When the Detective Work is Done, I'll Die

Chapter 10

First of all, I already had doubts about the detective in other areas. Even if those wild deductions were for revenge, there was one point I couldn't let slide.

I whispered the gist of it to Miiko.

"The most unnatural thing is that the detective just happened to come to the murder scene, right? Running into a murder case while out for a walk—does that ever really happen outside manga or novels?"

"That's true... which would mean the detective is the culprit, but there were no fingerprints on the antiques."

"Still, even without fingerprints, with gloves..."

"No. Fingerprints can actually vanish surprisingly easily. Even wearing gloves, if you're not handling things carefully, things get rubbed or wiped and even other prints can disappear. With so little time, you couldn't do that."

"So the detective couldn't have done it either... if the culprit isn't the detective, then what are they...?"

Indeed, you never know when family members or outsiders will arrive. While carrying out the crime, if the culprit was jumping at shadows they couldn't have carefully erased the evidence.

Time.

Did the culprit know exactly who would come and when? If so, they'd have had mental leeway. Then was there a way to know? Or not?

Another mystery piled on.

I already had to figure out why the money was scattered around—what a pain. I scratched my head while thinking. Miiko, in contrast, was raring to solve the mystery with a light, airy smile. She was even breathing hard. She looked like she was having fun.

I'd always envied how forward-looking she was and how much fun life seemed for her. Then suddenly she began saying something absurd.

"The money the detective mentioned... I wonder if it was okay to reject the idea that it was scattered to hide something."

"Huh..."

"Maybe I have to think more about the information here. Suppose the culprit had undeniable evidence that would surface if they were found, and to cover it up they used the money... if that's really the case, what is that evidence?"

"Hmm..."

"What is it?"

Wasn't I relying on information the detective had gathered? A faint sense of discomfort came over me and I tried to object, but... I knew what she'd say back. Use whatever you can use. Miiko doesn't care about friend or foe. Anything that can be a hint, she treats as a hint.

It's not that I reject the words of someone unreliable.

If you asked me whether her attitude was wonderful, I'd say it was absurdly wonderful.

She cuts through the fog in her own mind that she herself created.

"No, it's nothing... so, that evidence... something undeniable..."

"Something that mustn't be left behind."

"Something that wouldn't normally be left behind... a sword."

A sword had been left behind. But that alone wasn't evidence pointing to anyone. Yet there was one thing. Did the culprit want to hide the sword because there was something they didn't want anyone to see?

They could have taken the sword with them. But carrying something that long outside would attract too much attention. If the police stopped them, they'd definitely be caught.

So the culprit had no choice but to leave the sword here. At least to keep it from being found.

If antiques were scattered, someone might eventually notice that the sword, also a valuable item, had vanished. So they threw out ten-thousand-yen bills to confuse the investigation.

But even this reasoning had flaws. If the police suspected something about the ten-thousand-yen bills and investigated every suspicious part of this room, it would be over. After all, it would have been better to throw away the crucial evidence outside. Even if it was the sword, there must have been a better way than leaving it lying in this room.

"Was it a matter of the heart... no, that can't be. If it were, scattering money... no, but... hmm, no matter the possibility. The culprit is panicking yet acting calmly. On the contrary... no, this too..."

"Hyoga. You're on a roll, huh. Feels different from usual. You're so lively."

"Huh? Cut the jokes... I'm not..."

"Don't worry about it! Great detective!"

"Don't call me a detective!"

While I was fretting, Miiko teased me and the ringtone of a call attacked me. Both detectives and officers turned toward me, making me embarrassed. If I didn't stop it soon my favorite Vocaloid song would spread across the crime scene. I slid my finger across the smartphone screen and hastily answered.

"Yo!"

"Captain, seriously...!"

It was the captain calling from his makeup class. I wanted to say I was busy and hang up. But since he had the right to know about Mr. Koyama, I decided to tell him.

"I'm done with makeup classes, so I'm heading over... is everything already wrapped up?"

"Um, about Mr. Koyama..."

Before I could go on, the captain let out a yell that could have shattered my eardrum.

"Aaaaaah!"

Wait, I haven't said anything yet. I haven't told you anything. I asked what he was so surprised about beforehand.

"What's wrong? Have you gone mad?"

"Talking to the captain like that... anyway, I dropped the manuscript paper I had to turn in for makeup class and it scattered everywhere."

"Just pick it up."

"No... it was an essay with lots of dialogue and I wrote it without thinking. Now I can't tell the order... I should've numbered the pages or stapled them, but my refills just ran out... ah, right. Tell Miiko to buy some refills! And... huh? Wait... something incredible is floating in the nearby river...! If we sell that we'll be rich!"

Sequential numbers. Paper. Bundle. Bundle of paper. Staples. Refills.

Words spun round and round inside my head.

The words lined up in a row, and a bolt of lightning shot through them. The words melted in my mind, scattering countless meanings through my brain.

I understood almost everything—almost the entire truth of this unnatural case. And I had evidence.

"Hey, hey, Hyoga! This black—"

I cut off the call with the captain and shouted to Miiko.

"Hey, Miiko. Call everyone."

"Eh!? Is this the part where... he shows up!?"

"Yeah! With this deduction I can kill the detective... before I forget, hurry!"

She bounced a few times and then ran out of the living room. I can see the whole picture of this case now.

I'll never forgive them.

I'll end both the detective and the culprit of the case right here, with these hands, with these words—absolutely!