69novels Page 102
Page 102
Just then, Yuuki Takada collapsed to the ground with a thud, panting heavily.
"Takada-senpai?"
Afterwards, Sato Miwako could only slowly carry him back to the hotel. Sitting on the original long bench, she finally breathed a sigh of relief after a series of examinations.
It turns out that Takada-senpai only had mild heatstroke.
"Are you alright?" Sato Miwako asked, looking at Takada Yuuki, who had just opened his eyes slightly.
"Hmm..." Yuuki Takada slowly sat up, looking at Miwako Sato in front of him. The two spoke at the same time, "Um..."
Seeing this, the two remained silent for a while before Takada Yuki finally spoke up: "I'm sorry, Miwako. I heard that you carried me back. I'm really sorry."
"There are other things, but I think I should apologize to you."
Miwako Sato turned her head slightly away. "Didn't I tell you not to apologize? It would make me look very awkward. So I told you not to apologize."
"Besides... wasn't that what you wanted? What are you saying? That's going too far." Sato Miwako suddenly became agitated as she spoke.
"If I wasn't worried about you, I only did this out of kindness because I felt sorry for you. You should thank me, Takada-senpai."
Yuuki Takada glanced around and immediately scolded, "No... keep your voice down, you're too loud."
“It’s not just these things. To be precise, I also want you to see a different side of me.”
“After all, during the time we’ve been partners, you’ve always treated me like someone who can’t tell right from wrong.” Sato Miwako suddenly stood up, her emotions becoming somewhat agitated. “Think about it, after all this time, I still don’t understand anything about you.”
"If we understand each other, life will be more interesting in the future."
"I also want to see and understand more of your different sides."
"It's rare that we're still partners now."
"Is that alright, Takada-senpai?"
“Okay…” Yuki Takada thought for a while, and finally uttered a single word.
Although it had been almost two and a half months since he was transferred to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, looking at Miwako Sato's smiling face made him think of many things.
But recalling this period of time still makes him feel uneasy.
……
Yumi Miyamoto led the woman with long, straight black hair to the hotel room.
"Yumi, are you alright?" The woman with long, straight black hair followed Miyamoto Yumi to the balcony of the room.
"Phew!" Miyamoto Yumi let out a deep breath, then looked at the other person and said, "How scary! I thought it was haunted over there?"
"I think so too," the woman with long, straight black hair said coldly. "After all, who wouldn't be afraid if they encountered something like this?"
"Yumi, open the door!" Sato Miwako knocked on the door and shouted.
"Miwako, where have you been?" Miyamoto Yumi turned around and went to open the door as soon as she heard Sato Miwako's name. "I was so worried about you."
Sato Miwako scratched her head sheepishly and said awkwardly, "Sorry, after I finished solving the case, I went to the beach to look at the stars and fell asleep."
"What are you doing! I was so worried about you, and you didn't even reply to my texts." Miyamoto Yumi replied, "Really? Or are you kidding me?"
"I'm starting to doubt what you're saying, and I didn't see you when I was near the beach earlier."
Sato Miwako broke out in a cold sweat, but then she was quickly brushed off with, "You might be going in a different direction than me, so maybe we didn't run into each other earlier."
"Uh... never mind, this is Fujita Maiko, a junior at the University of Tokyo. I just happened to run into her at the beach earlier."
As soon as Miyamoto Yumi finished speaking, Sato Miwako's attention was successfully diverted.
She curiously peeked out and looked at the woman with long, straight black hair who had been standing quietly in the room.
"A junior from the University of Tokyo?"
"Yumi, when did you meet her?" Sato Miwako sized up Fujita Maiko. The other woman had a cool and aloof demeanor, beautiful features, and gave off a calm and quiet feeling.
"I ran into you just now when I was looking for you!" Miyamoto Yumi patted her chest, seemingly still shaken. "I was startled by a strange noise and almost fell, but Fujita Maiko caught me."
