Chapter 159

After meeting up with his Middle Eastern buddies, soaking in a hot spring with his undercover agent, and incidentally dismantling a cult, Usoppei had a very fulfilling New Year holiday.

Unfortunately, even though I took my annual leave to make up for it, I still had to go back to work at the Metropolitan Police Department once the holiday was over.

Fortunately, Usoppei was in a good mood and woke up early, so he arrived ahead of schedule, which was quite rare.

When Sato Miwako entered and saw him, she froze for a moment, then murmured, "Am I asleep?" before leaving.

Usoya Saiki: "...You're not dreaming."

Sato Miwako awkwardly came in again: "Ahem, good morning, Hanchuan-kun, it's rare to see you come so early."

After all, they were classmates, and Sato Miwako and Samikawa Shinryu had a fairly good relationship.

She entered the Metropolitan Police Department only two months after Usui Saiki. Theoretically, after a three-month probationary period, she should have undergone two more months of advanced training, followed by four months of fieldwork before being officially assigned to a department. However, Kanakawa Shinryu was so capable that the First Investigation Division didn't even want to waste those months sending him to other departments to generate results. Therefore, Section Chief Odagiri made the decision to let him enter the First Investigation Division ahead of schedule.

Miwako Sato joined the First Investigation Division during her field internship. This was partly due to the legacy of her detective father, and partly due to her own excellent academic performance. Because of her outstanding performance during her field internship, she was able to stay on.

Sometimes, like Kenji Hagiwara, she would help relay messages to people who were afraid to speak to Shinryu Samikawa, which made Kenji Hagiwara and Miwako Sato particularly popular in the First Investigation Division.

As for Hanchuan Shenliu, two years later, he still seemed all alone, with only a few close friends.

But if you ask the people in the First Investigation Division, they all think that it's because Shinryu Kamikawa doesn't want to talk to them. They're just being considerate and trying not to bother him. They're not isolating Shinryu Kamikawa. You people from other departments shouldn't say such terrible and ignorant things...

Usaku Saiki glanced at Sato Miwako and noticed that she looked tired, clearly because she had a case on her hands and couldn't relax.

Unlike him, who even took annual leave to extend his vacation, Sato Miwako returned to work early, so it's not surprising that she had cases on her hands.

Bo Yezaki then asked, "What case have you encountered?"

Sato Miwako wasn't surprised that Usaku Saiki could tell at a glance that she had a case, and answered directly: "Well, yesterday afternoon there was a strange murder case, like a mimicking an urban legend?"

Which urban legend?

"Someone came home at night and heard their roommate moaning in the dark. They thought their roommate was with her boyfriend... So they didn't turn on the light and went straight into their room. When they woke up the next day, they found that their roommate was dead, and there was a line written in blood on the wall that said, 'Luckily you didn't turn on the light, or you would have been dead.'"

Bo Yezaki became interested: "How so?"

The case was reported to the police by a deliveryman.

Yesterday afternoon, a package for the deceased arrived. The deliveryman rang the doorbell, but no one answered. Seeing that the door was not closed, he pushed the door open to see if the person was home. As a result, he found a dead body covered in blood on the tatami mat and immediately called the police.

Police and forensic experts arrived at the scene and determined that the deceased's time of death was between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. the previous night. Prior to that, the deceased had a party with his friends.

When questioned, it was revealed that the party started arguing around 10 p.m., and the party members left the deceased's house around 11 p.m.

Miwako Sato said, "Then, someone forgot their phone and went back to get it. The room was dark, and she was afraid of waking the deceased, so she didn't turn on the light. She found her phone and came out. According to her, the door wasn't closed at that time..."

"I don't really see this kind of situation where someone kills someone and then leaves some arrogant words at the scene. I feel like it's more common in Europe and America. That sentence might have been left for some other purpose, not to show off or intimidate."

A voice suddenly joined their conversation. Usaku Saiki, who had already seen the other person, naturally didn't react, but Sato Miwako was startled.

