Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner

Hearing this, Fushimi Roku inexplicably felt a sense of bitter sadness.

Minamoto Tamako had, after all, been through thick and thin with Fujiwara Homare on Cat Island, a bond forged in life and death situations. Although Fujiwara Homare hadn't achieved much, he had at least put in the hard work. Now that Fujiwara Homare was in trouble, Minamoto Tamako didn't extend a helping hand—instead, she turned her back on him with a stern, impartial facade.

Alas, if one day his true colors were exposed and he fell into Minamoto Tamako's hands, he couldn't even bear to imagine it...

"Let's relax after the meal... I want to spend more time with you."

Fushimi Roku maintained an elegant fake smile, exerting all his social charm and psychological insight just to stir Minamoto Tamako's girlish heart.

Last night's atmosphere was pretty good; he didn't even have to do much to get Minamoto Tamako to obediently hand over the birthday gift. Now that he was being so proactive, he was sure he would successfully conquer the Yuzi Beast!

"Sure, sure," Minamoto Tamako nodded repeatedly, "Then let's go to the interrogation room to relax!"

"..."

Fushimi Roku was silent for a moment, then pushed to the limit, he used Evil Chant 4.0 to counter Minamoto Tamako's magic: "Is Fujiwara Homare more important or am I?"

"What?" Minamoto Tamako was stunned, forgetting to chew her eel rice.

"It seems you're unwilling to accompany me for a meal to save your lover."

Fushimi Roku wore the pained look of an incompetent husband: "Come to think of it, you and the Fujiwara family are well-matched. The head of the Kujo family personally arranged the engagement, and you're set to marry by the end of the year... Alas, I suppose we won't even be friends after that? How could a daughter-in-law of the Fujiwara family associate with a commoner like me?"

Upon hearing this, Taira Sakurako squinted, stuffed her cheeks, and chewed with a look of watching an idiot perform.

Minamoto Tamako hurriedly explained that it wasn't like that. She was too busy investigating to rest, regardless of whether the suspect was Fujiwara Homare; she had to give it her all... Besides, her marriage with Fujiwara Homare hadn't been finalized yet!

Finally, she secretly observed Fushimi Roku's expression and couldn't help adding:

"If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn't need to marry into the Fujiwara family."

Although now wasn't the best timing, if Mr. Fushimi were to confess, she wouldn't be entirely opposed to accepting it with some reluctance.

Fushimi Roku picked up on the implication in her words—this girl was so passive that she expected him to take the first step. Truly audacious, indeed the Yuzi Beast was still cunning, wanting him to play the fool.

His expression changed instantly, and he sneered disdainfully: "Is there a need for a boyfriend? Fujiwara Homare will be in jail soon, won't he? And it'll be you who puts him there... Tsk tsk tsk, the Fujiwara family is truly unlucky."

Minamoto Tamako couldn't help but correct him: "Fujiwara Homare is a criminal suspect. Before the court has announced a verdict, he cannot be treated as a criminal! You are clearly biased! Even if Fujiwara Homare really committed murder, I would handle the case impartially, and it has nothing to do with any marriage alliance!"

Fushimi Roku, seeing her immersed in case-solving mode, felt a bit deflated. It seemed today wasn't the right moment; he'd wait until she was finished with her work.

First, let's eat!

Fushimi Roku picked up his chopsticks and mumbled casually, "Let's eat." Fi+n%d* t-his^ c.h$ap$t*er'$s# so*u*r!c*e$ on M&V-LE#M--P^Y.R.

At these words, Minamoto Tamako said no more and picked up another piece of grilled eel, afraid it would be snatched away if she was too late.

The dark brown fish skin shimmered with a glossy sheen under the light. As she took a bite, her tongue first encountered the sticky sweetness of the sauce, followed by the crispy exterior and the soft, white eel meat inside. As the fat melted between her teeth, it released a rich, aromatic char.

