Chapter 4 The Missing Children
Chapter 4 The Missing Children

The following is from the first-person perspective of Eri Kisaki.

Tick. Tick. Ding dong.

The time is now nine o'clock in the evening.

The clock chimed again and I became nervous. It had been two hours. Even if the two kids were playing around, they should have come back. Xiaolan didn't need to say much, Xiaoxun should have paid close attention to time.

Time moves forward.

I finished my work around eight o'clock, and looking at the time, the two kids should have gone to Kogoro's place. But out of concern, I still called Kogoro.

"Moses Moses. This is the Mihua Police Station. How can I help you?" A policeman's kind voice came out.

"Ah. Officer Megure? It's me. I'm Eri." I recognized the voice on the other end of the line. It was Officer Megure, my husband's old friend.

"Oh, it's Eri. Haha, you are looking for brother Mori, right? Wait a moment. I'll go call him." Inspector Megure answered in a simple voice.

"Yes. Sorry to trouble you."

After a commotion, the phone that had just been put down was picked up again.

"Moshi Moshi. Who is this?" The one who spoke was Kogoro.

"Hubby. It's me. You've worked hard."

"Ah, Eri. What's going on?"

"Well. Did the children bring you food?"

"Yeah. It was just delivered. What's the matter?"

"Ah, nothing. I'm just a little worried about the two kids. After all, it's their first time walking at night."

"Don't worry, Eri, Xiaoxun is a very sensible child. After bringing me dinner, she took Xiaolan home. And it's not the first time that Xiaoxun has walked at night." Kogoro's joking voice reminded me of the time when he asked the two children to buy beer for him.

"How dare you say that? You let two young kids go out at night to buy beer for you while I was not at home. You are really bold." I yelled at him angrily.

"Ah, haha, that. Speaking of which, the dishes cooked by Kaoru are getting better and better, don't you think, Eri? Hahaha."

"Don't change the subject. Let's talk about your problem!"

"Ah... I know I was wrong, please forgive me, Eri." Kogoro said with a sad face.

"Really? You're so old now. It's okay. I'll just stay home and wait for the two kids to come back. You have to work hard."

"Yes. Yes. Everything is subject to Mrs. Maori's arrangements. Don't worry, the two children should be home soon."

"Ah. Well. I'm hanging up now."

Huh... I hung up the phone. I let out a long breath. The two kids should be home soon. Haha, maybe I'm overthinking. I picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. It was the cup Xiaoxun picked for me on my birthday last year. There was a circle of purple lavender on the white cup. And on the front of the cup. A bigger lavender was painted in the center of the cup.

At that time, I remember Xiaoxun also said, "The lavender on this cup is Xiaoxun's symbol. Xiaoxun hopes to be held in her mother's hands forever." Haha, to be honest, Xiaoxun is a child who rarely acts like a spoiled child. I have rarely heard Xiaoxun say such words.

I held the teacup in my hands carefully and meaningfully. My heart was warm. I had a sensible and capable brother and a smart and lovely sister. I was so happy to have such a family. What else could I complain about?

Time ticked by. Soon it was nine o'clock. It had been more than an hour since I left the police station. The two children had not returned yet. This made me a little worried. In order to make sure they were safe, I decided to call Kogoro again.

Just as I put down my teacup and stood up, I heard a tiny voice.

Kara.

A long crack appeared on the cup that I had just put down, splitting the lavender in the center into two.

Xiaoxun...

The cracks in the cup gave me a bad feeling. I walked to the phone but before I picked up the receiver, the phone rang in my ears.

"Moshi Moshi. This is Maori's house." I picked up the receiver.

"Hello. I'm a doctor at Mihua Hospital."

Boom!!! My head felt like it was hit by something heavy. A call from the hospital. Could it be that...

Before I could say anything, the doctor on the other side continued, "Excuse me, is Mao Lilan your child?"

"Oh. Yes. Doctor. What's wrong with her?" I started to get nervous.

