Text: Meteor
[ACT3] Suspect. Yasusuke Atami
Twenty minutes later Utamu Hall was packed with police dealing with the aftermath.
Some photographs were taken for evidence, some fingerprints were taken, and some searched for the murder weapon.
All guests and hotel personnel were gathered in the hall by the foyer.
The two-person group of working girls looked panicked.
“Miyo, what exactly happens next?”
“How would I know? But you’ll have something to talk about with the class president and the others when you get back to the office.”
“There’s simply no way I can be as brutally unconcerned as you are right now.”
The incestuous pair were also whispering with worried faces.
“I don’t suppose our business will be on TV or in the papers?”
“I don’t think so… Anyway, I’ll go and ask the police not to publish our names.”
“This trip is so ominous. It must be God’s punishment for us.”
“Don’t you say that, it’s making me feel worse too.”
The granny of the five is completely lost.
“Although it is said that the longer you live, the more you experience…”
“But I really didn’t expect to even stumble upon a murder.”
“That’s scary.”
“The thought of it makes my whole body shiver.”
Orange Loma sat quietly alone without a companion. As usual, her expression was calm, but her face didn’t look too good either.
The owner’s wife’s Kurashiki Hiei and Yamada Ichiro remained silent. Whether or not they were thinking something, that was unknown.
Then there was Kosuke and Shizuka.
“Kousuke, what the hell is going on?”
Kousuke felt overwhelmed by the question Shizuka whispered in his ear.
“Didn’t I tell you? I passed out unconscious in the bath, and it wasn’t until you woke me up that I realized Fumie’s body was floating over there.”
“Are you telling the truth?”
A skeptical look.
“It’s true, it’s true. I’m not lying to you.”
“In TV mysteries the culprits are usually related characters…”
Miyo murmured.
Everyone looked at each other in fear.
At that moment, the criminal police officer with a grim expression wearing an old trench coat came over from the men’s locker room and owed everyone a greeting. With his tough physique and expression, he looked as if he had undergone rigorous exercise.
The detective stood still and began to make a speech.
“I am the head of the search team in charge of this case. Please be sure to cooperate with me.”
When he finished, he immediately took out his black leather notepad to show his identification.
“Deputy Police Chief Qian Fang Ping Ji.”
As soon as Shizuka pronounced his name, the criminal rushed to point with his finger and
“It’s not a money square, it has to be pronounced in the shape of money.”
“But it clearly says Money Fang…”
“Wrong!”
Detective Qianfang stopped her loudly.
“My real name is indeed Qian Fang. But! I would like you all to pronounce it Zenigata. In order to emulate the ever-present idol worshipped by our police community in the country of Japan, and to carry forward the prestige of that Kanda Yashita dug’s henchman, Zenigata Heiji.”
He said, pulling his hands out of his pockets to strike a pose.
“Chin, Chinata Heiji…?” Kosuke asked, his jaw dropping as he opened his mouth.
“Yeah, you know. It’s quite famous on TV or in stage plays. “There’s also a cop with the same name in the Lupin III cartoon. Although one of them is a high-ranking police officer, and I’m just an insignificant police officer from the countryside, I’m confident that my ambitions and abilities are no worse than those of Officer Zenigata’s. So please call me Zenigata. So please call me Zenigata, got it?”
“Well, if you’re so insistent.”
“Eh, let’s start the investigation next.”
“Uh… among these people?”
Manko inquired with trepidation.
“In order to understand what really happened, your testimony is very important. But there is no need for you all to worry. With my strength, this case can easily be solved.”
Moneyfon took out his police manual and flipped through it.
“The results of the identification are as follows. Judging from the flow of blood, the time of the stabbing of the deceased would have been shortly before the discovery of the body, within five minutes at the most. The crime should therefore have been committed between six twenty-five and six thirty. For the sake of caution, I would ask you to report in as much detail as possible your activities during the thirty minutes between these six and six-thirty hours. I’ll state up front that if anyone is deliberately lying under penalty of perjury, it’s best not to pull any tricks. So let’s start with the hotel personnel.”
Zenigata looked to the owner’s wife, Kurashiki Hiei.
“It’s like this, at six o’clock I was distributing dinner to each guest’s room. It’s because our dinner is ordered at six o’clock. If the two of us, Chef Yamada and I, deliver it together, it’ll be finished in about five minutes.”
“Ichiro Yamada, the cook and driver, is she right?”
“Yes, after that the two of us, the boss lady and I, were in the kitchen eating our dinner. Then at six-thirty we heard the screams from the bathhouse, and Ms. Orange and the others yelling ‘Murder!’ . I immediately rushed into the bathhouse from the men’s locker room.
That’s how I learned about Ms. Takigawa’s murder.”
“The kitchen is across the street from the men’s locker room, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone go in and out of the men’s locker room during that period of time?”
“I don’t think…”
“We didn’t even notice.”
“Next it’s time to ask the guests. Please tell us what you were doing between six and six-thirty.”
One by one, Detective Qian Fang grilled each of the guests.
Each room dinner was delivered at about six o’clock. Miyo and Mitsuru stayed in the room until 6:30 and then went to the bathhouse. Halfway there, they ran into Orange Loma, who had finished eating alone in her room, so they all went into the women’s locker room together.
