Carrying the suitcase and woven bag downstairs, Kei Shirogane suddenly stopped and turned to look back at the apartment building.
Seeing her standing there gazing back, Luo Shu couldn't help but say:
"If you're reluctant to part, there are solutions."
For young girls, especially pretty ones, Luo Shu naturally had high tolerance.
If Kei truly couldn't bear to be separated from her father and brother, he wouldn't mind spending some time and points to find a solution to the bloodline issue.
Of course, Kei would have to foot the bill.
'I can understand you all I want, but the money must be paid.'
The landlord's family had no surplus grain, and as the descendant of workers and peasants, Luo Shu naturally had even less.
Hearing Luo Shu say this, Kei Shirogane shook her head:
"There's no need for that, Senior."
As she spoke, Kei hitched up the woven bag on her shoulder and complained:
"Although it's because the old man kept picking up random things that things ended up like this, to be honest, moving houses was something we'd been planning for a long time."
"I can't possibly keep squeezing into the same room with my brother forever, sleeping on the floor separated by a curtain, right?"
After saying this, Kei added with deep resentment:
"And that brother of mine, he reads until 2 a.m. every day, gets up at 6 to make breakfast and bento, and his snoring is ridiculously loud. Damn it, do you have any idea what I've been through these years?"
"Snoring is seriously the worst!!"
"Before, I had to endure it because of our financial situation, but now that I don't have to, I can finally breathe easy."
"..."
Listening to Kei's complaints, Luo Shu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Your family has really had it tough."
After a pause, Luo Shu continued: "Although you and Mr Shirogane will be living separately, the distance doesn't need to be too far."
"There are several properties near the apartment building the organisation is providing you, so arranging accommodation for Mr Shirogane won't be a problem."
"However, since the location is near Ikebukuro, it might be slightly inconvenient for your brother commuting to Chiyoda Ward for school."
"Ikebukuro shouldn't be too troublesome, right?" Kei replied as she pulled her suitcase towards the car. "There are plenty of subway lines from Ikebukuro to Chiyoda. We could take the train to school together."
Apart from the pain of train fares, Kei could accept this commute.
After all, this was Tokyo, where the average commute exceeded an hour and a half.
The 20-minute journey from Ikebukuro to Chiyoda Ward wasn't particularly difficult to accept.
"The troublesome one is your brother~." Luo Shu said with some amusement. "The organisation has spatial corridors that go directly from the dormitories to the Chiyoda branch."
"If you depart from the Chiyoda branch, the commute to Shuchi'in would take five minutes at most."
"Uh..." Kei froze momentarily upon hearing this, then said with a complicated expression: "Using that kind of passageway for school commutes is just too..."
"It's no big deal. I use it to commute to work too. Just open a door at home and you're at the base—isn't that convenient?"
Luo Shu chuckled, then suddenly noticed something and turned towards the car, where Chika Fujiwara had stuck her head out the window.
"So slow~"
Chika leaned against the car window, puffing her cheeks as she glared at the two:
"Kei-chan and Luo Shu-kun are so mean, leaving me all alone in the car."
"I wanted to go on a grand adventure in Kei-chan's room, too!"
"Let's skip the grand adventure..." Kei said with a wry smile. Her room was less than 15 square metres and shared with Miyuki Shirogane—there wasn't much adventure to be had there.
At this, Luo Shu smiled and said: "Rather than an adventure, wouldn't helping Kei organise her bedroom be more interesting?"
"What? What?"
Chika was immediately intrigued by this. Only then did she suddenly realise something, her gaze sweeping over the large bundle in Kei's hands:
"Is Kei-chan moving house?"
"Yes, due to some unforeseen circumstances, we've obtained Mr Shirogane's permission. Little Kei will be moving to the organisation's dormitory."
After saying this, Luo Shu paused and turned to Chika Fujiwara:
"Want to come along?"
"Of course!" Chika Fujiwara replied without hesitation.
However, immediately after speaking, she suddenly remembered something and said to Luo Shu:
"Ah, I almost forgot! Dad just called and said he wants to have a casual meal with you outside. He said you'd understand the meaning when you heard it."
Hearing this, Luo Shu was slightly surprised.
Because Daichi Fujiwara invited him to dinner, it signalled that the Metropolitan Police Department had begun operations and successfully rescued some of the noble girls.
For the usually sluggish Metropolitan Police Department to act so efficiently...
At this thought, Luo Shu couldn't help but narrow his eyes with a knowing smile:
"It seems the pressure on the Metropolitan Police Department is quite intense..."
...
In Itabashi Ward, within an old shrine.
Numerous police cars with flashing lights had surrounded the shrine from several hundred metres away.
Beside one police car, Juzo Megure stood nervously holding a walkie-talkie, his gaze frequently darting towards another parked police vehicle not far away.
His tension was understandable - after all, his superior Kuroda, his superior's superior Matsumoto, and even higher-ranking Criminal Affairs Department Director Odagiri were all waiting in that car for updates. How could Juzo Megure not be nervous?
'If anything happens to the hostages, I'll probably be forced into retirement tomorrow, won't I?'
Juzo Megure couldn't help but think to himself:
'What could I possibly do after retirement? Open a detective agency like Mouri boy and specialise in catching cheating spouses?'
'Come to think of it, Mouri boy seems quite skilled at catching infidelity cases. Many company presidents and society ladies know him. Maybe I should learn from him after retirement?'
Just as Juzo Megure's thoughts were wandering, Wataru Takagi came running over. Upon reaching Megure, he gasped for breath:
"Inspector Megure, th-the hostages have been rescued."
"Really?!"
Juzo Megure excitedly grabbed Takagi's shoulders:
"All of them were rescued?"
Takagi nodded hurriedly and said:
"Isayama-kumichō reports that all hostages in the temple have been safely rescued."
"Excellent!" Juzo Megure heaved a huge sigh of relief, then laughed. "Looks like I won't need to become Mouri boy's apprentice after all."
"Huh?" Takagi blinked in confusion.
'Mouri boy? That Kogoro Mouri who keeps stumbling into murder cases and always leads them astray at crime scenes?'
'Why would Inspector Megure want to be his apprentice?'
As Takagi stood there bewildered, Yomi Isayama approached, carrying a blood-stained greatsword and leading a team from the Countermeasures Office, looking travel-worn.
"Isayama-kumichō..." Juzo Megure immediately went to greet her with an ingratiating smile. "We're truly grateful for your efforts this time."
Yomi Isayama glanced at Megure and replied, "No need for gratitude. The matter isn't resolved yet."
"What?" Megure was stunned. "But the hostages were rescued?"
Isayama responded:
"They were, but only the daughter of that Financial Services Agency official was in the temple. Others are still held at different locations."
"Oh..." Realisation dawned on Megure that he'd celebrated too soon - the risk of unemployment still loomed. "Then, Isayama boy, what should we do now?"
Yomi Isayama gave Megure a strange look but didn't comment on the odd address:
"What else? Leave two teams here for cleanup. The rest come with me to the next location."
Megure immediately began organising:
"Right, understood. Takagi boy, you take Groups C and D to secure the scene. I'll report to the superiors. Everyone else, get in the vehicles and follow Isayama boy's lead. Quickly now, move out!"
Amidst chaotic yet swift footsteps, investigators boarded police cars that soon sped away with sirens blaring...