Chapter 75
After reaching an agreement in a brief conversation, Fyodor left Ayatsuji Yukito's detective agency, as if he had really just come to have a cup of tea and admire the valuable collection in the basement.
Ayatsuji Yukito will go to gather information about Asukai's partner, while Fyodor will go to another place.
His messiah is still asleep and cannot wake up, which means he cannot return to the small building—although Dazai Osamu is currently an undercover agent in the Takase Society, he cannot guarantee that the other party will not return.
For the time being, Dazai Osamu must not discover his existence.
Unless they met face to face, even if Dazai Osamu had some doubts about the details of this body, he could not determine the existence of a dual personality.
Edogawa Ranpo was able to see it at a glance not only because of his own superb talent in reasoning, but also because the Messiah had only recently appeared and there were too many details that could corroborate each other.
That's right, there is still such an excellent detective in Yokohama.
Fyodor gently knocked on the door frame of the Armed Detective Agency. Ranpo, who was lying on the sofa, bored and sleepy, suddenly raised his head and smiled brightly.
"You've arrived!"
The moment he saw Fyodor clearly, the corners of his mouth that had been turned up in a smile flattened considerably. "Oh, it's you. Where's the other person I wanted to see? Why aren't they here—"
“I brought you some simple snacks from Kyo-an-do.” Fyodor held up the gift box in his hand.
"Great! You really are a kind person!"
Ranpo, instantly defeated by the fancy pastries, leaped up from the sofa and hopped over to get his favorite and delicious afternoon tea... or evening tea?
Regardless, whatever the famous detective sees, the famous detective eats, and the famous detective eliminates!
Only Fyodor, the one known as the kind-hearted man, had a subtle change in the faint smile on his lips, “…”
Faced with such a delightful treat, Ranpo's good mood became even brighter and more cheerful.
He brought out knives, forks, and plates, divided the desserts, and even served one to Fyodor.
If Fyodor eats it, it's equivalent to his other personality eating it too.
"Speak, speak, what do you want from this famous detective?"
Ranpo left another copy for Rando to do as he went out to do the commission, then stuffed his mouth full with a fork, his speech becoming muffled.
"There is indeed a case that requires Mr. Ranpo's help."
Holding the plate, Fyodor sat upright and politely, and slowly began to speak, "You might recall that this happened about a month ago... [The Special Investigator Dismemberment Case]."
Ranpo's chewing of the snack stopped abruptly.
The air was quiet for a while before he swallowed the snack in his mouth.
When he spoke again, his voice was even lower and more subdued than it had been just a few minutes earlier.
“I’ve heard about this case,” Ranpo said.
"At the time, I was handling another case from the military and police intelligence department. I was in Osaka, which is a very, very far place from Yokohama."
"Even so, the case caused a sensation among the investigators. The military police officer Futada, who was in charge of assisting me with the case at the time, said that he had never encountered such a cruel killer who dismembered the investigator alive."
The atmosphere seemed to freeze into ice.
Fyodor didn't speak or make any move; he simply listened quietly as Ranpo continued to reminisce.
"The key point is..."
Ranpo's voice became even softer.
Those sharp, clear eyes were fully open, like emeralds washed by rain, beautiful and dazzling.
Before he even uttered those words, he felt an unspeakable anger rising from the depths of his heart again, and he remembered every single detail of that time.
“The point is,” Ranpo said, barely able to finish.
"At the time, the investigator named Yui was three months pregnant."
At three months, the fetus will have developed to the point where it can clearly distinguish between fingers and toes, not to mention the head, limbs and torso.
It was a life that had already taken shape, but the murderer ended it all in the most cruel way, including its mother.
“I originally thought that case would also be handed over to me,” Ranpo said, his fingers tightening around the fork. “But just two days later, the Osaka police told me that the culprit had been caught not long afterward; it was a burglar who had broken into the house by chance.”
“It’s fake.” Upon hearing this, Fyodor spoke calmly.
"Yes, that's right, I think so too!"
Ranpo was so angry that his eyebrows furrowed, clearly indicating his disapproval of the police's findings.
"Most thieves break into homes for valuables. Even if they turn to burglary because someone is home, they rarely kill the homeowner, and even less often resort to the cruel method of dismembering the body. Apart from premeditated crimes of personal vendetta, these are typical murder methods used by highly intelligent serial killers!"
If it were someone who hated Investigator Yui, who had planned for a long time, and then killed her and dismembered her to vent their anger or cover up the crime when she was alone, it would all make logical sense.
But he was told that the murderer was just a burglar who broke into a house by chance and did not know the investigator, Yui.
A thief, looking for a room to steal some small change, accidentally bumps into Investigator Yui, and then fights with this top-level investigator, ultimately brutally dismembering him to death.
Japanese law has different sentencing standards for burglary, robbery, and robbery resulting in serious injury or death.
If the amount stolen from a house is small, the sentence is only imprisonment for up to 3 years or a fine, with a maximum of 10 years imprisonment or a fine of 500,000 yen. However, if a robbery results in death, the sentence can be life imprisonment or the death penalty!
