Not a detective

Page 107

"You don't know?" Asakawa Riku was greatly disappointed. He felt like he had almost succeeded, but had failed miserably. "Then why did you mention so many suspicious points just now..."

"That's just a point of doubt. We haven't been able to piece together the correct future yet. It's not that your investigation was ineffective; these people are all hiding secrets. They told part of the truth and part of the lies. It's a mix of truth and falsehood, impossible to distinguish. The truth is intertwined with the lies, and the lies obscure the crucial clues. I've seen several futures, but I'm not sure which one is real."

Mo Yue put down her empty coffee cup, rubbing her temples, looking like she had a headache.

I remember saying that although her abilities are powerful, they are also unstable, especially her ability to foresee the future, which requires certain preconditions and only allows her to see fragmented pieces.

Just like what happened last winter, she only saw her future of being assassinated, but she only found out later who did it and what methods they used.

"Let's leave it at that for now. Don't go blind."

Asakawa Riku stopped Suetsuki from continuing, saying that this was just a commission from the Inspection Department and there was no need to hurt anyone.

"Anyway, the police are still investigating, and only one day has passed since the incident. There will be new clues later, so there's no rush to solve the case."

Actually, he also needed time to slowly digest the bunch of doubts the detective had just mentioned; he hadn't fully sorted them out yet.

I have a feeling that if I could figure out all those suspicious points, I could glimpse the truth...

"Oh, then let's stop here for the work."

Mo Yue was surprisingly obedient, or perhaps she simply wasn't enthusiastic about her work to begin with. She stretched out with a big yawn, then slid down and slumped into the chair.

She picked up the scattered handle from the ground with her fair toes, tossed it to Asakawa Riku, and he caught it.

"How can someone else use something that's been touched by a foot?"

"Stop being picky, come play Monster Hunter. Aren't you stuck on the very first monster? Let me teach you properly."

"Who said it got stuck at the very beginning? I was just praising your memory."

Asakawa Riku sighed helplessly. Although he said he wouldn't talk about work, this guy was too heartless. He had just come out of such a tragic murder case and started playing games.

It takes an extraordinary amount of time and energy for a woman to remain calm after seeing those crime scene photos and records; it would be remarkable if she didn't vomit and become completely exhausted. He noticed that apart from Kiri Aoi, there were no other female detectives at the scene yesterday, perhaps because the victim was also a woman, and the cruelty of her death exceeded all limits.

But like Kirisame Aoi, Shinonome Suetsuki showed no fear or discomfort. In fact, she was even more so, drinking coffee and taking her medicine as if the dead were just game characters.

Looking at that expressionless face, I really don't know what the detective is thinking.

If Chizuko is a cute sheep in disguise hiding a bloodthirsty wolf, then what lies beneath the beautiful exterior of Shinonome Suetsuki remains to be seen.

She was like an incomprehensible oddball, an alien from outer space; it was impossible to predict what she would say or do.

...Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Asakawa Riku became curious and attracted to him.

He took out a few tissues, wiped the controller clean, and then started the game.

"...Yesterday, which woman, Da Yu Kui, what did she do with you?"

I heard about this question.

Asakawa Riku didn't think too much about it and replied in a businesslike manner, "Investigating a case, huh? I've told you about the investigation. By the way, you can see my memories, right? You can just look at them directly."

"I want to hear it from your own mouth."

Hearing the unexpected "emotion," Asakawa Riku turned around and saw Shinonome Suetsuki squatting in front of him.

Their faces were very close, their noses almost touching. He saw a very serious face, with vertical pupils like a cat's, even more serious than when he was investigating the case.

Asakawa Riku put down the controller and smiled slightly:

"Oh, you're interested in this, Miss Detective? How about you try to deduce it yourself?"

Spring of Events: Chapter Twenty-Three - Expert Consultation

Of course, nothing happened between him and Kirisame Aoi.

Rather, he didn't even get Kiri Aoi's contact information before she ruthlessly abandoned him.

In this sense, Asakawa Riku was even worried about whether he could get back the commission from the Inspection Department.

I don't know how Shinonome Suetsuki deduced this, but she said it was absolutely accurate.

She said, "Detective methods are not to be shared, and I didn't use any superpowers this time," while triumphantly cheering her victory.

The next second in the game, she used a katana to slash at the knees of Asakawa Riku's character.

