Chapter 45: The Stalker

After chatting with his cousin for a while, Ji Yi immediately understood the purpose of her call. Although it wasn’t exactly a police report, it was essentially no different from one.

The situation was roughly this: his cousin had a friend who, after being stalked by a persistent individual, fled from Yokohama to Tokyo. But since arriving here, she had gone off the grid, and his cousin was very worried, so she called to see if Ji Yi could find out any news.

Ji Yi didn’t refuse. Having grown up at his grandfather’s house, he was fairly familiar with many relatives’ children, and they all got along well. Helping out with such a small favor was no trouble.

At first, he had thought to ask Kogoro Mouri for help. But then he reconsidered—if Mouri only discovered the situation after the friend had already become a corpse, his cousin would undoubtedly be heartbroken. Better for him to handle it personally.

The woman, Mihoko Nishitani, wasn’t hard to find. Ji Yi located her easily.

“Who are you...?” the exhausted woman cautiously cracked open the door.

“I’m a police officer.” Sensing something was off about her mental state, Ji Yi immediately showed his badge.

Mihoko exhaled in relief and then opened the door wider to let him in.

The apartment’s doors and windows were heavily locked, and a can of pepper spray sat nearby on the table.

“Have you found the person stalking me, officer?” Mihoko was anxious.

“I’m sorry, I’m here because my cousin asked me to check on you,” Ji Yi replied without directly answering the question, explaining his true purpose.

“I really...” Mihoko fell silent for a moment. “Please thank Chie for her concern on my behalf.”

“Miss Nishitani, you...” Ji Yi glanced around the room, the atmosphere too tense to ignore. “What kind of person is this stalker?”

“That guy has been following me since Yokohama,” Mihoko was nearly breaking down. “All the time. I thought moving would get rid of him, but he followed me here. I’m at my wit’s end!”

Ji Yi remained silent.

First, Mihoko wasn’t a celebrity, so it was obviously not a typical fan obsession or paparazzi stalking.

Second, even if it were an ordinary pervert, lust alone wouldn’t drive someone to follow a woman all the way to another city.

Such behavior implied not only financial means but also an obsessive fixation.

“I’ve already sought help from the local police station recently,” Mihoko added.

“I understand,” Ji Yi nodded. “Miss Nishitani, I will help investigate, but until then, I strongly advise you to be extra cautious.”

He looked at the locks on the doors and windows and the tightly drawn curtains. “You’ve done well securing these.”

As Ji Yi left Mihoko’s apartment, he immediately sensed someone watching him nearby. But when he looked, the figure had vanished.

Mihoko’s intuition was right—her stalker had never truly let her go.

Even in this country, where “pervert” has become a sort of cultural trope, someone who plans and executes long-term, systematic surveillance and stalking is extremely rare.

This wasn’t some trivial matter hidden on a computer hard drive.

Ji Yi felt a chill as he headed to the nearby police station.

“Yes, Officer, Miss Nishitani did report being followed not long ago,” a patrol officer confirmed. “We caught a man loitering near her apartment. He claimed he followed her because he liked her, but since he hadn’t made any moves, we let him go after warning him not to do it again.”

“What’s his name? Does he have a job?”

“His name is Tatsuya Nagai. He’s supposedly studying for the bar exam, so currently unemployed,” the officer replied after some thought. “I believe after we warned him, he didn’t bother her anymore, since she hasn’t come to us since.”

Ji Yi said nothing.

It was clear this patrolman embodied every stereotype of a police officer in the world of detective work: a pure NPC with zero critical thinking.

The fact that the stalker followed his target across cities and immediately reacquired her showed this was no impulse act. This calculated, cold stalking behavior marked him as a classic “calm predator” personality.

Such a person wouldn’t back down because of a simple warning.

Hopefully, the stalker was still at the “escalating harassment” stage, satisfied with the cycle of “observation—approach—minor intrusion,” finding psychological gratification merely by crossing boundaries.

Ji Yi feared that if the stalker evolved into a predatory killer, the situation would become dire.

Still, he couldn’t fault the police here for irresponsibility.

They had done what they could. But before the stalker actually harmed the victim, law enforcement’s options were limited.

Unable to shake his concern, Ji Yi used the police station’s phone to call Mihoko again.

After confirming she was home, he visited her once more.

“Miss Nishitani, don’t you have to work? It’s strange you’re home at this hour. From what I understand, you’re not from a wealthy family, so you must work to support yourself.”

“Because of everything that happened, I can’t sleep at night, so I chose to work the night shift at a family restaurant...” she answered.

Ji Yi was speechless.

“Ma’am, what are you doing? I’m worried you might get killed at any time! Nighttime is the most dangerous. Instead of staying at home, locking doors and windows, you go out?”

“This is Mihana City, not some place to die prematurely.”

“No, absolutely no going out at night,” Ji Yi instructed firmly. “You must change your work schedule immediately and stay home during the night. I will notify the local police station to increase patrols around your apartment.”

Mihoko was silent for a long time before speaking again.

“But what good will that do? The police have already confronted him, but it didn’t help.”

“I’ll find a way,” Ji Yi empathized. Being harassed nonstop by a stalker would break anyone’s spirit; he couldn’t blame her for feeling hopeless. “I need some time to investigate this person’s situation so I can make proper arrangements to help you get free of him.”

After another long pause, Mihoko finally nodded in agreement.

She called her restaurant to explain the situation. The manager was very supportive, agreeing to switch her shifts and even offering further assistance.

Ji Yi stepped out of the apartment.

At the street corner, a shadow flickered past.

But he didn’t follow.

Now that he knew who the stalker was, trailing him would be pointless. All they could do was issue verbal warnings, which rarely had any real effect.

Judging by the stalker’s strategic mindset, he wasn’t a novice; he must have undergone considerable training and practice.

Ji Yi could only hope that before he uncovered the stalker’s past “incidents,” the man hadn’t yet escalated to forcibly invading Mihoko’s home.