Heiji moved to sit next to Ai.
"Go ahead and cry. You'll feel better."
He felt a bit like a babysitter.
"Brother-in-law, in the end, I still couldn't avenge my sister."
Ai gripped Heiji's hand tightly, tears slowly falling.
"You did your best."
Heiji wasn't good at comforting people. The feeling was frustrating.
Thankfully, Ai's personality was also the cool type. After a few quiet tears, she returned to normal.
"How did you recognize me, brother-in-law?"
This was a very important question. If she could be recognized so easily, she couldn't be so careless in public.
"I saw a picture of you as a child."
This was, of course, a lie. But it wasn't like Ai could check with Akemi Miyano to verify it.
"Really?"
Ai looked at Heiji with surprise. She didn't remember having any childhood photos.
"Of course not."
Ai froze, her pretty eyes staring at Heiji with a dazed, almost cute expression.
"Then how did you know it was me?"
A smirk played on Heiji's lips. "I didn't before. But I do now."
Ai's jaw dropped. She stared at Heiji, stunned.
After a long moment, she looked away. "You'll never get a girlfriend acting like that, brother-in-law."
Heiji was speechless. Is she mad that I tricked her?
Suddenly, the Ferris wheel jolted violently. Ai lost her balance and was thrown toward the glass wall.
Heiji quickly grabbed her, pulling her into his arms.
"Let me go, brother-in-law," Ai struggled.
"Don't move. We have a problem."
Heiji signaled for her to be quiet. He looked at the object that had fallen to the floor with a sigh. The system was never going to let me get through this easily.
Ai rested in his arms, her face flushed, but she stopped struggling.
"What's wrong?"
She could hear the seriousness in his voice.
Heiji carefully turned her around so she was sitting on his lap and pointed to the object on the floor.
"A bomb?!"
Seeing it, Ai's pupils shrank. She instantly understood why Heiji had told her not to move.
"The mercury trigger has been activated. If this gondola shakes even a little, the chemicals inside will mix, and this bomb will detonate instantly. And we..."
"We'll be turned to ash," Ai finished softly.
"Are you scared?"
Heiji held Ai. He had no choice; they couldn't risk the slightest movement now.
It seemed the Ferris wheel stopping was also part of the plan.
"Being scared won't stop it," Ai said, lowering her head and clenching her fists. "Brother-in-law, are you afraid to die?"
"Does being afraid change anything?"
Ai looked back at him, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "That's what my sister said, too."
"Hmm?" Heiji looked at her, confused.
"I asked my sister that same question once. She gave the exact same answer you did," Ai said quietly.
Heiji understood.
"Brother-in-law, did we run into the bomb set by that bomber?"
"Looks like it," Heiji sighed. He couldn't even catch a break on a simple mission.
Ai listened quietly as Heiji repeated the bomber's note from Sato. She began to analyze it in her mind.
"Damn, I should have paid more attention from the start," Heiji sighed after thinking it through.
"You've already solved it?" Ai asked coolly.
"I've solved it, but that's not the most important thing right now. The real problem is how we get out of this alive."
Heiji had no desire to be a martyr or a savior.
Ai said nothing, sitting quietly in his lap.
Heiji stared at the bomb. There's definitely a listening device on this thing, and a phone detonator. If I say anything the bomber doesn't like, we're dead.
"Damn it! I don't know how to defuse a bomb!"
Ai looked at Heiji, confused. Why did his mood change so drastically? Could it be...?
"Ah! Brother-in-law, I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Waaaaah!"
Heiji paused for a second, then a smile formed on his face. He gently patted Ai's hair in praise.
Ai removed his hand from her head, shot him a sideways glance, and continued to wail.
"Stop crying! You're making it worse!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Still crying? Why don't you cry a little louder?"
Ai glanced at him.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Heiji's mouth twitched. That was definitely loud enough.
He carefully stood up while holding Ai, gently placed her on the seat, then took out a pair of nail clippers.
He knelt in front of the bomb, examined its structure, and without hesitation, snipped the wire connected to the mercury trigger.
Seeing this, Ai's crying grew even louder.
Heiji picked up the bomb. He looked at the tempered glass walls, clenched his fist, and shattered them with a single punch.
He then threw the bomb outside.
At that exact moment, the time was 12:01 PM.
A brilliant red cloud of fire exploded in the sky, followed by a deafening roar. The powerful shockwave rocked the gondola back and forth.
Heiji held Ai tightly again, his eyes fixed on the fireball.
After a while, the shaking finally stopped.
Heiji stroked Ai's hair. "Nice acting, Ai. Otherwise, we really would have been turned to ash."
"Let go of me, brother-in-law."
Ai gave Heiji a cool look, jumped out of his arms, and struck a pose like a proud queen.
Heiji just shrugged and pulled his phone from his pocket.
"Hello, Miwako Sato speaking."
"Hello, Miss Miwako. Are you down below?"
"Below? Heiji, are you on the Ferris wheel?"
On the ground, Miwako Sato looked up in shock.
"Unfortunately, yes. I'm in the gondola that had the bomb."
Heiji's tone was one of pure exasperation.
"What?! Heiji, are you okay?" Sato asked anxiously.
"Would I be talking to you if I weren't?"
Sato paused, then gave a dry laugh. "Right. Hold on, Heiji, I'm sending a team to get you down now."
"Thanks, Miss Miwako. By the way, I've solved the code from the fax."
With that, Heiji hung up and looked at Ai. "Now they should rescue us first."
"Brother-in-law, are you trying to two-time?"
Ai asked suddenly, out of the blue.
Heiji just looked at her, confused.
---
There are 120 advanced chapters on Patreon, which I'm currently rewriting and polishing for a better reading experience. Thank you for your support and patience.
https://www.patreon.com/c/LEYI396