What kind of madness must this thief, who may have only intended to steal a little money, have gone to to use such a crazy method of murder?
More likely, he was wrongly accused.
Or perhaps he was merely a scapegoat, a sacrifice someone had prepared long ago.
"Although these are just my intuition as a detective... even if the thief really did commit these crimes, I want to see the truth for myself."
Ranpo opened his dark green eyes and spoke earnestly to Fyodor.
“I raised my doubts with the police and asked to take a look at the case file… I could have found out the truth with just one glance, using my super deduction skills!”
His superpower, [super deduction], can instantly reveal the truth of a case 100%, but that requires obtaining relevant information as a necessary prerequisite for assisting the deduction, rather than obtaining the truth out of thin air.
Based solely on the few words spoken to him during casual conversations by Osaka police, Ranpo could only deduce that the thief was most likely not the real culprit.
However, Yokohama police rejected his request, stating that the perpetrator had already been caught and had fully confessed, so there was no need for him to interfere in the police investigation.
Fyodor knew that this was the police's psychological motivation to avoid being publicly humiliated by the public and to avoid being labeled as incompetent in the public's mind.
If, after they have announced that they have caught the thief as the murderer, Ranpo jumps out again in his usual extremely provocative tone to announce that he has found the real culprit and that the police always need to rely on him to solve cases smoothly... one can imagine how deeply humiliated those high-ranking military and police officers would feel.
In the eyes of politicians, absolute truth is irrelevant; the facts that the public can accept are the "truth."
No matter how dissatisfied Ranpo may be, or how reasonable and well-founded his analysis of the doubts may be, the police will never reopen the case.
In other words, this is the result someone wanted to see.
After hearing Ranpo's rare expression of dissatisfaction, Fyodor nodded.
"That's why I came here."
"Really!"
Ranpo's eyes lit up at the unexpected chance to uncover the truth, and he suddenly found Fyodor in front of him particularly pleasing to the eye.
"Give me the information on the parties involved, the witness statements, and all the clues captured on camera!"
He happily shrugged and asked Fyodor for documents and evidence related to the crime scene.
Fyodor replied without blinking, "I don't have any."
Edogawa Ranpo: "...See this fork in my hand? I'm about to stab your ass with it."
I'm so angry! I made him happy for nothing!
Upon hearing this familiar threat, Fyodor remained silent for a moment.
"Who did you learn this from?"
“Every afternoon,” Ranpo pointed out the window, “a blond foreign youth would run past on the street, panting, followed by a young man with long, slightly curly silver hair, dressed like a European butler or steward.”
Fyodor: "…………"
...Those were Pushkin and Ivan.
They're practically famous in Yokohama, albeit for their comedic and inspirational stories.
"First of all, I can say with certainty that he is indeed a famous detective, and his guess was completely correct."
Fyodor casually skipped over the previous discussion about pricking buttocks and brought the focus back to the main point.
This was Pushkin's proposed reform plan, devised by the Messiah, and he did not oppose it.
Or what if he objects to the Messiah, causing the Messiah to angrily hand over all the physical training that was originally to be done by himself to him to continue?
Pushkin can't be a substitute player.
"Today I met Asukai, the former partner of Investigator Yui."
Fyodor briefly recounted his experience at the shipyard.
Ranpo seemed to understand something: "Asuka-i..."
They are highly suspicious.
But even more suspicious than him is the real culprit hiding behind him.
"You want me to find out the real identity of the culprit?" Ranpo asked eagerly.
"No need,"
Fyodor shook his head slightly, his tone of coaxing him very sincere.
"In fact, there is another task that needs to be completed by the famous detective. Yes, there is no one else worthy of entrusting this task to but you, the famous detective."
“…Hmm, uh-huh,”
Slightly stunned by the praise, Ranpo cleared his throat with a fist clenched and replied with feigned composure, "Well... alright then, I'll finish it. I really can't do anything with you—as expected, without the help of a famous detective, the distance to a perfect ending is just one or two chips short, I mean, the distance to fragments!"
Oh dear, they all really can't do without his help.
"That's exactly right."
Fyodor echoed his words, not minding at all making the black cat on the other side appear even more arrogant.
"Speaking of which, how is Mr. Lantang doing?"
"The external injuries are healing exceptionally well, thanks to Jingzi's help."
Ranpo buried his head in the coarse snacks on his plate again, munching away.
"But there's nothing we can do about her amnesia. Lantang said he still can't remember anything. But anyway, he's already passed the test and officially stayed at the detective agency as an investigator, so he has plenty of time to slowly regain his memory."
Unlike the Port Mafia, a mafia organization where members are often forced to risk their lives and are constantly discarded, the Armed Detective Agency cherishes every member!
“Hmm,” Ranpo added as if remembering something, “The president said that Rando’s ability is actually very strong… possibly stronger than most ability users.”
Before Fyodor could react, the other man smiled brightly again, waving his fork triumphantly at him.
