Chapter 56: Before the Confrontation

Ōgami Yōsuke leaned forward slightly, his youthful face alight with a mix of excitement and determination. At fifteen, his features still carried a touch of boyish softness, but his eyes were sharp, focused. “I have a few ideas that might qualify as leads,” he began, his voice steady despite the faint tremor of eagerness beneath it. “First, there are the eleven questions Senpai asked at the Hasebe residence.”

Kishida Masayoshi studied him across the table, his expression unreadable but attentive. The boy’s enthusiasm was palpable, and Kishida could tell he was craving validation—a chance to prove himself. Still, Kishida remained cautious, his detective’s instincts always on guard.

“Makoto—I mean, Officer Matsushita—believes some of those eleven questions were red herrings planted by Yomikawa-san,” Kishida said, his tone measured. He considered reaching for a cigarette to help organize his thoughts but stopped himself, remembering they were in a public space. Instead, he folded his hands on the table, his gaze never leaving Ōgami. “Do you share that view?”

Ōgami’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. “I see. Officer Matsushita’s considerations are certainly thorough. However, I’m referring to something else entirely.” His tone was polite, almost deferential, but Kishida caught the subtle implication: Matsushita’s theory, while valid, wasn’t the crux of the matter.

“Based on your notes, Officer Kishida,” Ōgami continued, “regarding Senpai’s… embellishments… when speaking with Hasebe Koichi’s father, she demonstrated a remarkable ability to gain trust and maintain composure. Yet, even someone as intelligent and collected as Senpai made a mistake at the Hasebe residence.”

Kishida’s brow furrowed slightly. “Oh? And what mistake would that be?”

Ōgami’s smile widened, though it was tinged with a hint of nervousness. “She forgot to conceal one thing: her lack of curiosity about Hasebe Koichi’s motive.”

Kishida blinked, caught off guard. “Hm? Please, elaborate.”

Ōgami straightened, sensing he had Kishida’s full attention now. “Among her eleven questions, there wasn’t a single one concerning the relationship between Hasebe and Ōshima. Isn’t that strange?”

He paused, letting the question hang in the air for a moment before continuing. “Senpai visited the Hasebe residence on June 12th. At that time, Hasebe Koichi was still alive, considered by the police to be a fugitive and prime suspect. Why visit the parents of a suspected murderer and not inquire about the conflict between him and the victim?”

Kishida’s expression shifted, a flicker of intrigue crossing his features. He leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping lightly against the edge of the table. “Go on.”

Ōgami took a deep breath, his voice growing more confident. “I can only think of two explanations. First, she already knew Hasebe Koichi’s motive, rendering the question unnecessary. Or second, she knew Ōshima Masaki wasn’t killed by Hasebe Koichi at all, making any such questions pointless.”

Kishida’s eyes widened, and for a moment, he was silent. Then, he let out a low chuckle, though there was no humor in it. “Isn’t that a rather bold assumption?”

Ōgami didn’t answer directly. Instead, he picked up his pen and circled four seemingly ordinary questions among the eleven listed in Kishida’s notebook.

• Question Four: When did Hasebe Koichi’s circumstances change (financially)?  
• Question Five: What was the nature of Hasebe Koichi’s relationships with women?  
• Question Seven: Did he ever share photographs of women?  
• Question Eleven: Did he send any letters back home?  

Kishida furrowed his brow, his eyes scanning the marked questions repeatedly. He couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary. “Is there something I’m missing?” he asked, his tone tinged with both curiosity and frustration.

Ōgami leaned forward slightly, his voice calm but deliberate. “Don’t these four questions sound like inquiries directed at the victim’s family?”

The words struck Kishida like a splash of cold water. He froze for a moment, then looked back at the questions with fresh eyes. A chill ran down his spine as the implications began to sink in.

• Question Four seemed to confirm how long the killer had known Hasebe Koichi.  
• Question Five suggested the killer might be a woman.  
• Question Seven aimed to ascertain the killer’s specific identity.  
• Question Eleven sought to determine if the victim had sensed impending danger and left a message.  

Ōgami’s voice broke the silence, steady and clear. “It’s as if Senpai, on June 12th, had already foreseen Hasebe Koichi’s death and was preemptively questioning the victim’s family.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle before continuing. “A comparison with her questioning of Ōshima Masaki’s family reveals striking similarities in their approach.”

Kishida’s mind raced as he processed the implications. Ōgami’s insight was both startling and unnerving. The boy’s next words only deepened the unease.

“If I were questioning Hasebe’s father,” Ōgami said, “my first question would be: ‘Has there been any recent conflict between Hasebe Koichi and Ōshima Masaki?’”

He paused, then added, “My second question would be: ‘Did Hasebe Koichi display any unusual behavior on June 9th? Did he leave the house carrying anything that could be construed as a weapon?’”

Ōgami looked up, meeting Kishida’s gaze. “That’s the normal line of inquiry, wouldn’t you agree? With that in mind, can you really dismiss Senpai’s lack of curiosity about Hasebe Koichi’s motive, Officer Kishida?”

Kishida swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. He raised his head, his eyes wide with a mix of surprise and admiration. This high school student was proving to be far more perceptive than he had anticipated. “How did you even think of this?” he asked, his voice a blend of disbelief and respect.

