Tokyo Mystery Writers

Chapter 222 A Masterpiece of Serial Tricks

Otto Penzel stroked his thick beard, his face showing astonishment as if he had seen God.

Are you already starting to write the "Reader's Challenge"?

I—I thought the story had only just begun!

However—Maishiro Kyosuke had only torn out the last two pages of "Nostalgia".

That means the answer is hidden in the last two pages.

Therefore, this "reader challenge" is probably not written for "readers".

It was McCartney who wrote it to that beautiful three-line bag—right?

There should be other clues to add.

Otto Penzel scratched his thick beard again and opened Chapter Six of *Nostalgia*.

"Will that reveal who the killer is?"

I asked, utterly shocked.

Reading those densely packed words made me a little neurotic, and my eyes were starting to blur.

Is this... Mercator's strategy?

But—how could I possibly give up on such a small obstacle?

McCarteau exuded his intimidating confidence: "Of course!"

I can't believe Mercator's words. Given his wicked nature, I find it hard to imagine that he could write anything decent.

Taking things by surprise is his most effective tactic.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 12199.99]

Moreover, I read the entire story.

Each of the Uesugi brothers only had two or three minutes of free time.

They all have alibis, although—the "Okunomiya" is only thirty meters away from the main building.

But no matter what you do, it's impossible to complete the escape room, right?

For a moment, I was completely at a loss.

Seeing my confused expression, McCarteau's face was full of sympathy, as if he were doing me a great favor: "I really don't know what to do with you, so I'll give you a hint."

"First, it is certain that Uesugi Kenshin was murdered."

"Secondly, the murderer is in the list I gave you before, and that can be confirmed. Therefore, that police officer from Higashimurayama 3-chome is definitely not the murderer."

"Third, Inspector Kodera is not the murderer; after all, he is the main character."

"Fourth, the perpetrator was alone, acting alone without any accomplices, which is very important."

"Furthermore, the only person who knows about the murderer's crimes is the murderer himself; there are no other people involved, nor are there any accomplices or mental accomplices."

"Ah! Ah! How could I be so kind-hearted as to give you four hints?"

McCarteau's feigned regret was truly terrible acting.

"That's all? Nothing else?"

"These aren't hints, they're just the rules that are necessary for a 'deduction game'!"

"It's completely useless as a reference!"

McCarteau looked at me with disdain: "Hmm, this should allow you to use logic to solve the puzzle. If you can't, then you're a complete idiot and should just go home and rest."

The culprit who called me out of my hometown actually laughed at me without a care in the world.

Upon closer examination, this source of evil was unlikely to provide any decent clues in the first place.

It would be foolish of me to have any expectations of him.

However, my cousin's corneas! I'm determined to get them!

"I'm really looking forward to your answers, the mystery of Uesugi's murder and the mystery of the locked room."

"You have one hour to solve this mystery for me using your meticulous logical reasoning."

"I'll call your publisher in a bit and tell them the manuscript is finished."

Hearing McCartney's words, I retorted defiantly, "What if I'm right?"

McCarteau wore a disdainful smile, and the armchair beneath him creaked.

"I can guess the ending."

Jiang Liumei smiled bitterly when she saw this.

This—it really is a sequel to the "Macato" series—

Kyosuke Maijo's portrayal of the "wicked detective" Mercato is still incredibly annoying!!!

However, he may be asking for a beating.

McCarteau is a "wicked detective" in a novel.

She was portrayed as quite charming by Maijo Kyosuke.

After all, this kind of persona is quite popular in the Japanese market.

But—the focus now is not on "Evil Detective" McCarteau.

It was a murder case involving the Uesugi family, or rather, the Kenshin family.

Who is the murderer in this case?

Could it really be that the Uesugi brothers killed their adoptive father?

However—McCato said—there was only one killer.

If McCarteau wasn't lying, then the killer could only be one of the Uesugi brothers!

