(Original Japanese title: “The People of Nonomura Hospital – Surgical Building”)
Published in November 1996
The copyright of the text belongs to the original Japanese author (publisher) and the game maker, so do not repost the text, author’s name, title, etc. without authorization, or engage in other commercial or profit-making activities.
Characters.
Takuma Haibara: A self-proclaimed “genius detective” and the main character of this story.
Ryoko Ito: Originally a rival of Kaihara, she is now an uninvited secretary.
Tree Momoko: A high school girl who reads detective novels and learns about Haibara.
Kana Shimamoto: Momoko’s best friend. A super active girl who always wears a ponytail.
Nogai Miho: A nurse at Nonomura Hospital who gives off the aura of a fierce bobcat.
Makino Rie: A nurse at Nonomura Hospital who has a distrust of men.
(The following characters are original to the novel)
Kiriko Sawamura: A surgeon at Nonomura Hospital, a rather aloof woman.
Shiori Oguchi: A new nurse at Nonomura Hospital who has returned from the United States and speaks fluent English.
Carol: An American college student who comes to Japan to study Japanese ukiyo-e and has a pair of huge boobs.
prelude
In the darkness, a naked body of a woman with white skin could be dimly seen floating on the screen.
The black leather-covered woman’s body was lying low on the examination table – her knees were down and her peach-like buttocks were raised high in the air. The restraining device, also made of black leather, holds her hands firmly behind her back.
The only thing this woman was wearing, other than the restraining equipment mentioned earlier, were white stockings and a nurse’s cap worn over her russet-colored hair.
In addition to this, in her mouth, she was biting on a bridle the size of a ping-pong ball with holes cut in it so as not to obstruct her breathing…
The long, thin, upturned eyes that evoked images of a bobcat were glowing brightly, while the creases between the eyebrows deepened as they endured the excitement…
“GURGURGURG…” Such a sound came out loudly from the woman’s abdomen.
“Hoo-hoo…” The man standing beside the woman with a smile on his face inadvertently let out his laughter: “What’s the matter? Can’t you stand it any longer?” Although the tone of the man’s voice was as gentle as a child’s lecture, it didn’t match the expression on his face – there was not a single movement on his delicately sculpted face, which was as if it were a mask.
The woman on the examination table nodded vigorously. The man grabbed the woman’s reddish-tea colored hair, “I can’t help it… You can’t do anything without a little extra effort before ‘that’!”
On the surface it seems quite easy, but in fact there is a hidden majesty in it – as hard as a whip: “Bear with me a little longer!”
Like a gentle father – but with the authority of a teacher, the man suddenly stretched out his right hand… those white, slender, pianist-like fingers, and split the two peaks of the woman’s buttocks – and touched the chrysanthemum bud. “¡…!” The woman frowned again in pain.
The man standing aside raised his white sleeve to look at his watch and said, “Well… it’s been fifteen minutes! That’s good! You’ve worked hard today!” The man placed the paper-lined, washbasin-like iron next to the woman’s buttocks: “Okay! As you wish…”
At that sound, the woman released what she had been holding back for a long time in one gulp… There is nothing like such a feeling of liberation! In the midst of the joyous sensation – a deep, golden-colored, semi-liquid ejaculation erupted fiercely.
“Aaah…!” With an exclamation, the man used his long, thin fingers to fiddle with the gold nuggets that fell like a mountain in the vessel.
“¡…!” The woman stared roundly in surprise.
“It’s so beautiful…!” The man said intoxicatedly, “As long as it’s Miho’s ‘thing’ – yes! Whatever it is, it’s beautiful…”
However, they didn’t know – and they certainly didn’t know! –There was a camera in the darkness – with its unobstructed lens and its highly sensitive film, it captured all their ugliness and reflected it clearly…
Ⅰ (Chapter I)
I opened the windows wide to let in the cold December air in the middle of the office.
Perhaps because Christmas is just around the corner, the streets at the moment are filled with a wonderfully lively atmosphere, and everyone on the road walks at a brisk pace.
Suddenly – from behind – the phone rang.
After three rings, the answering machine began to operate and switched to the message I had pre-recorded: “Hoo… hoo! This is the office of the famous detective Takuma Haibara. I’m not here at the moment due to an important event, so please leave your name, subject matter, and contact number after the beep, and I’ll contact you when it’s convenient for me…”
Next, there was a beep – but the other party hung up without leaving any message.
Wrong number? Tsk! What a rude guy!
I began to re-survey the interior. –It’s been about three months since we moved to this new office, right? The previous office, which was converted from a warehouse, was evicted by the landlord on the grounds that he wanted to remodel it during the recession…
The new office is uniform in bright colors and is neatly organized. This was not my interest, but was all thanks to the uninvited secretary.
Just as I thought that – the folding door was suddenly opened, yes! It was that uninvited secretary, Ito Ryouko, who had returned to the office.
A white jacket was draped over her conspicuous and garish red suit, while a plastic bag from the supermarket was carried in each hand – she was back from a shopping trip.
When Ryoko moved her office, she disposed of almost everything in the old office as junk, so she was able to purchase a full set of new furniture to match the new office.
“Anyway, there’s money now! And these things aren’t too expensive…” – she always said to me.
That’s why I’ve always felt a little bit lost in this new office. It was probably because I couldn’t get used to the newlywed family atmosphere! For me as a detective, the office was just a place to rest my head, after all, I’m used to living like a wolf – but now?
I was really impressed and grateful for Ryoko’s help in moving this office, including the search for the location and negotiating with the real estate agent.
It’s also because of this relationship that the dominance no longer lies with me.
“Right! Is the office going to be open this Saturday?” Ryoko asked.
“Eh?”
“Can I rest? I’ve got plans…” said Ryoko, her eyes looking my way.
This Sunday is Christmas Eve! In that case – I looked at Ryoko. I see, is she going on a date with her boyfriend? As I thought that, I suddenly developed a nameless anger: “Detectives have nothing to do with Saturdays, Sundays, or even any Christmas Eve! There might even be a client requesting to find the missing cake by then!” I said in a stern tone.
Then I quickly opened the first drawer on the top right of the desk and took out a set of keys attached to it: “Because of this, the office will be opened that day!”
I turned around and opened the door to the firm in silence.
“Where are you going now?” Ryoko’s voice came from behind her.
“Take a walk! Won’t be back anytime soon.” I said in a dry voice, as I stepped out of the firm that had the effect of a conservatory.
I stomped along at a heavy pace through the noisy streets filled with Christmas energy. What the hell was wrong with me? Just an uninvited female secretary in a one-wolf detective agency talking about wanting to take the weekend off – is that worth getting angry at me like this? Suddenly I felt a bit pathetic running out on myself.
Caught the train, got off at the station of my destination, and then naturally took my steps in the direction of Nonomura Hospital.
–Nonomura Hospital.
