Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

"Reporting to Section Chief Yamamoto, and all officers."

Hara Masaki stepped onto the stage, his voice steady, "Regarding the scene of Ms. Akiyama Miki's death, I was indeed one of the first witnesses, along with Inspector Shinomiya."

He paused slightly, as if trying to recall:

"That night, as instructed by the liaison officer, Inspector Shinomiya and I were responsible for conducting protective surveillance on Ms. Miki Akiyama at her villa in the port area, because she had previously reported receiving threatening phone calls."

"Personally, I don't think it's necessary, but Inspector Shinomiya insists that Miki Akiyama allegedly hired someone to kill her husband because of a dispute over the spoils, and that she was subjected to threatening phone calls, and that the killer would retaliate..."

"Her reasoning proved to be correct."

"The incident occurred during Shinomiya's patrol duty. Only she and the deceased were present. I arrived at the scene after my shift, had an argument with Shinomiya, and decided to leave..."

"To my shame, all I wanted to do at the time was go home and rest."

"However, just as I was about to leave, Shinomiya suddenly discovered the body."

He went on to describe the details, which perfectly matched the known facts:

"Inspector Shinomiya repeatedly emphasized that she did not hear any gunshots, saying that the murderer might still be inside the villa, and she dragged me along to search the place. Later, Chief Yamamoto of the Criminal Investigation Division and others also arrived. The conclusion of the on-site investigation was suicide, based on reasons such as a locked room, a suicide note, and gunpowder residue in the mouth."

At this point, Yuan Zhensheng hesitated for a moment, as if somewhat embarrassed to betray his colleague:

"However, there's one thing that I've always found a bit strange. Of course, it might just be my imagination, or perhaps I don't know enough about the Shinomiya Inspection."

He looked around and saw Yamamoto Koji staring at him, encouraging him to continue.

"Inspector Shinomiya is unusually persistent about the case," Hara Masao said slowly. "Normally, the responsibility of patrol officers is mainly to maintain order at the scene and cooperate with the investigation. But from that day on, Inspector Shinomiya was convinced that this was not suicide and insisted on investigating it to the end."

Yusuke Nishio and Koji Yamamoto also knew about this, and now that Masaki Hara had brought it up, they suddenly felt that something was amiss.

Yuan Zhensheng continued applying eye drops:

"She even argued with Section Chief Yamamoto about it, questioning the suicide conclusion and even deducing that the housekeeper was the murderer."

"At the time, I wondered if she knew something inside. For example, why was she so sure that a third party had taken the silencer? It was just a guess, but when she brought it up, she was very certain."

He paused for a moment, allowing everyone to process the information.

"Secondly," Hara Masako lowered his voice, "shortly after the Akiyama Miki case, probably... not long after, Inspector Shinomiya suddenly came to me one night and said, 'The case is not finished yet,' and that he had a lead and knew the killer's next target."

He vividly recounted the conversation that night:

"She said, 'It's a Yamaguchi-gumi executive, Kenkichi Kuwata.' I was completely baffled and asked her how she knew. She looked mysterious and a little smug, saying, 'I have a lead,' 'I know the killer's next target,' but she wouldn't specify where she got it from. She even invited me to investigate the case with her that night, but I refused."

Hara Masaki looked at Yamamoto Koji: "Section Chief, I don't know if Inspector Shinomiya reported this lead to the Criminal Investigation Division later. But the fact is, not long after, Section Chief Kuwata Kenkichi was indeed assassinated."

A soft murmur arose in the conference room.

"besides……"

Hara Masaki scratched his head and said, "The Akiyama Miki suicide case, the Kuwata Kenkichi assassination case, the bank politician assassination case... she seems to have been present in all three cases."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

The detectives exchanged glances; some jotted down notes quickly in their notebooks, while others frowned, repeatedly processing the information.

Yamamoto Koji didn't light the cigarette in his mouth. He stared at Hara Masaki, his brows furrowed.

hiss……

Now that you mention it, it does seem like there's a problem!

As expected of the junior he has chosen, he is indeed much more clever than Yoshioka Akio!

Akio Yoshioka's eyes widened, and after a few seconds, he finally showed a complex expression of "I see" on his face.

Damn it, how come I didn't notice something so obvious?

I really envy those with sharp minds!

Yusuke Nishio stood below the stage, looking gratified. Regardless of whether Rin Shinomiya had committed a crime, he had at least mentored a promising student... which could be considered making amends for his past mistakes!

"Everyone!" the commander's voice came through the microphone. "The information provided by the patrol just now is crucial. Now we'll readjust our investigation direction."

That's how the police investigate cases. They screen through all possible possibilities step by step. If anyone is suspected, they arrest them all and interrogate them. Whoever acts strangely during the interrogation is the murderer.

They have now narrowed their search from the initial large-scale surrounding area to just Shinomiya Rin, and have made considerable progress in the investigation.

If we can find Shinomiya Rin next, the case might be solved immediately.

Even if it wasn't her, she can't escape involvement; the killer is at least within her social circle.

The special investigation team began its search in earnest. The commander returned to the interrogation room and asked a few questions about the assassination of Shinomiya Masakazu.

Hideaki Shiraishi was completely bewildered and quickly said, "No, it wasn't me! I jumped into the well yesterday... A plumber can vouch for me!"

"Ah, you have an alibi..." The commander's interest immediately waned, but just to be on the safe side, he asked again, "What were you doing at the time of the incident?"

Hideaki Shiraishi stammered, "I... I was chatting with Ryuta Honda in the sewers... He lives in the sewers, he seems to be a homeless person, and he's been giving me food and water these past few days..."

"Oh." The commander lost interest, asked a few questions casually, and, finding nothing suspicious, got up and left.

But he wasn't going to release him; he wanted to keep him locked up as a precaution, and release him only after the case was closed.

……

Meanwhile, suspect Rin Shinomiya is standing in a daze in an abandoned warehouse.

She was completely unaware of what was happening in the outside world. At first, she tried to escape on her own, using a chopstick to chisel through the wall, but gave up after struggling for a long time.

Right now, all she wants to do is pee.

That damned swamp man didn't prepare a toilet, not even a chamber pot, so she didn't go to the toilet all day... If she urinated in the warehouse, and the rescue team opened the door and smelled the urine, she might as well be dead.

Ah, just letting go...

Completely empty your mind...

Focus all your attention on your lower body...

Shinomiya Rin pressed her legs together tightly, rubbing them back and forth unconsciously; her face was flushed, and her forehead was covered in a layer of fragrant sweat as she tried her best to protect her dignity.

Damn it! Why isn't anyone coming to let her go?!