Not a detective

Page 71

"Is it because other heirs feel that Shinonome Suetsuki will encroach on their share, so they want to eliminate a competitor?"

He felt he had found the right approach; if he continued like this, it would be easy to find the possible murderer among the "beneficiaries".

“If that’s the case, then it makes sense.” But Hoshino shook her head in surprise. She sighed, “Unfortunately, Miss was stripped of her rights as an heir five years ago. She’s no longer eligible to have her name written into her will, so I can’t imagine who would target someone who doesn’t pose a threat…”

"Wait... what does it mean to be disinherited?

"Oh, I shouldn't have said that."

The girl hurriedly covered her mouth, realizing what had happened later.

Asakawa Riku stared at her for a while.

After all, the two had a master-servant relationship spanning many years, and Hoshino seemed to respect Shinonome Suezuki quite a bit, so forcing her to say it wouldn't be a good idea.

"Fine, I'll take what you said as fact."

Instead of crossing it out, he put a question mark "?" after "Motive: Inheritance Dispute" in his notes.

"We can't completely rule out that motive. Even if she's temporarily deprived of her inheritance rights, we can't rule out the possibility that the local tyrant might change his mind and add her back in. Even if the local tyrant himself doesn't think so, his relatives might become suspicious. That's the principle of kicking a man when he's down. When you're not a threat, it's easier for someone to kick you when you're down."

"Don't put it so harshly..."

Hoshino weakly protested, then added in a low voice, "Five years ago, Miss offended the head of the family because of an incident, and was exiled ever since. She has never been able to return to the Dongyun Manor. That's all I can say... It's only because it concerns Miss's life. Normally, I wouldn't reveal Miss's personal privacy..."

"Thank you. I will ask the person directly about the rest."

Asakawa Riku smiled at her, indicating that she didn't need to worry.

He suddenly had a question: "Wait... if I heard correctly, you said exile... is Shinonome Suetsuki currently in exile?"

"Yes."

Xingyu nodded.

Asakawa Riku stared blankly at the extravagant and decadent office. Beanbag chairs and cushions were casually placed on the floor, and the luxurious carpet looked like a small corner of it could cost as much as all of Asakawa Riku's clothes. The furniture, including the large, luxurious table, was made of precious wood and had been polished to a gleaming shine by Hoshino every time she cleaned it.

These things didn't really impact him much, because he didn't know anything about furniture brands. But the detective's daily routine of eating when she woke up, playing when she was full, and sleeping when she was tired, the game consoles and CDs in the corners, the snacks that were always just the right amount placed on the table, not to mention that she was also paying the salaries of Asakawa Riku and Hoshino...!

He gritted his teeth: "You're telling me this is exile...?"

Xingyu tilted her head and chuckled:

"Compared to other direct descendants of the Dongyun family, of course this is the case. Miss cannot hold any position in the group, nor does she have any shares. The head of the family only gave her the property rights to this building. Asakawa-kun, you know that the detective agency has almost no business, so she basically lives off the rent. This is obviously a complete exile."

"The rent for one building..."

Asakawa Riku gasped.

This is not some desolate wilderness; this is Shibuya, the heart of Tokyo!

Every weekend when he goes to work, he has to squeeze onto the unbearable subway and walk through the bustling crowds on the street to get here.

The first floor of the building is rented to a suit shop, where the custom-made suits in the window are so dazzling that it's hard to open your eyes. The ground floor is rented to a bar, where long queues form every night. The second floor is the office space of a company that sells general merchandise. Whenever Asakawa Riku slacks off at work, he feels guilty towards the miserable office workers below who look like they're about to die.

Their office is on the third floor. There are two more floors above, but Asakawa Riku has never been up there. It seems that they are rented out to other companies.

Although it's a low-rise building with only five floors and not very spacious, the location is prime real estate, and just based on that alone, you can imagine how terrifying the rent must be.

"The concept of 'exile' might be different for wealthy families than I imagined..."

He shook his head with a wry smile. The rent he received each month was enough to live comfortably. No wonder that guy lived such a free and easy life.

Asakawa Riku scribbled and drew in his notebook, the messy lines reflecting his inner thoughts, and he couldn't help but say:

“I think if she were willing to close this firm and rent it out, she would definitely earn much more than she does now.”

