After getting the answer he wanted, Kurozawa thanked the little girl and turned to leave.
Since Hachijo Island's scenery was indeed pleasant, with lush greenery everywhere, all beautifully trimmed and soothing to the eye, Kurozawa walked slowly, admiring the sights as he made his way toward the Iguro Compound.
Based on the little girl's description, about twenty minutes later, Kurozawa stopped in front of an estate.
Looking inside, he saw that it covered a considerable area, with exquisite and beautiful buildings that exuded an air of wealth.
Besides Kurozawa, many other travelers had come here by reputation to visit the Iguro Compound. At the entrance stood a row of more than a dozen similarly featured women, all delicate and pretty, welcoming visitors from afar.
One of the women noticed Kurozawa lingering outside and lightly stepped toward him, her graceful figure swaying as she approached.
"Hello, are you here to visit the Iguro Family?"
Kurozawa nodded. "Yes. Are you from the Iguro Family?"
"Mhm, my name is Iguro Sayaka." Iguro Sayaka naturally and proactively looped her arm through Kurozawa's, then looked up at him with smiling eyes.
"If you get tired from touring Hachijo Island, you can stay at the Iguro Family tonight. We have food, drinks, and entertainment here."
With her arm around Kurozawa's, Iguro Sayaka led him into the Iguro Compound. Kurozawa did not refuse and followed her into the exquisite, beautiful cluster of buildings.
Ponds, green bamboo, swimming fish—the Iguro Family gave Kurozawa an impression somewhat like the pleasant guesthouses from his previous life. The only difference was that the Iguro Family's people were far too welcoming.
Kurozawa could see that the Iguro Family's women all lowered themselves to patiently attend to the guests beside them, showing no reaction even when some ill-mannered guests took liberties with them.
Noticing Kurozawa's gaze, Iguro Sayaka understood what he was thinking and explained with a smile, "Everyone in the Iguro Family is a woman, and none of us will ever marry."
"But the Iguro Family bloodline still needs to continue. The men on the island are beneath the sisters' notice, so... most of us choose visiting guests and share a night of passion with them."
"If you wish, you can stay here tonight. I'll accompany you for the night."
There was actually such a good thing? Kurozawa could not help but look at her sideways.
Iguro Sayaka had snow-white skin and delicate, beautiful features. Her voice was always gentle and affectionate, while her moist eyes brimmed with a glistening, seductive allure.
As she spoke, Iguro Sayaka leaned against Kurozawa, her soft body nearly pressing into his embrace.
Letting out a slightly dry breath, Kurozawa reached out and wrapped an arm around Iguro Sayaka's fair, smooth, rounded shoulder. Smiling, he said, "It just so happens that it'll be dark soon. Then I'll stay for the night."
It was ten in the morning, and there were still seven or eight hours until dark. Kurozawa had a clear conscience.
Afterward, accompanied by Iguro Sayaka, Kurozawa finished touring the Iguro Family's compound. However, behind the compound was a bamboo forest that looked quite large from the outside. Its walls were over two meters high, and its gate had been sealed shut, barring entry.
Iguro Sayaka said that the bamboo forest contained many venomous island snakes and that entering it could easily lead to trouble, so it had been sealed off. Kurozawa only asked a few simple questions, memorized the bamboo forest's location, and did not pursue the matter further.
At noon, Kurozawa had a lavish lunch at the Iguro Family's residence. Beautiful Iguro women danced lightly through the air as laughter and cheerful voices continued without end. In the afternoon, Iguro Sayaka took Kurozawa to many interesting places on Hachijo Island.
When night came at seven o'clock and the sky had gone dark, Iguro Sayaka leaned half against Kurozawa as the two walked along a faintly pink beach, each step leaving deep imprints behind them.
Kurozawa curiously kicked at the shells and pebbles beneath his feet, marveling at the beauty of nature.
The beach that appeared faintly pink at first glance was actually formed by densely layered pink shells, making it dreamlike and beautiful.
No wonder Hachijo Island had become such a popular and highly recommended tourist destination. It possessed natural charm, and the women of the Iguro Family were all beautiful and gentle. Once they took a liking to someone, they would even accompany him during his visit, their appeal to men as intoxicating as opium.
"It's getting late. Let's head back."
"Hachijo Island gets very cold at night. If we stay outside too long, it'll be easy to catch a cold."
Under the dim sky, the sea breeze was indeed gradually turning cold. Iguro Sayaka wore an off-the-shoulder kimono, and because she was somewhat chilly, she pressed herself tightly against Kurozawa. In the spirit of helping others, Kurozawa offered his embrace, wrapping an arm around Iguro Sayaka's fragrant shoulder and shielding her from the cold evening wind.
After Iguro Sayaka said she wanted to return, Kurozawa readily nodded. The two then headed back toward the Iguro Compound.
After returning to the compound, Iguro Sayaka led Kurozawa to a room decorated in an exquisite, dreamy style. Then she smiled gently and said, "Rest here tonight. I'll go prepare some food and bring it over."
Kurozawa's expression did not change as his gaze wandered over Iguro Sayaka. "I'm a little hungry myself. Thanks."
After that, Iguro Sayaka left the room and tightly shut the door behind her.
Inside the room, Kurozawa flicked a wind-chime decoration strung together from conch shells and other seashells, producing a crisp, pleasant tinkling sound.
"Just play along, just play along. Kurozawa, don't let your guard down!"
"Wine is poison that passes through the gut; beauty is a steel blade that scrapes the bones."
"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. No matter how beautiful someone is, after a hundred years, they are nothing more than dry bones."
"..."
Few people could withstand such a gentle, considerate offensive. Most would probably have long since become drunk on that tenderness and unable to free themselves. But Kurozawa had held firm, and he had noticed the abnormalities in the Iguro Family's women.
Throughout the day they had spent together, Iguro Sayaka had outwardly appeared gentle and lovable, her gaze full of soft affection. Yet whenever Kurozawa looked elsewhere and was not paying attention, his sensory perception would issue a warning, detecting a gaze filled with malice.
Whenever he swiftly turned to look at Iguro Sayaka, the malice vanished, and tenderness once again filled her eyes.
It was not just her. Whenever he encountered other Iguro women in the compound, the furtive glances they cast his way also concealed immense malice. Without exception, every single one of them did!
"This malice... has already reached the point of wanting someone dead."
"So the target was not wrong. The Muscular Boat Owner did not lie. The disappearances on Hachijo Island must be the Iguro Family's doing!"
"That bamboo forest visitors aren't allowed to enter—could that be where the secret lies?"
Inside the room, Kurozawa sat on the pink bed, quietly contemplating and reviewing the clues he had discovered that day.
"I'll go take a look inside the bamboo forest first!"
No sooner said than done, Kurozawa immediately rose to his feet, pushed open the door, and headed toward the bamboo forest's location as he remembered it.
As for Iguro Sayaka returning and failing to find him, that no longer mattered. The only reason Kurozawa had waited until now to act was to wait for nightfall, when ghosts would emerge and move about.
In the night, Kurozawa moved at incredible speed, his body like a streak of black lightning.
There were still quite a few people walking about within the Iguro Compound at this time, but when they saw Kurozawa, they merely suspected that their eyes had played a trick on them. They could not see his figure clearly at all.
In less than three minutes, Kurozawa arrived at the bamboo forest's wall. With a light leap, he directly cleared the wall over two meters high, making the ground tremble faintly as he landed.
After landing, Kurozawa looked at the person who had suddenly appeared before him and froze slightly.
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