CHAPTER 455: CHAPTER 339: THE DEATH OF FUSHIMI ROKU (PART 2)

She lay on Fushimi Roku’s chest: "Don’t leave me... please..."

...

"Alright."

Fushimi Roku wiped the corner of his mouth, sat up nonchalantly, and pressed the tape recorder button.

Minamoto Tamako was stunned for a full five seconds, her little brain unable to process it. There was a smear of Fushimi Roku’s ’black blood’ on the edge of her mouth, which she instinctively licked off with her tongue.

It was jam.

"You, you——"

Minamoto Tamako was furious, her hair standing on end, the classic image of someone boiling with rage, grabbing a cushion and executing a ’tornado destroys parking lot’ move, violently attacking the pretending-to-be-dead Mr. Fushimi.

Fushimi’s skin was thick, making the pillow hits negligible. Shamelessly, he rewound the tape and started playing the recording.

"... Since you don’t want to, I won’t force you. Let’s have breakfast first, and then talk."

"What’s the clue exactly? Tell me first! We can discuss the other stuff later..."

...

Minamoto Tamako leaped, straddling Fushimi Roku, using her fists to fiercely pound on Fushimi Roku’s chest, wishing she could pummel him until the milk he drank at three years old spat out.

"You still dare to play it out loud——how dare you play it out loud!! I’m going to beat you to death, you big liar!!"

Now Fushimi Roku started to feel a bit of pain, continuously raising his hands to defend and explaining, "Isn’t it necessary to check the recording’s clarity? What if it wasn’t recorded?"

"How shameless of you to say that!" Minamoto Tamako was even angrier, as if her fire of rage was burning, her little stomach filled with fury.

Precisely, the recording played to the last part, sounding very clear:

"I-I like you... I liked you first... please, I’m begging you..."

"Don’t leave me... please..."

...

Hearing herself say these words was too embarrassing, Minamoto Tamako wished she could stab her ears shut. She jumped up, attempting to snatch the tape.

But Fushimi Roku predicted her move, grasping her cowlick with one hand, making her unable to move, only watching helplessly as Fushimi Roku pocketed the tape.

"Now the evidence is irrefutable."

Fushimi Roku patted his pocket and continued eating a slice of bread: "Hmm, so conflicted, should I agree or not?"

Minamoto Tamako clenched her little fists, face grim, glaring at Fushimi Roku, looking like a Pig Hero emoji. She gritted her teeth and said, "That recording doesn’t count! Everyone can tell it was because you wanted to hear it, that’s why I said it!"

"Right!"

Fushimi Roku slapped his forehead, laughing as he lightly tapped Minamoto Tamako’s nose with his finger: "You’ve reminded me, I need to erase the earlier parts."

Minamoto Tamako was beside herself with anger, shouting as she pounced over, trying to punch the smug face.

Fushimi Roku grabbed her cowlick again, stretching his arm to maintain distance. Her arm span wasn’t long enough for Fushimi Roku, so her windmill punches were futile.

"Too much! It’s too much!"

Minamoto Tamako was on the verge of tears: "You, you just know how to bully me... boo hoo hoo..."

She’d been on an emotional rollercoaster these past few days, her nerves really on edge.

Fushimi Roku hurriedly comforted her, wiping his mouth with a napkin, with the pretentious face of a benevolent capitalist, pretending to say seriously: "Okay, okay, can’t I just agree with you? Sigh, sometimes having too much charm is a pain..."

Seeing Minamoto Tamako still crying, he shoved a slice of bread into her mouth, saying: "Hurry up and eat. After you’re done, we’ve got serious business to handle."

Minamoto Tamako was startled, biting onto the bread, escaping the evil clutches of Mr. Fushimi, backing away several steps, huddling in the corner of the sofa, tears still on her face, nervously saying: "Are we getting down to serious business already? Isn’t it too soon? I’m not prepared... wait, I’m not that kind of woman!"

"I meant the matter of treatment."

Fushimi Roku polished off his bread, licking his fingers, downing his milk in a gulp, standing up, asking back: "What did you think I meant?"

"Uh, nothing..."

Minamoto Tamako quickly lowered her head to eat the bread, pretending nothing happened.

Fushimi Roku returned to his room to change clothes. Now he wasn’t as nonchalant about life and death as he used to be. According to Sazaki Gen, it was because he now had a weakness, but having a weakness also had its benefits, at least he cared more about this world.

After all, people with no weaknesses often head toward self-destruction.

He no longer dawdled, changing in three to five minutes, returning to the living room to urge Minamoto Tamako to hurry up.

Minamoto Tamako had just finished her bread, feeling a bit choked, was drinking milk to ease it down. Seeing Fushimi Roku come out in just a few minutes, urging her to change clothes quickly, it seemed he was taking the initiative to ’handle business’, a rarity that was like the sun rising in the west.

She couldn’t help but suspect there was another hidden agenda, maybe Mr. Fushimi would, like last time, use a case investigation as a guise for a date... the thought made her a bit expectant!

"What exactly are we going to do for business? Is it to find a way to detoxify?" Minamoto Tamako asked while heading to her room to change clothes.

"That’s right."

Fushimi Roku felt something missing from his waist, suddenly remembering he didn’t bring his service pistol, then returned to his room, opened the bedside table drawer, rummaged for a moment, and found the gun missing again.

"Tsk, where’s Sakurako?" He went out of the room to ask Minamoto Tamako.

"She went out with friends, and I lent her my phone, don’t worry," Minamoto Tamako replied, already changed into her usual white shirt and black slacks, she had several sets of this ’work uniform’, Japanese working-class wore this ensemble for formal matters.

No wonder the gun was missing.

Fushimi Roku sighed, not bothered to pursue the matter, hurriedly leading Minamoto Tamako out the door.

Minamoto Tamako trailed behind him, asking while walking what exactly they were going to do; Fushimi Roku deflected her question, being secretive, no matter what Minamoto Tamako asked, he just said: "You’ll know when you get there."