She couldn't help but squint her eyes, mumbling incoherently, "Eel should have this sweet and salty balance," as she scooped a spoonful of curried beef onto the steaming white rice.

The curry sauce was thick and mellow, coating the tender beef. Minamoto Tamako mixed the rice and curry evenly, and as she ate, the spicy flavor enveloped in the creamy smoothness of coconut milk. The potatoes absorbed the broth and melted in her mouth, while the tendon had a slightly gelatinous bounce.

As she chewed, she absentmindedly tapped her spoon against the rim of her bowl, oblivious to the sauce that had splattered on her suit sleeve.

Taira Sakurako focused intently on her mountain of beef, deftly avoiding all the carrot pieces. Curry trickled down the edge of her porcelain bowl onto the tablecloth. She nonchalantly wiped it up with a piece of bread, stealthily placing it back on her plate, her movements as smooth as if she were handling evidence at a crime scene.

Delicious!

Taira Sakurako gulped down iced barley tea, fully satisfied after eating her fill. Leaving behind a "I'm full," she prepared to return to her room to rest.

Minamoto Tamako quickly called her back, planning to discuss school matters with her.

Taira Sakurako informed her that she had been accepted into Waseda Jitsugyo School and would need to prepare her enrollment materials. Minamoto Tamako was both surprised and delighted to hear this, but also slightly pressured. After all, the tuition for a prestigious school wasn't cheap, and she wasn't sure if her salary could cover it.

"Keep at it! If you experience anything unpleasant at school, you can always talk to me!"

Minamoto Tamako cheered Taira Sakurako on, finished the remaining food in a few quick bites, wiped her mouth with a napkin, then took out a pink flip phone and sent a text to schedule the interrogation room, urged the lab for the toxicology report, and deployed the patrol police for witness statements...

After finishing her tasks, she looked up to see Fushimi Roku lazily lying on the sofa, having eaten his fill, he fell asleep without clearing the table or washing the dishes, reverting back to his true self, Lord Fushimi.

Minamoto Tamako had already gotten used to it; she pouted, cleaned the table, adhered to Japan's extremely troublesome garbage sorting rules, yet diligently complied, washed dishes, wiped the table, and cleared all food waste before she prepared to head out to work on the case.

"Let's go! Detective squad, move out!"

With a spirited demeanor, she carried the garbage bags with both hands, ready to head out.

Fushimi Roku turned over, lazily waved his hand, and said, "You go ahead, I'll rest a bit longer."

"How long are you going to rest?" Minamoto Tamako raised her petite eyebrows.

"Just a little while."

"Then I'll wait for you."

Minamoto Tamako put down the trash bag, sat by the sofa, and watched Fushimi Roku with a stopwatch.

The suffocating feeling, like a python coiling around, swept over him, and Fushimi Roku couldn't relax and slack off. He simply pretended to be sick, holding his head and saying "ouch, ouch, headache." Minamoto Tamako wasn't sure if it was true or false, so she dragged him, insisting that he goes to the hospital for a check-up.

"No worries, I'll just lie down for a bit, and it'll be fine," Fushimi Roku said.

As soon as he said this, Minamoto Tamako knew he was faking it. She was so angry her ahoge stood up. She thought Mr. Fu Jian was getting lazier and lazier; he used to at least go to work on time, and now he was blatantly pretending to be sick to skip work. It was truly outrageous!

Minamoto Tamako didn't even want to use her Redemption Voucher. Clearly, going to work was something Mr. Fu Jian should be doing. Why should she have to use her Redemption Voucher? Mr. Fu Jian wasn't working for her, and his salary had nothing to do with her. Why should she pay for a colleague to go to work?

This kind of bad conduct must not be encouraged!

Minamoto Tamako prodded Fushimi Roku's arm, urging him to get up and go to work.

Chief Kikuchi explicitly stated that no special investigation group should be established, and as the main officer in charge, she had only Fushimi Roku as her teammate—if Fushimi Roku went on strike, wouldn't she be leading an empty command?