"This is what happened. We received a call from a local citizen. A wounded little girl was found in the bushes. On her body, I found a small card with the name Mao Lilan on it. There was a phone number on it, so I called you. Please don't worry, the child was only slightly injured. She fainted temporarily because of the shock. If it's convenient for you, please come to Beihua Hospital."

"Oh. I see, doctor. Thank you. I'll be there right away." I put down the phone, grabbed the handbag on the table, ran downstairs in a hurry, hailed a taxi and rushed to the hospital. On the way, I didn't forget to call Kogoro. Tell him the current situation and ask him to come to the hospital as soon as possible.

"Xiao Lan!" Under the guidance of the nurse, I rushed to a ward in the hospital. I saw Xiao Lan with a gauze bandaged on her head. Her arms and legs were also covered with bandages or with hemostatic gauze wrapped around them.

"Doctor, how is my child?" Looking at Xiaolan's pale face, I was extremely anxious.

"Ah. Are you Mrs. Maori? Please don't worry. Your child only has some scratches. Some scratches on her arms and legs from the grass and branches. She is unconscious because she may have been frightened. It's okay, she will be fine after a good sleep."

"I see. Thank you, doctor." I finally felt relieved. However, after looking around, my heartbeat quickened again.

"Xun? Where's Xiaoxun? Doctor. I have another child. He's a boy the same age as this little girl. How is he?"

"Boy? I'm sorry. We didn't find any boy at the scene." The doctor answered me in confusion.

Bang! !

The door of the treatment room was violently pushed open, and Kogoro strode in.

"How is Eri Ran?" I could tell from his expression that he was as worried as I was.

"Kogoro. Xiaolan is fine. But..."

"But? But what?"

"But...Xiaoxun is missing."

"What did you say..."

————The scent of orchids, the scent of lavender, the scent of home & the wings of angels, the wings of demons, the wings of guardians————

The following is from Kogoro Mori's first-person perspective.

"Ah... I'm so tired."

After working all day, I sat at my desk and stretched my body. I looked at the clock. It was already 8 o'clock in the evening. "Ah... time flies so fast." I sighed.

"Thank you for your hard work, brother Mori." It was Inspector Megure who spoke. "Keep going. We can finish the report on this case tonight. After that, let's go have a drink together." Megure raised his hand and made a toast gesture.

"Ah. That's true. But you can't work well on an empty stomach, right? Let's go eat something first," I suggested.

"Well... um. During the time you were working, I was very hungry, so I just went to eat. Hey. Hey." Inspector Megure scratched his round face with his hand and smiled at me embarrassedly.

"Hey, hey... you're being ridiculous. Forget it, I'll go eat alone." I was speechless. I could just make do with whatever I had.

"Oh, come on. I really want to eat the Chinese food that Xiaoxun makes..." I complained to Megure while walking towards the office door.

"Really? Dad. If you want to eat, just tell me. I'll bring it to you." A childish voice came from the other side of the door before I opened it.

"Huh? Xiaoxun? And Xiaolan? Why are you here?" I looked at the two little figures coming in from the other side of the door in confusion.

"I'm here to bring food to Dad on my mom's orders." Xiaoxun said to me with a smile. I picked up Xiaolan and said to Xiaoxun.

"Is that so? Hehe, you guys have worked so hard." I took the lunch box from Xiaoxun and walked back to the desk. I put Xiaolan down and sat on the chair. Xiaoxun moved a chair from the side and sat next to me.

"Look. They're all Chinese food. Come and try them." Xiaoxun said.

"Hmm. Wow. So rich. Hehe, thank you for your hard work, Xiaoxun." Looking at the table full of dishes, I couldn't help but salivate. I just took two bites. Suddenly I felt something was missing. Oh. It turned out that I didn't hold a beer in my left hand. I thought it was so awkward.

Boom!
The sound of a bottle squatting on the ground rang out. I looked to the side. I saw Xiaoxun holding a can of beer and putting it on the table. At the same time, he gave me a half-moon eye.