"We found we clicked when we started chatting, and she was also staying at the same hotel, so we came back together later."
Fujita Maiko then stepped forward a few steps and bowed slightly to Sato Miwako, her manners impeccable: "Hello, Sato-senpai, I am Fujita Maiko. I often hear Yumi-senpai mention you, saying that you are a very excellent and capable police officer."
Sato Miwako waved her hand somewhat embarrassedly: "Oh, no, Yumi exaggerated."
"Don't listen to her. Also, thank you for taking care of Yumi earlier. She can be a bit reckless sometimes."
Chapter 122 Tell me quickly, what happened between you two?
"Hey, Miwako, I'm still here!"
Yumi Miyamoto pouted in protest, but quickly grabbed their hands with great enthusiasm, "Since we've met, it must be fate. Maiko Fujita, since you're alone anyway, why don't we chat together?"
"Miwako, you're really something, falling asleep while looking at the stars. Come on in and tell us, just how beautiful is the night view of the beach that it fascinates you so much?"
Sato Miwako was pulled into the room by Miyamoto Yumi and sat down on the edge of the bed, while Fujita Maiko gracefully sat down on the armchair next to her.
Faced with Miyamoto Yumi's barrage of questions, Sato Miwako could only give a vague reply: "Um... it's very quiet, the sound of the waves is very relaxing, and before you know it..."
However, the scenes of her and Yuuki Takada at the beach involuntarily flashed through her mind, and her cheeks felt slightly hot. Fortunately, the room lights were not too bright, so no one should notice anything unusual.
"Yes, the beach at night is indeed very calming."
Fujita Maiko suddenly echoed softly, speaking clearly with a soothing power, "Sometimes, away from the hustle and bustle, facing the vast ocean alone, you can think things through more clearly."
Sato Miwako looked at Fujita Maiko with some surprise. The other woman was also looking at her, her eyes calm and deep, as if she could see through people's hearts.
Sato Miwako subconsciously avoided her gaze, a hint of guilt flashing through her mind as if she had been seen through.
"Right, right! But I still find it a little scary, it was so dark..." Miyamoto Yumi chimed in carefree, then began to enthusiastically share her thrilling experience of "encountering a ghost."
His exaggerated tone made Sato Miwako laugh, temporarily putting aside her worries about Takada Yuki and the related troubles.
The three women, who were of similar age, started chatting in the hotel room.
Yumi Miyamoto was mainly responsible for enlivening the atmosphere, while Miwako Sato sometimes chimed in, and sometimes seemed a little absent-minded because she was preoccupied with her own thoughts.
Fujita Maiko doesn't talk much, but every time she does, her words are meaningful, making her appear mature and composed, which feels slightly incongruous with her identity as a student.
After chatting for a while, Fujita Maiko checked the time, stood up and said goodbye: "Yumi-senpai, Sato-senpai, it's getting late, I won't bother you any longer."
Although Miyamoto Yumi was still reluctant to leave, she knew it was time to rest: "Alright, alright, see you tomorrow, Fujita Maiko! Be sure to come visit us next time you're here!"
"Definitely. Goodnight, Yumi-senpai, Sato-senpai." Fujita Maiko bowed politely again, then gently closed the door.
Only Sato Miwako and Miyamoto Yumi remained in the room.
"Miwako, I think you can sleep in my room tonight. I'm still a little scared thinking about the murder that happened outside." Miyamoto Yumi looked at Sato Miwako in a coquettish manner and swayed her hand from side to side.
"Alright!" Sato Miwako nodded in agreement. "I understand. I'll stay here with you tonight, okay?"
Seeing that Sato Miwako had agreed, Miyamoto Yumi immediately moved closer to Sato Miwako, nudged her with her shoulder, lowered her voice, and said with a sly smile, "Alright, the troublemaker is gone, now confess honestly!"
