Not a detective

Page 144

Asakawa Riku smiled, waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to be so polite: "It was just a small favor."

"No way...! Asakawa-kun died five times for me... even for us, and he never gave up after going through five cycles of reincarnation. I think that's amazing!"

Xingyu argued loudly, not knowing what she was arguing about.

Especially since he was shouting this in the hallway, Asakawa Riku felt a little embarrassed: "Well... let's just say that's how it is..."

He was about to continue downstairs, not wanting to lose face in the stairwell where people could pass by at any moment, but unexpectedly, Xingyu ran over even faster.

"Wow."

Running up the stairs was dangerous, especially since she was wearing a business suit and high heels. She quickly pounced on him and bumped into Asakawa Riku's back.

Fortunately, Asakawa Riku has been training for many years and has a very stable lower body. He won't lose his balance easily from a collision and can stand up with almost no swaying, but he looks helpless.

I always thought Xingyu was very professional, and even when she made a silly mistake, it wouldn't interfere with her work. I never expected her to have such a clingy side.

"You..."

"Thank you... thank you, Asakawa-kun, for pulling me back when I was most lost..."

But soon, Asakawa Riku slightly opened his mouth. He did not continue to walk forward, but stood still.

The girl's voice was tinged with a sob.

It seems that she is not as indifferent to her background as she appeared just now.

Yes, that's right. A little girl, orphaned and helpless since childhood, almost fell into a wolf's den, but luckily she met a kind lady and was able to crawl out of hell.

Hoshino's helplessness and confusion are constant throughout, but she has always been used to hiding herself, being a top student and a good maid, and never showing her true feelings.

Perhaps, it was only on that night on the deck, watching her dance in the moonlight, that she first tried to reveal her true feelings.

"I don't know why, but... I feel at ease when I see you. Asakawa-kun's kindness and tolerance, gentleness and patience, it feels like I could tell you everything."

Asakawa Riku remained silent, listening to the girl's words.

He began to understand why Xingyu had chosen to become an island and remain in the boundless sea rather than return.

It wasn't that she was suffering in Tokyo, nor that Shinonome Suetsuki had treated her badly; it was just that she felt lost and couldn't find her place in the world.

Do you want to continue working as a maid for the young lady, or do as she suggested and find a good job after graduation?

Like every teenager experiencing anxiety, Hoshino mistakenly believed that the sacred mission of "becoming an island and saving everyone on that island" was her responsibility, taking that mission as her destiny and feeling that she should continue like this... Only Asakawa Riku, disregarding everything, forced her way through six cycles of reincarnation and pulled her out.

"Asakawa-kun, there are only two important people in my life. One is Miss, who rescued me like a boat when I was drowning at sea and gave me a ride. The second is you. You not only did the same thing, but you also made me feel... I can entrust everything to you, just like I feel safe and secure with land..."

Listening to this, Asakawa Riku laughed: "Fish can get stranded on land, you know?"

"I'd be willing to be stranded."

To everyone's surprise, Xingyu spoke immediately without the slightest hesitation.

Then, she hugged Asakawa Riku tightly, as if unwilling to let go, and rubbed her face against his back affectionately before leaving.

"Don't look back... My face is very red, don't look at me, I'm going up."

Her last finger touched Asakawa Riku's ear, and it felt very hot.

Asakawa Riku stood in the stairwell for a long time, smelling the girl's tears on his back.

That tasted like... seawater.

Zashiki-warashi no Autumn: Chapter One - Flowers Blooming on the Ridge

"Flowers bloom on the ridge, **."

Shinonome Suetsuki threw a "one of bamboo" tile onto the table, a barely suppressed maniacal laugh playing on his lips: "Treasure tile—12!"

Three "One of Bamboo" tiles were prominently displayed on the tile mountain, while four "Two of Bamboo" tiles were set up in the corner of the table, instantly turning into terrifying weapons.

"The dealer is super powerful... each player pays 16000 points."