I took the beer a little embarrassedly. I whispered to Xiaoxun. "Hehe. You are worthy of being Dad's good son. Dad will reward you with a thousand yuan in pocket money when you go back." "Forget it, Dad." Xiaoxun's eyes changed from half-moon eyes to contempt. "How many times have you given me pocket money to ask me to buy beer for you?"

"Yes... Really?" I answered awkwardly. "Haha... I'm so sorry. Tell dad what toy you want to buy. I'll buy it for you when I get home."

"Um. Just give me a thousand yuan. Xiaolan just saw an orchid brooch. I want to buy it for her."

"Oh, I see. Yeah. Here you go." I took out a thousand-yuan bill from my shirt pocket and stuffed it into Xiaoxun's pocket.

"Well, that's it. You should work hard after dinner. I'll take Xiaolan back first." Xiaoxun took the money, jumped off the chair, and walked out with Xiaolan.

Ring, ring, ring. I just finished my meal when the phone in the office rang. It was Megure who answered the phone. But after a while, he said he wanted to talk to me. After I packed up my lunch box, I went to the phone.

"Moses Moses. Who is this?" I picked up the phone.

"Hubby. It's me. You've worked hard."

"Ah, Eri. What's going on?"

"Well. Did the children bring you food?"

"Yeah. It was just delivered. What's the matter?"

"Ah. Nothing. I'm just a little worried about the two kids. After all, it's their first time walking at night."

"Haha. Don't worry, Eri. Xiaoxun is a very sensible child. After delivering dinner to me, she took Xiaolan back home. And it's not the first time that Xiaoxun has walked at night."

"How dare you say that? You let two little kids go out at night to buy beer for you when I'm not at home. You're really bold."

"Ah. Haha. Well. Speaking of which. The dishes cooked by Xiaoxun are getting better and better. Don't you agree, Eri? Haha." I tried to change the subject. But... Eri is a lawyer after all. She didn't buy it at all.

"Don't change the subject. Let's talk about your problem!"

"Ah... I know I was wrong. Please forgive me, Yingli..." I answered with a sad face.

"Really? You're so old now. It's okay. I'll just stay home and wait for the two kids to come back. You have to work hard."

"Yes. Yes. Everything is arranged by Mrs. Maori. Don't worry. The two children should be home soon." I said with a smile.

"Ah. Well. I'm hanging up now."

Eri hung up the phone. I breathed a sigh of relief. No one can control Eri when she gets angry. Seeing me with a sad face. Megure beside me was laughing so hard that he couldn't stop.

"Really? Come to work quickly, Megure." I shouted a little embarrassedly.

"Haha. Sorry. Got it. Hehehe~~" Megure couldn't help laughing. It made me want to beat him up.

I always fail to notice the passage of time when I am working. When I stood up to take a break, I found that the clock hand had passed nine o'clock.

Ring, ring, ring. This time the sound came from my body. It was my cell phone. I picked up the phone. It was Yingli calling. Really. Didn't I tell you not to use your cell phone when I'm working?
"Moshi Moshi? What's wrong, Eri?"

"Kogoro. Hurry. Hurry to the Beika Hospital!" Eri's voice was very anxious.

"Hey. Calm down. What's going on?" Listening to Yingli's anxious voice, I realized something was wrong.

"Xiaolan. Xiaolan is injured and in the hospital!"

"What!? Hey. How could this happen?"

"I don't know either. I just received a call from Mihua Hospital. They said Xiaolan was injured. Go check it out right away."

"I understand. Don't worry. I'll be there soon." I hung up the phone quickly and rushed out of the Metropolitan Police Department.

"Hey! Brother Maori, what's wrong?" Megure also noticed that something was wrong with me and asked hurriedly.

"Xiaolan is in trouble. She's in the Beihua Hospital now. I have to go there quickly! I'll leave this place to you!"

"Oh, I see. Hey, take the keys and drive the police car!" Megure threw me a bunch of keys. They were the keys to his police car.

"Ah. Thank you. Please." I looked at Megure seriously. Then I turned and rushed out of the office. Ran. Please don't get into trouble.

