Xyunvi

Written by: Nisioisin

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!

College is a whole new adventure, rife with challenges, opportunities, and cold-blooded killers.
 
Fresh from unmasking an assassin on a posh island paradise, Ii-chan is finally an ultra-cool college student—jaded, sarcastic, and not exactly consumed by academic ambition. Now more interested in angst and anomie than in catching killers, Ii-chan figures that danger is a thing of the past. Wrong! There’s a homicidal maniac loose in Kyoto, a perp with the soul of an artist whose talent is apparent in the inspired way he festoons his crime scenes with body parts.

But then murder hits much closer to home. Hours after attending a friend’s birthday party, Ii-chan learns that the guest of honor, a pretty co-ed, has been found strangled to death. What’s more, Ii-chan is the prime suspect. The lackadaisical college kid had better hope thathis crime-solving skills weren’t just a fluke, because the killer is within striking distance... Of him.

The Kubishime Romanticist (Zaregoto Series #2)

After finishing my call with Kunagisa, I went to visit Miiko-san next door. I knocked on her door.


"Yo," came her response. Several seconds later, the door opened. As usual, she was dressed in a jinbei. It seemed to me that if she was going to take such an avid interest in Japanese clothing, she ought to get herself a nice, pretty kimono. It definitely would've looked good on her.


"Oh, I just wanted to thank you. They said you vouched for my alibi."


"I didn't do anything remarkable. I just told the truth."


"Yeah, but I created an unnecessary burden for you."


"I don't care. Happens all the time... But you've certainly dealt with your own fair share of nuisances, haven't you?" She sounded more amazed than concerned. "You're like the man of a thousand disasters. So what about that girl? Based on what the authorities were saying, it sounds like she was involved as well."


"Gotcha," she nodded. "Well, then, how do you intend on thanking me?"


This was literally an invitation to go have real tea at a tea-house, not just a regular coffee shop. It was sort of a Kyoto thing, or maybe just a Miiko-san thing.


"Does that come with dango?" Dango — those tasty rice flour dumplings — went really well with green tea.


"It even comes with hiyashi shiruko." Yes, and sweet red bean soup, too!


Miiko-san's eyes immediately lit up. "Hold on, I'll get ready."


She shut the door. For what it was worth, she was considerate enough to change into normal clothes if she was going out with somebody else. That level of thoughtfulness made her a pretty rare specimen in my circle of acquaintances.


"And I'm back." A minute later she was ready to leave. She handed me a car key. I flipped it over once in the palm of my hand before clutching it tightly.


The Murderer (Part 3)