Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner

"Ritsuo did have a boyfriend, but he suddenly disappeared. Everyone says a man who leaves without saying goodbye is probably trying to ditch his girlfriend..."

"I verbally comforted Ritsuo, telling her A-Joe isn't that type of person... But honestly, I also think the same."

Doi Izuki cradled her coffee cup in both hands, her thumb uneasily rubbing the rim: "Aren't all men like that? Before they date, they always like to act all sentimental, spouting things like 'Love you for a lifetime,' 'You're the most special woman I've ever met,' or 'I'm gay but you make me straight'... Men will say anything to get a woman into bed."

Upon hearing this, Minamoto Tamako instinctively turned to look at Fushimi Roku.

"Why are you looking at me?" Fushimi Roku said nonchalantly: "Do you think I'm like that?"

Minamoto Tamako thought for a moment, realizing Fushimi Roku had never acted sentimental; he always seemed indifferent unless he was up to something bad, then he'd act like a sunny, cheerful big boy... In a way, he was consistently straightforward.

Everyone knew he was a bad person, so they wouldn't criticize him for being morally flawed.

Hmm, not bad, I definitely didn't misjudge him.

Minamoto Tamako was satisfied; she had zero tolerance for lying partners, and of course, she wouldn't lie herself, at most mimicking Mr. Fujian by telling a little white lie...

As the three were chatting, the server brought coffee, placing them in front of Minamoto Tamako and Fushimi Roku. When bending down, the server inadvertently caught a glimpse, recognizing Fushimi Roku as the guy who paid him last night at the pub to go into the women's restroom to snatch a phone.

What a coincidence, he happened to be working two different jobs and encountered Fushimi Roku at both locations.

"Hey, it's me..." Thank you for reading. This was brought to you by M|V|L*EMPYR.

Before the server could finish speaking, Fushimi Roku interrupted: "No tip."

Minamoto Tamako glanced up, noticing the server's dark skin and dyed yellow hair; although dressed in a coffee shop uniform, he still exuded a hint of roguishness.

Hmm, very similar to the description of the suspect from the pub's owner last night!

"What tip, I was saying..."

Once again, Fushimi Roku interrupted the server before he could finish: "If you keep this up, I'll complain about you! You're violating consumer rights, you know? The money I paid for coffee already includes the service fee. If I don't give a tip, does that mean I should come to the back kitchen and fetch my coffee myself?"

He paused, raised his thumb, and pointed toward Minamoto Tamako beside him: "See? This lady is a criminal police officer from Nakagawara Police Station. If you're planning anything shady, you'd better get lost early!"

The server wasn't foolish; he knew the pub owner reported it last night and picked up on Fushimi Roku's implied threat, quickly glanced at Minamoto Tamako, and noticed the police badge pinned to her suit collar, instantly apologized and left.

"Seriously," Fushimi Roku motioned for them not to pay attention: "The quality of servers nowadays is really low."

Minamoto Tamako felt suspicious; she couldn't help turning back, placing her right hand on the chair back, examining the server's silhouette, intending to call him back to clarify: "Isn't it? He seemed not to be asking for a tip just now..."

"It's not important!"

Fushimi Roku reached out, pinched her cheek, and turned her back: "Focus on the case when working, don't get distracted, got it? To successfully solve a case, the most important thing is concentration! People take time out of their busy schedules to assist our investigation, and you're flirting with the server? How can that be!"

Doi Izuki quickly waved her hand, indicating she wasn't concerned and wasn't really busy either.

Minamoto Tamako thought he made sense, that there are priorities, and it's more crucial to handle the ongoing murder case first. The task of catching the suspect should be given to the patrol police.

She sat upright again, continuing her inquiry, wanting to know if Yoshikawa Ritsuo had similar offenses in the past.

Doi Izuki flatly denied it, claiming Yoshikawa Ritsuo had only ever had one lover and was quite conservative about matters between men and women, absolutely not the type to forcibly have relations at knifepoint.

Minamoto Tamako was sipping her coffee when she heard this; she quickly put the cup down and probed: "Are you sure? Is there a possibility that Yoshikawa Ritsuo separated work from life, concealing something from you..."

"Impossible, Ritsuo and I have been good friends since high school." Doi Izuki said firmly: "We agreed to become teachers together back then, that's why we're working together now."

Minamoto Tamako immediately thought of Kawai. Back then, she and Kawai had no secrets, sharing everything. If someday the criminal police investigating the Heavenly Punishment case claimed Kawai tried to assault a man with a knife, she would have jumped to defend him... Doi Izuki was mild-tempered enough not to argue with her.

If what Doi Izuki said was true, then Lawyer Kikuta's reasoning wouldn't hold. Ultimately, all his reasoning leaned toward Fujiwara Homare, naturally making it less credible.

Before she arrived, Minamoto Tamako had already anticipated this mentally. After getting confirmation from Doi Izuki, her curiosity grew, wanting to figure out what exactly happened in the hotel that night.

Hmm, could it be Yoshikawa Ritsuo's boyfriend is Fujiwara Homare?

