Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner

The three of them left the museum, Taira Sakurako retrieved the biscuit tin, and after confirming that the meteorite fragment was undamaged, she heaved a sigh of relief... Just now, Mayu was holding the rectangular biscuit tin like a baton and waving it around like a traffic police officer, which had given her quite a scare.

As a precaution, Taira Sakurako lied that she needed to pee, ducked into a public toilet, took out the meteorite fragment, and placed it into a foam box she had prepared ahead of time, to avoid any damage from knocks or bumps.

With the business settled, it was now time for entertainment.

They walked towards the West Nidobu District, with Mayu bouncing happily at the front, chanting excitedly "let's play games"; Mai lagged behind, silent, looking worried and preoccupied.

Upon reaching the apartment, as soon as Taira Sakurako opened the door, Mayu dashed into the entrance without reservation, not bothering to arrange her shoes, clumsily kicking them off as she headed straight for the TV.

Just as she picked up the game controller, she noticed that today there were two guests at Sakurako's home.

One of the guests was a tall woman wearing rimless glasses, a cardigan, with shiny black, smooth hair, noticeably large breasts, a gentle smile, and a non-threatening appearance, exuding a maternal glow;

The other guest was a madwoman in a man's shirt, sporting a hime cut, and a sophisticated yet foolish air, gripping a chair leg tightly with both hands.

Mayu leaned over the back of the sofa, curiously peering over to watch.

The woman with glasses was whispering to the madwoman's ear, and the madwoman responded occasionally with grunts, seeming to communicate.

After more than half an hour, the madwoman gradually calmed down, and the woman with glasses took her by the hand and led her downstairs.

Minamoto Tamako followed behind them, expressing her gratitude repeatedly.

Only then did Mayu come to know that the woman with glasses, who had a serene smile and looked like a pretty single mom, was named Miyazaki Shizuka, an assistant to a psychotherapist.

"Sakurako-chan, Fushimi-kun and I have some matters and need to go out now. Order dinner for yourself!"

Minamoto Tamako hurriedly left a paper bill and repeatedly reminded her before leaving: "No junk food, no staying up late gaming, and remember to remind them to go home before the curfew!"

Taira Sakurako nodded in agreement, and Mayu patted her chest in assurance, telling Tamako to rest easy.

After the two left, Mayu, full of joy, planned to spend the unexpected windfall on burgers and cola—since the adults weren't home, Sugamo Apartment became the trio's secret base, where they could do as they pleased!

Taira Sakurako had no objections; she called for delivery, inviting her friends to pizza and burgers, letting Mai and Mayu play games first while she returned to her room to do some homework.

"Ah! So sneaky! Didn't we agree that none of us would do homework?"

Mayu was quite displeased, feeling betrayed. The trio had a traitor who secretly took the initiative, making one uneasy.

"Was there such an agreement...?" Mai quietly inquired: "When did we have such a deal?"

"I just came up with it," Mayu's spotted eyebrows slightly arched, she turned to Mai: "You're the best, Mai-chan, sticking with me! Let's not submit our homework tomorrow and share the pain if the teacher asks!"

"I-I already finished mine..." Mai stammered, embarrassed to lie.

"What?!"

Mayu was stunned—so she was the only one without her homework done!

But now she had her small hands clutched around the game controller, and delivery was on the way, she really didn't want to do homework.

After hesitating for a moment, Mayu turned her head and asked: "Why don't you help me write mine too?"

"No," Taira Sakurako refused flatly.

Mayu was merely speaking out loud, if both her buddies hadn't done their homework, she might truly have skipped it. But with one having done it and the other about to start, she felt too guilty being the odd one out—the nagging of parents and the reprimands of teachers were not as effective as the self-competition from her friends.

'At least while doing homework, I can eat pizza and drink cola... It's much better than writing homework at home!'

Mayu consoled herself, unwilling as she was, she put down the controller, took out her homework from her red backpack, and joined in doing homework.

This left Mai with the game console all to herself, and she started playing enthusiastically.

...

While the two kids at home frantically wrote, Minamoto Tamako and the others had already arrived at Doctor Arima's private clinic.

At dusk, the bronze nameplate of Arima Clinic glowed with a dim light, the standalone gray-white building in the Wenjing District was tinted with a cool filter.

Assistant Miyazaki Shizuka led the way, pushing open the oak door with one hand, the bronze wind chime hanging above emitted a crisp sound—a dove holding an olive branch, its feathers worn smooth by time.

It was apparent that Doctor Arima was quite wealthy, being able to buy or rent such a standalone villa in Tokyo as a private clinic indicated financial means beyond that of an ordinary psychotherapist.

Fushimi Roku with hands in his pockets looked around at the villa, contemplating that once he got his money laundered, he could also buy such a mansion in Tokyo... perhaps later he could ask Doctor Arima for the price, and for a referral to a reliable real estate agent.

Minamoto Tamako was likewise surveying the clinic, which seemed more like a private residence than a clinic.

The waiting room was more of a living room arrangement with several sofas, beige linen curtains half draped over the floor-to-ceiling windows, and an air filled with the calming scents of bergamot and cedarwood essential oils.

Miyazaki Shizuka called out once, and Doctor Arima emerged from the inner room, the indigo kimono sash visible beneath his white coat. He was a round-faced middle-aged man, whose gentle smile was equally amiable, exhibiting the typical gentle and harmless demeanor of professional psychotherapists.