Not a detective

Page 199

That is the aftermath of the Tokyo Incident on Halloween last year.

The massive terrorist attack and riots affected 70 residents and 23 wards, 26 cities, 5 towns and 8 villages in Tokyo, causing a huge uproar.

How to carry out post-disaster reconstruction, especially eliminating the negative impact of faith and preventing secondary spread, are all headaches.

The Non-World Inspection Department played a crucial role here.

What's both infuriating and laughable is that this department didn't contribute much during the incident, but afterwards displayed an admirable level of professionalism. After a winter of handling the situation, so many Tokyo citizens have somehow forgotten the zombie apocalypse on Halloween night. It's unbelievable how such a deeply etched experience could be erased.

It is speculated that there must be some kind of ability to influence memories and alter cognition on a large scale; otherwise, this extraordinary world would have been exposed long ago.

As for the repair of buildings and compensation for the injured and deceased, that's up to the government to consider.

Asakawa Riku was also busy this winter, mainly working with Sueki and the others to overcome the difficulties of [inheritance].

Taking on the formidable Dongyun family is no easy feat. Their family lineage is already incredibly complex, with numerous branch families besides the main branch led by Moyue, not to mention her older brothers and sisters. Even if not all of them are exceptionally talented, they have accumulated substantial wealth and achieved prominent positions, making each one a force to be reckoned with.

Even with that crucial will, things weren't always smooth sailing.

Suezuki is considered a small-time rich woman by Asakawa Riku's standards, but she has been expelled from the family and her meager assets are not enough to compete with her rivals.

She was especially targeted and the situation became very urgent.

At this moment, Suzuki Higashino made a bold decision. She directly revealed to the media in her personal capacity that the famous entrepreneur and chairman of the Higashino Group, who was also her father, Kosuke Higashino, was actually the true founder of the infamous "Supreme God Cult" and the behind-the-scenes funder of the cult, who had committed multiple serial murders...

In normal times in Japan, the involvement of conglomerates in cults and murders would probably be commonplace and quickly suppressed.

But precisely at this delicate and sensitive juncture, a single stone stirred up a thousand waves.

Although thanks to the efforts of the inspection department, people have forgotten the fanatical believers, the zombie apocalypse, and the terrifying Tokyo night, the impressions in their hearts are hard to completely erase.

People still vaguely sense the rejection, hatred, fear, and condemnation of cults, which has sparked a huge outcry demanding severe punishment for Higashigumo Kosuke.

However, since Kosuke Shinonome is dead, the Shinonome Group has to bear the brunt of this backlash.

In an instant, Dongyun Group's stock price plummeted, investors withdrew one after another, its capital chain broke in many places, banks refused to lend, goods became difficult to sell, and inventory piled up...

A series of chain reactions erupted like an avalanche.

At this moment, the other rivals of the Dongyun family, who had previously mocked her foolish act of self-destruction, finally realized how terrifying this woman was.

She was indeed self-destructing... but she was dragging everyone down with her!

No one expected her to go to such lengths. Doesn't she care about her reputation and the group's assets? Even if she inherits them, it will only be a mess!

The jackals that had been surrounding them scattered like birds and beasts. No one dared to stay there, fearing that they would be caught in the crossfire. They all had their own businesses and only wanted to protect their own land.

Only those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who wear shoes; this has been true since ancient times.

In an instant, the number of competitors decreased significantly. Everyone was afraid of being associated with the infamous Dongyun Group, so they avoided talking about it and were practically changing their surnames.

Asakawa Riku had advised Suetsuki against doing this. It wasn't that he thought it would damage the harmony, nor was he concerned about the amount of the inheritance, but rather he was worried about her reputation.

After all, Mo Yue was the first person to stand up and reveal the truth, so he naturally received the most attention and was besieged.

Many people, without distinguishing right from wrong, have called her "birds of a feather," "father and daughter are both scum," "rich beasts," "beneficiaries of the status quo," and "hypocrites"...

Of course, some people applauded her courage in standing up to reveal the truth, but this is the internet, and only a minority can remain rational.

Faced with this situation, she simply said to Asakawa Riku:

—This is criticism that the Shinonome family deserves.

—Since I've chosen to inherit, and I can't even bear this little bit of criticism, then I might as well continue playing detective pretend.

Asakawa Riku was speechless, realizing for the first time that she actually had such a mature side.

During that period, Shinonome Suetsuki was unable to leave her home normally. Although she didn't go out, Asakawa Riku had to escort her on her way to the court case.

Fortunately, after a long legal battle, coupled with her risky tactics, she finally won.