Ōgami blushed slightly, scratching the back of his head in a gesture of modest embarrassment. “It was a coincidence, really. I was reviewing the notes from the back. Initially, I only saw the last nine questions. I assumed they were your record of questioning Hasebe’s father. It wasn’t until I turned back a page that I realized they were Senpai’s questions from June 12th. That’s when it struck me as odd.”

Kishida nodded slowly, understanding dawning on him. Because the first two questions were on the previous page, Ōgami had mistakenly believed the remaining nine were Kishida’s notes. Discovering they were Yomikawa Tsuko’s questions from June 12th had created a jarring sense of incongruity—one that had led Ōgami to this startling realization.

It was a fortunate accident. Without it, this perspective might have remained hidden indefinitely. 

Kishida’s opinion of Ōgami had shifted entirely. What had initially been cautious curiosity had now transformed into genuine anticipation. He leaned forward slightly, his voice low but eager. “In short, this suggests Yomikawa-san knew, on June 12th or even earlier, that Hasebe Koichi would be killed.”

The implication was undeniable. It placed Yomikawa Tsuko squarely in the realm of suspicion, her actions no longer just coincidental but calculated.

Ōgami nodded, his expression serious. “Combined with the surveillance footage you discovered, Officer Kishida, her suspicion increases further.”

For a moment, he fell silent, his brow furrowing as a troubled look crossed his face. It was clear he was wrestling with the idea that someone he respected so deeply—his Senpai—could be implicated in such a grim affair.

Kishida noticed the shift in Ōgami’s demeanor and quickly pieced together the cause. “It seems Yomikawa-san is quite popular in your club,” he said gently. “It must be difficult to suspect someone you admire. If you’re uncomfortable, we can stop at any time.”

Ōgami shook his head quickly, his voice firm despite the conflict in his eyes. “No, it’s alright. I believe the truth of the case should take precedence over my personal feelings. Besides, I could be entirely wrong.”

Kishida gave a small nod of approval, though his gaze remained thoughtful. He glanced down at his notes, recalling the details he had uncovered. Yomikawa Tsuko had taken three days of leave: June 13th, 14th, and 15th. Today was Saturday, so there were no classes to account for her whereabouts.

He had reviewed surveillance footage around Yomikawa’s residence and found no sign of her entering or leaving the villa during those three days. However, on June 12th, he had spotted Yomikawa’s family car on the main road, traveling from Nagano Ward toward Mitsuba Ward. The car had disappeared from camera range near Mitsuba Station.

Then, on June 15th—yesterday afternoon at four o’clock—the same car had reappeared on the main road, this time heading from Mitsuba Station back toward Nagano Ward. The tinted windows had made it impossible to identify the driver, but the car’s make and license plate were unmistakably registered to the Yomikawa family. That alone was enough to raise questions.

If Yomikawa Tsuko hadn’t been only seventeen, Kishida might have even considered the possibility that she was Hasebe Koichi’s secret lover. But as things stood, her age made that theory unlikely—though it didn’t rule out other, more troubling possibilities.

“For you, Officer Kishida, the most important thing is solving the case and catching the culprit, right?” Ōgami began, his tone measured but earnest. “According to the forensic report, both Ōshima Masaki and Hasebe Koichi died from cardiac arrest caused by intravenous injections of potassium chloride. No signs of struggle. And then, of course, there’s the decapitation.”

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he focused. “So, based on the method, can we assume the same person—or group—is behind both killings?”

Kishida nodded, his expression serious. “It’s a reasonable assumption.”

Ōgami continued, his voice steady. “But assumptions won’t hold up in court. Right now, the only person with any evidence against him is Kagehara Tetsuya, correct?”

Kishida sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s some evidence, yes. The note found in Hasebe’s mailbox is admissible, but even that’s shaky. We’d need to rule out coercion. And the dismemberment of Ōshima’s body? It’s not enough to tie Kagehara definitively to the crime.” He leaned back, frustration etched into his features. “We’re still missing the head and the murder weapon. Without those, it’s all circumstantial.”

However, a new lead had emerged. The relationship between Yomikawa Tsuko and Kagehara Tetsuya was unclear, her motive was unknown, and her whereabouts during those three days were unaccounted for. She was a potential key to breaking the case. At least, that’s what Kishida believed at that moment.

“Now that we’ve reached this point,” Kishida said, picking up his pen and turning to a fresh page in his notebook, “let’s list the suspects and try to reconstruct a possible sequence of events for both cases.”

He wrote on the first line: Victim: Ōshima Masaki.

On the second line, he wrote: Perpetrator: and then filled in the first name—Kagehara Tetsuya.

After a moment’s thought, he added a second name—Hasebe Koichi.

Then, a third Extortion Target.

As he prepared to write further, Ōgami’s voice interrupted. “That’s not quite right.”

“Huh?” Kishida looked up, surprised.

Ōgami reached for the pen and paper, his movements quick but deliberate. After a few moments of scribbling, the notes looked like this:

Victims: Ōshima Masaki, Hasebe Koichi

Perpetrators: Kagehara Tetsuya, Yomikawa Tsuko, Extortion Target

Putting down the pen, Ōgami hesitated, then spoke again. “Well, firstly, what I’m about to say isn’t a deduction. It’s not rigorous, and there’s no evidence to back it up. So, if you could listen to my… let’s call it a ‘fabrication’—with the same mindset you’d have for a folk tale or an urban legend—that would be a great help.”