At that moment Shizuka, who was looking for Kosuke, arrives and finds Fumie’s body and Kosuke, who has fainted.
The incestuous middle-aged man and the working girl were also eating dinner in their room between six and six-thirty, and had not left the room a step.
The five grannies from the Senior Citizens’ Association said they had stayed in the room.
“And finally, it’s you, Yasusuke Atami.”
Under Qian Fang’s pointed gaze, Kang-suke tensed.
“Do you remember what time you entered the baths?”
‘Six, exactly six o’clock.”
“Were there any other people in there with you at that time?”
“No, no.”
“And after that?”
“Uh…”
Kosuke glanced at Shizuka faintly.
“I arrived a little later than him. Since Kosuke was inside… I went out immediately.”
“Aren’t you two a couple? You’re actually embarrassed to see each other naked?”
Shizuka glared indignantly at Qian Fang.
“We’re not a couple yet.”
“So why are two people traveling together?”
“This has nothing to do with you, does it?”
“I’ll naturally judge whether there’s a relationship or not!”
Moneyfon’s loud voice made the glass of the window vibrate and crack.
Shizuka couldn’t stop blinking as she mashed her rumbling ears. Such a marvelous compulsion was almost too much for even Shizuka to handle.
Qian Fang coldly machine continued.
“In that case, Yasusuke Atami is the only one left in the bathhouse. And then again no one else has been in there?”
“Well…”
Kosuke hesitated. Was this the right time to bring up those five enigmatic beauties?
But if it came out, then the sex with those five beautiful women would have to be told.
Kosuke peeked at Shizuka’s demeanor. Shizuka was staring at him with a stern her gaze.
Kosuke couldn’t help but just open his mouth like that.
“None. Not a single one.”
“Not a single one?”
There was a twinkle in Qian Fang’s eyes.
“You didn’t even know that Takigawa Fumie came in?”
“That’s when I lost consciousness.”
“Losing consciousness! What’s going on?”
“Uh… soaked in hot water for too long and the whole thing fainted.”
“In that case, when your girlfriend left the bath, you who stayed behind lost consciousness due to unconsciousness. When you woke up Takigawa Yukie’s body was already in the bath. What happened during that time was completely unknown to you because you lost consciousness.”
“Yes…”
A confession that even he doesn’t quite believe.
“Then you, haughty milliner,”
“I’m not a thousand dollar lady, I have my own name. My name is Hime Nabiki Shizuka.”
“Don’t talk back. Your room is right across from the women’s locker room, right!”
Shizuka huffed and nodded.
“At about six-thirty of the incident, you heard the locker room door open and close a couple of times remember?”
“Uh…”
Shizuka’s memory had always been good. It came clearly to mind in a flash.
“Only once. I think it was probably the sound made when the Maneko girls went into the locker room.”
“The door only opened once, are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Absolutely right. It occurred to her that she’d heard the voice and didn’t want Kousuke to have the opportunity to get in the shower with another woman.
“Hmm, so the conclusion is obvious. My reasoning ability is truly extraordinary.”
“What do you conclude…?”
Kosuke asked warily.
“Can’t you think of anything else? That bathhouse only has two entrances and exits, the men’s locker room and the women’s locker room only. No one has ever gone in or out of the men’s locker room, that was just confirmed by the owner’s wife and the cook.”
“┅┅┅”
“Let’s assume the suspect entered and exited by the women’s locker room. That rotten door should have made a lot of noise under the circumstances.”
Shizuka was uneasy. She understood roughly why Detective Zenigata was trying to make a point.
“The haughty milliner, however, says she only heard the door open once. That is, the sound of the three working girls and the diviner over here entering the locker room. In other words, the culprit did not enter or exit from the men’s or women’s locker room.”
Kosuke’s face bristled.
“Since the culprit did not enter or leave the bathhouse, there is only one conclusion. The person who stayed at the place at the same time as the deceased, in other words, Atami Yasusuke, you are the murderer!”
All ten of Qian Fang’s fingers were pointed at Kang-suke.
A tense silence spread through the hall.
All of them looked at Kosuke with fearful expressions when he was the murderer.
Shizuka’s face went pale.
What’s going on here? My own testimony has actually turned into evidence that Kosuke is a murderer…
Qian Fang looked at Shizuka.
“Let me be clear, if you’re planning on changing your testimony to save your boyfriend, that’s not necessary. Because that’s the end of my questioning of everyone.”
Being robbed of her lead, Shizuka was dumbfounded.
“I don’t know what her motives were, but it was a silly thing to do. Young people these days…”
“It’s not me─!”
Kosuke screamed miserably.
“It’s not me, it’s not me, it’s not me!”
“Stop it!”
Zenigata stopped Kosuke with a louder voice, and the windowpanes buzzed once again.
“You were the only one at the crime scene. There were no other people in or out of the bathhouse at all. You plead guilty!”
Shizuka couldn’t help but speak up.
“Wait a minute, Kousuke isn’t even the type to go killing people!”
“It’s useless to talk more. Anyway, I’ve investigated the matter in detail, and we police have the right to arrest the suspect.