It was the only general hospital in the neighborhood, and although the exterior looked a bit old, the equipment inside was up-to-date, and the doctors and nurses working there were excellent… The first thing that came to my mind was Noguchi Miho’s long, slender eyes, which gave me the feeling of a fierce bobcat, followed by Makino Rie’s gentle, loving smile, and Mamiya Chisato’s childish grin And a face that didn’t fit her at all…
At that moment, on the other side of the road in front of me, the beautiful window of a confectionery store suddenly caught my eye – I thought to myself, “Let’s go and bring a cake or a small gift or something”! After all, girls have a sweet tooth, so they’ll be happy.
So, without passing through the crosswalk, I went straight through the middle of the street – and in a split second, all I could feel was something solid coming my way at a very high speed… and by the time I realized it, I was too late.
“┅┅！”
Then my body floated up into mid-air-!
After a beat, my right foot hit the ground with a heavy impact…!
II (Chapter II)
A simple fracture of the fibula of the right lower leg, which would take one month to heal completely – this was the diagnosis of Kiriko Sawamura, a female surgeon at Nonomura Hospital, who was my attending physician.
“This is your punishment! –Who told you not to cross the street properly from the crosswalk…” The female physician, Kiriko, pushed her glasses with her forefinger, but even that did nothing to stop the cold gaze that emanated from her pupils.
The slender, straight black hair was cut in a short Cleopatra-like style, while over the black stockings she wore a white coat representing the physician.
Yup! At that time – crossing the road I was hit by a pizza delivery motorcycle. As a result, I was taken to Nonomura Hospital on a stretcher.
“Then that’s it… take care of yourself!” With that low, ungirlish voice, Misty left the bed next to mine. A while after the doctor left the room, the cold perfume of the woman could still be smelled in the room.
But it only took a moment for my thoughts to change skyward again. After all, it wasn’t such a big deal in the first place! I’ll just think of it as a ‘vacation’! –A Christmas vacation for a genius detective… except that I didn’t expect to be on vacation at the Nonomura Hospital, which used to be the stage for the strange cases I solved…
Just as a smile spreads across my lips, there is a sudden knock on the door of the hospital room, and in walks a sergeant in a pink uniform.
Makino Rie – a nurse with long hair braided into two strands and a kind face – came in with a tray of dinner: “Dinner’s ready! -I’ll be right back!” Iri-chan smiled brightly and said, “I’m sure your stomach is growling with hunger!”
“Where’s Chisato? Not on duty today?” I inquired.
Mamiya Chisato – the nurse I once had a one-night stand with – if she was working as an errand boy in this hospital, why hadn’t I even met her yet?
“Ahhhh? –Mr. Haibara! Don’t you know?” Iri-chan lifted one eyebrow if she looked at me meaningfully.
“Chisato! She’s currently on leave from her job at our hospital. She’s working hard to qualify as a full-time nurse – after all, full-time nurses get much better pay…”
“Oh…” I nodded and picked up my spoon from the dinner plate. The main course for dinner was white porridge with an egg beaten on top.
“However, being treated by Dr. Sawamura… you’re in luck!” Rie said.
–When I was here this spring investigating Dr. Speedwater’s death, Kiriko had not yet been admitted to Nonomura Hospital.
“She’s a replacement for the dead Dr. Speedwater, introduced in by the dean himself, a very good doctor, oh!
I’ve heard that I even studied in the United States at one point!”
“Ah..! I have to go to the other patients…” Having suddenly thought of this, Rie left my room in a hurry.
I continued eating my dinner in silence. Regardless of how the meal tasted, I chose to eat it all compared to what it would be like to be hungry in the middle of the night.
After dinner, there was nothing left to do! –No matter what, I still had to make a call back to the office tonight, so I began to move my body very reluctantly… “Again! Ee-!” I put my weight on the pine leaf crutches and stood up, then walked out of the hospital room with a shaky balance that seemed like it might collapse at any moment.
After a good walk to the nearest phone to the elevator, I removed the calling card from my wallet and placed it in the insertion hole, then dialed the firm’s number.
After the phone rang three times, the person on the other end finally responded – it was my charismatic voice that informed the message in a haughty tone.
Since it was an answering machine, that meant Ryoko had already gone back, the office usually closed around six, and it was already seven in the evening!
I hung up the receiver and turned around, and suddenly, I held my breath.
Next to the public phone, there was a vending machine with a lot of juice and other beverages. In front of the Coke vending machine, there was a beautiful blonde woman who was a sight for sore eyes!
“Oh…” the blonde beauty seemed to notice me as well, and her eyes suddenly widened.
“You… are you also a patient of this hospital…?” The blonde woman’s eyes stopped at my clothes, she was also wearing the same aqua blue pajamas as me.
–I see! Looks like she’s an admitted patient like me.
The blonde woman walked up to me – naturally, my eyes fell on top of her huge waves that had considerable weight – probably because Europeans and Americans eat meat as their staple diet! Nutrition is quite different. And this ‘thing’ in front of me, rather than ‘giant wave’, I think it would be more appropriate to say ‘super giant wave’, or even ‘exploding wave ‘ would be more appropriate.
This girl was quite cute, and immediately made me think of her as one of those little goblins who like to play pranks. Usually, Europeans and Americans look a bit older than Orientals – I guess she’s around nineteen or twenty years old, based on that!
“Uh… wait… to your ward… to play… is that okay?” The blonde woman raised her eyes to look at me, her green pupils filled with flames of seduction. A sudden shock like electric current ran through my back.
“Uh… ah! Yes!” I’m not the kind of man who would let the opportunity in front of him go to waste!
“Wao, what a pleasure!” The blonde woman’s eyes lit up and she folded her arms in front of her huge breasts: “So… what’s your room number…?”
“Room 206! Two, Zero, Six!” I repeated in English after saying it once in Japanese.
“Six! Is that right?” The blonde woman said meaningfully.
“The ward is a big one, but there’s no one else but me.”
“Really?” A lewd smile appeared on the blonde woman’s face: “Then, as we thought, we must be able to have a lot of fun?”
The blonde flicked her lips with the tip of her thin peach-colored tongue, and suddenly, it actually gave me the association that it was the tongue of some flesh-eating beast.
“Then… we’ll see you after the lights out moment… Bye!” After saying that, the blonde woman left immediately, and by the time I realized that I hadn’t asked her name, it was already some time later!
Suddenly–
“Yo! Mr. Detective!” A familiar voice, a woman’s voice, rang out from behind her.
I turned my head and there were two nurses standing right behind me. One of them was taller – a nurse lady I recognized. Her thin, upturned eyes and pointed face reminded me of a spunky bobcat every time.
“Miho, it’s you! …”
“You’re going well! Mr. Detective!” The taller nurse, Miho, once again splashed her russet-colored bangs upwards with her hand.
“Is this an acquaintance that Nogai-senpai knows?” Another nurse probed Miho. I don’t remember ever seeing this nurse, and I think she must have come to work at Nonomura Hospital after the spring incident ended.
“Ahhhh–Shiori, I think you probably heard something about it, right? This is the detective-san who solved the incident in springtime, oh!”
I looked to the name tag pinned to this nurse’s chest, which read ‘Shiori Oguchi’.
