Chapter 59: The First Confrontation (Part 3)
The thought brought a pang of regret to Kishida. Had he noticed this detail sooner, the case might have been resolved earlier, and Hasebe Koichi wouldn’t have been killed.
Though Hasebe, like ĹŚshima Masaki, was undeniably a scoundrel, no one deserved to die in such a manner.
And for the sake of these two men, a seventeen-year-old girl was about to forfeit the rest of her life. It was, by any measure, a devastating waste.
“Bloodstains on the yukata?” Tetsuya mused. Is that why Yomikawa-senpai disappeared?
“On the night of June 9th, there were seven guests at the onsen inn: the six members of your club and ĹŚshima Masaki. Consequently, the inn provided seven yukata.”
“Leaving aside your group of six, the last yukata was collected by Hasebe Koichi. He presumably took it from the inn and gave it to ĹŚshima Masaki, who then wore it back into the inn and left it there.”
“However, after everyone checked out, the inn was missing one yukata—the one registered to Kagehara. This was a detail our police did note, but it didn’t trigger any significant investigation. Everyone assumed Kagehara had gotten the victim’s blood on it during the dismemberment and thus taken it with him.”
“Furthermore, we also discovered that Kagehara had purchased kerosene. So, it was naturally assumed that he intended to burn the bloodstained yukata.”
The clue was both conspicuous and easily overlooked.
Only ĹŚgami YĹŤsuke had drawn a connection.
His words at the time were: Even the smallest fragment, if genuine, should be valued. By considering its relation to other fragments, we can piece together a story closest to the truth.
“During the transportation of the head, blood got on your yukata. Judging by your subsequent actions, it must have been a considerable amount.”
“This was an unforeseen and unplanned event. You were likely shaken but still managed to think rationally. If you’d rashly returned to the second floor, you might have run into your classmates. If they’d seen you, you would have become the prime suspect when the body was discovered.”
“Therefore, you had no choice but to return to Kagehara’s room on the first floor.”
“You must have had a way to contact Kagehara. After this incident, you informed him immediately. He, in turn, cleaned room 216 and returned to his room to meet you and discuss a plan.”
“First, the material of the yukata meant that if it were washed, it would likely not be dry by the time the body was discovered. You also couldn’t be sure when the body would be found. If the police discovered that a yukata had been washed, suspicion would fall heavily on you.”
“Disposing of the yukata or obtaining another identical one was also out of the question. If the police noticed a missing or extra yukata, they would immediately suspect it was related to the crime and likely invest significant resources in investigating it, potentially uncovering direct evidence.”
“Given your and Kagehara’s intelligence, it wouldn’t have been difficult for you to realize that yukata, as items of clothing worn next to the skin, easily retain sweat, skin flakes, epidermal cells, and even fingerprints. Technical analysis could definitively determine the yukata’s owner.”
Kishida paused to gather his thoughts. “The onsen inn provided seven yukata. Four were worn by other students. Stealing and switching one wasn't impossible, but even if successful, the victim of the theft wouldn’t simply confess. The police would still conduct forensic testing. At that point, you’d simply be gambling on whether the police would consider the possibility of a switch and the capabilities of their forensic team. Therefore, this was your first option to be discarded.”
“The second option was to use the seventh yukata—the one worn by ĹŚshima Masaki. By placing your bloodstained yukata in room 216 or destroying it, and then you wearing ĹŚshima Masaki’s, you might have been able to deceive us.”
“This idea had some merit, but it still carried risks. The yukata you wore might later be taken as evidence for testing. If traces of both your and ĹŚshima Masaki’s DNA, among other things, were found on your yukata, it would serve as incriminating evidence.”
“Judging by the outcome, this option was also discarded. Perhaps you didn’t want to draw suspicion to yourself, or perhaps something else occurred that I haven’t considered. In any case, you chose the safer third strategy.”
“This strategy involved Kagehara making a sacrifice. He took the bloodstained yukata and gave you his own. This way, with a person missing from the scene and a yukata missing as well, almost everyone would assume the missing person was the culprit and the missing yukata was his.”
“In fact, you did just that, and it was indeed successful.”
Kishida sighed, a note of deep regret in his voice. “We didn’t take the yukata as evidence. The owner has since washed and disinfected them multiple times, mixing them all together. I’ve asked my colleagues in the forensics department. Under these circumstances, it’s no longer possible to extract any useful information.”
“I see,” Tetsuya nodded. He thought that if Yomikawa-senpai had indeed gotten blood on herself during the dismemberment, this could explain her disappearance and the missing yukata.
However, it was likely not to protect him, but to conceal the existence of Lord Mask-Taker.
“Next is Kagehara’s disappearance. After deciding on a strategy, you began discussing the details. Since Kagehara had already decided not to conceal his role as the culprit, the more suspicion he attracted, the safer you would be.”
“However, the inn’s receptionist was on the first floor. If he saw Yomikawa Tsuko leaving Kagehara’s room, you would still be suspected. Therefore, you simply orchestrated Kagehara’s disappearance. Combined with the previously established time-locked room, the entire case became even more perplexing.”
“In other words, the note you gave to Officer Matsushita, supposedly written by Kagehara, was ‘forged.’ Its purpose was to provide you with a sufficient and reasonable excuse to leave his room.”
“There’s evidence for this. After hearing the commotion from the second floor and arranging for a classmate to call the police, you should have already discovered Kagehara’s disappearance. However, you didn’t immediately ask the receptionist about Kagehara’s whereabouts. Am I right?”
“As for his specific method of disappearing, it was quite simple. I believe Kagehara remained in his room until after the body was discovered. Then, while we were taking the receptionist away from the front desk for questioning, and because we were short-handed and no one was guarding the entrance, he simply walked out the main door.”
“To successfully execute this plan, you had to control the timing of the body’s discovery. I believe you made preparations for this as well. For example, you could have sent a text message to someone at the necessary moment, guiding them to discover the body.”
“Of course, you and Kagehara were very fortunate. The body was discovered late at night. The timing was remarkably convenient and extremely advantageous to your plan.”
“Following this, you proceeded according to plan, staging a convincing disappearance. During your interview with Officer Matsushita, your performance was flawless. Even though you had to reveal that you had known Kagehara for some time to justify the note’s existence, it didn’t raise significant suspicion. My colleagues simply thought you might know some inside information about the case.”
“With that, the case of ĹŚshima Masaki came to a close.”
“Next, you prepared to kill Hasebe Koichi.”
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