Not a detective

Page 114

Asakawa Riku honestly explained, "It's written in the contract that the fees for the engagement are all from the firm. My assistant receives a fixed salary, plus an additional 10% commission."

This is different from the last time when Shinonome Suetsuki commissioned him to be her bodyguard. Last time, he accepted the commission alone, so he naturally had to take the full amount.

This time, Kirisame Aoi was acting on behalf of the Inspection Department, which was commissioned by the firm, so the money should go to the firm; this is a basic rule.

Although Asakawa Riku loves money, he acquires it in a proper way.

"No need, you keep it. That arrogant woman, who does she think she can get rid of with this little bit of money? I don't want it."

She started acting like a child at the end of the month.

"Okay, I'll take it."

Asakawa Riku is growing increasingly fond of this foul-mouthed rich woman.

At this moment, Xingyu jogged over to his side and secretly glanced at the numbers on her phone:

"...Wow, that's no small amount, so much money?"

Yes, aside from the Metropolitan Police Department reimbursing him for the loss of his uniform and medical expenses, the largest portion of the fees for this commission came from Kirisame Aoi.

It's a full five million yen. That's equivalent to almost a year's salary for a salaried worker, and roughly the same as Asakawa Riku's salary for a year working here.

"Give me half, give me half."

"What's it to you?" Asakawa Riku ignored the guy's unreasonable nagging and asked instead, "Is it a lot?"

"Yeah, the Ministry of Supervision shouldn't be that extravagant, right? Five million at a time, where does their funding come from?"

"...It seems to make sense."

When Xingyu said that, he also began to feel that something was wrong.

No matter what, the Ministry of Supervision is an official organization and receives taxes just like the police. Can it really afford to spend so much money to hire outsourced personnel?

Asakawa Riku originally thought that Kirisame Aoi could afford a Porsche because the missions of the Inspection Department were really lucrative, but what if it was her personal wealth?

For example, like the detective girl stretching in front of me, she's also a rich second-generation from some family...

But if that's the case, why would she insist on entrusting this task to him, and not only not deduct money, but possibly even give him extra money?

Could it be that they want to win him over and recruit him into the Ministry of Supervision?

Asakawa Riku decided to remain vigilant and not be misled by sweet talk, but he would let him enjoy the money to the fullest.

...I'll go out for a big meal with Yuki-e another day.

After making that decision, he put his phone back in his pocket.

"I have another question. Since you've kept that secret for so long, why are you telling me about it so openly today?"

It refers to Shinonome Suetsuki's true superpower, which seems to be known only to the three people in the room.

"I wasn't planning on telling you."

Mo Yue pointed at him with both hands and said exaggeratedly, "Didn't you just barge in like that? Today isn't even your shift! You're deliberately working overtime, I'm going to deduct your salary."

This guy is being cheeky again, Asakawa Riku skillfully ignored her words.

"It's all because you suddenly wanted to kill people here... I was so scared, I thought Xingyu was possessed by a monster."

"No, the young lady said she wanted to experience what it felt like to be dismembered, saying that it would store useful memories so she wouldn't fail again in similar situations in the future."

Xingyu explained.

"Even if you can't feel pain, you can't play like that. Doesn't it feel uncomfortable?"

"No, it was my request."

Mo Yue said it very calmly, as if it were a matter of course, perhaps this was not the first time they had conducted such an experiment.

It's truly unimaginable how distorted her values ​​and outlook on life must have become, given that she was able to come back from the dead.

The other person was an adult, so Asakawa Riku didn't continue trying to persuade him. He said:

"Alright... since you both agree, I thank you for trusting me, and I will continue to keep this secret."

He stood up, ready to leave. His visit today was purely accidental, and after finishing his business, there was nothing else to do.

"I've come to see you off." Xingyu opened the door for him, and the two went down the stairs.

"Don't you dare try to get your hands on that money."

"Tch, stingy boys aren't popular, Asakawa-kun."

Even so, Asakawa Riku couldn't help but recall the image of the girl standing amidst pools of blood and severed limbs, a machete in her hand, her eyes vacant.

Is it possible to easily cut through bones with ordinary strength? With such slender arms, is it really possible to dismember a body with a cleaver?

—By the way, since the dismemberment of the future wasn't caused by the cat demon this time, then who exactly has the power to kill him in the future?

Shinonome Sugetsuki doesn't have any real prophetic abilities, so there's no way to give him the answer. He'll have to find the truth himself.

Is it Kirisame Aoi, with her superb swordsmanship, or this mysterious and unpredictable one—

Xingyu tugged at his sleeve.

Turning back, she smiled and said:

"Actually, Miss is very guarded. The fact that she's willing to tell you this secret shows that she really considers you an important person."

"is it?"

"Yes, so, Asakawa-kun, let's get along well in the future, shall we?"

Summer of the Red Stingray: Chapter One - School Trip

"Riku!" As soon as he entered the school gate, he saw Hirata Hirokichi waving excitedly: "Come over here!"

"Don't shout like that, it's embarrassing."

Asakawa Riku sighed helplessly. He felt people around him looking at him again. Many students were gathered by the school gate today, like a sports meet.

But today's students weren't wearing sportswear or uniforms; instead, they were dressed in their everyday clothes, a colorful display that showcased their youthful energy.

They all wore the same excited and happy smiles, because the upcoming event was indeed a grand occasion.

"I never imagined that a school trip could take me to Hawaii."

"Hey, you didn't know? A lot of students at our school enrolled because of this!"