But if there is only one perpetrator, how do you explain their alibi?

After all, the two of them only had two to three minutes to go to the toilet.

Even if—even to put it extremely—the brothers' bathroom breaks were combined into four to six minutes, there would still be absolutely no way they could go to the "Okunomiya" to commit murder!

Even if—even to put it in an even more extreme way.

As a police officer, Uesugi Mitsuru could devise a grand scheme to kill Kenshin within a limited time.

So how do we solve the "secret room" problem, especially the "snow-covered secret room"?

After all, the time of Kenshin's death was between 3:00 and 3:30 in the morning.

But the snow stopped at 2:40 AM.

No matter what, the "Snowy Secret Room" can't be solved, right?

Although Jiang Liu Meili did not participate in the competition initiated by Maruta Chika, Kasai Kiyoshi, Gonda Manji, Hirayama Yumeaki, and Otto Penzel to challenge Maijo Kyosuke.

However—Jiang Liu Meili also harbors a desire to win a small victory against Mai Shiro Jingjie.

Jiang Liu Meili clearly understood that Mai Cheng Jingjie's confidence must be due to some hidden agenda in places that would not be easily discovered.

So Jiang Liumei started flipping through the manuscript paper quickly with a "whoosh~".

Look for clues that are hard to notice.

There is a foreshadowing element that greatly confuses Jiang Liumei.

"There is one more seemingly insignificant detail that may offer a clue to our readers."

The first button on the collar came loose, snapped open, and bounced to the right with a slight vibration.

"The tiny, translucent button, tilted inwards, rolled across the blood-stained carpet, soon lost its balance, and came to a permanent stop."

Although this story was written through McCartney for Mibukuro.

However, based on Jiang Liumei's understanding of Maishiro Kyosuke, this location is definitely a good place for Maishiro Kyosuke to hide his ambush!

In other words, this button was definitely not just something written randomly.

It must have its own inherent value!

But—since the button was at the scene of the crime and was specifically mentioned, why didn't the police find it?

Isn't this obvious evidence?

Could this be the key to solving the case?

Did the culprit take the button?

Jiang Liu Meili felt as if she had somehow seen through the trap laid by Wu Cheng Jingjie!

However—there was absolutely no way to uncover Maijo Kyosuke's scheme based on this clue!

Damn it! I'm going to see what tricks Ms. Mai is up to this time!

Just as Jiang Liumei was about to turn to the final chapter of the story of "Nostalgia".

Suddenly, Kiyoshi Kasai, who was sitting across the table, let out a strange scream!

"What? What are all these?"

"How are we supposed to guess?"

"Where are the clues? Where are the foreshadowing elements? Where is the fairness?"

"Ms. Maruta, Mr. Otto, Master Gonda, Teacher Hirayama, have you guessed the culprit behind 'Nostalgia'?"

Kiyoshi Kasai turned to look at Chika Maruta, Otto Penzel, Manji Gonda, and Yumeaki Hirayama beside him and asked a question.

As a result, the other four people who challenged Maijo Kyosuke along with Kasai Kiyoshi also looked shocked or puzzled!

Especially Gonda Manji, whose face was indescribably pale, as if reading Maijo Kyosuke's "Nostalgia" had drained him of all his blood.

Before this, Gonda Manji had always seemed confident and certain of victory!

Hirayama Yumeaki, standing to the side, looked equally dejected, like a deflated balloon.

Kiyoshi Kasai's reaction was so strong that the other eleven people present stopped reading.

At the same time, Maishiro Kyosuke also looked at his watch and came out of the study.

"Oh? Mr. Kasai Kiyoshi, not bad."

"You finished watching it in less than half an hour?"

As soon as Maishiro Kyosuke appeared, Kasai Kiyoshi, Maruta Chika, Otto Penzel, Gonda Manji, and Hirayama Yumeaki all focused their attention on him.

