Now it seems that being lazy really leads to major mishaps.

Not only did Minamoto Tamako fail to train him, but she also gathered sufficient Redemption Vouchers and used them against him with his own tactics, completely flipping the heavens!

Thinking of this, Fushimi Roku smirked and said, "I don't like this chocolate."

Minamoto Tamako furrowed her brows and reprimanded, "You dare not eat the chocolate rewarded by the Captain? Are you questioning the Captain's taste?"

"I didn't mean that."

"Then eat it!" Minamoto Tamako shoved the chocolate in his face, fearing he might worry about it being low-quality, she added, "This was bought from a specialty store, I've tasted it myself. It's really delicious! Otherwise, why would I reward you with it?"

Fushimi Roku thought he might as well eat it, and casually tossed it into his mouth. After chewing it, it truly tasted good—the shell was dark chocolate with a sweet and not cloying sugar center, very delightful.

"Do you have more?" Fushimi Roku reached out, wanting another piece.

"No, when you perform well, I'll reward you more." Minamoto Tamako felt smug, thinking that Fujimura-kun sure has many clever ideas, all effective when used. In the future, when she becomes a chief inspector, she'd manage subordinates with this method.

Fushimi Roku wasn't interested; he didn't want to be a prisoner to chocolate and hinted, "What's the brand? Unbranded products have poor quality control; there might be cockroaches in the chocolate, and eating it could give you diarrhea."

"Huh? There's such a thing?" Minamoto Tamako was hearing this for the first time.

As they chatted, they neared the small house, standing outside the fence. Fushimi Roku peered in; the yard was overgrown, seemingly neglected for some time. He casually replied, "Of course, cockroaches can be crushed on the chocolate production line and blended into the melted chocolate... If you don't keep up with news, you wouldn't know."

Minamoto Tamako imagined gears grinding in a factory workshop, squishing cockroaches into pulp, mixing them into the chocolate syrup, and finally ending up in her mouth... Gross! That's disgustingly awful!

She decided to research this later to avoid buying unsanitary chocolate. As for the leftover chocolate in her pocket, she'd give it to Fujimura-kun anyway; he's nearly dying, so diarrhea wouldn't be a big problem.

"It's a big brand, you, you can eat it with peace of mind." Minamoto Tamako nervously lied.

Luckily, Fushimi Roku didn't care, mimicking a monkey as he observed. After a while, he felt there was likely no one inside the house, so he shouted, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

The yard remained silent, only filled with bird calls and the cicadas of a scorching summer.

"Seems like no one's here," Fushimi Roku was smarter this time; he didn't climb over the fence but waited for Minamoto Tamako to go first: "Captain, please."

Minamoto Tamako felt the chocolate's effect was immediate, she couldn't help but show a satisfied smile, taking out another piece of chocolate from her pocket and handing it to Fushimi Roku: "Well done knowing how to defer to the Captain, here's your chocolate reward."

Fushimi Roku wasn't bothered, sticking to the idea: if you don't eat, you miss out. He tossed the chocolate into his mouth, chewing happily while waiting for Captain Tamako to scout the house.

Minamoto Tamako placed her hands on the wooden fence, ready to climb over it. Unexpectedly, the fence wobbled severely, seemingly unable to bear her weight. If she forcefully climbed over, she might end up falling badly, making her hesitate.

"What's wrong, Captain? Can't get over the fence?" Fushimi Roku gloated nearby.

Minamoto Tamako felt upset; she wasn't the old Minamoto Tamako now; she was the detective team captain. In layman's terms, she had crossed to the dark side, absolutely not allowing mockery and cynical behavior from team members!

She coughed lightly, stood upright with hands behind her back, and said, "Actually, I wanted to test your proactive capability as a team member, pretending not to get over the fence to see if you'd willingly help... Alas, your performance is so disappointing."

"..."

Fushimi Roku thought how could such words come from her mouth? She used to stutter when lying; how was it now so smooth?

Could Minamoto Tamako be telling the truth? Was she really using this method to test him?