”
“But isn’t that strange? If Kosuke was the murderer, why didn’t he run away after killing Fumie?”
“That’s not certain. There are two possibilities. First, he slipped and hit his head after killing Takigawa Fumie and really lost consciousness. Second, when he was about to escape after killing Takigawa Fumie, he realized that you guys came in and he didn’t have time to escape, so he simply collapsed on the spot and pretended to be unconscious.”
“It’s outrageous!”
“If we believe this kid’s story, the murderer and Fumie Takigawa came in while he was unconscious, and the murderer killed Fumie Takigawa next to the unconscious Yasusuke Atami. After that, the murderer didn’t escape from either the men’s or women’s locker room, did he just disappear into the bathhouse?”
“But that’s the way things are!”
“Do you think making up such stupid stories will work? You’re underestimating the Japanese police too much!”
At that moment came a uniformed police officer.
“Officer Moneyfon!”
“Didn’t I tell you guys to address me in the form of money?”
“Ah, I’m sorry, Officer Zenigata. The results of the fingerprint test are in. Is it possible to come over for a moment?”
Qian Xiang nodded to the uniformed cop before turning to Kosuke.
“In any case you are an important witness in this case. I’ll have to question you in detail later. You go back to your room and stay there, okay?”
After saying that, Qian Fang walked away with the uniformed police officer.
“Important witness… I…”
Kosuke’s face was pale, as if he would collapse at any moment.
Shizuka scrambled over to hold him.
“Kousuke, pull yourself together. Anyway, let’s go back to our room and talk about what to do.”
Kosuke hung his head in mourning.
Back in their room, Kosuke and Shizuka faced each other and sighed.
“I really didn’t expect to be involved in an incident like this.”
“Man Giang is so pathetic…”
Kosuke sat down anywhere.
A casual acquaintance had had a relationship of friendship. The fact that such a friend was killed was indeed a shock to the larger-than-life Kosuke.
“If I hadn’t passed out, I might have been able to protect Bunjang…”
“Kousuke, it’s not your fault.”
“Maybe.”
“The other party is a murderer who can disappear out of thin air from a place with no entrances or exits yeah. Even if you were there it wouldn’t help, he still has a way to kill Fumie in a skillful way.”
“Shizuka, do you believe I’m innocent?”
“Of course. Even if everyone in the world said you were a murderer, I would absolutely believe you.”
“Shizuka…”
A warmth spread through Kosuke’s heart.
“I was so stupid. To have such a wonderful girl by my side while I’m constantly tangled up with other women.”
Kosuke’s eye frames moistened with emotion and he tightened his grip on Shizuka’s hand.
Shizuka’s face was instantly covered in red.
“Darn it, what’s with the serious look saying that.”
Shizuka was so ashamed that she tried to pull her hand out, but Kosuke held her hard and refused to let go.
“Loma is right. You must never forget the most important person, and if your eyes are dazzled by other women, you’ll get caught up in trouble if you’re not careful. Shizuka, I’m really awake this time.”
“Kosuke… really?”
“Really. I made a pact with you. When everything is over and we’re back home safe and sound, I will never philander again.”
“Are you telling the truth?”
Kosuke nodded his head vigorously.
The two men slowly closed the distance.
The moment the two lips were about to meet.
“Wait, wait!”
Shizuka pushed Kousuke’s face away to pull away.
“What’s going on!”
“This is not the time to talk about love. If you don’t do something about it you might actually be taken for a murderer.
Let’s organize the crime from the beginning.”
“Really… it’s so hard for me to come to my senses for true love…”
Shizuka slapped away Konosuke’s ever-reaching hand and tried to change the subject to the direction of events.
“First of all, the one thing that’s anyhow unguessable is the matter of where the murderer actually escaped from. If this mystery cannot be solved, others will always think of you as the murderer.”
Kosuke sat back down squarely.
“Exactly.”
“If the culprit had left from the men’s locker room, the boss’s wife and the cook would have seen it. And I would have heard the door open if he left from the women’s locker room.”
“Shizuka, did you really only hear the door open once?”
“I’m sorry, it was really only once. Kosuke, there really weren’t any strange people in there while you were showering?”
Kosuke was confused for a moment.
Should I name the five enigmatic beauties? But Shizuka’s anger was so scary…
As a result, Kosuke chose to play dumb.
“There’s really no one.”
“Are you sure?”
“Eh.”
Shizuka crossed her arms in thought.
It was too much to lie to Shizuka who was so seriously worried about him, but I was afraid it would hurt her more if I told the truth.
“Kousuke, what exactly did Fumie want to talk to you about?”
Kosuke was startled.
“She said the ghost of her dead lover appeared…”
“Ghosts, ghosts?”
“Yeah, and she didn’t look like she was joking.”
“Could it be, could it be, that it was… that killed Manjung?”
Kosuke and Shizuka looked at each other.
By this time the evening breeze was also building up, rattling the windows.
“… Shizuka, what are you thinking?”
“Just as you thought…”
“┅So, you also think the murderer is a ghost?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s right. This hotel is so creepy…
With that said, both of their faces turned ugly.
“If it was really a ghost that killed Man-kyang, then it makes sense that the murderer could have disappeared from a bathhouse with no exit! “I don’t know…”
“But will that detective listen to that explanation?”
