Text: Meteor
[ACT5] The Fugitive. Yasusuke Atami
Just as Kosuke and the policewoman were doing their business.
“Accommodation register missing?”
Ryuko, Miyu, and Finji asked in unison.
This is the back of the National South High School gym.
Shizuka, who had rushed back from Utamukan, and Ryuko, who had inquired about other news, and others had gathered here.
“To be correct, only the page registering the lodging records of Fumie Takigawa and her boyfriend is missing. The person who stole it must be the murderer himself.”
“Isn’t that strange? Isn’t the earth boyfriend already dead? How can someone who is long dead be involved in this?”
“Hmm… Maybe Moonie’s murderer was somehow related to her boyfriend.”
“But wouldn’t the trail be broken with the loss of such an important document?”
Finish Two held his arm in thought.
“Do any of you folks have any new intel you can use as a reference?”
Miyu and Ryuko shook their heads in unison.
“Not at all.”
“Things are really tricky.”
“Too bad, but let’s all report what we’ve inquired about.”
Finish Two spoke first.
“The people I visit are incestuous middle-aged men and working women. The names registered at their lodgings were their real names. I first called the man’s home to get information about his company and then went straight to his office.”
“They looked like they were having an affair and didn’t realize it was really an affair?”
“En. First the man wouldn’t admit to anything, then I threatened him and he finally came clean. It took me a lot of work.”
“I really sympathize with that middle-aged old man.”
“According to the old man, he was a bank section chief and the woman was a counter girl. They’ve been dating for more than half a year, and this is their first trip out. The location had to be off the beaten path, of course, so that’s why they chose Utamukan. The woman was pretty shaken up after that incident.”
“It was inevitable, and I was very shocked myself.”
“The woman backed off thinking it was a punishment from God, so she asked for a breakup. The old man, on his part, was very frustrated.”
“What about the confessions made at the time of the incident?”
“Exactly as they told the police. Both men were in their rooms eating dinner between six and six-thirty and didn’t step out of their rooms a step after that.”
“It is indeed uninformative, two people together, with both an alibi and no motive to kill Fumie can be found.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s my turn to talk next.”
Ryuko pulled out her Mickey Mouse notepad from the pocket of her long skirt. Ryuko, whose appearance and preferences didn’t match at all, had a side of her that she didn’t know about, Shizuka thought darkly.
“The people I’m inquiring about are the in-laws of the old people’s association who share a feast for six with Yasusuke Atami.”
“I’d actually like to ask them myself.”
Miyu and Eunji urged in a rather sympathetic manner as well.
“Back to the point. You carry on, Ryuko.”
“Wow! What a big surprise to me! They worship Yasusuke Atami like he’s a god.”
Shizuka’s eyes widened.
“God? Why?”
“I heard that she felt thirty years younger after having sex with Kosuke at the bathhouse, and not only did her health improve greatly, but she was even smoother when singing karaoke. One of the grannies said she got well. Anyway, it’s all because of Atami Kosuke’s warm hospitality to them.”
Shizuka frowned with a complicated expression.
“… I really don’t know whether to be angry or not. I would never forgive him for his slutty behavior, but the other party was those old ladies…”
“Those grannies simply think of Atami Yasusuke as a living Buddha, a living god. And asked me if I had a picture of him!”
“Photos? To do what?”
“Keep it in your wallet as an amulet. They also said that it was impossible for a boy as gentle as a god to be a murderer. They felt guilty about their unfavorable testimony, that Yasusuke Atami said ‘Fumie?’ in the bath. , the girls really felt guilty. In order to make up for that, they’re even planning to gather together to form a Hotami Yasusuke Rescue Society!”
Shizuka was even more surprised.
“Really? They are so courageous.”
“Yeah, if we can really get him off the hook safely, we’ll have to invite Atami Yasusuke to join us for a get-together and another trip to Utamukan next time!”
Miyu and Finished Two frowned as well.
“So it’s as if you’re trying to give yourself a chance to have sex again…”
“Those grannies really do look much younger. It was really fun.”
“What were they doing at the time of the incident?”
Shizuka struggled to keep her expression calm as she continued to press Ryuko.
“It was about 6:15 when they went to the bathhouse after dinner. When they went in, Kosuke suddenly looked at them…”
Shizuka collapsed.
“That part can be skipped over. I don’t want to imagine what it was like.”
“It’s very interesting. Anyway after doing it with the five people, Atami Kosuke’s entire body lost consciousness in a completely unworkable manner. The grannies left him behind and quickly went to their rooms. After that, none of them came out of the room until the discovery of the body caused a commotion, and all of them were red-faced and discussing the experience they had just had.”
“… It’s also hard to imagine this scene.”
Finished Two spoke bitterly.
“You don’t have to be a seventy year old woman to be horny for women! That guy must be out of his mind.” Miyu criticized.
“Yeah, that’s weird then.” Shizuka said after further consideration.
“Didn’t Kousuke have an appointment with Fumie to meet him at the bathhouse? Even without those grannies, he should have been able to meet Fumie right away. Why would he get excited about those grannies?”
“Isn’t Utamukan a rejuvenating spa? Maybe it’s been soaking for too long, and rational restraint has lost its effect.”
“If, on the other hand, those grannies were the murderers, they left Kosuke there while he was unconscious and waited for Bungye to come in. Then the five of them combined their efforts to kill her… although I don’t know what the motive was. Anyway, Kosuke then became the scapegoat, and they immediately left the scene…”
Ryuko scratched his head.
“Well it doesn’t seem very reasonable. And those grannies have serious eyes. They really want to help Yasusuke Atami get off the hook. If they’re the murderers, why would they want to save him?”
“You have a point. Finally it’s Mayu’s turn.”
“I was assigned the two girls from the commuter group, Maneko and Miyo. They both work for the same company and were classmates at a junior college. Both are twenty-one years old, and both are spa freaks. After being involved in the murder incident in they suddenly became the center of conversation in the company, happy as can be.”
Shizuka sighed.
“Not bad. What were they doing at the time of the incident!”
“Pretty much the same answer they gave the police. Dinner was served at 6:00 and they were in their room watching TV until 6:30. Around 6:30 they wanted to take a shower so they left the room, met Orange Loma, the soothsayer, in the hallway, and then they went to the women’s locker room together…”
“I heard the door open then.”
“Later when they were undressing, Shizuka-chan also went in and kept peering towards the bath. I don’t know what you’re looking at they took a curious look themselves, only to find Takigawa Fumie’s body and Kousuke, who had collapsed to the side. That’s all.”
“What did they say about Kosuke?”
“Looking at his innocent expression, I think people really can’t be trusted. They are totally convinced that Atami-suke is the murderer.”
“This way…”
Shizuka analyzed with a sideways glance.