Although in the end, other relatives and others eroded 30% of their profits, leaving them with only the originally planned 70%, this was still the best possible outcome. For a small team like theirs, without any support, resources, or assets, to achieve such a level of business success on their first attempt was largely thanks to Mo Yue's legal awareness and Xing Yu's business acumen.

Of course, if Asakawa Riku were to rely on his military strength and have him "negotiate" with each of his competitors one by one, the outcome might be completely different...

This is, after all, a society governed by the rule of law.

In short, Shinonome Suetsuki became the new chairman of the group, the largest shareholder, and the new head of the zaibatsu and family.

Although the full value of the inheritance and the company have both dropped significantly, even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. When assets reach a certain size, they become a behemoth that cannot be completely collapsed. Even after suffering a series of setbacks, she remains a formidable conglomerate. Her personal net worth has also soared to the top ten in the country, making her the youngest among them.

But at this very moment, she, who had just taken office, openly announced that she had done a series of things that were incomprehensible to everyone.

Tamamo no Spring: Chapter Two - Senior Year

The first thing Shinonome Sugetsuki did was to sever the "Shinonome family" components.

In other words, it involves expelling the cronies who originally held various positions within the group and acquiring the shares held by other relatives, thus annexing and consolidating the group.

Although this will involve a painful period of reform and significant losses, it is also the best time to bring in new blood.

Moreover, it's only natural that Mo Yue has no feelings for her family; she can no longer work with those enemies.

If this was somewhat predictable, then the next thing was completely unexpected.

She actually announced that she would give half of her shares in the group to Asakawa Riku free of charge.

"Who is Asakawa Riku?" Of course, such questions would arise, but no matter how many people know him, they would all be surprised by this decision.

This level of gift-giving is practically on par with marital property sharing.

Even Asakawa Riku himself felt it was somewhat unreal. He had worked his butt off to make money in the past few years and thought he had accumulated some savings. But in just one winter, he gained wealth that he could never earn in several lifetimes, even more than any urban rebirth novel could imagine. When he returned to school, he always felt like the Dragon King had returned.

Although there were no villains to slap him in the face or cause trouble, it's fair to say that no matter how many scripts he memorized for playing the fool to deceive others, it was all for naught.

Putting aside the boy's pointless fantasies for now, Xingyu has been the one suffering ever since the group was inherited.

Because her mistress is a complete and utter lazy dog.

After announcing her victory, Mo Yue went back to rest. Instead of staying in her many mansions and properties, she returned to the cramped lounge of that firm.

Moreover, he still lives as a "detective," spending his days sleeping in, playing games, drinking coffee, and waiting for customers who are unlikely to come to his door.

The young lady is still the same young lady, but the maid has been promoted and given a raise. Ms. Hoshimi Koyu has transformed herself into the president and CEO of the Dongyun Group, in charge of all the company's work.

In other words, Moyue became a hands-off manager, leaving all company affairs to Xingyu.

Xingyu had to graduate early and devote herself entirely to the industry. However, as such a young president, and a girl at that, she inevitably attracted a lot of dissatisfaction. But she used her abilities to dispel all doubts. After getting started, she impressed everyone with her amazing business acumen and talent, combined with the knowledge she had acquired in her early years.

Some even marveled that if it were her, she might be able to salvage the Dongyun Group's current predicament and even elevate it to a higher level.

She seems to be someone born to deal with numbers and money; in a university, she would be a scholar; at a gambling table, she would be a gambling god; and in a company, she would be a tycoon.

Truly like a fish in water.

Of course, Xingyu was a newcomer to the industry, and such a miracle was inseparable from her hard work. It was achieved through time and effort. She stayed at the company until midnight every day, and her schedule was packed with meetings and research. Even her new secretary exclaimed that she was an iron woman and wondered who had trained her to be like that.

Asakawa Riku was worried that her beautiful blonde hair would be gone by the next time they met, so he went to visit her. However, the busy Hoshino did not complain, but had a smile on her face, as if she was enjoying herself.

Yes, outsiders might think that Moyue is exploiting and bullying Xingyu, but only those close to her know that their relationship is far more complicated than it seems.

Similar to her sisters, yet different.

In fact, it also gives Xingyu a bigger and more suitable stage, so that Xingyu may no longer feel lost in the future.

In short, that's about it. Although there's still a lot of work to be done, Asakawa Riku occasionally takes Hoshino out to relax.

Meanwhile, after returning to Tokyo, Chizuko successfully used her newly learned Yin-Yang techniques to heal the seven members of the mystery club who had been murdered, restoring them to normal.