She was a very cute little girl. She was around twenty years old, not yet out of her student years. Her tea-colored hair was curled in a retro style, and under her mini-skirt she wore boots, which were quite fashionable… I suddenly realized that my heart was pounding, just as it had been when I had made the appointment with the blonde just a few moments before.
“Mr. Detective, did you just talk to Carol about something?” Miho asked.
“Carol–?”
“What are you fuming about? Carol Weaver–that’s the blonde American hippie!”
“I was wondering if you meant something else by ‘female hippie’?” I asked bluntly.
“That’s my last word of advice: she won’t let you off the hook until she gets a red ball of blood out of your thing! Until yesterday, she was still feeding on hospitalized college students… and they had to be discharged early…” Miho said in a scornful tone.
I see – it seems that this girl called Carol is really ‘deeply good at this’ ah!
But then again, I hadn’t thought that a legend such as this one about red blood globules coming out of the urethra when a man’s lifetime of sexual energy is completely exhausted would come out of the mouth of a nurse at a major hospital.
“Hmph! Okay! I know… I’ll take care of it!” I took another drag on the shortened cigarette and threw it away in the ashtray.
“If there’s nothing else… I’ll go back to the hospital room first!” With that, I began to walk towards the corridor with my right foot, which was immobilized due to the cast on it, slowly turning and turning.
Before the visiting nurse came to help turn off the lights, I automatically turned off the lights in the hospital room. Lying on the bed in the darkness, I was feeling very excited by the anticipation.
–About thirty minutes after lights out time, I noticed a quiet approaching footstep in the hallway outside. I lifted my upper body from the hospital bed.
“Hi! Darling! –Have you been a good girl and waited for me?” The intruder spoke flirtatiously in a flirtatious tone.
Suddenly–!
Carol pounced on me, and to my surprise, Carol wrapped her arms around my head and fiercely began sucking up my lips like some carnivore suddenly seeing a tasty treat.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you want it?”
“No! Of course – of course I want lo…” With one side of my mouth, I took the blonde into my arms.
Our lips gently touched each other, entwining our tongues… Carol’s fingers moved gently…
Unbuttoning my clothes one by one. And then – my body came into direct contact with her rather exaggerated…
“Hoo-hoo…” With a big smile on her face, Carol pressed her breasts against my pectoral muscles – warm, smooth… just like sugar candy.
Like a female cat in heat, with a sweet humming sound coming out of her nose, Carol ripped off the pants of my pajama top, as well as the panties with the large African statue printed on them, all at once.
At that same time, my hand attached to Carol’s lower back and began to move, Carol’s slender waspish waist just becoming my support.
This ‘American female hippie’ wasn’t wearing panties, and soon her blonde beaver-like fur was visible.
“–!” Similarly, when Carol saw my great ‘thing’ like a long cannon gun, she also stared at me with wide eyes: “Oh..! UTAMARO…”
There was a sudden exclamatory tone of voice.
UTAMARO is a famous Japanese ukiyo-e artist. Ukiyo-e is a general term for Japanese Edo period style paintings, which not only depict landscapes, but also many erotic depictions, which is what is being referred to here.
“Wow! You know quite a lot!” Even though it was the middle of the night and in the middle of ‘doing something’, I expressed my admiration.
“Of course…” murmured Carol, “Me came here to study Japanese ukiyo-e…!”
The blonde breathed in my ear, “Of course, I’ve learned a lot of ‘jousting’ techniques here…!” As she said that, Carol began to play with my already-excited manhood with her slender fingers…
“Umm…” When she stroked the ligaments on the back, there was a quick surge of electricity that traveled across my back.
“But, Me is still learning, so I’ll have to ask you for more guidance…” Carol slowly moved her body downward, slowly sliding her breasts, which were spread almost a meter wide, over my abs… Oh my God! Such a huge bulge…
Soon my long standing cannon gun was buried between the great valleys.
“I haven’t… done this before…” Carol picked up her ‘bakubo’ and began to move it up and down, holding it against my ‘body’. The plump flesh was soft and warm… and contained all the liquid that had accidentally escaped from the tip… The greenish-blue pupils stared at me with mischievous eyes; the blonde curly hairs rubbed up and down my groin and between my thighs… “Oh… I’ve discovered yet another amazing technique”… “I’ve discovered yet another amazing technique”… “I’ve discovered another amazing technique”… “I’ve discovered another amazing technique”… “I’ve discovered another amazing technique”… “I’ve discovered another amazing technique”… “I’ve discovered another amazing technique”… “I’ve discovered another amazing technique”. technique’… Mr. ‘Dick’!”
– “Dick”? Oh, it means “Detective”! It means “Detective”!
Carol took my “body” in her mouth, and completely covered my “weapon” with a moist and sticky feeling. Under the softness of her mouth and the dexterity of her tongue like a kitten, the hardness of my Singijeon couldn’t help but increase.
With intermittent grunts coming out of her nose, Carol licked my Singijeon back and forth like a lollipop, and occasionally used her teeth to give the ligaments at the back some slight stimulation… Under such an onslaught, my Singijeon, which I had been holding back for a long time, finally exploded, and threads of saliva mixed with saliva could be seen tugging at the corners of Carol’s mouth… -My moist ‘weapon’ was now glowing with a dull sheen, dark and with no tendency to shrink… It really did resemble the body of a cannon…
“Oh… really… it’s like a ukiyo-e representation…!” A lewd smile appeared at the corners of Carol’s mouth, and her greenish-blue pupils were ablaze with fire: “Ah..! I’m so happy…” The blonde woman cupped her huge breasts in her hands as if they were too heavy and had to be supported, and brought them back down over my ‘weapon’, and then suddenly sat down… and Carol sat down with the “beaver” perched on her body under her navel. “The beaver touched the tip of my Singijeon and swallowed it whole… in one gulp..! This insatiable beaver looked as if it had just come out of the water, with golden fur that was darker in color because of its wetness… “Aaah…!” The muzzle of my long cannon gun reached the deepest part of Carol’s body. So the blonde woman screamed out without knowing whether she was moaning or gasping. Next, Carol moved her waist up and down rhythmically with her “honey” clamped around my cannon.
The movement continued -, as if Carol was suffering from some great pain, sometimes with that indescribable pleasure… Her whole brow was furrowed. And I could see through her slightly parted lips that she was really clenching her upper and lower teeth, and her nostrils were tightly clenched… After a while, I raised my upper body, hugged Carol’s body tightly, and drove my strong abdominal and dorsal muscles, as well as my ‘weapon’, which could not possibly have swelled up any bigger, into Carol’s body I made several thrusts…
The bed shook in rhythm with our body movements. The cast and bandage on our right foot clashed with the iron grating around it, making a “gurgling” sound… I don’t know how long it lasted, but it went on and on… Eventually, Carol and I reached our zenith together.
Something fiery traveled from the middle of my body to the woman’s.
