Chapter 149: The Author of the Letter

Although he was mentally prepared to some extent, when Lei Yin saw the scene inside the room, which resembled a refugee camp, he still felt a deep sense of horror. Cigarette butts, beer bottles, snack wrappers, instant noodle packets… all the trash that could symbolize the unhealthy lifestyle of modern youth was gathered in one place. The entire living room was filled with the unpleasant smells of smoke and alcohol, and the TV was blaring the opening scenes of a game. The cause of this disastrous state, Takeda and Yoshikawa, were lying unconscious on the sofa and floor, looking like homeless people.

Thinking about Kazumi, who occasionally came over to help him clean, Lei Yin felt truly sorry for her. To take responsibility for letting the wolves into the house, Lei Yin had no choice but to clean up the mess himself.

“Masashi, are you injured?” Shiraishi Akira, who was helping nearby, noticed that Lei Yin’s left hand seemed to be moving awkwardly.

“It’s nothing, it’ll be fine in a few days. Has my sister come to see me these days?”

“Takeda said she came once, but she left when she saw you weren’t here.”

It seemed he would have to call Kazumi later to prevent her from worrying. When he was hospitalized, he had told her on the phone that he would be away for a few days.

As the two were talking, the strong light streaming through the window gradually woke Takeda and Yoshikawa.

“Masashi, you bastard!” After confirming it was indeed him, Takeda leaped up, yelling and rushing toward Lei Yin.

“Don’t come near me, you unbrushed teeth guy.” Lei Yin used the broom in his hand to push Takeda back and keep him at a distance.

“You heartless pervert, not even sparing a friend’s girlfriend! I’m going to kill you!” Takeda, like a thug trying to break through a police blockade, kept trying to charge forward.

“Shut up! Please, brush your teeth first, okay? Your breath stinks.” Lei Yin continued to block him with the broom, breathing in the rare fresh air.

“Your mouth stinks, you bastard!” The angry youth was becoming more like a thug.

Seeing Yoshikawa slowly get up like a zombie, Lei Yin shouted, “Yoshikawa, stop your childhood friend! This guy must have taken the wrong medicine.”

“Masashi, you bastard.”

Why does this sound so familiar? Seeing Yoshikawa not only failing to stop Takeda but also charging at him like a rabid dog, Lei Yin quickly retreated to the door.

“Akira, help stop them.” With only one hand available, Lei Yin found it difficult to deal with both of the thugs at the same time. Of course, it would be a different story if he were willing to use heavy force.

“I’m sorry, I’m busy right now. I warned you a long time ago not to come in.” Shiraishi Akira wore an expression as if to say, why did I even bother?

“When did you warn me? Hey, you two should calm down a little. I’d rather not take action before I get overwhelmed by your bad breath.”

“Bastard…” The two just-woken youths, with sleep crust still in their eyes, failed to see the dangerous glint in Lei Yin’s eyes and continued their reckless rush.

“Both of you can rest in peace now.” Shiraishi Akira, standing by, joined his palms together as if to say a prayer for the two oblivious men.

“Say your last words when you get to the mountain.” With a sharp flick of his wrist, Lei Yin sent the broom flying towards the two furious youths like a dancing dragon.

“Yah…”

“Ah…”

Two distinct cries of agony rang out almost simultaneously.

At the moment before they hit the ground, the rebellious duo realized the terror of the person before them, but it was too late.

“Impudent fools. Now, can you tell me what exactly happened?” Lei Yin threw the broom aside, then propped his feet up on the sofa, watching them.

※※※

“Are you sure the one who wrote those love letters to me is your so-called new campus belle, what’s her name again?”

“It’s Seimura Haruko! You don’t even know her name? I really don’t understand what she sees in you,” Yoshikawa said, looking like he had stomach issues.

“Maybe she likes guys like him, the violent type. If I’d known, I should have made a move earlier,” Takeda said in a tone that sounded very much like a juvenile delinquent.

“That can’t be the case. Seimura Haruko doesn’t seem like the type of girl who’d enjoy being mistreated,” Yoshikawa’s tone wasn’t as certain as his words suggested.