Maruta Chika was the first to speak, asking, "Ms. Maishiro? You're not kidding us, are you?"

"This book, 'Nostalgia,' is completely unfair! Where is the foreshadowing you described?

"I haven't even gotten into the story yet, how did it end already?"

Upon hearing Maruta Chika's words, Maishiro Kyosuke spread his hands: "That's fair. I've already written down all the clues, and the method for solving the case is also to use the clues mentioned earlier."

"Just as McCartney tells Mibuki Sanjo in the story, with just a little imagination, you can use logical deduction to deduce who the real killer is!"

At this point, Maijo Kyosuke seemed to lose his composure, revealing a mischievous grin: "Given that the five of you have issued a challenge to me..."

"To ensure fairness, and also to guarantee the reading experience of others."

"Now, please take your manuscripts and go to the guest rooms on the south side to discuss them together."

"Once you provide the final answer, then you've succeeded in your challenge!"

Even the usually calm and collected Gonda Manji was starting to get restless: "Mr. Maishiro—based on the current clues—I estimate we still won't be able to guess the correct answer."

"Could you—give us just one more tiny hint?"

Upon hearing Manji Gonda's words, Kyosuke Maijo gave him a "I can't do anything with you" look and then uttered the word "button".

"That's all I can say. If I say anything more, wouldn't that be the same as telling you the correct answer?"

"Alright, now please go to the guest rooms on the south side to discuss this."

"You have half an hour. If you still can't guess correctly after half an hour, don't forget to bring me five bottles of wine next time!"

Maruta Chika, Otto Penzel, Gonda Manji, Hirayama Yumeaki, and Kasai Kiyoshi exchanged glances, their faces showing a hint of helplessness.

When Noma Genjiro saw Maruta Chika stand up, he hurriedly raised his hand: "Maishiro-sensei, my reading progress is the same as theirs."

"Can I participate in the challenge competition now?"

Noma Genjiro was clearly a little worried about Maruta Chika, since she was the only woman among the five people.

"If I lose, I'll send Mr. Maishiro two bottles of wine!"

"Even if I win, I don't want any alcohol!"

Fearing that Maijo Kyosuke would disagree, Noma Genjiro hurriedly increased his stakes.

Kyosuke Maijo understood Genjiro Noma's meaning, and he was not an unreasonable person. Most importantly, Kyosuke Maijo had confidence in this piece, "Nostalgia".

Even if Noma Genjiro read a couple more pages, it wouldn't have much of an impact.

As long as you haven't finished reading the last page, it's fine.

Thinking of all this, Maijo Kyosuke smiled and nodded to Noma Genjiro, confiscating the manuscript from Noma Genjiro's hands.

They escorted the six people, including Noma Genjiro, into the guest rooms on the south side.

After finishing all this, Maijo Kyosuke returned to the living room.

Then, looking at the remaining Jiang Liu Meili, Yu Shan Hideomi, Mikoshiba Yasunori, Mikoshiba Kyoko, and Tatara Katsunori, Ikegami Ryoichi said, "See you again in half an hour. I hope that after you've finished reading, you can tell them whether my clues are fair or not."

Jiang Liu Meili nodded when she heard what Mai Shiro Kyosuke said.

At the same time, he felt a little smug, because when Maijo Kyosuke was hinting at the "challenge group," he mentioned the key clue "button"!

Isn't this the crucial foreshadowing that I just guessed?

With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Liumei opened the final chapter of "Nostalgia" with anticipation.

On the other side, Genjiro Noma, Chika Maruta, Otto Penzel, Manji Gonda, Kiyoshi Kasai, and Yumeaki Hirayama were sitting in a guest room on the south side.

Silence filled the room.

Among the six people, there is the president of Kodansha, one of Japan's top three mystery publishing companies, and the president's secretary, a veteran mystery enthusiast.

It features top European and American booksellers, anthologists, and collectors, as well as emerging writers of "unconventional mystery" genres.

