Chapter 301: How can one encounter a murder case even while soaking in a hot spring?

The morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains into the hotel bedroom. In short, Uesugi Muneyuki and Ikeda Erena, having woken up, spent a brief moment being affectionate with each other, and couldn't help but laugh while looking at the soundly sleeping Watanabe Minami beside them.

The night at the Hakone hot spring was simply dreamlike; soaking in the hot spring together, gazing at the starry sky together, being intimate together, and watching the sunrise together—Erena felt as if her soul were melting.

The Cervin non-elastic nylon garter stockings the tall beauty had been wearing earlier had, unfortunately, developed a run. Her legs had already been changed into a pair of Baroque-style cutout floral jacquard pantyhose at some point, and while one foot was still wearing a black suede red-bottomed high heel, the other had been tossed to the other side of the room.

"What's wrong? Muneyuki?" Ikeda Erena still wanted to enjoy this atmosphere, but she saw Uesugi Muneyuki wearing a thoughtful expression.

My Qinghui Stone is glowing; a murder has occurred nearby. Plus, the scream I just heard—there can be no mistake.

Uesugi Muneyuki thought to himself, but at this moment, the three of them were not on official business or responding to a call. Intervening immediately would not only seem suspicious, but for the Japanese, entering someone else's private domain without permission is undoubtedly a major taboo—the kind you get sued for.

【Hakone Ginyu】, this hot spring inn, has a total of only 15 large private suites. Each suite costs 150,000 yen per night in the off-season, and in the peak season, the price has been known to be driven up to 500,000 yen per night. The fact that the three of them could stay for two nights at the price of 250,000 yen was already a discounted rate given due to Watanabe Eiji's connections. The guests who can stay here are definitely wealthy or noble.

Wait a moment, wait to intervene later.

Uesugi Muneyuki thought for a moment and decided not to be so hasty. He then pursed his lips at Ikeda Erena, who was on his body, signaling toward the young lady Minami, who was sleeping soundly nearby.

"Haha~" Ikeda Erena couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.

Minami's worry was justified; it took only nineteen minutes from "I'm ready" to "Ikeda, save me!"

Ikeda is full, Minami has fainted.

"Minami, wake up." Uesugi Muneyuki nudged her: "Get up!"

"I, I can't do it anymore." It took a long time for Minami to barely open her eyes after being nudged: "You guys go eat breakfast, I'm still sleepy~"

"Get up, get up~" Uesugi Muneyuki signaled that she had been sleeping from ten last night until now: "This is a 250,000-yen, two-night, three-day hot spring suite, not for you to sleep in!"

"Ugh~" Minami then got up reluctantly; she wanted to take a shower first.

Having finally taken the final step with Uesugi Muneyuki, the young lady Minami had become much more uninhibited. She kicked a jade foot clad in white garter stockings onto Uesugi Muneyuki's back to signal that she wanted to change clothes, but after Uesugi Muneyuki went out, her legs were too weak to stand, and in the end, it was Erena who supported her so she could barely get up.

Taking off the white garter stockings and throwing them into the corner of the room like trash, Minami was just about to say something when she heard Erena burst into uncontrollable laughter. Recalling the events of last night, the young lady Minami's face flushed bright red, and she said in a fit of pique: "Don't laugh, don't laugh! If you laugh again, I'll exile you to Hokkaido!"

"Okay... I won't laugh... Hahaha~" Ikeda Erena's face turned red from holding it in, and she barely managed to answer before laughing again: "Section Chief, you really are... Hahaha~"

"Ahhhhh!" Minami covered her head in a fit of pique, feeling extremely frustrated.

My dignity, my dignity as the head of the main palace!

This Omitaidokoro was actually made a laughingstock by a concubine!

But... but there was simply no way around it! This young lady is just like this!

The Face of the Metropolitan Police Department was feeling quite self-abandoned. She had tried very hard, and she had anticipated it, but she still hadn't expected herself to be this weak.

Calling Ikeda was the right thing to do!

"Erena, from now on, I will call you by your name directly like this." The young lady Minami feigned a dignified and arrogant posture: "Then, from this moment on, the Keishicho Alliance is officially in effect. Your life, Ikeda Erena's life, I have truly accepted. No matter what happens from now on, you are not allowed to quit. This is a Contract; from today on, we are a group that shares the same fate."

"Okay... Pfft~" Ikeda Erena really wanted to answer "okay" seriously, but she couldn't help but laugh. It was so hard to hold it in that she laughed out loud, her chest heaving in a surging manner.

"Don't! Laugh!" The young lady Minami could no longer maintain her dignity. She could only shout in a self-destructive manner: "If you laugh again, you won't be allowed to see Muneyuki in the future!"

"Without me, can you really do it?" Erena blinked her eyes.

"Ugh~" Minami still wanted to be stubborn, but remembering the scene from last night of her hands suspended in the air making a "V" sign, the Face of the Metropolitan Police Department finally couldn't hold on: "From now on, we must be together, Erena! I'm serious, otherwise I'll die!"

"Then please take care of me from now on, Minami-chan." "Mm, please take care of me!"

After experiencing the honesty of last night, Minami and Erena finally broke through the barriers in their relationship and their former superior-subordinate dynamic, beginning to truly act like a pair of good sisters.

