Chapter 47: The Pulsating Name
“First, we consider the murder weapon. The two razor blades I have could technically serve, but they seem ineffective, possibly even counterproductive.”
Kagehara Tetsuya possessed two potential murder weapons. One was the razor blades still concealed within his fake chest, bearing both blood and fingerprints. Superficially, these blades pointed directly to “Kagehara Tetsuya,” but the police might not see it that way.
The blades were too small to sever a head. Any reasonably competent officer would realize they weren’t the primary dismemberment tools. If they were particularly astute and saw through his tampering with the corpse’s wounds, his suspicion would lessen—a disastrous outcome.
So, the blades were unusable.
“Not the blades. But there’s also the sharp knife I used on Åshima Masaki’s head. Turning that over to the police doesn’t seem worthwhile either.”
It wouldn’t accomplish anything. The police already considered “Kagehara Tetsuya” a prime suspect. Adding another knife wouldn’t change that, and it certainly wouldn't improve his current situation.
“If not the weapons, what about the remains?”
Besides the weapons, he had Åshima Masaki’s skull. But upon reflection, handing that over offered him no advantage.
Having dismissed two options, Kagehara wasn’t discouraged. His eyes, in fact, grew brighter. When all the incorrect choices were eliminated, the remaining option, however improbable, had to be correct.
“Kagehara Tetsuya’s phone? Student ID? House keys?” One by one, items surfaced in Kagehara’s mind, only to be rejected.
Through this process, his thoughts became increasingly clear.
After dismissing all real, tangible objects, a general strategy began to form in his mind.
“If I operate this way, I might elicit some unusual treatment from the police. But who among the detectives should receive this? It has to be Kishida Masayoshi.”
If real objects offered no benefit, he would fabricate one. It wasn't the first time he'd resorted to such tactics.
Having organized his thoughts, Kagehara retrieved a notebook from his bag on the passenger seat, tearing out a page from the middle. Removing his gloves, he left latent fingerprints on the paper.
He'd bought the notebook recently, carrying it to record items and thoughts. It was, in essence, a preparation for the “self” he would become after fulfilling Hanako’s sixth wish. The first page contained a warning: if he desired a peaceful life, he should disregard the notebook’s contents.
Assured of privacy, Kagehara switched on the car’s interior light, took out a pen, and began writing rapidly. Once finished, he put his gloves back on, folded the paper twice, and placed it in the white box, which he then deposited in the Hasebe residence’s mailbox.
Job done.
Under the cover of night, he sped away.
……
Kishida Masayoshi had been working overtime for days. This wasn’t a task assigned from above or pressure from his superiors. His overtime was unknown even to his colleagues, with the exception of Matsushita Makoto.
As a detective, while his working hours were irregular, he enjoyed more freedom in how he spent his time than many other professions. Often, he could go out without reporting to anyone, which offered considerable convenience.
Officially, he was fully engaged in investigating Åshima Masaki’s murder. In reality, his focus lay on the Tanaka Erika case from a year prior.
Or rather, the Tanaka Erika case was his primary focus.
For days, he had been investigating those connected to Hasebe Koichi, hoping to find the person who’d provided Hasebe with information about the Makeup Hunter.
“More checks today, but damn it, it feels endless. If only I could just grab the guy and ask him directly.”
On Kishida’s desk lay a thick stack of A4 paper, representing his research on Hasebe Koichi’s social circle, gathered from various sources.
There were Hasebe’s call logs, obtained with considerable effort from the phone company.
There were Hasebe’s criminal records from the investigation headquarters, detailing his accomplices in fights, street racing, and other offenses.
There were lists of Hasebe’s classmates and club members from his school days.
In short, the people involved were numerous and varied. Investigating them all would take considerable time.
“But Yomikawa Tsuko clearly stated that this was the only reason Kagehara Tetsuya would assist Hasebe Koichi.”
“And my investigation has corroborated it. Hasebe Koichi’s social circle is indeed peculiar.”
“So, while Yomikawa Tsuko’s words were harsh, she wasn’t lying.”
After meeting Åshima Mana, he had immediately started investigating along these lines, with his first target being the bÅsÅzoku, the motorcycle gangs with whom Hasebe shared an affinity.
From these bÅsÅzoku, he obtained an intriguing lead.
Some of them speculated that Hasebe might be attracted to men, which was why they refused to go to bathhouses with him.
Others suggested Hasebe had “issues” in that area, speculating that he’d been injured in prison and lost his functionality.
More outlandish still, some believed that Hasebe had developed a fear of women due to the incident seventeen years prior.
In short, the bÅsÅzoku who frequently associated with Hasebe all stated that they had never seen him with a woman, nor had they seen him entering or leaving places with any female companions.
A man has needs. Hasebe wasn’t one to suppress himself. He dressed well, his motorcycle was flashy, and he was generous with his money. Finding women shouldn’t have been difficult, yet he remained aloof.
The bÅsÅzoku’s exact words were that several people had actually tried to introduce Hasebe to girlfriends, some of whom were genuinely good women, but Hasebe remained unmoved, not even bothering to meet them. Sometimes, when they discussed going to visit the local “soaplands,” Hasebe also never participated.
In matters of women, he was practically a saint. Over time, this had led to much speculation and private jokes among the bÅsÅzoku.
Compared to the bÅsÅzoku’s unreliable conjectures, Kishida had a far more grounded theory: Hasebe might have a secret lover.
For some reason, he didn’t want his relationship to be known, even to his fellow riders, allowing them to misunderstand him.
From this perspective, this secret lover might be quite attractive, with a stable relationship with Hasebe. Yet, for some reason, this person neither formalized the relationship nor left. It was a strange situation.
Where there was strangeness, there were secrets.
This lead was incredibly exciting for Kishida. He had thought that simply asking a few questions had yielded valuable information, and that the following investigation would be easy.
Reality, however, delivered a harsh blow.
No matter how he investigated, he couldn't find a single trace of this secret lover. It was as if this person didn’t exist.
Unable to prove his theory, he had resorted to a wide-net approach, conducting a carpet search of Hasebe’s “social circle,” which had occupied him for days.
“It’s almost five in the morning. I should get a few hours of sleep.” After organizing his notes, Kishida stretched. Just as he was about to take a quick shower before bed, his phone rang.
Is it Makoto? Does she have a discovery she’s eager to report?
With this thought, he glanced at the screen.
Seeing the name displayed, Kishida felt a jolt, instantly rising to his feet, the chair tumbling backward with a thud.
The name pulsating on the screen, accompanied by the ringing tone, was—Kagehara Tetsuya.
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