However, Fushimi Roku didn't care; even if there was a case to solve, he'd wait until his leg injury healed before dealing with it. He absolutely couldn't take action with Minamoto Tamako during this period, lest his ruse be discovered.

"Not going, not going. I've already said I have a headache. Can you not solve the case without me? Always relying on others—how will you become a famous police chief or famous detective in the future? I'm giving you an opportunity for independent training!" Fushimi Roku buried his face in the cushion.

"Nonsense! Solving cases requires brainstorming together; maybe you could give me some inspiration? Stop sleeping, get up!"

Minamoto Tamako pushed for a while, but Fushimi Roku was still like a dead pig. She couldn't handle him, so she returned to her room, reluctantly opened her piggy bank, and prepared to use her Redemption Voucher.

Taira Sakurako caught sight of this scene and immediately reported it, claiming that today Fushimi Roku had gone back on his word, pocketed her two little puddings, and now owed her two Redemption Vouchers.

Minamoto Tamako frowned. Sakurako had been earning Redemption Vouchers all along, while she seemed to be losing them continuously. It was bizarre. She couldn't help but ask Sakurako, since she wasn't planning to save them, what did she need so many Redemption Vouchers for?

"Money is money only when it circulates; if it just sits there, it's just paper." Taira Sakurako said.

These words were like a wake-up call; Minamoto Tamako suddenly understood, feeling like a wise master had scolded her under the Bodhi tree: "Wake up!"

Mr. Fu Jian, that guy, was using the Redemption Vouchers to do bad things with impunity!

If she never spent them, then for Mr. Fu Jian, doing bad deeds would cost nothing!

Moreover, Mr. Fu Jian had been reclaiming Redemption Vouchers in various ways, with the ultimate goal being to prevent her from saving them up, so she couldn't exchange for Red Redemption Coupons!

——Such malicious intent!

Minamoto Tamako had already figured out the operation of Redemption Vouchers, but she was still reluctant to squander the money she painstakingly saved. She still harbored the hope... What if she managed to save them? What if she really could exchange for a Red Redemption Coupon?

Yesterday she had just earned Rabbit Coin, equivalent to a Purple Redemption Voucher, and she was so close to a Red Redemption Coupon...

No, it's a trap!

Could it be that Mr. Fu Jian was deliberately not going to work to reclaim her Redemption Vouchers this way?!

Thinking of this, Minamoto Tamako became even more reluctant.

But she had to find a way to get Fushimi Roku to work, after all, she had promised Chief Kikuchi.

Torn between choices, a flash of inspiration crossed Minamoto Tamako's mind, and she realized once more—perhaps the moment she figured out the operation of Redemption Vouchers, she subconsciously started pondering how to use them for herself.

Since Mr. Fu Jian could issue Rabbit Coins and Redemption Vouchers, she could totally issue something similar!

Methods are not inherently good or bad; it depends on how the controller uses them. She wouldn't be as insidious as Mr. Fu Jian; her rules would be absolutely fair and square!

Minamoto Tamako licked her lips with her tongue, busily writing and drawing at her desk, and then asked Sakurako for a small stamp. The latter had the skill to make Noh Masks, so it only took three to five minutes to make the stamp as requested.

Everything was ready. She clasped her hands behind her back and returned to the living room with a mischievous smile:

"Mr. Fu Jian~"

Fushimi Roku shivered subconsciously at this tone. Like a prairie dog, he lifted his head from the sofa, his face solemn: "What? What are you going to do?"

"Ta-da!"

Minamoto Tamako imitated Doraemon's sound when pulling out a magical tool, and took out a notebook and stamp from behind her, loudly announcing: "Look! I've invented something new... I've already thought of the name; it's called the 'Perfect Life Reward Chart'!"

Clock in for thirty days

I won't refuse any request