“Then how do you explain it? This guy is only good at fighting. I don’t see anything else that would make a girl like him.”

“Shut up, both of you.” Lei Yin had finally had enough of being compared to an abusive man.

The spots where the broom had hit still ached slightly, and the rebellious duo, intimidated, immediately fell silent, glaring at him with resentment.

“I don’t care what that woman wants to do. I’m not interested in that kind of vase girl. Are you satisfied now?”

“Is that true?” Yoshikawa’s expression was like someone who’d just been wrongly sentenced to death and had suddenly been declared innocent—he could hardly believe his ears.

Takeda perked up like a cat startled by a sudden noise, ears pricked, looking at Lei Yin intently.

“Well, I do have one condition.”

“What condition?” Yoshikawa immediately asked as soon as the words left Lei Yin’s mouth.

“You two idiots better clean up this place. If it’s not spotless by the time I come back, I’ll take that woman out to eat, and then head to a hotel with her,” Lei Yin suddenly stood up, shouting at the two youths who had turned his apartment into a refugee camp.

Although Lei Yin was threatening them fiercely, the rebellious duo seemed to have heard good news. Before he finished speaking, Yoshikawa immediately grabbed the broom on the floor and began pretending to sweep, while Takeda hesitated for a moment before quickly starting to clean up the trash on the table.

“We’re going to eat now. What are you looking at? I didn’t call you, so get serious and clean up!”

After being glared at, the two quickly lowered their heads and continued their cleaning.

After Lei Yin and Shiraishi Akira left the apartment, Takeda turned to Yoshikawa and said, “Hey, do you think this guy will really keep his promise?”

“If he lies to me, I won’t let him off,” Yoshikawa said, his voice betraying a hint of uncertainty.

“Just a guy who talks big but can’t back it up. Don’t forget that he’s a human weapon. If you want to deal with him, you better write your will first,” Takeda scoffed.

“None of your business. By the way, why are you so nervous about this? Don’t tell me you also have a thing for Seimura Haruko,” Yoshikawa suddenly raised a question.

“What are you talking about? I’ve liked that girl for a long time. She’s not as pretty as my sister, but she’d still be okay as a girlfriend,” Takeda replied.

“You bastard, you’ve been like this since we were kids, always trying to take things from me. Now you even want to go after your sister-in-law. You’re worse than an animal,” Yoshikawa scolded.

“What sister-in-law? I’ve given her so many flowers and gifts, but she doesn’t even acknowledge me. How can you say such self-pitying things?” Takeda retorted, not backing down.

“Shut up, you pervert with a sister complex.”

“You’re the pervert! Say that again!”

“You think I’m scared of you? You’re the one with a sister complex, you freak.”

“Bastard, I’m going to kill you!” The angry young man turned into a thug again, yelling as he threw the garbage in his hand and charged at his childhood friend.

Finally, what had started as a petty argument devolved into a far more childish physical brawl, and the refugee camp slowly turned into a battleground.

If Lei Yin had been there, he would have deeply regretted allowing them to stay in the apartment.

※※※

At that moment, Lei Yin and Shiraishi Akira were having lunch at the school cafeteria when they encountered two people, one of whom was the cause of the fight between the two childhood friends.

“Hello, Gennai-san,” one of the girls said as they approached their table.

Lei Yin looked up. “Hello. Can I help you with something?”

Seimura Haruko, dressed in a sexy short skirt, smiled and said, “I didn’t expect to run into you here, so I thought I’d come over and say hello.”

Lei Yin glanced around and noticed many students were watching them closely. If they were as focused during class, the instructors would surely be moved to tears.

“If you don’t mind, could you sit down and chat?” Lei Yin thought it would be too conspicuous if two beautiful girls were standing while talking.

Seimura Haruko smiled and gracefully sat down. Her companion hesitated for a moment before also sitting down.

Once they were seated, Lei Yin realized the situation hadn’t improved; in fact, it had gotten worse. Several boys were even starting to look like they might charge over.

A group of people who only know how to get horny. Lei Yin couldn’t be bothered with them. After all, no one would actually dare come over and challenge him.