“Yeah, you can tell from the outside she’s a stubborn single-celled creature with a stupid, dumb look on her face.”
“It’s a terrible thing to look stupid and dumb.”
The paper door was suddenly pulled open and Detective Zenigata’s face appeared.
“Whoa!”
“Mr. Interpol, Interpol, when did you get here?”
“How can there be such a thing as a ghost! It’s all a lie. It’s impossible for something like a ghost or apparition to appear in a modern age like this where science and civilization are advanced.”
“But that’s what Fumie himself said.”
“That was just a joke not to be taken seriously. By the way, there are some people who want to see you.”
“Want to see me?”
The paper door was pulled completely open, and appearing behind it were the five grannies from the old people’s association. Qian Fang’s voice was filled with triumph.
“How about that, remember these guys!”
“Of course, I’ve seen you on the bus and in the lobby.”
“More than that, you used to bathe with them before you committed your crimes didn’t you?”
“What?”
“Kosuke, why did you just say that?”
“I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t even with these grannies…”
The enigmatic beauties who had just engaged in that passionate game together in the bathroom were five in number.
And there are five on this side as well.
“No, no, no, no, no…”
Kang-suk’s face changed drastically, Qian Fang must have made a mistake.
“You don’t have to pretend anymore, I’ve investigated everything.”
The five grannies blushed in unison.
“But, but! The ones who made love to me in the bath were five beautiful women!”
Kosuke snapped his mouth shut.
However it was already too late. Shizuka looked up angrily and glared at Kosuke.
“Making love in the bath?”
“Uh… I…”
“What the hell is going on, Kosuke!”
“Don’t play dumb!”
Qian Fang’s voice was louder than Shizuka’s.
“What five beautiful women. The ones you still have sex with in the bathroom are those five, no one else.”
That’s when the five grannies spoke up.
“I couldn’t say it in front of the crowd just now, but I was finally pursued by this detective.”
“This killing thing is no joke,”
“And he was just so nice to us again.”
“Thanks to this little brother, I’m at least fifty years younger.”
“The last time someone was this gentle with me was decades ago.”
Shizuka took a few steps backward with a worried frown.
“… Kosuke, are you really with these old women…?”
“Not at all! There were indeed five buxom beauties of that time. I admit I was a little dipped, as if in a dream, but to think of all the grannies as young women would be impossible!”
“It is useless for you to say anything. Because there are testimonies of the people involved that testify against you. Frankly, I’m not the least bit interested in finding out. The facts are the facts. Atami Kosuke, why didn’t you mention sharing a bath with these people just now?”
“That’s, that’s because…”
Kosuke glanced at Shizuka.
“Let me say for you what you can’t say! Don’t you remember what you said when these old ladies went into the baths!?”
“What?”
“And you play dumb!”
Qian Fang’s voice was like thunder. Kang-suke’s ears were shaken and oh-so-chewed.
“Granny, what the hell did I say?”
The old ladies looked at each other and whispered.
“You’ve been so good to us, we really don’t want to say anything against you if possible…”
“But we can’t lie to the police, so please forgive us.”
“What the hell did I say, tell me!”
“When we entered the bathhouse from the locker room you said ‘Fumie?’ .”
Kosuke’s entire body stiffened.
Listening to them, it seemed like he was a bit impressed.
“You remembered.”
Zenigata slowly approached Konsuke.
“In other words, you were there waiting for Takigawa Fumie. Aroused by the thought of killing, you had sex with each of the five old women… and women. That’s how it happened, right?”
“You’re full of shit!”
“Is it nonsense, I’ll interrogate you slowly when we get back to the station. There’s also your relationship with Takigawa Fumie and your motive for murder. Si, take it back!”
Hearing Qian Fang’s command, the police officers in the corridor immediately thumped into the room.
“Shizu, Shizuka, help me!”
Kosuke unconsciously ducked behind Shizuka.
“Kosuke, what you just said to me was a lie wasn’t it?”
“Huh?”
Shizuka’s shoulders shook. One didn’t need to think about it to know that it was the result of extreme anger.
Turning back, Shizuka grabbed Kousuke.
“Shizuka, calm down!”
“Big liar!”
Pop!
With a crisp snap, Shizuka slapped Kosuke hard across the face.
Flying out of the way, Kosuke just fell into the hands of the police.
The police stabilized Kosuke.
“Ah, wait a minute! I really didn’t do it!”
“There’s plenty of time for you to say what you have to say later.”
Kosuke was taken out in a flash.
“Thanks for your cooperation.”
Qian Fang said with a salute on one side. It was then that Jing Xiang suddenly woke up.
“Wait for me, Kosuke!”
She rushed down the hallway, but Konosuke was no longer in sight.
“Kosuke!”
By the time Shizuka had put on and taken off her shoes and rushed outdoors into the darkness, the police car Yasusuke was riding in had just left with its siren blaring.
In the police car Kousuke seemed to be shouting something to Shizuka, but his voice was muffled by the sirens.
“Kosuke!”
Shizuka’s voice was similarly unable to reach Kosuke.
The police car disappeared into the darkness in an instant. The sirens were also getting farther away.