There is also a master of mystery criticism, and a multi-talented individual who is both a mystery critic and a mystery writer.

Logically speaking, these six people should have gathered together to challenge Maijo Kyosuke.

It should be a very lively scene.

But at this moment, all six of them looked completely bewildered, showing absolutely no interest in discussing the short story "Nostalgia".

Because in their minds, it seemed that no matter how much they discussed it, the outcome was already predetermined.

Five minutes later.

Looking defiant and visibly disheartened, Gonda Manji spoke first: "We—sitting here like this isn't a solution, is it?"

"We only have half an hour in total —"

"No, we only have twenty-five minutes left—"

"Shouldn't we have a good discussion about Teacher Wu Cheng's song 'Nostalgia'?"

"To be honest, I can't come to a conclusion either—"

"But even if we lose, we should still give it our all!"

Upon hearing Manji Gonda's words, Otto Penzel sighed, "Mr. Gonda, what you say makes a lot of sense, but I really don't know where to begin—"

"The plot of 'Nostalgia' is just too outrageous."

"I—was completely caught off guard by a reader challenge from Ms. Maishiro!"

"To be honest, I didn't even see any foreshadowing—"

"No—it can't be said that we didn't see any foreshadowing."

"I must have seen countless—uncountable—foreshadowing elements."

Otto Penzel fell into a brief silence after saying this.

Maruta Chika, on the other side, took about a minute to speak: "Mr. Otto is right—"

"I was wondering why Ms. Mai Cheng called 'Nostalgia' a 'serial trick' —"

"Now I understand, because Teacher Wucheng's 'Nostalgia' is a work full of pitfalls!"

"This so-called 'pitfall' doesn't refer to any pitfalls in the works written by Ms. Wucheng."

"Instead, it means that Teacher Wu Cheng's essay 'Nostalgia' is setting traps for us everywhere!"

"Furthermore, the more seasoned the mystery fan, the more they can sense the 'malice' permeating Maishiro-sensei's works!"

"This seems to be—Mr. Mai's curse on seasoned mystery fans." The more you know, the more unpredictable it becomes, because there are many foreshadowing elements and familiar, nostalgic elements from the golden age of classic mystery fiction.

Kasai Kiyoshi nodded in agreement: "Ms. Maruta is right. Based on my memory, I've already seen classic elements in Ms. Maishiro's 'Nostalgia,' such as 'a work within a work,' 'the mystery of no trace,' 'the locked room,' 'the disappearance of the murder weapon,' and 'the alibi.'"

"What's even more impressive is that Professor Wu Cheng also quoted 'The Mystery of Thor's Bridge' from the Sherlock Holmes stories, and even included a handout on the motives behind the locked-room mystery!"

"Leaving aside the question of who the murderer is, just considering the groundbreaking nature of Teacher Wu Cheng's 'Nostalgia,' it can be called a landmark work!"

"After all, this is a short mystery story, and to achieve such a fusion of tricks," its impact might be no less than that of Ms. Maishiro's previous story, "Convergence!"

Kiyoshi Kasai's words resonated with everyone else.

But—as to who the murderer was—everyone present remained completely clueless.

Because the challenge of detective novels is never about guessing.

The so-called challenge is to go head-to-head with the writer!

Anyone can simply guess who the killer is.

Moreover, based on the current situation, there are only two murderers: Mitsuru Uesugi and his older brother Akira Uesugi!

This is the classic choice between two options, A and B.

Even if you're just guessing, there's a 50% chance you'll be right.

But simply guessing correctly is completely meaningless.

The real meaning of the question "Who is the murderer?" is to solve the "double-locked room" mystery and the "alibi"!

And "Why did the murder weapon disappear?"

Only by solving all the mysteries can the murderer be truly brought to justice!

"Button—what exactly is the button clue given by Ms. Maishiro?"

Seeing that everyone had fallen silent again, Hirayama Yumeaki raised a new question.

