Chapter 61: The First Confrontation (Part 5)
Kishida had anticipated this question. When he’d first heard ĹŚgami YĹŤsuke’s reasoning, his reaction had been identical to the girl’s.
If Yomikawa Tsuko needed information, the simplest method would have been to ask ‘A’. They were already accomplices; what need was there for secrecy?
On the surface, it certainly seemed that way.
But this was a misconception.
It was only after ĹŚgami’s prompting that Kishida had realized this and begun to reconsider.
He had first fallen into this trap when he took Yomikawa to ĹŚshima Mana’s house. Yomikawa’s numerous questions had led him to believe she was unfamiliar with the ĹŚshima family and the circumstances surrounding the victim, thus concluding she was likely unconnected to the case.
Continuing along this line of thinking would inevitably lead to the conclusion that Yomikawa went to the Hasebe residence because she didn’t know Hasebe Koichi, therefore she was not involved.
“If it weren’t for your three-day absence and the footage of your car being recorded, I might have remained trapped in this misconception,” Kishida said, relaying ĹŚgami’s words as he processed them.
“Because suspicion arose, I subconsciously shifted my perspective. Doing so instantly revealed the answer—the information you sought at the Hasebe residence had little to do with Hasebe Koichi himself.”
“Looking at your eleven questions, you were imitating the tone police use when questioning the victim’s family, addressing Hasebe’s father.”
“And police questioning of the victim’s family usually serves one purpose: to gather as much information as possible about the murderer to solve the case.”
“Applying this to the current case, who are the murderers? You, Kagehara Tetsuya, and ‘A’. The police know about the first two. Only the last, ‘A,’ remains shrouded in mystery.”
“Therefore, your purpose in going to the Hasebe residence was to ascertain whether the police could obtain sufficient clues from Hasebe’s father to investigate ‘A’s’ true identity.”
“If there was a possibility of ‘A’s’ identity being discovered, you could act preemptively and eliminate certain clues.”
“However, the questioning revealed that such measures were unnecessary. The current situation was highly advantageous to you. Hasebe Koichi had never mentioned ‘A’ to his family, nor had he disclosed any information about ‘A’.”
Kishida finished speaking, filled with admiration for ĹŚgami YĹŤsuke’s sharp mind.
“I see,” Tetsuya nodded slightly. “That’s another possible explanation.”
“Then, is there any need to continue?” Kishida leaned forward, looking at the girl before him. “You’re young, you have excellent grades in school, and your parents love you. If you confess willingly, there might still be room for a positive outcome.”
Currently, the police were completely unaware of ‘A’s’ true identity. The evidence they had gathered wasn’t sufficient to form a solid case. Therefore, a voluntary confession that included ‘A’ could be viewed as genuine remorse.
Kishida sincerely hoped things would proceed in that direction.
“Ha…” Tetsuya gave a mocking laugh. “Officer Kishida is truly skilled at considering other people’s circumstances.”
Kishida detected the sarcasm in her voice and frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing. Officer Kishida, please finish telling the story,” Tetsuya said, deliberately dropping the mocking expression and acting as if he hadn’t said anything.
Story?
What did she mean? Was ĹŚgami YĹŤsuke’s reasoning incorrect?
Her reaction made Kishida suddenly feel less confident.
What if ĹŚgami’s reasoning is wrong?
The thought made him uneasy. But having come this far, he could only hasten the rest of his narration. “On the night of June 12th, you likely confirmed the general area where Hasebe Koichi was hiding. After that, you took leave from school, and you and your accomplice searched those locations one by one, narrowing down the possibilities until only one remained: the Kagehara residence.”
“On the night of June 14th, you split up. One person went to the Mitsuba flood control warehouse. If your letter had successfully deceived Hasebe Koichi, someone needed to confront and kill him. The only choice for this task was the only male among you—Kagehara Tetsuya.”
“At the same time, you and ‘A’ went to the Kagehara residence. If Hasebe Koichi was hiding there, you two would kill him. As it turned out, your plan was correct and well-reasoned.”
“Hasebe Koichi was indeed hiding at the Kagehara residence. Even more fortunate for you, he was likely lying on the sofa asleep due to illness. The evidence for this is the presence of residual ibuprofen sustained-release capsules in his stomach. The primary effect of this medication is anti-inflammatory and pain relief.”
“Then, you first used an unknown substance to induce a deep coma, followed by an injection of potassium chloride to stop his heart.”
“Perhaps driven by a desire for revenge, or perhaps to make Hasebe Koichi’s death resemble ĹŚshima Masaki’s, ‘A’ severed his head and took it from the scene.”
“Due to careful prior planning and Hasebe Koichi’s weakened state and lack of resistance, you carried out the murder easily and cleanly, leaving no fingerprints, footprints, or other traces at the scene.”
“You believed your plan was flawless. Kagehara even called and texted me in the early morning, taunting me and conveniently leading us to discover Hasebe Koichi’s body.”
Here, Kishida hesitated slightly. “I believe you were highly confident in the time-locked room you designed and Kagehara’s disappearance, coupled with Kagehara’s usual disdain for the police, which prompted him to make such taunting gestures. Furthermore, this taunting could draw even more suspicion to him.”
With this, the deduction concluded.
In a movie, the culprit, after hearing the detective’s reasoning, would likely fall to their knees, confessing their crimes as the background music swelled.
But Kishida found that the girl before him remained composed. She showed neither the indignation of someone wrongly accused nor the flustered anxiety of guilt.
She simply looked at him with her dark eyes.
The oppressive silence made Kishida unconsciously rub his hands together. “Is there anything else you’d like to say?”
Tetsuya didn’t answer directly. Instead, he rose and poured him more tea, saying, “Officer Kishida hasn’t changed at all.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” As he watched her pour the tea, a strand of hair fell from beside her ear, dangling near her fair cheek. The tranquility of the scene inexplicably made Kishida feel agitated and insecure.
“Have you forgotten?” Tetsuya offered a somewhat mocking smile, then abruptly changed the subject. “ĹŚgami-kun’s father is a folklorist. Influenced by this, he is very concerned with a story’s ‘internal consistency’—that is, whether it makes logical sense as a story.”
Forgotten? Have I forgotten something? Listening to the girl’s distinctive voice, Kishida’s palms began to sweat. He felt inexplicably uneasy.
He tried to calm down and thoroughly consider whether he had overlooked anything, but the girl’s unique voice sounded again, giving him no such opportunity.
“Besides internal consistency, ĹŚgami-kun has another characteristic. When discussing folk tales, he subconsciously makes them more fantastical. He believes that all stories are captivating and have a truth that is difficult for ordinary people to guess. The consequence of this is that he often overlooks some of the most basic motives.”
“Furthermore, stories and real-world cases are completely different. Stories require excitement, while real-world cases require evidence.”
Kishida suddenly felt a pang of panic, as if a voice inside him was telling him there was something he absolutely couldn't hear from her. He even felt an urge to run away.
Forcing himself to ignore this inexplicable feeling, he tried to regain his composure. “Although…”
“Although—” Tetsuya suddenly interrupted him, then smiled maliciously. “Although there’s no evidence, if Yomikawa Tsuko were the one who murdered ĹŚshima Masaki and Hasebe Koichi, everything would make sense—is that what Officer Kishida intends to say, just like a year ago?”
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