Regardless of whether it was pretense or reality, Fushimi Roku had to treat it as reality. He bent down, supporting Minamoto Tamako's arm, and said, "It was my oversight, let me help you."

"Do I need you to help?" Minamoto Tamako returned to her old ways.

Fushimi Roku couldn't stand it anymore, saying, "If I suffer heatstroke and collapse here, you'll have to carry a 160-pound adult back to the station...I wouldn't mind, but I believe the Captain wouldn't leave me behind, right?"

Minamoto Tamako saw sweat on his forehead and his pale face, worried he might indeed suffer heatstroke. Feeling a bit guilty, she hurriedly climbed the wooden fence, saying, "Give me a hand."

Fushimi Roku reached out to support her heart-shaped behind, but Minamoto Tamako smoothly kicked off, stepping on Fushimi Roku's shoulder, successfully flipping over the wooden fence.

Minamoto Tamako spread her arms, landed steadily, looked around, and said with what she thought was a professional tone:

"Safe! Hurry up and follow!"

Fushimi Roku mimicked a thug, using one hand to vault over the wooden fence, easily entering the yard. Minamoto Tamako was visibly envious, thinking having longer legs really helped, jumping hurdles higher than others.

The two of them entered the house smoothly, knocked on the door, still without response. Minamoto Tamako suggested entering via the second-floor windows; they were here to investigate a murder case, and the homeowner had been detained, granting them emergency search rights without illegal trespassing.

Fushimi Roku stayed silent; he took off Minamoto Tamako's badge, using its pin to pick the lock, then put it back on her.

"When did you learn to pick locks?" Minamoto Tamako was shocked.

"Never learned, it's self-taught." Fushimi Roku half-joked.

He donned gloves, a headpiece, and shoe covers; the first thing he did inside was look for the air conditioner remote. But this old house had no air-conditioning, just a hanging fan, with a bare straw mat on the floor, implying the resident relied on tranquility for cooling.

Minamoto Tamako, also properly dressed, followed him in; the room's curtains weren't drawn, offering good lighting. The retro furniture reminded her of her grandfather's country house.

The two searched, finding the suspect's household register. His name was Nishino Ruta, a salesman, with deceased parents and a younger sister named Nishino Fuyu... Minamoto Tamako and Fushimi Roku exchanged wary glances; the former felt a brewing sense of unease, quickly phoning the police station, asking the patrol police handling the aftermath if they had seen Nishino Ruta's family.

The patrol police replied, "No, I've called several times without any answer and went there personally, but no one was home…"

Minamoto Tamako hung up, looking anxious, "Oh no! Nishino Fuyu wouldn't starve at home like that dog, would she…"

"Kids aren't dogs; she's twelve according to the birth date listed. If hungry, she'd go out for food? Though the area is remote, it's not deserted enough for her to starve." Fushimi Roku closed the register, saying, "Let's continue searching; if we don't find a body, we should ask neighboring residents."

Upon hearing this, Minamoto Tamako became highly alert, meticulously searching and investigating.

Fushimi Roku roamed around, finding nothing—neither a body nor clues. Based on furniture arrangements and personal items, Nishino Ruta appeared as an ordinary person with no peculiar tendencies.

Before calling Minamoto Tamako to visit nearby houses, he turned and saw her standing at the corner of the entrance, staring dazedly at a wall.

"What's wrong?" Fushimi Roku approached to ask.

"The wall's thickness doesn't match the exterior dimensions," Minamoto Tamako tapped the wooden wall, hearing hollow echoes from inside, "and it's hollow inside... either there's a hidden room or secret passage."

For puzzles like this, Minamoto Tamako was more skilled. She groped along the wall, finding a pull-ring at the bottom of a shoe cabinet. She yanked but failed, so Fushimi Roku helped, opening a floor door.

These doors were commonly seen, typically installed under stairs, connecting residences to basements. Nishino Ruta crafted a shoe cabinet around this door, camouflaging it within the furniture.

The two peered in, revealing a wooden staircase, hollow in the middle and seemingly fragile, leading into pitch darkness.

Suddenly, from deep within the basement, came a timid voice:

"Brother? Is that you back?"

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