Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner
Chapter 40 Sincere Lies

Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Sincere Lies

"In summary, that’s basically how things went."

Fushimi Roku paused, then added, "Instructor Shirota insisted that all the trainees walk back. They’re probably still on their way now."

"So... we’re in the inn now?" Minamoto Tamako was still a bit dazed.

"That’s right."

Fushimi Roku gently placed Minamoto Tamako’s head on the pillow. His leg was numb from the pressure, and now he could finally stretch it out and warm it in the kotatsu, enjoying the bittersweet relief.

Last night, he tried to put Minamoto Tamako on the bed, but she clung to him like an octopus, refusing to let go, her whole body red as a boiled shrimp. Helpless, he ended up serving as Minamoto Tamako’s human pillow, warming her bed for most of the night.

Minamoto Tamako snuggled into the blanket and whispered, "I knew it, Fushimi, you’re actually a gentle person inside."

Hearing the word ’yasashii’, Fushimi Roku suddenly recalled his past romantic experiences. He once woke up in the middle of the night to take care of a sick girlfriend, busy making ginger tea, but she never said anything, just thought it was what a boyfriend should do.

"If you can’t even provide this little bit of emotional value, why do I need you as a boyfriend?" This seemed reasonable, but he always felt it treated emotions as a transaction.

Fushimi Roku shook his head, clearing the distracting thoughts from his mind.

He had only been in love once during college, later finding it too troublesome, losing interest in romance altogether. Especially after dealing with several spousal criminal cases, he became even more determined not to date or marry.

"Nonsense, isn’t it obvious? I’m getting paid, after all. Since we’re partners, I have to be responsible." Fushimi Roku yawned on the tatami, always upholding the spirit of contracts, "Just a heads up, our employment relationship ends by 2 PM tomorrow."

Even with close siblings, accounts must be settled clearly. He didn’t like discussing personal feelings.

Minamoto Tamako was about to express her gratitude, but was stunned upon hearing this.

Could it be that Fushimi is only partnering with me for the money? I was so moved just now, thinking of ways to repay...

Come to think of it, Fushimi never mentioned wanting to be friends with me, did he? Maybe it’s just my wishful thinking...

Minamoto Tamako felt a twinge of sadness, growing more upset the more she thought about it. She covered her head with the blanket, curling up like a caterpillar.

Fushimi Roku noticed the twitching blanket, wondering if she was secretly crying under there. He reached out to lift the blanket, but Minamoto Tamako had tightly wrapped the corners, making it hard to pull away.

"What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Fushimi Roku asked.

"N-no, I’m feeling much better," Minamoto Tamako replied in a muffled, sobbing voice, "Thank you very much for picking me up... Sob... I’ll pay the fee... for next month’s employment... I’ll pay whatever it takes to repay you, sob sob..."

Fushimi Roku felt once again the guilty sense of extorting an elementary school student.

He patted Minamoto Tamako’s head through the blanket, wanting to say something but at a loss for words of comfort. After a long pause, he finally said, "Do you really think I care about your pitiful earnings?"

The room suddenly fell silent.

Fushimi Roku vaguely felt he might have said the wrong thing. Before he could think of a way to make up for it, Minamoto Tamako weakly asked, "So, you’re not partnering with me for the money?"

Ah, so that’s what this is about.

Fushimi Roku realized, thinking to himself, girls are so sentimental. They’ll understand after facing the harsh realities of society. Without money, who would be your brother? Poor people even squabble over restaurant bills, while the wealthy have people fighting to cover the tab. That’s the reality of adult life.

But anyway, since the employment term wasn’t up, as a partner, he was obliged to care for Minamoto Tamako’s emotions.

"Of course not."

Fushimi Roku suddenly found he had quite a knack for lying. In the past, lying caused him some guilt, but now he said this lie with unusual ease, as smooth as a constipated patient who found a laxative.

"Then, why was it?" Minamoto Tamako pressed on.

Fushimi Roku thought, is she done yet? He felt his patience wearing thin, thickening his skin to blurt out, "Because Tamako is exceptionally smart, with world-class deductive abilities. Investigating cases with you is really interesting."

As he said this, he vaguely felt a twinge of guilt.

"Hehe, really?"

Minamoto Tamako smiled through her tears in the blanket, thinking that Fushimi actually thought this way, and that Kawai was right; she truly misunderstood him.

And he even praised me for being smart! He must be impressed by my efforts! Hmph, my targeted search method surely pressured him, right?

Although she lost this graduation exam match, she lost with honor! As they say, one cannot judge a hero by success or failure. Since Fushimi acknowledged her deductive abilities as world-class, it meant her performance was commendable!

Minamoto Tamako giggled blissfully under the covers, then couldn’t help but sneeze again.

Fushimi Roku forcibly pulled her out, seeing her energy restored, he relaxed and let her wipe her own nose.

No! Minamoto Tamako, you can’t be proud!

Minamoto Tamako collected herself, warning herself, and said with a serious face, "I still have some distance to being world-class."

"Blow your nose before you speak; it’s about to drip into your mouth!" Fushimi Roku frowned.

Minamoto Tamako wiped her nose clean with a tissue, lay back in the futon, feeling much better. The cowlick on her head even stood up again as she said, "By the way, how should I repay you, Fushimi? Is there anything you want?"

"Money," said Fushimi Roku.

"That’s too tacky! It doesn’t express my gratitude at all!" Minamoto Tamako scrunched up her brows, "Can’t it be something meaningful?"

"That’s just you trying to move yourself, isn’t it? Money itself is very meaningful!" Fushimi Roku got up, sat by the kotatsu, reaching for the fruit platter, intending to peel an orange for himself: "Discussing this now is meaningless; get yourself healthy first."

"That’s true."

Minamoto Tamako lay quietly, looking up at the ceiling.

After a moment, she suddenly gasped and sat up.

"Ah!"

Fushimi Roku flinched, thinking she was playing dead. When he looked back, he saw Minamoto Tamako with wide eyes, as if she had just remembered something, saying, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, I found a body on Great Snow Mountain!"

"What’s there to be shocked about..."

"It’s not one of the corpses placed by the instructors!" Minamoto Tamako clenched her fists excitedly, "I found remains during a targeted search that have been dead for at least two years, and it was murder!"

Fushimi Roku felt a sense of unease creeping in, "No way, are you going to..."

"That’s right! It’s time for the detective squad to make an appearance again!"

Minamoto Tamako mimicked a gangster’s cool gesture, wiping her nose with her thumb, and said, "Since a homicide has occurred, we can’t ignore it! Unveiling the hidden mystery and seeking justice for the victim is our detective squad’s mission!"

As the words fell, subtitles automatically appeared before Fushimi Roku’s eyes.

"Crime Commission Triggered"

"Mission Details: Identify the murder of the nameless corpse"

"Mission Reward: Obtain Level 1 Handgun Specialization"

"Note: Subsequent missions unlocked"

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