"We regret to inform you, Ms. Kawamata, that your parents were involved in an unexpected traffic accident and both passed away."
"The driver responsible was driving under the influence and will face legal punishment. As for compensation, it will require further negotiation."
Two officers from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department came personally to the Kawamata home to inform Kayako of her parents' deaths.
They did not stay long. After delivering the news, they said goodbye and left.
On the way back, the two spoke quietly, their voices filled with uncertainty and surprise.
"Do you not think Kayako Kawamata is really strange? She is clearly a pretty girl, but I do not know why I feel so disgusted by her."
"You feel it too? I felt the same when I saw her, but I thought it was just prejudice, so I did not say anything."
"How strange. When we were investigating that couple's cause of death, we wanted to check if they had any enemies, but all the neighbors nearby truly disliked the girl from the Kawamata family."
"At first I thought she looked odd or had a weird personality, but her appearance and personality are both fine. Yet people feel disgusted for no reason. It is really strange."
The two officers shook their heads.
They could not explain it either.
"Dad and Mom... died in a car accident?"
Kayako stood blankly in the doorway, holding Komuro, watching the officers leave.
There was secret joy in her heart, along with confusion and helplessness.
Her parents, who had always abused her, were dead. She was finally free, no longer beaten by them. That should have made her happy.
But after so many years, they were still her parents. Now, being alone in the suddenly empty house made her feel uneasy.
"Meow."
Komuro meowed softly, snapping Kayako back to her senses.
Looking at Komuro, Kayako smiled. She hugged the cat tightly and laughed.
"Komuro, nobody will hit you anymore, and nobody will chase you away anymore."
"Meow."
The black cat seemed to understand. It meowed happily and licked the back of Kayako's hand.
Knock, knock.
Just then, someone knocked on the old house door again.
Kayako was confused. She set the cat down, took two quick steps, and opened the door.
The person outside shocked her.
"Fujiwara-kun? Why are you here?"
"I live not far from here. I heard about your parents and was worried about you, so I came to check on you. Are you not going to invite me in?"
"Ah, please come in. You do not need to change your shoes, just come in. They, they often did not change their shoes at home either."
Toru walked into the Kawamata home.
The detached house was quite large, but since it was wooden, it required constant maintenance.
Clearly, the Kawamata family did not have the money for that, so the house looked badly decayed. The floors creaked underfoot, making it feel like it could collapse at any moment.
Kayako led him to the worn-out sofa in the living room, then went to prepare something to drink.
Komuro lay beside Toru and nudged him with its small head.
Toru looked around the house.
Although it was in Kita Ward and not a valuable area, the untrimmed trees outside almost completely blocked the south-facing windows.
Even at noon, the house felt gloomy, and it inexplicably reminded him of the Grudge movies he had watched before.
He glanced at the partitioned room with the paper sliding door. A ghost child was not going to crawl out of there, was it?
No, that was not right. Kayako could not possibly have a child.
Still, visiting this famous location made Toru feel uneasy.
"Fujiwara-kun, there is no tea or snacks at home. I can only give you a glass of water."
Kayako walked over awkwardly with a glass of water in her hands.
Toru, still thinking about the Grudge, was startled.
He quickly took the clean glass and smiled. "It is fine. I do not care about that."
After hesitating for a moment, he took a sip.
He told himself to stay calm and not act strangely.
The more he overthought it, the more likely something bad would happen. He needed to treat Kayako like a normal girl, just as he had before.
Toru said, "Kayako, you might not like hearing this, but your parents dying is also a good thing for you."
Kayako quickly shook her head. She lowered it, her dark, beautiful hair covering her face, and whispered, "Fujiwara-kun, please do not say that. You are right, it is good that they are gone."
"I will not be hit anymore, and Komuro will not have to worry about being thrown out. And... and they never even gave me enough to eat. It was always Fujiwara-kun who helped me."
Kayako looked at Toru beside her with longing.
Sitting so close to him made her heart pound nonstop.
Fujiwara-kun is in my house, sitting so close to me.
I really, really want to be with Fujiwara-kun. It would be so nice if we could stay together forever.
"Kayako? What are you thinking about?"
"Ah, sorry. I spaced out."
Kayako jolted and apologized again and again as she came back to her senses.
