Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 521 Strike a heavy punch!

When Minamoto no Tamako said, "The diner is not Kujou Yuka herself," Fushimi Shika's first reaction was, "Did all those waiters mistake her for someone else at the same time?"

His reasoning told him that there were flaws in the logic, but his intuition knew it was true because he wasn't blind and could see the reaction of the nine lights.

"What's wrong, Mr. Kujo? Is there a problem?" Fushimi Shika grabbed Kujo Hikaru's shoulder, pinched his collarbone, and forced him to sit down.

At this point, Kujo Hikaru had lost all interest in protesting the violent law enforcement, and the lawyer remained silent as well. The three of them stared at Minamoto no Tamako, waiting for her to finish the rest of her reasoning.

Yuko Minamoto continued, "The police only showed the waiter the receipt and briefly described Yuka's appearance. The imposter is very likely impersonating Yuka Kujo to create an alibi..."

"Impossible!" Kujo Hikaru interrupted. "If I had accomplices, the police would have found out long ago, right? Besides, my wife is a foreigner, such a distinctive feature, how could anyone mistake her for someone else!"

“Yes, that’s what I thought at first too, and that’s why I fell into a cognitive trap.” Minamoto no Tamako didn’t deny it. Facing Kujo Hikaru’s questioning, she answered as if she were talking to a robot: “Do you remember Ichikawa Akira telling her mother that she wanted to eat Lorraine quiche?”

Kujo Hikaru was startled again. He knew the question wasn't directed at him, so he turned his gaze to Fushimi Shika.

“I remember, so what?” Fushimi Shika asked in return.

"She ate Lorraine quiche the day before the incident, which was made by her mother. However, on the night of the incident, she ate Lorraine quiche again and went to a French restaurant for a meal... Isn't that very unusual?"

Gen Tamako couldn't help but start biting her thumb; it was an unconscious habit she had when thinking, and she couldn't change it overnight.

"Isn't it strange to eat the same dish two days in a row? Of course, some people might enjoy eating the same dishes repeatedly, but most of them are home-style dishes. Who would go to a high-end French restaurant just to eat a dish they've already tried?"

The lawyer chimed in, "You can't generalize like that. Some people really enjoy French food and never get tired of it... I'm one of those people. I often go to my favorite restaurants and order the same dish."

“Yes, that’s possible,” Minamoto no Tamako nodded, biting her thumbnail with her front teeth. “But Ichikawa’s mother’s exact words were, ‘I made her several servings, and she hasn’t finished them yet.’”

The lawyer was taken aback; he didn't know that Yuan Yuzi had asked the deceased's family.

Fushimi Shika thought about it carefully. Ichikawa's mother had indeed said that, and it was probably written in the interrogation record. However, he was focused on eating fruit at the time and hadn't been paying much attention.

Yuan Yuzi looked up at the lawyer: "The food at home hasn't been finished yet, why did she go to a French restaurant specifically to eat?"

The lawyer couldn't answer, so Kujo Hikaru interrupted, "Perhaps her mother's cooking is so bad that the dishes don't suit her taste, which is why she went to a French restaurant specifically to eat."

"No, if Ichikawa's mother wasn't a good cook, then why would Ichikawa Akira ask her to make Lorraine quiche?"

Gen Tamako turned her gaze to meet Kujo Hikaru's eyes.

Kujo Hikari then noticed that her pupils were slightly constricted, filled with whites, and were terrifyingly bright, with an almost morbid obsession, as if she wanted to drill into other people's hearts and peek into the scenery deep in the darkness.

"There is only one reason that can explain all of the above problems."

Gen Tamako's eyes reflected Kujo Hikaru's pale face: "Ichikawa Akira, who went to the French restaurant for dinner, is also an imposter—Ichikawa Akira impersonated Kujo Yuka, and Kujo Yuka impersonated Ichikawa Akira."

The lawyer looked puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "But Kujou Yuka is white, how could Ichikawa Akira possibly impersonate someone of a different race..."

“Who said Ichikawa Akira looks Asian?” Minamoto Tamako said. “Her father is white, so Ichikawa Akira is mixed-race.”