“If the murderers were those two, then they should have entered the bathhouse after the grannies left. The unconscious Kosuke and Fumie were both there at that time. Or maybe Fumie went in after the two, or they killed him anyway. They somehow quietly opened the door and went out of the bathhouse to their room, waited until the time was right, and then went back to the bathhouse…”
“That makes even less sense. How is it possible that those two soft and tender people would be murderers?”
Shizumi also agreed with Miyu, although it was said that people sometimes could not be judged purely by their appearance.
Finished Two spoke to Shizumi who was lost in thought.
“There’s another person among the travelers right. It’s that soothsayer Orange Loma.”
“That person I’ll go to her myself. She seems to know Kosuke quite well, and I want to ask her nicely about divination.”
“I knew you’d come.”
Those were the first words spoken by Loma, who was sitting behind the table that held the large crystal ball, to the oncoming Shizuka.
“Is this what you have divined?”
“Not. From the level of closeness you have with that boy, it seems like you’ll find a way to prove he’s innocent. That’s nice, being that close.”
Loma smiled delicately and slightly. Shizuka felt her aura being pushed down.
Maybe it’s the feeling created by the atmosphere of this room.
Loma’s store was in the heart of downtown Main Street. One room in a complex facing the street. Slightly dimly lit, the walls were compounded with red or purple fabric curtains, magical paintings and star gallery charts.
The entire room is decorated with a mysterious, unknown feel.
But it’s not a place one would want to stay for long.
“Then you should know what I’m here for.”
“You’re trying to find proof that he’s innocent aren’t you?”
“Does Ms. Loma also think that Kosuke is the murderer?”
“I don’t know. I’m just a soothsayer not a god. But I don’t think he would do something as serious as kill someone.”
“I must prove that Kosuke is innocent no matter what. May I ask you a few questions?”
“Sure. I don’t know if it will help you though.”
“I will judge this for myself. I would like you to recount your actions at the time of the incident. As well, if you noticed anything in particular, no matter how small, please do tell me.”
“That ah, I’ll try to think back. That night around six o’clock the proprietress of the Utamukan brought dinner to my room. I ate it slowly, and it was about twenty minutes after six when I finished.”
“Have you seen anyone in the meantime?”
“You know I travel alone. Only when I pass by the restroom to deliver dishes to the kitchen, I guess.”
“Who was there when you went to the kitchen?”
“There’s only the boss’s wife-person eating dinner.”
“Alone?”
“Yeah, she looked up at me when I was delivering the meal only to go over and said, not really nice of you to make a special delivery.
”
“That granny didn’t mention this to me!”
“Maybe older people are more forgetful. Then I went to the restroom and then back to my room. At six-thirty I wanted to take a shower so I just left the room again. Halfway down the hall I ran into Maneko and Miyo who were working and then down again you know all about it. Because halfway through undressing you came in.”
“Ms. Loma, why did you choose to come to this spa?”
“In this kind of work, all I come into contact with all day long are the troubles and destinies of others. Some people may think that being a soothsayer is an easy job, but we don’t just talk to other people. Sometimes we have to be psychological counselors, and sometimes we have to be counselors for marital or money problems, so the mental burden is actually very heavy.
So sometimes I’ll forget about work and travel alone.”
“I see, that’s hard work.”
“But most people don’t think so. Anyone would respect a lawyer or a nurse or something like that, but there are a lot of people who think divination is just a scam to sell the mystery. It’s a lonely job.
”
Loma sighed deeply.
“That boy is also really, in vain, my good intentions for free divination for him, and he does not listen to the advice of the tarot cards still do not know self-love let himself involved in the murder case, and become a suspect. Humans are such stupid animals. You told him that stepping there would lead to destruction, but he couldn’t stop himself from doing so, so he finally came to destruction. Even the soothsayer’s sincere advice was in vain. I’m really frustrated this time.”
“You look like you’re tired.”
“Yeah, everything’s getting empty. I’m tired of working alone all the time.”
Loma sighed again.
“By the way, didn’t you ask me if I found anything out of the ordinary, even if it was a boring little place?”
“Do you remember anything?”
Shizuka stood up without realizing it.
“Please tell me. What is it?”
“Want to know?”
Loma asked, opening her mouth in a pretentious manner.
“Of course!”
“I can’t say this out loud to you. It’s not good if someone else hears it. Please come over here for a moment.”
Shizuka felt surprised as she walked around the table to the large chair Loma was sitting in.
“A little closer, please.”
Loma said, and gazed into Shizuka’s eyes.
Without noticing, at some point Loma’s hand was actually on Shizuka’s thigh.
“What do you, what do you want to do?”
Shizuka instinctively tried to dislodge the hand, but Roma grabbed Shizuka’s hand with surprisingly strong force and pressed it closer to her face.
“Being loved by such a wonderful girl like you, that boy is truly humanly happy. Can you share some of that happiness… with me? Do you know what I mean?”
“I…”
“There’s no need to lie if you don’t understand. … but do you really not understand? You’re even more naive than I thought. In that case, let me teach you what adult love means.”
Loma’s hands wandered over Shizuka’s uniform.
Shizuka wanted to escape, yet her body couldn’t move. Shizuka’s eyes were sucked in by the strange gleam in Loma’s eyes, and she couldn’t shift her sight at all.
Just at that same time, Loma’s hands began to caress Shizuka’s body.
It was gently rubbed from thighs to flanks and then back, from bottom to bottom and back again.
Shizuka’s breath caught.
“How about that, it’s feeling better and better isn’t it? It’s going to get better next.”
Murmuring in Shizuka’s ear, Loma’s hands began to massage Shizuka’s breasts.
The entirety of Shizuka’s body became so weak and powerless that she didn’t even have the strength to move a single finger, let alone stand.
What the hell is wrong with me? Shizuka barely managed to think through the blur of consciousness.
However, in the midst of the pleasure that continued to pour out from the depths of his body, reason and the power of thought were gradually drowned out.
“ah… ah… ah…”
As Loma’s hand, which was roaming over Shizuka’s chest, groped at the apex, Shizuka finally couldn’t help but start to let out a sigh.
“Yeah, it’s okay to go a little louder if it feels good.”
Loma said, caressing Shizuka’s breasts with one hand while the other opened her uniform to loosen the clasp of her pure white bra.
Shizuka’s breasts were exposed.
“It’s so beautiful… It’s such a waste for such a beautiful body to become owned by a man.”
Shizuka mobilized all the remnants of her rationality to open her mouth.
“Clue…”
“Huh? What?”
“Clues… that can help Kousuke…”
Loma said as she lovingly caressed Shizuka’s white pattering breasts.
“You still have him on your mind at this hour. Well, I’ll tell you about it! It’s like this, the door to the men’s locker room was open when I was taking the dishes to the kitchen.”
“Open…?”
What’s that supposed to mean? Shizuka pondered in a daze.
Ah, but nothing can be thought of now.
“Eh, after teaching you so much, it’s time for me to claim my reward. A… a kiss.”