She placed her hands on the table, close to Asakawa Riku's forehead.

Those beautiful eyes transformed into those of a terrifying, bloodthirsty beast, as if its tongue were about to leap out and coil around his neck.

"You cheated, didn't you?"

Asakawa Riku coldly stared back at her.

...

Yes, they are playing mahjong, the standard Riichi mahjong rules, but only two people are playing, with their partners being computer AI.

In the meeting room of the Shinonome Detective Agency, there was a mahjong table that didn't quite fit in, but since there were usually no customers, the placement of the table was arbitrary.

Shinonome Suetsuki and Asakawa Riku sat opposite each other, next to a high stack of cash bills, and on the other side were sterilized syringes that sent chills down one's spine.

They were playing "blood-drawing mahjong".

The stakes are "blood," but only Asakawa Riku's stake is blood, while Shinonome Suetsuki's stake is an equivalent amount of money.

100cc of health points equals 100 million yen, a price that is absolutely impossible to sell outside. Therefore, Riku Asakawa was also tempted by it and sat down at the card table.

I originally just wanted to earn some pocket money and leave, but I never expected that sitting down would lead me into a dark abyss.

"...This is the dirty nature of the Dongyun family. Fathers, brothers and elders will use money to lure those desperate gamblers, watching them bet frantically even after they've been drained dry."

When Shinonome Suetsuki first set up the mountain of cards, she gently shook her head: "Don't say I didn't warn you beforehand, Kawasaki."

...

"I didn't cheat."

Mo Yue spread her hands, revealing clean, white, slender fingers that concealed nothing.

She added provocatively, "Besides, if I were to do anything underhanded, you wouldn't be able to hide it from me, would you?"

These words silenced Asakawa Riku.

She was right. Asakawa Riku's eyes were watching her every move the whole time, especially since there was only one real opponent, he wouldn't be distracted for even a moment.

His eyesight and perception allow him to completely predict a person's movements. Although he cannot see through the cards on the table, if an opponent wants to cheat, they will definitely not escape his eyes.

In Asakawa Riku's view, Suezuki was just playing cards in a proper manner, at most stretching lazily or taking some pills, without making any small movements that would interfere with the game.

"But... if there's no cheating, can one person really win so many big hands?"

He still couldn't quite believe it.

Asakawa Riku wasn't exactly a master of Riichi Mahjong; he only knew the basic gameplay, rules, and yaku (scoring), making him slightly better than a beginner. He knew how to maintain efficient tile play, how to discard tiles, and how to defend effectively based on the wall of tiles and his hand. With these skills, he won several rounds in his first half-round.

Although his hand wasn't strong, he steadily accumulated points and won a considerable amount of money.

At the time, Asakawa Riku was smug, thinking that he was about to take down the big dog.

But gradually, he began to notice something was wrong. It started when Dongyun's last round repeatedly showed "pure suit with terminal tiles", "mixed suit", and "pure suit", which was still okay. But in the end, it gradually turned into "***", "four concealed triplets", "unparalleled hero", and even in the last round, a shocking killing situation of "12 treasure tiles of the mountain" appeared...

All three indicated tiles are One of Bamboo? How low is that probability? And it's as if the last month knew it all along, as he specifically drew two of Bamboo!

Moreover, she used "flowers blooming on the ridge" to cheat. If you didn't know what the flipped card was, how could you do that?

She's practically a genius superpowered girl. If I didn't know what her real superpower was, I would have believed she had the Rinnegan again.

"If you played cards like that in a casino, you'd probably need ten hands to chop them off."

Asakawa Riku frowned.

Dongyun Suezuki nonchalantly stretched out her hand: "Take it or leave it—"

Yes, this guy is indeed reckless.

The detective, who possesses the superpower of "resurrection," can not only rapidly repair her physical injuries but also reassemble herself from complete death and dismemberment.

For her, having her hand cut off was not a real threat, since it could grow back at any time... So her stake wasn't "blood," but "money."