Asakawa Riku truly did not know.

When he was told that he was going on a school trip this week, he was surprised that he couldn't go in his first year of high school, and that he was going abroad in his second year.

After making inquiries, I learned that the school's school trips are conducted in a special way: each student can only go to Hawaii once during the summer of their junior year. The cost is that the school trips for the freshman and junior years are canceled. It can be said that the funds for the three trips are concentrated into one. But despite this, many students are still deeply attracted to this activity.

The exotic island scenery and novel school trips are incredibly attractive to teenagers.

Especially now that it's the height of summer, hot and humid, seeing female classmates in their attractive swimsuits on the beach while enjoying a refreshing sea breeze would be a very youthful and vibrant scene.

I could see that the male classmates around me, whether I knew them or not, all had knowing smiles on their faces.

Asakawa Riku was only thinking... Surely it won't snow in Hawaii now.

This is a school trip, not a trip for him alone, so he definitely can't take Yukie with him. Chizuko-senpai said she went last year, and he's also temporarily taken leave from the agency.

However, being able to temporarily escape from things like monsters, superpowers, crimes, and murderers was a good way to give himself a break. He didn't believe that monsters would still exist in Hawaii.

"I brought a lot of snacks, a game console, and... I couldn't sleep last night."

"Don't act like a primary school student. It's just a trip to Hawaii."

That being said, Asakawa Riku was just pretending to be calm; he had never actually been to that island in both his lives combined.

I glanced at my phone:

【2025年6月13日·周五· 13：00】

After lunch, the students gathered on campus to board the bus. He followed Haoji's footsteps and lined up to board the bus for his class.

The entire second year of high school has nearly 180 students, plus the teachers in charge, divided into six classes, with about 30 students in each class. Each class has its own chartered bus.

They were to travel by car to Tokyo Port, where they would board a cruise ship with only students and teachers on board, and travel to Hawaii.

As for why he didn't take a plane but instead took a boat, Asakawa Riku didn't know which was more expensive, a plane ticket or a boat ticket. He had only heard that traveling by ship was also part of the journey.

That's alright, though. Even if the cruise ship sinks, he can find a way to save himself. But if the plane crashes, he will never be able to take off.

Asakawa Riku arrived a bit late. When he and Haoji got on the bus, it was already packed with their classmates.

Only the last two rows had a few empty seats. The teacher leading the group, Mr. Songshan, said:

"Sit down there, we're almost all of you."

He counted the number of students; there were 33 students in Class B of the second year of high school, where Asakawa Riku was.

Asakawa Riku nodded in agreement and was about to go over when, unexpectedly, Hiroki secretly slipped away...

"Sorry, Riku, I'll sit here~"

He put on an smug smile. A female classmate had saved a seat for him. She had no idea when this guy started dating his girlfriend.

It seems that during his time training in the baseball team, he has successfully cultivated his masculinity. He has truly betrayed the revolution without a word.

"Okay, go ahead."

Asakawa Riku waved his hand dismissively and walked to an empty seat in the last row.

If I remember correctly, there is an odd number of students in the class, so he should have to sit alone, but it shouldn't take long to get to the port.

After putting down my backpack and sitting down, I was about to close my eyes and rest when an accident suddenly occurred before the car even started moving.

There was a knock at the front door, and a female student came in. After exchanging a few words with Mr. Matsuyama, he nodded.

"Then you should go there."

He pointed to the empty seat next to Asakawa Riku.

The female student bowed to express her gratitude, then walked over with light steps, her ponytail swaying behind her, unconsciously attracting the boys' attention.

There was indeed no girl in the class as pretty as her. Her delicate face and sweet smile were like a beautiful sight, with bright eyes and teeth.

It seems that quite a few people still recognize her.

The closer he got, the more astonished Asakawa Riku became. His eyes widened, and he could hardly believe the face he was seeing.

Unlike others, he wasn't captivated by her cuteness; rather, he realized—

I know her.

"Hoshimi... Koyu?"

His eyebrows twitched.

"Yes, why are you being so formal today, Asakawa-kun?"

Xingyu laughed heartily, showing no shyness or embarrassment whatsoever, and sat down next to her with a confident stride.

The buses finally started moving, six of them lined up in a row on the road. Asakawa Riku lowered his voice and eagerly pressed her for an answer:

"How will you be here?"

"What are you saying? I'm a student at this school, why can't I be here?"

"when……"

"Starting last year, just like you, Asakawa-kun, I also came up from the first year of high school. I was in the neighboring Class A. Didn't you even know that?"

Xingyu put on a sad expression: "I've been secretly keeping an eye on you all this time, but you've ignored me completely. You're so heartless."

"It's all because of your hair—"

Asakawa Riku couldn't help but say.

Yes, the current Hoshimi Koha no longer has her signature blonde hair; instead, she wears a black ponytail, and even her pupils have turned black.

If you don't look closely at that face, you really wouldn't recognize it at first glance, especially when it's wearing a uniform, it's even more indistinguishable.

Even so, Asakawa Riku knew that he hadn't paid enough attention to his classmates, and didn't even know that such an acquaintance was in the next class.

"It's a 'wig' and 'colored contact lenses'. I didn't want to be too flashy."

Xingyu leaned closer and quietly lifted a corner of the wig with her hand, vaguely revealing golden hair strands and a fair, slender neck peeking out from under the wig.

Today she wore a white blouse with a bow at the neckline, a navy blue skirt, and light makeup, a style completely different from what she usually wears at the office.