"Eh? Mr. Kudo! What are you doing here?"

The person who interrupted was none other than Yusaku Kudo, a world-renowned mystery novelist and a regular outsider to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Yusaku Kudo smiled and said, "I came to see Inspector Megure and wanted to say hello, but this case is so interesting that I got so engrossed in listening that I apologize for interrupting."

“It’s nothing. Although it’s generally not convenient to disclose ongoing cases to outsiders, it’s fine with Mr. Kudo,” Miwako Sato replied.

These rules and regulations can sometimes be quite flexible. For someone like Yusaku Kudo, who's practically on the verge of receiving a salary directly from the Metropolitan Police Department, cases without much secrecy don't necessarily need to be kept secret. Consulting them might even help solve the case faster.

Yusaku Kudo asked naturally, "The people who were at the party together are suspicious, aren't they? What about their alibis?"

"Let's call the person who took the phone at the scene A. She took the phone around 11:30. She left with her friend B. After getting to the station, she realized she didn't have her phone with her, so she borrowed B's bicycle that she had left at the station to go back. The round trip took less than 10 minutes, which is faster than walking. Her friend was waiting for her at the station's coffee shop. They had alibis for each other on the way to the station, and B was later confirmed by a shop employee."

Sato Miwako frowned and said, "Since the murderer knew that A-ko didn't turn on the lights, he should have been at the scene at the time. B-ko couldn't have been at the victim's house and the coffee shop at the same time, so we can temporarily rule out B-ko's suspicion. After the two met up, they ordered food at the coffee shop, complained about other people, and left the coffee shop at around 12:25. They separated at the station at around 12:30."

"Two people traveled together in the car and stayed together until dawn, so they can be each other's witnesses. The matter remains in doubt for now."

“There was another person who went home by himself, but someone called him at 11:25 and called for more than 10 minutes. If he was at the scene, A should have been able to hear his voice, so he has also been ruled out as a suspect for the time being.”

"The last person had a serious conflict with the deceased, it seems to be related to a love triangle or something... But if he was still at the deceased's house at 11:30, based on the distance between his house and the deceased's house, it would be impossible for him to have arrived home by a little after 12 o'clock as his family testified. As for 11:30, he said he was at an internet cafe, but no one can testify to that."

Miwako Sato sighed: "The most troublesome thing is that we found out yesterday that the deceased was actually secretly selling a kind of stimulant that is legal in the United States, but it has a probability of addiction, so it is considered a banned drug in China... If that's the case, it's not impossible that someone was watching him and broke into his house without closing the door. The murder weapon was an ice pick used for bartending, and there were signs that the deceased had struggled before his death, so it's very likely that he killed the person after failing to get the drug... But if that's the case, the range of suspects is too wide."

Yusaku Kudo pondered for a moment and said, "Have you considered why the murderer would write that line?"

“We’ve discussed it. Although we think there aren’t many criminals like this in China, considering the murderer might be a drug addict, it seems normal for him to do something so strange… But I still think it’s among these people who participated in the party, it’s just that someone’s alibi is fake. I feel like I have a clue, but I can’t figure it out for the time being…”

As they were talking, Sato Miwako suddenly noticed the confident smile on Kudo Yusaku's lips and immediately understood: "Could it be that Mr. Kudo already knows who the culprit is?"

Yusaku Kudo smiled and nodded, then looked at Saiki Usui: "Yes, but it's not just me, Hanukawa-kun should already know who the culprit is, right?"

Usoya Saiki: "Hmm."

While they were discussing, other people gradually entered the office, all listening to what they were saying.

Before, they could pretend that everyone was working quietly, but now they finally couldn't control their intense emotions and couldn't help but mutter complaints under their breath.

"What kind of armchair detective is this... He didn't even go to the scene, he just listened to the case details for less than ten minutes..."

"Mr. Kudo is one thing, but Hanchuan is one of our own. We should call the armchair police!"