They all returned to school, but because they had missed two years of classes, they had to start from the first year of high school again, which means they had to repeat two years according to their age.

But being able to be cured is already a great blessing.

However, Riku Asakawa thought they would become juniors and rejoin the mystery club, but the mystery club still didn't have any new members this year.

The treatment those students received was similar to the Department of Supervision's forgetting process—forgetting the painful experience in order to get rid of the psychological trauma.

But perhaps it can't be completely erased; deep down, there's still a lingering fear and apprehension about the "Detective Club," so they all try to avoid it.

Although Asakawa Riku felt somewhat helpless, he also let it go.

After all, as long as things can be resolved smoothly, that's all that matters.

...

"Wait a minute...would you like to sit down first?"

Yukie seemed surprised by Asakawa Riku's announcement of disbandment.

Yes, Yukie just turned 16 this year and has finally ended her long period of home quarantine. Because of her stable behavior and her great contribution in the Tokyo Incident, she was released.

Now, Yukie can control the power of the [Yuki-onna] freely and will no longer go berserk and out of control.

She got her wish and entered the same high school as her sister and Asakawa Riku, becoming a freshman.

The white shirt was tied with a bow at the collar, over which was a light yellow thin sweater, and below that was a plaid sailor skirt that hung down to the knees, white bubble socks, and black round-toed leather shoes.

It's not common to see Yukie in her uniform. She's grown a bit taller and developed much better than her older sister, giving her a more high school girl vibe.

Moreover, her skin is fair and delicate, and her face shape is exquisite and cute. Whether her hair is black or white, her temperament is different.

"Why did you quit? What happened?"

The adorable Yukie is looking at Asakawa Riku with a pitiful expression; it's hard for most people not to feel sorry for her.

"Can't you tell me? Or is it my fault?"

She came here as soon as she enrolled, wanting to submit her application to join the club to the current president (and only member), Asakawa Riku.

However, Riku Asakawa shook his head and refused, saying that there would be no more mystery clubs in the future.

"If it doesn't work... I'll change it..."

"It's my problem alone."

Asakawa Riku's calm answer interrupted her aggrieved questioning.

Of course, Yukie was just pretending to cry. This little girl has become more and more shrewd in recent years. I wonder where that pure shrine maiden from the mountain has gone.

He sighed:

"Of course, it's just that I'm leaving. If you want to join, Yuki, I can transfer the club to you, but I definitely have to leave."

"But... weren't my brother and sister happy here back then? I want to too... why can't I...?"

His sleeve was grabbed, and Asakawa Riku knew there was no way out; if he didn't explain why, he probably wouldn't be able to leave today.

Helpless, he could only stare at Yuki in front of him, remaining silent for a long time before finally speaking:

"Because I'm a senior in high school, I need to study hard and prepare for the exams."

Tamamo no Spring: Chapter Three - The Bet

Yes, the reason why Asakawa Riku wanted to disband the mystery club was really that simple.

After entering his senior year of high school, he suddenly felt nervous and uneasy, always feeling uneasy, as if something was chasing him from behind.

My school life in the first two years was too relaxed. I was busy with all sorts of strange things, and looking back, I fell behind in my studies.

Although the results didn't plummet, they did decline to some extent, which alerted Asakawa Riku.

When I first entered the campus, I remember setting my goal as an ordinary student who would get into a good university. I never expected that I would be in my final year so soon.

Perhaps it's because the idea of ​​being a "test-taker" from a past life still lingers, but Asakawa Riku takes the college entrance exam very seriously and has already decided to start planning and preparing.

I don't need to get into the University of Tokyo or anything like that, but it would be best if it were a university with an average level of excellence.

Others might say, "He's already a billionaire with a net worth of trillions, why is he still so concerned about his education? He could just drop out of school and enjoy life."

Asakawa Riku felt that what he said was right, but he himself could not understand it.

It's as if I have a deep-seated feeling that "this is the right thing to do".

After analyzing it, he felt it was related to his last memories from his previous life. He had been involved in an accident on his way to the college entrance exam and had unfortunately transmigrated.

This past may have become a kind of obsession. If he doesn't break the curse of being 18 and the curse of the college entrance examination, he may still be unable to let go.

Therefore, as a way to give an explanation to "Lu Chuanqian" from his previous life, he wanted to do his best.

But reality doesn't have a system; you can't just add skill points to your knowledge at will. He's not like Xingyu and Moyue, those two prodigies who have to learn everything themselves, just like training and cultivation, which requires time and effort. Plus, Chizuko-senpai has successfully graduated and gone to university, making him even more anxious—he can't fall behind.

...

"That's why I want to disband the mystery club."