Carol’s curled up body spasmed in my arms. We were both so tired that we didn’t even want to move… Anyway, it was a good time to listen to see if anyone had heard anything and came to check…
We both lay quietly on the bed. –After a while, I lit a cigarette… and Carol called out as if in distress, “BUTAMARO! Smoking is not allowed in the hospital room…!” However, no matter what she said, I didn’t put out the fire. After all, “a drink beforehand” and “a cigarette afterward” are two of the most enjoyable things in the world!
By the way-! “Butamaro – what is it?”
“Huh? That’s right! Isn’t that your name?” My eyes rounded, “But… isn’t that what it says there?” Carol’s eyes pointed to the sign hanging by my bedside pillow.
Indeed – on that piece of paper, it does say my name… I see!
–‘Mr. Takuma Lu, Haibara’.
Takumaro – Butamaro… Ugh!
“Carol! It’s pronounced ‘Takumaro’, not ‘Butamaro’… Never mind! You know a lot of words for an American…”
Taking offense at my tone of voice, Carol exclaimed, “What the… what a pity! What a shame… I thought ‘Butamaro’ was a cute name that suited you better!”
“Uh…?”
“Because… Butamaro…” said Carol, holding up my huge cannon again, as if she wanted to eat it again… and then said, “Look at this! Doesn’t this look like a UTAMARO?” –And so we began the second round of the battle!
III (Chapter III)
It wasn’t until almost dawn that Carol went back to her hospital room.
When Carol went back, I suddenly had the same state of mind as a boxer who struggles for fifteen rounds in a World Cup heavyweight fight before winning.
After resting my head against the pillow, I immediately fell into a dreamless, mud-like slumber – however, it wasn’t long before I was called up, and it turned out to be time for breakfast.
The one who brought in the breakfast was Shiori, a new nurse I’ve only met once. She was in great spirits from early in the morning.
“Good morning, Mr. Detective! Did you sleep well last night?”
“Eh? Ahhhh…” I rubbed my cheeks with my palms, “Uh-huh! I didn’t sleep very well last night…”
“No matter what, you should always eat a little!” As if she had already seen through my lack of appetite, Shiori walked out of my hospital room after leaving behind these words that felt like pinpricks.
I sighed softly and poured the natto over the soft rice, then poured a small bowl of miso soup into it…
At around ten in the morning, the one who visited my hospital room was not the female physician, Kiriko, whom I had seen yesterday, but a handsome male physician with a subtle sense of slenderness, whose name was recorded as ‘Hino Shosuke’ on the name tag hanging on the chest of his white coat.
“–It’s a shame that the one who came wasn’t Dr. Sawamura, isn’t it?” As if reading what’s going on in my mind, Dr. Hino grunted out a laugh from his nose.
–What an annoying guy! I didn’t like this Dr. Hino from the first moment. By and large, people with creepy smiles like this are no good.
For some time, the scent of Hino’s French cologne lingered in my room, and I lit up a cigarette to clear the air… I think I realized what I was trying to do… I think I realized it! Coincidentally, Rie had already peeked in when I realized what I was trying to do.
“Mr. Haibara! Smoking is not allowed in the hospital room!” It was like scolding a child.
I stood up leaning on my pine leaf crutches, I’d had enough of this sort of thing!
“So – not being inside the ward is fine, right!”
I dragged my right foot, which was immobilized by a cast, toward the corner of the first floor where the vending machine was placed.
I peered out with squinted eyes at the activity of the crowds in the hall, and it seemed that all of them appeared to be very agitated.
And then, suddenly–
“Who am I?” A pair of hands reached from behind, obscuring my vision.
“It’s… Shiori, right?”
“A-right! That’s marvelous! Worthy of a famous detective!” Said Shiori, removing her hand.
Suddenly, this nurse looked at me with a serious look.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Ah… no… that… last night, you and Carol… that…”
“What ah? It’s this thing! It’s okay… I guess it’s like this!” I shrugged.
“Is it just okay? –I see you have dark circles under your eyes!” Shiori continued her attack without letting up.
“This thing has nothing to do with you, does it?”
“Ah… I don’t mean to delve into this matter…” Shiori used her bright smile to change the mood.
I changed the subject: “So… what happened to the lady doctor yesterday – her name is Kiriko Sawamura, isn’t it?” I asked about Kiriko, but it was mainly because she wasn’t here that I had to see Dr. Hino, the white boy I didn’t want to see at all… “Ah… you mean Dr. Sawamura? She won’t be here until late afternoon… Mr. Haibara is very thoughtful! Do you have a crush on Dr. Sawamura too?” The young nurse said in a joking tone.
“Say that silly thing! I’m not!” I put out the cigarette in my hand: “What’s so good about a woman who looks like an ice doll? Women! They should be more…” I traced the curves in the air with my hands, from top to bottom: “You can’t do otherwise!”
“Oh! Is that what it looks like? But – Dr. Sawamura can’t be seen when he’s wearing his uniform, but when he takes off his clothes, he has an amazing body…”
“Oh?” My eyebrows lifted.
“Since I haven’t worked at this hospital for a long time, I haven’t actually met her… but I did go to a hot spring with Rihye-san when we traveled this summer…”
–Is… is Rie-san…? I couldn’t help but skim the corners of my mouth.
In the spring of this year, at the time of the incident at Nonomura Hospital, Iri-chan had a physical relationship with a certain woman… That’s right! Iri-chan is a lesbian, so to speak.
So, is it possible that this nurse, Shiori, is also…?
I don’t know if she realized it, but maybe there was something about her that attracted this kind of person…
“However, I can’t give you any advice…” said Shiori, lifting her cute little face up to look at me.
“Huh?”
“About Dr. Sawamura! I think she’s a very wonderful woman – uh… maybe I’m the only one who thinks so…”
“Hey! Shiori!” A high-frequency, invoking Shiori’s voice interrupted my thoughts. The sender of the voice was…
Carol – The blonde was moving quickly in our direction.
“Hi! Inomarus!” After greeting me as well, Carol suddenly spoke fluent English to Shiori in an extremely fast gesture.
“Ah… Kaihara-san… excuse me…” After saying sorry to me, Shiori spoke to Carol in English at the same speed as she did.
I looked at Shiori – and then at Carol…
The blonde winked at me as if she was playing a prank, and then the two of them walked away together in the direction of the vending machine…
–After all that, it was time for lunch.
I leaned on my pine leaf crutches to prop myself up, dragging my cast-encrusted right foot back into the middle of the hospital room once again.
Then the food, which was not at all tasty, was mechanically given into the stomach pouch.
After a while–
I heard a knock at the door of the hospital room.
“–?” Before I had time to think about it, the door was opened.
“Yoo-hoo-!”
“Have you been a good boy?”
After saying those words – two young girls in sailor uniforms, and a woman in an office worker’s suit came into the middle of my hospital room.
One of them was always an energetic high school girl with long, teal hair tied in a ponytail, while legs as long as cranes stuck out from under the foot of a crimson skirt.