Standing in the same place Shizuka’s body at some point appeared Qian Fang who was choking on a cigarette.
“Is it a tangle of infatuation or resentment? Or is it something else…? I don’t know his motives yet, but I don’t think it’s far off. He’s just a young boy, but he’s a lecherous loser. And a murderer! You’re in a bad situation, ma’am.”
Shizuka jerked around to glare at Qian Fang.
“You don’t know anything! Kousuke is indeed stupid, horny, and impudent, with no sense of decency in his lower body, and his grades and motor nerves are not good either…”
Qian Fang was incredulous.
“Xing why would you want to be her girlfriend?”
“Because he has his good points, too. Kosuke would never kill anyone. I know that better than anyone else in the world. I will definitely find a way to prove Kousuke’s innocence. You’ll see!”
Qian Fang smiled mockingly. That expression made it clear what a little girl like you could be capable of.
“As much as I’d like to wish you success, don’t waste your time. The fingerprints on the murder weapon have already been confirmed to be Yasusuke Atami’s.”
“The fingerprints are hers…?”
“I advise you to forget about this matter as soon as possible, and take out your spirit to study well to get into a good university, so that you can be a useful person in society in the future!”
Qian Fang flicked off his cigarette butt after saying that and walked away with his back to Shizuka.
Shizuka’s almost sparking glare stayed on her back until the police car drove off.
“Kosuke, wait for me. I will help you.”
Shizuka said seriously.
[ACT4] Ghost murderer?
“And you’re not going to honestly confess your sins to me!”
Snap! Detective Qian Fang slapped the table of the interrogation room with force.
“What do you want me to confess to, I didn’t even do it!”
Dark circles appeared under Kosuke’s eyes.
This is the police station at the bottom of Utamukan Hill.
The third day of the crime, Monday morning.
“All signs point to you being the murderer! And you made an appointment to meet Fumie Takigawa there. Your fingerprints are also on the murder weapon. How can everything be explained if you’re not the murderer?”
“Don’t you ask me ah! How things came to be like this, I’d like to know myself!”
“Looks like you’re just going to keep playing dumb, huh?”
“At the very least, I have no reason to kill Fumie ah!”
“Maybe it’s a relationship dispute or a breakup gone bad, that sort of thing anyway.”
“It’s only been five or six hours since we met in the trolley, so there’s time to create some kind of emotional dispute!”
“Love takes no time.”
“It’s outrageous!”
“Let’s have you hear my speculation. You and Takigawa Fumie made a date to meet in a bathhouse. Anyway, it was the time for a meal with no one around, so you could do that in the meantime. That’s what young men like you call love, isn’t it?
”
“Don’t make use of young people’s words!”
“You went into the bathhouse first and waited for Fumie Takigawa, all you could think about was that. But Fumie Takigawa never showed up. Just as your patience reached its limit, the group of grannies came in. Overwhelmed with desire, your instinctive reaction was to have sex with any woman…”
Kang-suke hated it so much that he gritted his teeth.
“Don’t say it~. I don’t want to remember that part anymore.”
“That’s when Fumie Takigawa finally came. You had a date with you, but you did something like that, so the two of you had an argument, and angrily, you grabbed the knife beside you and stabbed Takigawa Fumie in the body. That’s probably what happened, right?”
“Why would there be a knife in a bathhouse?”
“Wouldn’t the truth of that come out if only you would confess?”
“But I really didn’t do what happened!”
“What a tough talker!”
…and so Konosuke was detained at the police station, repeating the same process over and over again.
A detention cell with barred windows was opened.
Kosuke sighed as he looked out at the blue sky beyond the grid.
“Shizuka, do something! I can only rely on you at this time….
At this point, Shizuka is still very angry with Kosuke.
“People are so worried about him, that asshole, and he’s actually good enough to lie to me! It’s simply unforgivable!”
The National Two High School gymnasium, the usual place where Shizuka and the others gather, is still sunny today “How did Kousuke get involved in the murder!”
The man crouched on the ground looking at the newspaper was the old-faced, punk-haired karate department head general, Kikuchi Finji.
“I usually see him being silly, but I didn’t think he’d actually do something stupid.”
“How dare he!”
Listening to the news next to Finished Two was Ryuko Kamihara, who claimed to be Shizuka’s disciple.
“So he’s quite different from the average pervert, what a surprise.”
Further over, listening in the same position, was Miyu Inoue, the president of the Hara Tsa Fellowship.
She sat with her panties exposed defenselessly. There was no need to worry about prying eyes at all since the pervert Kosuke was no longer there.
The newspaper has a red headline that reads.
Naked murder! The murderer is a high school student in Tochiai!
The article is filled with words like “crazy adolescent sex” and “the blind spot of modern education”. Of course, Yasusuke’s name is protected by the name “Junior A”, but the narrative is extremely vicious.
“I’ve thought about it that way since before. That guy isn’t one of those chronic lust guys who are unusual sex fiends. One day he’s going to get up to something big.”
“I don’t think so. The most she can think of with her head is peeping into the women’s locker room, harassing the girls, or stealing underwear or something like that.”
“Yeah, or else he’s tangled up with a girl in his class.”
“That’s a pretty apt way of putting it, I think so too.”
Shizuka said with a complicated expression.
