Chapter 777: Chapter 775: The Comforting Hand_1 Chapter 777: Chapter 775: The Comforting Hand_1 Kisaragi Chie, who had just escaped her predicament, didn’t seem to have too many complaints about her younger sister, and her concern was genuine.
“No problem, I’ll find them as soon as I can.”
And finally, Suzune regained her senses from the initial shock of the information and readily agreed.
It seemed that due to their interactions during this period, her relationship with Kisaragi Chie was quite good.
But after agreeing, she quickly realized there was an issue.
“So, do you know where they’ve gone?”
“I don’t know.”
Kisaragi Chie shook her head very decisively.
“When they left, I didn’t hear any information like an address.”
“Then do you know where they usually go?”
“Their dating spots… this place is the only one I’ve been to.”
Kisaragi Chie sighed silently.
“That might be a bit troublesome, we’ll have to eliminate the possibilities one by one… We might need to use the police system to find people.”
Suzune furrowed her brows for a moment.
“However, looking on the bright side, there hasn’t been any information about violent incidents since last night until now, which suggests that Kagetsu Kana is likely still safe, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
After comforting Kisaragi Chie, in the next moment, she saw Fu Qian standing in a corner, lost in thought, and couldn’t help but make a sarcastic remark.
“Isn’t Mr. Darcy good at capturing prey? Why don’t you see where the person has gone?”
She would gladly get rid of this guy at the first chance, even though it was precisely because of his vile intentions that they managed to save Kisaragi Chie in time.
“Sure.”
Unexpectedly, Fu Qian agreed very straightforwardly.
“Do you know where they’ve gone?”
Suzune was taken aback.
“Is this all your doing?”
Obviously, her experience dealing with Fu Qian had made her overly suspicious.
“You’re overthinking it, I’m just a concerned citizen.”
Fu Qian shook his head and pointed towards the wall.
“As for why I know, can’t you see the big heart on the map?”
The map?
Suzune and Kisaragi Chie were both startled and looked in the direction Fu Qian was pointing.
On the map, bathed in a pink light giving an ambivalent charm, there were indeed hearts marked in different locations, one of which was conspicuously larger than the others.
“Considering your sister had her boyfriend prove his love for her, wouldn’t it make sense for them to go to this largest place? It looks like a studio on the map.”
…That did seem to make some sense.
After exchanging a glance, ultimately, it was the family member of the victim who nodded.
“Then let’s hurry.”
“Sure.”
…
“This place is a bit remote, huh? Does your sister like painting?”
Not long after, Suzune, acting as the driver, parked the car and surveyed the surroundings after getting out.
“One of the people who likes her is into painting.”
Kisaragi Chie chose her words carefully, answering in a tongue-twister fashion.
…
“If I remember correctly, the person’s surname is Ishida, a painter who’s not very successful and makes a living by teaching others to paint.”
“Then it can’t be wrong.”
In a speechless moment, Fu Qian pointed to a place not far away.
On the signboard with a white background and black lettering, there was clearly written the name Ishida.
“There was no open door, and by all accounts it was still early…”
As she approached, Kisaragi Chie furrowed her brow upon seeing the tightly closed door. Suzune instinctively looked toward Fu Qian.
Before she could finish speaking, the door opened in response.
Fu Qian, as if nothing were amiss, packed away his tools and signaled that they could enter.
Huh?
Inside was the classic image of a painting studio, a not too large space with two rows of easels facing each other, apparently used by amateur enthusiasts for learning.
Almost immediately, the expression in Suzune’s eyes turned sharp, and she charged forward, kicking open the second door.
Fu Qian, however, was not surprised by this action.
Because at this moment, the scent of blood was so evident in the air that even the obtuse Suzune couldn’t fail to notice it.
“Lady Suzune…”
Kisaragi Chie looked surprised, clearly startled by the reaction, and hurried after her as she came to her senses.
The layout of this studio was similar to the fortune-telling cabin of Kisaragi Chie, with a front area for visitors and living quarters in the back, as well as a small workshop on the side.
The door to the studio was open, and Suzune, who was at the forefront, stood in the doorway, appearing a bit dazed.
“Is that Mr. Ishida?”
Fu Qian, looking at the body inside, confirmed with Kisaragi Chie.
“It seems like it…”
Kisaragi Chie replied somewhat stiffly.
No wonder, for the body was indeed grisly, the head a blur of flesh and blood, even staining a large swath of the easel in front of it.
“He’s been dead for some time.”
Suzune took a deep breath and didn’t even need to approach to reach a conclusion.
Whoosh!
Fu Qian didn’t make a sound; he simply moved forward, pulling open a door in the corner.
A staircase leading downward appeared before them, distinctly revealing a secret basement.
“There’s someone down there!”
Suzune clearly heard something. Her eyes lit up the next moment, and she outpaced Fu Qian down the stairs.
Around the corner, in a corner directly at the end of the staircase, under the much dimmer light, a figure sat on some clutter, unresponsive even as they realized someone was coming.
From the profile alone it was recognizable as Takagi, the one who had taken away Kagetsu Kana.
At this moment, he was holding a hand to his face, a look of rapturous bliss on his face, as if he were in heaven.
Of course, if the hand were still attached to the arm, the entire scene would have seemed much more harmonious.
Indeed, the pale, delicate hand he held had clearly been severed from its original owner’s wrist.
“Kana…”
Kisaragi Chie, arriving a step behind, was already voice trembling as she rushed down.
And faced with her actions, Takagi showed no intention of stopping her, his gaze still fanatically fixed on another corner.
By now, Kisaragi Chie had reached that spot, only to see her sister had fallen into the same predicament as her, firmly tied to a chair.
Simultaneously, her right hand was starkly bare.
The hand that Takagi held had indeed been chopped from her.
Strangely enough, though there were scattered bloodstains on the ground, the unbandaged wound had already stopped bleeding.
Furthermore, her mouth wasn’t gagged, and even upon seeing her sister arriving, there was no sign of pain on her face.
“Have you gone mad? Did you kill the man upstairs?”
The bizarre scene in the basement clearly baffled Suzune.
“This is where we first met…”
Under Suzune’s enraged gaze, Takagi finally consented to take his hand away from his face, but his eyes remained devotedly on Kagetsu Kana, his words filled with deep affection.
“I still remember the feeling when I first saw you here, when I saw what you and Ishida were doing here.”
“Since that time, I’ve fantasized countless times about the sensation of your hand caressing my face, yearning for it every minute.”