The firm is an investment that is not going anywhere but losing money; anyone with eyes can see that.

"Being a detective is Miss's profession and also her hobby. If she's happy, she can do whatever she wants, right..."

Hoshino smiled and paused, then winked at Asakawa Riku: "Besides, if the agency closes down, I'll never see you again, Asakawa-kun."

Asakawa Riku looked away: "That's true... I'm an employee, I shouldn't empathize with the boss. Anyway, I'll just collect my salary."

The girl in front of him seemed unhappy that he had turned his face away, and suddenly walked over and sat on the sofa on the same side as him:

"You've always been the one asking questions, can I ask them instead?"

"Um...please go ahead?"

"Asakawa-kun, I want to know, why are you so concerned about money?"

Winter of the Demons: Chapter 5 - How to Make Money

Asakawa Riku immediately tried to refute him with the righteous argument that "there's nothing wrong with caring about money."

This is common sense for most people... but he still patiently explained:

“I told you before that there were some problems at home. My parents ran away, and I had to support my tuition and living expenses on my own.”

“I remember that.” Xingyu nodded.

But she didn't seem to have given up asking:

"However, that's not the reason I want to ask. Well... to be precise, it's the method of making money."

Xingyu's buttocks shifted slightly, almost touching, so close that she could almost smell the faint perfume on him.

It tastes like sea salt.

Her deep blue eyes looked up at Asakawa Riku and asked:

"I'm saying, isn't Asakawa-kun very capable? If he were a 'boxer' or 'athlete,' he could probably earn a lot more money than he does here, right?"

Surprisingly, someone actually asked this question.

Asakawa Riku felt it was both reasonable and absurd at the same time. Logically, someone should have asked by now, but perhaps because he was surrounded by a bunch of strange people, it was strange that no one asked.

But instead of answering, he said, "What do you mean by 'very impressive'... What makes me so impressive?"

He had no recollection of ever fighting alongside this guy, and he had never shown Xingyu his fighting prowess.

How did you find out?

Xingyu pursed her lips and replied, "Hmm... I often see you helping us move heavy things at the office, and you always do it so easily. You're really strong."

"That alone isn't enough to reach the level of a 'boxer' or 'athlete,' I'm a guy."

Asakawa Riku gave a calm reply.

"I saw you on the streets of Shibuya the other day. You helped a girl who was being harassed and took down a few thugs with one punch. You were so cool."

"You were actually there...?" He was taken aback.

It happened on Saturday after get off work. He was just passing by and decided to help. He left the scene without even hearing the person's thanks. He never expected to be witnessed by an acquaintance.

"I was going to go up and help, but you beat me to it."

Xingyu grinned and said, "So, is this evidence sufficient? I saw that action with my own eyes; it's not something an ordinary person can do."

Asakawa Riku had already prepared a defiant explanation:

"I just practice self-defense regularly. Those thugs are too weak. If they were in a competition, I would be the one who gets taken down. They are far inferior to professionals."

"Stop denying it, Asakawa-kun!"

She suddenly yelled, startling Asakawa Riku, who had no idea what she was going to do by suddenly jumping up from the sofa.

But Xingyu's fist didn't come this way; instead, it struck the air, while his feet moved in a seemingly realistic hopping motion, alternating between movements.

"Don't let my skinny arms and legs fool you, I'm a professional maid, you know. I've honed a lot of skills for you, Miss... Heh... Ha! How about it, I'm pretty good, aren't I? Even I can tell from this, Asakawa-kun, you must be something special!"

"……Ha ha."

Looking at that comical, amateurish skill, which was at most at the beginner level, Asakawa Riku knew it was impolite, but he still couldn't help but laugh.

He tried his best to cover his mouth and said, "Okay, okay, sit down. I'm scared. I'll tell you the truth."

Now that things have come to this point, there's no point in being stubborn anymore. Actually, he didn't have a reason to keep it a secret. If the other party asked, telling the truth wouldn't be a big deal.

As for why Hoshino saw through it, he probably did some research beforehand. Maybe he was worried that his mistress might have hired some strange people as assistants? After all, both Chizuko-senpai and her father, Mr. Akihisa, had already found out Asakawa Riku's strength and identity. It shouldn't be too difficult to find him, considering how high-profile he was in his middle school days...

