An infinite journey starting from paradise

"That's right. Who in their right mind would kill someone for such a stupid purpose? It's better to just kill the idiot. But what about her daughter?"

Lin Shangren threw Mizuhara Mio's body into the box and teleported to Mizuhara Toruko's room.

It was almost dawn, and the thin, short-haired girl was lost in sleep.

"Toruko, Fuyuko. Two girls with the same pronunciation of their names and the same bizarre life stories. Speaking of which, I killed Fuyuko's nominal father and also Toruko's mother. As for Fuyuko, what about the Kuchiki family who adopted her? What will Toruko do?

Living alone, she would also face a lot of criticism if her mother's identity as a murderer was exposed."

[Do you want to support her? ?ω?]

Ashrose suddenly interrupted.

"Tomorrow... uh, today, I'm going to take the members of their art club to visit the art exhibition, right?" Lin Shangren asked irrelevantly.

He looked at the rising sun outside the window and said, "I have to go back early."

……

9:00 AM, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Taito Ward.

"Is everyone here?"

Lin Shangren asked a group of girls.

"You'll know once you take a look."

Mizuhara Toruko replied with an unhappy look on her face.

She wasn't upset because of her mother's sudden disappearance. Her mother would often leave home for several days without saying goodbye, and she was used to it. She was angry because Lin Shangren and Dongzi were standing too close.

Tokisaka Yukari whispered, "After all, there are only six of us students and Mr. Takashiro."

"Maybe he wants to show off his teacher's style?" Dongzi said half-jokingly.

"Six students? I remember there were only six people in the art department. Including me, there should be seven students, right?" asked Zhuizi.

"Mika has asked for leave." Imari Kurumi said, "She hasn't been to school these past few days. Right, Jun."

"Ah."

Tian Yuechun nodded, but looked at Lin Shangren timidly.

"Everyone, the tickets are ready."

Takashiro Hiroko trotted over. Because Lin Shangren would be there today, she had dressed extra carefully, wearing a burgundy skirt and a pure white sweater. Her firm breasts jiggled softly beneath the thin fabric as she moved. Her long, well-proportioned legs were bare, not wearing stockings, leaving her calves bare.

This outfit was considered fashionable in Japan at the time, but in Lin Shangren's eyes, Takashiro Hiroko's outfit was quite reminiscent of the early days of reform and opening up: a mix of Chinese and Western styles.

"Then let's go in."

The group walked into the art gallery. Looking at the dazzling array of paintings on the wall, Touko took Touko's hand and said, "Let's start from here."

Tian Yuejun wanted to say something to Lin Shangren, but was pulled to the other side by Imari Kurumi: "Jun, that painting is really interesting, go take a look."

"Zuizi, where should we go first, Zuizi?"

Tokisaka Shizuka looked at her best friend in confusion, only to see Tsuiko looking at the surroundings with a blank expression, and then looked at Hayashi Shangren suspiciously: "This place looks so familiar, Teacher Hayashi."

"Maybe you've been here before."

Lin Shangren shrugged and took Gaocheng Kuanzi's hand.

"Teacher Hiroko, the students are so proactive, it seems we don't need to lead them. Let's go and appreciate the paintings here."

"Hey!"

Tsuiko wanted to stop Lin Shangren and ask for clarification, but when she saw Takashiro Hiroko leaning on Lin Shangren's shoulder, she chose to keep her mouth shut. Disturbing the homeroom teacher's flirting was somewhat embarrassing.

"Damn it! This guy calls himself a priest."

Helplessly, Tsuiko could only choose to go with Zi to look at the surrounding paintings.

"Shang Renjun, wait, are you free?"

Takagi Hiroko's cheeks flushed slightly, and there was a hint of temptation in her tone.

"Shang Renjun seems to have been avoiding me these past two days. I'm... so lonely."

The hot and moist voice of Takagi Hiroko blew gently into Lin Shangren's cochlea. Lin Shangren was sure that if this was not a public place, Takagi Hiroko would definitely unbuckle his belt and start sucking hard.

She seemed to be particularly eager for Lin Shangren today.

What about public places? There is always private space in public places.

"Woo~"

Hiroko Takagi suddenly let out a soft moan.

"what happened?"

"My stomach hurts a little. Can Shangren-kun accompany me to the bathroom?"

As if to prove that she was indeed feeling unwell, Takagi Hiroko bent down slightly and covered her stomach with her hand, but her other hand rubbed Lin Shangren's thigh dishonestly.

Faced with such a clear indication, Lin Shangren decisively chose to accept it. He supported Gao Cheng Kuanzi and found the toilet according to the instructions in the art museum.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum was built during the Meiji Restoration. The restrooms there were not divided into male and female categories, but had several separate cubicles.

Lin Shangren helped Gao Chengkuo walk in. There was no one else in the bathroom, so Gao Chengkuo pulled Lin Shangren into a cubicle.

After entering the cubicle, she couldn't wait to unbutton Lin Shangren's pants.

"We have to be quick. We still have to take care of those students." Takashiro Hiroko muttered to herself, "I'll have to put Shangren-kun in a difficult position for now. I can only use the upper mouth for now. Well, I'm going to start~"

"Ah woo~"

"Um……"

Takagi Hiroko's technique was very clumsy, but her little mouth seemed to have a special magic. When foreign objects touched her throat, she did not vomit instinctively, but swallowed instead. When swallowing, saliva continued to secrete from the bottom of her tongue, sucking the giant object into her throat, and then she wanted to vomit it out. The root of her tongue and the small ball of tender flesh on the top of her throat squeezed together, feeling soft and melted, which soon made Lin Shangren excited.

