The other party's gesture was a provocation or something else, but Beichuan Si simply did not care.
However—
"No matter if it's for Huili or myself, I must quickly capture this deranged maniac."
The person brazenly extended his arm into their home, arrogantly indicating he shouldn't act rashly, that he could easily enter Beichuan Si's house and he could treat them the same way as those dead.
Beichuan Si himself had little concern, the key was Beichuan Huili.
School was starting tomorrow, and letting Beichuan Huili go alone was truly unsafe.
Beichuan Si made up his mind and redialed Gangye Yoshiko's phone number.
...
It was now eight in the evening, snow was starting to fall again outside, and the TV was replaying Japan's New Year's Red and White Song Battle program—
"So, why on such a night perfect for drinking am I being dragged out by a blockhead like you?"
Gangye Yoshiko grumbled and took a sip of beer.
She had already started drinking.
But Beichuan Si didn't bother reasoning with her, he merely pushed the corrugated cardboard box toward Gangye Yoshiko.
"What is this?" Gangye Yoshiko's eyes briefly flashed with sharpness.
"Take it back to the forensics department, it's probably the arm of the female corpse found today, just delivered to my house—"
Crash!
The table was pushed, and Gangye Yoshiko's face changed drastically.
At the same time, two police officers who were waiting outside barged in with guns drawn.
"Police Officer!"
Before they could finish talking, Gangye Yoshiko exploded.
"Didn't I order you rookies to keep watch at the Beichuan Family's door?! Why are you still here? Get out! If you stay here any longer, I'll send you back to the police academy for retraining!"
"...Yes!" Under Gangye Yoshiko's heated scolding, the two hapless officers saluted with grievance, quickly disappeared into the night.
Gangye Yoshiko didn't have time for those rookie cops, her narrow eyes turned towards Beichuan Si, and she said in a deep voice,
"Have you been targeted by that guy?"
"So I'd like to request your assistance in arranging protection for my sister." Beichuan Si got straight to the point.
"I understand." Gangye Yoshiko was not particularly surprised by this request.
Beichuan Si and Beichuan Huili were being watched by a suspect, the police had every reason to stake out.
"I'll assign four people to protect you and Huili-chan..."
"Police Officer Gangye, please allocate all four to protect my sister."
Beichuan Si's overly calm tone gave Gangye Yoshiko an inexplicable chill.
A minor, after learning that a murderer was targeting him, made such a request? Shouldn't he want more protection for himself?
And with Beichuan Si's stern face and brooding eyebrows, could he be angry because his family was threatened?
...
This was the first time Gangye Yoshiko had felt such a clear emotional shift in Beichuan Si.
But—
"Don't be reckless, Beichuan, this isn't something a high school student can handle." Gangye Yoshiko knitted her brows tightly, "I don't care if you've trained in karate or judo, but the person is a ruthless murderer, leaving you alone—"
"The mother is always away, I'm the head of the household, I simply can't rest easy about Huili, for family, I can only implore the Police Officer Gangye to accept my unreasonable request."
Under Gangye Yoshiko's startled gaze, Beichuan Si lifted his head.
His back was straight, and a fearless light seemed to flicker in his dark eyes.
For family...
Gangye Yoshiko felt a peculiar sensation.
It felt like she wasn't talking to a high school student, but rather having a conversation with an adult, a mature head of the household.
Moreover, Beichuan Si's reminiscent words also gave her a sense of nostalgia.
"You brat..." Gangye Yoshiko craved a cigarette again, she rustled for a lady's cigarette on her body.
After lighting it, she nonchalantly took the sake bottle and stepped out of the izakaya, with Beichuan Si following her.
Phew—
After a spate of inhaling and exhaling, Gangye Yoshiko rubbed her cold hands, asking without turning her head,
"I say, you aren't secretly a sis-obsessed freak, are you?"
"..." Beichuan Si.
Beichuan Si didn't answer the question.
"Forget it, asking a guy like you won't yield any answers."
The burning red glow of the lady's cigarette was remarkably noticeable on this winter night.
Gangye Yoshiko was squatting, unladylike, in front of the izakaya. Her short hair draping down added an indescribable feminine touch to this spirited police officer.
She gazed at the snow-filled night sky, falling into deep reminiscence.
"Someone I knew used to say something like you.
"She took a deep drag on the cigarette.
"That was a long time ago, but unlike you, that person wasn't confident, naturally naive, and somewhat clueless..."
"That senior was just like those two bumbling rookies earlier."
Yet unexpectedly, hiding in the night, Beichuan Si silently spoke,
"I know."
"You know nothing!" Gangye Yoshiko was dissatisfied that Beichuan Si abruptly interrupted her reverie.
She spit rudely onto the ground, a strange expression crossed her fair face.
Neither sad nor unresolved, simply lost in memories of the past.
"That person... with parents to care for, yet she just died like it was nothing."
Gangye Yoshiko suddenly became emotional.
"Do you know?!"
"It was also a task, investigating drug dealers selling new drugs."
"The department considered she was a girl and usually like that, and colleagues said to look after her."
"But that person, insistent on taking over the seniors' duties, transferred me to a safe place."
"Stubborn about senior honors!"
"Ended up dying so miserably! How laughable." Gangye Yoshiko murmured, looking up.
Above the cigarette smoke was the elementary night sky.
Tonight seemed especially clear, the indigo sky bedazzled with twinkling stars.
It was quite rare to see such a beautiful and deep night sky in Tokyo.
The morning stars flowed like a Milky Way.
"Just like that night six years ago... We found her body in the abandoned harbor district of Tokyo Bay."
"Funny how I felt she'd always been by my side. Still that silly look, what a foolish superior."
Gangye Yoshiko lovingly patted her handgun, teasingly took a gulp of sake.
The glow of the lady's cigarette gradually faded.
The air was eerily quiet.
Beichuan Si's voice sounded.
"That person's name was Kasai Yumiko, a... beauty with stunning long hair, wasn't she?"
"It wasn't an illusion, she really has always been by your side, always with you."
Gangye Yoshiko quickly turned around, her eyes sparkling as she focused on Beichuan Si behind her.
She stared for about three minutes, finally exhaled heavily, laughing as she said,
"Really... I'm regressing too, discussing such matters with a kid."
Gangye Yoshiko lit another cigarette.
But this time she didn't smoke it, just planted the lit cigarette into the snow before her.
Amidst the swirling smoke, Gangye Yoshiko raised her hand, pouring sake into the white snow.
Ahh...
Yumiko, if you are truly by my side.
Then please look after this peculiar kid.
Gangye Yoshiko looked up again.
In the snow-filled sky, Gangye Yoshiko seemed to genuinely see Kasai Yumiko's figure.
She was smiling slyly, just like before.
Gangye Yoshiko snapped back to reality.
The sky hadn't changed, only the slightly chilling snowflakes fell on Gangye Yoshiko's nose tip.
Tokyo's night sky was just like this.
It never cried nor laughed.