Waking Up Engaged to a Cool Yandere Beauty: My Wild Journey with a Love-Obsessed Senior - Episode 32: The Dozing Detective and Friend A, Part 2

Episode 32: The Dozing Detective and Friend A, Part 2

“Alright then, let’s get this done before we get caught.”

“O-Okay.” Tapping the smartphone screen a few times, the lock screen appeared. Following that, nine circles arranged in a 3×3 grid showed up.

“A pattern lock? They’re using such outdated security?”

A four-digit PIN has about 10,000 possible combinations. In contrast, a pattern lock, when connecting at least four points, has over 140,000 possible combinations.

Hearing that, it might seem like the latter is superior.

But in reality, it’s not such a secure system.

“Let’s see…” Akira tilted the screen under the light streaming from the ceiling, observing the fingerprint traces left on the glass.
From the upper left, through the center, to the lower left, then to the middle bottom, middle right, and upper right.

“And… unlocked?” “Of course. Don’t underestimate my morally dubious upbringing… ah, wow, this is bad.”

In just a few seconds, Akira deciphered the pattern and immediately opened the photo folder.

“What? What did you find?” “This isn’t suitable for kids. Grown-up games, you know.”

“Who are you calling a kid?!” Ah. What was supposed to be a simple search for Kariya’s preferences had somehow ended up uncovering a major weakness.

After scrolling through the folder from top to bottom, Akira let out a sigh.
“Let’s AirDrop this, just in case. Might come in handy for negotiations.”

Akira said, pulling out his phone and starting to operate it simultaneously.

“You’re ruthless.” “Well, I have a ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ because it’s for a friend. Besides, doesn’t it piss you off? Someone who has everything and still chooses to hurt others?”

It was hard to understand. Why would someone with wealth, status, and everything else still not be satisfied? For Akira, such people were targets of disdain, one of the things he couldn’t forgive most.

“…Well, I am a woman, after all. I do have my opinions. That guy is a menace to women.”

“Then no problem, right?” Akira selected only a few images—ones that showed Kariya with a woman—and sent them over. If needed, they’d serve as evidence. Images that solely displayed a woman’s body held no value. Well, maybe Rei would be interested, but…

“Won’t this leave any history behind?” Utakata asked in a low voice, glancing around nervously.

“AirDrop doesn’t log the transfer history or recipient details. Didn’t you know that?”

“Of course not! Why would I know about some function for extroverts?”

“Yeah, figured. You don’t seem like someone with many friends. Probably never used it, huh?”

“Shut up! If I wanted to, I could have a hundred friends just like that!”

“Sure, sure.” After finishing their food and drinks, the two left the café.

Having already obtained more than they’d intended, there was no reason to keep tailing Kariya. They decided to drop the phone off at the lost-and-found center.

And then… “Alright, guess it’s time to split up.”

With no reason to continue hanging out on their day off, the two were about to go their separate ways.

“Well then, see you later.”Just as Akira turned to leave, Utakata grabbed the hem of his shirt.

“Wait, Isaka-kun.”

“…Kun?” She’d always called him by his name without any honorific. Why the sudden change?

“Actually, I need you to come with me for a bit.”

The way she spoke resembled that of a girl confessing her love. To be honest, Akira had a very bad feeling about it.

“Sure, but where to?”

“You’ll see.”

…

…The shop was bursting with colorful decorations, the air thick and sweltering. Plush toys, figurines, trinkets—everything featured cute, chibi-style characters plastered everywhere.

Yes, this was the Nokémon Shop.

“Wow, it’s crowded. That’s a foreign tourist, huh?”

In front of the shelves lined with goods, there were travelers with suitcases, and the queue stretched from the registers to deep inside the store. The diverse mix of people made for quite a bizarre sight.

“Nowadays, Nokémon’s popularity spans the globe. Naturally.”

For some reason, Utakata, her basket overflowing with merchandise, puffed out her chest proudly.

“So, why’d you bring me here?” “Um… look at this.”

“Huh? Uh…” She held up a flyer.

