Chapter 612: It Really Is a Surprise, Isn't It?!

The Sakata Bridge Tower on this rainy night stood like a silent black monolith, sealing out the clamor and danger of the outside world.

Miyawaki Sakura held an umbrella, leading Nagase Shishi — whose oversized coat hood hid nearly her entire face — briskly from the dedicated elevator lobby of the underground garage inside.

"It's all right, you're safe once we're here." Miyawaki Sakura pressed the button for the upper floors and spoke softly to Shishi, who was still trembling slightly beside her.

Uesugi Muneyuki planned to return to the crime scene to assess the situation and set traps to deal with Takigawa Tsubasa, so he had Little Sakura take Shishi to be settled at Sakata Bridge first; this place happened to be a 2LDK, just right for two girls to live in, and Shishi was forbidden from going out during this period — all daily shopping would be handled by Little Sakura or simply delegated to Asuka; as for school, the Public Security Police would arrange it.

Little Sakura had originally thought she would consummate things with Uesugi tonight, but with these events there was no choice but to agree, bringing Shishi back with a hint of displeasure.

But Little Sakura didn't dare get angry at Uesugi Shiro at all, and having witnessed the miserable state of the Alice and Shishi sisters firsthand, she wouldn't take her anger out on the weak; she could only blame her own bad luck and feel dissatisfied with the Public Security Police's sloppy handling.

Next she'd still have to go explain things to the operations side herself.

The elevator doors closed and it rose smoothly and silently, only the faint sound of machinery and the drip of rainwater from the two of them.

Only then did Shishi carefully pull back her hood, revealing a pale but still lovely small face; she curiously examined the elevator's mirror-bright mirrored surfaces and luxurious interior decoration, a flash of amazement in her eyes. "This place——

Amazing. Even more high-end than any hotel Sister has ever taken me to."

"Right?" Miyawaki Sakura's tone carried a barely perceptible pride, as if this were her turf: "This building's security is top-tier; strangers can't get in at all, cameras everywhere, plus 24-hour butlers and patrols."

Looking at Shishi's wide-eyed, new-world expression, her own earlier fear dissipated considerably, replaced by a "senpai" sort of superiority. After all, being able to live here itself implied a certain "closeness."

We're not the same~ Everyone has different circumstances~

We're not the same~ Though we'll experience different things~

"Miyawaki-san—— have you always lived here?" Shishi asked quietly, her Japanese soft with a Kyushu (Fukuoka) accent, subtly distinct from Miyawaki Sakura's slight Kagoshima inflection.

"Mm, more or less, just moved in not long ago." Miyawaki Sakura brushed it off vaguely; she didn't want to explain the complicated reasons behind it. She turned to ask: "Come to think of it, Nagase-san is from Fukuoka, right?"

"Mm——" Shishi lowered her head, fingers twisting her hem, "Don't really like it there, feels—— boring, no opportunities either."

Her words revealed a sense of alienation from her hometown.

"I get it, I get it!" Miyawaki Sakura instantly resonated, as if finding a kindred spirit: "Kagoshima's the same, aside from the volcano and Satsuma-age it feels like a completely different world from Tokyo. If you don't come here, how would you know the world is this big?" When she said this, she carried the sentiment of someone who'd endured hardships to finally squeeze into the core circle.

That Kyushu backwater, whatever it's like doesn't matter anymore!

I've been a Tokyoite for ages!

This Sakura now earns 18 million a year, lives in a tower mansion, eats at ryotei with Mai-sama and Uesugi-san, obtained a Public Security Police position, just waiting for the National Police Agency side to sort out my Tokyo household registration, and tomorrow this Sakura will be a little Sakura raised under the imperial palace walls too; at that point if people call me "Sakura the Fifth Master," that's not too much, right?

Whatever, those stinking out-of-town grandsons from Kyushu, not familiar~

Shishi, on the other hand, wasn't thinking that much; the girl humbly looked at her own simple, cheap Uniqlo clothes, then at the tower's luxurious interior, at Sakura-nee's clothes which weren't flashy but were clearly brand-name, and at the superiority on her face; unconsciously she drew her little leather shoes inward, head bowed, not daring to speak.