Loma said, breathing heavily as she began to approach Shizuka’s mouth.
This Shizuka’s mind suddenly had a flash of insight.
“I… I know!”
What an intense shock it was. For a split second, all of Shizuka’s attention was diverted to this, and she had absolutely no time to think about anything else.
Shizuka stood up without realizing it. Due to the violent movement, Shizuka’s shoulder painfully struck Loma’s jaw as if it were a downward hook. But Shizuka didn’t notice.
“I know… I know! I know who the real murderer is!”
Suddenly attacked, Loma rolled over on the ground in pain and blackness. Shizuka panicked and sexily straightened her appearance.
“Thanks for the clue, it was so helpful!”
With that said, he fled Loma’s house like a sly rabbit.
Got it!
Got it!
Got it!
Shizuka weaved through the streets on one side, while screaming out loud in her mind for the millionth time.
In olden times, a mathematician or physicist or something was troubled for days by a problem the king had created, and then while taking a bath he figured out the solution and rushed out into the street, naked and happy. Shizuka was in the same mood right now.
Even if she almost lost her virginity to Loma, she now felt it was no big deal.
Anyway, she had to make another trip to Utamukan.
Shizuka went home first. She had to prepare some cash and clothes.
Even though her mood was so eager, Shizuka, who had returned home, noticed that the door to her room was open as well as the strange atmosphere around her. Her body couldn’t help but stiffen.
“Who? Come out here!”
Yet no one answered.
Shizuka picked up the bamboo sword she used to practice kendo and violently poked at the bottom of the bed.
“Ah─!” A boy screamed.
“As expected! You bastard! How dare you break into my room, shameless bastard! Get the hell out of here or I’ll call the police!”
Shizuka, who was filled with anger, suddenly changed to a coercive tone. While cursing angrily, she poked under the bed.
“Got it, I surrender, I surrender! You spare me!”
Climbing out while talking was Kousuke.
“Kon, Konsuke?”
Kosuke was somehow holding a pair of Shizuka’s panties in his hand.
“What did you do and why are you here?”
“Alas, it’s a long story. Anyway, I escaped from the police station, and if I went home I would have been caught by the police. Luckily I had the key to this place, so I thought I’d come here to hide.”
“How did you escape the ears of that Moneyfon detective?”
“It’s also a long story.”
He couldn’t say what he had done with the policewoman.
“I won’t give you a hard time. Can you lend me some money? I must find out for myself the real murderer who is at large.”
“Huh? Why are you holding my panties?”
“Ah! What’s this, what’s this, what’s going on? Because I missed you so much, I took it in my hand without realizing it. It’s really annoying, this hand. Hmph! Hmph!” Kosuke said while hitting his hand.
Looking at his stupid face, Shizuka’s anger subsided.
I’ve been running around so desperately trying to clear his name, and what the hell is he doing?
“You don’t have to worry about it, Kosuke. I already know who the real killer of Takigawa Fumie is.”
“What! Is it true?”
“I was shocked myself. Why didn’t I notice that bit at the time! Of course I have many more questions, but it will all come out when I have asked the murderer directly.”
“Who? Who’s the real killer!”
“He is…”
Just then the doorbell rang.
Ding Dong.
The doorbell of the apartment door came softly.
Shizuka crossed the hallway and picked up the intercom.
“I’m Zenigata from the search team!”
“Ah!”
“Shizuka Hinaoki, Yasusuke Atami is hiding in your place, right? Hurry up and open the door! Otherwise I’ll be rude!”
“I’m not hiding anyone! Huh? Are you saying that Kosuke ran away from the police?”
“Don’t you play dumb! I’ll give you ten seconds to open the door or I’ll break the lock with my gun!”
This criminal cop is capable of anything. Or maybe he was simply eager to engage in such violent behavior.
“Ah, wait a minute, wait a minute! I just came out of the bathroom still naked…”
“I’ll give you just one minute. I’ll arrest you too if you try any tricks!”
Shizuka hurried back to her room.
“It’s bad, Qian Fang is here. Kosuke, run away!”
“Escape? From where?”
“Jump from the window, or, from wherever the reason is!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, you’d die jumping from such a height.”
“Well, just find a place to hide.”
“I can’t, you’ll be an accomplice if you’re found. Forget it, it can’t be helped, just let him catch it!”
“That’s easy for you to say! Cut the crap and hurry up!”
Shizuka said as she shoved Kousuke hard into the closet beside her.
Yasusuke really didn’t know whether to comply or not.
“It’s rare for me to say something so manly…”
Grunting, Kosuke held his breath in the dark, cramped closet.
Then Shizuka began to undress.
I just said I was in the bathroom, it doesn’t make sense that I would be dressed so soon.
Taking off her clothes quickly, Shizuka wrapped a bath towel around her body.
This way it should be hidden.
“Hey! It’s been over ten seconds and you still won’t open the door!”
The sound echoed through the house without the use of amplifiers, it was magnificent!
Shizuka rushed to the foyer and unlocked the door.
An unforgettably serious physique and a serious face. Qian Fang just stood there.
“Wow, I can’t believe my hair didn’t get wet at all after just taking a shower.”
Qian Fang was completely unfazed by the gesture of Shizuka wrapped in a bath towel. Though the eyes were a bit different.
“Because the hair dryers have been performing so well lately!”
“Yasusuke Atami must be with you. I’ve brought a search warrant, so please let us conduct the search.”
After saying that Qian Fang took off his shoes and strutted in without authorization.
“Mr. Interpol?”
“Didn’t I tell you to call me Officer Zenigata?”
“Inspector Zenigata, do you really think that Yasusuke… Atami Yasusuke is the murderer?”
Qian Fang puffed out his chest proudly.
“That’s for sure. My sixth sense hasn’t missed a beat so far.”
It’s unforgivable to criminalize innocent people with your sixth sense, Shizuka thought in her mind, but didn’t say it out loud.
“But maybe the murderer is someone else!”
“No way!”
After answering categorically Qian Fang entered Shizuka’s room.
Shizuka felt slightly nervous. If Kousuke made any little noise it would be over “So, what if I say I know who that murderer is?”
“I don’t have time for the boring delusions of schoolgirls.”
Qian Fang’s eyes sharply examined the perimeter of the room.
“That’s not a delusion, I’ve found out who the real culprit is.”
However, Qian Fang completely ignored what Shizuka said.
“Well, this room seems to be a bit smelly…”
“You have to listen when I’m talking to you so seriously!”
“Don’t argue! Adults are working kids don’t get in the way here!”
God, what a ridiculously loud voice. Shizuka’s ears perked up her eyes couldn’t help but lean towards the closet where Kosuke was hiding.
Gah─. The closet shook.
“Ah!” Kosuke yelped.
Oops!
“There!”
Qian Fang quickly opened the closet.
Kosuke shrank back and hid under Shizuka’s shirt.
“You, hello.”
Kosuke raised his hand.
