Chapter 237 A Visit
"Lei Yin, are you there?"
"I'm here." Lei Yin replied as he held the phone between his neck and shoulder, opening the application at the same time.
"Try connecting again now."
"It's already open, and it says it's connecting. OK, I see you." Lei Yin was somewhat surprised as he saw the face of Aileen displayed on the screen.
Just a few days ago, Aileen had suddenly sent him a set of remote video equipment and software, claiming that they could see each other as long as it was installed. Lei Yin gave it a try, and although the connection was successful, the video quality was not very smooth due to bandwidth issues. So, he immediately requested the internet service provider to install a fiber optic line at his home, which was then converted through a dedicated fiber optic device, finally resolving the issues of clarity and smoothness.
The beautiful Eurasian woman on the screen smiled and said, "I can see you too, and you haven't changed a bit. Wait a moment, Amy wants to talk to you."
Aileen moved aside, revealing Amy's small face standing behind her.
"Lei!" The sight of him appearing on the screen and smiling at her excited the little girl, who called out to him.
"Little devil, are you doing well?" Lei Yin habitually stretched out his hand to touch her face, only to suddenly remember that she wasn't actually in front of him.
The little girl didn't say a word, just looking at him with reddened eyes.
"Oh, someone's about to cry again," Lei Yin teased.
"Lei, I miss you so much." The little girl's tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Though they talked on the phone almost every week, seeing him in person felt entirely different.
"You crybaby. Well, now you can see me whenever you want with this device. You can ask Aileen to teach you how to use it."
The little girl obediently nodded her head.
Aileen said from the side, "You two chat slowly. Amy, I'll come back later to call you for dinner."
"Okay." Amy responded without turning her head.
Aileen chuckled lightly and left the room.
"Lei, listen to me. Little Lei has given birth to her second litter of puppies. There are four in total this time. They're so furry and have their eyes closed, each one is so cute. Wait a moment, I'll bring them over to show you right now." With that, the little girl hurriedly ran out of the room.
After a while, she returned carrying a box of puppies. Before she could catch her breath, she picked up one of the unopened-eyed puppies and held it up to the screen for him to see. "Lei, can you see them? Aren't they adorable? I plan to name the one in my left hand Alexander. As for the one in my right hand... I haven't thought of a name yet. Can you help me come up with one?"
"Since its sibling is named Alexander, let's call it Caesar. That'll be quite imposing, having two emperors watching over your home."
Although she didn't understand the meaning behind the name, the little girl happily said, "Caesar, it's a strange name, but since you've chosen it, I'll use it."
Next, the little girl happily chatted with Lei Yin about her recent life and the people and events at school. Although he had heard much of it over the phone, Lei Yin still listened with great interest. Compared to the open and hidden struggles and darker aspects of human nature he encountered among adults, Amy's small world was exceptionally refreshing and captivating.
As they talked, the conversation gradually turned to the New Year. At that point, the little girl said, "Lei, can we count down together like this during the New Year?"
"Sure, but you have to dance for me. Didn't you say you're learning to dance? Why don't you dance now?"
"I, I haven't learned it well yet," the little girl said shyly.
Lei Yin didn't force her, saying, "Then dance for me during the New Year."
The little girl nodded. After a while, she looked at him with hopeful eyes and said, "Lei, I want a hug."
Lei Yin could only comfort her. "Don't worry, summer vacation will come soon, and we can have a good time together, okay?"
The little girl reluctantly nodded her head.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by Kazumi's voice, "Brother, it's me."
"Little devil, wait for me. I'll be right back," Lei Yin told her before going to open the door.
"What's up?"
Kazumi answered, "There are two police officers outside. They have some questions for you."
Lei Yin found it strange since he hadn't had any dealings with the police lately. Nevertheless, he said, "Alright, I'll be out in a minute. By the way, come over here and meet Amy."
Kazumi followed him to see Amy's adorable and well-behaved face on the enlarged display screen in the center.
Kazumi also liked the little girl her brother valued so much, so she greeted Amy, who was far away in Switzerland, through the screen. Amy, in turn, greeted her back.
Lei Yin told Kazumi he had to step away for a moment.
Although she was reluctant to part, the little girl still said goodbye to him understandingly.
After agreeing on a time for their next meeting, Lei Yin disconnected the call and left the room with Kazumi.
Upon entering the living room, Lei Yin indeed saw two police officers sitting on the sofa, talking to Ryutaro Maeda.
