Case Files of Secret Society holoX (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 13: A strange turn of events

After traveling for a bit, we finally returned to Miyako. Yusuke Saiki confessed to his crimes but his punishment wasn't that severe. After all, it was out of self-defense and adding to the fact that he was part of the 21 families, all he got was several months in a prison with a good reputation.

"By the way, Detective Sakasaki. How does it feel to solve a case, gozaru?" Iroha asked.

"It honestly feels bad. I thought it would be a moment of pride and satisfaction like the times I would solve Master Shellin's riddles and puzzles but the truth was an ugly thing", I answered.

"What do you mean, gozaru?"

"The only thing I did was expose Shiranui's ugly side. I showed everyone that she was a greedy woman who was willing to murder her own family if it meant receiving more money."

"I see. Being a detective is hard, gozaru."

"Yeah. This is the lonesome path a detective must take. For the pursuit of truth and justice, a detective has to be willing to answer any question they will face, even if the answer is not all sunshine and flowers."

That's right. This was the path I chose. If it meant bringing justice, I was completely willing to expose the ugly sides of a person that they were trying to hide.

"Ah! Rihito! I'm glad you're safe!" an elderly woman approached me.

That woman was my neighbor who lived across the street from where my apartment was located. Her face was really relieved and so, I wondered what happened.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Oh. You didn't know what happened?" she asked back.

"I left Miyako and went on a business trip. I just returned."

"Oh dear. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but..."

###

The charred remains of my apartment were in front of me. It seemed that there was a mismanagement and a fire broke out. The entire apartment complex was burned down. Fortunately, no lives were lost and some residents managed to salvage their important documents.

"Detective Sakasaki... Are you okay, gozaru?" Iroha asked.

"Why wouldn't I? I don't have any valuables so I lost nothing important. My only problem now is to find a place to live. I may have some savings but I'm trying to keep them for emergencies. And besides, I don't think I can easily find a place that'll let me move in immediately. There is lots of paperwork to do", I said.

Iroha took out her Excellular and dialed a number.

"Ah! Big Sis Lui! We have a tiny problem, gozaru", Iroha said to her Excellular.

While she explained the situation to Lui, I tried to think of my options. I could crash in a cheap hotel while I'm working on finding a new place to live and dealing with the paperwork. If I remember correctly, my apartment was insured so I would get some cash. But I need to worry about my other necessities such as clothes and toiletries.

Iroha tapped my shoulder and smiled.

"Let's go to holoX. Big Sis Lui has something to tell you, gozaru", she said.

When we arrived there, Lui and Laplus were waiting for us. Sakamata was also standing in the corner of the room.

"You're in a huge pinch, Detective Sakasaki", Laplus said.

"It's not exactly a huge problem. It's just a minor inconvenience", I replied.

"But you have no place to go for now, right? In that case, I have an offer for you", Lui told me.