Not a detective

Page 77

"Actually, three years ago, that was the year I turned eighteen and became an adult."

"On this day that year, at the Christmas dinner, I was placed first in the order of heirs in the will, just once."

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Sixteen - False Prophecy

It must be admitted that, for a fleeting moment, Asakawa Riku showed a rather surprised expression.

Being the first in line for inheritance is equivalent to inheriting this massive company and group after the death of the local tyrant, becoming the next controller of the Dongyun Zaibatsu.

Take control of this business empire and become a new generation of giant.

Is Shinonome Suetsuki sitting in the top seat?

Just imagining this is incredibly exaggerated; her terrible personality might be even more disastrous than the current situation.

"Don't make such a rude face. Of course I know it's inappropriate."

Mo Yue glared at him: "At the time, this news was kept strictly confidential, and no one knew about it. It was only when the butler called me to his office one day that I heard the old man tell me in person, and I also saw the signature and legal verification of the will that I believed it was true... That old man believed in my [superpower] and thought that my prophetic foresight could lead the group to eternal glory."

It turned out to be the case.

"what……"

That absurd imagination instantly became reality, and Asakawa Riku immediately understood Shinonome Kosuke's intention. Indeed... if it were true, it would definitely be worth a try.

Shinonome Sugetsuki's incredible Rinnegan allows him to see fragments of the past and future, even if they are just scattered images, which is enough to make him a prophet and a medium.

With her abilities, she could be a formidable helmsman in the business world. She is absolutely adept at avoiding danger and making the right choices every time. Even when piloting such a massive ship, she can avoid all the hidden reefs and dig for treasures wherever they are found. With a captain like her, this empire will undoubtedly continue to grow stronger.

Shinonome Kosuke's will that time was probably serious, no doubt about it.

"The old man showed me a year's summary report, including data submitted by various departments and companies... After I finished reading it, I wrote ten suggestions."

Dongyun Moyue said calmly, "They really did follow my decision, and in less than half a year, the group's overall stock price dropped by more than ten points, multiple supply chains experienced defaults, funds were scarce in many places, and we had to borrow money to stay afloat. Even the product quality had problems. My interview results were terrible, and I was fired."

"...Are you laughing?"

"No."

She childishly pressed down the corners of her mouth.

Asakawa Riku finally understood: this girl did it on purpose; she absolutely did it on purpose.

In order to avoid being involved in the inheritance, she deliberately messed up the interview. Even if a normal person had operated conservatively according to last year's policies, they would at least have achieved nothing. How could she possibly get zero on all the test papers? Just like in an exam, to fill in all the multiple-choice questions and still get zero, one must know the correct answers.

Yes, she must have used her superpowers to foresee the right course of action, yet she made the completely opposite decision, ultimately leading to the breakdown of the relationship.

If she had used her abilities normally, she might have been able to expand the company even further, but she chose not to, and instead went against her family.

Higashino Kosuke must have realized this, which is why he was so furious and exiled her.

"why?"

Asakawa Riku admitted that he was a vulgar person. Not to mention greedy, he would definitely try to make a fortune in this situation.

“Because that kind of life is not suitable for me, Lu. Don’t be fooled by how imposing that old man on the stage is, right? Everyone admires and worships him, right? What I actually see is a corpse surrounded by a flock of crows, just waiting for the day when the corpse is completely rotten and smelly. They will then be unable to resist rushing forward to snatch and tear off a piece of flesh. I don’t want to live that kind of life.”

Suezuki replied that she could finally tell that the emotion in his eyes was "sorrow":

“For me, opening a detective agency is the happiest thing. I have achieved my goal, but I never expected that this would be targeted.”

I thought I had escaped the center of the storm, but I never expected to become an assassination target again today.

"Does anyone know about this past event, that you were once chosen as the heir?"

Asakawa Riku was still pondering his motives. He cautiously looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation.

“No, every change of will is a strictly confidential matter, and all those who know about it must be absolute confidants. What happened back then was known only to me, the butler, the old man, and his lawyer. Now that you're included, there are five people in total.” Mo Yue shook her head and denied it: “Besides, I've already been replaced, so there's no point in killing me.”

Even Hoshino doesn't know... This thought popped into Asakawa Riku's mind, and he fell into deep thought.

What happened back then might be the key to breaking the deadlock...

Just as he was thinking, Moyue suddenly said something else:

"It's my turn. Let's talk later."

Then, she strode away, her high heels clicking as she brushed past him.

Asakawa Riku paused for a moment, only then realizing that he had been distracted by the conversation and had inadvertently missed several birthday wishes from members of the Dongyun family; he had unknowingly reached the nineteenth one.

Oh well, if we go by what was said earlier, then those older brothers and sisters whose names I can't even remember probably aren't really suspects, so I'm too lazy to check their names one by one.

He watched as the beautiful white swan emerged from the darkness, its slender legs stepping into the light, like a dancer radiant with starlight.

Asakawa Riku became more vigilant. Shinonome Suetsuki went up alone, and the lights at this moment became the best indicator for the crowd, which could very well be the signal for the assassination to be carried out.

He silently scanned the crowd, including every corner of the ceiling, and could react immediately to any reflection from a scope or any unusual smell of gunpowder.

...This distance should be enough.

I stepped forward slightly to make sure I could rescue the person at any moment.

Shinonome Suetsuki stood in the center of the stage.

She was out of place among the others; not only was she the youngest sister in the family, but she was also all alone, without any family.

They didn't even prepare any gifts, arriving empty-handed.

Some people in the audience looked surprised, but most seemed unfazed and silently ignored the awkward scene.

Finally, the local tyrant on the throne noticed the unnaturally long silence and raised his head—

"Oh, it's you."