Qian Fang’s smug voice rang out.
“Yasusuke Atami, murder suspect, and fugitive in flagrante delicto, and Clanky Hime Noki, harboring a suspect and perjuring himself. Take them both away together!”
“Wait, listen to me…!”
While Kousuke screamed miserably, both of his eyes were staring straight at Shizuka’s slender thighs exposed under the bath towel.
[ACT6] Famous Detective. Hime Niki Shizuka is also!
“Tell me the truth!”
“I’m really not a murderer!”
“You should at least listen to us!”
Police station at the foot of Utamukan Mountain.
In the interrogation room Chinkata and Kosuke, this time with the addition of Shizuka, yelled at each other.
“I don’t have time to listen to childish nonsense. Can’t you understand what I’ve told you so many times?”
“Whether it’s nonsense or not you’ll have to hear it first to know!”
“Don’t you dare show off your eloquence! Yasusuke Atami, suspected murderer, escaped from prison, plus the offense of violent injury committed against policewoman Sakurai while escaping from prison.”
“Violent injury?”
“That’s right. Policewoman Sakurai she said she suddenly lost consciousness while escorting you back to the holding cell, and when she woke up she found herself collapsed in the corner of the men’s restroom. You must have taken the opportunity to attack her from behind or do something.”
Shizuka glared at Kosuke.
“Kousuke, you’ve done something so outrageous?”
“Just kidding, at that time it was she herself who suddenly…”
Kosuke hastily stopped his mouth. How could he get to that thing he did with the policewoman in front of Shizuka.
“What do you think happened to her all of a sudden?”
“Ah, it’s nothing, it’s that she suddenly fell down as if she couldn’t stand up on her own. Maybe it’s anemia, so I took the opportunity to slip ah.”
Kosuke went along with it and made up a set of lies.
“Who would believe it? How is it possible that the man who killed one woman wouldn’t rough up another?”
“So yeah, if you’ll just listen to me, you’ll know that Kosuke isn’t a murderer.”
“You’re an accomplice of the murderer, there’s something to be said for that! It’s outrageous to go to an onsen hotel without your parents’ knowledge when you’re still a minor. You’re ten years too young to fall in love. High school students should listen to their teachers like high school students, study hard for exams, participate in clubs, study, develop sound relationships, and become useful members of society in the future. You should reflect on yourselves!”
“What an original analysis!”
“People like each other regardless of age. What you call a high school student who looks like a high school student is merely a high school student who conforms to the adult ideal, isn’t it?”
“Isn’t this world supported by adults? What right do you unproductive brats who live off your parents have to talk big there?”
“Should unproductive people be in a world where they can’t even talk if they want to? It’s your thinking that’s wrong!”
“Okay Shizuka, this is not the time to discuss such issues.”
“Let me finish. I hate this kind of person who preaches without distinguishing between the two. They seem to be giving advice with the best of intentions, but in the end they’re just being self-absorbed.”
“Okay. Leave everything to me. Mr. Interpol, I understand. It was my mistake.”
“Huh?”
“I guess all is indeed as Mr. Interpol expected. As expected of a Zenigata Heiji fan, he speaks differently.”
“You don’t have to flatter me on purpose.”
“Looking back, when I was a kid I was really enthusiastic about the daily 4pm reruns of Heiji Zenigata.
But there was a time when programs suddenly changed from monster cartoons to special hero stories, and police dramas were replaced by popular serials. Period dramas were only occasionally seen on state-run radio. The origin of life, the heart of Japan, and chivalry were forgotten.”
“The heart of the Japanese, perhaps it really is. Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Yes, thanks. Especially when it comes to chivalry, Heiji Zenigata’s strong sense of human righteousness and his power of action underneath that superb intelligence, and the fact that his money darts always hit a hundred times. That coolness is unrivaled.”
“Have some senbei. More!”
“The best thing I remember about Heiji Zenigata was that one time he thought he had solved a case, yet afterward he found a new clue. After he closely pursued the case, the truth of the incident was finally revealed. It’s true that not letting go of any subtle clues is a basic element of searching.”
Shizuka listened to Kousuke’s words with admiration and astonishment. It was then that she realized that this man actually had a good head on his shoulders.
Qian Fang’s entire expression softened.
“You’re very young, but you know quite a bit about it.”
“Then would you care to listen to the reasoning that Shizuka and I have made regarding this incident, based on the logic of Heiji Zenigata?
”
Qian Fang’s expression immediately returned to its original stubbornness.
“Regardless of your reasoning, you’re the only one who committed the murder, aren’t you?”
“Ugh, just listen for the sake of spending money on Heiji Zenigata. We want to study Zenigata Heiji from the bottom of our hearts, so we have a lot of ideas in our heads.”
“Well, just for the sake of Zenigata Heiji. I’d like to see what kind of reasoning you have…”
“Shizuka, say it.”
When Qian Fang inclined his head, Shizuka began to speak.
“Let’s start with the conclusion. The murderer is…”
At that moment there came a knock on the door.
“What’s up?”
Qian Fang opened the door. Outside the door stood a uniformed policeman with a face full of fear. After he whispered a few words in Qian Fang’s ear Qian Fang suddenly turned pale. After that, Qian Fang turned around to face the curious Shizuka and Kosuke.
“The interrogation is suspended. You will return to the holding cell.”
With a clank, the barred door closed.
The detention room was cool and dark. The atmosphere was somber.
“I don’t know what happened.”
“It looks like things are so not easy!”
“Shizuka, can you really convince Chifuyu that I’m not a murderer?”
“At least I can let him know that the suspect could be someone else besides you. There are several other suspicious aspects to this case. If we find the answers, it might be easier to solve the case than we thought.”
“I was just so enamored, I didn’t even have time to think about it.”
“The first doubt, why did the murderer kill Fumie at the bathhouse? This one is very simple, it’s to get you to take the blame.
”
“So that’s how it is, the murderer was planning to frame me from the beginning. Shit!”
“It doesn’t help if you’re angry now. Anyway, the murderer knew about your meeting with Fumie at the bathhouse.”
“How do you know?”
“Perhaps he overheard you and Fumie talking, or learned about it from Fumie’s mouth. From this, we can see that the murderer is also a part of the hotel. The second suspicion is that a page of the hotel’s registration book was stolen at some point.
”
“Lodging registration?”
“Yes. Fumie’s previous stay here was stolen. Perhaps it was done while there was chaos on the night of the murder. And how exactly did the murderer learn of the existence of that record?”
“If we ask that old woman, we’ll be exposed. You’re supposed to find out where it’s stored yourself, aren’t you?”
“No, the killer knew about the register from the beginning.”
“How? How does he know all those things about his guests?”
Shizuka smiled mischievously but refrained from answering.
“What’s even stranger is the third point. That’s the biggest key to the whole thing. Why didn’t Fumie utilize the shuttle bus in the hotel instead of deliberately wasting time and money to come around to the hotel from a different road?”
