Ten hours later.

In the room of the Uesugi family, on Yuki's bed, Mizuo was still in a deep sleep.

After more than twenty hours of desperate search, everyone could finally relax.

They could finally feel at ease, instead of feeling luxurious and uneasy even when it comes to sleeping.

But after taking a breath of relief, they had to face the next problem.

Or rather, the problem that hadn't been solved before.

How to help Mizuo start her life from now on.

Everyone was still struggling.

After bringing Mizuo back to the Uesugi family, Chongzong, who was exhausted, slept for four to five hours before waking up.

During Chongzong's sleep, the police officer from Tsuchi Castle and the forensic doctor arrived to examine Mizuo.

They detected traces of ** at Mizuo's mouth and nose, and immediately went to retrieve the closed-circuit surveillance footage of the funeral venue. But it was too late, to be precise, it was much too late.

The cameras were still intact, but the recording devices had been completely destroyed. According to the staff's testimonies, it happened in the early morning, when Chongzong and Bai Yaxin encountered each other.

Presumably, it was done by Bai Yaxin's two subordinates, as Chongzong said.

That's Dojou Kazuaki's inference.

In any case, this could be considered a double happiness.

The first one is that Koga Mizuo was found safe and sound.

The second piece of good news is that Bai Yaxin's tail has been caught.

In fact, Dojou Kazuaki had been keeping an eye on Bai Yaxin for a long time.

Dojou Kazuaki suspected that some of the vicious incidents that happened in Kyoto were related to Bai Yaxin, but he always lacked conclusive evidence to bring him to justice.

However, this time, through Bai Yaxin's criminal acts against Mizuo, it can be inferred that Bai Yaxin is definitely involved in the previous human trafficking case. Otherwise, why would he have any reason to target this elementary school student who has nothing to do with him?

Just, it would be even better if physical evidence could be found.

Contemplating all this, Dojou Kazuaki stood in the small courtyard of the Uesugi family, looking at the big tree, chewing on the candy in his mouth.

- Quitting smoking is a bit easier than I thought...

Dojou Kazuaki sighed in his heart and silently prayed that justice would prevail in this city.

Later, the fully rested Uesugi family took turns taking care of Mizuo, waiting for her to wake up.

When Mizuo finally woke up, Chongzong happened to be by her side.

"Chongzong, is that you...?"

"Mizuo."

Despite being excited in his heart, Chongzong suppressed his emotional fluctuations and approached her calmly and gently, reaching out to help Mizuo sit up.

"How are you feeling? Is there anything uncomfortable?"

Mizuo moved her body a bit and then smiled, shaking her head saying she was fine.

Her lips were pale, and her eye sockets were sunken, making her smile look uncomfortable.

Then, her stomach growled loudly.

It was no wonder, after all, she hadn't eaten anything for nearly thirty hours.

The growling of her hungry stomach broke the solemn atmosphere and made Chongzong couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll take you to the restaurant for some food. By the way, this is the Uesugi family. You've been asleep all day. I'll tell you the rest of the things slowly."

There was no blame, no scolding. Chongzong gave Mizuo unconditional tolerance and tenderness. This allowed Mizuo, who had fainted in fear, to receive the best recovery upon waking up.

It was not the shock of waking up to an alarm clock and realizing that he would be late for school. Instead, it was being awakened by gentle touches, little by little, and then enjoying a delicious breakfast calmly and leisurely.

This change in way of living was the transformation Chongzong went through after experiencing this event.