"Masashi, you're here. This is my stepson, Masashi Haraiwa, the person you're looking for." Seeing him come out, Maeda introduced Lei Yin's identity to the two officers.
After a round of introductions, Lei Yin learned that the two police officers belonged to the North District Police Station, and they had come to ask him some questions.
Lei Yin opened the door and got straight to the point, "What do you want from me?"
"Do you know Ryoko Kuroda?" one of the police officers asked in return.
"Yes, she's my cousin. What happened to her?"
The officer said, "So far, she has been missing for over four days. Along with her, two of her classmates, Hana Tachibana and Tomoko Yamaguchi, have also gone missing. We came here to ask if you know her whereabouts or if you've had any recent contact or meetings with her."
Lei Yin shook his head, "I haven't been in contact with her recently, nor have I met her. Can you tell me in detail about her disappearance?"
The officer replied, "Four nights ago, your cousin, Ryoko Kuroda, along with Hana Tachibana and Tomoko Yamaguchi, left their apartment, but they haven't returned since that night. Their parents have already reported them missing as they couldn't contact them."
Lei Yin frowned, "Are there no other clues besides these? For example, witnesses like taxi drivers who have given them a ride?"
Another officer laughed, "There are so many taxis in Tokyo. We can't possibly check every single one, can we?"
Lei Yin replied coldly, "I don't find it funny. As far as I know, all legal taxis are company-operated. It shouldn't be difficult to find out which drivers picked up passengers there that night by checking the routes with the transportation companies. Admittedly, this method is quite cumbersome, but as long as there's an effort, it shouldn't be difficult to find the information. If it were your relatives who went missing, I doubt you would find it too much trouble."
Upon hearing Lei Yin's words, the two officers' expressions darkened, but they didn't lash out due to Ryutaro Maeda's presence nearby.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Maeda quickly stepped in to mediate, "Masashi, you may not be familiar with our police methods. We usually start by investigating the whereabouts of missing persons with their relatives or friends. If there are no results, I believe the two officers will continue their investigation. Thank you for your hard work."
"You're too kind, Mr. Maeda." The two officers' expressions improved after hearing his words.
After the two officers left, Lei Yin returned to his room alone.
Once he closed the door, he took out his phone.
"Hello, is this Mr. Akamatsu?"
"Good evening, I may need your help with another matter."
Chapter 237 A Visit
"Lei Yin, are you there?"
"I'm here." Lei Yin replied as he held the phone between his neck and shoulder, opening the application at the same time.
"Try connecting again now."
"It's already open, and it says it's connecting. OK, I see you." Lei Yin was somewhat surprised as he saw the face of Aileen displayed on the screen.
Just a few days ago, Aileen had suddenly sent him a set of remote video equipment and software, claiming that they could see each other as long as it was installed. Lei Yin gave it a try, and although the connection was successful, the video quality was not very smooth due to bandwidth issues. So, he immediately requested the internet service provider to install a fiber optic line at his home, which was then converted through a dedicated fiber optic device, finally resolving the issues of clarity and smoothness.
The beautiful Eurasian woman on the screen smiled and said, "I can see you too, and you haven't changed a bit. Wait a moment, Amy wants to talk to you."
Aileen moved aside, revealing Amy's small face standing behind her.
"Lei!" The sight of him appearing on the screen and smiling at her excited the little girl, who called out to him.
"Little devil, are you doing well?" Lei Yin habitually stretched out his hand to touch her face, only to suddenly remember that she wasn't actually in front of him.
The little girl didn't say a word, just looking at him with reddened eyes.
"Oh, someone's about to cry again," Lei Yin teased.
"Lei, I miss you so much." The little girl's tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Though they talked on the phone almost every week, seeing him in person felt entirely different.
"You crybaby. Well, now you can see me whenever you want with this device. You can ask Aileen to teach you how to use it."
The little girl obediently nodded her head.
Aileen said from the side, "You two chat slowly. Amy, I'll come back later to call you for dinner."
"Okay." Amy responded without turning her head.
Aileen chuckled lightly and left the room.
"Lei, listen to me. Little Lei has given birth to her second litter of puppies. There are four in total this time. They're so furry and have their eyes closed, each one is so cute. Wait a moment, I'll bring them over to show you right now." With that, the little girl hurriedly ran out of the room.
After a while, she returned carrying a box of puppies. Before she could catch her breath, she picked up one of the unopened-eyed puppies and held it up to the screen for him to see. "Lei, can you see them? Aren't they adorable? I plan to name the one in my left hand Alexander. As for the one in my right hand... I haven't thought of a name yet. Can you help me come up with one?"