Fushimi Shika looked annoyed upon hearing this. He had no idea about such crucial information, and Mizutani Jun'ichirō had never mentioned it. He naturally assumed that Ichikawa Akira was also Japanese... No wonder the first step in solving a case is to gather information. Without enough information, no amount of reasoning will be of any use.

It is estimated that Kujo Hikaru took advantage of the information difference in perspective, coupled with Kujo Mutsu's confidentiality requirements that prohibited the use of photos for questioning, which is how he managed to fool the police.

Fushimi Shika has two minor doubts about this:
First, how did Kujo Hikaru anticipate that her father would ask for secrecy?
If one had to explain it, it could be that Kujo Hikaru knew his father well enough to believe that his father would protect the family's reputation and that he could guarantee that his father would keep the secret. Therefore, he relied on this as the core trick of the murder case.

Fushimi Shika felt that this explanation was too far-fetched. If it were him, he certainly wouldn't focus on other people's reactions in his murder plan... But out of the corner of his eye, he recalled Kujo Hikaru's arrogant appearance just now, and it seemed that such a person was indeed capable of doing such a thing.

Secondly, even if the identities are swapped, the method of killing people simultaneously in both locations remains unsolved.

Fushimi Shika, though he had his own thoughts, did not disagree at this crucial moment.

In private, he would tease Minamoto Tamako, which was a little playful thing between lovers; but if he were to slap Minamoto Tamako in front of outsiders, it would be a violation of the reasoning team's principle of sticking together.

Moreover, Minamoto no Tamako's reasoning was not yet finished: "Ichikawa Akira ate at the Japanese restaurant at six o'clock, so she did not have any symptoms of pollen allergy; Kujo Yuka ate at the French restaurant at nine o'clock, so she ordered the same dish."

"Kujou Yuka was murdered five hours after her meal, while Ichikawa Aki was murdered two hours after her meal. Therefore, Kujou Yuka's actual time of death was 9:00 plus five hours, which is 2:00 AM; Ichikawa Aki's actual time of death was 6:00 plus two hours, which is 8:00 PM."

"The two people did not die at the same time, but six hours apart—during those six hours, Kujo Hikaru had plenty of time to commit the crime!"

Kujo swayed and slumped into a chair.

He just wanted Genji Tamako to shut up and stop talking. But he didn't even have the courage to vent his emotions, because Fushimi Shika was watching him closely, and he could only watch helplessly as Genji Tamako continued to reveal the truth.

Gen Tamako, sitting in the presiding judge's seat, gradually shifted from a seated to a squatting position. She placed her feet on the edge of the chair, squatting on it, her left hand hugging her knee, her right hand biting her thumbnail, her eyes unblinking.

“I’ve always found it strange that the murderer had to commit the crime outdoors? Why did they have to kill in an alley? Why were the crime scenes in the two cases so similar? Logically speaking, committing a crime outdoors would make it more likely to be exposed and to encounter witnesses, and that’s exactly what happened…”

"But now I understand, the murderer did it on purpose; he deliberately made the witnesses see it."

“There were still many things I didn’t understand, but Lu Jun enlightened me. He said something to me before that made the whole reasoning fit perfectly—indeed, he is better at understanding people’s hearts than I am.”

Minamoto no Tamako repeated Fushimi Shika's exact words verbatim:
"If a wife is neglected by her husband for a long time, wouldn't she harbor resentment towards her lover? If a lover has no official status for a long time, wouldn't he feel resentment towards his wife? Of course, the most despicable one is the husband, but men can use infidelity to divert attention from their problems. Being caught in the middle only enjoys it and doesn't put them in a difficult position."

"If the wife is angry, she will blame the mistress; if the mistress wants a title, she will lie and say that she has a shrewish wife and has no choice... In short, she will keep it from both sides! In order to win a man's heart, they will only try harder to please him and hate their rivals."

Yuan Yuzi paused, her gaze sharp and piercing: "If I'm not mistaken, they still love you, right?"

Kujou Hikaru lowered his head and remained silent.

