It was already past seven when Furukawa Etsuko arrived home.
"I'm so sorry, I've just been far too busy lately..." she apologized as she walked inside. When she saw her younger brother on the sofa nearby, Furukawa Etsuko froze. "You?"
Furukawa Koji turned to look at her as well, the thick gold chain around his neck clinking. "Yo! Sis, long time no see."
The siblings did not seem to get along very well. Furukawa Etsuko's smile vanished. "What are you doing here? I remember Mother threw you out just a few days ago and forbade you from setting foot here again."
Furukawa Koji exhaled smoke impatiently. "What the hell does that have to do with you? This is my home. I'll come back whenever I want!"
As he spoke, he caught sight of the wristwatch on Furukawa Etsuko's wrist. He stared as though he had discovered a new continent, then mercilessly burst into mockery.
"What's with that cheap electronic watch? You even set it in a metal case to make it look fancy—I get it! Someone took your five-hundred-thousand-yen Swiss watch, didn't they? Because you borrowed from loan sharks and didn't pay it back! Hahaha! Never thought I'd see the day my outstanding big sister ended up like this."
Furukawa Etsuko flared up as though someone had stepped on her tail. "You have no right to laugh at me! You haven't borrowed any less money than I have—this time, you came to see Mother so she'd clean up your mess and pay off your gambling debts, didn't you? You hopeless gambling addict!"
Furukawa Koji sneered. "I'm a gambling addict, so what? How are you any better?"
He suddenly pointed his cigarette at Jiang Xia. "You suddenly brought a Detective here because you want to put on a show of filial