"Since its sibling is named Alexander, let's call it Caesar. That'll be quite imposing, having two emperors watching over your home."
Although she didn't understand the meaning behind the name, the little girl happily said, "Caesar, it's a strange name, but since you've chosen it, I'll use it."
Next, the little girl happily chatted with Lei Yin about her recent life and the people and events at school. Although he had heard much of it over the phone, Lei Yin still listened with great interest. Compared to the open and hidden struggles and darker aspects of human nature he encountered among adults, Amy's small world was exceptionally refreshing and captivating.
As they talked, the conversation gradually turned to the New Year. At that point, the little girl said, "Lei, can we count down together like this during the New Year?"
"Sure, but you have to dance for me. Didn't you say you're learning to dance? Why don't you dance now?"
"I, I haven't learned it well yet," the little girl said shyly.
Lei Yin didn't force her, saying, "Then dance for me during the New Year."
The little girl nodded. After a while, she looked at him with hopeful eyes and said, "Lei, I want a hug."
Lei Yin could only comfort her. "Don't worry, summer vacation will come soon, and we can have a good time together, okay?"
The little girl reluctantly nodded her head.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by Kazumi's voice, "Brother, it's me."
"Little devil, wait for me. I'll be right back," Lei Yin told her before going to open the door.
"What's up?"
Kazumi answered, "There are two police officers outside. They have some questions for you."
Lei Yin found it strange since he hadn't had any dealings with the police lately. Nevertheless, he said, "Alright, I'll be out in a minute. By the way, come over here and meet Amy."
Kazumi followed him to see Amy's adorable and well-behaved face on the enlarged display screen in the center.
Kazumi also liked the little girl her brother valued so much, so she greeted Amy, who was far away in Switzerland, through the screen. Amy, in turn, greeted her back.
Lei Yin told Kazumi he had to step away for a moment.
Although she was reluctant to part, the little girl still said goodbye to him understandingly.
After agreeing on a time for their next meeting, Lei Yin disconnected the call and left the room with Kazumi.
Upon entering the living room, Lei Yin indeed saw two police officers sitting on the sofa, talking to Ryutaro Maeda.
"Masashi, you're here. This is my stepson, Masashi Haraiwa, the person you're looking for." Seeing him come out, Maeda introduced Lei Yin's identity to the two officers.
After a round of introductions, Lei Yin learned that the two police officers belonged to the North District Police Station, and they had come to ask him some questions.
Lei Yin opened the door and got straight to the point, "What do you want from me?"
"Do you know Ryoko Kuroda?" one of the police officers asked in return.
"Yes, she's my cousin. What happened to her?"
The officer said, "So far, she has been missing for over four days. Along with her, two of her classmates, Hana Tachibana and Tomoko Yamaguchi, have also gone missing. We came here to ask if you know her whereabouts or if you've had any recent contact or meetings with her."
Lei Yin shook his head, "I haven't been in contact with her recently, nor have I met her. Can you tell me in detail about her disappearance?"
The officer replied, "Four nights ago, your cousin, Ryoko Kuroda, along with Hana Tachibana and Tomoko Yamaguchi, left their apartment, but they haven't returned since that night. Their parents have already reported them missing as they couldn't contact them."
Lei Yin frowned, "Are there no other clues besides these? For example, witnesses like taxi drivers who have given them a ride?"
Another officer laughed, "There are so many taxis in Tokyo. We can't possibly check every single one, can we?"
Lei Yin replied coldly, "I don't find it funny. As far as I know, all legal taxis are company-operated. It shouldn't be difficult to find out which drivers picked up passengers there that night by checking the routes with the transportation companies. Admittedly, this method is quite cumbersome, but as long as there's an effort, it shouldn't be difficult to find the information. If it were your relatives who went missing, I doubt you would find it too much trouble."
Upon hearing Lei Yin's words, the two officers' expressions darkened, but they didn't lash out due to Ryutaro Maeda's presence nearby.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Maeda quickly stepped in to mediate, "Masashi, you may not be familiar with our police methods. We usually start by investigating the whereabouts of missing persons with their relatives or friends. If there are no results, I believe the two officers will continue their investigation. Thank you for your hard work."
"You're too kind, Mr. Maeda." The two officers' expressions improved after hearing his words.
After the two officers left, Lei Yin returned to his room alone.
Once he closed the door, he took out his phone.
"Hello, is this Mr. Akamatsu?"
"Good evening, I may need your help with another matter."