The sirens were blaring. I didn't follow any traffic rules. I ran through countless red lights. Soon I arrived at Mihua Hospital.

After asking the nurse at the front desk for directions, he hurried to the treatment room where Lan was.

"Lan!" I pushed open the door of the treatment room. As soon as I entered, I saw Eri, who was at a loss.

"How is Yingli Lan?" I asked anxiously.

"Kogoro. Xiaolan is fine. But..." Eri was a little panicked. I have never seen her so panicked since she became a lawyer.

"But? But what?" I demanded.

"But...Xiaoxun is missing."

"What did you say..."

I looked around in disbelief. Lan was lying on the bed. Her face was as pale as a sheet of paper. Doctors. Nurses. Yingli. But I couldn't find that young face.

"Xun? Where is Xiaoxun? What's wrong with the doctor?" I grabbed the doctor's collar and asked madly.

"Sir, please calm down." The doctor shouted to me.

"Ah. I'm sorry. I was impulsive." I let go of the doctor's collar. Xiaoxun's disappearance and Xiaolan's injury made me lose the rationality that a police officer should have.

After calming down, I asked, "Doctor, please tell me what happened."

"It's like this, sir. We received a call from a citizen on No. 3 Street in Mihua Community. He said that when he was watching TV at home, he suddenly heard a very sharp brake sound outside. Then there was a bang. When he went out to see what was happening outside, he only found a long brake mark and a girl crawling out of the bushes. When he went over to see the girl, she fainted."

"I see. Thank you, doctor." I learned that this was a car accident, but this time the victims were my two children.

"Eri, you stay here and watch Xiaolan. I'll go to the scene to check it out." After a simple assessment, I thought this was a hit-and-run incident.

"I understand. You have to be careful." Yingli looked at me worriedly.

"Ah. Take good care of Xiaolan. I'll go get Xiaoxun." I left again, driving the police car to the scene of the accident.

Swish... A beautiful drift. I parked the police car aside. In front of a house, I found the person who called. After his brief explanation, I roughly understood the whole process of the case.

Arriving at the scene, sure enough, there was a long brake belt in front of me. With such a long brake belt, the speed of the car must have exceeded 120 kilometers. In such a small neighborhood, he was speeding seriously!

I found a trace of chaos in the bushes nearby. With the flashlight, I found a trace of blood. I think it was probably Lan's blood. But judging from the marks on the brake belt, Xiaolan couldn't have been hit in this place. In other words, someone pushed her nearby and pushed her out. And the person who pushed her must be Xiaoxun!!!

I went back to the brake belt and continued walking forward. As expected, about ten meters away from the brake belt, I found a large pool of blood.

Seeing the blood on the ground, my heart was struck by lightning. Yes. This must be Xiaoxun's blood. At such a long distance. I'm afraid that child...

"No! Definitely not!!!" I shook my head and said to myself. I took out my cell phone and called Megure.

"Moshi Moshi. I'm Megure."

"Megure, it's me, Mori. There's no time left. Please mobilize the police force to help me find Kaoru as soon as possible!"

"Brother Maori. Please calm down. Talk to me slowly."

"Huh... It's like this. My little Xun was in a car accident. He bled a lot. But he couldn't be found at the scene. I guess the perpetrator of the car accident took him away. And I didn't see him at the Beihua Hospital either. It's very likely that the criminals took him away. This is no longer a simple car accident, but a kidnapping! Please help me contact the police force that can be dispatched to find the car. There must be traces of blood on the front of the car, Megure, I beg you. You must help me find Xun this time!"

"...I understand. Brother Maori, tell me where the crime happened. I'll be there right away."

"Yes, on the third street of Mihua Community. I'm right here. A deserted alley. Please."

After hanging up the phone, I still couldn't calm down. That young face kept appearing in my mind.

"Damn it. Xiaoxun. Don't let anything happen to you!!!" Just as I was about to re-investigate the scene, I swept the flashlight across the bush where Xiaolan was just found. A shining object suddenly caught my eye. I hurried over to check and found the shining light.

"This... this is..."

(End of this chapter)