"Hmph, it definitely won't be stronger than my [Super Deduction]! After all, my superpower is world-class, so it's only natural that it can't surpass me!"
Fyodor: "..."
They are truly detectives at opposite ends of the spectrum, one for each of them and the other for Ayatsuji Yukito.
However, now that the equally intelligent detective Ranpo has agreed to take on his case, all the preparations for the battle are complete.
Fyodor did not return to the small building, but instead chose to stay in a hotel until Ayatsuji Yukito sent him a message through the contact information he had left.
We got the stuff.
When he arrived at the Ayatsuji Detective Agency again, Ayatsuji Yukito was not waiting for him inside the Western-style office, but was standing at the door.
Although Ayatsuji Yukito was merely leaning against the doorframe, fiddling with his thin pipe in one hand, waiting for Fyodor to arrive in a rather lazy and nonchalant manner, the agents who were keeping a close watch on him did not see it that way.
Just from the tense stares transmitted through the sniper rifle and binoculars, Fyodor could distinguish more than three or four.
“They seem very afraid of you,” Fyodor said, looking at the other person.
"After all, I'm a murder detective who only kills killers."
Ayatsuji Yukito lazily said, "Instead of praising me for ridding the people of evil, those people actually have guns pointed at my head at any time. It's outrageous."
Compared to him, who claims his superpowers are extremely dangerous, isn't a murderer who would recklessly commit murder even more dangerous?
"I agree with your idea."
Fyodor nodded slightly, glancing briefly at the other person's entire body.
Apart from the thin pipe he always carried, there was nothing else on him; he did not carry any documents related to the case of the dismemberment by Investigator Yi.
"Let's go,"
Receiving a subtle glance from the other party, Ayatsuji Yukito slightly raised his chin, gesturing towards the police car parked at the entrance, his words carrying a hidden meaning.
"We're about to head to the crime scene."
Sitting in the passenger seat was Investigator Asukai as always. He was assigned by the military police intelligence department to assist and monitor Ayatsuji Yukito, so naturally he wouldn't be absent when the other party went out.
"Ayatsuji-sensei, where are we going?"
Having only heard that he was going out, but not being told where he was going, Asukai scratched his head in confusion.
The next moment, he stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the address that Ayatsuji Yukito had mentioned, “That’s…!”
"That's right."
Ayatsuji Yukito leaned back in the back seat of the car, his expression a half-smile, his aura chillingly cold.
"Let's get to the scene of your partner's gruesome death first, Investigator Asukai."
Asukai's emotions—a mixture of disbelief, surprise, anger, and confusion—were well-developed.
Or rather, his acting skills are excellent.
"Why would we suddenly have to go there..."
"It's my freedom to look for clues wherever I want. Just keep quiet and be a good toad that puffs out its cheeks and salutes."
Ayatsuji Yukito impatiently tapped the back of the driver's seat with his thin pipe. "Hurry up and go."
The driver shrank back, startled by the coldness in his words, and the police car started moving cautiously.
Asukai dared not object, as that would make him appear guilty.
The wound on his left ring finger seemed to be hurting again, but it gave him a strange, inexplicable sense of peace.
When Investigator Yui was killed, she was working with Asukai to investigate a series of murders.
The murderer was an ordinary person with a clean record and no blemishes on his resume.
However, at some point, several deaths suddenly occurred around him.
To confirm his suspicion, Investigator Yui began living in the building opposite Asukai's, taking turns monitoring his daily life from the window.
What was originally a routine surveillance mission ended when Asukai returned one day to find his partner's dismembered body.
The shockwaves caused by the brutal murder of the top investigator were so great that the apartment itself became famous as a haunted house, and no one dared to take it over.
However, as they went upstairs, they saw a tower crane parked in the open space in front of the building, using steel cables to lift a refrigerator, suggesting that some new residents of the high-rise building were moving heavy objects.
But this abandoned apartment remains empty even a month after the incident. Apart from the body being recovered and the listening equipment being removed, everything else has been preserved in its original state.
The room, intended for surveillance, had no new furniture or unnecessary decorations.
In addition to taking off his shoes like Ayatsuji Yukito before entering, Fyodor also took off his cloak and hat, hanging them on the coat rack in the entryway.
Asukai, looking slightly nervous, took off her shoes and stepped inside.
The tatami mats in the apartment hadn't been cleaned for a month, and a light layer of dust had settled on them, but they didn't care.
As you walk further in, the curtains of the surveillance window are drawn, the tatami mats have not been cleaned, and the bloodstains have dried and turned black, deeply embedded in every inch of the tatami mat.
The bloodstain was irregularly shaped, with some spreading gradually as it flowed and others splattering outwards, which was enough to show how horrific the crime was.
"You noticed, didn't you?"
Ayatsuji Yukito simply walked around the room once, then turned his gaze behind his brown sunglasses to Fyodor, saying meaningfully.
"yes."
Fyodor, standing at the door, chuckled softly, "It's pretty obvious who the real culprit is."
Before the words were finished—
Then, a gun was pressed against the back of his head.
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