The other high school girl had a childish look on her face that didn’t fit her age of sixteen, her shoulder-length hair was tied with two large ribbons and the loneliness that had been in her eyes this spring had disappeared somewhere else…
–The high school girl with the ponytail is called Kana Shimamoto; while the gentle and calm one is Momoko Tree, both of whom are related to the incident at Nonomura Hospital in the spring. That’s true – but it was really only to the extent of getting me involved in their pretending to be detectives and drinking at home.
The last one is the original – female detective – Ryoko. That is, the uninvited female secretary who came to my detective agency after the spring incident. She’s holding her jacket in one hand, while the other hand – her right hand – is carrying a cardboard box that contains something unknown.
–In the spring of this year, Momoko had stayed at this Nonomura hospital for a while, and had been hospitalized for the same reason as me — a foot injury.
However, at that time, Momoko was unable to stand as well as walk due to psychogenic reasons, and thus had to use a wheelchair to get around – but today I just use a pine-leaf crutch.
“Was it lonely last night?” Momoko asked gently.
“Umm…” I stammered a bit, I was always at a loss for words with this little girl, and it was not easy to maintain my tough-guy private detective image in front of her!
–And, in fact, my last night was anything but lonely! What does that mean? Because I was fighting with Carol until dawn!
In the midst of talking to Momoko, Kana and Ryoko also came to my side.
“Really! I’ve been worrying about you for half a day…” Ryoko put the carton in her hand on top of the bedside table. I looked at her close cheeks, and I don’t know if it was a psychological effect, but I really felt that her whole eyelid seemed to be swollen.
“This morning, when I arrived at the office, I was surprised to get your message on the answering machine…”
“As for us, we only found out last night when we received a call from Ms. Rie…” Kana interjected, “I thought Uncle must be lonely, so I planned this visit with Momoko…”
“Ahhhh…!” Suddenly, Kana exclaimed as if she had realized something: “Uncle! What’s on your collar?”
“Huh?” I twisted my head and saw something stained on my collar – but at that very moment, Ryoko actually grabbed my collar.
–It’s over! This must be Carol! Carol’s lipstick marks actually stayed on top of my collar.
“This… you say! What the hell is going on here?” With anger in her eyes, Ryoko asked thunderously.
I let out a sigh of resignation: “What’s going on? It’s just the same thing! It’s what you see, what you think, what you feel…”
Suddenly – there was a loud “slap” on my cheek. Ryoko had slapped me with her skill.
“Idiot!” After leaving such a sentence, Ryoko then turned around and walked out of the hospital room.
Momoko beside me let out a deep breath: “There’s really nothing you can do about it! Detective!”
“Don’t you know how Ryouko feels?”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen to Ryoko?” I asked, playing dumb in general.
“Just open that carton and see for yourself…”
“Hmm…” I grunted, and then unsealed the cardboard box that was sitting on the nightstand. Since it wasn’t wrapped very well, it wasn’t very difficult to open it…
In the middle of the box was a cake. A round cake with a snowy plain made of white cream and a cabin made of chocolate. Santa Claus and a moose, also made of chocolate, were lined up next to the huts.
“It’s all for the sake of having to make up with ojusshi again yo!” One by one, the high school girls were talking.
“Shut up!” What I need right now is quiet.
“Wh, what? You said ‘noisy!’ What does it mean?” Kana’s expression looked a little angry.
“Kana!” Momoko pressed her ponytailed best friend.
“I’m sorry! -But… could you guys step outside for a moment?” I said quietly, “–Please!” I struggled to get the sound out of my stomach.
“I know… Let’s go! Kana!” Momoko tugged on her best friend’s coat, then led the way out of the hospital room.
Kana, on the other hand, before closing the door to the hospital room, suddenly swung her ponytail, turned her head and said, “Just savor the taste of this cake! Ajusshi!”
I raised my head and watched the girls leave before I started preparing to enjoy the cake that Ryoko had made herself. I cut the cake into four parts with the fruit knife that Ie-chan had bought for me, and ate one quarter of it with the fork from the office that was in the box.
–What the hell! How can there be such a sour cake? Even if I tried to swallow it, it would get stuck in my throat and I couldn’t… I rubbed my eyes and wiped my nose as I ate the cake.
After I had finished my own portion, I took a tissue to clean around my eyes and under my nose. The two young girls in sailor uniforms returned to the hospital room at that exact moment.
I immediately dove under the sheets and decided to pretend I was sleeping.
“How did the cake taste? You still have it left for us, don’t you?” Peach said.
“Hmph! A cake as unpalatable as this… you can have the rest!” I closed my eyes and said in a tone that refused to bow down.
So the two girls started chattering away on one side and happily eating cake on the other.
“Ah! Right! Almost forgot about that!” Kana exclaimed.
“Grace! What’s going on?”
“Heh heh! For a patient who is in a cast due to a broken bone, of course this must be the way to go!” An inauspicious smile appeared at the corner of Kanae’s mouth, and then she took the Kiwi pen out of her backpack.
“Ah! Don’t! Stop it! …” Before I could stop myself, the surface of my pure white cast was immediately covered in all those words such as ‘Get well soon! Kana-Chen’, ‘Broken bones are for suckers!’ and ‘Merry Christmas! and other messages buried it.
They ended the program by writing the names ‘Takaragi’ and ‘Ryoko’ and adding an umbrella on top of it to signify their good relationship. Of course, they didn’t forget to add a heart-shaped mark on the umbrella…
LOL! What a -!
It was in this way that the sun was already setting in the west. Momoko and Kana also said it was time to go back – and started packing up their things.
“That’s right! Detective…” Momoko said as if she had thought of something.
“Eh?”
“・・・ When Momoko was in the hospital, Mr. Detective came to visit every day, didn’t he?” –Yes, it does seem to be the case.
“Hmph! I was idle then anyway!”
“That… Momoko… can I visit again later?”
In a flash, it seemed like I opened my mouth without even thinking – “Ahhhh! … of course… of course I can!”
Upon hearing this answer, a light suddenly appeared on the girl’s face: “Really? That’s great!”
The girl grasped the two corners of the neckerchief on her sailor suit with both hands: “So… Detective-san… goodbye!” Momoko became as energetic as the girl with the ponytail, and walked out of the hospital room happily.
After the door closed with a thud, I said to myself, “Well..! Goodbye!”
IV (Chapter IV)
“Wow..! That’s a lot of inscriptions…!” Miho, who brought the dinner, said admiringly after looking at my cast.
“Hmph! If you want to write too make yourself at home!” I said as I picked up my chopsticks.
“By the way…” Suddenly, something occurred to me! The nurse approached me: “So, I have something to say to this ‘famous detective’…” With a serious glint in her long, thin eyes.
“Oh? What was the word?”
“- Uh… I can’t tell you right now… wait… ah, right! After lights-out time okay… I’ll tell you properly, okay?”
“Is it something unseemly to say?” I asked the little nurse with a sudden curiosity.
Miho nodded slowly.
“–I see! Since we’re going to meet again later, you can go ahead and deliver dinner to the other wards now.” After saying that I drank a mouthful of miso soup.
“M…” After nodding, Miho left my hospital room.
After eating my fill, I lay back down on the bed to rest. When Miho came to collect the finished plate, I gently nodded to her.
