Not a detective

Page 143

The book "Summer of the Red Rays," originally scheduled for publication in 2025, has mysteriously disappeared without a trace!

"How can this be……"

He murmured to himself, questioning his own memory.

"Me too, Asakawa-kun. When I first discovered that this book had disappeared, I also found it hard to believe."

Xingyu patted his shoulder and said comfortingly, "I checked the online records and found no trace of it being manually modified. It never existed in the first place. There is no place for this book in the bestseller list in bookstores. Everyone who has read it can't remember it. It's as if it was erased from reality without any trace."

Asakawa Riku felt a chill run down his spine: "So, only the two of us still remember this book?"

"Yes."

"What about the truth behind this book? What happened at the night of the Crimson Stingray Festival? What are the clues and information hidden behind it...?"

"We can't find it."

Hoshino's words were also filled with confusion and anger, just like Asakawa Riku's, but she had nowhere to vent them.

"Although I haven't read that book, I'm willing to believe what you're saying."

Fortunately, Shinonome Suetsuki's trust offered some comfort. She said, "If the book you mentioned, 'Summer of the Red Ray,' really exists but has mysteriously disappeared, the only clue might be the author of the book, 'Asukaoi Shi.' She must know something. Unfortunately, she never appears in public or at offline events, and even the editorial department doesn't know her personal information. Apart from this photo, we can't find anything. We don't even know if she's really a junior high school girl or a genius beauty."

"Another secretive, elusive guy."

Asakawa Riku frowned and clenched his fist.

“I once tried to disguise myself as a reporter and lure her in with high pay to be interviewed, but she ignored my message and didn’t give me any chance at all.”

Mo Yue shrugged, seemingly helpless as well. Even the Dongyun family's intelligence network was at a loss, indicating that the other party was definitely not a simple person.

Judging from the title, it might be related to the "cult" behind it, who knows...

"She is a bestselling author, and her royalties and royalties are enough to make her financially independent, so she will not be tempted by simple money."

Asakawa Riku said, staring at the enlarged photo on his phone screen.

The silhouette in the photo is blurry, with the girl's features and details barely visible. Yet, for some reason, Asakawa Riku feels he can see it clearly.

A dark shadow, a small nose and a delicate face; that eye seemed to pierce through the screen, as if the two were gazing at each other, conveying some kind of information and emotion…

How is this going?

He even felt that if he saw her in person, he would immediately recognize "Shimi Asukai".

Who is that person? Why do I remember them? Have I seen them somewhere before? Where...? If I'd seen a girl like that, I couldn't possibly have no recollection of her...

"To find out the truth, we probably have to find her in person and ask her personally."

He looked at it with utmost seriousness, etching the outline firmly into his mind, determined never to forget it again.

Just then, the detective suddenly spoke up—

"However, this investigation was not without its rewards."

Dongyun Sueyue said, standing up as if to salvage the dignity and face of a "detective," she needed to achieve something remarkable.

She pointed at the bewildered and helpless Xingyu, smiling and squinting her eyes:

“I have seen through the truth of the [Crimson Ray], which is your past and identity, Hoshino.”

Xingyu was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting it to happen so suddenly. She pointed to herself:

"Ah I?"

Summer of the Crimson Stingray: Summer of the Crimson Stingray AFTER4

What exactly is a stingray?

Shinonome Suetsuki began her long speech.

Logically, she should have taken out a stack of documents or books and read from them, but she had nothing in her hands.

She could perfectly recall it from her mind using only her incredible memory:

"If you search online, you should only be able to find one type of fish in the family Stingrayidae of the order Maliformes. It is generally 50-60 centimeters long, but can grow to more than 1 meter. It is disc-shaped with a long, thin tail like a whip. Its back is reddish-brown, and its edges and sides are orange-red, hence the name 'red'. Its underside is white."

Listen, Asakawa Riku also began searching, and sure enough, he saw the kind of fish that looked like a disc with a long, thin tail extending from its tail.

"The red stingray is mainly distributed in southern Japan, often inhabiting deep pools and being active mostly at night. It is omnivorous, mainly feeding on small fish, shrimp, aquatic insects, and mollusks such as snails and clams. Due to its extremely small population, narrow distribution range, and severely damaged habitat, it is listed as a near-threatened species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species."

Asakawa Riku was about to take out his notebook to write it down, but just then, Suezuki suddenly changed the subject:

"But this has absolutely nothing to do with the [Red Stingray] we're talking about today."