But Minamoto no Tamako had no intention of ending there. She would not give up until she had unearthed all the truths hidden in the darkness. She was determined to expose all the secrets to the light of day and to bring solace to the dead!
She continued, "You tricked both Kujou Yuka and Ichikawa Akira. You tricked them into going to the restaurant to help you create an alibi, pretending to have a change of heart, but in reality, you planned to kill them both..."

The lawyer recovered and followed Yuan Yuzi's train of thought. To protect his client, he made a last-ditch effort and shouted, "No, your guess is wrong! If the two switched identities, how could the dishes in their stomachs possibly match?"

Gen Tamako glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and said, "Because the ingredients used to make French and Japanese food are the same."

"How is this possible..." The lawyer was stunned, his voice growing softer and softer.

Yuan Yuzi countered, "Why is it impossible? Lorraine quiche is a French appetizer. Its ingredients include eggs, leavened dough, bacon, cream, onions... Yes, it sounds like a dessert, but it tastes sweet and savory."

She continued, “The other person ate at the Japanese restaurant a dish of mushroom and egg rolls, cold sea onion salad, and red bean ice cream… The main ingredients were eggs, raw noodles, onions, and cream. The remaining ingredients could be supplemented with other dishes.”

"In order not to be distinguished, they deliberately ate ingredients that would not cause any difference. Although Japanese and French cuisines use the same raw materials, the dishes they make are completely different and have two completely different flavors... This is also a misconception that the murderer deliberately exploited."

The lawyer could tell that Kujo Hikaru had given up, but as his client's lawyer, he had to struggle: "Wait... let me sort this out..."

He was covered in sweat, clutching his hair, thinking furiously: "That's it! I've got it! Following this logic, not eating the ingredients that cause the difference is to prevent the forensic doctor from distinguishing the ingredients, which means they have to be dissected for autopsy—they wouldn't love Mr. Kujo so much that they would willingly die, would they? If they really had such strong love, why would Mr. Kujo personally kill someone?"

Yuan Yuzi paused for a moment; this wasn't a part she was good at.

Fushimi Shika immediately stepped in and answered for her: "It's very simple. Just tell the deceased, 'The person you are impersonating doesn't like to eat these things,' or 'Eating these things will give you away,' and they will eat the fixed meals as instructed."

He was quite adept at deception, so he naturally knew the methods criminals used to lie. Gen Tamako's train of thought cleared up again: "That's right! Kujou Yuka's friend mentioned that she still deeply loves her husband, and if one day he changes his mind, she might gladly accept him... This means that persuading Kujou Yuka to become an accomplice isn't difficult!"

The lawyer slammed his fist on the table and pressed, "What about the eyewitness testimony at 11 o'clock? Both sides have eyewitnesses who saw Mr. Kujo..."

Gen Tamako immediately retorted, "That's not a definitive eyewitness account, but rather 'a man wearing glasses and a mask, resembling nine beams of light.'"

“Foreigners are on average taller than Japanese people. I have seen the autopsy report. Kujo Yuka is 1.73 meters tall, Ichikawa Akira is 1.72 meters tall, and Mr. Kujo Hikaru is also 1.73 meters tall.”

"Following the above reasoning, all we need to do is deceive Ichikawa Aki into disguising herself as me at 11 o'clock and appearing at the alley entrance so that she can be witnessed, and we can complete this series of tricks involving simultaneous murders in two locations!"

The lawyer slammed his fists on the table, his heart pounding with fear. He could only bolster his argument this way: "This is too far-fetched! How could the deceased willingly impersonate the murderer?!"

Genji paused again, but this time Fushimi Shika was able to cooperate very skillfully, and he immediately replied:
"Why is it impossible? It's very simple. Just tell your wife, 'I really want to go back to our happy life, but that woman is clinging to me and has something on me, so I have no choice but to give in'; and tell your lover, 'As long as I get rid of my wife, I can marry you legitimately.' You can easily manipulate both women..."

The lawyer sensed something was amiss upon hearing this. He couldn't help but turn around and glance at Fushimi Shika, giving her a cryptic look as he looked her up and down. Then he turned back to Minamoto Tamako, giving her another cryptic look.

