Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner
Chapter 116 - 38 The Forgiveness Cap

Chapter 116: Chapter 38 The Forgiveness Cap

In the office on the first floor, Minamoto Tamako was curled up on a recliner, with a heater placed next to her and a blanket covering her, feeling just as pitiful as the little match girl.

How cold-hearted! So cold-hearted!

Her eyes were filled with tears, and she sniffled, feeling utterly miserable.

Turns out Fushimi classmate didn’t care about her at all, never considered her as a partner, and was secretly thinking about how to get rid of her...

The more Minamoto Tamako thought about it, the sadder she became. She stared at the heater and remembered how she would check every night before sleeping and before patrols whether the heater and lights were turned off just to save some money on the station’s electricity bill... Thinking of this, she turned up the heater a notch, feeling a sense of revenge in her heart.

I’ll use up all the station’s electricity, let you freeze too!

The heater was turned to the highest setting, with the aluminum foil changing from yellow to red, making a hissing sound, as if it could explode at any moment. A few minutes later, Minamoto Tamako was so hot that all her tears dried up and her snot turned into a white crust on her philtrum.

She thought to herself, might as well let the heat kill me. Maybe if I died, my mother would regret it and be heartbroken, crying bitterly at my funeral... When it came time for the condolence speeches, my mother would stand in front of everyone and say regretfully: ’It’s all my fault, it’s all because I opposed her becoming a police officer’... As for Fushimi classmate, he would kneel on the ground, slapping his own face continuously, saying ’I was really wrong, Tamako I’m sorry for what I did to you’...

The more Minamoto Tamako thought about it, the better she felt, until her skin could no longer take the heat like shrimp, and she finally couldn’t take it anymore and turned off the heater.

I’ll spare Kawai the trouble, and won’t die today for now.

Minamoto Tamako wriggled over and suddenly found herself face to face with Taira Sakurako, who was carrying a cardboard box, squatting beneath the office desk like a turtle. Startled, Minamoto Tamako instinctively asked, "When did you get here?"

"I’ve been here all along." Taira Sakurako whispered.

Minamoto Tamako didn’t want Sakurako to laugh at her, so she waved her hand and said with a frown, "Officer Rabbit is in a bad mood tonight and can’t play with you. Go upstairs and sleep with my mom."

"No." Taira Sakurako said.

"You think she’s over the line too, right?" Minamoto Tamako found an outlet for her feelings, clinging to the pillow tightly between her legs and punching it hard: "And that Fushimi Roku, he’s too horrible! He took my partner fee and still thinks about running away... Do I really annoy him that much?"

"Then go run away." Taira Sakurako said softly.

"Hmm? What did you say?" Minamoto Tamako didn’t hear clearly.

Taira Sakurako repeated herself and then took out a getaway plan from the cardboard box. Learning from last time, she chose a high-end apartment in a safe area this time; as long as they could get to the third floor and take Fushimi Roku’s small gold reserve, they’d be able to start a new life together with Minamoto Tamako... Of course, the small gold reserve wasn’t mentioned in the plan.

Minamoto Tamako was shocked after reading it. Though she was upset, she still wanted to set a good example for Sakurako. She perked up, claiming she was okay, and then started educating Taira Sakurako, going from ’unintentional wrongdoing’ to ’forgiving others’, ascending all the way to the idea of building a world where everyone understands each other, all about self-sacrifice and radiance.

Taira Sakurako looked puzzled, neither fully understanding nor not understanding, as Minamoto Tamako’s words were too foreign to her.

"After saying so much, you should understand now, right? We need to be more understanding, more forgiving, strict with ourselves, and lenient with others..."

Minamoto Tamako’s mouth was dry by this point. She got up to pour herself a glass of water, drinking it down in one gulp.

"So... have you forgiven them?" Taira Sakurako asked quietly.

Minamoto Tamako choked, coughing repeatedly. To say there was no anger in her heart would be impossible. But since the words were already out, she couldn’t go back on them now, right?

"I’ve long not been angry, why would I be angry? I’m not angry in the slightest, I’m doing just fine!" Minamoto Tamako casually took a watermelon hat from Sakurako’s box and put it on her head: "Look! I’m in the mood to play games!"