"……what?"

"In the 24th chapter of Volume 3 of *The Hundred Tales of Illustrated Books*, it is recorded that there were two boatmen named Matayoshi and Sakichi on Awaji Island in Kita-Awa Town, Hyogo Prefecture. Because of their superb boating skills and fearlessness in the face of storms, they were often at sea. One day, while sailing on a large ship, they encountered a storm and drifted to an unknown location. Of the twenty-six people on board, three tragically fell into the sea and perished. The remaining people endured hardship and arrived at a small island. They went ashore to search for people, but found no trace of them. The treetops were covered with seaweed, and seawater flowed through the crevices of the rocks, where many fish lived. They continued for two or three miles, but still found no houses. They wanted water, but there was only seawater, so they had no choice but to return to their original spot and leave together by boat. After traveling about ten cho (approximately 3.3 hectares), the island they had landed on sank to the bottom of the sea. They were then astonished to discover that the island… was actually a large fish."

Mo Yue talked for a long time, paused for a moment, and blinked: "How about it, does it sound familiar?"

"A big fish that will turn into an island..."

Asakawa Riku murmured, "It's not just this legend, but also that experience and the stories in the book; they all seem to be connected."

So this is the truth about the [Red Stingray].

A similar story is recorded in "The Eastern Journey of Orange Grove". When a giant fish called "okina" appears on the surface of the sea, it makes a thunderous sound and stirs up huge waves, causing whales to be frightened and flee in all directions. The dorsal and tail fins of the giant fish floating on the ocean surface are like several small islands. Just as whales prey on sardines, the giant fish called "okina" also swallows whales. Even the largest creature in the ocean, the whale, is preyed on by it, which shows that its true size is unbelievably huge. It is the true overlord of the ocean.

After telling the legend, Motsuki explained: "As for why there is such a legend, the monster researcher Tada Katsumi analyzed that among the known stingrays, there are large fish that are five or six meters long and more than ten meters wide. Moreover, in the places where large red stingrays gather, the sea area under the fishing boats often turns bright red, which makes people feel scared and believe that there really are such huge red stingrays."

It turned out to be the case.

People's fears and speculations become part of the collective consciousness, eventually transforming into legends, and then into reality.

Thus, the monster known as the "Red Ray" came into being... At that time, the Red Ray was not a god, but merely a mysterious monster in the sea.

Asakawa Riku frowned and looked at Hoshino, who was listening with a completely bewildered expression:

"You...you're actually a monster?"

"I...I don't know! I've never heard of it..."

Xingyu was also dumbfounded. She had lived for seventeen years and this was the first time she had ever known that she was actually a fish.

Asakawa Rikuya felt something was wrong. If Hoshino was a youkai, why could he see her and not be affected by the "zero inspiration" restriction?

Moreover, she can live a normal life like an ordinary human girl, without suffocating or growing organs like "gills" on the shore.

Mo Yue smiled and explained:

“In coastal ports or cities in Western Europe, there has long been a saying that young women of marriageable age, or those who are already married, would board a fishing boat to go out to sea. They were not pregnant before going out to sea, but their bellies would grow large after they disembarked. People would call it ‘the gift of the sea’ or ‘children of the sea,’ meaning that the gods had made them pregnant. In reality, it was mostly just a secret rendezvous or affair with the crew or other tourists, and a euphemism was used to cover up the truth.”

"...If there are enough legends, they will become reality."

Asakawa Riku unconsciously picked up on that line.

He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. This world... this world was completely different from the world he had transmigrated to. As long as this rule existed, it was terrifying.

"Yes, Xingyu, perhaps your mother was like that too. After she went out to sea, she may have accidentally fallen into the sea and was rescued in time. At that time, she did not feel anything unusual about her body, but after getting off the ship, she felt extremely uncomfortable. After a check-up, she was shocked to find that she was pregnant. However, she was sure that she had never had a relationship with a man, so she felt fear and unease. After giving birth to you, she placed you in an orphanage and left. Perhaps this is the truth about your background. Your mother is human, that's true, but your father may be a monster."

Dongyun Sueyue never knew how to speak tactfully. She showed a sour face as if her whole family had died, as if she also hated that irresponsible mother.

He spoke frankly and directly revealed the truth without any embellishment.

