Upon hearing Hayashi Shuichi's words, Mrs. Aso's usually gentle face instantly froze, her eyes wide, completely stunned.
After a long while, Mrs. Aso's lips trembled slightly as she stammered, "Is… is that true?"
Hayashi Shuichi's expression was serious, and his tone was sincere. "Of course, it's true. That antique dealer's surname is Tomizawa. He has a granddaughter named Tomizawa Chikage, who is also currently hospitalized at Beika Central Hospital and happens to know Narumi."
"That antique dealer learned about Narumi from his granddaughter and was moved by Narumi's strength, which is why he decided to help."
Mrs. Aso's eyes instantly welled up with tears of excitement, and her formerly dim gaze brightened.
Overjoyed, her body trembling slightly, she didn't bother speaking to Hayashi Shuichi, but hastily turned and hurried towards the second floor.
By her eager demeanor, she was likely going to find Mr. Aso.
The little girl beside them also looked up in surprise, asking, "Big brother, can my little brother's illness really be cured?"
Hayashi Shuichi looked at the little girl's expectant eyes and gently nodded. "Yes, Narumi will get better very soon."
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairs. A handsome middle-aged man, frowning, with a skeptical expression on his face, walked downstairs.
Mrs. Aso followed behind him. "Keiji, these two children told me about that antique dealer."
Mr. Aso walked up to Hayashi Shuichi and bowed slightly. "Excuse me, what exactly is this antique dealer you mentioned? Why would he help Narumi? I apologize, I know this might be rude, but this matter concerns my son's life, so I must be careful."
Hayashi Shuichi nodded in understanding, organized his thoughts, and slowly began. "When that antique dealer was young, he, like Mr. Aso, also had a sick son. To treat his son's illness, he didn't hesitate to take an illegal path, earning money through illicit means, and thus harmed many people."
"Later, although his son was cured, he unfortunately died in an accident shortly after getting married and leaving behind a granddaughter."
"Only then did that antique dealer realize that today's consequences are all yesterday's causes. He had harmed many people to save his son back then, and now the suffering those people endured has retaliated against his son in another way."
"Understanding this, the antique dealer was filled with regret. He worried that the mistakes of the past would continue to retaliate against his granddaughter, so he began to do good deeds, hoping to atone for his past wrongs."
"His granddaughter, Tomizawa Chikage, was injured by a villain some time ago and was also receiving treatment at Beika Central Hospital. After meeting Narumi, she told her grandfather about him."
"Old Mr. Tomizawa, upon learning this, felt empathy and thus wanted to pay for Narumi's treatment."
Mr. Aso listened quietly. The more he listened, the more his gaze wandered, and his face was filled with a dazed expression.
How could this antique dealer's story be so identical to his own experience?
To treat his son Narumi's illness, Mr. Aso had already agreed to the proposal of four friends, planning to use the opportunity of performing piano abroad to smuggle drugs back for sale.
If he truly did that, the money earned would certainly be enough to cover his son's expensive medical fees, and his son's illness would have hope of being cured.
But he also knew in his heart that once he embarked on this path, what about those who would be ruined by drugs?
Could it be that in the future, he, too, would be like the antique dealer, watching helplessly as retribution befell his son Narumi?
Mr. Aso did not doubt Hayashi Shuichi's words. After all, drug trafficking was a serious matter, and currently, only he and his four friends knew about it. Hayashi Shuichi being able to tell such a story didn't seem like it was made up out of thin air.
Thinking this, Mr. Aso looked up slightly, his eyes filled with a glimmer of expectation and caution as he asked, "Could you tell me how to contact that antique dealer?"
Hayashi Shuichi shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure about the specifics. You can go ask Tomizawa Chikage; she's at Beika Central Hospital."
Then, he took Kishin Eri's hand and stood up to leave.
Mr. and Mrs. Aso saw them to the door, watching their figures disappear outside.
Mrs. Aso's mood was still immersed in excitement. She didn't know that her husband, in order to save their son, was already preparing to embark on the irreversible path of drug trafficking.
At this moment, she excitedly pulled Mr. Aso's hand, urging, "What are you waiting for? Hurry to the hospital in Tokyo and contact that antique dealer!"
Mr. Aso, however, hesitated. His brows were deeply furrowed, and his eyes were full of internal conflict.
He had already promised his four friends to help them traffic drugs. If he suddenly backed out now, he didn't know how those friends would react.
And regarding the antique dealer, although Hayashi Shuichi's words sounded sincere, he couldn't immediately determine their truthfulness.
What if he turned down his friends' drug trafficking scheme, and the antique dealer's offer fell through? What would happen to Narumi then?
"Let's wait and see. What if this is false…"
Mr. Aso's words were cut off by his wife.
"How could it be false? Our family has already been impoverished to treat Narumi. How could anyone still try to deceive us?"
Mrs. Aso's eyes were filled with anxiety and bewilderment. She didn't understand why her husband was still so indecisive at this moment.
Mr. Aso looked at his wife's expectant eyes, thought of old Mr. Tomizawa in the story, and finally made up his mind.
"Alright then, after tonight's performance, I'll discuss it with Kameyama and the others, then go to Beika Central Hospital to find that Miss Tomizawa."
Although Mrs. Aso didn't understand why her husband needed to discuss Narumi's matter with his friends, her son now had hope for recovery, and she was overjoyed, not bothering to think about anything else.
"That's great! Little brother's illness is going to be cured," the little girl also cheered excitedly. For a moment, the room was filled with her joyful laughter.
…
After leaving the Aso's house and putting some distance between them, Kishin Eri remembered Hayashi Shuichi's unwavering lie earlier and couldn't help but pinch him.
"Why did you say it so definitively? What if Miss Tomizawa can't get the money? Then that child named Narumi would be without hope again. His parents would be devastated."
"Tomizawa Chikage is the Phantom Lady," Hayashi Shuichi said confidently. "Once her injuries heal, getting enough money will definitely not be a problem. Besides, I had no other choice. If Narumi's situation isn't resolved, no matter how much I say, Mr. Aso won't listen to me."
"Looking at Mr. Aso's expression just now, he seems to have been persuaded?" Kishin Eri asked curiously. "So, your purpose for coming to Moonlight Island is accomplished?"
"No, things have just begun," Hayashi Shuichi turned his head, looking at the Aso's house not far away. The house looked somewhat lonely against the setting sun. "If you were Mr. Aso's friend, and you had agreed to traffic drugs together, planned everything out, but Mr. Aso suddenly backed out and said he wasn't going to do it, what would you think?"
(End of Chapter)
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