"Miss Kamisato, you have mail." Hanbei respectfully presented three scrolls, two from Thoma, and the other, naturally, from Shiki.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Politely thanking him, Ayaka first unrolled the thinnest scroll and began to read.
[Ayaka, I am currently in Kannazuka. The negotiation time has been set for three days from now. To prevent the resistance from launching a sneak attack, I need to guard here and deter them.]
[Don't worry about me. The resistance is just a disorganized mob, but there is a Fatui shadow here, which is why I need to be stationed in Kannazuka.]
[I will naturally return in three days.]
[Shiki]
The words between the lines carried the unique sharpness of a Young Miss, which was also what made her different from ordinary people, but who said a beautiful Young Miss had to have delicate handwriting?
A hint of worry appeared between Ayaka's brows. Although the letter said not to worry about her, that was the Fatui after all. Who knew what they would do?
Putting the letter away in the cabinet, Ayaka opened the subsequent scrolls.
[Young Miss, a suicide case occurred in Inazuma City today. The deceased's portrait before her death is on another piece of paper. I need to confirm the deceased's identity. Also, I don't think this suicide case is that simple; there are some unknown things hidden within it.]
[After clarifying the identity, please inform me as soon as possible. I need to start the investigation quickly. If time drags on, it might not be possible to find anything.]
[Below are my conclusions that led to this thought...]
Thoma listed all his doubts in his mind, which was why his scroll was thicker, as there were indeed many suspicious points in this suicide case.
After seeing Thoma's letter, Ayaka opened another scroll, and a lifelike portrait immediately came into view.
'Indeed, just as Thoma said, there's an overall sense of contradiction…'
Standing still and pondering for a moment, Ayaka put away the portrait and handed it to a Anbu member.
"Find this person's specific identity, down to her family and social relationships. List everything and give it to Thoma."
"Yes!"
With a concise reply, the Anbu ninja took the portrait and disappeared into the courtyard. As the place storing information on all Inazuma citizens, it naturally couldn't be kept in the Kamisato Estate but rather beneath the Kamisato Estate, in an exceptionally secluded spot halfway up the mountain.
With the help of the portrait, it wasn't long before the Anbu ninja found the deceased's exact identity. They carefully transcribed two copies of her family composition and important social relationships, one to Thoma and one to Ayaka.
Name: Hirota Ai
Age: Seventeen years old
Family members: Father Hirota Jiro, Mother Miyu Hongda (formerly Miyu Matsue), all grandparents have passed away, paternal uncle Tatsuro Hongda (unmarried).
Marital status: Engaged, not married. Fiance: Akiyama Satoru, eighteen years old.
Home address: Hanamizaka residential area, Inazuma City
From the information alone, this was a very ordinary family in Inazuma City. The girl was also just a very ordinary resident of Inazuma City. She would have lived an ordinary life with her husband, but for some unknown reason, she committed suicide by jumping off a bridge.
Looking at the information backup transmitted from the Anbu, Ayaka decided to go to Inazuma City tomorrow, as it was already getting late today.
But Thoma, in Inazuma City, after reading the information, decided to scout the location first and inform her family of Hirota Ai's death.
Thoma quickly tidied up and then arrived at the Hanamizaka residential area.
Hanamizaka was the lowest elevation area in Inazuma City, near White Fox Plain. Many people lived here because the terrain was low, and when it rained, water would drain here, so land prices were naturally cheaper.
The Hongda family's house was here, but at this moment, they didn't know their daughter had fallen from a bridge and died. After all, girls in love are always with their boyfriends, so coming home late was very normal.
Therefore, they didn't feel anything was wrong. It wasn't the first or second time, and she would be back soon.
And at that time, only the passerby witnessed the whole process. And according to Thoma's instructions, he also did not make a sound, only a few people knew that someone had fallen from the bridge today.
Knock knock knock
Thoma found the bungalow with "Hongda" written on it and knocked on the door. A female voice then came from inside:
"Coming!"
The door opened, and a simply dressed middle-aged woman appeared before Thoma.
The middle-aged woman was startled to see who it was, not for any other reason than she knew this person!
"Oh my, isn't this Mr. Thoma? May I ask if you are looking for us for something?"
"Mrs. Hongda, I am very sorry to disturb you during dinner. I have some very bad news this time." Thoma's expression was heavy. He then took out a set of blood-stained clothes from his Vision, as well as a photo of Hirota Ai at the time of her death.
"Unfortunately, your daughter, Hirota Ai, committed suicide by jumping off a bridge at 2:10 PM today…"
Miyu Hongda froze in place upon hearing this. Looking at the blood-stained clothes in his hand, she initially just found them somewhat familiar, never expecting them to be her daughter's…
"No… impossible! How could my daughter commit suicide? She had a happy smile on her face every day; she couldn't possibly commit suicide!"
Miyu Hongda desperately clutched Thoma's sleeve, shouting incredulously, "Mr. Thoma, have you made a mistake? My daughter is a cheerful child; she couldn't possibly be so disheartened!"
"She must have been framed by someone else. Although our family isn't rich, everyone lives very well. Just recently, she even got engaged to the Akiyama family's boy; she couldn't possibly commit suicide!"
"But the portrait identification of the deceased indeed confirms it is your daughter, Hirota Ai, and according to the passerby's description, she did jump down herself," Thoma said with a sigh.
"This is precisely what puzzles me. Your daughter's last expression before her death gave a very strong sense of contradiction. So, I came this time to understand what has been happening in your family recently."
At this moment, Miyu Hongda's mind was blank. She hadn't heard a word Thoma said. Her mind was only focused on one thing: her beloved daughter was gone.
Hirota Jiro, inside the house, heard the voices talking outside. Curious, he also walked out of the room.
When he saw his wife in tears and Thoma's somber expression, a bad premonition immediately arose in his heart.
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