Asakawa Riku even wondered if this was too cruel for Hoshino. He turned to look at her, only to find that Hoshino didn't seem sad, but rather just had a wry smile on her face.

"So... my mixed heritage isn't a mix of Japanese and foreign, but rather a mix of human and yokai?"

"Yes."

"This... seems pretty good too."

She tilted her head, seemingly accepting the truth quickly without much surprise.

Well, this guy's nerves are abnormally thick; looks like I was worrying for nothing.

Asakawa Riku looked at the blonde girl and asked, "So, will you inherit the abilities of the yokai...?"

This is what he cares about most.

"Hmm—" Xingyu rested her fingers on her chin and thought for a moment: "It wasn't there before, but it seems to have appeared since I came back this time... Do you think this counts?"

The next second, the coffee in the cup suddenly rose up on its own, turning into a swimming liquid, like a fish, swirling in the air before falling back into the original cup.

Not a single drop spilled during the process.

------

Happy New Year everyone! I'll add another chapter later tonight to conclude the summer arc!

Summer of the Crimson Stingray: Summer of the Crimson Stingray AFTER5

"Oh—is this the ability of [Water Control]?"

Asakawa Riku's eyes lit up.

He could see clearly that the coffee liquid danced with Xingyu's fingers, spinning in the air under her control before falling.

It was as if an invisible hand was lifting them up, but it was more like they were swimming on their own, becoming living "fish".

"It seems like it's not just water... any liquid is difficult to manipulate. But water is the easiest. Other liquids with impurities, or things with complex compositions, are much more difficult."

Xingyu explained, but looking at how she handled the coffee, it didn't seem like she was struggling at all.

This ability is definitely stronger than I imagined.

For example, Asakawa Riku immediately thought that blood is, of course, a type of "liquid," so if he could directly manipulate the blood inside an enemy's body...

It can control its reverse flow, pull it away, or even detonate it...

"This ability is quite convenient. For example, I don't have to wash the dishes and cups myself anymore, and it's also much easier to clean the office~"

Seeing Hoshino saying these words with such smug satisfaction, Asakawa Riku suddenly felt embarrassed.

...Am I being too extreme in my thinking?

In daily life, such a violent approach is unnecessary, and it's hard to say whether it's even valid, so he didn't say anything that would ruin the atmosphere.

However, he still taught Xingyu a self-defense move: "If you encounter danger, you can manipulate water and splash it directly into the opponent's face."

When a normal person is suddenly attacked in the face, they will instinctively feel fear and try to dodge, or at least use their hands to block it.

During this process, you will lose your balance, and if your eyes are covered by water, you will not be able to see what is in front of you, making it impossible to attack normally.

Moreover, if the opponent is more ruthless, water can quickly cover their mouth and nose, creating a fatal suffocation trap, and they will drown in no time.

To be honest... Xingyu's ability, if properly developed, is actually quite powerful.

Wow—that's amazing! Let me try!

Hoshino's eyes lit up. It seemed like this was the first time she had thought of such a use. So she manipulated the water flow beside her, turning it into a bubble, and threw it at Asakawa Riku's face.

Asakawa Rikudo didn't move, and simply smashed it to pieces with his hand.

Of course, bubbles at this speed pose no threat to him whatsoever. Even with his eyes, mouth, and nose covered, he can maintain a high level of concentration and fighting ability.

"Hey, yes, I taught you that, but don't experiment on me!"

"Hehe... I'm sorry."

Xingyu chuckled, scratching his head, and quickly brought him tissues to wipe the water off.

The guy next to her was even more exaggerated, while Mo Yue was laughing so hard she looked like she was about to fall off her chair.

"I'm leaving."

After drying his hands, Asakawa Riku stood up.

Today wasn't his turn to work; he was just browsing. Now that he'd already discussed the inside story of the incident, there was no need for him to stay any longer.

Moreover, the information he had just received gave Asakawa Riku a lot of inspiration. He had many new ideas that he wanted to investigate, especially those related to the mastermind behind the scenes...

　"Ah, let me see you off~"

Xingyu followed, her high heels clicking as she walked.

Asakawa Riku walked downstairs with his hands in his pockets, saying nonchalantly, "It's not like I'm not coming... Don't worry, I'm not angry, I was just joking around."

Behind her, Xingyu said earnestly:

"Asakawa-kun, I want to... formally thank you. If it weren't for you... I would still be on that island, never to wake up again, right?"

"Why bring this up now? So much time has passed."