Forget it, it's better not to recall it.

Asakawa Riku immediately stopped thinking and carefully considered the wording of his explanation:

"Well... I am indeed quite good at playing, but not that exaggerated. It's just that I've trained. If I started playing baseball now, I might be able to reach the level of Shohei Ohtani. Of course, my skills wouldn't be that great, but at least I could make a living. But I can't do it that way because I don't like being watched."

"What do you mean?"

If anyone else heard this, they would probably burst out laughing, but Hoshino just tilted her head in confusion: "Asakawa-kun doesn't seem like someone with social anxiety?"

"Simply put, I don't like being watched by others, by thousands or tens of thousands of spectators. It makes me feel uncomfortable and annoyed, like being an exhibit in a zoo, being looked at like a monkey. I can't stand it. If there were so many people watching in a fighting arena, I would immediately quit the match."

In Asakawa Riku's view, fighting is a very "private" thing. Of course, it's not to the point that it's unacceptable if someone is watching. He just hates the idea of ​​fists being treated as commodities.

Both sides on the battlefield, or even on the arena or in a competition, are prepared to fight to the death. He doesn't like it when people watch with a playful attitude.

He said, "So I can't be an athlete, I can't be a boxer, at least I can't make money from that."

"I see."

Xingyu nodded, pondering, "Then... let's try something different, something where no one's watching... like mercenaries, how about that?"

“I hate war,” Riku Asakawa replied quickly.

Hoshino had intended to joke, "Asakawa-kun is such a hassle," but upon seeing his serious expression, she realized he was being earnest and decided to drop the subject.

"Hmm... what else can I do that involves using force, is relatively peaceful, and can also make a lot of money? Oh, right, how about being a bodyguard for rich people?"

"...Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"

Asakawa Riku looked at her calmly.

Xingyu paused for a moment, then chuckled sheepishly, "Oh yeah, it really is..."

Looking back now, Asakawa Riku did indeed accept Shinonome Suetsuki's request to protect her from possible assassination attempts; in other words, he was essentially a bodyguard.

This should be the most suitable job for him, and one that can also make him a lot of money.

“I understand now… Hmm, after this conversation, I have a new understanding of Asakawa-kun.”

Xingyu smiled contentedly and waved her hand: "Let's stop here then. We have to get up early tomorrow to leave, so we can't let it interfere with our business."

tomorrow?"

Asakawa Riku was taken aback.

Xingyu replied matter-of-factly, "Yes, tomorrow, the 24th, Tuesday."

"Christmas is on the 25th... which means we're not leaving until Wednesday, and I... I have to go to school tomorrow."

He suddenly seemed confused: "Isn't that right?"

This remark caused the girl to burst into laughter:

"Asakawa-kun... Hahaha, really? Haven't you ever spent a Christmas Eve with your girlfriend?"

"Christmas is on the 25th, and the banquet is tomorrow night, Christmas Eve. We're leaving for Kyoto early tomorrow morning, so please, please don't be late."

Winter of Demons: Chapter Six - The Wind Festival Family

Riku Asakawa fled the office looking embarrassed.

Accompanied by Xingyu's silvery laughter, her golden ponytail swayed behind her.

Looking back, I think I could have successfully refuted her by asking her, "You've never had a boyfriend before, have you?" But at the time, Asakawa Riku didn't think of that.

His schedule was completely disrupted. He had thought he would have a day to spare, but he didn't expect to have to rush to that mysterious "Wine Heaven Pavilion" tomorrow.

I've been here for over ten years, and this is even my first time visiting Kyoto.

Asakawa Riku is indeed lacking in common sense in this area. He always thought that Christmas was just the 25th, but he forgot that the night of the 24th was the so-called "Christmas Eve", which was the time for the banquet. But he clearly remembered that the detective told him that the time was Wednesday. Is that right, or did he remember wrong?

In short, it's all mixed up...

Xingyu is right. He has been single for sixteen years. If you include the time before he transmigrated, he should be old enough to become a great mage. How could he possibly have any impression of Christmas Eve?

Having focused on his studies in his past life, and now captivated by training and martial arts in this one, Asakawa Riku has had little opportunity to interact with girls, and he doesn't have any particular feelings about them.

However, it was truly wrong to delay the commission.