detective. Although he has served in the military and as a policeman, he maintains a slim figure and looks more like a frail scholar.

In reality, Tokisaka Reito was originally an ordinary scholar of foreign literature. However, over a decade ago, he was drafted by the government and sent to the battlefields of the Chinese invasion. He escaped death by feigning illness and hiding in the rear, but was ultimately captured by our army.

It was not until Japan surrendered that he was sent back to Japan and assigned as a policeman.

After returning to China, Tokisaka Reito devoted himself to the Japanese Communist Party movement. He even became acquainted with Mr. Sanzo Nosaka - Mr. Nosaka was the teacher who was responsible for his education in Yan'an at that time.

After the Cold War began, Tokisaka Reito, a member of the Japanese Communist Party, was quickly expelled from the police station.

He then became a detective who only investigated dangerous cases such as murder and kidnapping: partly to make a living, but more importantly to atone for his sins. He hoped to atone for his sins by finding out the truth, punishing criminals, and saving the living.

Of course, Tokisaka Reito has never stopped his social activities. The case he is currently investigating involves an unsanctioned war criminal who committed corruption and dereliction of duty in the invasion of China. If international law does not punish him, Tokisaka Reito hopes to at least be able to send him to prison on these charges.

Zi placed the organized papers on her desk, then sorted out the things on the coffee table. She tossed the moldy toast and ashtray into the trash can, then carefully cleaned the glass...

"Next..."

Zi looked around the room which was almost tidied up, and the clothes that Tokisaka Reito had casually thrown in the corner caught her eye.

"I can't wash it here. I guess I have to take it home."

At this time, the door of the office was opened.

Zi raised her head: "Ah, brother, you are back."

"…What are you doing, Zi?"

"Clean up the mess you have here, obviously."

Zi said this nonchalantly, and skillfully folded Lingren's dirty clothes.

"I say, brother, can't you clean up by yourself?"

"Um...I don't have time."

Lingren argued as he draped his coat over the back of the chair.

"I'm sorry for always causing you trouble."

"Forget it, after all, my brother is always busy with work."

As she spoke, Zi placed the paper bag of meat buns in front of Lingren: "Eat it, it might be a little cold."

"Then I won't be polite."

Zi asked again: "Brother, is work going well?"

"Well...it can be solved in the next two days."

Lingren has collected a lot of evidence and clues. After sorting them out tonight, he will hand them over to the organization. Then, the organization will find a way to bring down that guy and send him to prison.

"Will it be dangerous?" Zi asked in a low voice.

Lingren replied in a relaxed tone, "It's okay."

"I hope so..."

Zi muttered softly, as if she didn't quite trust him.

……

In the evening, the Tokisaka siblings took the national railway from Shinjuku back to Zenpukuji River, where their house was located.

A few years ago, their parents died in a plane crash, and since then, they've been living alone. Because of work, Reito mostly lives at the office. He hasn't been home in the past two weeks.

Zi opened the door with the key and put Lingren's dirty clothes in the locker room.

"It's a bit cold."

Reito took off her coat and quickly put on her casual clothes at home.

Zi asked, "How about having chicken hotpot tonight?"

"I can do anything."

After giving a concise reply, Lingren walked past Zi and headed to the study.

He shivered in the cold air, wrapping himself tightly in his clothes. He couldn't wait to light the stove, then he opened the secret compartment in the bookshelf, took out the evidence and clues he had collected, and began to sort them out.

He didn't notice that just outside his room, a strange figure was watching his every move.

After a while...

"Dinner is ready."

"Come right away."

Hearing Zi's call, Lingren put the things on the desk back into the secret compartment of the bookshelf.

……

Along with the steaming hot air, the fragrant aroma wafted out of the casserole: chicken, green onions, cabbage, Chinese cabbage and konjac noodles, with two eggs floating on the soup.

Simple but hearty dinner.

"Come on, let's eat. I'm going to start eating."

Zi clasped his hands together and bowed silently.

Although she attended a church school, her manners were pure Japanese. In Reito's view, her sister, Azuki, was more like a traditional "Yamato Nadeshiko" than the so-called "New Woman": quiet and reserved, gentle and considerate, yet tough and strong.

Lingren picked up a piece of chicken, dipped it in soy sauce, and put it in her mouth. Starting from her stomach, she felt her body warm up from the inside out.

"I really want a glass of hot wine." Lingren said.

Zi replied seriously: "Even if you say so, there is no wine at home."

"Isn't it okay to just think about it?"

Lingren retorted while eating chicken.

Suddenly, there was a loud "bang".

Startled, Lingren felt someone push him from behind. He tried to maintain his balance, but the moment he breathed, he felt a sharp pain in his lungs. His mouth was suddenly filled with a sweet, warm liquid.

Zi was still smiling, but she saw her brother vomiting blood and falling on the table.

"elder brother!"

She tried to help Lingren up when two masked men with guns rushed into the house.

"who are you?!"

Before Zi could figure out what was going on, she was pushed to the ground.

A masked man said: "What should we do next? Take the things and then use the old method to fake a robbery and murder, or just burn it down. This house is quite remote, setting it on fire should be no problem."

The man who held Zi down said, "We still have plenty of time. Instead of just starting with fire prevention, we might as well do something else. Robbery, rape, murder, and fire prevention all in one go—it's pretty good."

"Then you should make a quick decision."

The other man said this and pointed his gun at Tokisaka Reito again, ready to shoot him a few more times.

"Don't worry, I'll be quick, little sister~"

"Help!"

Tokisaka Shizuka wanted to shout for help.

"Oh God, why did this happen... What happened to my brother? Please, save us!!!"

God cannot hear the prayers of mortals because God does not exist.

Just as one man was about to pull the trigger, his body suddenly stopped. Not only him... everything around him, even the particles of light and the entire universe, came to a standstill.