The most painful thing in life is knowing the truth, but still having to pretend and carry out what is called an "investigation."
Lin Yi followed Ryoko to Akagi Hideo's apartment.
When the door opened, she made a gesture to invite him in, and Ryoko said, "Please, come in."
Then, she went to change her shoes.
"Wait... does the door lock show signs of having been forced?"
Just as Lin Yi was about to close the door, he stopped and asked, "Did this happen yesterday as well?"
"Yes," Ryoko nodded with a worried expression, changing into slippers. "When I came back yesterday, it was like this. Mamoru was kidnapped by the criminals when they broke in here."
"Really?"
Lin Yi closed the door and walked over to the shoe rack to take a look. "So... were the shoes at the entrance neatly arranged?"
"Eh?" Ryoko didn't understand the relevance of that question but answered, "Yes... the shoes at the entrance were very neatly arranged."
"Huh... now I understand."
Lin Yi couldn't help but think about how "thoughtful" the kidnappers were.
How kind they were, not only did they take the victim, but they also made sure he wore slippers, and then they returned the shoes to the rack.
With how clumsy they were, if I run into them, it won't be hard to catch them.
Lin Yi took off his shoes and put on the slippers. "Let's check out the living room."
Once in the living room, Ryoko quickly asked, "Would you like something to drink?"
"Water will be fine... Is Mamoru's room around here?"
Lin Yi pointed in a direction.
He really didn't need to ask, because he already knew where the room was. He wasn't foolish enough not to know. He only asked to show some courtesy.
"Yes," Ryoko nodded.
"Then, I'll take a look."
Lin Yi walked toward the room and quickly arrived in front of the door with the sign that said "Akagi Mamoru."
When he opened the door and glanced inside, he saw that the room was very messy.
This room had clearly been deliberately messed up.
Not only were all the small items thrown on the floor, but even the big furniture, including the bed, had been overturned.
Lin Yi couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. How foolish the kidnappers were...
Kidnapping, then? Or was it a break-in robbery?
Did you leave the room so messy because you faced the target in a battle of three hundred moves? Only after a long struggle did you manage to capture him?
The person you kidnapped is Akagi Mamoru, right? Or is it the Monkey King, Sun Wukong?
Even if it's a break-in robbery, why the hell are you ransacking a child's room?
Do you think there are valuable things in a child's room? Or are you after his hidden money?
Seeing the room so messy, Lin Yi couldn't help but shake his head.
Although he didn't know the answer beforehand, just by looking at the state of the place, he could deduce a few things.
Being a kidnapper is also a discipline, and some people simply aren't cut out for this job.
"Lin Yi, water."
Ryoko came out of the room and offered him a glass of water.
Lin Yi took it without hesitation, drank a good amount in one gulp, and then naturally handed the glass back to Ryoko.
She instinctively took it and asked, "How is it? What have you discovered?"
Lin Yi looked at Ryoko and, smiling, said, "I've discovered that... it took you 1 minute and 9 seconds to serve me water, which means you also spent some time looking for the glass. Clearly, you don't come here often."
"Yes... that's true," Ryoko replied, somewhat uncomfortable under his close scrutiny. Furthermore, thinking that he was paying so much attention to her made her face flush.
Ah!! Ryoko! Don't do this!
Now is not the time for silly thoughts!
Right now, little Mamoru is kidnapped!
How can you think about that in a situation like this?
Ryoko shook her head to stop her thoughts and quickly raised her gaze to ask, "Lin Yi, can you bring Mamoru back?"
"Yes."
Lin Yi answered without hesitation.
"Yes?" Ryoko was surprised, then a joyful expression appeared on her face. "So... how do we find him?"
"It's not difficult... you just need to answer one question," said Lin Yi.
"Yes, any question, I will answer," Ryoko replied, nodding vigorously.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Lin Yi smiled playfully.
"Huh~~?" Ryoko was surprised by the question and, unable to stop herself, her face turned red. She lowered her gaze, avoiding looking at Lin Yi, with a somewhat embarrassed expression. "U... um... that... question doesn't seem related to finding Mamoru, does it?"
"It is related..." Lin Yi replied. "This question has to do with how I feel. A person's mood affects work efficiency... so it's actually a very important question."
"I... don't have one," Ryoko said, clutching the glass tightly, answering the question with difficulty.
"Why don't you have one?" Lin Yi, very curious, asked. "You're so cute. Your short brown hair, with such an adorable bow in the back... surely a lot of guys follow you, right?"
Ryoko, unconsciously, touched her hair and the bow behind her head, embarrassed to the extreme. "It's just that... I don't participate in extracurricular activities, and when school ends, I work... I'm not very sociable, so I don't have many friends."
"I see... those guys really have no vision," Lin Yi commented.
Ryoko was now completely embarrassed by Lin Yi's continuous compliments, and she lowered her head with an expression as if she wanted to bury herself in the floor.
Her mood was already affected by Lin Yi's words.
But she quickly composed herself, lifted her gaze, and said, "Now... now is not the time to talk about that. The most important thing right now is finding Mamoru."
"Don't worry about that."
Lin Yi naturally placed his hands on her shoulders, turned her slightly, and then gently pushed her into the living room. "I already have some clues."
"You have clues?" Ryoko was surprised, but part of her attention was also distracted by the fact that Lin Yi was pushing her forward.
"Yes..."
Lin Yi nodded. "Actually, the kidnapper is quite obvious. It's just that you were too nervous... and didn't sleep well last night, so you didn't notice who it was."
"How do you know I didn't sleep well last night?"
Ryoko couldn't help but look at Lin Yi with wide eyes full of curiosity.
Who could sleep after a kidnapping happened right under their nose? How silly.
"Because your dark circles are quite obvious."
Lin Yi raised his hand and gently touched the area under her eyes. "It's hard not to notice."
"Is... is that so?"
Ryoko quickly looked ahead again, feeling a little disoriented.
------------------------
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