Gonda Manji slowly opened his mouth and answered, "I have already guessed the general idea of ​​what Master Maishiro gave me."

"The button that fell off in the prologue clearly shows that the button came off and bounced off to the right."

"Although the police have never mentioned this button, since it is important physical evidence, it means that this button can prove the identity of the murderer."

"So it's clear that the murderer took the button, which is why the police didn't find this crucial piece of evidence, but let's leave that aside for now—"

"Ms. Maishiro clearly wrote that the button flew off to the right!"

"Do you remember?"

"In the previous story in the 'Macato Series' called 'Convergence,' Teacher Wu Cheng used a similar logical technique."

"A large clock placed in the left corner of the room!"

"Because the bullets would hit the bell and make a loud noise, the murderer lowered it to the ground!"

Gonda Manji paused for a moment before continuing, "Although 'Conclusion' doesn't offer a final answer and has a rather theatrical feel, at its core, it's based on logical reasoning."

"In this situation, I don't think the button is the point."

"The key point is the direction the button flew off."

"So the question is—under what circumstances would the button spring off to the right?"

Gonda Manji looked at everyone present as if he were posing a test question.

Although it seemed like a clue, this clue caused everyone present to fall into deep thought—

"Fly to the right—"

Maruta Chika muttered to herself, but soon came up with a very apt idea.

"Fly to the right! Got it!"

As Maruta Chika spoke excitedly, the other five looked at her, eager to know the answer.

Maruta Chika pointed to the suit she was wearing.

He then pointed to Noma Genjiro's suit beside him and said with a wry smile, "Has everyone noticed the problem?"

The other five people, seeing Maruta Chika's actions, shook their heads in unison, speaking in unison.

"I can't tell."

Maruta Chika's expression turned somewhat smug: "Mr. Maishiro is right. He is indeed very fair, and he has a real knack for 'logical reasoning'."

"However—if you don't think carefully and observe closely, you really won't be able to match Mr. Mai's brainwaves."

Noma Genjiro glanced at his watch, then gently shook Maruda Chika's shoulder: "Alright, Chika, we don't have much time left."

"Stop keeping us in suspense and tell everyone!"

Maruta Chika reached out and grabbed Noma Genjiro's hand, nodding mischievously, "It's right-fastening! Maijo-sensei said it's right-fastening!"

"There's something that people don't seem to pay much attention to, but I graduated from a fashion design school, and there's a very common-sense question about it."

"Most clothing with open fronts, such as Hanfu, kimono, Western suits, and formal wear, especially for men, usually has the left lapel covering the right lapel, which is called 'left lapel'."

"Most women's clothing has a right-side lapel that covers the left side, which is called a right-fastening garment."

"The button flies off to the right because of the force exerted by the clothing on the right side, so the button's position is in the upper left. Under what circumstances would the button be in the upper left?"

"Of course, it's the case of right-fastening!"

Maruta Chika's words caused everyone's expression to change drastically!

Hirayama Yumeaki, true to his reputation as a writer of "unconventional mystery," immediately blurted out upon hearing Maruta Chika's words, "I know! The murderer is someone who enjoys cross-dressing!"

Hirayama Yumeaki's guess was quite imaginative, but Gonda Manji disagreed: "'A love of cross-dressing,' well, that's certainly a possibility, but I think the more important point is that there doesn't seem to be any foreshadowing in the work that points to 'a love of cross-dressing.'"

"so----"

Otto Penzel chuckled wryly and picked up the conversation: "I agree with Mr. Gonda's idea. Rather than the answer that the killer is someone with a cross-dressing hobby, I'm more inclined to believe the killer is a woman!"

As Otto Penzel uttered his words, the people present exchanged glances, then gritted their teeth and said, "A narrative trick!"

