Chapter 1868: Chapter 1063: Fallen Leaves Detective Agency (Part 3)
"Watanabe Gou, private detective, this is my fourth task." The man looked to be around his forties, with a sturdy build, crew-cut hair, deep and sharp features, and muscles visible on his arms.
"Private detective, that’s great, finally someone professional!" The middle-aged man standing beside him heaved a sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on his scratched face.
This man was Yang Xiao’s comrade-in-arms, who hadn’t woken up earlier and got a good beating from Slap Girl Yamamoto Chunai, his face still swollen now.
"I am Suzuki Takashi, bus driver, this is my third time." The man of medium build had dark skin, wearing a dark blue woolen coat, with injuries on his face and noticeable fine lines at the corners of his eyes.
"Chu Xi, a Hua Country native, here in Japan traveling for inspiration, as a film director, this is my fourth Nightmare task." Yang Xiao’s self-introduction was very standard, half true, half false.
The initial feeling he got from his teammates this time was very unreliable, so Yang Xiao decided not to pretend to be a rookie; he wanted to control the team’s control over the discourse.
In other words, he wanted to be the leader.
At this moment, only one person was left to speak, and everyone turned their gaze over.
This was a young man wearing a dark blue cotton shirt, with bland features, a slim figure, pale complexion, and medium-length hair tied into a simple bun at the back of his head.
"Kato Shinjiro, I run a secondhand bookstore in the Capital City, this is my fifth task." The young man’s tone was steady, his voice not too loud yet not too soft, just enough for everyone present to hear clearly.
Yang Xiao had noticed this young man long ago. He was prone to quietness; when Suzuki Takashi and Yamamoto Chunai argued earlier, he was the only one who didn’t try to mediate, just standing quietly against the wall, looking apathetic, as if it all had nothing to do with him.
The person had long, clean fingers showing from his shirt sleeves, but with old scars at the knuckles; a calm demeanor, not fond of speaking, naturally carrying a melancholic air.
Drawing closer, there was a distinctive scent, difficult for Yang Xiao to precisely describe; a mix of old paper and faint incense.
"Great, we have three experts here who have participated five times; we will definitely succeed!" Convenience store employee Ogawa Haruka was very excited, clenching her small fists to cheer everyone on.
Only her enthusiasm failed to ignite anyone else; to put it accurately, nobody even paid attention to her, evidently not sharing her optimism.
By this point, Yang Xiao had lost count of how many tasks he’d experienced; about eight or nine, excluding under-the-table competitions and Secret Realm, in terms of seniority, he was the absolute authority among them.
But he was naturally low-key, so he said nothing.
"Mr. Chu Xi, how long have you been in Japan?" Yandeta Chiyoda suddenly looked at him and asked.
"Not long, less than a week," Yang Xiao cautiously replied.
"Then it seems your luck isn’t very good. Tell you what, if by chance you survive this time, remember to come by the store and buy me a drink; I’ll teach you how to survive in Nightmare World." Takagi Reina said, eyeing Yang Xiao with great interest.
"Why not let me teach you, Miss Takagi?" Yang Xiao, an expert in feigning, retorted.
At his words, Takagi Reina raised an eyebrow, unable to help but laugh, her gaze on Yang Xiao growing more intense, as if she wanted to undress him, "Mr. Chu Xi, I find you increasingly interesting; if you didn’t have injuries on your face, I think I’d like you even more."
"Both of you, I mean no disrespect, but time is pressing, and I think it’s best if we collect clues quickly," private detective Watanabe Gou interrupted.
Soon, after a brief discussion, the group divided into two teams; one led by Watanabe Gou, staying to search the Detective Agency for clues.
The other team, led by architect Yandeta Chiyoda, left to explore the world outside.
Yang Xiao chose to stay behind, joining the other five to search the Detective Agency, during which Watanabe Gou found a set of keys in the inner pocket of a coat hanging on a rack.
Using these keys, they opened a filing cabinet.
Inside the filing cabinet were many neatly arranged file folders. Yang Xiao pulled out two and casually opened them. The first was investigating a third party in a marriage on a client’s request and providing video evidence for divorce litigation claims.
The second was anti-eavesdropping, helping the client identify possible listening devices in their residence.
According to Watanabe Gou’s explanation, these are fairly routine operations for a detective office; similar services include handling workplace harassment, searching for missing people, investigating hidden assets, personal debts, partners’ qualifications, compliance, legal records, etc.
If the remuneration is suitable, they would even take on special cases like pet searching.
Suddenly, a strange woman’s voice came from behind, and Yang Xiao turned around, seeing Kato Shinjiro sitting on a chair, while a tape recorder on the table was turned on, emitting the sound of a woman crying.
The woman was wailing, lamenting about betrayal in her marriage; the gigolo deceived her feelings and money, finding a young, pretty hostess outside, the woman sworn for revenge.
"I want you to help me kill him!" The next second, the tape recorder blasted the woman’s hysterical roar.
"Madam, I think you must be mistaken, we are a legitimate Detective Agency, law-abiding citizens, we... do not kill," a man’s voice appeared in the recording, hoarse and somewhat distorted.
