Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 3: Can corpses talk?

Bunkyo Ward, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo, is the academic center of the central area of Tokyo. Dozens of universities, including the main campus of the University of Tokyo, have set up part of their campuses in Bunkyo Ward, including the Tokyo Medical and Dental University where Uesugi Sosetsu studied.

With so many colleges and universities and the high land prices, you can see many super-large apartments called "towers" in Bunkyo Ward, but there are even more single-family houses and flats on campus. The roads are very congested and crowded with people, mostly office workers and students. A unique bookish scent permeates the air in Bunkyo Ward. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom on both sides of the road, but the busy Tokyo residents have no time to appreciate them. They are only worthy of a quick glance while waiting for the traffic lights, and then they have to get busy with their livelihoods.

The road is not long, but there are more than a dozen traffic lights along the way. Inspector Kuwahara was driving the car, and Inspector Tanaka kept chatting with Uesugi Sosetsu from time to time. Although Uesugi Sosetsu's attitude was not very good, Inspector Tanaka enjoyed it. It can be seen that although he was very tired, he was in a good mood.

Uesugi Muneyuki was feeling annoyed and unhappy, but he couldn't really turn against the police, so he could only answer reluctantly. Inspector may not be a big deal in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, but Inspector Tanaka, who works as a criminal policeman in a local police station, is already considered a capable person. If Uesugi Muneyuki continues to pursue a career as a forensic scientist in the future, he will indeed come into contact with this guy a lot.

The lowest level of the Japanese police is Patrolman, which is generally not considered a formal position, and corresponds to "Auxiliary Police". Patrolman is the lowest and most tiring level of the Japanese police. Above it is "Senior Patrolman", a level specially set up as a consolation level for those who have not been successfully converted from "Auxiliary Police" for 5 years. Although the level has not actually increased, the treatment and status will be better.

Above the patrol chief is the patrol chief. Only at this level can one be considered a formal employee. Takagi Wataru in Conan is the patrol chief. This level is also hard labor and is considered the most tiring level. If you see someone standing guard on the street, chasing criminals in a car, running around on the front line, or isolating the scene with his hands behind his back, he is most likely the patrol chief.

The next rank above is deputy inspector. Only at this level can one have the power to independently handle cases and enforce the law. Sato Miwako in Conan is at this level.

"So, little brother Uesugi, why did you become a forensic doctor?" Inspector Tanaka added with a rice ball in his mouth, "Your monthly salary as an intern forensic doctor is only 22, the same as Kuwabara, but we police officers get salaries. Nanwusan, you can earn more than that in a week as a gigolo."

Professor Okochi said nothing, Inspector Kuwabara was chuckling, and the police car was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

In Japan of this world, there is an extreme shortage of forensic doctors. Only Tokyo and Osaka have specialized forensic institutions. Furthermore, due to cultural traditions, national customs, religious beliefs and frequent unknown events, there are very few people willing to be forensic doctors, let alone a young and handsome guy like Uesugi Muneyuki who transferred from the department of surgery.

Uesugi Sosetsu sighed and decided to step up his game: "Inspector Tanaka, the tuition at Tokyo Medical and Dental University is 130 million yen a year. If you include club fees, equipment, and various sundry items, then the money you spend on your studies will be 200 million yen a year."

"Tuition fees can be paid in advance every six months. The cheaper student apartments in Bunkyo Ward cost about 60,000 yen a month. No matter how much you save on food, clothing, utilities, and daily expenses, you still need 100,000 yen a month. So more than 60% of students in the university work part-time to supplement their expenses."

"But I'm different. I haven't worked part-time for even a single day in the past four years. My family paid all my tuition and fees for five years when I first entered college. I live in a single apartment provided by my family, which is priced at 30 a month. My father also gives me a month for living expenses. As long as I work hard and live a good life, my family doesn't care about this little money." Uesugi Munen raised his eyebrows: "But if I want to drop out halfway, if I refuse to accept the school's recommendation to transfer to the forensic department, do you think my family will still support me? Can I continue to live in the apartment?"

Every word that Uesugi Sosetsu said made the smile on Inspector Tanaka's face disappear a little.

Namo San! This little brother is a rich man!

Are you showing off?! My monthly salary is only 35 yen!
It was not until he heard the end that a smile returned to Inspector Tanaka's face. When he thought that even Brother Fu had to do forensic work and deal with corpses, Inspector Tanaka felt much better.

and many more!

Inspector Tanaka suddenly realized something: "Uesugi? Bunkyo District? Could it be that your Uesugi is the same Uesugi as Kenshin Uesugi?!"

"What else? Could it be Uesugi from Tatsuya Uesugi?"

Uesugi Sosetsu's words killed the game, and Inspector Tanaka finally stopped talking. However, Professor Okouchi couldn't help but glance at Uesugi Sosetsu, but immediately closed his eyes.

Silence returned to the car and Uesugi Sosetsu rubbed his eyes.

If I do not accept the recommendation, I will have no choice but to drop out of Tokyo Medical and Dental University. Once I drop out, my family will definitely stop all financial support for me, and I will have to find a job in a local clinic.