""

"That wretched Mr. Mai! I don't know whether to praise him or complain about him—"

"They actually crammed a story within a story into such a short space as 'Nostalgia,' including a 'no-footprint trick,' a 'locked room,' a 'disappearing murder weapon,' an alibi, and a 'locked room motive lecture,' and then another narrative trick!"

"Truly a work worthy of being called a 'chain of tricks'!"

After everyone finished their reflections, they were not excited about discovering this foreshadowing.

Instead, knowing this foreshadowing only made them more confused.

Kiyoshi Kasai, even more distressed, grabbed his short hair, his face contorted in pain: "The murderer is a woman? But in the whole story—where is there a woman?"

"Uesugi Showa and Uesugi Mitsuru were brothers, right?"

Everyone nodded.

Kiyoshi Kasai continued, "Both Inspector Kodera and Asakura used 'he' in the text, right?"

Everyone continued to nod.

"McCato said the killer was on the very first list."

"We've now ruled out Uesugi Akira, Uesugi Mitsuru, Inspector Kodera, and Asakura."

"In other words, the only possible culprits are Kenshin, Takeda Shingen, and Imagawa."

"If the murderer is a woman, then—could it be that Imagawa is a woman?"

"But the problem is, Imagawa only arrived at the scene after the incident!"

"Unless he has the ability to manipulate time, it's impossible for him to kill Duke Qianxin and then come to the crime scene!"

"Could Takeda Shingen have been a woman?"

Kasai Kiyoshi looked confused and said the only possibility.

But Otto Penzel quickly dismissed the idea: "Impossible! Although Takeda Shingen could be a woman as a rival in love."

19

"But this person has been dead for over forty years—even if he weren't dead, the crucial question is how to enter the double-locked chamber!"

"Unless... this Takeda Shingen is truly haunted by a vengeful ghost?"

Noma Genjiro interjected with a wry smile, "So—our problem has come full circle—"

Genjiro Noma, Chika Maruta, Manji Gonda, Otto Penzel, Kiyoshi Kasai, and Yumeaki Hirayama, following clues provided by "Nostalgia," begin to explore the problem of the "double locked room" —

Even after half an hour, the group still hadn't come up with any decisive clues.

The thirteen people sitting in the No. 8 VIP suite of the "Longevity Soup" took their seats in their respective orders.

Let's start with the main seat, Maijo Kyosuke.

On the left are Genjiro Noma, Chika Maruta, Manji Gonda, Otto Penzel, Kiyoshi Kasai, and Yumeaki Hirayama.

On the right are Eri Miyu, Mikoshiba Kyoko, Mikoshiba Yasunori, Tatara Katsunori, Uyama Hideomi, and Ikegami Ryoichi.

The six members of the "Challenge Group" sitting on the left all looked worried.

Those sitting on the right who had already finished watching the ending of "Nostalgia" couldn't help but beam with joy.

The round table was now laden with the delicacies ordered by Noma Genjiro and Maruta Chika.

But none of the twelve people present were in the mood to eat.

The "challenge group" looked at the "watching group," each trying to find the answer to "Nostalgia" on the other's face.

The "Watching Group" looked at the "Challenge Group" with a gloating expression.

Kyosuke Maishiro looked at the six people in the "finished reading group" and couldn't help but laugh as he said, "Those of you who have finished reading the ending of 'Nostalgia,' can now tell them whether the foreshadowing I provided was fair? Did I miss any clues?"

Jiang Liumei, who had finished watching the group, said with a smile, "Teacher Wucheng's 'Nostalgia' has absolutely fair foreshadowing, and the clues are all given accurately."

"However, the answer is indeed a bit outrageous—so it's normal not to be able to guess it."

Kyoko Mikoshiba laughed and chimed in, "It really is outrageous! The moment I saw the answer, I wanted to punch someone!"

"However, considering that—even Ms. Maishiro could write an ending like 'Conclusion'—"

"Nostalgia seems to have toned it down quite a bit —"

Upon hearing Eri and Kyoko Mikoshiba's words, Kyosuke Maishiro turned to the "Challenge Team" and asked with a smile, "So, how did your guesses go?"