"You really just went to see the stars? I feel like you're acting strange since you came back. Your face is a little red too?"
Sato Miwako's heart tightened, but she forced herself to remain calm and pushed Miyamoto Yumi's face away: "Stop talking nonsense! It's just a little hot. But you, bringing someone you just met back to your room so casually, your vigilance is way too low, isn't it?"
"Oh dear, Fujita Maiko seems like a good person! Don't change the subject!" Miyamoto Yumi persisted.
"It's really nothing..." Sato Miwako stood up and walked towards the bathroom. "I'm tired, I'm going to take a shower first. You should get some rest too, don't you have to get up early tomorrow to go to the next attraction?"
After saying that, she didn't wait for Miyamoto Yumi to ask any more questions, and quickly walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
Leaning against the cold door, Miwako Sato let out a long sigh of relief.
I could almost hear Takada Yuuki's heavy breathing again, and his unfinished apology.
“A different side…” she murmured to herself, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on her cheeks, trying to calm herself down.
The mirror reflected her still flushed cheeks and somewhat bewildered eyes.
What happened tonight is clearly not something that can be easily forgotten.
And from this moment on, her relationship with her partner, Yuki Takada, seemed to quietly take an unknown turn.
But at this moment, she still needed to sort out her chaotic thoughts and deal with her overly curious best friend outside the door.
Outside the bathroom door, Yumi Miyamoto looked at the closed door, pursed her lips, but didn't ask any further questions, only muttering, "There's definitely something fishy going on..."
Then he turned around and went to the balcony outside the room.
Yumi Miyamoto leaned against the balcony railing, squinting as she tried to make out the blurry figure in the distance.
There's no mistake, that walking posture, that figure, it's definitely Yuuki Takada!
But why would he be at the beach at this time?
Seeing Miwako's uneasy and slightly flushed expression when she returned, a bold guess quickly formed in her mind.
"Wow..." Miyamoto Yumi covered her mouth, her eyes gleaming with excitement at discovering a shocking secret. "Let's see how you deny it now, Miwako!"
She tiptoed back into the room, just as Sato Miwako came out of the bathroom, drying her wet hair.
"You're done washing? So fast?" Miyamoto Yumi pretended to be nonchalant as she fiddled with her phone, but her eyes were constantly scanning her friend.
"Hmm, I'm a little tired, I want to go to sleep early." Miwako Sato avoided Yumi Miyamoto's gaze and walked to the bedside to tidy the blankets.
"Oh—" Miyamoto Yumi drawled, slowly swaying over to Sato Miwako and gently nudging her with her elbow. "I say, Miwako, you were at the beach just now...did you really not encounter anything 'special' or anything?"
Sato Miwako froze, but tried to remain calm: "What could be so special? It's just stargazing and enjoying the sea breeze."
"is it?"
With a mischievous grin, Miyamoto Yumi suddenly turned on her computer. A somewhat blurry photo was enlarged on the screen, the very one she had found on social media—a picture of Takada Yuki and Sato Miwako walking on the beach under the moonlight.
"Then can you explain why Takada-senpai happened to be on the same beach at this time?"
When Sato Miwako saw the photo, her heart skipped a beat, and the blush that had just appeared on her face from the hot water faded instantly, quickly replaced by an even deeper crimson.
No, it was at that time that a picture was taken and posted online.
"How...how would I know? The beach isn't my home."
Her rebuttal seemed weak and feeble.
"Oh~ you didn't know?" Miyamoto Yumi closed the photo and waved it smugly. "So it's a coincidence? You two are really dedicated, going to the beach to contemplate life in the middle of the night? What perfect timing!"
"Yumi!" Sato Miwako exclaimed, somewhat embarrassed and angry, reaching out to snatch her computer. "Don't make wild guesses! Delete it now!"
"No, no!" Miyamoto Yumi nimbly dodged, then jumped back onto her bed with a grin: "This is important evidence!"