She did feel deeply about the words of Finish Two and the others, yet she sighed before she could get angry when she heard those words.
“It’s true that Kosuke is a frivolous person, but he’s never the kind of person who would dare to go and kill someone. Not to mention that the other party is a beautiful young woman.”
“You’re right to say that.”
“She’s got that madness that horny wolves have for lust, but he’d never rough up a woman.”
“Could the killer be someone else?”
The three of them faced each other at the same time.
“That’s the problem.”
“Kosuke is definitely not the murderer. Yet just who and how did Fumie kill him?”
Finished Two’s gaze remained fixed on the newspaper.
“But the police and the media have all concluded that Kosuke is the murderer, haven’t they?”
“Because of the circumstances and the fingerprints… all the evidence was against him.”
“Plus, Shizuka’s testimony is the key to concluding that Kosuke is the murderer, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I’m still feeling guilty.”
“The door to the locker room has only been opened once, and that was the sound the two working girls and the female diviner made when they went in.”
Miyu read out the report.
“No one ever came in or out of the men’s locker room. This is apparent from the testimony of the owner’s wife and the cook who were in the kitchen. Juvenile A’s fingerprints were on the murder weapon.”
“Isn’t it difficult to prove his innocence under these circumstances?”
“I know. But if we all don’t help him, won’t Kousuke really be treated as a murderer? That detective called Zenigata will probably simply make up a confession or testimony for him or something. All I know about him is that he’s a Zenigata Heiji fan, but I can see that he’s very paranoid.”
“Wow, with an opponent like that, we’re in for a tough fight.”
“Let’s all help. A friend is in a desperate situation, how can we see him die?”
“Even if he’s not a friend, since Shizuka-chan has asked, we have to help.”
Ryuko stood up and jerked the dust off her long skirt.
“Yeah! Whatever will happen to Atami Yasusuke, but we never want to see Shizuka upset.
“Forget it, there’s nothing to lose by helping that fool. Just ask for it back properly afterward.”
With that said, Finished Two and Miyu stood up as well.
“Thank you all, I will remember your kindness.”
Shizuka held the hands of the three tightly. These three men, despite their unforgiving words, were all very rare and good friends. …and they actually didn’t mean any harm, they were just telling the truth as it was.
“So, how do we get started?”
Asked by Finished Two, Shizuka took out her notepad from her pocket.
“Here are the addresses of all the lodging travelers at that time. I copied them from the hotel register. Distribute them among yourselves and question them once more.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“The fundamentals of the investigation lie at the site. I’m going to go back to the Utamu Pavilion.”
“Utamukan! Now?”
“Yeah, there’s a saying that all murderers return to the scene and also comment that they might find any missing clues. Besides, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“That is.”
All three focused on Shizuka’s face.
“Takigawa Fumie’s reason for not utilizing the hotel’s bus when he arrived at Utamukan.”
“It’s a lot of hard work to visit the local area again for this reason in particular.”
Kurashiki Hiei, the owner of Utamukan, greets Shizuka leisurely as usual. The police and the media had disappeared. Probably thinking that there was nothing to report about such a remote hotel, the Utagi Hall returned to its original state of tranquility.
“I don’t think Kosuke is the murderer. Please, Granny, you must help me.”
“How can I refuse a request from such a lovely young lady! As long as it’s something that my old woman can help you with just feel free to ask.”
“I’d like to see the baths again, and get around.”
“It’s no problem, you can look around anywhere you want.”
“Excuse me.”
Shizuka changed into her slippers and went up the quiet corridor of Utamukan.
“Now… are there no guests?”
“Yes. There were already very few customers, and now that this has happened, how would customers dare to come to the door? It’s really bad.”
Past the room where Kosuke and Shizuka had stayed was the women’s locker room where the problem lay.
Shizuka put her hand to the old door and slowly pulled it open.
Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.
It didn’t work. No matter how careful I was, I just couldn’t get the door open without making a noise.
“I cleaned it up, the blood stains and the traces left by the police. Take your time.”
The boss’s wife finished and returned outside.
Shizuka, who stayed at the bathhouse, looked around carefully.
The walls and floor were covered in tiles and it was obvious that there could not be any secret channels.
The ceiling is about three stories high. On the one hand, there was no ladder, and the windows for light were small and covered with barbed wire. It was impossible to get in and out from there.
Then there is the bath. The hot water exit is just too narrow for people.
There’s no way to commit this case unless it’s a ghost.
It seems that Fumie’s murderer is going to show up and attack Shizuka at any moment, and there is an atmosphere of horror that pervades.
There’s nothing to be gained by staying any longer.
Shizuka suddenly walked towards the men’s locker room as if she remembered something.
Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.
This side of the door slammed as well.
Once out in the hallway, the kitchen is in front of you.
The kitchen door was wide open, and a quick glance showed the sink inside and the refrigerator in the corner.
“Gee, did you come out this way?”
Young-hui came from the right hand side of the corridor, in the direction of the entrance hall.
“Granny, were you in the kitchen when it happened?”
“Well, I also told that scary detective. After we delivered dinner, Ueda of the cook and I came back here together to eat our dinner.”
“Was this door open at that time?”
“I didn’t really notice that.”
