Not a detective

Page 3

“You stay here… Don’t worry, it won’t affect you.” The father seemed to understand Asakawa Riku’s unspoken meaning and thoughtfully explained, “We’re going to Africa.”

Africa? Tourism?

Asakawa Riku increasingly felt it was all a lie. To elope without even discussing it with his only son, and on the very first day of school no less... what kind of nonsense was this...?

He was in a dilemma, but since he had decided to be an ordinary high school student, he couldn't just give up his studies and run off to Africa. He could only hold onto hope.

"When will you come back?"

The mother pointed to a small envelope on the table in the back living room: "Lu, the bank card PIN inside is your birthday, and there's enough for three months' living expenses."

Asakawa Riku breathed a sigh of relief: "You'll be back in three months, right?"

After all, he is mentally an adult, so living alone for a few months is not a difficult task for him.

“We haven’t decided when we’ll be back…and we might not come back at all.” The father smiled awkwardly. “You’ll have to earn your own living expenses and school fees from now on.”

Asakawa Riku: "?"

"Lu, we'll miss you," the mother said expressionlessly, as if reciting a line.

They hurried out the door, dragging their suitcases. The father turned back and pointed to the envelope:

"Besides the bank card, there's a business card. It's from connections I made in my early business days. It helped me find a good job, I think it's tutoring rich kids or something. Anyway, the pay is very good, more than any job you could find outside. It should be enough to cover your living expenses."

"You must stay safe and sound."

Then they left, without a tender embrace or a tearful farewell, leaving Asakawa Riku still confused.

And this empty house.

He hasn't even disappeared because of the murder threat yet, and now his parents have disappeared first...

Asakawa Riku realized that his life trajectory seemed to have undergone a huge change starting today.

...

After putting down his schoolbag, he pondered and calmed down for a while.

Instead of opening the envelope right away, he went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator first.

There are still some fresh ingredients; that should be enough for this week.

Asakawa Riku isn't very good at cooking, so he'll have to learn how to buy groceries and cook from now on. He'll experiment with recipes from the internet. But then again, the food from his hometown is still the best for him.

Ultimately, he only lived to be 18 in his previous life, and had no experience of living independently. Everything was an unknown challenge for him.

"Not bad at all."

But he was still cheerful, because for teenagers, it's always more comfortable to be without parental constraints.

Asakawa Riku's original life plan was to return to Japan to work after graduating from university for four years, but he has been hesitant, wondering if it would be a bad idea to leave his parents here.

But since these two people were able to do such a thing, it also relieved Asakawa Riku of his psychological burden.

He no longer felt lost and became more determined in his goals.

Everything seems to be going well, as long as there's no worry about money.

Sure enough, there was a bank card in the envelope. Asakawa Riku erased the ballpoint pen writing of his birthday on the back and planned to withdraw some money from the bank tomorrow.

How much would three months' living expenses be?

He estimated it to be around 30 yen. Of course, he doesn't need to pay rent, and student expenses are not high, so it might be even lower.

If my parents haven't come back by next year, I'll still have to pay tuition...

If they haven't returned in three years, the cost of university will be an even greater burden.

"That's so irresponsible..."

Asakawa Riku sighed.

The lack of money is a more urgent and realistic crisis than a "murderous love letter." If he had ever been in a band, he would now have to announce its disbandment.

We can't just sit around and do nothing. Fortunately, my father wasn't a complete scoundrel; he left me his contact information for a job that supposedly pays well, so I wouldn't have to work as a phone customer service representative anymore.

"Private tutor?"

This part-time job didn't surprise Asakawa Riku much, because in his previous life he was an eighteen-year-old high school student who transmigrated, which is the time when a person's secondary school knowledge reaches its peak. So after transmigrating, he found studying easy and didn't have any difficulties. He didn't deliberately act like a child prodigy, but his grades were always among the best in the school.

His father's recommendation for him to work as a tutor was likely based on his academic achievements.

Riku Asakawa had never done similar work before, but thinking about it, tutoring a little kid shouldn't be too difficult.

"Why is it always a little kid..."

If possible, Asakawa Riku would prefer to meet five rich young ladies who look very similar.

He picked up the remaining business card from the envelope, and as he turned it over, he was unexpectedly stunned:

"Shinonome Detective Agency...?"

The Spring of the Earth Spider: Chapter 5 - My senior said, "Don't leave after school."

Shinonome Detective Agency

We accept all private investigation commissions, including but not limited to pet searches, infidelity investigations, business intelligence gathering, dispute mediation, and case solving.

[For inquiries, please call: XXX-XXXXX]

Asakawa Riku looked at it several times; the envelope contained only this business card.

Wasn't this supposed to be a private tutor? How come it's the contact information for a detective agency?

Could it be that bastard father put it in the wrong place...?

He hadn't realized he'd changed how he addressed them, and when he called to inquire, he discovered his parents' phone numbers were no longer in service and couldn't be reached.