Asakawa Riku increasingly felt that this guy probably didn't have any inner substance and was just a "naughty child".

Throughout the entire ordeal, she didn't even offer any comment on the fact that the victim was her father's lover.

She has always been indifferent, only caring about whether something is interesting or not, and she can't be bothered with work that isn't interesting.

One can't help but wonder if it was the right decision to place all the bets on this detective in the murder case... or perhaps, he needs another accomplice.

So, on Monday, the second day at noon, after finishing his morning classes, Asakawa Riku arrived at the mystery club's activity room on time.

...

"Don't talk to me about anything related to the case."

Chizuko put down her chopsticks and shook her head: "Lunchtime is for eating, not for deduction."

Asakawa Riku had already finished his portion. He had brought a thick stack of documents to school, but the senior student didn't even glance at them.

Are you still sulking?

"You're the one who's sulking, aren't you, Asakawa-kun?"

Chizuko gave her a resentful look: "I've decided that I won't do any more deduction work before graduation. Didn't you say you needed to calm down?"

As she entered her senior year of high school, the bow on her chest was changed to green, but unfortunately, she didn't grow any taller and remained the same size as the middle school student.

"I've already decided on the school I want to attend, and I'm going to work hard for it all year. Logically speaking, I shouldn't continue to be the president of the mystery club, but unfortunately, there's really no one to take over."

"The student union kept its promise and gave us the best publicity space. But not a single freshman came to visit. Maybe they heard the bad rumors from previous years."

Asakawa Riku was also helpless about this. He hoped that a new member would join the club, which might break the current awkward atmosphere between him and Chizuko-senpai.

In any case, they will still be spending time alone together this year, at least every noon.

"Well, let me put it another way. I'm not asking you to deduce anything; I'd like to ask you about 'monsters,' is that alright?"

“…Hmm?” Chizuko’s eyes lit up.

In that instant, Asakawa Riku realized that his plan had worked.

Chizuko-senpai is not only an Onmyoji, but she is also extremely obsessed with "yokai" and loves to show off her knowledge. She can talk endlessly about related knowledge.

With a little enticement, she will indeed take the bait:

"Well... if we're just talking about yokai, then that's fine..."

"Then I'll say it."

Asakawa Riku put away the stack of documents on the table. He then transformed the contents into a story, using pseudonyms and hypothetical scenarios:

"Imagine a locked room containing seven people: the victim and six suspects. There are no secret passages or outsiders. The victim died with their limbs severed, ruling out suicide and accidental death. The six suspects insist that an unseen monster killed the victim, and that they were not involved—"

"The murderer bribed five other people, or all six of them were accomplices who committed the crime together."

As expected, Chizuko naturally made the same deduction.

“That’s what I think too.” Asakawa Riku changed the subject: “But I came here today to ask you, senior, is there any possibility that it was really a monster that committed the crime?”

"Basically impossible."

"why?"

"Asakawa-kun, how am I supposed to describe the form of a yokai to you? It's so inconvenient without inspiration; it feels like it's hard to explain clearly."

Chizuko looked troubled and explained, "Simply put, ordinary people can't see yokai under normal circumstances. Just like Kiku often wanders around the school without anyone noticing. Only onmyoji like us, especially people with special eyes like my father, can observe yokai at any time."

She held up one finger, of course, with her left hand:

"However, there is an exception: the more intensely monsters interfere with reality, the easier they are for ordinary people to detect."

"Intervention?" Asakawa Riku asked.

"For example, if Kiku just wanders around and observes, she won't be noticed. But if she suddenly picks up a classmate's book or touches a human directly, she might be noticed. This is the 'ghost encounter' plot in a typical horror movie. At this time, when humans notice the abnormality, it is easier to discover the hidden monster."

Chizuko explained, "There is an even more extreme example of this, which is [harm]. When a yokai harms a human, this effect is multiplied."

"harm……"

Asakawa Riku suddenly remembered something; the first time he made contact with a yokai was also in this very room…

"Yes, just like when you, Asakawa-kun, had your finger bitten by my Yama-warashi at the very beginning."

Chizuko's understanding with him remained impeccable. Before he even spoke, she had already guessed what he was thinking: "The moment a human is hurt by a yokai, the pain triggers an instinctive alertness, which multiplies their senses as they search for the source of the harm. In this situation, they are almost compelled to notice the yokai's presence. For example, when I asked Kiku to cut off other people's fingers, those people would also notice the wailing ghost, or at least hear the pitiful cries. This effect is like a person with a very low profile, someone you wouldn't normally notice, but when that person suddenly stabs you in the back, you can no longer ignore their presence no matter what. It's a life-saving mechanism."