"I really can't find any evidence that you cheated."

Asakawa Riku sighed, pushed the cards over, and conceded defeat.

After all, I'm not someone who can't afford to lose, and when it comes to catching someone cheating, you have to catch them on the spot; there's no point in bringing it up afterward.

Furthermore, in Asakawa Riku's heart, there was a nagging feeling that Shinonome Suetsuki might not actually have cheated. Given her proud and arrogant personality, it was possible that she wouldn't stoop to such petty tricks. Considering her "hyperthymesia," the "memory morgue" brain structure, and her astonishing reasoning and calculation abilities, she might genuinely be a master card player.

She may actually have memorized them and calculated the approximate position of each card...

Besides, mahjong is not a game that can be won entirely by "skill". It is said that scientific mahjong is a dead end. What is more important is to grasp the invisible "card waves" and the unseen luck. In this respect, the first young lady of the first prize in this life, Dongyun Sueyue, will naturally not lose to anyone. Her luck has always been extraordinary.

That's why she was able to create one masterpiece after another, even the incredible "12 Treasures" of Ling Shang Kai Hua.

Asakawa Riku estimated that even if Shinonome Suetsuki had not reached the legendary "demon god" level, she was probably at the "upper level," which was truly terrifying!

"I should have cheated..."

He rolled up his sleeves and muttered to himself.

With his skill, let alone simple card swapping and sweating, he could easily grind an entire deck of cards down to a blank.

—That's because their moral standards are too high.

Riku Asakawa, true to his word, revealed his muscular arms. Although he possessed an invulnerable body, he was still unable to defend himself against the extremely high pressure of the syringe.

...As long as he doesn't deliberately break it. Otherwise, even a simple blood test won't be possible.

"16000 points is equal to 1600 cc of blood."

Shinonome Sugetsuki showed no pity, smiling as she put on plastic gloves and unpacked the syringe.

"It'll kill people, right? Drowning so much at once." Asakawa Riku said this, but still offered his arm: "If you play like this, who can beat you?"

He has made up his mind that gambling is immoral and against common sense, so he will play regular mahjong from now on and never touch such dangerous bets again.

Let's take this as a lesson.

But who knew that before Mo Yue leaned closer, she said something seemingly unintentionally:

"Actually, yes, there is..."

"There was once someone who beat me many times using these rules."

Zashiki-warashi no Aki: Chapter Two - Marineford War

"Ok?"

Asakawa Riku looked up: "Who is it?"

He couldn't believe that anyone could win the bet from Higashino Suetsuki, who possessed such incredible luck and extraordinary calculation and memory abilities.

But the girl in front of me chuckled and pretended to be mysterious, it seemed that her nasty personality had resurfaced, and she was determined not to say anything more.

"Try to deduce it yourself, assistant?"

"...I'm too lazy to reason."

Asakawa Riku snorted coldly. Not being led by the nose by this guy was the most important thing he had learned in the past year.

He cleared his throat again, became serious, and prepared to explain one of the important reasons why he had suddenly come to play mahjong today.

Staring intently at Shinonome Suetsuki before him, he said earnestly:

"Detective, I need to hire you for a job."

...

This story begins a week ago.

That memorable school trip was over, and after a uneventful summer vacation, the fall semester began.

It's that familiar feeling from students again: every time there's a long holiday, time seems to fly by.

But Asakawa Riku didn't actually dislike going to school, so he went to school as usual.

One day, as he was about to go home after school, he was stopped by a lot of people.

"Lu! Our whole class wants to ask you a favor this year!"

The leader was Hirata Hirokichi, his friend.

Upon hearing this opening, Asakawa Riku already sensed something was wrong. He had been used as a tool quite a bit over the past year, which wasn't a big deal for him, but the situations he had faced were far from minor.

He backed down: "...What's the big deal? Is it really necessary to use the 'whole class' as a bargaining chip?"

Haoji pressed on, saying, "This is very important. Please, this is a request for life!"