Uesugi Sosetsu would never do such a thing. What era is it now? He knew in his previous life that in this day and age, if you don't rely on your family and have to endure hardships, you have to be a bit stupid.

But if you think that you only need to rely on your family and don’t need to work hard, then you are a complete fool.

His father promised to provide him with 30 yen per month for living expenses during his five years of college. Therefore, according to Uesugi Sosetsu's estimation, he would only receive this yen until April next year at the latest. Now it is May, so he can only receive it for one more year at most.

In fact, Uesugi Munesetsu knew very well that as long as he gave in, his father would be willing to continue giving him living expenses. However, his family had already spent 2500 million yen on his five years of college. After he started working, he still had to ask his father for living expenses. Given his pride, Uesugi Munesetsu could not do that.

As a result, I can no longer see the living but the dead, and I can no longer be a glamorous surgeon but a forensic doctor.

Well, after two lifetimes as a human, this time I, Uesugi Sosetsu, will really cut off all ties with this world and dry up the golden sea.

————I am the dividing line of the golden sea————

Endo's house is located in a relatively remote residential area in Bunkyo Ward. It is full of old "single-family houses" from the 1980s and 1990s. Specifically, they are single-family houses like those in Nobi and Crayon Shin-chan. Although they have their own doors and households, the actual living area is very small. There are only three generations living under one roof in the two-story house of only 60 square meters.

Japan's architectural style determines that there are a large number of "single-family houses", which is different from the densely packed pigeon cages and giant high-rise residential buildings in the previous China. Therefore, people can often recognize which country it is from a city photo. However, because the land prices in Tokyo and Osaka are very expensive, there are also a large number of high-rise residential buildings. Good houses are called "towers", bad houses are called "apartments", and the worst are called "danchi".

"Excuse me." Inspector Tanaka showed his police ID at the door.

The deceased's son, Endo Shosaku, was about 40 years old. He had a complicated expression and a decadent look. It seemed that he had not taken a bath for several days. When he saw the police coming, he just responded softly. His daughter-in-law Endo Matsu suppressed her emotions and held her little grandson in her arms.

"We are here to issue a death certificate." As Inspector Tanaka entered work mode, his expression became much more serious.

"I'm sorry to trouble you." Endo Shoku bowed and made way.

The house was a typical Japanese style. The tatami, wooden stairs and screen doors were very old and made creaking sounds when people walked on them. The old chandelier emitted a faint light. The corpse was placed in the old man's room with a white cloth covering its face, which looked particularly creepy in the dim environment.

"Uesugi, today is your first time, so you can do it." Professor Okochi said calmly, "Judging suicide is very simple. You were trained in surgery, so you should be able to judge it easily. You just need to verify the method of death and then sign the death report to explain the cause of death, and then you can complete it successfully."

"Yes, it's that simple, little brother Uesugi, I'm counting on you." Inspector Tanaka patted Uesugi Sosetsu's shoulder and said, "Just finish it quickly. This is the simplest job. The older generation who have fought hard cannot accept the fact that they cannot take care of themselves in their old age and need to be taken care of by their family. It is very common for them to choose to end their lives to reduce the burden on their families."

Uesugi Sosetsu nodded. This was the traditional culture of his daily life. He took a few deep breaths and tried to stretch out his hand tremblingly to uncover the white cloth on the face of the corpse.

Just as he reached out to grab the white cloth, the old man under the cloth suddenly trembled.

The tremor frightened Uesugi Sosetsu so much that he broke out in a cold sweat. He stepped back as if he had been electrocuted and hit his butt on the cabinet behind him!
thump~
The human-shaped doll on the cabinet fell to the ground, followed by Uesugi Sosetsu's uncertain gasp: "The corpse moved? Professor!"

Laughter broke out all around. The old professor said nothing, but the two detectives kept laughing. Uesugi Sosetsu noticed that his son Endo Shoku had a complicated expression, but his daughter-in-law Endo Matsu couldn't help laughing, but immediately restrained herself and covered her grandson's eyes with her hands.

"This is rigor mortis." Professor Ohkouchi was not surprised. "Uesugi, it has been more than 20 hours since the death of the deceased. The rigor mortis has begun to weaken as the protein in the body breaks down. So we see that the dead body has weak signs of movement under the stimulation of external forces. This should be common sense."

I lost my composure! So why did I come to study medicine? Oh, yes, it was because she once told me that she was a top student who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Osaka Naniwa University.

Uesugi Sosetsu regained his composure, told himself that he had to get used to it, and began the autopsy.

The deceased, Endo Masao, 72 years old, became semi-disabled at the age of 70. After lifting the white cloth covering his face, Uesugi Sosetsu noticed that there was a towel wrapped around the corpse's neck, there were traces of ulcers and bruises near his lips, and his eyes were tightly closed.

"Why are you wearing a towel?" Uesugi Sosetsu was a little puzzled.

"Oh, it's because dad often can't control his saliva, and he leaks the other half when he eats, so he has to have a towel to wipe his mouth all the time. I'm sorry, but my wife is very busy taking care of the children, and the towel was not changed in time, so it shows signs of ulceration." Endo Shoku quickly bowed and apologized: "Yesterday morning, my wife was too tired, and I didn't call dad when I saw he didn't get up. As a result, at noon..."