Hesitantly, Lin Shangren quickly delivered his nutritional value down Gao Chengguangzi's throat. Gao Chengguangzi greedily drank it all, even carefully licking the remaining cream on Lin Shangren's cheese cream stick. Only then did she reluctantly end this import "export trade."

"thanks for treatment."

Takagi Hiroko smiled with satisfaction.

Lin Shangren also revealed a mysterious smile.

"Let's go out first."

……

After leaving the restroom, the students who were browsing around the art gallery did not notice the sudden disappearance of the two instructors.

“Something is wrong…”

Zhuizi muttered softly.

"What's wrong, Tsutsuko?" Tokisaka Shizuka asked curiously, "From the beginning, you seemed absent-minded."

"Hey, Zizi," Zhuizi suddenly asked, "You're familiar with Teacher Lin, right? Who is he?"

"Ah...? Why are you asking this suddenly?" Tokisaka Yukari pinched the back of her hand nervously, "Ah... Mr. Lin and my brother are friends... both are... detectives. I don't know the details, haha..."

"really?"

"Ah, that painting looks like Dongzi?"

Mizuhara Toruko's exclamation interrupted Tsuruko's questioning. She turned her head and saw the painting at the deepest part of the exhibition hall, "The Girl in the Shell".

Fuyuko Kuchiki stood in front of the painting, staring at it intently.

"She really looks like Dongzi... Let's go check it out?"

As she spoke, Tokisaka Shizuru took Tsuchiya's hand.

After seeing the painting, Zhuizi was sure that she had indeed been here yesterday. She met Lin Shangren, a strange girl, and Ge Chengxin. It was not a dream.

"Why did I faint? Why did Teacher Lin hide this?"

Questions filled Tsuiko's mind, and she desperately wanted to know the truth. But now, she could only follow Tokisaka Yukari to the exhibition hall.

Looking at the painting in front of him, Dongzi said in a novel way: "A girl who broke out of the egg but failed to grow wings? She still can't get freedom. Because she is an incomplete girl, not a bird that is truly born free."

"Dongzi? What are you talking about?" Touzi asked in a low voice.

"Nothing?" Dongzi smiled. "Just complaining. Isn't this painting quite interesting?"

"Yeah, it looks a lot like Dongzi. Is it a coincidence?"

"This painting is called 'Girl in the Shell,'" Hayashi Naoto's voice suddenly echoed behind the girls. "It was created by Mamiya Shinso at the end of World War II. The woman in the painting is named Nakahara Misa, and she was once Mamiya Shinso's assistant. This painting... how should I put it... the story behind it is a bit, gory."

"Eh?"

"This isn't a girl who just broke out of her eggshell," Lin Shangren continued, "but a pitiful woman whose once free wings had been cut off, forced into an eggshell, and used as an object of appreciation by a deformed artist.

She...did nothing wrong. The guilty party is the one who put her in the eggshell."

"Is this what this painting wants to express?" Tokisaka Yukari asked in confusion.

"No, it's just the story behind this painting. I don't understand the meaning of the painting itself, nor do I want to understand it. After all, I'm not interested in the thoughts a madman wants to express." Lin Shangren said softly.

……

After viewing the exhibition, the group left the art gallery.

"It's very worth referring to and learning from, Dongzi." Zhuizi said to Dongzi.

"Uh...yeah."

"What's wrong? You seem listless..."

"Maybe I'm a little tired." Dongzi gave a forced smile.

"Let's go back first. Jun and I live in Bunkyo Ward, very close to here." Imari Kurumi said while holding Jun Tianyue's hand.

Tokisaka Shizaka also said: "Well, I should go back too. I still have to take care of my brother. Teacher Hiroko, Tsuruko, do you want to go together?"

"I...I have something else to do!" It was Zhuizi who spoke.

"I..." Gao Chengguangzi looked at Lin Shangren, "I have something to do, Zijiang, please go back first."

"teacher LIN."

Dongzi suddenly walked to Lin Shangren's side.

"I haven't returned Miss Cangmu's things yet. Can Teacher Lin accompany me to return them? I forgot where Miss Cangmu lives."

"Oh, that's perfect. I also want to talk to Cang Mu about something. I'll take you there."

"Thanks……"

Watching Hayashi Naoto and Kuchiki Fuyuko depart together, Takagi Hiroko and Mizuhara Touko felt a little uneasy. Gazing in the direction they left, they both simultaneously contemplated following them. However, because of the other's presence, they dared not follow and could only let the two get into Hayashi Naoto's car.

"Let's go to your house first?" Lin Shangren asked.

"Can we go directly to Inokashira Park? I want to go there first." Dongzi said.

"Row."

"teacher."

"what happened?"

"That painting, the one called "Girl in the Shell", has something to do with me?" Dongzi asked.

"Yes. It does have something to do with you."

Lin Shangren did not hide anything. He originally wanted to tell her the information he had investigated about Dongzi's life experience. After all, he accepted the girl's commission.

"The woman in the painting is called Nakahara Misa. She is your biological mother..."

The scenery outside the car window kept changing, and Lin Shangren slowly told Dongzi everything he had investigated. Of course, he concealed the parts related to the case. There was no need to involve Dongzi in these cases.

"That's probably what happened."

The car stopped at the northeast corner of Inokashira Park.

"I was adopted after all."

Dongzi spoke softly, her tone calm and almost emotionless.

"thank you teacher."

Dongzi opened the car door, got out and sat on the bench by the lake.

“I really want to paint.”