Birthday Chaos and a Familiar Suspect

“Daddy~ I’m back!”

Aya Tone was stunned.

‘Yes! My savior has arrived!’

Heaven knew how many brain cells he’d burned, how much hair he’d lost, just to keep those four women under control.

He had barely managed to stop them from coming to blows.

Lin Ling and the others had indeed been a great help. Their presence significantly eased the preparation work, allowing them to finish decorating the living room ahead of schedule.

Once the snacks and cake were ready, the birthday party preparations would be complete.

But then…

Just as everything was progressing smoothly, Li Jia’s arrival changed everything.

The palpable tension in the air nearly suffocated him.

It was truly terrifying.

“Why are you back so soon? What delicious treats did you buy?”

Aya Tone shot a warning glance at the women in the living room.

‘Don’t make a scene, or I’ll throw every single one of you out.’

Li Jia, however, completely disregarded Aya Tone’s implicit threat. Her cherry lips curved into a slight smile. “Aya Jiu~ Happy Birthday.”

“Wow! Thank you, Sister Li Jia~” Aya Jiu, nestled in Aya Tone’s arms, happily took the gift box Li Jia had pulled out from seemingly nowhere.

The gift box was not large, but it was wrapped in exquisite packaging.

Even from its outward appearance, its preciousness was evident.

That sweet address of “Sister” made Li Jia’s heart swell with delight. She cast a triumphant, provocative look at Lin Ling and the other two.

‘It’s your turn now,’ her gaze seemed to say.

Lin Ling, blissfully unaware of Li Jia’s provocation, merely smiled brightly and handed over the gift she had already prepared.

“Thank you, Sister Lin~”

Ye Liu and the other person followed suit, offering their own well wishes.

Aya Jiu’s small hands couldn’t hold so many gifts at once, and her little bottom wiggled slightly.

Feeling the movement in his arms, Aya Tone chuckled with a hint of helplessness, gently setting the little one down.

The arrival of the little darling had successfully diffused the tense atmosphere.

At least, that’s what Aya Tone believed.

He moved closer to Big White, lowering his voice to ask, “Didn’t Aya Jiu invite any other children to the party?”

Lin Ling and the others had claimed Big White invited them, so who exactly had his own daughter invited?

Big White tilted her head. “Uh…”

She subtly glanced at the young women gathered around her little mistress, their smiles unwavering.

“Miss Lin and the others were the ones the little mistress invited…”

Aya Tone paused. “…I see.”

It was perfectly reasonable for children to prefer playing with older sisters.

****

The Vermillion Bird Guild

A dull thud echoed as a delicate hand slammed onto the desk. Following the line of that pale arm upwards, one would find Fire Finch, her face grim, radiating a cold, murderous aura.

“A copycat has appeared?”

Her secretary, seemingly oblivious to the chilling atmosphere, stood by her side, eyes fixed on the document in her hands.

“According to information from the police, the victim’s death matches the previous case, so we can’t definitively say if it’s a copycat. However, this time…”

She paused, staring at the attached photograph. “Surveillance footage from the victim’s last known location shows Aya Tone walking nearby.”

Fire Finch’s brows furrowed, and she snatched the photo with an irritable gesture.

The photograph clearly showed Aya Tone, head bowed, rushing past.

Whether intentional or not, his facial expression was filled with a subtle blend of unease and agitation.

Anyone with eyes would assume he had something to hide.

“I’m going to the police station.”

‘Of all the days, it had to be Aya Jiu’s birthday!’

The flames flickering around Fire Finch’s body mirrored the raging inferno within her.

In an instant, her figure vanished from the guild master’s office.

The police sending this photo along was a clear implication that Aya Tone had once again become a suspect.

Not immediately arresting him was solely out of respect for her position.

****

Heaven’s Mandate Apartment

Aya Tone stared at his phone, its screen now dark, his brows twisted into a complicated knot.

‘Sitting at home, yet trouble rains from the sky.’