Kosuke Shinonome let out a dry laugh. He was neither angry nor showed any other expression. He waved his hand and said, "If you don't have anything to say, then next one."

There was none of the expected prime-time drama or intense conflict; it was like punching cotton.

He just brushed it off lightly, as if the other party had never cared. His gaze wasn't deliberately contemptuous; on the contrary, it was exceptionally arrogant.

But Shinonome Suetsuki is clearly not satisfied with this outcome.

She looked down at the female celebrity fawning over the old man and sneered:

"How pitiful... My mother was like that back then, where is she now?"

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Seventeen - The Strongest

The audience fell silent instantly.

When everyone went on stage, they all tacitly ignored the woman next to them, as if she had been automatically blocked out of their field of vision.

Even if this woman is definitely not their mother, or rather, it's very rare for any of these nineteen people to have been born to the same mother.

Only Shinonome Suetsuki said these words in front of everyone.

"The last month."

The old man responded slowly and calmly.

His fingertips traced the actress's neck, and the woman obediently raised her head, completely ignoring his gaze, as docile as a cat. No wonder he was recognized as a great actor.

After tonight's "performance," what kind of hot leading role will she be able to land next year?

"She is not the same as your mother. In this world, the weak must rely on the strong to gain more benefits. This is the absolute law of survival and the most important rope to climb up. Your mother is so stupid that she doesn't understand this, but she does. So, Moyue, I suggest you think about this sentence carefully."

The last moon still looked down at the conversation:

"You mean you're the strong one, so all of us weaklings should kneel down and worship you, right?"

“No.” However, the old man shook his head and held up a finger: “You are also a strong person!”

Everyone was startled, as if they could hear a gasp.

"However, it pains me that you lack the sense of responsibility that comes with being a strong person. Is it because I haven't set a good example, or because I haven't taught you properly?"

Higashino Kosuke slowly lowered his fingers, pretending to be deep in thought and troubled.

Mo Yue's eyes darkened: "Oh... since I am the strong one in your eyes, how about writing my name in this year's will?"

Upon hearing this, the people in the audience were not only surprised, but also could no longer sit still.

Especially the older brothers and sisters who had just finished performing couldn't help but shout:

"Don't be disrespectful to Father!"

"Don't embarrass yourself in front of the guests!"

"You bastard who insulted the name of Shinonome!"

None of the people before him dared to mention the "will," except for Dongyun Sueyue, who disregarded all the rules.

That would have been fine; if Father had gotten angry about it, it would have been exactly what they wanted. The problem was that Father not only wasn't angry, but he seemed quite satisfied with this stray dog ​​who had been kicked out of the house, even calling him a "strongman." This made the group feel a great sense of crisis, and they couldn't help but stand together and start slandering him.

Amidst the noise, Mo Yue remained unfazed, a smile playing on her lips:

"……How about it?"

“It’s not the right time yet.” After a moment of silence, Higashino Kosuke shook his head. “I see further than you, Sueki. Do you know what I’ve seen? Whether you like it or not, one day you will have to accept the shackles and the throne. This is not a future you can change, but an irreplaceable destiny.”

He waved his hand again, dismissing the guests once more.

"As for today, you didn't give me a gift, but I prepared one for you. Don't be so moved that you cry; this is fatherly love."

Mo Yue's smile vanished instantly, quite obviously.

Perhaps some things possess the ability to foresee the future, yet are unobservable.

Riku Asakawa didn't know what Higashino Kosuke meant by those words; he only saw the detective girl walk down from the stage and back.

Gift?

Could it be that the gift is an assassination? But that contradicts what he said. Perhaps Shinonome Kosuke really wants to give this business empire to his youngest daughter.

But Moyue couldn't refuse... fate... what does that mean...?

The current information is insufficient for deduction, and the thinking has yielded no results, just as the last moon arrives.

"Thank you for your hard work," Asakawa Riku said.

"I really want to unleash a devastating rock-shattering, sky-splitting slash like that..."

She sounded tired, and her shoulders relaxed. Usually, by this time, she would have already closed the shop and gone to sleep in the lounge.

But the banquet was far from over.

Because the queue hadn't reached its end, after the direct descendants, the people offering birthday greetings became other collateral relatives, and even invited guests.

They also went on stage to perform, beaming with enthusiastic smiles and carefully crafted blessings, carrying all sorts of gifts.

Although these people have little to do with the "inheritance dispute," or even nothing at all, as long as the local tyrant is still in power, currying favor with him becomes their ultimate goal, whether they have something to ask for or are just trying to build a relationship. Asakawa Riku seemed to see the old man holding a white cat in his arms, sitting in a chair like a godfather, listening.

Asakawa Riku witnessed a rare scene where members of parliament, high-ranking government officials, and even representatives of the Kyoto Prefectural Police and local yakuza leaders stepped forward one after another.

In comparison, there's no need to mention the various wealthy businessmen, entertainment industry producers, and directors.

No wonder they strictly prohibit bringing cell phones and electronic devices in. Just think about it: if any media reporter were allowed in, they could create big news stories for more than a month.

He stopped listening to the platitudes and took the opportunity to try almost all the food in the banquet hall that interested him. Of course, he didn't eat too much for fear of affecting his movements, but he did get to taste most of the dishes.

Indeed, the chef's skills were quite good, which improved his impression of the banquet.

The detective also ate something from her plate; after all, judging by the time, she probably hadn't eaten much all day.

But he only tried it briefly and soon put down his knife and fork.

No wonder she's so thin, there's definitely a reason for it.

Just when Asakawa Riku thought the banquet would pass peacefully, the birthday celebration procession was almost at its end.

The last person to walk onto the stage seemed to surprise everyone. These people's performances were also nearing their limit, and they had long since become numb, just like Asakawa Riku.