“This way…”
If the door is open, anyone entering or leaving the men’s locker room will be noticed immediately.
“Have you been together all through dinner?”
“This… I don’t remember much about it, yeah. It seems like Yamada went to the office for a bit. But it should all be in this room. Look at this room, the office is sandwiched in the middle, and it’s connected to the counter in the foyer. So as soon as there’s a guest you can immediately go to the foyer to receive them.”
“Where is Mr. Yamada now?”
“He drove the bus to the station at the bottom of the hill. Even on a normal day whenever he could he would go in front of the station to solicit customers.”
Shizuka skillfully steered the conversation to where she had her doubts.
“Speaking of which, the murdered Takigawa Fumie didn’t come by bus that day, did he!”
“Eh, well it seems like that’s right.”
“How do I get here if I don’t use the bus?”
“That’s because the station at the bottom of the hill is the terminus of the private railroad, so if you get off halfway and take a metered train instead, you’ll take the Uchiyama road and go around the other side of the exit.”
“Why doesn’t Fumie take the bus?”
“I can’t figure it out either. It’s not only time-consuming but also expensive to take the meter ride. Compared to that, taking a bus is much more costly.”
“Yes…”
Shizuka held her arm in thought.
Fumie seemed to have said it was to revisit the places she and her dead boyfriend missed.
Well, maybe she knew of some trail, too. But why would she go to such lengths?
“By the way, Granny, do you have any records of former travelers’ accommodations here?”
“Yes. We still have the records from before the war to now, no matter how long ago.”
“Can I see the records for the last five years?”
“No problem. Any use for it?”
“Fumie has been to Utamukan before. I want to know who was traveling with her at that time.”
“Ah, so it is. Please come this way.”
Hiei led Shizuka into the small office next to the kitchen.
“Uh… it should be over here… Ah, found it, this is it.”
With a mumble, Young-hui stepped onto the small, ancient wooden bench and removed several volumes bound with thin black string from the hanging cabinet on the wall.
Young-hui blew with a huff, and white dust rose from the topmost logbook.
Shizuka couldn’t help but cover her mouth and nose with one hand and take the book with the other.
“What a pain in the ass.”
“Where, I’m idle anyway.”
Shizuka took a seat on the sidelines and began to check from the latest entry.
She had mentally prepared herself for the weight of five years’ worth of records, yet in reality it was much less. It was evident that business was not very good.
First of all, Fumie’s name isn’t in this year’s records.
Next is last year’s record. Can’t see Fumie’s name either.
“Customers who come to us often don’t use their real names. Maybe that’s why we can’t find her name.
”
Maybe it’s true what Young-hwi said.
Undeterred, though, Shizuka still looked up the records from two years ago.
“Huh?”
Her eyes riddled with suspicion.
“What’s going on?”
“That’s strange. All the other books are covered in dust, why is this one alone not?”
“Yeah, really!”
Shizuka quickly tide through the contents.
January, February, March…
“Ah!”
Shizuka unconsciously stopped moving her hands.
The page from the first week of March is completely gone.
Shizuka and Hiei looked at each other.
“Granny, what’s going on?”
“That, that… I’m not sure. Our hotel has always kept these records very carefully.”
“Someone must have stolen the page.”
“Yeah. Otherwise there’s no way it would be missing just this one page.”
“Who could it be? It looks like the party just stole it not long ago. If it was earlier, there would have been dust on it. In the past two or three days…”
“But who could it be? When was it done…”
Young-hye, who always had a relaxed expression, couldn’t help but show a nervous look at this moment.
“I don’t know about this one, but I know who did it.”
“Who is it?”
“Fumie’s murderer.”
Shizuka said as she stared at Hiei.
With that, Ei-chan probably misunderstood Shizuka’s look and took a few steps backwards in fear “No, it wasn’t me. I’m so old, how would I have the strength to kill a young man?”
“No one will suspect you, Granny. Why would you show me the register if you were the murderer? What kind of person would want to deliberately draw suspicion?”
“Really, it scared me to death.”
“That page must have recorded the names of Fumie and her boyfriend. Not only Fumie’s name, but also her boyfriend’s real name and address.”
“Are you saying that the killer was her boyfriend?”
“But it’s so strange… Wen Jiang’s boyfriend died a long time ago.”
Did the ghosts show up again?
Did the ghost who killed Bungye leave the bathhouse through the wall, sneak into this room and steal the page with his name on it…?
“Â Â Â It’s ridiculous. How can this be possible?”
Shizuka shook her head as if she thought her delusions were ridiculous.
Because the idea is really human wishful thinking.
It seemed that an unknown horror was lurking in this old inn, staring at Shizuka with a keen eye. And that feeling keeps approaching her with urgency. In the interrogation room, Zenigata and Yasusuke are at loggerheads across the table.
“You still won’t tell me the truth…”
“I told you I didn’t do it…”
Both men’s voices had become hoarse.
The sky outside the four-square window was already covered with evening sunlight, and there was the occasional caw of a crow.
“Never mind, that’s enough cross-examination for today!”
“Your words really have the humor of a Western artist!”
Moneyfon picked up the phone placed in the corner.
“I’m Moneyfon. Send someone over here for a moment.”
