Chapter 63: The First Confrontation (Part 7)
“Why specifically have Kagehara Tetsuya dismember the body?”
Kishida was once again lost in thought. He had considered this question before, but as the case became increasingly bizarre, with various perplexing events unfolding one after another, he hadn’t had the energy to dwell on such minor details.
“Officer Kishida possesses some forensic knowledge, as does Kagehara-kun, I presume. Doesn’t Kagehara-kun understand that if he were to dismember the body, the dismemberment marks would lead the police to suspect him?”
Kishida pondered this. Since the confrontation had progressed this far, he decided to speak his mind freely.
Even if… even if he was ridiculed by the girl before him, he would accept it.
So, he began, “What if it’s a matter of psychological fortitude? Cutting off a person’s head requires considerable mental strength, right? Perhaps only Kagehara Tetsuya possessed such ability. Moreover, besides the dismemberment, Kagehara Tetsuya also had the task of cleaning the crime scene. Perhaps you… in short, it’s entirely possible that the culprits decided that the same person would handle both the dismemberment and the cleanup.”
“So that’s what Officer Kishida thinks,” Tetsuya said, feigning sudden understanding. “So, in Officer Kishida’s mind, I only possess strong psychological fortitude when I’m at the Hasebe residence.”
Kishida was taken aback.
Indeed, they were the ones who believed Yomikawa Tsuko was skilled at gaining trust, had exceptional mental fortitude, and was highly adaptable. So why wouldn’t she do the dismemberment herself?
If both Kagehara Tetsuya and Yomikawa Tsuko were culprits, what reason would force only Kagehara Tetsuya to perform the dismemberment?
At this point, Kishida was beginning to grasp the girl’s line of reasoning.
At the same time, he clearly sensed the difference between her and Ćgami YĆsuke.
Simply put, the three questions she had posed today could all be rephrased in the same format:
“Hasebe Koichi knew he was at risk of being killed, yet he didn’t return to his own home but hid at the Kagehara residence. What is the reason?”
“Ćshima Masaki and Hasebe Koichi knew the meeting conditions were unreasonable, yet they had to comply with ‘A’s’ demands. What is the reason?”
“Kagehara Tetsuya knew the dismemberment marks would lead the police to suspect him, yet he still did it. What is the reason?”
If these three questions couldn’t be answered, Ćgami YĆsuke’s deduction would fall apart. And it was clear that even if Ćgami YĆsuke were here, he wouldn’t be able to provide convincing answers.
Upon deeper analysis, Ćgami YĆsuke’s deduction focused too heavily on storytelling.
The core of his story clearly revolved around three mysteries: the time-locked room, Yomikawa Tsuko’s presence in Kagehara Tetsuya’s room, and Yomikawa Tsuko’s visit to the Hasebe residence.
Of course, he had solved these three mysteries quite well, but the other parts of his deduction were rather forced.
In other words, besides considering the “protagonist’s”—Yomikawa Tsuko’s—perspective, the three mysteries, and whether the story was exciting, he had overlooked other aspects.
For example, regarding Hasebe Koichi and the others, in his story, the purpose of these “supporting characters” was clearly just to make the story “seem plausible.” Therefore, during his deduction, he hadn’t considered these “supporting characters” as living people and hadn’t considered their psychology and perspectives. The most obvious example was Hasebe Koichi’s behavioral logic, which Ćgami YĆsuke hadn’t considered at all.
But in reality, there is no distinction between protagonists and supporting characters. Everyone is the protagonist of their own story.
Looking back now, as Ćgami YĆsuke himself had said, it was better to treat his deduction as a “story.”
And he had been terribly wrong to treat the “story” as the truth. Kishida felt somewhat dejected. He had no right to blame Ćgami YĆsuke. Now that things had come to this, he could only accept his failure. “So, your purpose in going to the Hasebe residence was truly just to gather information? And the notion of ‘questioning in the tone of the victim’s family’ was just wishful thinking on our part?”
Tetsuya knew that simply providing a common reason wouldn’t achieve the desired effect. So, she said, “Actually, Ćgami-kun’s deduction isn’t entirely wrong.”
“Huh?” Kishida looked up. “So, you knew Hasebe Koichi might be killed?”
“I didn’t say that,” Tetsuya said, taking a sip of tea and changing the subject. “It’s better to start with my relationship with Kagehara-kun. Since Officer Kishida has already asked Ćgami-kun, you probably no longer believe the lie that we’re lovers.”
“In fact, my acquaintance with Kagehara-kun began with the Makeup Hunter case. This case is quite peculiar, and I’m very interested in knowing whether there were any special reasons for the way the culprit handled the victims.”
Kishida thought of the girl’s club and said, “You’re a ‘ritualist’?”
Regarding the Makeup Hunter, the majority of public opinion was divided between “ritualists” and “maniacs.”
The ritualists believed that the culprit’s special treatment of the victims was part of some mysterious ritual with special meaning, possibly related to the culprit’s belief in gods and ghosts. Therefore, if one wanted to solve the case, one could investigate related myths and legends.
The maniacs believed that the ritualists were all obsessed with detective novels and that following their advice was a waste of time and taxpayer money. The Makeup Hunter was simply a maniac, and if one wanted to solve the case, one should start with basic clues.
“That’s right. I’m a staunch ritualist,” Tetsuya nodded. “Therefore, when I learned of Kagehara-kun’s existence, I became very curious. If he was the one who killed Tanaka Erika, then why did he imitate the methods of the Makeup Hunter? If he wasn’t the culprit, then what were his unique views as a suspect?”
“Oh? Did he tell you?” Kishida’s interest was piqued.
Tetsuya didn’t answer the question directly but continued at his own pace. “Most of what I said about the time and process of our acquaintance is true. Our specific relationship would be better described as ‘fellow enthusiasts’ and ‘enemies,’ because he is a follower of the ‘maniac.’”
“From the moment I knew Kagehara-kun wasn’t the one who killed Tanaka Erika, our exchanges became more in-depth and frequent. Naturally, although we had different views on the truth, we began to trust each other on this case.”
Kishida’s hand trembled. “You said you knew Kagehara Tetsuya wasn’t the one who killed Tanaka Erika? Are you sure?”
Tetsuya glanced at him sideways and said, “I’m not as clever as Officer Kishida, able to arrive at answers solely through mental deduction. Therefore, I can only judge based on evidence.”
Kishida grunted at the rebuke, then suddenly realized something. “Could it be related to the video or diary mentioned in Kagehara Tetsuya’s letter to Hasebe Koichi?”
Comments (1)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.