“Maybe there’s someone on the bus she doesn’t want to see. No, that’s strange. How would she know who she was traveling with before she got on the bus?…”
“That’s not certain. There’s at least one person who’s sure to be on that bus.”
“Huh?”
Kosuke looked confused, then finally his eyes widened in realization.
“Yes… Yes, that’s right. That’s the guy!”
At that moment the iron door suddenly clicked open and Qian Fang walked in.
“Yasusuke Atami and Shizuka Hinaoki, you are released.”
“Release?”
Kosuke and Shizuka asked in unison.
Qian Fang explained with a somber expression.
“The real murderer left a suicide note. He was Ichiro Yamada. The hotel’s cook and driver.”
On the way to stay at Utakan before taking the police car, Chinkata speaks to Kosuke and Shizuka.
“Yamada hanged himself in the bathhouse at Utamukan. It was supposed to be off-limits to all but the police there, but I misunderstood you guys this bout, and as a token of my apology, I brought you along for the ride.”
“Apologize or give face you say it clearly ah.”
“Never mind that for now, what did Yamada’s suicide note say?”
“He fell in love at first sight with Fumie Takigawa when she came to stay the last time, so he asked her for a relationship.
However at the time Fumie already had a boyfriend therefore of course he was rejected.”
“Fumie didn’t want to take the shuttle bus also to avoid the embarrassment of meeting Yamada.”
“This time, however, Fumie was traveling alone, and Yamada had another chance to approach Fumie. Unexpectedly Fumie actually said yes and offered to meet him at the bathhouse at six o’clock.”
“How? Doesn’t that conflict with the agreement with me?”
“Fumie wasn’t going to cross paths with Yamada in the first place. She just wanted to make out with you, Hotami Kosuke, in the bathhouse so that Yamada could die again.”
“Wait, I’m the tool Fumie used to get rid of another man?”
“Honestly, that’s how it is. But when Takigawa Fumie entered the bathhouse you happened to collapse there not being of any use at all. That’s when Yamada also happened to arrive. On the one hand, both Fumie Takigawa and Yamada were completely naked, and on the other hand, because of the spring-warmed water, Yamada excitedly started teasing Fumie Takigawa. Fumie wanted to escape, but she was not as strong as the man, so she had to give in. But at this time, Yamada seemed to be over-excited and her props didn’t work.”
“Oops.”
Shizuka made a small noise and blushed.
“Takigawa Fumie made fun of him unmercifully, so Yamada went for it…”
“Killed Fumie.”
“During this period I collapsed there completely unconscious. It’s pitiful to think about.”
“The door to the men’s locker room was open from six until six-thirty. Yamada went from the kitchen through the entrance counter to the hallway. Then he snuck into the men’s locker room by hiding it from the owner’s wife, Kurashiki Hiei.”
“Since that door was open, of course there would be no creaking. In that case, maybe I started undressing without closing the door even while I was inside because I was so excited. It turned out that there was no secret room or anything in that bathhouse at all. Since the door was open then anyone could have gotten in and out.”
A thought suddenly flashed through Shizuka’s mind as Kosuke spoke.
…and yet, it disappeared again in a flash…
“The door to the two women’s locker room wasn’t opened until the grannies had left to the point where the office workers and diviners went in. So of course Shizuka couldn’t have heard the door open.”
“At the end of his suicide note he apologized for the fact that an innocent person… that is, Yasusuke Atami, had been treated as a murderer. These are all his confessions, and he would like to die as an apology…”
Qian Fang sighed greatly.
“Just turn yourself in, why do you have to seek death? It’s too much to think about. It’s not good to be too straight, it’s tragic.”
“Mr. Detective, I didn’t think you had a sentimental side!”
“Let me state up front that I don’t sympathize with Yamada. No matter how good a person is as long as he commits a crime is is a criminal. And must pay for the crime he committed. But not suicide. It is true courage to accept the law and society’s punishment in a disciplined manner. That’s why the law exists.”
Then Shizuka spoke up.
“You know the truth now!”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
It was definitely Yamada who stole the records. Was it to try to mislead the police investigation? Or was it to erase the memory of Fumie? Maybe it was both.
This is where things finally come to an end.
The aftermath in the Utamu Pavilion has been largely dealt with. The number of searchers has become smaller. Yamada’s remains have also been transported.
Kurashiki Hiei is nowhere to be seen. She must have followed Yamada’s remains.
The two of them, Kosuke and Shizuka, strolled through the empty inn talking glumly.
“So pathetic. Fumie too, and Yamada too. And the boss’s wife.”
“What is to be done with this hotel?”
“Had to close, didn’t it? Or maybe the visibility has increased so much because of this incident that it’s driving business instead.”
Either way, that had nothing to do with himself or Kosuke at all.
“It’s not easy to have a chance for two people to go out alone, and then this unexpected thing happens…”
Shizuka looked at Kosuke with a bitter smile mixed in.
“What two people alone. Didn’t you and Takigawa Fumie get on so well in the tram?”
Saying that, Shizuka screwed Kosuke’s ass hard.
“Ah─!”
Shizuka reached out and opened the door to the women’s locker room as if nothing had happened.
The baths were empty. Looking up at the high ceiling.
“It’s not easy to put up the rope used for hanging.”
“He must have wanted to die in the same place as Fumie.”
“Come on, Shizuka. The thought of two people dying here gives me goosebumps.”
“Yeah. There’s not much use for the two of us here anyway.”
The two went back through the open door into the hallway.
Kosuke mumbled as he creaked the door shut behind him.
“Ghosts. As it turned out, the ghosts that Manjang saw just didn’t go away…”
Suddenly, Shizuka’s body stiffened.
“What’s wrong, Shizuka?”
Shizuka didn’t answer. It just stood in place like a statue, her eyes staring blankly ahead.
“Ah, welcome. What brings you here so late?”
Seeing Kosuke’s arrival in the dimly lit room, Loma inquired with a surprised face.
The clock on the wall was just past eleven.
“It’s nothing, hahaha. Are you closing the store?”
“Yeah, I think it’s almost time to go back. It’s okay, if something’s bothering you feel free to say so.”
“No no no. Thanks to you and your help, I was able to clear my name safe and sound. I came to thank you.”
“I can’t tell you know your way around the world.”
“No no, Shizuka called me.”
“A little thing is not enough. That murderer killed himself later, didn’t he? There’s no need for me to testify.
”
“But thank you for your concern. And it looks like Shizuka has something else she wants to ask you.”
“She didn’t come with you?”
“We were supposed to come together, but when the time came we couldn’t reach her. I had no choice but to come alone first.”
“What a pleasure. I’d love to see you again, too.”
Loma cast a meaningful glance.
Kosuke’s throat tightened.
“Really, really?”
“Do you think I’m lying?”