He had inexplicably become a suspect once more.

‘Damn it, is that killer insane? Are they deliberately targeting just me?’

‘Bloody hell.’

“Daddy~ Is Sister Fire Finch coming back?”

Little Aya Jiu, who had been happily playing with Lin Ling and the others, suddenly poked her head up.

Aya Tone turned slightly, the complex expression on his face completely vanishing, replaced by a hint of disappointment.

“Your Sister Fire Finch has some work to handle tonight, so she might be back late.”

“Ah—” Her little brow furrowed, her excited eyes dropped slightly, and her chubby cheeks puffed out.

‘She was unhappy!’

Ever since she could remember, Fire Finch had always been there for her birthdays, but this year…

“Then… then we’ll eat first, and save a portion for Sister Fire Finch.”

Her unhappiness came and went swiftly.

Aya Jiu quickly found a reason to convince herself.

‘Sister Fire Finch must have something very important to do, which is why she couldn’t make it back. Sister loves Aya Jiu the most.’

“Aya Jiu~”

That conflicted little expression instantly washed away the vexation in Aya Tone’s heart.

‘So cute!’

“Wah~ Daddy, don’t rub my face!!”

****

“Hmm? No, this isn’t right.”

Aya Tone sat by the window, lost in thought. Outside, the city twinkled like a sea of stars, while behind him lay the wreckage of an eventful night.

The single window divided the interior and exterior into two opposing worlds.

It turned out that a battle between women, though seemingly calm, could wreak havoc comparable to a husky’s destructive tendencies.

Thankfully, no magic had been used, or the entire house would have been torn apart!

In the living room.

The exhausted women were sprawled haphazardly, surrounded by scattered empty wine bottles, making Aya Tone’s brows furrow in disapproval.

‘A bunch of drunkards! Don’t you dare corrupt Aya Jiu!’

Yet, in their drunken state, there was no sign of the earlier animosity. They were practically clinging to each other, so much so that anyone unaware would assume they were the best of friends.

Aya Jiu, like the moon surrounded by stars, was cradled safely in the center of their slumbering forms.

The only silver lining was that their sleeping postures were, surprisingly, quite decent.

The anticipated divine light had not descended, thankfully.

“Has the Guild Master not returned yet?”

“No, she said the matter was quite troublesome and would take some time.” Big White’s hands never stopped moving as she gently covered the women, both big and small, with blankets.

‘Trouble again?’

Aya Tone slumped onto the table, utterly exasperated.

‘They had just made such a huge fuss not long ago, and before a few days of peace could pass, trouble had struck again…’

‘Had the city’s appearance even recovered?’

‘Did they not have to work tomorrow?’

‘So much free time to cause trouble!’

“Was the killer found?” Considering what had happened recently, only that particular incident could make Fire Finch expend so much effort and worry.

Big White’s hand paused. She brought her phone over to Aya Tone.

“Master… it seems you’ve become a suspect again.”

Displayed on the screen was an arrest warrant, sent by Fire Finch herself.

In light of this, it was easy to understand why Fire Finch had been unable to extricate herself for so long.

She had vouched for him last time, and now Aya Tone was a suspect once more.

The fact that they hadn’t immediately sent someone to arrest him was solely out of respect for Fire Finch.

“Heh, as expected,” Aya Tone scoffed with a dismissive smile.

‘It’s not a big deal. I’ll just find some time to take out the culprit and casually ask why they’re so fixated on me.’

He refused to believe that two incidents being linked to him was mere coincidence.

He might appear normal, but he actually harbored a slight paranoia.

One time could be a fluke, but twice…

‘A coincidence of coincidences is deliberate!’

As for the direction of the investigation, he also had his doubts.

‘This killer certainly has something going on.’

“Big White, I’ll have to trouble you to clean up this mess. I’m entrusting them to your care.”

Gently scooping up his limp daughter, Aya Tone didn’t spare a single glance for the group of drunkards sprawled on the floor.