Chapter 158
[The woman’s surname was Asagiri. A year ago, she had been hospitalized due to kidney disease. She was divorced, and her only daughter was cared for by her aging grandmother, living in a remote rental apartment.]
[It was practically a slum—a five-story building divided into tiny single rooms, with no internal staircase. Instead, a rusty iron staircase clung to the outside, creaking loudly with every step.]
[You hired a private investigator to find out when the elderly woman usually took her granddaughter outside. Then, you waited on the street and finally saw the girl.]
[You were certain—that was Mako.]
[Back home, you confessed part of the truth to Reina. You told her that you owed a girl a great debt and needed to make amends.]
[Reina was startled. She had been watching a family drama recently, and for a moment, she thought the girl you mentioned was a romantic rival—that “making amends” meant starting a second family outside your home.]
[But when she saw the little two- or three-year-old girl, she was relieved. And after asking about the girl’s blood type, she relaxed even more.]
[The girl was playing on the swings in the park when Reina approached her and asked for her name.]
[Asagiri Mayu. That was Mako’s real name.]