Loma smiled flirtatiously and slightly, bending down to sit on the couch and cross her legs. The white pattered thighs looked dazzling to Kosuke.
“Kid, do you know what happened the last time that girl came here to see me?”
“Eh, probably know.”
“I am not a lesbian by any stretch of the imagination. It’s just that God gave me the ability to love men and women equally. So my life is twice as rich as normal. What do you think?”
“Huh? How so.”
Kosuke smiled ambiguously. Konsuke, who had never had feelings for a man before, really didn’t know what to do when he heard those words.
Loma patted the seat beside him and gave him a come here, come here cue.
Faced with such obvious temptation, Kosuke drifted off to sit beside Loma.
The smell of perfume ran through his nose and turned him on.
The perfume directly fueled her desire. Kosuke’s essence immediately went into battle readiness.
Loma placed her hands on Kousuke’s knees and pressed her upper body against him.
“I didn’t mean to take her from you. But humans should be able to love each other more freely shouldn’t they?”
Kosuke nodded his head as hard as if he was almost going to make a sound.
Loma’s hand invaded through the collar and caressed his chest.
“As for me, I’m really sad about being rejected by your girlfriend. And feeling horny physically. What do you think should be done?”
“Leave that responsibility to me.”
“That’s great. You’ll be able to take responsibility for it!”
“No problem!”
Kosuke sucked on Loma’s lips. Loma responded aggressively with her tongue as well. Sure enough, it was a fiery kiss.
A wave of paralysis hit Kosuke’s mind.
Loma picked up the remote control on the table beside her to dim the lighting. The room was plunged into complete darkness.
“Lo, Loma, do you like the dark?”
“Our side is bolder in the dark.”
Loma’s hand explored Kosuke’s groin, gently stroking it through his pants.
Kousuke didn’t show any weakness in caressing Loma’s body either.
Unbuttoning her chest, Loma wasn’t wearing underwear underneath. The warm bulge immediately made contact with Kosuke’s hand.
That was much more substantial than Kosuke had expected. A plumpness that was highly disproportionate to Loma’s slim figure.
In the darkness the two were breathing more and more rapidly.
Kosuke’s lips sucked in Loma’s skin.
Startled, Loma’s body trembled slightly.
Then the tongue began to move toward the bottom.
“I prefer active service to passive acceptance.”
Loma said as she took off her own clothes and then pulled down Kosuke’s pants to attack his shrugging main body.
“Oo…!” Kosuke couldn’t help but let out a moan.
Awesome! It’s awesome!
Is it right on the money, or does it know all about men’s weaknesses?
The pleasure was constantly maintained and became more and more intense with the tongue work.
“What makes that girl different from me?”
Loma asked with a chuckle in her voice.
However, because the pleasure was so intense, Kosuke didn’t respond at all.
Loma’s tongue slid over Kosuke’s main body.
As if to be contained, but it flickers away. Thought to glide gently by, but then suddenly enveloped.
The raw pleasure simply trumped the feeling of actually making love.
“So old at such a young age.”
Loma sighed contentedly, then stood up. Kosuke got up with him and moved closer to Loma.
“Young man, please come from the back.”
Since the other woman wanted it so badly, Konosuke picked her up by the waist and let her crouch on top of the couch.
Kosuke panicked and explored Loma’s back.
It was unfortunate that we couldn’t look at Loma’s ass due to the darkness around us, but it was fun to stimulate our imagination.
Getting on all fours, Soloma reached back and channeled Kosuke’s props inside herself.
A different sensation, Konuke ran through Loma.
“Ah ┅┅┅┅”
Both of them let out a moan at the same time. Kosuke couldn’t help but suck in a breath. What an intense feeling of tightness. He had come into contact with quite a few women up until now, but this was the first time he had felt this kind of sensation.
Konosuke’s patience had reached its limit, so he violently began his waist movements.
“Ahhhhhhhh, you were great! Young man!”
Loma made a hoarse sound of pleasure.
The tightness grew stronger.
“Loma, I’ve reached my limit!”
“It’s okay, come on!”
“Ah, ah, ah, ah─!”
A hot stream shot out. A wave of pleasure that seemed to dissolve Kosuke’s body surrounded him. Just at the perfect moment, Loma suddenly strangled Konuke’s main body.
“┅┅！”
As every last drop was squeezed out of him, Kosuke felt a pleasure like no other. A surge of strength came over him, and he pulled Loma’s back towards his chest, gasping for breath over and over.
“Well? Mature women just have the benefit of being mature, don’t they!”
Loma’s voice rang out in the darkness.
“If that Shizuka can’t satisfy you, you’re welcome to come to my place. My body is ready to please you whenever you like.”
“Really, really?”
Kosuke’s voice got agitated. Is it really such a cheap good thing?
That’s when the lights in the house suddenly came on.
“Kosuke! What are you doing?”
Kosuke blinked his eyes to adjust to the blinding light, and somehow Shizuka had come to her side.
“Ah! Shizuka, it’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”
Kosuke said as he pulled up his pants in a panic.
“Pants down, where’s the misunderstanding!”
Shizuka lands a swift kick to the face that catches Kosuke right on the button.
“Whoa!”
Kosuke was ended up against the wall and passed out on the spot before he could put his pants back on.
“The use of violence is not acceptable, young lady. Your boyfriend will not like you.”
Loma smiled as she straightened her grooming.
“No need for you to lecture me. Loma.”
Shizuka lowered her voice.
“..! No, I should call you Nakamura Takashi.”
“Takashi Nakamura?”
“That’s right. I’ve looked into your past and your real name is Takashi Nakamura. Until three years ago, you were Fumie Soap’s boyfriend.”
For a few moments none of them spoke.
Finally Kosuke climbed to his feet.
“…What were you saying, Shizuka?”
“This man is actually a man. He’s been injected with female hormones and had a sex change operation. On the outside, she looks almost 100% female, but she’s clearly registered as a man on her registry.”
“This isn’t real, is it, Loma?”
Kosuke turned to Loma.
Loma stood up like that without covering her ample breasts at all.
Kosuke’s eyes slowly traveled down from his chest.
Then notice that part.
Maybe it was made smaller by female hormones, but, it was certainly a male thing.
“So I did it with a man…?”
Clang!
A loud rumbling sounded in Kosuke’s head.
Manga characters always draw a hammer on their head when they take a huge blow, so that’s a really apt expression of that feeling.
“It’s not a problem. My health checkup came back normal.”
“It’s not that!”
Kosuke’s face was getting worse.
…. In that case, it was no wonder he’d always felt that her sensations there were subtly different from those of other women. The tightness was also unusual.
So that’s the “hole” in the buttocks…
Kosuke’s eyes went black.
He really “did it” with a man!
The incident was unfortunate enough for him, and this episode arguably added to it.
But wait a minute!
Why would Shizuka make a point of investigating these things?
“┅What exactly do you mean?”
The conversation between Loma and Shizuka continued.