–Uh-huh! I’m looking forward to this evening’s rendezvous!
I locked the door to my hospital room so as not to be seen by anyone passing through the corridor, and then opened the window to enjoy a cigarette that should have been forbidden – however, at that moment there was a knock on the door.
“Inomaru?” The person who would call me like that would be Carol no mistake. I opened the door and let the blonde woman in.
“Oh–it’s No Smoking in the wards yo!” Carol frowned when she saw I was smoking.
“There’s no one else in this ward but me, so it won’t affect anyone else at all!”
“But now… Me is…!” Carol reached out and removed the cigarette from my mouth, twisted it out on the hospital facade outside the window, and then threw the butt out with a swoosh.
–The next thing I know, she’s leaning into me.
I could feel her soft, moderately weighted body in my wrists, and her blonde curls tickled just below my nostrils…
“Uh…!” I slowly pulled the blonde woman off of me. The opportunities for hedonistic pleasure were piling up as high as a mountain, and on the night I had an appointment with Mabel, I didn’t want to break the little nurse’s heart by doing so.
“Sorry… tonight… no!” I struggled to get the sound out of my throat.
“WHY… why?” The blonde woman asked.
“Why… this…”
“You’ve got another engagement already don’t you?”
“This has nothing to do with Carol…”
Carol crossed my legs and came in front of me: “So… are you going to be with Shiori today…?” Her greenish-blue pupils looked at me inquiringly.
“Ah… yes! That Shiori speaks pretty good English, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah… that’s right!” Carol looked at the side of my face.
“Me entered Nonomura Hospital because there were a lot of people here who could talk to me in English…”
“Oh…?”
“This is my attending physician, Dr. Hino… He also studied in the United States! He speaks fluent English…”
“Kiriko too, right?” The female physician Kiriko’s iceberg-like beauty suddenly surfaced in my mind.
Carol nodded: “Yes–Dr. Sawamura too! That’s why Me was able to stay in Japan…”
The blonde woman suddenly left my body: “Me will be discharged from the hospital the day after tomorrow! If you want to have some fun with Me, you’re welcome to come to my room, room number 502, a private room…”
“Good! I remember!” I said.
After straightening her body, Carol quickly exited the room.
Afterwards – the sweet and sour body odor of a woman still wafted around me, and it took some time for it to dissipate.
Uh-huh! Since she’ll be discharged the day after tomorrow, wouldn’t it be a shame not to take advantage of this opportunity…
In the midst of my thoughts about the haves and have-nots, time passed quickly, and it was already past lights-out time. I turned off the light in my room and dived under the sheets to wait.
…I guess I slept for some time! A night with Carol can be very tiring… Suddenly – I woke up with a pinch on my nose.
“-Wow! What are you doing?” I crawled up with eyes that were still half asleep.
“Oops… what can I do? I’m not that immoral!” A worried voice reached my ears; and after I turned on the lamp on the nightstand, a face like that of a hot bobcat came into my eyes.
“What! It’s Miho! Don’t scare me!” I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face. In order to ward off the demon of sleep, I took the red locket from the nightstand and took a cigarette out of it… But before I could even take out the lighter, Miho said sternly, “Smoking is not allowed in the ward!”
Miho suddenly snapped out of it and began to look me up and down. Gone was the puzzled look I’d seen on her at dinner… I leaned my back against the pillow and gave her a serious look: “By the way… don’t you have something to tell me?”
“That… Detective-san…” Miho looked at me with her slender eyes.
In that instant, I actually had a heartbeat. Strange? That shouldn’t have happened!
“That… Hino… Dr. Hino is someone you know, right?”
“Um… do you mean the white-looking doctor?”
“Aaah… what do you think of him?”
“As far as I’m concerned, in my personal opinion, little white men can’t be trusted!”
“How very worthy of Mr. Detective!” Miho said with admiration.
“What happened to that guy?” I asked in passing.
“Uh…” For a moment, Miho’s entire lips were pursed into a line. Then, as if determined, she continued, “You know about me… and Dr. Sosui, don’t you?”
“Aaah… of course! I remember this…” I replied.
The head surgeon of Speedwater died in the spring of this year in Nonomura Hospital. He was one of the most highly qualified surgeons in Japan, and in addition to having a wife, he also had an extramarital relationship with Miho.
“So…” Miho raised her previously lowered head and looked straight at me with her long, thin eyes, “I hope you won’t be frightened by what I’m going to show you…” With that, Miho took a picture from the pocket of her uniform and handed it to me, back side up. She handed it to me face up.
“Hmm…?” I picked the picture up.
“–!” My brow immediately furrowed, this is such an irritating photo!
–In the center of the picture is Miho, whose hands have been taken away from her by a black leather restraint and who has a hackamore in her mouth… Apart from these two items, Miho is wearing only stockings and a nurse’s cap!
Knees down, hips high in the air. This photo captures the moment when the richly colored “thing” falls from the high buttocks.
Next to Miho, the man pictured is probably the subject! –If my memory is correct, this character should be the object of Miho’s extramarital affair – the Minister of Surgery of Speedwater is not wrong!
And in the lower right corner of the paper, in orange numbers, the time of the photo shoot – last Christmas, when Speedwater was still alive.
“That’s enough! Don’t look so closely…” Because of her shyness, Miho snatched the photo out of my hand.
“What is this…?” My voice seemed to be trembling a little, after all, even an experienced detective could not speak calmly after looking at such a picture… “This is the source of my troubles…” Miho ruffled her stark tea-colored hair, and the scent of moistened silk essence wafted out.
“Blackmail… is it?” I struggled to burst out between my teeth. In an instant, I suddenly had this feeling – probably because of my unique sense of smell as a private detective! Even though I don’t want to get involved in other people’s private lives, it’s always easy for me to sniff out something.
“That’s the way-” Miho said hatefully, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
“Is the other party–Hino?” I inquired in a confirming tone.
“Yes!” After hearing Miho’s answer, I couldn’t help but get angry. A high-paying profession like a doctor, even if you don’t have to blackmail…
“How much is he asking for?”
“Two million!”
“But it’s possible that one may still be two…!”
“I did ask him to bring the negatives…”
“But it doesn’t have to be all that’s given to you… If he’s interested, it’s not a problem to douche as many sheets as he wants…”
“Of course I know about such things!” Miho exclaimed like a wild animal! Then, probably realizing that the noise was much louder than she had expected, she quickly stopped: “That’s why… I came to talk to you…”
“Well… that’s true!” I returned to my usual calm demeanor: “So… what do you want me to do?”
“Will you accept the commission?” Miho’s face lit up for a moment.
I nodded wordlessly.
“I want you to get the negatives back and none of the photos!”
“Yoo-hoo! What a thankless task!” I shrugged.
What didn’t match that statement, though – and in fact had been in my mind for a long time – was determination.
“But – it’s also possible that I’ll use them to threaten you after I get the photos back from Hino’s side!” I said in a sarcastic tone.
“… I believe you would never do such a thing… I know this very well!”
