Even though she had expected this, Ameko was still a little upset that Kurobe Saburo was rebuffing her. They found a place nearby to have a quick lunch and then hurried to the public hospital where Asano Naoto was rescued.
After asking around at the ward visitation counter, they found that Hayami Rinko was indeed gone. However, the head nurse who passed by stopped in her tracks when she heard the name.
"Hayami Senpai did work here before, but she has retired. When I first came here, I couldn't do anything well. It was Hayami Senpai who encouraged and guided me. Why are you looking for her?"
Zhang Heng waved the fruit basket in his hand. "My father was in a very serious car accident. It was Auntie Rinko who took care of him until he recovered. We want to thank her again."
This was a common occurrence in the hospital. Many patients or family members would come back to thank the attending doctor and nurses after they were discharged. Hayami Rinko, on the other hand, was often thanked because of her serious attitude and dedication to her work. Coupled with the fruit basket in Zhang Heng's hand, the head nurse did not suspect the two's motives at all.
She tore off a piece of paper, wrote an address on it, and handed it over. "Thank goodness you met me. Hayami Senpai is here now."
"Wanying Nursing Center?" Ameko read the address on the paper.
"Yes. Hayami Senpai is not married and has no children. After she retired from the hospital, she volunteered there. She said she wanted to continue to contribute and find a place for herself in the future." The head nurse's tone was full of respect.
Zhang Heng thanked her and took the subway with Ameko to the nursing home on the outskirts of the city. With the help of the staff, they met Hayami Rinko in person.
She was teaching an elderly man who had almost completely lost his hearing how to arrange flowers. When she saw Zhang Heng and Ameko, she looked a little puzzled but nodded at them anyway.
Five minutes later, Hayami Rinko had settled the elderly man down and walked over. "You are?"
Perhaps it was because of her profession, Hayami Rinko looked very serious and meticulous in the photo. Zhang Heng was worried that she would be difficult to communicate with, but after meeting her in person, he realized that she was much more easygoing than he imagined.
Zhang Heng handed her the fruit basket and the three of them sat down on the sofa.
"We would like to ask you about something. I'm not sure if you still remember the fatal traffic accident 22 years ago. Two young men were racing the wrong way on the highway and ended up colliding with a large truck. One died on the spot, the other was seriously injured. The seriously injured man was called …"
"Asano Naoto," Hayami Rinko said. Hayami Rinko continued, "I remember this incident, not because it was reported in the news at that time, but because the child was still very young. He had been fighting with the Grim Reaper, and I could tell that he did not want to leave this world. Unfortunately, I was unable to help him."
Zhang Heng and Ameko looked at each other. "I heard that you were by his side the whole time. We … we are his family. We want to know if anyone went to see him when he was conscious, or if he asked to see someone."
"No, you are not his family. Hayami Rinko shook her head. Her eyes seemed to be able to see through a person's heart. Under her gaze, Ameko could not help but blush.
Zhang Heng, on the other hand, remained calm and added, "A distant relative."
"…."
Hayami Hand Rinko smiled but did not dwell on the issue. "If you were asking about someone else, without the consent of the person or their family, I would not tell you. But for him … it's rare that anyone other than the media would care about him."
"What do you mean?"
"Asano Naoto. He was a very lonely child. In the three days he was hospitalized, only his grandfather came to see him once. I heard that his parents had cut off all ties with him. Oh, right, he seems to have an uncle, but he only sent two subordinates to stand guard outside his door. He never went in."
"So, that means no one cares about him at all?" Zhang Heng and Ameko were surprised by this answer.
Hayami Hand Rinko sighed. "In our line of work, we're used to seeing life and death, but it's rare for someone to die alone at this age. He did not regain consciousness in the end. I don't know if that's lucky or not."
….
Ameko's expression was blank as she left the Evening Cherry Care Center. Unlike what she had imagined, Hayami Hand Rinko's visit had not cleared up the matter. Instead, it had only deepened the mystery.
Asano Naoto's uncle did not seem to care about his nephew that much, not even taking the time to visit him 22 years ago. It did not make sense that he would suddenly want to avenge him after so many years.
But if it was not Oni Hitomi's men who set the seafood shop on fire that night, who else could it be? Why did they do it to Takeda Tetsuya, who had long retired from the racing scene? And why did they use Oni Hitomi's name?
"No, it doesn't make sense," Zhang Heng said. "From what I can see, the other party's goal was to force your father to walk into a trap at Oni Hitomi. But since they knew about this, they could have just told Oni Hitomi and let his men deal with your father."
Their investigation had reached a dead end. For the time being, there were no other clues. It was getting late, and some of them had not even eaten lunch on an empty stomach, so Ameko went to the KFC by the roadside to buy two family buckets and took a taxi back to her cousin's small apartment.
When they got to the elevator, Ameko rummaged through her bag for her keys. Suddenly, Zhang Heng's expression changed.
He realized that the door was open. Although it was only a sliver, Zhang Heng remembered clearly that they had locked the door when they left. Ameko might be a little silly, but she would never make a mistake like this.
The girl panicked when she saw this. She was worried that Takeda Tetsuya would walk into a trap at Oni Hitomi alone. Asano Naoto's uncle might not care much about his dead nephew, but if the murderer came knocking on his door, even if it was to protect his pride as a Yakuza boss, he would not let them go.
Ameko was about to rush in when Zhang Heng pulled her back.
A strong sense of danger rose in Zhang Heng's heart. In Takeda Tetsuya's condition, it was impossible for him to break free from the ropes on his own. There had to be someone else helping him. And the door was in a strange state. It was half-open, as if telling the people outside to come in and take a look.
Before he could figure out what was going on, Zhang Heng decided to leave with Ameko, but the person inside had heard their footsteps. The next moment, a figure rushed out from behind the door. From the way he was dressed, it was obvious that he was the same guy who got out of the dark blue Voxy in front of the seafood store earlier.
Zhang Heng had never trained in boxing before, but he had been working out. His current physique was still stronger than the average person's. Just as the guy reached into his pocket, Zhang Heng was already in front of Ameko, throwing a punch at the guy's face with all his might. The latter was so stunned that she fell back into the house.
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