“Yes, I am now as I appear to be a human demon. But I have no need to discuss my past with others.
”
“But I do have something I have to say to you.”
“Go ahead!”
Loma quickly got dressed and sat on the couch.
Shizuka didn’t follow and sit down.
“I’ve been thinking about that thing you said to me. It’s the thing about the door to the men’s locker room being open.”
“What happened to that? Do you think I’m lying?”
“No.”
Shizuka turned to Kosuke.
“Kosuke, do you remember what you said at Utamukan?”
“A…?”
The greatly shaken Kousuke almost completely failed to take in Shizuka’s words.
“As soon as the door is open, Renko can go in and out. We realized that we could only go in and out once. It doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone can only go in and out once. The same goes for the women’s locker room.”
Loma didn’t say a word.
“The door was only opened once around six-thirty at the time of the murder, the same time I heard it. The noise made by you, and the two working girls when they went in.”
Shizuka coughed after a deliberate pause.
“I recalled the order of the people who appeared at the bathhouse that day. First, Kousuke entered the bathhouse at six o’clock from the men’s locker room. Then I went in from the women’s locker room. After I went out of the women’s locker room, there were the five old ladies. After Kosuke passed out, they left. Fumie went in from the women’s locker room and Ichiro Yamada went in from the men’s locker room. Yamada and Fumie got into an argument, so Yamada killed Fumie and ran away, but Fumie was just unconscious…”
“Shizuka, what are you talking about?”
Shizuka ignored it and went on.
“Yamada’s purpose for entering the bathhouse was to have a private make-out session with Fumie. So how could he have prepared a knife especially before that with the thought that he might be harboring murderous intentions?”
Loma remained silent.
“Yamada did not mention in his suicide note the method by which he killed Fumie. According to my imagination, Fumie slipped and hit his head while they were arguing, or Yamada pinched Fumie’s neck. Yamada, who thought he had killed Fumie, had already lost his cool, so he didn’t realize that Fumie had been stabbed to death. He thought he was the murderer and committed suicide. If that’s the case, then we have to clear Yamada’s name. Right?”
“So who is the killer?”
“After Yamada hurriedly escaped from the bathhouse, at about 6:20, another person came to the women’s locker room. Someone with a knife, someone who wanted Fumie dead from the start. As soon as he came in, he saw Yasusuke and Fumie both on the floor. What happened next is known only to the murderer. I think Fumie came to his senses. They talked about something, and then the murderer killed Fumie in the middle of the argument. It took about ten minutes.”
“┅┅┅”
“Kosuke was left where he was. Why? It was part of the murderer’s plan to lay Konsuke out next to Fumie’s body so that Konsuke could take the blame. The time was exactly six-thirty. The murderer left the scene quickly. As he creaked open the door and descended into the hallway, and was about to close the door, a voice suddenly came from around the corner of the hallway. It was Miyo and Mitsuru from work.
The murderer waited there, and when Miyo and Mitsuru appeared, he acted as if he was about to go in, then went into the locker room together, and closed the door with a creak. Then I rushed in and found the bodies…”
Loma gave a cold, shallow smile.
“This is all nothing more than an assumption on your part.”
“Just now my friends sent word from Miyo and Mitsuru. They asked very carefully where exactly they ran into you on their way up to the bathhouse.”
“Oh, what did they say?”
“As I surmised, it was at the door of the locker room.”
Loma could no longer maintain a smile on her face.
“You were a couple with Fumie when you were a man. Going to Utamukan was also at that time, I think. However, you gradually realized your femininity, so Fumie broke up with you under the impact, and you simply turned your body into a woman. Since then, you started your new life as Orange Loma, a soothsayer. Fumie’s reference to the death of his lover means that you, as a man, no longer exist in this world. And the ghost appeared because you reappeared in front of her eyes. Did I guess correctly?”
“You’ve been investigating quite carefully!”
Loma sighed.
“That’s right, my previous name was indeed Takashi Nakamura. I used to like Fumie when I was still a man, because it was the ideal woman in my mind. As for whether it was same-sex adoration or love between a man and a woman, I couldn’t figure it out myself…”
“So now you’re interested in Manjung…?”
Loma nodded in response to Shizuka’s question.
“Although I became a woman, I could never forget Wen Jiang. That day, I wanted to reconnect with Wen Jiang again against all odds, so I secretly followed Wen Jiang to Utamukan. I disguised myself as a salesman. But Fumie recognized me on the train. So she deliberately seduced Yasusuke Atami on the train. She did it on purpose to let me see her with another man, and did it to kill me me. And she even got off the train halfway to try to get rid of me.”
“So that’s why she didn’t take the bus…”
“I thought Fumie would definitely go to Utamukan. As expected, Fumie really showed up at the hotel. And he took the initiative to find Kosuke and Yamada, and made a date to go to the bathhouse together. Because if two men are present at the same time, they will definitely hold each other back from taking advantage of each other. However, I couldn’t bear it when I saw that scene. She won’t be coming back to me anyway, so I might as well…”
With that said Loma was silent. Shizuka spoke up.
“┅┅I am sorry for your story, but the people who are really the most pitiful are Fumie, who was killed by you, and Yamada, who hanged himself because he thought he had killed someone. The boss’s wife was also pitiful, as was Fumie’s family. And Kosuke was almost taken for a murderer too.”
Loma flirted her a smile.
“You don’t know the horrors of adult love yet!”
“Even if you yourself are subjected to misfortune, you have no right to push others into it.”
Shizuka said righteously and met Loma’s casting gaze without fear.
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask you. Was it your work that Kosuke hallucinated those five grannies in the bath as wonderful girls?”
“That’s right. I do have the ability to use hypnosis to push a person’s libido to its most aroused state. If it doesn’t work I resort to drugs. I gave him a hypnotic command that day in the lobby of the hotel when I was divining him with tarot cards. Originally I intended for him to attack Fumie so as to strengthen her suspicion, but I didn’t expect him to seek out those grannies instead, so it was a miscalculation on my part.”
“Wait a minute, could it be that the behavior of that policewoman when I escaped from the police station was also…”
“If you escaped, then the suspicion would be even greater. That’s why I sneaked into the police station out of the earshot of the money side and dragged down the order to seduce you to that policewoman. In addition I was going to hypnotize Shizuka when she arrived, but I didn’t expect her to slip away.”
“Loma, please turn yourself in. We really don’t want to see you being forcibly escorted away by the police.
”
“And then be the subject of a weekly magazine or hotline story? Save it! No way.”
Loma stood up slowly.
Shizuka moved with her.
“Won’t you, no matter what?”
“Exactly.”
“Then we’ll just have to force you to go.”
“I’m afraid it’s not as easy as you think!”
Shizuka stepped in front of Loma to step closer to him. Just then, Loma activated the remote control that he had held in his hand at some point. Turning out all the lights. The room was suddenly plunged into darkness.
Shizuka yelled.
