Chapter 338: Regret

In this day and age, it's not uncommon for junior high school students to start dating. As long as the relationship is relatively normal, there's no need to make arrests.

Only when a young girl crosses certain lines does the law step in.

More importantly, young people often lack self-restraint in this regard.

Ren naturally understood that this was a subtle reminder.

"Sanzenin Nagi, the only heir of the Sanzenin family. Officer Sato, do you think if I did anything to her, her grandfather wouldn't have me 'humanely disposed of'?"

"The only heir... of the Sanzenin family?!"

Sato Miwako's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected that the 13-year-old girl had such a background.

"Officer Sato doesn't need to be too surprised. Being a rich second generation is not something Sanzenin really concerns herself with."

Not concerned? Sato Miwako's mouth twitched slightly.

Even if she didn't know the specifics, she at least understood what the Sanzenin name represented. To put it bluntly, it was practically equivalent to the wealth of a small country. As the Sanzenin heir, how could this not matter?

But after calming herself, Sato Miwako remembered Ren's special abilities—how he had used them to assist her in solving a major bombing case and had saved many lives.

Thinking of that, she began to understand his comment about wealth.

Indeed, for someone with abilities like his, such powers might be worth more than any fortune. Compared to that, being the heir of a conglomerate didn't seem like much.

Sato Miwako took a deep breath and composed herself.

"I also looked into Takahashi Ryoichi's case. Based on the findings, it seems the suicide of Tokumoto Atsuko two years ago was somehow linked to Chikako Ikeda."

"My guess is that it's because of a story Ikeda wrote, The Blue Kingdom. I suspect that story may have led to Atsuko's death."

"That's my theory, but it feels a bit strange."

"Oh? Strange how?"

"If Takahashi Ryoichi's target was Chikako, then why would you help her using your special ability?"

Based on what she'd pieced together, that was the part Miwako found most confusing.

If everything was really as she guessed, Ren shouldn't have involved himself with Chikako.

It definitely wasn't for money.

So, Sato Miwako instinctively felt her theory only scratched the surface. There had to be a deeper truth.

But the follow-up investigation hit a dead end. There was almost no available information from two years ago. In the end, she had no choice but to ask the person involved directly.

Hearing her suspicion, Ren smiled, a trace of amusement flashing across his face.

"Yes. Officer Sato's investigation is pretty accurate. On the surface, it looks like Miss Ikeda stole Tokumoto Atsuko's idea and used it, ultimately pushing Atsuko to take her own life two years ago, and triggering Takahashi Ryoichi's revenge."

"But as you guessed, this is only what it looks like on the surface. The real situation isn't that Miss Ikeda stole the story from Atsuko, but that she bought it."

"Bought it?"

A trace of surprise flashed through Sato Miwako's eyes.

"Tokumoto Atsuko was timid, withdrawn, and didn't socialize well. More importantly, she didn't seem like the kind of person who would sell her own story, then kill herself afterward. If this was a normal transaction, even suicide wouldn't change the fact that Ikeda would still have proof of the deal, wouldn't she?"

"Officer Sato is right. Miss Tokumoto was definitely not someone who would casually sell off her creation. She had great confidence in the story she wrote. But she didn't sell it. Her mother did."

"Her mother..."

Sato Miwako's breath hitched. With that answer, the entire outline of the case started forming in her mind. The introduction of the mother as a variable completely changed the meaning behind Tokumoto Atsuko's death.

Seeing Sato Miwako's reaction, Ren continued with a faint smile.

"Miss Ikeda is a cautious woman. She knew that involving a third party could invite disputes. So when the deal was made, she had a lawyer draft a sales contract, and had the whole thing notarized by a third party."

"So, technically speaking, this wasn't a shady deal. But it wasn't made with Tokumoto Atsuko herself. It was between Miss Ikeda and Atsuko's mother."

"I believe Atsuko found out about the deal from her mother. That's when she realized there was no way she could reclaim her story. Even though she was the author, she had lost the rights."

Now it made sense…

Sato Miwako finally understood what had driven Tokumoto Atsuko to suicide. It wasn't just pain or anger—it was her final, helpless act of resistance after realizing she'd lost everything.

Even then, Sato Miwako found it hard to feel sympathy. The blame didn't lie with Chikako. It was clearly Atsuko's mother who had made the deal behind her back.

And that was exactly why Tokumoto Atsuko couldn't even direct her anger at her own mother. Instead, she turned all her hatred toward Chikako, the one who bought her story.

So, that suicide two years ago wasn't a form of protest against Ikeda Chikako. It was the most desperate scream of a girl who had been betrayed and stripped of all agency—blaming someone who wasn't even at fault.

Sato Miwako shook her head slowly.

"If that's the truth, then I agree, it's not reasonable to blame Ikeda. The person Tokumoto really needed to confront was her mother, but she couldn't bring herself to do it."

"And Takahashi Ryoichi… he launched a revenge plan two years later, without ever knowing the truth. He only saw the surface and assumed it was Ikeda Chikako's fault."

If that was the case, then the revenge itself was misguided from the start.

"So, it wasn't Chikako Ikeda who initiated the deal?"

"Miss Ikeda isn't foolish. She could tell that the story was being presented to her by the mother without the consent of the original author. So she made sure to get it all in writing, with a signed and notarized contract."

"As for who took the initiative… I think Officer Sato already knows. Also, when Miss Ikeda first learned about Tokumoto's story, she had shown interest in buying it. But Tokumoto Atsuko rejected the offer."

"A story like that… even if it's well written, no one can predict its success before publication. There's always risk."

"So after being rejected, Miss Ikeda let it go. But someone came to her on their own, offering the story and initiating the sale. That's what led her to formalize everything."

Quite frankly, there really wasn't anything to hold against her...

Sato Miwako let out a soft sigh. At this point, all she could feel for Tokumoto Atsuko was regret—not sympathy.

(To be continued.)

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