She felt her future was pitch black; the only thing she could do was cling tightly to this last glimmer of light.

The elevator reached the floor; the hallway was laid with thick carpet, footsteps completely absorbed, quiet to the point of panic.

Miyawaki Sakura used her room card and password to open the apartment door; warm light and the gentle breeze of constant-temperature air conditioning instantly enveloped the two, a sharp contrast to the cold dampness outside.

"Wow——!" Stepping into the apartment, Shishi couldn't help a low cry.

A spacious living room; beyond the huge floor-to-ceiling window lay the hazy rainy-night Tokyo scenery; exquisite decoration and furnishings all displayed understated luxury.

"This place—— so great! Just like a TV drama!" The detached house she'd lived in with Sister before was tidy enough, but the difference in grade was heaven and earth; moreover that detached house was only "lent" to them, and while living there they didn't dare touch or move anything extra.

And in this tower mansion's absolute sense of security and privacy, her constantly taut nerves finally completely relaxed, an unprecedented peace of mind welling up.

"Go take a hot bath first, careful not to catch a cold." Miyawaki Sakura appropriately showed a senpai's concern, taking from her own wardrobe a clean set of clothes — a simple white cotton T-shirt and a pair of checkered shorts; thinking a moment, she considerately also took out a pair of brand-new pale beige thin sheer polka-dot velvet pantyhose.

"Here, summer nights the AC gets chilly, wearing this will be warmer. All new, I haven't worn them."

"Thank you, Miyawaki-san!" Shishi gratefully accepted, hesitated a few seconds, then ducked into the bathroom.

The bathroom door immediately gave the sound of locking, but after a few seconds it opened again right away.

"Th-that, I'll bathe then?" Shishi said in a low voice.

"Go ahead." Little Sakura shook her head proudly, indicating she'd received the application and permitted bathing!

Being a senpai, so great!

When the water sounds stopped and the bathroom door opened again, the emerging Nagase Shishi seemed like a different person.

Wet black long hair draped over her shoulders, giving off steam and a faint shampoo fragrance. Washed clean of dust and fear, her skin showed an almost translucent whiteness; her features' refinement was fully revealed — large eyes like a startled fawn, pure yet with a hint of fragility, nose bridge delicate and straight, lips a natural cherry-pink.

Miyawaki Sakura's T-shirt was slightly loose on her, collar slightly askew, revealing clear collarbones; below the checkered shorts, those legs in pale beige stockings were straight and slender, the stockings' soft luster setting off her skin like jade, carrying a girl's unique, utterly defenseless pure allure just after bathing.

She merely stood barefoot on the floor in those stockings, a little embarrassed, tugging at her hem.

"Miyawaki-san, is this—— okay?"

For some reason, baring her body before another woman made her feel deeply ashamed, especially since the other party was a famous female idol, radiant in public, formidable in private.

Miyawaki Sakura looked at this transformed girl before her, a flash of astonishment in her eyes too.

She had to admit, Shishi possessed an unpolished, heartbreaking beauty, a different type from the sweetness she carefully crafted on stage.

"So cute!" Miyawaki Sakura affirmed with a smile, then pointed to the living room: "Come on, drink some hot milk to calm the shock. Oh right!"

She seemed to suddenly remember something, tone carrying a natural intimacy (and a tiny bit of showing off): "Just now Doctor Uesugi sent a message saying things are resolved, the bad guy who attacked us has been caught."

"Really?!" Shishi's eyes instantly lit up, as if injected with starlight.

She took the Kumamon plush toy Little Sakura tossed over, leaned against the cushion, carefully confirmed it, then curled up on the soft sofa, a blush rising on her face, asking in a small voice: "Th-that—— Doctor Uesugi, he—— what kind of person is he? He's so amazing, so gentle——"

The girl's tone was full of exploratory desire and vague affection.

She'd really experienced too much today.

Miyawaki Sakura watched her lovesick-maiden appearance, feelings a bit complex — both a subtle recognition of a "fellow traveler" and an instinctive wariness of a "rival."

Mr. Uesugi really has charm when solving cases!

Seeing him solve a case in person, it's truly—— one thrill after another!

She sipped her milk, beginning to share "intel" on Uesugi Muneyuki in a seemingly casual but actually carefully filtered tone.

