# 608
**Chapter 609: The IOU**
“You’re saying that after Yuzuri Nana went to buy something from a nearby shop, she never came back?”
After listening to Grandma Crane’s account, Lin Qiye’s brows furrowed slightly.
“Yes, I’ve been looking for her around here for a long time, but I’m old now… I really don’t have the strength anymore…” Grandma Crane glanced down at her legs, a bitter look surfacing in her eyes, her voice trembling. “Could you please help me find her?
Please, I beg you!”
Grandma Crane grabbed Lin Qiye’s hand and bowed deeply, her silver-white hair nearly brushing the ground, her frail body hunched and worn.
Lin Qiye quickly helped her up.
“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely bring Yuzuri Nana back.” After a brief hesitation, Lin Qiye turned to Hongyan.
“Hongyan, take Grandma Crane back to the container we came from. I’ll look around the area.”
Hongyan nodded, took Grandma Crane from Lin Qiye, and supported her as they walked back the way they came.
After watching them leave, Lin Qiye turned around, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding streets as he fell into thought.
Although Lin Qiye hadn’t known Yuzuri Nana for long, judging from how filial she was toward Grandma Crane, she wouldn’t have felt comfortable letting the old woman walk home alone.
Even if she needed to buy something, she should’ve taken Grandma Crane home first before heading out again. After all, the container wasn’t far—just a ten-minute round trip on foot.
But she hadn’t done that. And from Grandma Crane’s description, Yuzuri Nana had seemed… anxious?
Lin Qiye hadn’t been there, so he couldn’t reconstruct the exact situation. But based on what he knew now, this might not be as simple as it seemed.
He hadn’t forgotten—just yesterday, Yuzuri Nana had tried to jump into the sea and end her life.
As he pondered, Lin Qiye walked toward the shrine where they had prayed earlier. He wandered around inside but found nothing.
Then he descended the shrine steps. Only one road lay ahead—left or right. The left was the direction Grandma Crane had taken. If Yuzuri Nana had run into trouble, she likely wouldn’t have gone that way.
So… right?
Lin Qiye decided to try his luck and followed the road to the right, his mental perception constantly scanning the area for any sign of Yuzuri Nana.
After crossing an intersection, he paused, then turned toward a specific direction.
A few seconds later, he picked up a pale pink cherry blossom hairpin from the bushes near the roadside. A few drops of dried blood stained the ground nearby.
Lin Qiye’s brows knitted tightly.
He recognized the hairpin—it was the one Yuzuri Nana used to tie up her messy bun. It had looked delicate and refined, a stark contrast to her tattered black kimono. It had left a strong impression on him.
Why would it be in the bushes?
Lin Qiye didn’t believe Yuzuri Nana had thrown it away on purpose. She hadn’t even discarded her worn-out kimono—why would she abandon such a pretty hairpin?
His gaze shifted to the dried bloodstains. His eyes narrowed, his expression darkening.
Yuzuri Nana… was likely in trouble.
…
**Splash—!!**
A bucket of icy seawater poured down. Yuzuri Nana, lying on the ground, jolted awake.
She coughed violently, her soaked hair clinging to her back. Seawater dripped from the hem of her black kimono, pooling on the floor.
After coughing for a long while, she finally lifted her head and looked around through wet eyes.
It was a large warehouse, about three meters high. The windows were covered with newspaper, letting only dim sunlight filter through. The place was gloomy and shadowed.
Around her stood over twenty grown men, casually twirling baseball bats, butterfly knives, or steel pipes. They grinned at her from time to time, their faces cruel and menacing.
Directly in front of her sat a black leather sofa—its edges peeling, revealing yellowed sponge beneath. Clearly a secondhand piece scavenged from some junkyard.
On it lounged a man in his forties, wearing a loud floral shirt. He slowly stood up.
“Well, well. We meet again, little Yuzuri.” The man smirked as he walked over and crouched beside her. A thick, gaudy gold chain hung from his neck, glinting cheaply. “You’ve been hard to find, you know?”
Yuzuri Nana stared at the vicious face, struggling fiercely. But her hands were tied behind her back—no matter how hard she pulled, the ropes wouldn’t budge.
“Iwabuchi Yusuke… let me go!” she spat.
“Sure.” Iwabuchi smiled. “Pay back the money you owe, and I’ll let you walk right now.”
“I don’t owe you anything!”
“No?” Iwabuchi calmly stood, pulled a crumpled slip of paper from his pocket, and shook it open in front of her face. “Look here. It clearly states: Yuzuri Kurotetsu owes three million yen.”
“He’s the one who ran up debts! Why should I have to pay?!” Yuzuri Nana glared into Iwabuchi’s eyes. “We cut ties with that scumbag years ago! If you want your money, go dig him up yourself!”
“Oh, we’d love to,” Iwabuchi drawled. “But we can’t exactly drag him out of his coffin in Osaka and make him cough up ghost money, can we?”
Yuzuri Nana froze.
She stared blankly for a long moment, then lifted her head, her voice unsteady. “…What did you just say?”
“【Sparrow-Hunt】-level fugitive Yuzuri Kurotetsu—killed by police four days ago. Haven’t you seen the news?” Iwabuchi raised an eyebrow. “We and the cops hunted that bastard for five years. Then boom—headline says he’s dead.
We’re heartbroken, really. Three million yen down the drain.”
He folded the IOU and tucked it away, then returned to the sofa, crossing his legs and smiling at her.
“But hey, a father’s debt is a daughter’s burden. Now that he’s dead, it’s only natural you pick up the tab.”
“But I don’t have any money!”
“Not my problem.” Iwabuchi shrugged. “No cash? Then pay with something else—property, a car, or maybe… some treasure Mommy and Daddy left you?”
“I told you a hundred times! We have nothing!” Yuzuri Nana clenched her teeth, shouting, “The only house my mother left me is already surrounded by your thugs! I can’t even go home! What more do you want?!”
Iwabuchi’s smile vanished.
“Big mouth, huh?” he said coldly. “Beat her.”
From the cluster of thugs behind her, the biggest man stepped forward. Grinning, he grabbed Yuzuri Nana by the collar, hoisted her up like a chicken, and slammed her hard onto the concrete floor.