Minamoto no Tamako continued her deduction, picking up where Fushimi Shika left off, saying, "The two police stations have different investigative departments, and a lot of information isn't shared, which is why the culprit chose to commit the crime in two separate locations, unfortunately..."

"It's a pity, everything would have been perfect if you hadn't come," Kujo Hikaru interrupted.

Yuan Yuzi finally came to her senses. This nominal uncle was no longer as arrogant as before; he exuded despair and dejection. For a moment, she didn't know what to say, so she could only maintain a businesslike attitude, put her feet down on the chair, straighten her back, secretly wipe the drool from her thumb, and said seriously:
"Stop resisting. Confess. If you have a good attitude, your sentence may be reduced."

When Kujo Hikaru heard the words 'confess,' his body trembled. He slightly raised his head, revealing a particularly frighteningly large white under his eyes, exuding a sense of self-destructive madness: "No, I won't confess."

Genji was taken aback and was about to criticize her when Kujo Hikaru beckoned to her and said, "You have no evidence! Moreover, your reasoning has flaws... Come here, I'll tell you the whole truth..."

"There will definitely be evidence. All we need to do is take the photos of the deceased and confront the eyewitnesses, and the truth will come to light..."

Gen Tamako retorted, then couldn't help but ask, "However, where is there a flaw in the reasoning?"

Kujo Hikaru continued to beckon: "Come here, get closer, I'll tell you something in private..."

Yuan Yuzi actually believed it. As she stepped down from the presiding judge's seat, she thought that this was probably the part in detective dramas where the murderer cries and confesses his inner thoughts.

She was still pondering what lines she should say later to showcase the style of a master detective.

For example, refuting the murderer's selfishness: 'No, your actions were all driven by selfish desires, which is undeniable,' or fundamentally denying the argument that evil deeds have a cause: 'No matter how many reasons there are, people must always pay the price for their mistakes'...

She walked to the other side of the interrogation table, craned her neck, and leaned closer to the nine beams of light, still asking with a curious expression, "Where exactly did the reasoning go wrong?"

"Let me tell you..."

Kujo Hikaru's fingernails were bleeding as he suddenly opened his mouth and bit at Minamoto no Tamako's neck!
The lawyer was shocked. Before Yuan Yuzi could react, a loud 'bang' came from Kujo Hikaru's forehead. Fushimi Shikamaru slapped him on the head, making him fall backward, and the chair and he fell to the ground.

Yuan Yuzi was startled and finally realized what had just happened. She hurriedly touched her neck and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that her fair neck was not injured.

"Learned your lesson, huh?" Fushimi Shika glanced sideways at Minamoto Tamako and said, "Now you know to keep your distance from suspects, right?"

Genji's first reaction was incomprehension, and she couldn't help but question Kujo Hikaru why she wanted to kill her, after all, she had only told the truth.

Kujo Hikaru was stunned by the slap, and his head hit the back of his head. This was really bad; he lost consciousness and couldn't respond at all.

Fushimi Shika had no choice but to answer for him: "You've ruined his life. It would be strange if he didn't kill you."

Yuan Yuzi stammered, "But...but...he killed two people and destroyed two families...why doesn't he reflect on his mistakes?"

Fushimi Shika felt that this guy had a problem with his thought process, and a very big problem at that, but this wasn't something that had just happened a day or two ago, and he had more or less gotten used to it. He casually replied, "Yes, you are innocent, you are wronged, you are in the right, but he just wants to kill you, so what can you do? Advise him to become a monk and do good? Don't always assume things."

Gen Tamako realized something was wrong and retorted, "Since you noticed, why didn't you warn me? I knew I wouldn't have gotten any closer if you had!"

Fushimi Shika did not reply. He pretended not to hear, opened the interrogation room, and asked the police officers in the station to call the doctor. He also arranged for others to take photos and confront the witnesses.

"You're not doing this on purpose, are you? Trying to be a hero and save the damsel in distress?" Yuan Yuzi pressed on relentlessly, "Or are you planning to teach me a lesson like you taught Yingzi, so I'll learn my lesson?"

