Chapter 63: Beika Attractions

October 16th, morning, downstairs at the Beika Apartment building.

"Kuro, over here... Hmm? Is your arm alright?" Ayako asked, still a bit concerned as she noticed Shiraishi had his left arm tucked into his pocket.

"Don't worry, I just changed the dressing this morning, everything is normal," Shiraishi reassured her.

"Come on, get in the car." The vehicle Ayako was driving today was a Hummer, which contrasted sharply with her graceful demeanor and petite figure.

Needless to say, the reason was obvious.

...

When they arrived at the parking lot of the Beika Aquarium, Shiraishi couldn't help but sigh, "There are quite a few visitors today..."

"Of course, after all... this is the hottest spot in Beika Town right now!" Ayako said matter-of-factly.

Why so popular?

Naturally, because the newspapers had recently been filled with reports about the "Red-Haired Man of Beika"!

"These reporters really make a fuss over nothing..." Shiraishi said with a slight guilty conscience.

Though rationally there was nothing to feel guilty about, Shiraishi couldn't help but recall the various headlines from that day. Those ill-fated reporters had plastered the front pages with their most viral photo, which unfailingly showed him underwater, surrounded by sharks, giving artificial respiration to Ayano Ujihara!

Must admit, the framing and composition of that photo were indeed superb, carrying an almost ethereal beauty...

Fortunately, Ayako didn't seem to recall this at the moment. She simply changed her shoes, got out of the car, and led Shiraishi through the VIP entrance. From tickets to the tour guide itinerary, Ayako had prepared everything in advance—since Shiraishi was so busy, naturally she had to take care of it.

As for why she changed her shoes?

When Ayako went out with Shiraishi before, she had a habit of wearing towering high heels. However, after being criticized and lectured by Shiraishi once for driving in them, she always remembered to switch to flats while driving...

...

Shiraishi and Ayako strolled through the various exhibition halls of the aquarium just like any ordinary couple, reserved a spot for the upcoming dolphin show, and shared an ice cream...

Except for the height difference, everything seemed completely ordinary.

Suzuki Ayako stood at 166 centimeters, which was considered quite tall for a Japanese woman, but next to Shiraishi, even in her highest heels, she looked remarkably tiny.

Before the next show at the dolphin pavilion started...

"The timing is just right... Let's take a stroll through the underwater tunnel," Ayako said, tugging at Shiraishi's arm.

"Huh? Sure..." Although Shiraishi had been there before, he obviously hadn't taken the time to properly look around.

"The underwater tunnel is the signature feature of the Beika Aquarium, and now it's an ultra-popular viewing spot!" Ayako said with a proud look on her face.

Only then did Shiraishi realize that the so-called "underwater tunnel" was actually the viewing area outside the tank where he had sunk down previously.

Passing through here would lead directly to the dolphin performance stadium ahead...

As expected, the underwater tunnel was crowded with visitors. Seeing this, Shiraishi deliberately leaned back into a corner—although he was wearing sunglasses and his sportswear outfit was specifically styled to create a "shorter" visual effect, if someone really got a close look, anyone would realize there was a 2.3-meter giant standing right here!

After all, Shiraishi wasn't some celebrity. Even though he had been in the news quite a few times, very few people could recognize him just from his facial features. However...

His height was a dead giveaway; the characteristic was simply too prominent!

Ayako also noticed that Shiraishi wished to avoid drawing attention, so she followed him back into the corner. Given Shiraishi's anti-surveillance skills, giving the crowd the slip was still a very simple task.

Right at that moment...

"Ah! Look..."

"Eh? What's wrong with those little sharks?"

"Could they be hungry again?"

Shiraishi originally thought he had been recognized, but then he noticed the bull sharks swimming near the viewing area seemed to have sensed something and suddenly scattered like birds and beasts. Animals were undoubtedly more sensitive than humans; they had clearly recognized Shiraishi, whom they hadn't seen in a week!

Taking advantage of the crowd's attention being drawn to the suddenly fleeing bull sharks, Shiraishi pulled Ayako behind a pillar in the tunnel.

Seeing this, Ayako chuckled secretly and said, "It seems the photo was taken right around... that spot over there," pointing forward where the crowd was densest.

There were even couples lining up to take kissing photos, which made Shiraishi's expression darken.

At the same time, Shiraishi realized that Ayako hadn't missed the news or forgotten about it at all.

"Ayako..."

"Chuckle... I'm not jealous, you know!" Ayako's face flushed—partly from imagining that photo in her mind, and partly from self-reproach, since she knew she had no logical reason to be jealous. Still, a tiny trace of sourness was hard to avoid.

Yet at that very moment, without saying much more, Shiraishi suddenly stepped a bit closer, meeting her halfway, and lowered his head slightly.

"Kuro...?"

The next instant, Ayako felt her ribs and armpits gently gripped, and her feet left the ground. She quickly closed her eyes and nervously pressed her lips together.

Today, Ayako wore the light makeup Shiraishi favored, with only a nearly colorless lip gloss on her lips. Through the crystal-clear sheen, her natural lip color stood out with exceptional clarity.

Just as their lips were about to meet...

Ah—!

A scream pierced the air!

Startled, Shiraishi hurriedly set Ayako back down. Once on her feet, Ayako let out a soft gasp, her face blushing brilliantly.

Ayako kept her head down, not daring to raise it, while Shiraishi looked in the direction of the voice that had ruined the moment. The scream sounded as if...

"Ayako, wait here for me."

Ahead, a crowd had gathered into a tight huddle. Stepping forward and leveraging his height advantage, Shiraishi could see clearly into the center of the crowd even from the back row: a young blond man was slumped on the ground, his eyes wide open, and judging by the pool of blood spreading from his chest, there was no saving him.

At the same time...

"Immediately lock down all entrances and exits of the aquarium, and call the police right now!" a teenage boy dressed like a high school student shouted to the approaching staff members after checking the victim's carotid pulse.

"Lock down the entrances and exits? This..." The staff member had no idea what was going on.

"That's right, lock down the entrances and exits immediately. As for calling the police, don't bother," Shiraishi said from behind, hanging up his phone as he spoke. He had just called to instruct Kunikida to send people over.

Hearing this, everyone looked back in surprise. The high school student beside the corpse also turned his head, and...

"Ah! It's the Red-Haired Man of Beika!"

"What red hair? Isn't his hair black?"

"You don't even know the Beika Chief's meme?"

"My goodness... he's really tall!"

...

Sure enough, even behind sunglasses, once he drew attention—especially being spotted at such a "scenic tourist spot"—Shiraishi's identity was instantly recognized.

"Y-You're... Chief Shiraishi?" The staff member had seen Shiraishi once before.

"Go lock down the entrances and exits quickly. Use the PA system to tell everyone not to panic and that they can continue their visit, but make sure you guide them properly. Remember, none of the aquarium staff are allowed to leave either!" Shiraishi said, casting a glance toward the corpse. A dagger, used as the murder weapon, lay discarded nearby wrapped in a plastic bag; clearly, the killer had no intention of continuing the rampage.