Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner
Chapter 301 - 222: Shout

Chapter 301: Chapter 222: Shout

The residents of South Izu Town were fortunate; thanks to Koizumi Mizuki’s warning, most people escaped the disaster. But West Izu Town wasn’t so lucky, suffering widespread damage, and the post-disaster allocation of relief supplies was pitifully inadequate.

Underworld gangs intervened post-disaster, distributing relief supplies as high-interest loans, maintaining order in the disaster area, and opportunistically acquiring land cheaply, swallowing up residents’ investment and advance payments alike — such situations weren’t uncommon in 20th century Japan, generally managed by underworld gangs for post-disaster stability.

Everyone suddenly became destitute, except for Mr. Tsuchiya, who profited handsomely.

Even in hardship, life had to go on. Though the residents were poor, they grew more affectionate toward Koizumi Mizuki. They contributed money, muscle, and efforts to help her build a small house beside the lighthouse, finally giving Koizumi Mizuki a home of her own.

The day she moved into her new house, she bowed repeatedly to everyone to express gratitude, making everyone quite embarrassed. Ito Mayu also helped by delivering meals and water to the workers, feeling a sense of achievement watching it all unfold.

But when the residents departed and everyone returned home, the small house was once again left with only Koizumi Mizuki.

The next evening, Ito Mayu went out to catch fireflies and saw Mizuki sitting alone at the door as she passed by Ishiraki. Approaching her, she asked Koizumi Mizuki what she was doing, and the latter, flustered by the attention, smiled bashfully and gestured animatedly, though Mayu couldn’t understand a word, only sensing her loneliness.

Later, Ito Mayu frequently visited Koizumi to play. Each time, Koizumi Mizuki warmly welcomed her, and by night, when it was time for Mayu to leave, Mizuki would always stand at the door waving goodbye.

Someone as lonely as her must deeply yearn for happiness, right?

And perhaps because of this, when Koizumi Mizuki fell in love, no one could dissuade her. Everyone could see that the traveler was only playing around, but Mizuki took his sweet whispers and promises of undying love seriously.

"I will never abandon you."

These words healed her eighteen-year life, like a seagull on the move finally finding a warm harbor to rest.

The traveler stayed in Izu Town for a while, eating and drinking freely, letting Koizumi Mizuki take care of his daily needs.

Perhaps for the sake of pleasing him, Koizumi Mizuki finally began to learn how to dress up. The town’s residents then realized she was actually quite beautiful... Previously, her bangs were too thick, her cheeks always dirty, and she walked with her head down, resembling a small coal ball.

One day, Mr. Tsuchiya suddenly visited, asking if Koizumi Mizuki wanted to become a traveling dancing girl, which could earn money during tourist seasons like others.

She was struggling to cover the living expenses for two people, and considering dancing was now a respectable trade, one selling performance but not body, she found nothing shameful in it.

Thus, Koizumi Mizuki donned a dancer’s attire and followed musicians to practice dance. Not hearing the beats, practicing was particularly hard for her, and her moves were quite clumsy.

To earn money, she continued practicing even at home. Her boyfriend complained about the noise, forcing her to dance outside by the cliff.

When Ito Mayu came to play, she showed an apologetic face, indicating she had to continue practicing, making a gesture of ’okay’, promising to hang out in the future.

But before Koizumi Mizuki could perform on stage, she became pregnant.

Her boyfriend urged her to terminate the pregnancy; she adamantly refused. He threatened, saying if she had the child, he would leave her to return to city life alone.

Koizumi Mizuki panicked, secretly considering buying abortion pills. The shop owner saw her pacing outside for a long time, but ultimately she left empty-handed.

Afterward, everyone claimed she’d taken pills but failed to abort the child.

Despite the shop owner’s multiple clarifications of the rumors, no one believed, assuming the shop owner was merely offering excuses.

Nine months later, the child was born.

The midwife, noticing the baby didn’t cry, advised Koizumi Mizuki to take the child to the city for a checkup. Worried Sakurako might be like her, congenitally deaf, Mizuki saved up some money and headed to the hospital with the child alone — the result surprised everyone, little Sakurako wasn’t deaf but had autism.

Koizumi Mizuki returned home heavy-hearted. Her boyfriend complained she wasted two years’ savings, suggesting she abandon the child somewhere isolated to avoid them being burdened.

Koizumi Mizuki held her daughter, sitting the whole night.

The next morning, she gestured to her boyfriend, saying she would not abandon the child, no matter what.

Absolutely not.

She would never let Sakurako become a child without a home.

The boyfriend got angry, verbally abusing her, calling her an idiot, a fool, a slut. Koizumi Mizuki could lip-read, understanding his words, yet she pretended she hadn’t heard them.

Finally, their relationship cracked.

Whether bored or feeling she’s no fun after childbirth, the boyfriend stayed out nights, regularly returning home drunk only by dawn.

Koizumi Mizuki silently endured, unwilling for her daughter to grow without a father, accustomed to having a man shield the household — all those widowed mothers and daughters post-disaster targeted by underworld gangsters were sent either to cities as bar hostesses or became free labor.

Until one day, Mr. Tsuchiya came with his men, demanding her daughter as debt repayment.

It was then Koizumi Mizuki realized her boyfriend had been drinking and gambling outside, already deeply in debt, owing more than she could repay in a lifetime.

Mr. Tsuchiya snapped his fingers; subordinates dragged the boyfriend in front like a dog.

The former lover, bruised and bloodied, features swollen, showed no trace of old tenderness.

Koizumi Mizuki trembled in fear, knelt, hands clasped, rubbing palms together, pleading for Mr. Tsuchiya’s mercy — she promised to spend the rest of her life repaying, never escaping the debt!

Mr. Tsuchiya refused, offering Koizumi Mizuki two choices:

First, become his concubine, and when he tires, work as a hostess in Tokyo;

Second, repay the debt with her daughter or boyfriend; some wealthy families favored child brides, while her boyfriend’s organs could still sell for a good price.

Koizumi Mizuki chose the former.

This time, the residents didn’t stand by; they tried to intervene but were knocked to the ground by Mr. Tsuchiya’s men.

Inside the crowd, Ito Mayu watched Koizumi being dragged away by her hair; the two briefly locked eyes across the gathering — Mizuki, tear-stricken, tried smiling through her pain, single hand showing the ’okay’ gesture.

Later, Koizumi Mizuki discovered it wasn’t a real choice.

When she emerged wounded from the Tsuchiya home, her boyfriend and daughter had already been shipped onto a ferry. Ito Mayu rushed to inform her, but her father muffled her mouth. Everyone knew she couldn’t hear yet fell into silence.

Koizumi Mizuki understood lip-reading, dressed raggedly, stumbling toward the harbor; the ship had already sailed. She chased along the shoreline, finally standing atop the cliff by the lighthouse, spotting the ferry on the horizon.

At that moment, she faced the blazing sunset, cupping hands around her mouth, and cried out:

"Sa–ku–rako–"

"Sa–ku–rako–"

"Sa–ku–rako–"

No one knew how she’d learned to pronounce, nor how many times she practiced. That day, all fishermen at sea heard the mother’s cry.

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