[One-Day Only
Nokémon Card Pack
‘Super Dream Legend’
Limit One Box Per Customer]

“Ah, I see. You wanted this?” “Y-Yeah. It’s a reprint of an old pack, and I really, really want two of them…”

She poked her index fingers together, her gaze dropping. She genuinely seemed embarrassed.

“Then let’s hurry and buy them. With this crowd, they’ll sell out in no time.”

“R-Right!” The sought-after pack was easy to find, thanks to the big promotion.

“It’s like a wall of people.”

Three layers thick, it wasn’t so much a queue as a crowd glued to the shelves. Although there seemed to be plenty of stock visible from behind, it wouldn’t last long.

“Ugh, Nokémon cards…”Utakata looked like she was about to cry, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.

“Guess I have no choice.”If he wanted to maintain a good relationship with her, this was the only option.

“Utakata-san, wait here. I’ll go grab them.” “I-Isaka!? You’ll get swallowed up!”

Did she think that crowd was some kind of monster?

“Well, I’m no saint. Snagging things is kind of my specialty.”

Akira slipped into the gaps in the crowd and deftly made his way to the shelves. Before long, he reached the front.

“Alright, this is it.” There were dozens of pack varieties, but Akira picked two of the most popular ones, judging by how quickly they were depleting.

“Here you go.” “O-Oh! Wow!”

As soon as she got her hands on the packs, Utakata raised them high above her head, her eyes sparkling. It seemed he’d chosen correctly.

“Is it really that exciting? You don’t even know if you’ll get the cards you want.”

“Let’s check out now.” “Right!”

Was she really older than him? Akira still couldn’t believe it.

They queued up at the end of the line, which moved surprisingly quickly. In about five minutes…

Just as Akira thought so, he stopped and reached for Utakata’s basket.

“Hey, what are you doing, Isaka?” “Hey, you. That’s hers, isn’t it? Grabbing it is against the rules.”

Ignoring Utakata, Akira glared sharply at the man behind her.

“Wha-what are you talking about?!” “Don’t play dumb. Whose arm do you think I’m holding?”

The man had reached into Utakata’s basket, but Akira had caught him red-handed.

“I get it; that crowd’s a hassle. But an adult resorting to this? That’s just pathetic.”

Akira’s words seemed to hit hard. The man turned red and fled the store in embarrassment. If it’s that shameful, don’t do it in the first place.

“…Thanks.” “No problem.”

The rest of the process went smoothly, and they finally reached the register.

“Your total is 5,400 yen.” “Oh, uh, here you go.”

Akira underestimated it. Card packs cost this much in boxes?

When he glanced over at the next register, Utakata, with a bulging basket, was smiling as she paid.

“Your total is 38,000 yen.” “Uh, here’s 40,000 yen!”

Seriously? How could someone spend nearly 40,000 yen so cheerfully?

…

…On the train, Akira held onto the hand strap while Utakata sat in front of him.

“Thanks for helping out today, Isaka. Even carrying the bags for me.”

“Well, you stuck with me earlier, so it’s only fair.”

Two large shopping bags—the amount was a pain to carry even for a man.”Oh, this is our stop.”

“Got it.”As the brakes screeched and the train slowed, the doors opened with a slight jolt.

Conveniently, their closest stations were the same, saving extra train fare.

Utakata’s place was a ten-minute walk from the station, while Akira’s was five. Not far apart, but…

“Wait, this is your place?” “Yeah. Why?”

“This is my building, too.” “Really?”

“Yeah. Really.” They both took the elevator to the same floor and walked in the same direction. And then…

“You’re… my neighbor?” “Looks like it. That’s pretty convenient, though. Once I’m ready, I’ll come to your place to open the cards!”

“Uh, sure.” With that, Utakata entered her apartment.

What a bizarre coincidence. A year and a half without crossing paths, and now this.

“Ha.”

Laughing at the absurdity, Akira entered his room.

…

..After showering, Akira dressed casually and dried his hair before stepping into his sparsely furnished living room. A desk, chair, air conditioner, refrigerator, and microwave—nothing unnecessary.

Not minimalist, just too lazy to buy or set up more. “Wait, are we really doing this at my place