Taira Sakurako was skeptical but kept a straight face. She paused for a moment, took out Minamoto Tamako’s cardboard gun from the box, and said coldly, "It’s finally my turn to be the cop."

It was only then that Minamoto Tamako remembered, they had left their role-playing game halfway-through today because Fushimi Roku had called Sakurako to study... Turns out Sakurako had been waiting for her turn to play the cop!

The tip of Minamoto Tamako’s nose tingled, feeling like crying again. She felt she had neglected Sakurako’s feelings and quickly threw on her blanket and got out of bed, ready to act according to the script.

"The riddle is hidden within the snowy mountain! The long journey is endless~ The prey clings to its soul, while the hunter shall brave to seek the truth! Requiem sounding during the exploration, the truth is only one️—Let’s go! Detective Squad!"

Minamoto Tamako played multiple roles by herself, donning the watermelon hat to play the evil Heavenly Punishment murderer, shooting the kind Mr. Natsume dead with a villainous laugh: "Wahaha! Now nobody can know my secret—"

Taira Sakurako put her hands on her hips, her little face stern as she loudly said, "Justice is pale and humble, but definitely not powerless!"

"Ugh! Masaka, are you the legendary Officer Sakurako!" Minamoto Tamako’s acting kicked in, with a look of terror on her face, throwing back her cape like a vampire count to cover the lower half of her face: "Hmph, you think you can catch me..."

"Bang bang bang!" Taira Sakurako raised the cardboard gun and fired three shots at Minamoto Tamako.

"Eh? Wait, how can the police just shoot a suspect at will?" Minamoto Tamako felt obliged to correct her misconception.

"According to Article 7 of the Police Duties Execution Act, if a person is committing or has sufficient reason to be suspected of committing a violent crime that should be punished by death, life imprisonment, or more than three years’ imprisonment, and resists police duties or attempts to flee, as well as if a third person resists the police to aid their escape, the police may use firearms, believing there is no other way, and shoot them on the spot."

Taira Sakurako recited the law fluently and all at once.

Minamoto Tamako was quite surprised, not expecting Taira Sakurako’s memory to be so good. She found the statement sounded familiar, similar to Fushimi Roku, like a little legal debater.

"The law is just the baseline, to prevent the world from getting worse. We should advocate good morals on top of that..."

Minamoto Tamako said this but suddenly recalled having said before that ’law is justice.’ At that moment, she felt as if she had been shot in the forehead upon turning back.

"In any case, the law is not a weapon to attack others." She said seriously.

Taira Sakurako nodded thoughtfully, it was unclear if she really understood. Neither of them dwelled on this minor episode and continued with their crime role play. After Officer Sakurako’s investigation, the truth finally emerged; the Heavenly Punishment murderer was brought to justice, and everyone praised Officer Sakurako profusely, what a celebratory occasion, indeed!

After the game ended, Minamoto Tamako was exhausted. She lay on the bed, excusing herself to rest, and sent Taira Sakurako upstairs to sleep. Once Taira Sakurako left, she couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning, so she got out of bed and sat by the desk, reading case files.

Meanwhile, after Taira Sakurako went to the second floor, she didn’t return to Minamoto Tamako’s dormitory but knocked on Fushimi Roku’s door. The latter could hardly share a bed with Kujo Yua, and after discussing business, he returned to his own room. As soon as he opened the door, a cardboard box squeezed in through the crack.

"Did you memorize the legal clauses I asked you to?" Fushimi Roku asked sternly.

He wasn’t in a great mood tonight, so he intended to educate the child, which might do wonders for his mood.

"I memorized them all." Taira Sakurako said.

Fushimi Roku checked once, and additionally quizzed her on the Japanese Constitution, realizing she could recite it all backwards. He found no reason to criticize Taira Sakurako, so he coldly asked an off-topic question: "What do you think is the purpose of law?"

"It’s to prevent the world from getting worse." Taira Sakurako said.

"Nonsense!"

Fushimi Roku sat cross-legged and said seriously: "The law is a weapon, understand?"