Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 351, Unleashing a Storm Headed Towards NHK!
"Baka!" NHK's core producers, directors, and safety officers were anxiously waiting outside the set. Producer Takashi Nakamura finally snapped and yelled at director Kenji Tanaka, "Look at what you've done! What kind of mess have you created?! Someone's died on set! What are we going to do now?"

"I..." The director was also pale, his face covered in frozen sweat. His lips trembled as he whispered, "There's no way around it, the filming schedule is just too tight! Producer, I told you before that choosing Junichi Okada is different from the others. He's a member of V6, and he has a lot on his plate..."

"Fine, fine... I made a mistake in hiring Junichi Okada, but what about you? Don't you bear any responsibility? There are safety hazards on set in winter, why didn't you remind me? Especially you, Tanaka, you're the on-set director! This is dereliction of duty! This is a problem! Huh?"

"I..." Director Kenji Tanaka said, feeling wronged, "Producer Nakamura, I've raised the issues on set. There was almost an accident before. I repeatedly said that the safety inspection process cannot be shortened, especially that we cannot start filming in bad weather. Also... the props are very old, and I clearly mentioned in the meeting that the ground was icy and the extras were very tired... The meeting minutes can prove it..."

"Alright, alright!" Producer Nakamura waved his hand and immediately said seriously, "I'm not telling you this to hold you accountable, but to discuss what to do next."

“The best outcome would be to rule it an accidental death and resume filming as soon as possible, but…” The producer, director, and safety manager all swallowed hard as they watched Uesugi Muneyuki being examined in the autopsy.

What exactly is this giant Buddha statue investigating? Why does it take so long to perform an autopsy?

A sense of foreboding crept into everyone's hearts.

“At this point, we can only turn a tragedy into a celebration!” Producer Nakamura suddenly gritted his teeth: “How about we compile a behind-the-scenes compilation of ‘Gunshi Kanbei’ and witness Uesugi Bakubo’s arrival on set?”

Director Tanaka's expression lit up.

Exactly! If Fuji TV can do it, why can't NHK?
And this is the film set! All the filming props, camera positions, sets, and lighting are complete, guaranteeing the entire nation a live performance of the level of a Taiga drama!
"Everyone, come here!"

"Camera setup, set up, lighting—ready to record!"

A while later, police officers from the Tochigi Prefectural Police Headquarters arrived. Since the person in charge of the case was Inspector Kuraki, the head of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Tochigi Prefectural Police Headquarters, he was followed by dozens of police officers.

"It's actually Uesugi-san!" Inspector Kuraki was about forty years old but not quite fifty. He had short, choppy hair, a tall and burly build, and was slightly overweight. He had scars on his face, small eyes, and a big nose. This middle-aged man was already overwhelmed when he heard that a case had broken out on the set of a Taiga drama, and he was completely stunned after hearing the news of the dead.

This involves NHK, a Taiga drama, and so many celebrities. If this isn't resolved quickly, the police inspector position I worked so hard for my whole life will be...

Normally, the Metropolitan Police Department has no right to intervene in local police affairs unless the local police headquarters actively requests assistance or technical guidance. Similarly, Ikeda Erena is still in the cooling-off period of the investigation and is not normally allowed to act as a police officer.

"Uesugi-san, have you made any discoveries?" Inspector Kuraki asked shrewdly.

There's no way around it, recent news has revealed that this guy's fiancée is Watanabe Minami, a special mission officer, and his prospective godfather is none other than Watanabe Eiji, the Superintendent General of Police who is serving his first term since the Cold War!

Even the head of our Tochigi Prefectural Police Headquarters personally went to offer New Year's greetings. As a mere mortal, I'd better just obediently comply!

"The deceased is Nishimura Yuzuru..." Uesugi Muneyuki briefly introduced the situation at the scene: "The cause of death was a head injury from a fall from a height. It is clear that the deceased was on his way to retrieve an item from this remote warehouse when he accidentally slipped on the steps and fell to his death. At least that's what it appears to be."

"Hmm, that makes sense." Looking at the body on the ground, Inspector Kuraki nodded. "So, this was an accidental fall? Should we notify the insurance company?"

“No need.” Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly shook his head with a smile: “Actually, it wasn’t an accident, it wasn’t suicide, and it wasn’t death from illness…”

"Nishimura's death by falling was an outright murder!"

The entire room was shocked after Uesugi Muneyuki spoke.

Several people from NHK turned pale when they heard Uesugi Muneyuki say that.