So, this girl can be brought into my camp.

After all, I'm isolated and helpless right now!

The rain outside became the best background music; in this safe, luxurious nest, two girls who'd fled Kyushu temporarily found a breathing space, yet their thoughts were both quietly tied to that man who'd just resolved a huge crisis in the rainy night.

Late night at Metropolitan Police Department headquarters, most departments already dim; only some floors of the Criminal Investigation Department and Public Security Department still blazed bright as day.

However, an atmosphere utterly unlike the usual overtime culture surged through the hallway like an electric current.

When Uesugi Muneyuki, his arm wrapped in bandages and his face bearing traces of fatigue and wounds, once again stepped into the Public Security Department office accompanied by Kinoshita Tōya and Ichijo Kaoru, he was greeted not by heavy silence, but by a wave of irrepressible, low cheers and thunderous applause!

"The comparison results are out! 100% match!" A young officer from the Technical Division practically burst into the office, waving the freshly printed report, his voice hoarse with excitement: "Takigawa Tsubasa's fingerprints and DNA match the sweat residue on fibers left at the Imperial Palace Bombing Attempt Case scene, the Foreign Minister Toyota Century Bombing Case, and————and the unknown biological markers extracted from the Nakamura Murder Scene, all of them match!"

The office instantly exploded into an uproar!

The sky-shaking case that had plagued the entire Metropolitan Police Department for months, bearing immense pressure from the Imperial Family, the Cabinet, and the public, had actually been declared solved on this seemingly ordinary rainy night, in such a manner!

"Wonderful!"

"Finally————finally caught that ghost!"

"Uesugi Chief! Niu Bi~ Si Guo Yi, Ka Ku Yi, Su Ba La Xi!"

Cheers, exclamations, and thanks rose and fell in succession. The Public Security elites who were normally taciturn now wore expressions of ecstatic relief.

Kinoshita Tōya tightly gripped Uesugi Muneyuki's uninjured hand, too moved to speak, while Management Officer Ichijo Kaoru slapped Uesugi Muneyuki's shoulder hard, her eyes flashing with near-worshipful light.

This ecstasy spread like wildfire to the Criminal Investigation Department still on duty.

Soon, the entire Metropolitan Police Department core floors knew the news————that the "Shadow Killer" who had manufactured multiple shocking cases and humiliated the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had been personally apprehended by Investigation Division 1 Special Mission Unit Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Uesugi Muneyuki!

The news reached Shinchou Keishi-kan, the Security Bureau Director on duty at the National Police Agency tonight; this normally dignified commissioner couldn't help but jump up from his chair, pace the office, rub his hands, and say "Good!" three times in a row.

By now it was approaching midnight.

Superintendent General's Residence, bedroom.

The telephone rang stubbornly; Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji, who had just lain down to sleep, frowned, displeased, and picked up the handset, while beside him Superintendent's Wife Watanabe Michiko simply grabbed a pillow and pulled it over her face: "Answer the phone! Eiji! It's definitely something important!"

"Michiko————you might need to step out————" the Superintendent General said with some embarrassment.

This is a red dedicated line, similar to an 800-li express; he must answer it at any time.

"Mo~~" Michiko cried out in anger, walked out quickly, and only then did Watanabe Eiji pick up the phone.

His voice carried the drowsiness of being disturbed and a trace of dignity: "This is Watanabe————at this hour, it had better be important."

"Superintendent General! Sorry to disturb you so late! But there's a————uh, a surprise that must be reported to you immediately!" The voice from the On-duty Police Officer Room trembled slightly with excitement.

"A surprise?" Watanabe Eiji's brow furrowed deeper, his tone skeptical, "Hope it's worth dragging me out of bed."

"Absolutely worth it! Superintendent General, we————we solved the case! The Imperial Palace Case, the Foreign Minister's Son Bombing Case, and the previous several bizarre homicide cases left unsolved, all solved! The culprit is caught!"

"What?!" Watanabe Eiji bolted upright from the bed, sleepiness vanishing instantly, fingers gripping the handset subconsciously tightening: "Say that again? The culprit's caught? Confirmed?"

It really is a surprise?!

>