Chapter 237: Visit

“Lei Yin, are you there?”

“I’m here.” Lei Yin spoke while holding the phone between his neck and shoulder and opening the app.

“Try connecting again now.”

“I’ve opened it; it’s showing ‘Connecting.’ Okay, I can see you now.” Lei Yin looked at the screen with a hint of surprise as Ailin’s face appeared.

Just a few days earlier, Ailin had sent him a set of remote video equipment and software, saying that once installed, they could meet face-to-face. Lei Yin tried it out, and while it connected successfully, the video was not very smooth due to bandwidth limitations. So, he immediately had a fiber optic line installed at home and used a fiber-specific converter, which solved the clarity and smoothness issues.

The mixed-race beauty on the screen smiled and said, “I can see you too. You haven’t changed at all. Wait a moment, Amy wants to talk to you.”

Ailin moved her body aside, revealing Amy’s small face behind her.

“Lei!” Seeing him appear on the screen and smile directly at her, the little girl’s excitement bubbled over.

“Little one, are you okay?” Lei Yin instinctively reached out to touch her face but suddenly remembered she wasn’t actually in front of him.

The little girl said nothing but looked at him with red-rimmed eyes.

“Oh, someone’s about to cry again,” Lei Yin teased her.

“Lei, I miss you so much.” Tears slowly started to stream down the little girl’s face. Although they talked on the phone nearly every week, seeing him in person felt completely different.

“You little crybaby. Well, now you don’t have to worry about it anymore. If you want to see me, all you need is this. You can have Ailin teach you how to use it.”

The little girl nodded obediently.

Ailin said from the side, “Take your time talking. Amy, I’ll come back to call you for dinner later.”

“Okay.” Amy didn’t even turn her head as she answered.

Ailin smiled lightly before stepping out.

“Lei, listen to me. Little Lei just had her second litter of puppies. There are four of them! They’re so furry and still have their eyes shut; each one is so cute. Wait for a second, I’m going to bring them over so you can see.” With that, the little girl hurried off.

After a while, she came running back with a box of puppies. Before she even caught her breath, she picked up a puppy with her left hand, holding it up to the screen for Lei Yin to see. “Lei, do you see them? Aren’t they adorable? The one in my left hand, I’m planning to name him Alexander. And this one in my right… I haven’t thought of a name yet. Can you help me come up with one?”

“Since his brother’s name is Alexander, let’s call him Caesar. That should sound imposing—two emperors reigning at your house.”

Although she didn’t fully understand the significance of the name, the little girl beamed and said, “Caesar, that name is a bit strange, but since it’s your choice, I’ll go with it.”

The little girl continued to chat excitedly with Lei Yin about recent events and school happenings. Although she had shared a lot of this over the phone before, Lei Yin listened with great interest. Compared to the power struggles and dark aspects of human nature he dealt with among adults, Amy’s little world was refreshingly pure and captivating.

As they talked, they gradually brought up the topic of the New Year. The little girl said, “Lei, can we count down to the New Year like we’re doing now?”

“Sure, but you have to dance for me then. Didn’t you say you were learning to dance? Why don’t you show me now?”

“I-I’m not good at it yet,” the little girl said shyly.

Lei Yin didn’t push her, saying, “Then you can dance for me during the New Year.”

The little girl nodded. After a while, she looked at him with hopeful eyes and said, “Lei, I want a hug.”

Lei Yin had to comfort her. “Don’t worry, summer vacation is coming soon. We’ll have plenty of time to play then.”

The little girl nodded in slight resignation.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, followed by Kazumi’s voice. “Brother, it’s me.”

“Little one, wait for me. I’ll be right back.” Lei Yin said to her before going to open the door.

“What’s the matter?”

Kazumi replied, “There are two police officers outside who want to ask you something.”

Lei Yin felt a bit confused; he hadn’t had any dealings with the police recently. Still, he said, “Okay, I’ll be out in a moment. By the way, come over here and say hello to Amy.”

Kazumi walked over with him, and on the large screen in the middle of the room, Amy’s sweet, obedient face appeared.

Kazumi, who was fond of the little girl who cared so much for her brother, greeted her, and Amy, who was far away in Switzerland, also greeted Kazumi through the screen.

Lei Yin then told her that he needed to step away for a bit.

Though reluctant, the little girl said goodbye understandingly.

After confirming when they would see each other next, Lei Yin ended the call and walked out of the room with Kazumi.

In the living room, Lei Yin found two police officers sitting on the sofa, talking with Maeda Ryutaro.

“Masashi, you’re here. This is my stepson, Gennai Masashi, the person you’re looking for,” Maeda said as he introduced Lei Yin to the officers.

After some mutual introductions, Lei Yin learned that the two police officers were from the North District Police Station, and they were there to ask him about something.

Lei Yin got straight to the point. “What do you need from me?”

“Do you know Kurata Ryoko?” one of the officers asked in return.

“Yes, she’s my cousin. Is there a problem?”

The officer replied, “She has been missing for more than four days now. Her two classmates, Tachibana Sui and Yamaguchi Tomoko, went missing with her. We’re here to see if you have any information on her whereabouts or if you’ve been in contact with or seen her recently.”

Lei Yin shook his head. “I haven’t been in touch with her lately, nor have I seen her. Could you tell me more about how she disappeared?”

The officer responded, “On the night four days ago, your cousin, Kurata Ryoko, left her apartment with Tachibana Sui and Yamaguchi Tomoko, but they haven’t returned since. Their parents reported them missing after being unable to reach them.”

Lei Yin frowned. “Is there no other lead, such as taxi drivers who may have given them a ride that night?”

Another officer chuckled. “There are so many taxis in Tokyo; we can’t check every single one, can we?”

Lei Yin’s tone turned cold. “I don’t find it funny. As far as I know, all licensed taxis are operated by companies. If you check with the transportation companies, it shouldn’t be hard to find which drivers were on that route that night. It’s undeniable that this method is cumbersome, but with the will to investigate, it should be possible. If it were one of your family members missing, I don’t think you would find it so bothersome.”

The two officers’ expressions darkened at Lei Yin’s words, but with Maeda present, they didn’t want to react too strongly.

Noticing the tension, Maeda quickly stepped in to ease the situation. “Masashi, you may not be familiar with our investigation methods. We usually start by questioning the relatives and friends of the missing person. If we don’t get results, I’m sure the officers will continue to investigate. Thank you for your patience, officers.”

“You’re too kind, Mr. Maeda.” The officers’ expressions improved somewhat after his words.

After the officers left, Lei Yin returned to his room alone.

Closing the door behind him, he took out his phone.

“Hello, is this Mr. Akamatsu?”

“Good evening, I might need to ask for your help again.”