Chapter 68

I took a deep breath and then spoke.

"Wait a minute, please."

There was no way the fox-eyed female detective could ignore my sudden intrusion. The light glinting in her eyes carried an evil menace.

"What the—out of nowhere. Wait for what? Civilians, get lost!"

"I'm not a civilian! If you're saying this person is involved in the case, then I've got a complaint I want to voice."

"Huh...? Oh... right, you and Haruki were suspects in that last case... So you think that just because you got dragged into an incident you can play detective? Too much TV, you idiot!"

I answered with a voice from the gut, filled with strength.

Her reaction made me realize my own foolishness. To challenge a detective and lay out my deductions—few actions could be more like a detective than this.

But even thinking so, I had to fight. Even if I became a detective, I couldn't bear to let the truth stay ambiguous. I couldn't endure the fact that this murder case would end with everyone's hearts still wounded.

Holding the resolve to "expose the truth" in my heart, I breathed life into words once more.

"Whether I've been influenced by TV or not doesn't matter now. You're pushing hard to suspect Ms. Haruki, but here's one thing—would Ms. Haruki herself call the police?"

A fierce retort that nearly screamed "whatever" exploded from the fox-eyed detective.

"She probably called out of guilty conscience, that's all."

"And yet right now, here, she's saying she didn't do it."

Haruki, of course, and the other officers were shouting, "She says she didn't do it!? Huh? Don't mess with me! I'll sue!"

Then the fox-eyed detective gave her reason.

"Sure, she called out of fear at first... but later plenty of guys regret it and deny everything once they realize they'll be caught!"

"Even so, it's strange..."

"What's strange!?"

Now it was my turn.

"Suppose Ms. Haruki is the culprit. Then what was her motive for killing Ms. Hasegawa? Don't you think it's connected to the previous case?"

"So what if it is connected!?"

"The person who killed Mr. Uchima and made it look like suicide is Ms. Haruki too. Then Ms. Hasegawa happened to find evidence of that murder... so she was silenced."

I had just said something that undermined the police's earlier investigation. The fox-eyed detective, naturally, was twisting her mouth to show her anger—

—but before that, she seemed to have thought of something wonderful. Licking her lips, she brought her face close to mine.

"...Hmm? In that case, there's no problem at all. In the end, Haruki had a motive to kill..."

The fox-eyed detective's words were convincing, using my own statement. I had expected every word she spoke—I had led her there.

"Then doesn't it seem odd? Someone who's already killed two people to keep them quiet would call the police on a whim? If she's threatening to sue, she must know that multiple murders carry heavy penalties..."

"Guh...!?"

Pointing out the contradiction in the rebuttal she had been rather proud of, the fox-eyed detective grimaced. While she was on the defensive, I decided to hurl my intentions at her.

"If she had some plan, she wouldn't think of calling it in with her own voice... Conversely, if this were a separate incident, we'd lose sight of the motive."

"Motive... huh."

"Yes, the motive. For starters... how would Ms. Haruki have lured Ms. Hasegawa out in the middle of the night? They didn't seem close. Ms. Hasegawa was the very reason her friend and little sister had suffered so much."

"...Ugh."

"They wouldn't have exchanged phone numbers. Would anyone answer a summons from someone so obviously suspicious?"

But I went too far. That push was burning the other side.

"All right, how about this. Pure chance. A random attacker. Maybe she was just frustrated—works fine, doesn't it?"

"Eh?"

"Or maybe the victim and Haruki ran into each other by chance late at night, argued in the park, and in a fit of rage Haruki killed her."

"Who carries rope around normally?"

"She had it."

"She had it," "She had it"—those forced words echoed in my head again and again.

Could such a coincidence exist? Could something so miraculous happen? I thought so, yet I had no material to deny it.

Frustrating as it was, my counterarguments ended here.

I now understood how the police were thinking and proceeding. Even that was a plus; I had to move forward.

While I was thinking that, Haruki—who until now had been complaining to the police—looked up and fixed her gaze on me.

"Oh my... You're really taking my side, aren't you. Fufufu... I'm so happy! Go on, tell her more—tell this detective."

"I have nothing more to say."

"Eh..."

Right. All I had done was point out suspicious points in Haruki's actions. I simply couldn't stomach the police investigation that ignored truth and mystery. I had no intention whatsoever of protecting Haruki.

The suspicion that Haruki killed one or both of them still remained in my mind.

"I'll disappear for now..."

"Eh, wait, aren't you going to help me!? Eeeeeeeh!?"

Leaving Haruki's shocked voice as background music, I decided to get out before the fox-eyed detective could kick me.

After that, I coordinated with Detective Akaba outside and waited for them to leave the park. Since the investigation had focused on the idea that the victim had been killed outside after some trouble, the detectives had barely touched the restroom area.

Once they took Haruki away as an important witness, the moment came. Detective Akaba and I headed for the restroom where the signboard had been placed.

"Detective Akaba... if that signboard was indeed in the restroom... I don't know how it connects to Ms. Haruki's suspicion, but it's definitely suspicious, right? The restroom—"

"We won't know what's there until we check. And... someone's been staring at us for a while—what should we do?"

"Eh?"

I was thrown by what Detective Akaba said. I hadn't noticed the gaze behind us at all.

Could a detective have come to warn me about my actions? Being stopped here would be trouble for both me and Detective Akaba.

Just as I was scrambling for an excuse, I realized I was in the women's restroom.

How could I explain this...

While I was panicking, the person came toward us and spoke in a high voice.

"Hey, I'm one of the people who knows the situation... Don't leave me out! Let me investigate too!"

The one coming toward us, panting while pushing an IV drip, was Detective Chikage. In many ways, being scolded by a real detective might have been preferable.

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