“Kosuke, don’t let him get away!”
In the next instant, Shizuka’s throat was pinched by someone’s fingers.
“I’ll just run away and show you, after I’ve given you a gift in return.”
Loma’s voice rang in Shizuka’s ears.
Shizuka desperately tried to break free, but the fingers on her throat got tighter and tighter. Undoubtedly, it did come from a man’s strength.
“Kousuke… help me…!”
Shizuka barely managed to squeeze out a cry for help.
“Shizuka, where are you?”
Kosuke yelled in the darkness. Clang─Bang! Judging by the sound of something being knocked over, Kousuke had simply turned in the wrong direction.
“It’s no use. There’s no way he’ll be able to tell where he’s going in this dark.”
Loma whispered in Shizuka’s ear.
With the sound made by the collar bone, Shizuka’s consciousness drifted away.
The next moment, however.
Knock!
Something slammed into it.
Loma’s hand released Shizuka’s throat.
“Shizuka!”
It’s Kosuke.
“How did you know the location…”
Loma asked in surprise.
“Perfume! It’s the smell of your perfume that I rely on to determine your location.”
Shizuka coughed her staff violently.
“Shizuka, are you okay?”
Kosuke fumbled to hug Shizuka.
In an instant, the door to the room was opened to let in the light of the corridor. But in a moment the door was closed again.
“Shit, he got away!”
“Kosuke, turn on the lights!”
Shizuka, whose throat had not yet recovered, shouted in a hoarse voice.
“But I don’t even know where the switch is!”
“Then open the window!”
“Yeah whoo!”
Brushing aside the curtains, the light from outside immediately shone into the room.
“Loma’s gone.”
“He’s out in the hallway. We’ve got to catch him fast!”
Shizuka turned the doorknob, but the door was locked.
“We’re locked up.”
“It’s okay, go through the window!”
Kosuke picked up the crystal ball that had rolled to his feet and slammed it hard against the window.
With a clank, all the glass shattered.
Shizuka took the cell phone out of her pocket.
“Ryuko, Miyu, Loma has escaped! Please follow the plan!”
“Got it!”
Ryuko answered with a spirited voice.
“Let’s go!”
“Oh-go!”
Miyu’s original inspection unit also went into a state of readiness. The sound of a motorcycle engine came from the other end of the line.
“Let’s go too, Shizuka!”
“Yes!”
The two jumped out of the window with broken glass. Loma’s room was located on the second floor. Shizuka lightly jumped and landed on the ground, while Kosuke clumsily fell on his sore hip.
The present position was in the alley. From the direction of the main street came the rumbling of the Harachakai.
“Must have ducked into the alley!”
“He won’t get away!”
It was Ryuko and Miyu’s voices.
Shizuka pulled another cell phone out of her pocket.
“Kosuke you go that way, I’ll go this way!”
“Got it, be careful.”
“Um, you too!”
Kosuke quickly left. It was just after midnight and there was no one in the alley.
It wasn’t long before the action phone rang.
“I’m Kosuke!”
“I’m finished with the second! Loma is heading north across the second alley to the third!”
“Got it!”
Kousuke ran in the direction that Finished Two had informed him of, when suddenly the corner in front of him flashed across the long, flowing robes of Loma.
“Stop!”
Kosuke desperately chased after Loma. At that moment, Shizuka turned out from the corner directly in front of him to block him. There was no other way to escape on either side.
Loma tossed his hair, his eyes sharpening as he stared at Shizuka and Kosuke, who were approaching him from both sides.
“You can’t escape, Loma!”
Behind each of Kosuke and Shizuka were gathered fellow members of the Harakiri Society, shining their headlights harshly on Loma.
Her face flamed with maddening fury.
“Damn you guys─!”
It was a man’s voice.
Grace and gentleness gone, Loma screamed in a fierce, rough voice and leapt towards Shizuka.
“Drink-!”
Shizuka dodged a heavy punch swung by Loma just in the nick of time and punched her back in the chest.
Loma made a sound like a frog when it’s stomped and collapsed onto the also-ran.
Kosuke, Shizuka, Miyu, and Woronko slowly narrowed the circle around her.
Loma crouched down and started sobbing.
“I really like Fumie. Only like her. Fumie is the most ideal woman in my mind. I envy her so much. And jealous of her. I really love her. But she called me a pervert… What difference does it make if I’m a man or a woman? Why won’t Manjung accept my love!”
Anyone who looked at him with that sad look would look at him with sympathy. So Kosuke spoke up.
“If you really like Fumie that much, you should have explained it to her time and time again before she understood it A.”
Qian Fang came behind Shizuka at some point.
“Mr. Interpol.”
“I guessed that you seemed to be carrying out a certain operation, so I followed behind and came to check it out. Orange Loma, no, Nakamura Takashi, I’m arresting you for the murder of the Takigawa Fumie suspect.”
With a clang, Loma was handcuffed.
The following day’s lunch break. On the top floor of National South High School.
Letting the wind blow through his hair, Kosuke and Shizuka talked.
“Ah-ha, this time it’s really bad luck. Being mistaken for a murderer, and being forced to confess by such strange police…”
And he had sex with a man. In fact, Kosuke didn’t have any prejudice against homosexuals, but when it came to himself, it was…
And what’s worse is that it feels pretty good. Wouldn’t it be terrible if he just became obsessed with another hobby like that?
“It’s a disgusting memory I can’t forget for the rest of my life.”
“Don’t you exaggerate there.” Shizuka scoffed at his words.
“Ryuko and the girls are very angry. They say it’s because you left everyone to go on a trip alone that God gave you this punishment.”
“Which it isn’t! Do they know how hard I worked and struggled to make this trip happen?”
“And then you drifted off to follow Fumie and Loma as soon as they tempted you. That being said, it was your frivolous personality that brought about this undeserved disaster for yourself!”
“Why do you have to say that? Men! When they see a pretty girl, their hearts will flutter.”
“Hm! How much…?”
Shizuka glanced disdainfully at Kosuke.
“I heard it at Loma’s last night! You were having sex with Fumie in the tram, and then there was some policewoman who seduced you…”
“What? Did someone say those words?”
“Don’t you dare pretend there!”
Shizuka approached Kousuke step by step, while Kousuke nervously stepped backward without increment.
“You’re not even counting that one time with Loma!”
“Didn’t you already give me my punishment then?”
“That’s not enough! Not enough at all!”
Kosuke swallowed a large gulp, turned and ran backwards.
“Stop right there, Kosuke!”
“I love only you, forgive me!”
“You think you can get away with this by talking like that? Not even a chance!”
“I’m not lying to you, I mean it! I really love you!”
“Where is the truth in this statement of yours!”
The bell for class rang, yet both ignored it and continued their chase up the top floor.
The fat cumulus clouds are piling up thicker and thicker in the sky, and summer is really here.
(～Beauty Girl Detective. Shizuka.)