"Are you confident you can beat me?"

Maruta Chika looked at Gonda Manji with a helpless expression: "Mr. Gonda, you hold the highest position here, so why don't you explain the situation on our side?"

Gonda Manji pursed his lips, looking defeated: "Mr. Maishiro, after a half-hour discussion among the six of us..."

"Based on the clue from the button, and through the detail of the right-fastening garment given by Ms. Maruta, we finally learned that the murderer should be female, but we have absolutely no idea who the woman is—"

"Not to mention, who the murderer is—"

"However, we have a good idea right now—"

"This idea was proposed by Ms. Maruta and Ms. Kiyoshi together."

"It's that black cat standing on Kenshin's back!"

"How exactly did that black cat get into the secret room?"

"This is a very crucial question!"

"Based on this, we set aside the issue of buttons lapels on the right and the fact that the perpetrator was a woman."

"This also rules out the possibility that Uesugi Akira said the black cat was the spirit of Takeda Shingen!"

"Using the simplest method of deduction, the murderer is most likely Uesugi Akira!"

"After all, it was Uesugi Akira who went to open the door first."

"Akira Uesugi could easily use this opportunity to lock the door with the key and create a secret room!"

"Although we haven't cracked the snow-covered chamber yet," and we don't know what method Uesugi Akira used to achieve "no trace," the possibility that Uesugi Akira is the murderer is the highest!

After Gonda Manji finished explaining his thoughts, both the "Watching Group" and Maijo Kyosuke showed surprised expressions.

Seeing the surprised expressions on the faces of the "Watching Group" and Maijo Kyosuke, Kasai Kiyoshi naturally thought that his "Challenge Group" had guessed correctly, but unfortunately, this joy did not last for even half a second before it was ruthlessly wiped away by Uyama Hideomi: "Mr. Gonda, you guessed very well, but unfortunately you were wrong."

"Because Teacher Wu Cheng's essay 'Nostalgia' is entirely a 'playful piece' that manipulates the reader!"

Even if you guess part of the truth, you are still far from the real truth.

Ryoichi Ikegami, unusually, said, "This kind of story—I guess only words can express it."

"Although I consider myself to have strong storyboarding skills, whether at Shogakukan or now at Kodansha, I am not confident that I can completely transform 'Nostalgia' into visuals."

"It can only be said that Ms. Mai is a true genius—a genius who can manipulate her readers at will—"

When the "challenge team" heard the "watching team's" words, they realized they had lost and lowered their heads.

But then Maijo Kyosuke said, "You six don't need to be sad. You've already done a great job guessing this far."

"After all, you guessed right about both the black cat and the button."

"However—you still couldn't escape the trap I set."

"Alright, there's no point in keeping you in suspense any longer. Ms. Jiang Liu, Ms. Mikoshiba, Minister Mikoshiba, Mr. Uyama, Mr. Tatara, and Professor Ryoichi Ikegami."

"Please hand over your complete manuscripts to President Noma, Ms. Maruta, Mr. Gonda, Mr. Otto, Mr. Kasai, and Mr. Hirayama, who are sitting opposite you."

"Let's eat quickly after they've finished watching; I'm getting a little hungry."

With mixed feelings, Hirayama Yumeaki took the manuscript from Ikegami Ryoichi's hand and entered the final chapter of "Nostalgia". Inspector Kodera lit another cigarette and looked at Asakura in silence.

Asakura shook his head, indicating his resignation: "I know why 'creating a secret room' is the essence, but I really can't see the clue to this crucial 'why'!"

Inspector Kodera cautioned, "The four 'locked-room motives' I just mentioned have been ruled out."

"So, let's examine whether the motive is to negate the conclusion derived from the impossibility of the locked room!"

"ah?!!"

