Minamoto Tamako shook her head repeatedly, thinking Fushimi Roku was too lazy. Without her leadership, how could Fushimi Roku be where he is today? He wouldn't have become a criminal police officer; he might even have trouble paying rent, probably still driving a taxi in Hokkaido!

She urged Fushimi Roku to wash the dishes, claiming that doing household chores was part of the team members' work responsibilities. Fushimi Roku protested, but his protest was ineffective. She was the team leader now, and her word was law.

After Fushimi Roku finished washing the dishes and was planning to take a break, Minamoto Tamako grabbed him and asked him to explain what clues he discovered at Matsuboto Miyaku's house and what conclusions he deduced.

"Actually, there isn't much. Didn't you think the clues were cut off before? But in fact, the suspect search range has been narrowed considerably..."

Fushimi Roku slumped on the sofa, hands resting on his belly, taking the opportunity to rest: "At least from the occupation column, we can narrow it down to a group of people."

Minamoto Tamako slapped her forehead, suddenly enlightened. Without Fushimi Roku needing to explain further, her little brain had figured it out: "Since the random attack case is caused by hypnosis, it suggests the culprit is very likely a psychologist... As long as we predict the characteristics of the killer in advance, even if the motive is unclear, we can narrow the search scope!"

"Yes," Fushimi Roku nodded.

Minamoto Tamako started pondering: "So, what are the characteristics of the Heavenly Punishment case killer..."

Fushimi Roku quickly sat up straight and interrupted: "Look at you, we're discussing the random attack case here, how can you, as the team leader, lead us astray? As a team member, I have an obligation to ensure you focus on the case!"

Minamoto Tamako pouted, took a bottle of cola from the fridge, and said, "I've told you, don't talk back to the team leader! Whatever the leader says is right! You can gently advise, but don't take the opportunity to mock!"

"Okay, leader," Fushimi Roku complied smoothly.

Minamoto Tamako sat on the sofa, sipping cola, her right hand pulling out a notebook as she continued to ponder the case and muttered: "According to this, we can narrow the next search range to psychologists in Tokyo..."

"And those who can perform hypnosis, skilled and outstanding, having contacts with 'addicts'," Fushimi Roku added.

"But Officer Akimoto has already checked, and there's no overlap in these addicts' social circles..."

"Do you trust his investigation results?" Fushimi Roku scoffed, digging something from his ear with his pinky: "As the saying goes, the more you do, the more mistakes you make. By the standards of a serial killer, the initiator surely left a lot of clues when interacting with the victims."

"For example?" Minamoto Tamako asked.

"Take Matsuboto Miyaku's house as an example. We can infer that the hypnotist utilized his special attachment to pets, thereby applying suggestions to him... This implies the initiator also keeps pets or used to keep pets."

"Why?" Minamoto Tamako was puzzled.

"Would you casually tell outsiders your peculiar hobbies? Even ordinary interests have their own little circles, not to mention such shady hobbies. Matsuboto Miyaku surely guards them closely, afraid of outsiders finding out."

Fushimi Roku was well-versed in this; the tightest bond between people is shared secrets: "The hypnotist can only approach through pets, making Matsuboto Miyaku feel they are alike, so inevitably he has a pet as a prop..."

"Of course, it could also be that the psychologist used hypnosis methods to get Matsuboto Miyaku to reveal his inner secrets. This possibility can't be dismissed. But, in my opinion, formal psychological treatment leaves medical records, so the psychologist probably met Matsuboto Miyaku privately."

He paused, summing up: "If we visit other 'addicts' homes, we might gain other unexpected insights."

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