Miho twirled her long hair around her fingers and said, “I already knew about the last incident! So… even if Mr. Detective wasn’t in the hospital now, I thought I’d come to you to talk about it…”
“Whew! I’m kinda honorable then!” I scratched the back of my head.
“No… that Hino should have gotten this photo a year ago, right?”
“That should be right…!”
“So… when did his blackmail of you begin?”
“Uh… it was three days ago, exactly the day before you were admitted…”
“There was a long period of time in between when he didn’t do anything?”
“Well… I’ve actually turned down his offers countless times before… compared to Dr. Speedwell, this kind of guy…” Miho grunted contemptuously, “That guy… -…is at least a doctor, so he’s not short of money, and this time, because I turned him down, he told me that he wanted me for himself, and that he’d get me no matter what he had to do…”
Sure enough – just as I expected – Hino wasn’t asking for more than just money.
“Then – there’s only one thing – it doesn’t matter if he can’t be punished, right?” I crossed my arms into a mountain shape: “And – when is the exchange?”
“It hasn’t been decided yet… he said he could give me some time to think about it… so it remains to be seen what Mr. Detective wants to do better…”
“I see! –Then, let’s discuss the battle to retrieve the negative!” I poked my upper body in Miho’s direction…
V (Chapter V)
The next day, when I woke up early in the morning, I suddenly felt useless being confined to my bed because of a broken bone.
I quickly finished my breakfast, and next it was time to start making preparations for the battle to retrieve the negatives.
The plan to sneak into Hino’s room and steal the photos and negatives was rejected yesterday – because the photos couldn’t just be left in the hospital…
In addition, for me to intervene with Hino – also since I have no position on my side, he won’t pay any attention to me at all. However, if I had Hino’s weakness in my hands, that would be a different matter!
After dinner, I first called someone’s house. Luckily, the other person was still under the covers.
After I apologized to the other person, I also asked them to do a certain thing for me.
Of course, the other party did not agree with me so easily, before its nodding yes, I was good and bad, plus pay lure to negotiate.
The next step was to dial the cell phone number of a friend, Kawasaki Makizo, who worked as a reporter for the weekly photo magazine ASA100.
After six rings, I finally heard Veng Zao’s voice, which hadn’t fully awakened yet: “Well… that’s noisy… who is it? It’s so early in the morning…” It seems that waking someone up in the middle of a good night’s sleep can be quite irritating…
“Hmph! This is a call from a famous detective – Takuma Lu Haibara! Why don’t you thank me!”
“Can I help you?” On the other end of the line, I could hear Mianzou yawn widely.
“Uh-huh! I’d like to borrow something from you – it’s one of the machines you’re so proud of…” I told Mianzao what I wanted to borrow, and specified who, when, and where to receive it.
“Hey! So here’s the price – make sure you remember to let me know if there’s any news worth covering!”
“Grace! I got it!” After I said that, I hung up the mic.
–At this point, the preparation beforehand can be said to be OK!
I went down to the first floor lobby around 1:30 at the start of the visiting clinic’s treatment time to get a better understanding of the situation. Not long after I bought a black coffee with neither sugar nor creamer at the corner of the vending machine, I was blowing on the cooler when Nurse Iri-chan came toward me in a rage.
“Eh? What’s wrong?” I inquired out loud.
“What else…” said Iri-chan, her voice wavering in anger, “It’s just that Dr. Hino asked me to leave the consultation room… for a while… What the hell is going on?”
“Oh? Is that the pretty girl in the sailor uniform coming?”
Irihime’s eyes widened in admiration, saying, “Wow! You even knew that! That’s right! It’s Kana’s visit!”
“Isn’t that dangerous? It’s just the two of them now, so something bad shouldn’t happen, right?”
“That’s why I’m worried! –Anyway, he’s a doctor with a bad reputation!” –I heard about Dr. Hino’s bad reputation from Miho yesterday, and that’s why I made this battle plan…
“Oh… then, while Kana is at my place later, I’ll ask her nicely if there’s any how about it?”
“Don’t joke!” Rie frowned at my vicious joke.
–Very good! The first phase of combat is over.
I lay on the hospital bed, waiting for Kana to arrive.
It didn’t take long–
“Yoo-hoo! Uncle! Big success!” The door was slammed open, and the next thing I knew, the young girl in a sailor uniform with a ponytail came flying in – the person who came was none other than Kana.
“Yes! Well done…” But before she could finish her sentence, Kana suddenly changed her expression to one of indignation: “- but… this doctor is really horny! He came all the way out here, and I wanted to kick him with my 100-meter feet…” Kana’s eyes dangled upwards, and she flapped her long, crane-like feet as she stepped onto the bed. It seemed that she had a deep-seated aversion to being manhandled by someone like Hino…
“What a disaster! –Where’s the tape?”
“Inside the bag…”
I held my palms out upward.
“No way! Where’s my reward?” The ponytailed girl said seriously.
I waved my hand: “I can’t help you!” I took my wallet out of my coat, which was hanging on a hook, and pulled out a few bills from it.
“This isn’t something to do for fun! And don’t tell Momoko…”
“… Uh-huh! Here!” With that, the girl took out a small to medium-sized VCR from her school bag and gave it to me. This is the equipment I borrowed from Mianzou.
“I hate… don’t listen!” Kana was so shy that not only her whole face, but also the tips of her ears were all red!
“I’m just going to make sure it’s actually recorded, because this thing is useful.”
–This arranged scene is what I asked Kana to do.
And Kana – she was exactly the type that Hino liked. The incredible vigor and vitality of a wild animal in the mountains was what Kana and Miho had in common.
“I initially turned it off with a quick playback, but after thirty seconds of the “most important” part, I pressed the stop button, took the headphones out of my ears, and let out a long sigh.
“What’s wrong? Bad recording?”
“Uh… no… the grade of the recording…” I said with my head bowed.
“Huh… no… is that right?” Kana’s expression darkened noticeably.
“What? It’s a lie! You recorded it well… and your acting was excellent… only…”
“Only…?”
“Don’t you think you seem to be ‘getting into it’ a little too much?”
“-What the hell? Asshole!” The young girl clenched her fist and punched me on top of my cast.
“Right! What is this tape for?” Kana asked with a deeply interested expression, “Ah… You’re not going to use this tape as a coercion not to pay for the hospitalization, are you?…”
“Whew! Sorry about that! It’s a secret!” With that, I pressed the tape under my pillow. “Oi!
Didn’t you say you’d hurry back?”
“Eh!” The young girl once again rolled out of the hospital room like the wind, true to the feet she had honed on the track team.
I saw the door to the room close with violent speed and once again began to listen to the tape.
–I think that Kana has the look of an actress, and in the midst of her refusal, she’s delicately exposing Hino’s bad behavior.
For Hino: “Sexual harassment of a high school girl by a perverted doctor”… something like that was something he would never want to see published in the mass media, or for anyone in his family to know about. According to Miho’s information, Hino had a very strict father…
–After all, I am a private investigator who is often seen in the mass media, so it is quite easy for me! Of course, I have to mention that this is thanks to my friend, Kawasaki Mizuzo, who is a reporter for the weekly photo magazine “ASA100”.
