Chapter 630: Chapter 420: Washing Cups_3
The other two kidnappers were startled, hastily drew their guns, and fired, turning their fallen comrade’s body into a sieve.
But their aim was off, overestimating the enemy’s height, and the bullets soared over Taira Sakurako’s head. She continued firing from beneath the corpse’s armpit until her gun was empty.
In the lounge, one person was dead and another injured. Taira Sakurako’s marksmanship wasn’t great; even at such close range, she couldn’t guarantee a hit — the ferry lounge was only a few square meters, the environment quite cramped.
Fortunately, the other side was also out of bullets, and the situation reached a stalemate.
The captain heard the gunshots, and, with the first mate and crew, entered the cabin to check the situation.
What happened next is scarcely worth mentioning; even if Taira Sakurako tried to play the pity card, it was useless.
The captain and the other crew didn’t have the guts to kill and cover up, and the surviving kidnapper promised not to pursue the matter, offering huge profits to the captain and others. The end result was that four crew members teamed up to subdue the eight-year-old girl.
Taira Sakurako was locked in a suitcase, and no one paid attention when she called out for ’Onī-chan’ anymore.
Another hour or so passed, the boat docked, and Uesugi Shion sent someone to pick up Taira Sakurako and the two bodies.
The kidnappers confiscated Taira Sakurako’s police gun, placed her on Cat Island with good food and drink, and she was not tortured. Not long after, Uesugi Shion let her go.
Before leaving, Taira Sakurako asked for the police gun, but they refused to return it.
This made Taira Sakurako very uneasy. She knew what losing a police gun entailed, not to mention that this gun was involved with two deaths, and with the bodies and gun in Uesugi Shion’s hands, it was clear as day that Fushimi Roku was bound for trouble.
Fushimi Roku had warned her not to use the police gun again, but she treated it like wind past her ears. Now she’d gotten into trouble, and she didn’t know how to face Fushimi Roku, so she simply hid in her room to escape reality.
Not until Minamoto Tamako called her for dinner did she have to face Fushimi Roku again and finally tell the truth.
Fushimi Roku ate oden with daikon, listening to the entire story.
Minamoto Tamako interrupted several times, loudly asking where the cup in his room was. He told Minamoto Tamako to keep looking, but in fact, there was no cup in the room. He drank from disposable cups or bottled water, mainly because he was too lazy to wash cups.
"So according to you, the kidnappers drove for four hours and then took a two-hour boat ride, right?" Fushimi Roku asked, mouth full.
"Yes, you check the coverage area yourself." Taira Sakurako could follow his train of thought and knew what he was thinking.
"Hmm," Fushimi Roku remained noncommittal. He studied Taira Sakurako, trying to glean emotion from her expressionless face: "How does it feel to kill someone?"
"That was self-defense." Taira Sakurako corrected.
"Alright, then how does it feel to kill in self-defense?" Fushimi Roku pressed.
"Shouldn’t you know that well yourself?" Taira Sakurako didn’t answer directly and instead picked up her chopsticks, ready to eat.
"I’m asking if you feel anything." Fushimi Roku inquired, "Do you need me to take you to see a psychologist? There’s no shame in that, and if something unusual is bothering you, it’s better to say now to avoid bigger issues later."
Taira Sakurako tilted her head, thoughtfully recalling: "I didn’t feel anything particular."
"Huh... nothing at all?"
Fushimi Roku was somewhat surprised. When he first shot Instructor Sakurai in the head, his emotions were quite turbulent, his heart very tense, but gradually, as he killed more, he got used to it.
"The blood was sticky, a bit disgusting." Taira Sakurako added: "I really liked those overalls, Minamoto Tamako bought them for me, but with blood on them, I couldn’t wear them anymore, which felt like a shame."
"Anything else?" Fushimi Roku asked.
"The gun is heavy and has a lot of recoil. I hope the gun company can design a model for children." Taira Sakurako was genuinely considering this issue: "Why aren’t there any child-model handguns? Theoretically, children need such powerful self-defense measures more, right?"
"... You’ve discovered a business opportunity; when you grow up, you can fill this market gap. Once you’re a billionaire, don’t forget to support and care for me."
Fushimi Roku babbled nonsense. He figured Taira Sakurako might have opened up, her courage seemed to have grown a lot. Previously, when Taira Sakurako encountered violent scenes, she was so scared she’d become autistic. Now, she could cosplay as a mini-gangster.
Who knows which part of Taira Sakurako has opened up, just take it as a good thing!
Fushimi Roku confirmed she had no emotional issues, and since she still had the appetite to sneak Minamoto Tamako’s beloved eel, he gradually relaxed. Turning towards the door, he shouted: "Stop looking; I just remembered, the cup might be lost."
"Lost?"
Minamoto Tamako had been searching for ages, and now Fushimi Roku said the cup was lost, so wasn’t she busy for nothing? Delaying so long, the tempura had gotten cold and wouldn’t taste as good!
Minamoto Tamako felt a little peeved, but she had just kissed, still in a state of romance, and didn’t feel like snapping at Fujimura-kun. She pouted, sat back at the dining table, and murmured softly, "Why lose it, such a waste."
"Didn’t want you to struggle with washing the cup." Fushimi Roku fibbed again.
Usually, Minamoto Tamako would have called him a nutcase.
How much trouble could washing a cup be? Aren’t the bowls and chopsticks at home washed too? How come he doesn’t throw those out? Most likely, the cup gathered dust from sitting unused, or maybe a film of scale from drinks meant Fujimura-kun threw it out purely out of laziness!
Yet, Minamoto Tamako actually believed it, and felt a sort of happiness that ’Mr. Deer truly considered her’. Her mouth curled into an involuntary smile, yet she was too shy to appear too delighted, and forced her lips down, showing the unique "closed-lip smile" expression of a Japanese person basking in pride.