Uesugi Sosetsu took off the towel and found a deep mark on his neck.

"Well, Uesugi, are you sure? There is no doubt. There are marks on the neck. The deceased is semi-incapacitated and cannot leave the house. There is no suspicious situation nearby. There is no doubt that he committed suicide by hanging." Inspector Tanaka crossed his arms and said, "If you think it's okay, please sign the death certificate."

However, Uesugi Sosetsu did not answer.

When he touched the body, something was triggered.

His right hand was glowing! And he was the only one who could see that his right hand was glowing!
What is this? Why is this?
Wait, what is this world...

"I……"

Before Uesugi Sosetsu was able to finish his words, he was forced to swallow. He seemed to be in great pain, and kept dry heaving and coughing violently.

Is this new guy okay?

Inspector Tanaka questioned Professor Okochi with his eyes.

Professor Ohkouchi sighed softly. It was normal to feel this way when facing a corpse for the first time, but this did not make him a qualified forensic doctor.

"Let me do it." The old professor took out rubber gloves.

"Wait... wait!" Uesugi Sosetsu retched, covered his throat, and said with difficulty: "I have questions about Mr. Endo's death!"

The earth-shattering words penetrated the wooden structure of the building.

Everyone present was stunned.

"Are you kidding me, little brother Uesugi?" Inspector Tanaka was the first to react. He put his hands on his hips, annoyed and speechless: "Don't say such troublesome things, okay?"

"Look, there are strangulation marks on the deceased's neck, and his body has gone into rigor mortis. There are no suspicious people nearby. Is this suicide or something else?" Inspector Tanaka's face was almost wrinkled together. "Such a simple suicide death, what is there to be suspicious about? It's so obvious that it's not suicide, could it be murder?"

"This is still uncertain." Uesugi Sosetsu wiped his nose fiercely. He looked at his right hand with doubt. Facing the question from Inspector Tanaka, Uesugi Sosetsu's expression was also uncertain, but he insisted: "I think the cause of death of the deceased cannot be determined. I request an administrative autopsy!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Inspector Tanaka's face suddenly turned dark.

According to Japan's Autopsy Preservation Act, if the forensic doctor performing the autopsy cannot determine the cause of death, the body must be further dissected. This is done to protect the human rights of the deceased. Even if it is not related to a crime, the forensic doctor can request an autopsy. This is an administrative autopsy.

If the body is determined to be related to a crime, an autopsy will be performed under the direction of the prosecutor, which is called a forensic autopsy.

As soon as the administrative autopsy said this, the Endo family turned pale. After seeing this scene, Inspector Tanaka simply pulled Uesugi Sosetsu to let him talk for a moment.

In the dim corridor, the middle-aged policeman put his hands on Uesugi Sosetsu's shoulders and said, "Newbie! Newbie in forensic medicine! Please don't do something that will cause trouble, okay?"

"This is an obvious suicide! I have done this countless times in Bunkyo Ward in the past 20 years. Semi-disabled elderly people cannot accept their own situation and feel that they are causing trouble to their families, so they choose to end their lives. Isn't this a very normal thing?"

"We checked and found rope marks on the beams and strangulation marks on the neck. The family members' descriptions are consistent. In this case, if you sign the appraisal report, won't the matter be over?" Inspector Tanaka frowned and said, "I have been busy since last night. Can you please have pity on me? Okay?"

Uesugi Munen still shook his head: "No, the cause of death cannot be confirmed yet. An administrative autopsy is required."

"Are you...are you sick?" Inspector Tanaka was speechless to the young man.

"Um..." At this moment, the deceased's son, Endo Shoku, also approached secretly. He looked nervous and unhappy: "Mr. Forensic Doctor, is it really necessary to perform an autopsy? My father once said that he hoped to be buried with dignity."

"It has to be dissected," said Uesugi Sosetsu coldly. He stared at the son of the deceased with sharp eyes and suddenly smiled: "Mr. Endo, you must feel bad for killing your own father with your own hands, right?"

The young forensic doctor's eyes were as sharp as needles and scalpels, tearing open the deepest secrets in his heart.

Endo Shoku's face was pale. Facing Uesugi Sosetsu's sharp gaze, his expression was dull: "Mr. Forensic Doctor, you, you, you, what are you talking about? He is my father, why would I..."

it is true!
When Uesugi Sosetsu saw the expression on Endo Shoku's face, he finally confirmed the truth of the matter.

It was really him! The deceased's son and his daughter-in-law really strangled their father to death!
He raised his right hand, and in his eyes, the azure gem under the skin of his right hand was shining.

Just now, at the moment when he reached out and touched the corpse, a miraculous reaction occurred between the azure gem halo and the dark green dead soul.

The dead spoke!

The dead soul of Endo Masao told Uesugi Munesetsu that this was not suicide, but a murder!

A corpse that can talk?

　I'm preparing to sign the contract. I'm sorry for being late.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)