Asakura stared wide-eyed, completely bewildered by what Inspector Kodera was saying.

But Inspector Kodera remained unconvinced and continued explaining, "Asakura, did you hear what Uesugi Akira said?"

"Especially the part about the black cat."

Asakura nodded, then shook his head: "Boss, is there a problem? You're not going to close the case with that 'undead' explanation, are you?"

Inspector Kodera sighed: "No, it's a little further back, the part where Uesugi Akira discovered Kenshin's body."

"Weren't you there listening the whole time?"

"Akira Uesugi said that the first time he saw a cat was on the snow in the 'Okunomiya' (Inner Palace)."

"The second time was in the room 'Mist Room'!"

How did the cat get into the "Midsummer Room," which was in a "locked-room" state?

"We know that there's only one main door in the 'Misty Chamber,' and all the windows are completely closed. Under these circumstances, there's only one possibility for the black cat to enter: the door must have been open!"

Upon hearing Inspector Kodera's words, Asakura looked surprised: "Boss, you mean—?"

"Did someone lock the door after the black cat went in?"

"If that's the case, then only one person can do it!"

"That's Uesugi Akira!"

"But what method did he use?"

"Could it be—that it used a third key?"

"But—there are only two keys in the room, that's an absolute prerequisite!"

Asakura fell into deep thought, a high wall of logic blocking his way.

Inspector Kodera looked at Asakura and said, "The answer is very simple. No one has used the key to the key vault before, that's for sure. So, which key is used to lock the door?"

"Two minus one, even an elementary school student can do that."

"Uesugi Akira used the same one that Kenshin had in his pocket."

Asakura shook his head, puzzled: "But if Uesugi Akira used the one from Kenshin's pocket, how did he manage to get the key back into Kenshin's pocket?"

Inspector Kodera sighed: "Open the door and then walk into the room! Haven't you figured it out yet?"

"Uesugi Mitsuru saw the door to the Kasumi Room twice: once before he went to get the key, and a second time after he retrieved the key."

""

"It was Mitsuru Uesugi who turned the doorknob himself to make sure the door was closed."

"But the second time, it wasn't actually locked."

"The person who inserted the key into the lock was Akira Uesugi. Akira Uesugi pretended that the door was locked when it was unlocked."

Here, as the author, let me explain to the readers:

[In the previous text, when Imagawa opened the door to the "Mist Room," there was only one click, while when Uesugi Akira opened the door, there were two clicks.]

That was the sound of Uesugi Akira locking and unlocking the door simultaneously.

Asakura was speechless after hearing Inspector Kodera's words.

It turns out that Uesugi Akira used the key from Kenshin's pocket to lock the door of the "Kasumi Room".

Then, when Uesugi Mitsuru went to get the key, he used it to open the door and returned the key to Kenshin.

Finally, using Uesugi Mitsuru's key, he locked the door and then opened it.

Asakura scratched his head and continued to press, "So, is Boss Uesugi Akira the murderer in this case?"

Inspector Kodera shook his head: "No."

"However, the answer to 'why' has now come to light."

What was the motivation behind Akira Uesugi's design of the secret room?

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"Solving this problem will also clarify the truth that he is not the murderer."

Asakura shook his head again: "Boss, I don't understand."

Inspector Kodera continued, "In order to refute the conclusion derived from the impossibility of a locked room."

"In other words, Akira Uesugi wanted to deny the existence of the sealed room created by the heavy snow," which is why he deliberately risked his life to create it.

"Asakura, think about it, what exactly does the 'secret room in the snow' refer to?"

"The answer is simple, isn't it? We've been wondering how the killer escaped the snow-covered chamber."

"But from a physical point of view, it is completely impossible."

"Escape from a building surrounded by heavy snow without leaving a trace—that would be absolutely impossible without Icarus's wings!"

"Therefore, I've come to a conclusion!"

"That means the killer didn't escape at all!"

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