The two of them didn't want to keep Uesugi Muneyuki waiting outside for too long. Minami changed into a British academy-style suit jacket paired with a soft cashmere vest and shirt three-piece set, along with a plaid pleated skirt. Then, she saw Erena take out two pairs of 40D lace jacquard pantyhose identical to the ones she was wearing: "Which pair should we wear? White or black?"

"Black, I think. It'll be warmer." The young lady Minami's soft white fingertips lifted the vest and jacket, then she raised a pair of jade feet and stepped into the tight jacquard lace. The pitch-black stockings gradually became translucent, slowly wrapping around those delicate, well-proportioned legs. Pulling the waistband of the pantyhose up, Minami finally stood in front of the mirror to tidy up her soft black hair, adjusted her bangs, and fastened her tie.

She looked at herself in the mirror and felt that she seemed a little different.

The girl had become a woman.

A little shy, a little sweet, and also a little lost.

But Minami quickly pulled herself together and revealed a sweet smile. She firmly believed that her choice was not wrong; Uesugi Muneyuki was the man she wanted!

Because I am the Face of the Metropolitan Police Department, Uesugi Minami!

……………………

Uesugi Muneyuki had changed into a casual jacket and waited outside for a while. He saw Minami and Erena walk out together. The two of them were wearing almost identical cashmere clothes, plaid skirts, and Converse canvas shoes convenient for sightseeing. The only difference was that Erena was wearing a trench coat outside, while Minami was wearing a thick suit overcoat. The two looked like a pair of sisters, and also like a pair of mother and daughter. Even the style of their stockings was the exact same jacquard lace pantyhose—one big and one small, one tall and one short, one mature and one delicate. Everywhere they went, they were a beautiful sight to behold.

However, Uesugi Muneyuki had no time to appreciate it at this moment, because something had happened inside the inn.

Among the inn's staggered stone slopes and bamboo walls, a large suite was surrounded by many people, most of whom were hotel staff.

"What happened?" Ikeda Erena asked.

Watanabe Minami was still a bit shy in front of Uesugi Muneyuki, but seeing this scene, she quickly entered work mode, slowly approaching with slightly unsteady steps, supported by Erena.

"It seems someone is dead." Uesugi Muneyuki frowned slightly.

Someone died at a 200,000-yen-a-night hotel?

"Eh?" The young lady Minami hooked her arm into Uesugi Muneyuki's and quipped: "Although death is a bad thing, I don't know why I always feel that wherever you go, Muneyuki, it's particularly easy for a murder case to occur."

"It's clearly that wherever there is a murder case, that's where I am. You've got the cause and effect reversed!" Uesugi Muneyuki retorted.

"That's not it... Anyway, this young lady gives you one hour, solve it quickly! Then we'll continue touring Hakone!" The young lady Minami announced domineeringly. After the two crossed that final line, she had already regarded herself as Uesugi Muneyuki's partner, the kind with half the ownership.

"Hey, look, that person seems to be Uesugi Muneyuki!"

"Uesugi Muneyuki? That Legendary Forensic Uesugi, the Forensic Examiner? Wow, it really is him!"

"That face, that temperament, there's no mistaking it!"

"Absolutely no mistake. Look closely, that Judo-loving beauty policewoman from the two Fuji TV cases is also there! I watched both live broadcasts. They are appearing together, there's absolutely no mistake!"

"Wait, what is the relationship between the three of them?"

"Probably a Special Mission Unit team-building event... right?"

"How come it's the same as the one inside the room, also one man and two women?"

At this moment, the appearance of the three, Uesugi Muneyuki, had already attracted the attention of the surrounding crowd. Besides the hotel staff, there were also some guests and passing tourists pointing and whispering.

Also one man and two women?

The expressions of the three, Uesugi Muneyuki, were all quite unpleasant.

"Ah, excuse me, are you Mr. Uesugi Muneyuki?" Just at this moment, the hot spring proprietress who had served them last night finally couldn't hold back anymore and took the initiative to step forward: "Could you please help? Something has happened, something terrible has happened!"

"What exactly is going on?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked.

"Director Fujiwara Nobuhiro of the Keiyou Rengoukai and his wife, Madam Fujiwara Temari, have died in their guest room." The hot spring proprietress hesitated for a moment, then pulled Uesugi Muneyuki and the other two aside and whispered.

"The couple died together?" Uesugi Muneyuki was lost in thought. A double suicide? But the Qinghui Stone had lit up!

"No, also dead in the room is another guest, Madam Kamikawa Eisa, the wife of Mr. Kamikawa Kiyoshi, a senior fund manager under Nomura Holdings!" The hot spring proprietress had an expression like she had seen a ghost: "Moreover, Madam Kamikawa and Mr. Fujiwara Nobuhiro were both found dead in a state of nakedness!"

"Huh?!" This left Uesugi Muneyuki and the others completely bewildered.

What kind of situation was this?

One man and two women? Dead in a hotel room, naked?

"In any case, Mr. Uesugi, could you please help take a look?" The hot spring proprietress was very anxious: "Such a thing happening at the inn is absolutely unacceptable! We are a long-established business passed down since the Edo Period; please, you must restore our inn's reputation!"

"If Mr. Uesugi is willing to help, our inn can waive your room charges for this stay!"

"Oh?!"

(End of this chapter)