It also made it much easier for me to deal with Hino!
–That’s right! I’m going to trade Hino’s live recording of his sexual harassment of a high school girl for Miho’s photos…
“Aaah… Doctor… No… Please don’t do this…” came Kana’s voice from the headphones, and it was the first time I had heard Kana’s voice as feminine as this.
“Hohoho… what does it matter? It’s not your first time anyway, right?…?” Hino’s disgusting voice came in, accompanied by the sound of clothes rubbing together… “Hoo…” I gasped loudly.
I removed the tape from the VCR, snapped off the small piece of plastic used for copying, and put it away again.
Suddenly – there came a knock on the door.
“Come in! The door is unlocked!” After my voice, Momoko’s prying face appeared in front of my eyes: “Mr. Detective…”
“Oh… it’s Momoko! Come on, come in! –I’m not doing anything weird right now!”
“Detective-san… this…” Momoko handed me the small bag she had hidden behind her back, a small gift box tied with a red ribbon.
“Huh? Why?”
“– A gift! Tomorrow is the…” said Momoko, suddenly quiet, as shy as ever.
“Uh… today is Saturday, so tomorrow is… ah! I know!” Tomorrow is December 24th – Christmas Eve!
“Is this my Christmas present?” I said as I took the small bag.
I got my hands on the package and unpacked it – inside was a key smithing of a cute little bear.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to get something like this after thirty…”
“I’m sorry…” Momoko whispered while blinking her big eyes, still blushing from my look.
I hurriedly continued, “Don’t be sorry! Maybe something else will happen after I use this…”
Yes, at least when I take it out to start my favorite car, barely built is sure to amuse me with this.
“Really! Do you really think so?” The young girl’s expression lit up for a moment.
“Eh!” I nodded, then found the key smith with my motorcycle and office keys on it from among the hanging blouse, pulling all the keys out and replacing them on top of the key smith that Momoko had given me.
Then I started playing with the bear keychain, making it squeak in my palm.
“Well… it’s quite interesting!” I said sincerely.
“Great – so… can I have the old one? …”
“Uh-huh… but this has been used for a long time and is very dirty!”
“It doesn’t matter!”
“Uh-huh! If that’s what Momoko says…” I put the Key Purger, which I had received as a gift from somewhere years ago, into Momoko’s outstretched hand.
“Thank you! Mr. Detective!” The young girl held the old key smithy in both hands as if it were some kind of treasure.
For the next period of time, the two of us talked about something or other, and those who didn’t know would probably think that we were the kind of brother and sister with a big age difference! It was almost dinner time before this young girl left my hospital room.
Quickly, Miho brought in my dinner.
“How’s it going on your end? Any response from Hino?”
“Grace! He called my house this morning! But since I was on a night shift, I slept in until the afternoon before I heard the message… Right! I listened to you and didn’t even prepare half of the money… Is it really okay?”
I think – I must be laughing my chest off right now!
Tonight Hino must have thought that he was going to get what he wanted so easily-except that what he was waiting for after all his anticipation was-
Now that I have the live recording of Hino sexually harassing a high school girl in my hands, it’s up to me as a private investigator to do what I do best! Anyway, a despicable doctor who threatens nurses like that needs to be punished!
“After this one is over and you will get the negatives back – if that guy had handed them over that dryly… would he have had anything else he could have used to threaten me with?”
“Hmph! Just you wait and see! Miho! You should be able to relax and rest on your laurels tonight!” I said with extreme confidence.
“Is it really that good?” By this time Miho was actually half-hearted!
“Stop worrying about it! By the way – what time is your appointment with Hino?”
“Uh… he said it was about thirty minutes after lights out time… so it would be about… 10:30!”
“Okay… I know!”
“You’ll see how it goes around twelve or so! Ah! –Don’t forget to prepare the champagne!”
“Grace! I look forward to your success, Mr. Detective!” Miho said cheerfully before walking out of the hospital room.
It was hard to finally get to the appointed time – I gingerly descended to the first floor and advanced towards Hino’s room.
After the death of the Chief of Surgery at Speedwater, Hino filled his shoes while being assigned a room in the middle of Nonomura Hospital.
I knocked on the door of Hino’s room, and there was no response from inside, “┅?” I thought it was strange, so I turned the doorknob a little by hand – the door opened easily and was not locked.
The big light on the ceiling wasn’t on, only the small lamp on the table was lit, so the room seemed very dark.
I slowly made my way toward the interior of the room, and at the other end of the desk I found two feet stretched out parallel to the bed.
Who was it? -It should have been a man, no mistake-except that he had fallen to the floor. I carefully approached the man on the floor, and then glanced at the side of his face towards the desk.
“–!” Quickly, I felt like I should have known better than to watch it!
Luckily, all that steak, bread, and sauce I ate for dinner has probably been delivered to my intestines, so if it’s still in my stomach pouch, I can see it’s going to be hard not to throw up.
–There were still horrible traces of blood on the floor… In short, this Hino fellow’s head had been ragged and battered!
And to one side fell a statue of a naked woman that should have been the murder weapon – it was quite a weighty object, and there were traces of blood on it that had been wiped away.
I was careful not to step on the blood, and crouched down to put my hand close to Hino’s nose – there was no breathing at all, and the next thing I did was to lightly touch Hino’s wrist with the nails of my fingers – it was still warm- -Only there is no pulse anymore.
Although I’ve been working as a detective for a long time, I don’t have that much experience with corpses, so this time I still felt uncomfortable.
What the hell is going on here?
Then my eyes went to the desk, where there were several photographs – and negatives too – next to an aqua-colored vase with flowers in it
I picked up the photo and looked at it – as expected, it was indeed one of those “artistic” photos – the subject was Miho.
So who could have killed Hino? -All in all it couldn’t have been Miho.
If Miho had been the culprit, there would have been no photos left behind. Leaving them behind would have immediately been interpreted as a motive for murder.
Of course, if you think about it, you will realize that the culprit is not Miho. However, except for famous detectives like me, ordinary police officers who saw these photos at the scene would definitely think that Miho was the culprit, and would not think that the culprit did not even have time to take away the photos, so how could he have time to wipe the blood stains on the murder weapon?
Therefore, it would be a problem if I continued to leave the photos here! So I swept all the photos and negatives from the table into my pants, and before leaving the room, I wiped my fingerprints off the doorknob with the hem of my pajamas – of course, this would have wiped off the culprit’s fingerprints as well, but that couldn’t be helped.
As I walked down the corridor, I heard the footsteps of someone coming this way, and even caught the light of a flashlight just before the corner…
–Preservationists!
I’m sure any security guard would have wondered about Hino’s open room and gone in – and found the body…
I slipped back into bed in the hospital room, my heart pounding like a morning bell… I reflexively looked at my pocket watch – it was thirty-one seconds after the police car with its siren blaring and red rotary lights had arrived.
(to be continued)