"But I still didn't see the mountain boy at that time."

Riku Asakawa said.

"Yes, only those with zero inspiration can be completely immune to this effect, because no matter how much inspiration is multiplied, the multiple of zero is still zero."

Chizuko smiled, perhaps because the mention of yokai had improved her mood considerably: "It's also possible that Asakawa-kun's skin is too tough, and the yakawa can't bite it."

"I understand what you mean."

Asakawa Riku ignored her teasing. His expression turned serious as he gradually realized the crux of the problem:

"Going back to the example I just gave, the six suspects insisted that an 'invisible monster' killed the victim. But if a monster committed such a cruel act of murder, it would definitely leave an image and impression in their eyes. Although they were not directly harmed, being so close to danger would definitely boost their intuition, and they would definitely be able to observe the monster's image. It couldn't be 'invisible.' Even if there were people among them with zero intuition, it's impossible for all six of them to be like that; the probability is too low."

"So, they lied."

Spring of Events: Chapter Twenty-Four Motive

"Therefore, there is still a murderer among them, and this case has nothing to do with monsters."

"It can't be said that it has nothing to do with monsters."

"Ok?"

Hearing Chizuko's suddenly contradictory statement, Asakawa Riku felt puzzled. Hadn't they just ruled out the possibility of a monster being the perpetrator?

"It only excludes the [invisible monsters]. If it were a [tangible monster], it wouldn't be impossible."

"You mean, a monster brazenly broke into the operating room, killed the victim, and then all the doctors and nurses witnessed the monster, but collectively avoided talking about it when giving their statements? Why would they do that? Were they giving false testimony to cover for the monster, making themselves suspects in the process? Why would they do that?"

Asakawa Riku simply couldn't understand it.

Chizuko smiled gently: "Asakawa-kun, it's not your fault. I don't think I've ever told you about this concept before. I'll tell you now—about [possessed yokai]."

"Possessed by a demon?"

This is indeed a new term.

"Let me think about where to begin, Asakawa-kun. What do you think is the motive for this case?"

Instead of explaining, Chizuko suddenly asked a question.

Didn't we agree not to talk about the case...? Although he thought this in his heart, Asakawa Riku of course didn't say it out loud. He realized that Chizuko had finally been aroused by the topic.

"The fact that the victim was dismembered in his hospital bed, his body so mutilated, suggests that the killer must have been extremely angry. He didn't dismember the body to move or hide it; he was probably doing it to vent his emotions. There must have been hatred between the perpetrator and the victim. Or it could simply be a pleasure-seeking killer, a mentally ill killer who enjoys committing cruel crimes."

He offered two plausible guesses.

I think it's exactly the opposite.

Chizuko offered a completely different perspective, contrary to common sense: "The criminal's mental state when dismembering the body was probably normal. It should be said that the criminal wanted to return from the abnormal state at the time of the murder to his normal state—that is, the everyday world—which is why he chose to dismember the body. He used dismemberment to restore his abnormal mental state to normal."

Asakawa Riku frowned; he felt dizzy from being concocted by a tongue twister.

"That doesn't make sense. Why would the cruel act of dismembering a corpse restore one's mental state? Isn't dismemberment more cruel and abnormal than murder?"

"But how do you distinguish between normal and abnormal? Some people might commit impulsive murder, but does someone else impulsively dismember a body?"

Chizuko's question stumped him; he felt like his mind was going haywire.

"This……"

"In a moment of impulse, someone stabbed another to death. Isn't that state of anger and loss of reason abnormal?"

Chizuko said calmly, resting her hands on her chin: "Because killing is a very risky thing. If you get caught by the police, you will spend the rest of your life in prison, or even face the death penalty. If you don't have the emotional urge to kill, from a purely rational point of view, no one would commit murder."

I felt like she was subtly referring to something that happened last winter.

Therefore, 99% of murders are caused by impulse, just like a sudden onset of an illness—

"There was also a planned murder, such as making an ingenious setup, a detailed plan, and tightening the net at the crucial moment."

Since that's the case, Asakawa Rikuya began to use that incident as an example.