Oh no, how did I become like the perverts my classmates talk about? This, this is not good.
But if it is for Fujiwara-kun, I, I am willing.
She shifted her hips, pressing fully against Toru, then took deep breaths as if trying to inhale his scent into her lungs.
Toru noticed her small movements clearly, but he did not move away.
If he pulled back, Kayako might feel depressed and think he disliked her, and that would be bad.
Then Toru asked, "Do you have any other relatives you are close to?"
Kayako shook her head. "I have not seen any relatives since my grandmother passed away."
"Your parents are gone. Even if they did not leave much behind, this house is still worth something. Some relatives you have never met might try to claim your property under the excuse of adopting you."
"I can help you find a lawyer to handle these matters, and the compensation as well. A lawyer can help you negotiate and try to get as much as possible."
Toru offered his suggestion.
Kayako's life was miserable enough. He did not want some dramatic mess where relatives fought over the property too.
Of course, the lawyer he found would not be Eri.
It was already risky enough that he had gotten involved with Kayako. He did not want to drag Eri in too.
"Okay, Fujiwara-kun. Whatever you say."
"You silly girl. You do not even ask anything. Are you not afraid I will trick you?"
"I believe Fujiwara-kun would not trick me. Even, even if you did, I would still be willing."
Kayako stared at him, her eyes full of infatuation, her breathing growing rapid.
"Fujiwara-kun, I saw news about you online. You, you were not hurt, were you?"
Kayako looked at him with fear, her voice trembling like she was about to cry.
Just remembering the suffocating pain she felt when she saw the news, Kayako could not forget it.
"I am right here beside you. I am fine, not hurt at all."
"That is good. Those people..."
"Hm?"
"Those who hurt Fujiwara-kun, they all deserve to die!"
The moment she said "die," Toru felt an icy draft sweep through the gloomy house.
Goosebumps rose across his skin, and he even felt cold sweat.
For someone like Toru, who had seen countless corpses and been through countless situations, that reaction was unbelievable.
He glanced at Kayako beside him.
She still had her head lowered, her hair covering her face, so he could not see her expression.
But Toru had the strong feeling that her expression right now was vicious.
The good news was that her resentment was not directed at him, but at his enemies.
He just did not know whether this kind of curse was actually effective.
"Kayako, your house is old and in bad shape. It is damp and cold. I will pay for renovations and hire a company to fix it up for you."
To be honest, he felt uncomfortable sitting here. The trees outside also needed trimming. After it was repaired and redecorated, he could visit her more often too.
Kayako did not hear the rest. She only heard that Toru would come visit her often.
She said happily, "I will listen to Fujiwara-kun about everything. When the compensation comes, I will pay you back."
"No need. I do not lack that money. Keep it for emergencies. You are not an adult yet and you do not have steady income. Having money on hand will help you feel secure."
"Now you are free, but you are still alone. I will come by from time to time."
"Fujiwara-kun, you are so kind. Then, then can we still meet at night after this?"
"Of course. When I am home, I go for a night run. If you want to see me, it will still be the same time and the same place."
"Okay!"
Kayako nodded hard.
As long as she could keep seeing Fujiwara-kun, nothing else mattered.
"Let us go. I will take you out for a meal."
Toru checked the time on his phone and added, "From now on, when you are home alone, you should also learn how to cook."
"I learned in home economics class. When I get good at it, I will invite Fujiwara-kun to eat the food I make."
"Okay."
Toru took Kayako out and found a random ramen shop nearby.
On the way back, he took her to the supermarket and bought instant food, milk, and other groceries, along with some ingredients so she could practice cooking.
Of course, he also bought canned food for Komuro.
When they reached the Kawamata home's entrance, Kayako reluctantly said goodbye and went inside.
But when she thought about Toru visiting often in the future, she felt happy again.
Back at the Western-style mansion, Toru handed a few strands of black hair to Haibara.
"What is this? A woman's hair?"
Haibara looked at the strands in confusion, then stared at Toru with a questioning gaze.
"Study it and see if there is anything unusual, like APTX4869."
Seeing how serious he was, Haibara nodded. "Got it. I will study it carefully and tell you the results when I find them."
Just then, Toru's phone rang.
A call from Deputy Director Burns?
Toru frowned, picked up the phone, and walked to a corner.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)