Because the Fujiwara family recently arranged a marriage with the Kujo family, Fujiwara Homare left without saying goodbye due to family pressure, intending to ditch his devoted girlfriend and follow family orders, only to be unexpectedly abducted by Aum Truth Sect to Cat Island, disappearing for several days. Yoshikawa Ritsuo was anxious and finally found her lover in a bar, and after a confrontation, chose to die for love...

But that doesn't seem right, dying for love shouldn't involve stabbing the chest or stomach, should it? How could the back be stabbed?

Could it be that Fujiwara Homare, for the sake of the family's honor or to completely sever ties, was so agitated that he killed Yoshikawa Ritsuo, which is why he remained silent in the interrogation room...

Wow, this speculation seems very reasonable!

Minamoto Tamako felt she had vaguely glimpsed a corner of the truth. Other than lacking some concrete evidence, she could almost fully reconstruct the truth of that night.

But to be on the safe side, she decided to first ask Mr. Fushimi's opinion, so she wouldn't risk speaking out a mistaken deduction and end up embarrassed, becoming a laughingstock in the detective world.

"What do you think?" Minamoto Tamako turned her head, her lips still stained with white milk foam. "Don't you have anything to ask?"

Fushimi Roku shook his head, indicating that Officer Tamako's word was final.

Seeing his lazy attitude, Minamoto Tamako clenched her teeth in frustration, feeling she had been too lenient. She instantly transformed into a milk foam monster, lowered her voice, leaned forward, and whispered ominously, "If you keep this up, I'll cancel your stamp for the day."

"How could you cancel it?" Fushimi Roku furrowed his eyebrows.

"The form clearly states that 'serious work' is required for the day. You're not working seriously now, so I surely have the authority to cancel the stamp," Minamoto Tamako used her trump card.

"Why? What's the criterion for judging serious work?" Fushimi Roku was unconvinced.

"I think it's not serious and that's it!" Minamoto Tamako was very domineering.

Fushimi Roku initially intended to slack off, but considering he had already earned three stamps, the huge sunk cost made him reluctant... Besides, with three stamps a day, in just about seven days, he could collect 22 stamps.

He decided to hold on.

Fushimi Roku took a deep breath and reluctantly agreed.

He turned around, interlaced his fingers, and asked Doi Izuki, "The question I am about to ask might be a bit sharp, so I'll clarify in advance. I ask these questions solely to investigate the truth, with no subjective malice whatsoever. If you truly want to clear your friend's name, please be honest and keep the conversation content confidential."

Seeing him speak so solemnly, Doi Izuki felt a chill in her heart. She sat up straight, nodded, and promised absolutely no concealment, pledging to honestly tell everything she knew.

"Who is Yoshikawa Ritsuo's boyfriend?" Fushimi Roku cut to the heart of Minamoto Tamako's deduction.

Doi Izuki reported an unfamiliar name, which neither Fushimi Roku nor Minamoto Tamako had heard of.

The latter thought it was fortunate that she hadn't voiced her own speculation earlier, or not only Mr. Fushimi but also Miss Doi would have found her unreliable... Seems like in the future everything needs to be questioned first, with confirmed information then proceeding to deduction.

Fushimi Roku continued to ask, "Since you believe Yoshikawa Ritsuo is a conservative girl, why did she go to a bar that night?"

"This..." Doi Izuki admitted honestly, "I'm not very sure either."

"Did she frequently visit bars before?" Fushimi Roku asked again.

"No... As far as I know, she never did. When Officer Tamako mentioned her going to a bar and then following a stranger to a hotel, I was truly shocked... I don't think she would do such a thing, absolutely not... Honestly, I still don't feel her death is real..."

Doi Izuki couldn't help but ask, "Is she really dead? Are you sure the deceased is her?"

Fushimi Roku confirmed and then pursued more details, learning that Yoshikawa Ritsuo and her boyfriend were each other's first love. They were lovers from high school, throughout graduation, studies, and work, inseparable...

Because of this, when Yoshikawa Ritsuo's boyfriend suddenly disappeared recently, her first reaction wasn't that she had been abandoned but rather worried her boyfriend encountered some misfortune.

When Fushimi Roku asked if Yoshikawa Ritsuo had shown any unusual behavior lately, Doi Izuki wore a troubled expression. She carefully recalled and said, "She just broke up... sort of broke up... felt bad, naturally showed some erratic behavior... but under heartbreak, I think that's quite normal."

"Specifically, what behaviors?" Minamoto Tamako pursued.

"For instance, picking a flower and repeatedly plucking the petals, mumbling to herself; or calling me, asking what she should do and what her boyfriend really thinks..."

As Doi Izuki continued explaining, Minamoto Tamako felt increasingly uneasy and quickly interrupted, expressing she could understand all this—besides, was there any more 'abnormal' behavior?

"Um, this..."

Doi Izuki racked her brains, she seemed to recall something, hurriedly spoke, "Oh, there actually was."

"What?" Minamoto Tamako asked.

"She went to a psychological clinic, and after coming out, she seemed much calmer but... how should I put it..."

Doi Izuki struggled to word it, "She seemed to start feeling unlike herself."