20: Chapter 20: Asai Narumi

Morning, Moonlight Island Village Clinic.

"Cough, cough! Damn it, definitely caught a cold," Fujino grumbled, tearing off a piece of tissue from the roll beside the bed and blowing his nose.

This body, already prone to illness after the last bout of exposure, really couldn't handle much exertion.

All that running around last night, and now this?

Fortunately, he'd managed to subdue Kawashima and Hirata before his body completely gave out.

He'd even managed to copy the video evidence onto a cassette tape back at the hotel... Wait, cassette tape? Okay, maybe he just emailed it to Megure. Details.

"Definitely need to start working out once I recover... Wonder if the system has anything for boosting physical health."

Fujino mused, his gaze drifting towards the female doctor tending to another patient nearby.

She wore a purple sweater under her white lab coat, paired with a black skirt.

A faint, pleasant fragrance seemed to follow her.

Normally, such a cute doctor would attract a lot of attention.

But Fujino felt absolutely zero interest.

Because he knew this "cute woman" was actually a man.

This had to be the "mysterious client" who'd hired him to investigate Aso Keiji's death.

If Fujino recalled correctly, the doctor's real name was Asai Seiji, the son of Aso Keiji, who had died in the fire twelve years ago.

Seiji had been in Tokyo receiving medical treatment at the time and survived.

After graduating university, he'd disguised himself as a woman – taking the name Asai Narumi – and returned to the island as the village doctor, seeking the truth about his family's murder.

His persistence paid off.

Two years ago, he'd learned the truth from the former mayor, Kameyama Isamu.

Since then, he'd been plotting revenge against the drug ring members who killed his father.

But his inherently kind nature made the prospect of murder agonizing.

Desperate, he'd hired a detective – Fujino – likely hoping to be stopped.

Asai Narumi suddenly turned around.

Noticing Fujino's odd stare, a faint blush crept onto 'her' cheeks.

'She' cleared her throat, picked up a tray holding an IV drip, and approached Fujino's bedside.

"I don't think I've seen you around before."

"That's right," Fujino nodded, his voice raspy from the cold.

"I came over from Tokyo."

"Tokyo?" Asai Narumi's eyes lit up with a flicker of excitement.

"I'm from Tokyo too! Are you here for sightseeing?"

"Yeah," Fujino lied smoothly.

"Heard the scenery and air quality here are amazing. My constitution's a bit weak, so I thought I'd come relax for a few days."

"It's true," Asai Narumi agreed.

"Much better than the concrete jungle of Tokyo. The air is fresh, and it's so peaceful..."

Just then, a loudspeaker blared outside:

"To protect the island's fishing grounds and the rights of our fishermen, please support the people's representative, Shimizu Masato!"

"...Well, the current mayoral election is getting pretty heated," Asai Narumi admitted with an awkward laugh.

"Hard to say who'll win in the end."

"Probably Shimizu Masato," Fujino said casually. Kawashima Hideo is tied up in the Civic Hall. Kuroiwa Tatsuji will likely be arrested soon.

With only one candidate left standing... who else could it be?

"Why do you say that?" Asai Narumi looked at Fujino, puzzled.

"You just arrived here, didn't you...?"

Fujino replied enigmatically, then quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, Doctor, I didn't catch your name?"

"I'm Asai Narumi. As you can see, I'm the village doctor here... And you?"

"Fujino Douji. Music student."

"Fujino-kun?" Asai Narumi murmured the name, hanging the IV bag on the stand beside the bed. "Your cold seems quite severe... Let me get this drip started, and I'll prescribe some medicine. You should be better within a week."

"A week?" Fujino muttered.

"That long...?"

Asai Narumi picked up the IV needle, offering a gentle smile.

"It's just a little cold. Grit your teeth, it'll be over quickly."

'She' reached for Fujino's left arm.

"Right," Fujino sighed, extending his arm resignedly.

Asai Narumi tied a rubber tourniquet around his bicep, then expertly inserted the fine needle into a vein on the back of his hand.

Fujino winced at the sharp prick.

"Afraid of needles, Fujino-kun?" Asai Narumi chuckled softly, noticing his reaction.

Fujino just rolled his eyes, clearly not wanting to answer.

Meanwhile, aboard a Coast Guard patrol boat near the island.

Superintendent Matsumoto Kiyonaga, dressed in a sharp black suit and tie, stood at the bow addressing a cabin full of similarly dressed detectives from Division 1.

"It is currently 09:10 hours. Early this morning, we received intel regarding a dangerous drug trafficking organization operating on Moonlight Island."

"Our informant has likely been compromised and captured."

"Division 1 will be responsible for securing the island's perimeter and assisting in the search for suspects within the island."

"Once the drug ring's base of operations is located, do not engage. Report back immediately. Division 4 and the Special Assault Team will handle the raid, hostage rescue, and dismantling the operation. Understood?!"

"Sir!" came the unified response.

Matsumoto nodded at the determined faces.

"Megure! You will lead the initial entry team to locate the hostage. Remember, immediate action upon locating the informant. Call for backup if the situation dictates... The rest of you will coordinate with the Coast Guard to maintain the blockade."

"Yes, Superintendent!" Megure acknowledged crisply.

Back at the clinic, Fujino, oblivious to the impending police raid, was casually chatting with Asai Narumi while hooked up to the IV drip.

"Speaking of which, Doctor Asai, you must know about the incident that happened on this island twelve years ago?"

"Twelve years ago..." Asai Narumi seemed momentarily lost in thought.

"Yes, there was an incident..."

"The Aso Keiji self-immolation case," Fujino finished, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

"Yesterday, I received a mysterious commission. Through my investigation, I've uncovered the full truth. That incident twelve years ago wasn't a suicide at all. It was a deliberate, brutal mass murder-suicide staging."

"Aso Keiji was killed because he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠refused to continue helping the island's criminal organization smuggle drugs."

"Am I wrong?" Fujino's gaze locked onto Asai Narumi's feminine face, his voice dropping low. "...Mr. Client?"

"Ah? You're a detective?" Asai Narumi blinked, feigning surprise, then adopted a wounded expression.