Chapter 60: Light at the End of the Tunnel
Hikaru Hoshino first placed a call to Rin Futamichi, instructing her to arrive quickly, and then the group rushed toward the location Akane had specified.
However, upon reaching the vicinity, they lost their bearings once more.
The sun was gradually dipping below the horizon, and the afterglow of the sunset enveloped the earth, casting a hazy yellow filter over the world. The site of the arson was only a few streets away; when the incident occurred, many people had scurried away like ants at the first sign of trouble, and those who remained were too frightened to linger outside.
*Analyzing the movement trajectories, the intersection with the highest frequency of appearances should be right here. There's no mistake.*
*But where exactly...*
Akane Kurokawa strained her eyes, scanning the surroundings inch by inch, refusing to let a single detail slip by.
A convenience store's doors were tightly shut, though the curtains weren't fully drawn. A petite clerk hid behind the fabric; from a distance, they were merely a blurred black shadow, silently peering out at the world.
A bookstore with an archaic decorative style was still open for business. The owner had books and tea sets neatly arranged before him, yet he was focused entirely on his phone, occasionally letting out a knowing smile.
As the group stood there at a loss, a mother and daughter walked toward them. Upon seeing Ai, the mother rubbed her eyes as if unable to believe it. Just as she was about to call out Ai's name, she was pulled back by the teenage girl beside her.
"I didn't expect to run into you all here. Seems our luck is pretty good."
Hikaru was momentarily speechless, realizing she was talking to him. He turned to carefully study their faces, searching his memory for relevant information, and immediately matched their identities.
*Oh, it's the shop assistant from that clothing store,* Hikaru realized. It was thanks to her that he had been able to see a different side of Ai.
Though it was merely an equal exchange—he paid money and gained joy—which is, after all, the essence of consumption.
As Hikaru was lost in thought, he noticed the assistant's appearance was actually quite different from his memory. He pulled the face from his mind and compared them side-by-side, realizing this person had suddenly aged significantly. When they bought clothes, she was a bright and beautiful young woman; now, she had transformed into a mother with a half-grown daughter, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes clearly visible.
Ai didn't find anything strange about it, flashing her trademark 45-degree smile—reserved strictly for business hours. "Good evening, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Good evening, Uncles and Aunties," the young girl hiding behind the assistant piped up. She looked to be about junior or senior high school age.
She seemed very interested in Hikaru's group of handsome men and beautiful women, proactively approaching to chat. However, she first targeted Ruby, showered her with constant praise about how cute she was. Ruby's face flushed red under the onslaught of compliments.
Hikaru stood there feeling a bit wounded; he felt he wasn't quite at the "Uncle" age yet. But then he thought about being called that alongside Ai, and it didn't feel so bad.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two left, their paths not crossing further. Hikaru did, however, remember the girl's name—Norika Takegawa. It sounded nice enough; given his memory, he'd likely remember it forever.
After the small interlude, the group continued searching for Ishigami's trail, but they still came up empty.
Society is made of people; trying to find a specific individual within it is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even the Police Headquarters, with their vast personnel and information, wouldn't dare claim they could accurately capture every fugitive.
Even if one knew the specific location, other factors would influence the scene upon arrival. There was also the possibility he had long since departed for a new stronghold.
Ultimately, it mostly came down to luck.
Hikaru was just about to suggest heading back when he suddenly heard a *"Gurgle~"* sound. Turning around, he realized it was the stomachs of Akane and Ruby.
They were children, after all, still in the growth phase.
Aqua still looked as if nothing was wrong, but Hikaru felt he must be hungry too—this kid was just stubborn and liked to force himself to endure.
"Forget it, we can't rush this. Anyway, as long as we catch him before the police do. Ishigami just committed a crime; he's likely busy hiding himself right now and shouldn't strike again in the short term."
Coincidentally, an evening izakaya was preparing to open right in front of them, so Hikaru ushered the group to take a seat.
The shop was in its opening stage, with several waiters busily setting up the dining environment. Seeing people ready to eat, a stout middle-aged man rushed out carrying a square brown wooden table, stumbling as he walked; next, two waiters wearing white headbands brought over chairs and utensils.
"We have tables inside as well. Where would you like to dine?"
Upon receiving the answer that they'd stay outdoors, he ran back to attend to other business.
This shop likely had good business normally, which was why there were so many people working together. It was lively and full of the atmosphere of daily life.
Nearby, a girl in a yukata was putting up posters and lighting lanterns. As soon as the orange lanterns with characters on them lit up, the atmosphere was instantly set.
"You have quite a lot of staff here," Hikaru said with a smile as a waiter brought over the grilled skewers.
"The Summer Festival is coming up soon, and I heard there are tourists from Tokyo. We hired some temporary help; there usually aren't this many people."
The young man paused for two seconds before replying with a smile.
*I see, that one doesn't look like a regular employee either.*
Hikaru stared at the girl in the yukata in the distance, thinking silently. Beside him, Ai was also staring at him, her beautiful brow furrowed slightly.
During the meal, the crowd gradually grew. Rin Futamichi, acting as a bodyguard, arrived quickly; seeing that nothing was amiss, she found a seat for herself and began to eat.
Since it was an izakaya, the air was soon filled with the heavy scent of alcohol. Fortunately, they had chosen an outdoor setting, so it wasn't unbearable. Still, Hikaru felt it would be best not to bring children to such places next time.
"Even though something like that just happened, everyone's lives seem completely unaffected," Ai whispered, looking at the people around them pounding back drinks.
"Life goes on. Who cares about things that don't involve them? At most, they just watch the spectacle," Hikaru shrugged.
"Let's go, we're heading back to the hotel today." He gathered his things and stood up with the bill. "It wasn't a total loss. We'll come back tomorrow to try our luck again."
Akane Kurokawa wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth and stood up as well. But she wasn't quite tall enough; even standing, she barely reached the height of the tabletop.
From her perspective, she caught sight of the slightly crooked table leg directly in front of her.
*Wait.* Akane's eyes flashed.
*Is there something wrong with this table?*
Three legs were normal, but one was slanted, and the foot of the leg was wrapped in white cloth strips.
*It's the dining table from the photo!*
"Meow~" A black cat sauntered over from a distance, searching for food as if no one were there, and finally sat down by Hikaru's feet.
"It looks exactly like the cat in Ishigami's profile picture," Akane whispered.
Hikaru also realized something was amiss. He carefully compared the details in his mind once more and found them to be a perfect match.
"It looks like we don't have to go back after all."
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