“Can I ask you a question, Gennai-san?” Seimura Haruko’s voice was very clear. Though she spoke softly, her words were easy to hear.

“Sure,” Lei Yin replied as he picked up his cup and took a sip of tea.

“I was wondering how your blind date back home turned out.”

Fortunately, Lei Yin reacted quickly enough to prevent the tea from spilling out of his mouth.

“May I ask, who told you I was going home for matchmaking?” Lei Yin set down his cup and asked.

“It was Yoshikawa-san. He told me that you missed your appointment because you had to go home for a blind date. Was that the case?”

So it was those two troublemakers.

“Something like that,” Lei Yin answered casually.

“Then, could you tell me the result?”

“I’m not planning to get married so soon.”

“Well, that makes me feel better.” Seimura Haruko smiled.

Lei Yin didn’t respond but instead carefully sized up the new campus belle sitting across from him. Seimura Haruko didn’t speak either, allowing him to observe her with ease.

After a while, Lei Yin shifted his gaze away and took another sip of tea.

“I’m curious, Gennai-san, what do you usually do in the evenings?” Seimura Haruko asked.

“I usually go to bed fairly early.”

“I thought someone like you might have a more exciting nightlife. Actually, I don’t have much to do in the evenings either. I mostly stay at my apartment reading books or watching TV. To be honest, sometimes it’s pretty boring, like tonight.”

“Tokyo’s nightlife isn’t very safe, so it’s better to stay home if there’s nothing to do,” Lei Yin responded in a tone resembling that of a school disciplinarian.

After a while, seeing that Lei Yin wasn’t offering much of a response, Seimura Haruko tried again. “I heard that there’s a movie starring Suzuki Haruka recently. I was wondering if you might be interested in seeing it?”

“Suzuki Haruka? Her name sounds like an actress. Has she done any horror or sci-fi films? Sorry, but I only watch horror or sci-fi films.”

“Uh, she only does romance films…”

“Romance films? Sorry, but I tend to fall asleep during artsy films. I feel like the love that happens in two hours is more like a one-night stand.”

“……”

Shiraishi Akira looked at the new campus belle with a little sympathy, while Seimura Haruko’s companion stared at Lei Yin as though he were a monster.

※※※

When the door opened, Ayano Eiko saw her mother and the man named Yajiro sitting in the living room, watching TV.

“Eiko, you’re back,” Ayano Akiko said to her daughter, who was changing her shoes at the entrance.

“Good evening, Eiko,” Yajiro greeted in his Kansai accent, which always made the female police inspector uncomfortable.

“I’m going to my room now. I have some reports to read tonight,” Eiko replied coldly before walking toward her room.

“Sorry, Eiko has been under a lot of work pressure lately,” Akiko said apologetically.

“It’s okay. I know she just can’t accept me yet. Don’t worry, I believe that after spending more time together, she’ll come around,” Yajiro said confidently.

Akiko nodded with a smile, but inside, she sighed.

Unless Eiko learns the true news of her father’s death, she would never accept any man who could potentially become her father.

Once back in her room, Eiko casually threw her briefcase on the bed and opened her computer.

While it was starting up, she took the documents out of her briefcase.

She flipped through them for a moment but suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of disgust. Unable to continue, she set the report aside.

Though her room was well soundproofed, she could clearly hear that man outside speaking loudly in his annoying Kansai accent.

She couldn’t understand it. Her mother, looking to be in her early thirties, with an attractive figure and appearance, how could she be interested in a man like him?

Not wanting to think about it anymore, she walked over to the computer and sat down.

Opening her email, she found there were no new messages. She felt a wave of frustration. It seemed that her informants hadn’t gathered any useful intelligence.

Despite that, she didn’t give up.

Ever since she saw that monster with her own eyes, she knew that the cryptic passages in her father’s journal held significant meaning.

She believed that her father’s mysterious disappearance years ago was definitely connected to this matter.

No matter what, she was determined to investigate further. Unfortunately, there were too few available resources and intelligence at the moment.

Suddenly, the image of a young man named Gennai Masashi popped into her mind.

Bastard!