Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner
Chapter 300 - 221: The Seagull Woman

Chapter 300: Chapter 221: The Seagull Woman

The sea breeze brought back the bitterness of memories.

Ito Mayu still remembers, back when South Izu Town had no Hot Spring Street, travelers stayed in homestays, and residents lived off fishing. During peak tourist season, they tidied up spare rooms to accommodate guests.

The small town wasn’t big; neighbors all knew each other. Today, whose family had another child, and tomorrow, whose elder passed away gladly, everyone knew it clearly.

Walking along the Tochio Trail from beginning to end took only half a day, passing Jinglian Waterfall and through the Amagi Tunnel—places actually inhabited weren’t large.

Then one day, a major event spread throughout the town:

——The Ito family found a child.

To be exact, a baby had been forcibly left with them.

A couple staying at the Ito family didn’t take their child when they left. It wasn’t until the next morning when Mr. Ito heard crying that he discovered the baby in the swaddle.

At first, everyone thought the couple was careless, even losing their own child, and they would surely come to find it soon. Mr. Ito considered it unlucky; he couldn’t simply abandon the child, so he and his wife had to foster it.

To distinguish identity, Mr. Ito named her according to the tag in the swaddle:

"Koizumi Mizuki"

Indeed, from the Ito family’s perspective, Koizumi Mizuki was an uninvited guest. Sooner or later, her biological parents would take her away.

Even though the couple changed her diapers, fed her, bathed her, and took care of her, deep inside they still considered her someone else’s child.

However, as time passed, the couple never returned.

Rumors in the town grew; everyone said that the couple had certainly abandoned the child intentionally and would never return—the reason was simple: Koizumi Mizuki had a congenital defect, seemingly a deaf-mute, unable to hear sound.

Facts proved everyone guessed correctly; Koizumi Mizuki’s parents indeed never returned.

Later, as Koizumi Mizuki grew to about four or five years old (no one knew her birthday), the Ito couple had a child. With strained finances, they couldn’t afford to raise two daughters. Mr. Ito sought the mayor to discuss, expressing that they’d raised Koizumi Mizuki for four years, done their utmost, and truly lacked the strength to continue caring for her.

The mayor was also faced with difficulties. He took Koizumi Mizuki and checked with several families, none willing to adopt her.

Though Koizumi Mizuki couldn’t hear the sound of rejection, she could see the expressions of resistance.

That day, she tightly held the mayor’s hand, refusing to let go.

The mayor had to take her home, raising her for a year or two.

Soon after, Izu Town got a new mayor, supported by an organized underworld team. He came in claiming to develop tourism, promising compensation to every household.

Koizumi Mizuki suddenly became a hot commodity, with many claiming her as their child, asking the old mayor to register her domestically.

The old mayor refused a group but agreed to some familiar old friends, unable to voice rejection, asserting that it was just a matter of adding a note on the registry.

Moreover, he was already old, his wife having passed away during childbirth years ago, with their child lost early as well. Now alone, if something happened, who would care for Koizumi? Better to take this opportunity to find her a good home early.

Everything was negotiated; the old mayor went to the city to settle paperwork. But upon friends arriving to fetch her, Koizumi refused to leave, clutching the doorpost persistently.

The old mayor gestured, only asking her to stay at a friend’s house for a few days, just as a formality. Koizumi disagreed, shaking her head vigorously. The friend grew impatient and reached for Koizumi, causing her to burst into tears.

"I...I didn’t even exert force..."

The old friend apologized quietly, indicating force wasn’t necessary. Besides, registration was completed, money would still be received even without Koizumi around—better for everyone.

Watching the friend leave, the old mayor felt helpless.

That night, lying in bed with Koizumi asleep beside him, her small hand tightly gripping his thumb, sleeping restlessly as if afraid he’d leave.

The old mayor couldn’t help but sigh, "What a great opportunity...why follow an old man like me..."

Though Koizumi Mizuki didn’t sleep that night, she lay awake, unable to hear but could see the old mayor’s lips moving.

Later, the old mayor left too.

His younger brother made a fortune in Tokyo, wanting to bring him to Tokyo to retire. The old mayor intended to bring Koizumi along, but the brother was unwilling to accept more baggage, tricked him onto the ship, claiming Koizumi Mizuki had been settled with a good family.

Koizumi Mizuki watched the ferry set off, shouting ’ah ah’ on the beach, unable to pronounce the old mayor’s name.

Townsfolk seeing her cry sorrowfully, deceived her, saying the old mayor went fishing.

Koizumi Mizuki knew they lied; they knew she understood what happened—neither broke the tacit silence.

The old friend took the headcount compensation, loaned to buy land, advancing for developers, planning a legitimate hot spring inn. He struggled financially, unable to feed Koizumi Mizuki, pushing her to others for care.

The Town District Autonomy Association discussed, deciding Koizumi Mizuki’s food and shelter should be shared. Since then, she’d move homes weekly.

Ito Mayu saw Koizumi Mizuki alone with a tattered sack whenever she returned home, walking on the pebble path herself. Inside were her clothes and bedding, as she cautiously moved from one house to another.

Everyone said Koizumi Mizuki was well-behaved, sensible.

Yet no one was willing to adopt her.

Koizumi Mizuki’s sole entertainment was watching seagulls by the sea. Ito Mayu often saw flocks of seagulls landing on the beach, surrounding Koizumi Mizuki, as if she finally had a place.

So the days went on, years passed. Townsfolk aged as children grew. Ito Mayu always remembered that the town had a sister who stayed to guard the village. Whenever Ito Mayu returned home, the elder sister felt joy and made gestures to chat for a while.

Expectedly, this peaceful life seemed to continue forever until in 1986, the Izu Island earthquake changed everything.

No one anticipated a deaf person could sense the tremors beforehand.

That night, Koizumi Mizuki’s cries spread through the entire town district. She screamed through the night, knocking on each door, but could only utter strange sounds like ’eee yeee yah yah.’

Residents didn’t understand her intents, thought she was possessed, stepped out to block her. Koizumi Mizuki ran to the Town District Autonomy Association president, hoping Mr. Tsuchiya would organize an evacuation.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Tsuchiya, prone to waking grumpiness, stormed out angrily upon being disturbed, slapped Mizuki several times, knocking her down.

Ito Mayu stood in the crowd, seeing everything clearly. Everyone watched but didn’t intervene, as nobody dared offend Tsuchiya, who held money and power.

Then the earthquake struck.

Cliffs collapsed, seawater surged, earth raged in fury; none were not frightened, terrified.