"Murder?" Inspector Kuraki was shocked by Uesugi Muneyuki's judgment. He glanced at the body on the ground, incredulous. "But the autopsy results showed death from a head injury caused by an accidental fall, didn't they?" "Yes, that's the apparent autopsy result. But Inspector Kuraki, haven't you noticed something strange?" Uesugi Muneyuki looked around. "This warehouse is very secluded. I just asked, and it's the only place without surveillance cameras. The steps outside are very slippery because of the ice, making it easy to slip. It's one thing if it were someone else, but how could Nishimura, as an assistant in the production department, not have noticed? And why would he be here?"

Everyone around listened intently, waiting for Uesugi Muneyuki to continue.

"First, we can rule out death from illness and suicide without any doubt. Then the key question is, why do I say he was murdered rather than accidentally falling to his death?" Uesugi Muneyuki said to the corpse, "Please note, if a person accidentally slips and is about to fall, what should their first reaction be?"

"They should reach out and grab something within reach," Inspector Kuraki nodded.

“That’s right, but do you see the scratches on the steps and the wooden handrails nearby?” Uesugi Muneyuki said.

Sure enough, the police at the scene checked the area and found no scratches or signs of struggle.

“Generally speaking, slipping on the bottom of the foot can indeed cause a fall, but the person would still be standing on the step. In this situation, it is almost impossible for them to have nothing to grab onto. If they have nothing to grab onto, there are only two possibilities: first, the deceased was pushed down; second, the deceased jumped down on their own.”

“But we have ruled out suicide, so it’s impossible that the deceased jumped down himself. The situation of the deceased jumping down himself is also different (the difference between suicide and homicide has been explained earlier). Suicide victims usually hit the ground with their lower body first.” Uesugi Muneyuki continued, “During the autopsy, I found that the fatal head injuries of Nishimura, such as the point of impact, angle and fragmentation pattern of the skull fracture, did not completely match the typical injuries that could be caused by ‘slipping and rolling down icy steps.’ The injuries showed a more concentrated and vertical impact force, more like being pushed hard from a height and having the back of the head directly hit a protruding rock below, rather than being formed by multiple collisions during rolling.”

"So I examined the deceased's clothes and found something."

Uesugi Muneyuki slowly opened the deceased's clothes.

In the dead of winter, the deceased was wearing thick clothes, which showed that the outside was cold and the inside was warm. Because he was very busy and sweated a lot, the inside of his undershirt was damp. As the body temperature drops rapidly after death, the damp clothes inside gradually become cold and hard.

When Uesugi Muneyuki lifted the deceased's clothes and showed everyone the clothes underneath...

A blurry, split-toe shoe print was clearly visible!
"!!!!!!"

The clear split-toe shoe print was displayed in the snow and ice, and the staff on site were shocked, frightened, incredulous, or sighing. In any case, they witnessed Uesugi Muneyuki's autopsy skills once again!
It’s amazing!
While being recorded on set by eight cameras during the Taiga drama production, Uesugi Muneyuki continued to talk eloquently.

"It must be said that the murderer was very good at choosing locations. First, he used the fact that the steps of the warehouse were frozen to create a situation that could lead to an accident and to obscure the view. At the same time, everyone, please look down."

Uesugi Muneyuki pointed to the scene: "Below is a steep slope, and there are a lot of debris piled up. The ground is uneven. When a person falls from a height onto it, it is sometimes impossible to determine when the wounds on the body were formed."

"Clearly, this was a meticulously planned crime. Yet, for some reason, the perpetrator chose to do it right in front of me. It's truly..." Uesugi Muneyuki sighed softly, turning his gaze to Ohashi Goro, the head of the props team among the on-site staff: "Are you getting too cocky, or do you think that because I resigned from Tokyo Medical and Dental University, I'm no longer qualified to perform autopsies and can't even lift a scalpel anymore? Ohashi-san?"

Goro Ohashi's expression changed drastically in the crowd. He instinctively stepped back, and with dozens of staff members and eight cameras from the Taiga drama crew filming simultaneously, Goro Ohashi's split-toe shoes kept moving backward.

"As for the motive for the murder, I think it's probably quite simple." Uesugi Muneyuki continued, "To the NHK staff, I suggest you take a close look at how many extras were theoretically supposed to be here today, and how many actually showed up?"

"Ask each extra about their registered working hours, and what their actual overtime pay and allowances are?"

"Also, the invoices and damaged props in the props section..."

"The reason for the murder probably lies in this."

(End of this chapter)