The door was immediately opened and a policewoman around twenty-five years old with a serious expression appeared.
Wow, beautiful woman! Kousuke, who never loses his keen sense of women under any circumstances, noticed it immediately.
“Sakurai, take him to the holding cell.”
“Yes. I know.”
“It’s good that you’re always so meticulous. If you were born in the Edo period, you’d be the best wife for a sheriff.”
“You flatter me.”
“Take him down.”
“Yes.”
The policewoman clasped Konosuke’s wrists and yanked him up from the chair that seemed like it would disintegrate at any moment.
“Change to a cooler place and think it over. Anyway, now that everything has been proven guilty, it’s better to simply be sensible and confess earlier.”
“Heh, I take your kind words with a grain of salt.”
Feeling Qian Fang’s eyes on his back, Kousuke went out with the policewoman.
“Hey, big sister.”
“No calling me big sister, address me as policewoman.”
“Yes, policewoman. It must be hard for you to work under an old man who screws around like that, huh?”
“What are you talking about? Officer Qian Fang is passionate about his work and very capable, he’s a good cop. I respect him very much.”
“… You’re kidding!”
“Of course he means it. He’s never had a case he couldn’t solve until now.”
“What a big case there can be in a country place like this!”
“You’re right, of course, but it’s because there’s such a big case going on that all of his fighting spirit has been ignited.”
“That’s why I’m miserable. Do you think I’m a murderer too?”
“You should look at more young males besides that old man. Like me, for example.”
“What are you doing? Being a murderer and trying to seduce a policewoman?”
“Don’t make it sound so serious. I’m Yasusuke Atami, and your last name is Sakurai, right? May I ask what your name is?”
Kosuke said while deliberately stroking the policewoman’s back.
Startled, the Sakurai policewoman’s movements stopped momentarily.
The eyes became hollow and the breath caught.
“Uh… policewoman, what’s wrong?”
“It’s hot…”
“Huh?”
“My body… is so hot… can’t stand it…”
Her cheeks suddenly reddened and she unexpectedly leaned straight into Kosuke.
“What’s wrong with you, lady, policewoman? Why did you suddenly…”
“I don’t know… I don’t know… I can’t stand it anymore…”
She said as she started rubbing her body against Kosuke.
Kosuke was flattered. Up until now, he had struck up conversations with people more times than he knew how many, and almost every one of them had been rejected. This was the first time it had gone as well as it did now.
Although the brain is still woefully inept, the lower body is immediately energized.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but in that case I’ll be polite.”
Kosuke picked up the hot body of the policewoman and furtively examined the corridor, choosing an empty room that looked like no one was there and entering.
Luckily, there’s really no one in there.
“It’s hot… it’s hot… come here quickly…”
The policewoman sighed as if she were talking to herself, quickly unbuttoning her dress on one side.
Pfft, the black bra-covered breasts were exposed.
“I can’t help it… come on… come on…!”
The Sakurai policewoman’s taut expression gradually twisted with thirst as her body continued to snuggle up to Kosuke.
“I know, don’t rush me.”
When Kosuke touched her breasts, the policewoman suddenly went “A…!” She fell backward.
“Wow, so sensitive!”
Without questioning any further, Kosuke immediately put his mouth on the policewoman’s breasts.
“Ah, ah, ah, ah ah ah ah!”
The front of her uniform was open, and Sakurai pressed her arms around Kosuke’s head and pressed it tightly against her chest.
Kosuke also forgot to suck on the breasts freed from his uniform, licking around them, teasing them with his tongue, then sucking again.
The Sakurai policewoman impatiently ripped the clothes off her body.
“Please… come… quickly!”
She demanded and went up to one of the chairs beside her turning her hips towards Konuke and gazing at him with hazel eyes.
Yasusuke also took off his pants in a hundred thousand speeds.
Fully loaded for battle, Konsuke exposed between the strands.
“I’m coming!”
“Okay, come on!”
The policewoman’s strands had long been as wet as a flood.
Konosuke breathed into the middle of the Sakurai policewoman.
“Ah!”
“Whoo-hoo!”
There was a surge like an angry wave, and Kosuke began to move his hips.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”
The policewoman’s voice echoed through the room.
Once in a lifetime, maybe, and maybe never again.
This particular situation added to Kosuke’s excitement.
“Ah, more intense!”
Sakurai, who couldn’t resist the madness, pleaded.
“No problem, watch me.”
Kosuke responded to her request and began to move his lats vigorously.
The sound of mucous membranes rubbing together echoed through the toilet.
Someone might come in at any moment. But the thrill is much more exciting.
“Ah, ah, ah, ah!”
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”
The two men’s moans intertwined as they climbed higher and higher.
The ah─s were simultaneous and reached their peaks.
“┅┅┅┅”
The aftermath echoed in Kosuke’s head.
Sakurai crumpled to his knees.
“Policewoman, are you okay!”
Yet the other didn’t answer, completely lost in a state of disorientation.
“Is… is this… is this my big chance?”
Konai changed into Sakurai’s policewoman’s uniform, leaving her where she was and gently opening the door to peer into the hallway.
Not a soul.
Kosuke tiptoed out of the hallway, looking for an exit in the police station.