After spending an hour in the bedroom with his little sister, Hayashi Shuichi finally headed downstairs.
As he approached the izakaya, Mouri Kogoro burst out, drenched in sweat.
"What's wrong?" Hayashi Shuichi asked, puzzled.
"Did Yingli and Yukiko eat gunpowder today?" Mouri Kogoro grumbled. "They're in there sniping at each other with passive-aggressive jabs. The vibe in the shop's all weird now."
"Shuichi, I can't take it anymore. Call me when dinner's ready."
With that, he bolted up to the third floor.
Mouri Kogoro could escape, but Hayashi Shuichi had no such luxury.
Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he pushed open the izakaya door.
The moment he stepped inside, he caught Fei Yingli's biting sarcasm: "If that shameless vixen hadn't stuck her butt out, how could Shuichi have touched it!"
Fujimine Yukiko fired back instantly: "Some people's scrawny butts wouldn't get a second glance from Shuichi, even if they tried!"
"Talking like this in the shop isn't great, is it?" Hayashi Shuichi interjected with a nervous smile. "If someone overhears…"
"Forget other people," Fujimine Yukiko huffed. "Just tell me, am I right or not?"
Fei Yingli, teeth gritted, demanded, "Didn't you say it was an accident because the train was crowded? Why's she saying you touched her on purpose?"
Both questions were traps, and Hayashi Shuichi wasn't foolish enough to answer. But letting them keep bickering wasn't an option either.
"Alright, enough!"
His face stern, Hayashi Shuichi slapped the table. "Keep this up, and we might as well not open the shop today! No personal stuff in the izakaya from now on."
"Wahh," Fujimine Yukiko fake-cried, milking the moment. "The glasses girl bullies me, and you don't even help—you scold me instead!"
Fei Yingli's eyes blazed as she shouted, "Hayashi Shuichi! You dare slam the table at me?"
"Alright, alright, my bad, okay?" Hayashi Shuichi backpedaled, pleading. "Look at the time. If we keep this up, are we even doing business today?"
The two girls locked eyes, reluctance simmering, before finally backing off in a temporary truce.
…
The next day, per their prior agreement, Hayashi Shuichi called Otomo Hiroki, a friend of Fujimine Yukiko's parents and a screenwriter in the film industry.
Last week, Otomo had visited the izakaya with the Fujimines, asking Hayashi Shuichi to help find his girlfriend, Mio, who'd been missing for six months.
Half an hour later, Otomo Hiroki pulled up to the izakaya.
Besides Hayashi Shuichi, Fei Yingli, Fujimine Yukiko, and Reiko were there, all intrigued by the case. Mouri Kogoro, meanwhile, was still sleeping upstairs.
"Tell us the details," Hayashi Shuichi said, pouring Otomo a cup of oolong tea.
"Mio and I met last June," Otomo began, reminiscing. "We hit it off great. On October 12th, Mio invited me hiking, and we stayed at a lodge in the suburbs."
"That night, Mio said she wasn't feeling well and went to rest in her room. Ten minutes later, I checked on her, but she was gone! I searched the entire lodge—no sign of her."
"I called the police right away, but by the time they arrived the next day, those useless cops just did a quick sweep, decided Mio left on her own, and closed the case."
"But that's impossible! Mio and I were so close. Why would she just vanish without a word?"
"If she wanted to break up, she could've said so. There's no need to disappear like that!"
Hayashi Shuichi pondered. "If the police ruled she left willingly, they must've had a reason, right?"
"They checked her room—no signs of a struggle. Plus…" Otomo hesitated, reluctant to continue.
"If you want to find her, you need to tell us everything," Hayashi Shuichi urged. "Otherwise, I can't help."
"It's not a big deal," Otomo said, wavering before continuing. "A few days before she disappeared, Mio borrowed some money from me."
"The police used that to claim she took off to dodge the debt."
"How much?" Fei Yingli asked curiously. "Was there an IOU?"
"We were a couple. Mio needed the money for her mom's treatment," Otomo said, waving it off. "Why would I make her sign an IOU?"
"After she disappeared," Hayashi Shuichi asked, "did you try visiting her mother?"
"No," Otomo shook his head. "I don't know where her mom lives. I couldn't visit even if I wanted to."
"You dated Mio for four months," Hayashi Shuichi said, his expression odd. "She never mentioned her mother, then suddenly, days before vanishing, said her mom was sick and needed money for treatment?"
"I know what you're getting at!" Otomo snapped, slamming the table. "You're like those cops, thinking she's a con artist, aren't you?"
"I do think it's possible," Hayashi Shuichi said bluntly. "Logically, it's a strong likelihood."
"Mio didn't tell me about her mom because she didn't want me spending money on her," Otomo said, his voice rising with emotion. "She wanted our relationship to stay pure, free of money!"
"It wasn't until October, when her mom's condition worsened, that she had no choice but to ask me for help!"
"Before that, when we went on dates, we always split the bill, fair and square!"
"A girl like that—how could she be a scammer?"
Goddamn, isn't this the classic gold-digger playbook?
Hayashi Shuichi was speechless.
Japan, at this economic peak, saw women's status soar alongside feminist ideals, raising expectations in relationships.
Some women embraced "romantic capitalism," the idea that they should have multiple boyfriends to meet different needs—the so-called "three wallets theory."
A woman out shopping needed at least three men: one to pay for the cab, one to cover meals, and one to handle shopping expenses—dubbed the "driver," "meal ticket," and "ATM."
Yet, these women wouldn't marry any of them, reserving their "true love" for their destined partner.
This wild ideology was gospel to many Tokyo women.
Compared to them, Mio—who split bills and kept money out of the relationship—seemed like a saint. No wonder Otomo was so smitten.
Hayashi Shuichi was still mulling over how to respond when Fujimine Yukiko sighed. "Mio's right. Love shouldn't be tainted by other things."
He turned, surprised, to see all three girls—Fei Yingli, Yukiko, and even the usually rational Reiko—nodding in agreement…
(End of Chapter)
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