The answer is both, but Fushimi Shika would never say it outright. He argued, "You're overthinking it. I was just momentarily distracted and didn't react in time, which allowed him to take advantage of me."

"Why are you daydreaming? What are you thinking about?" Yuan Yuzi pressed for an answer.

While the two were talking, the Sapporo Police Station was in complete chaos. Detectives were busy calling for emergency medical services, assigning people to organize interrogation records, printing out photos of the deceased, and re-verifying witnesses... In short, there were many things to finish, but these were none of Minamoto Tamako's business, since she wasn't a provincial police officer.

Fushimi Shika was busy dealing with Minamoto no Tamako. He took Hirako with him and quickly walked out of the police station, casually lying, "I'm thinking about how to tell your grandfather after we solve the case."

“Let’s just tell the truth,” Yuan Yuzi said with a touch of pride, “We passed his test, opened our hearts to each other, cooperated perfectly, and solved this murder case…”

Before she could finish speaking, her pink flip phone rang in her pocket; at the same time, Fushimi Shika's phone also rang in her pocket.

Yuan Yuzi answered the phone first: "Moshi moshi... Ah, Grandpa, I have good news to tell you about that murder case..."

Then, she looked surprised: "What? You already know? So fast? Okay... I'll go back right away."

After she finished her call, Fushimi Shika slowly took out her phone from her pocket and pressed the answer button: "Um... I know... Okay."

Seeing this, Gen Tamako asked, "Who is it?"

Fushimi Shika felt that this guy's brain was sometimes sharp and sometimes not: "Who else could it be? Of course it's your grandfather. He asked me to meet at the Kujo family's house... That's what he told you, right?"

“Yeah, how did you know?” Yuan Yuzi found it a bit strange: “The case has just been solved, and Grandpa is already calling to urge us to meet. Isn’t that a bit too hasty? It’s not too late to give out the reward in a couple of days. At least let us have a good rest for a day.”

"Reward?" Fushimi Shika extracted the key phrase: "What benefits did he promise you?"

"No, do we need to promise that?" Yuan Yuzi scratched her head. Shouldn't there be a small reward for helping someone out, as is customary?
She even received a little red flower for helping her mom wash dishes when she was little!
Fushimi Shika was speechless. He hailed a taxi and, instead of rushing to the Kujo residence, first looked around for a restroom to help Hirako take care of her bodily needs—she had eaten a large portion of ice cream and was now experiencing stomach upset.

This time, Yuan Yuzi didn't rush her. She felt it wasn't a big deal and wasn't in a hurry to boast to her grandfather. After Ping Yingzi lingered in the bathroom for an hour, they took a taxi together to visit her grandfather.

As usual, the butler received the three of them, but this time he did not lead them into the Japanese-style room, but went directly into Kujo Mutsumi's study.

When Fushimi Shika opened the door, he could smell a faint scent of cypress wood mixed with the bitter aftertaste of some kind of burnt herb.

The study has three walls filled with black walnut bookshelves, a Japanese sword hanging on the left wall, and a celadon incense burner by the sliding door emitting wisps of smoke, creating a rather elegant atmosphere.

Kujo Mutsu sat behind his desk, dressed in a casual suit, no longer using his cane, and was signing some documents.

"You're here? Have a seat... I'll be done here in a minute."

Kujo Mutsumi gestured for the two to sit down opposite him, and the butler stepped forward to lead Sakurako out to play. Minamoto Tamako felt that the Kujo family wouldn't have kidnappers, and besides, she had become more perceptive and could tell that her grandfather wanted to discuss private matters, so she let Hirai Sakurako go and have fun on her own for the time being.

Fushimi Shika had a vague idea of ​​why Kujo Mutsu had summoned them, and he also knew that Kujo Mutsu had probably been sending people to observe the two of them.

If Kujo Mutsu hadn't called them back, it would have been fine, but if he was in such a hurry to bring them back, it meant that the eyewitnesses—the restaurant and hotel staff—were likely to be in trouble...

(End of this chapter)