Chapter 26: It's Alright, It's Alright
"What are you saying?" Nakasone Kazuko felt puzzled.
Uesugi Kiyoshi held her hand, closed his eyes, and fumbled to escape outside.
In the corridor outside, there were bodyguards to help him put on protective clothing, then they escaped outside the house, only then it was considered safe.
"Do not, don't look at Tomie Kawakami!" he anxiously reminded again.
"Which one are you talking about?"
"Neither of them!"
"But why not?"
Although Nakasone Kazuko obediently closed her eyes, she was still very confused.
Just two beautiful girls, how could they make the usually calm Uesugi Kiyoshi so scared?
"Because, once you see her, you will be enchanted by her!"
"But, but I'm a girl!" Nakasone Kazuko couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Her charm knows no bounds, captivating people of all ages and genders!"
Thinking of the Tomie he knew, Uesugi Kiyoshi couldn't help but shiver.
"Any human who falls under her spell will become her puppet, willing to pay any price for her, even their own soul!"
He secretly made up his mind that after escaping, he must capture both Tomie Kawakami at all costs.
How to use them? For manual labor or send them directly to work long hours in a factory?
Forget about it...
Uesugi Kiyoshi shook his head to clear his mind.
This is a strange creature that he cannot use, like an evil dragon without a hero, a demon devouring humans, a embodiment of possessiveness and destructiveness, weak enough to be killed by ordinary people, powerful enough that no one can defeat it.
It's better to kill from a distance, then cover the area with solidified gasoline bombs, to completely eradicate the problem!
If humans cannot do it, then let the Headless Sculptures take action, hopefully they won't be enchanted as well?
"Hehe."
The laughter of a childish girl echoed in his ears, a sweet but fearful voice came from ahead.
"Although such praise is common, I accept it. But, Senior, do you also want to be my boyfriend?"
When did this guy come to his side?
Uesugi Kiyoshi tightly closed his eyes, shaking his head vigorously to refuse.
"Hmph, you're not sincere. Anyway, you don't seem rich, so forget it!"
The cheerful footsteps faded away, Uesugi Kiyoshi opened his eyes and met Nakasone Kazuko's curious gaze.
"Is what you said true?"
"Of course it is!"
"But I've been looking for so long, why don't I feel anything? Besides, weren't you also enjoying watching from the side?"
"That's because, I..."
Uesugi Kiyoshi stopped halfway through his words, carefully recognizing his feelings - there was affirmation of her appearance, but also disdain for her character.
There was no intense, irrational love, let alone risking everything for this girl he barely knew.
What's going on?
Wait!
Uesugi Kiyoshi suddenly remembered that the Tomie Kawakami he saw earlier was just a high school student, appearing to be about fourteen or fifteen years old.
In the manga, the first appearance of Tomie Kawakami described her as a vain and petty high school student who tried to please both teachers and classmates, only having poor popularity and exceptional beauty, without any other special qualities.
After an accident, where she was killed and dismembered by teachers and classmates conspiring together, Tomie Kawakami gained the ability of unlimited regeneration and terrifying charm.
So, is the current Tomie still a normal person?
Maybe we should go and confirm again.
The Chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department personally received Uesugi Kiyoshi amidst his busy schedule.
"My niece didn't cause you any trouble, did she?" He asked with a smile.
"Of course not, considering her excellent performance, I am actually planning to give her a twenty percent raise," Uesugi Kiyoshi replied.
After exchanging greetings, he couldn't wait to express his intention - to look through Tomie Kawakami's file.
In the police files, there were only a few pages of information about the Tomie Kawakami’s family.
The family's address was in Edogawa, Tokyo. The father was an ordinary office worker, the mother was a full-time homemaker. They had a very ordinary life, like tens of thousands of other families in Tokyo.
"But if that's the case, why are there two Tomies?" Uesugi Kiyoshi muttered to himself.
"Two Tomies?"
Uesugi Kiyoshi recounted in detail to the police superintendent what had happened in the classroom earlier.
"Sounds like a face stealer..."
"Face stealer?"
This term sounded familiar to Uesugi Kiyoshi.
"Yes, the real name should be Eri Kamei."
The chief of the police department found another file in his cabinet.
"Compared to Tomie Kawakami, she is even more special. She has a unique ability to transform into the appearance of someone else by touching them or looking at their photo, and she only steals the looks of beautiful female students."
So, was Tomie Kawakami chosen as her target this time?
"If I guess correctly, it should be so."
The video footage that arrived a few minutes later confirmed the chief of the police department's guess. A girl who looked like Tomie Kawakami walked into the house with a Kamei watch hung outside.
Uesugi Kiyoshi felt relieved.
That Eri Kamei can be recruited as a member of the research institute. As for Tomie Kawakami, how should we handle her?
......…
"Tomie, you're back!"
Tomie Kawakami opened the door, disregarded her mother's calls, walked unhappily to her room, and threw herself onto the bed.
Today's experience was a complete humiliation for her, she had never been publicly embarrassed like this before.
Yokoshima is so annoying!
She didn't feel anything special towards the sudden appearance of another Tomie Kawakami, but she harbored a deep hatred towards Yokoshima for rejecting her.
It's his privilege to be her boyfriend! She was even planning to reward him with her first kiss, just for a piece of jewelry.
Ungrateful fool!
"Tomie, Tomie!"
"What is it, Mom?"
Tomie Kawakami opened the door impatiently, but was surprised to see a young man standing next to her mother, avoiding her gaze nervously.
"It's you!"
She covered her mouth and giggled. The senior who had been saying outdated sweet words to her during the day had actually come to visit her.
Should she give him a chance to be her third boyfriend?
Well, she should first see his sincerity.
"Hello, Tomie Kawakami."
Uesugi Kiyoshi opened his suitcase, showing his sincerity as bundles of large bills dazzled Tomie Kawakami's eyes under the light.
"Do you want to take on a casual job?"