Or rather, the job involves working at this detective agency?

The business card had an office phone number on it. Asakawa Riku really wanted to call and ask how to bring his parents back, but it was already late at night, so he had to give up.

Today is only Monday, and I still need to attend school. So, I'll look for a part-time job over the weekend.

Having made his decision, Asakawa Riku went to sleep as usual.

...

The next afternoon after school, Asakawa Riku saw a barely noticeable figure standing at the back door of the classroom.

"Who is that cute girl...?"

"Don't talk nonsense, he's a senior!"

"I've heard some rumors about her... they're quite scary..."

Shh, don't let anyone hear us.

If it weren't for the faint whispers coming from the classroom, he wouldn't have been able to tell who it was.

When she walked up to her, Chizuko-senpai looked up excitedly and said, "You're here."

Are you trying to ambush me?

Asakawa Riku sighed, ignoring the curious gazes of his classmates behind him.

"Blocked?" She tilted her head.

"It means... 'Don't leave after school'."

"What are you talking about? This isn't school bullying!"

Chizuko put her hands on her hips and said, "I'm not some delinquent girl. I was just worried about your safety, so I came to check on you."

She spoke loudly, as if she felt no shame at all. Before the jeers behind them could start, Asakawa Riku quickly pulled her away.

Chizuko wore her uniform in a very special way. It wasn't the season for summer uniforms yet, so she wore long sleeves, but her sleeves seemed to be longer than others'. She hid her entire hand inside the cuffs, only revealing a few small fingers. I remember it was a style called "cute sleeves," or maybe her arms were just shorter.

However, this allows Asakawa Riku to hold her wrist without worrying about the offense of skin contact.

"Hey...hey! Stop it!"

But Chizuko had only been pulled two steps away when she hurriedly called out.

Asakawa Riku had a very precise control over the force; he didn't think he had used much strength, but since the other party had said so, he released his grip.

"Senior, I think I've already said that I won't join the mystery club, and you don't need to worry about that letter."

The two walked side by side down the corridor, their height difference quite noticeable.

"Asakawa-san, you didn't go to the police station yesterday, did you?"

Chizuko suddenly said.

"You're following me?" Asakawa Riku stared at her in surprise, not expecting this guy's obsession to reach such a level, still pestering her even after she had clearly refused.

"No."

She smiled back, a sweet smile that didn't seem like she was lying.

Asakawa Riku thought for a moment, then suddenly turned around and quickened his pace.

"Hey, hello!"

Running was not allowed in the corridor, but he started walking briskly, his steps so fast that his shadow was barely visible as he strode forward.

Who would suddenly quicken their pace while walking side-by-side with a girl? Or is he running away?

Chizuko was stunned and quickly stretched out her short legs to follow.

But running is not allowed in the corridor. She could barely keep up with Asakawa Riku's one step with two steps, and now that his pace had increased, she couldn't catch up at all.

The two of them remained in this comical pose as they chased each other down the corridor, with Chizuko waving her hands with great effort, looking extremely strained.

This was a problem that should have been an endless pursuit, and Asakawa Riku stopped in front of the faculty office.

"Kazamatsuri-senpai, is there something wrong with your leg?"

"……what?"

Chizuko was walking with her head down and almost bumped into it. Hearing this, she became even angrier.

But when she looked up and saw Asakawa Riku, the boy didn't seem to be mocking her; instead, he was staring intently at her legs.

"Wait, can you tell... I thought it was well hidden."

She was a little surprised and smoothed out her skirt: "I had an accident when I was little... um, I have a problem with my right leg."

"You walk differently than normal people."

Asakawa Riku said calmly.

He had learned some basic martial arts. Any fighting technique requires observing the opponent. Power originates from the feet, is transmitted to the waist, and then to the shoulders. These key parts are called "apertures." By observing their changes, one can anticipate the opponent's intention to attack or dodge, and thus apply corresponding "strategies."

This isn't just about fighting. Just like Riku Asakawa can observe a baseball batter's movements from afar, he can deduce the final landing point of the baseball from the angle of his steps and the direction of his shoulder-driven arm rotation. The human body is a sophisticated machine, but it also has the weakness of a machine, namely mechanical repetition.

By observing just one detail, one can see through the whole picture.

Riku Asakawa had done some research in this area, but he didn't think it was any great skill; at best, it was just at the "human" level.

While he was being chased, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Chizuko-senpai's walking style was strange. Others might not have noticed, as they all lifted their legs to land, but he couldn't ignore it—

"It seems like you're not exerting force on your own, but rather something is supporting your right leg."

"...Really, that's amazing!"

Chizuko's eyes lit up, and she uttered a sound of admiration.

Riku Asakawa is now certain that Chizuko did not follow him last night.

He is naturally observant and not easily followed, let alone someone with a strange walking posture.

Even if the sound of his feet landing off-beat was mixed in with the huge crowd in the school corridor, he could still distinguish it accurately; there was no way he wouldn't notice it.