Even though they hadn't revealed who the culprit was, or even mentioned any evidence or reasoning, everyone in the office had already assumed that what Shinryu Hanakawa and Yusaku Kudo had guessed was correct.

This is what it means to have a good reputation.

"If Han Chuan were really willing to be an armchair police officer and not wander around the scene, he would actually have far fewer complaints... but he just loves going to the scene!"

"Sigh... I used to not believe that armchair detectives really existed. I always thought they were just fictional characters in novels. But it turns out I was just too incompetent to imagine the world of the strong..."

"Speaking of this, I have a friend who's a policeman in Osaka. Apparently, the son of his boss also met an armchair detective who has already helped solve two or three cases. But he just keeps making phone calls and hasn't shown his face for years. He's completely unknown. Hanchuan is the same. He's inexplicably low-key and even declined awards. What are these geniuses thinking?"

"...I don't know about the one in Osaka, but it's good that Hanakawa keeps a low profile."

Because of his contributions to the First Investigation Division, the higher-ups wanted to give him an award, possibly even a television appearance, but he declined.

Han Chuan Shenliu had been reported as a corrupt cop for a long time, and he was never seen to keep a low profile. He was always wandering around the scene, so his behavior of avoiding the limelight was a bit strange.

It's possible they really are corrupt cops; only those who do bad things don't want to be noticed.

Section Chief Odagiri tried to explain, but some people above didn't believe him and insisted on seeing for themselves. After they arrived and met him, this high-ranking official, known for his eloquence, couldn't say a word for a long time. In the end, he could only say, "Kanakawa-kun is very sensible."

Regardless of whether they are corrupt cops or not, at least they are genuinely concerned about the image of the police. Otherwise, appearing on television with that kind of demeanor would be too likely to cause an incident!

So the commendation was dropped, and only Kenji Hagiwara and another policeman were allowed to participate.

To be honest, Kenji Hagiwara's image is actually quite suitable for police propaganda...

While everyone was whispering amongst themselves, Sato Miwako was still agonizing over the case.

Although she could get the answer directly, she felt it wasn't good to rely too much on others, so she asked, "Could you give me a hint instead of the answer?"

Being able to figure it out on your own will help with future case-solving strategies. Sato Miwako is a very ambitious person and always hopes to become better.

Usoppō Saiki was also willing to cooperate with such a person, so after thinking for a moment, he suggested, "The purpose of that line of text is to interfere with the police's judgment."

"Interference with judgment..."

While Sato Miwako was deep in thought, Kudo Yusaku and Usaku Saiki started chatting.

"...It seems like Japan has more bombers than mentally ill serial killers," Yusaku Kudo remarked.

"There was a dark web with bomb enthusiasts. The second-year graduate student led the effort to take it down once, but a new one appeared very quickly."

Yusaku Kudo sighed: "Where there's demand, there will be people willing to take risks... Speaking of bombs, do you remember that bomber in Hawaii?"

Of course, Usoppei remembered that guy had stolen his bomb blueprints!

Yusaku Kudo said, "It is said that he has been appealing, feeling that the bomb did not actually kill anyone, and that a sentence of several decades is too harsh."

Usakabe Saiki couldn't help but complain: "It's different here in Japan. Even if you bombed the Jingguo Shrine, as long as no one died, you'd probably only get a four-year sentence at most."

At this point, Usoppō Saiki suddenly remembered something.

By the way, is that bomber who was supposed to kill Kenji Hagiwara about to be released from prison?

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I couldn't sleep, so I got up and started writing. Goodnight everyone.

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Usoba has had a good relationship with Hattori in recent years.

Regarding the bomber, in the original story he escaped from prison, but this time, since no one died, and with a strong lawyer, he should receive a lighter sentence.

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There seem to be a lot more bizarre murderers abroad...

It's strange that many serial killers in their country receive love letters even in prison.

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This case can basically be solved with this information. You can guess what it is; the main problem is the alibi.

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Adapted from "Urban Legends Puzzle"