Chapter 16 Head Balloons (9) "So what do we do now...?"
"So how should we investigate now?" Zhu Yi looked up at the twilight sky, where the clouds on the horizon gradually turned from orange-red to dark purple. He sighed, "Besides, it's getting late."
"Moreover, Yuko Nishimura's case occurred decades ago, so it would be very difficult to investigate now. It's also a question of which aspect we should investigate from."
“I know it’s difficult,” Kunikida Doppo said, his expression calm, but the anger in his eyes hadn’t subsided and was tinged with a hint of determination: “This isn’t just about school bullying; there are even more sordid and heinous incidents being hidden. An educator actually…”
Kunikida Doppo suddenly fell silent, but his hands, which were usually holding a pen and meticulously planning every detail, trembled, unable to hide his emotions. He lowered his eyes to suppress his anger and said calmly, "I've thought of two directions we can investigate."
"First, we need to find out the current situation of the school principal from back then. Second, we need to find other possible people who know about the Nishimura Yuko incident."
“Kunikida-kun and I thought of the same thing,” Dazai Osamu agreed, casually putting his hands in his pockets with a lazy smile on his lips, but his eyes were unusually sharp: “We can go to the police station and see if we can find the records of the investigation into Nishimura Yuko’s suicide, as well as the principal’s file at Sakura High School. Maybe we’ll find something.”
"At the same time, we can also investigate the evidence that Sato Yota suppressed when he was swindling people back then." Dazai Osamu's smile was meaningful.
Takeichi nodded and walked side by side with Dazai Osamu and Kunikida Doppo toward the nearest police station.
"What else do you think Yota Sato is hiding?" Kunikida Doppo asked as they walked.
Dazai Osamu's gaze deepened: "Why does the human head balloon only haunt him instead of going directly to the principal? Sato Yota claims he only took the money, but ghost stories arise from obsession and resentment, so he should be looking for the main culprit. I suspect the truth behind it is not as simple as just paying someone to shut up."
The three walked and talked until they arrived at the police station. Kunikida Doppo showed his Armed Detective Agency credentials and explained his purpose. A middle-aged police officer then greeted them.
"Hmm, the principal of Sakura High School... There was indeed a suicide case that year. Let me check." The middle-aged police officer quickly pulled up the files while sitting in front of the computer.
"The former principal of Sakura High School was named Masao Morikami. He retired early after the suicide incident."
“Early retirement.” Kunikida Doppo quickly sensed something was amiss. Many people would kill for the position of principal and even want to stay there for a long time, but the fact that the other party retired after Nishimura Yuko’s suicide made it hard not to suspect something was going on.
Kunikida Doppo frowned.
“As for Sato Yota…” The officer typed the name into the computer system, frowning as he flipped through the files: “Oh, there is such a person. He was detained a few years ago for petty fraud, but the case was quickly dropped.”
"Can you tell us the details?" Kunikida Doppo asked.
The officer shook his head and stroked his stubble. "The records are blurry, and the officer in charge has been transferred. It seems like there's insufficient evidence." He suddenly lowered his voice. "But I remember this case. Someone from above called and asked us to close it as soon as possible."
Dazai Osamu and Kunikida Doppo exchanged a glance.
There are indeed many things hidden here, and everything has become shrouded in mystery.
Dazai Osamu: "Could you help me find more information about Moriyama Masao?"
The middle-aged police officer hesitated for a moment, then said with some hesitation, "This."
He looked around, then gestured for Dazai Osamu to come closer, and whispered mysteriously, "This guy's background is not simple; he seems to have a very powerful background."
"The other party retired early citing 'health reasons' after the Yuko Nishimura incident. We know there's something fishy about this, but we don't have any concrete evidence."
"However, if you want to find him—he currently lives near Shinsencho in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo. I can tell you that, but please don't say that I told you."
The three walked out of the police station, and Dazai Osamu repeated the middle-aged police officer's words to them again.
"Health reasons..." Kunikida Doppo sneered, "A typical excuse for escaping."
"It feels like there are more and more things involved," Zhu Yi frowned.
“What’s even more interesting,” Dazai Osamu added, “is that Moriyama Masao seems to be living a very comfortable life after retirement. His pension is simply not enough to support his current level of consumption.”
Zhu Yi's eyes lit up: "It seems our former principal has an extra source of income."
The three decided to head to Shinsen Town immediately.
On the way, Kunikida Doppo kept flipping through the information recorded in his notebook, trying to piece together the fragments of the whole incident.
“If what Yota Sato said is true, and Principal Moriyama had ulterior motives towards Yuko Nishimura and then tried to silence her with money, then the reason for Yuko Nishimura’s suicide would become even more complicated,” Kunikida Doppo analyzed. “She not only suffered bullying from her classmates, but was also betrayed by her teachers.”
"The main reason lies in the hidden secrets of Yota Sato and Principal Moriyama, so what Yota Sato said is not as simple as it seems."
Dazai Osamu nodded slowly: "And this also explains why the human head balloon—Yuko Nishimura's resentment—only haunts Yota Sato. I have a guess as to why the human head balloon doesn't maliciously attack the other party."
Kunikida Doppo immediately looked up at him and said seriously, "What guess?"
Dazai Osamu's amber eyes lost their usual playful glint: "I want to reveal the truth of what happened back then. In Sato Yota's description, Nishimura Yuko was a principled person, even overly righteous. She was kind to everyone around her and had no sense of vigilance."
"I'm more inclined to believe that her resentment and obsession stem from a desire for evil to be punished as it should be, rather than a simple pursuit of revenge."
Upon arriving in Shinsen-cho, they quickly located Masao Moriyama's residence based on information gathered from nearby residents.
It was a rather expensive detached house, surrounded by a quiet and elegant environment, a stark contrast to Yota Sato's house.
Kunikida Doppo arrived at the door and rang the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened.
An elderly man who looked to be around seventy years old stood at the door. He was dressed in neat home clothes, his hair was combed neatly, and he had a gentle smile on his face.
They give a very amiable first impression.
"Hello, how can I help you?" The old man's voice was gentle and polite.
“Mr. Masao Moriyama?” Kunikida Doppo showed his identification. “We are members of the Armed Detective Agency and would like to ask you some questions about your time as principal many years ago.”
The old man, Masao Moriyama, stiffened slightly for a moment, but quickly recovered: "Oh? Something from many years ago?"
“I’m getting old… I don’t remember many things clearly about what happened many years ago. But please come in, I’d be happy to help you.” He smiled.
The three arrived at the interior of Masao Moriyama's residence. The house was elegantly and comfortably furnished, with calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls and bookshelves filled with books.
He led the three to the living room and sat them down, then skillfully began to brew tea.
"May I ask what brings you here to see an old man like me who has been retired for many years?" Masao Moriyama gently placed a teacup in front of the three of them.
Kunikida Doppo looked directly into his eyes: "Nishimura Yuko. Do you remember this student?"
Moriyama Masao's expression immediately turned sad: "Nishimura Yuko... Yes, I remember, I remember that poor child. It's such a tragedy that she chose to end her life at such a young age."
He sighed and said, "As the principal, I have always felt guilty for not being able to better prevent school bullying, which is why I am retiring early."
Dazai Osamu gently stirred the liquid in his teacup: "Is it just school bullying? We've also heard some..." Dazai paused here, looking at him with an ambiguous smile: "...more complicated stories."
Masao Moriyama's facial muscles twitched almost imperceptibly: "A more complicated way of putting it? I don't understand what you mean."
"For example, some people claim that you have a subtle connection to the death of Yuko Nishimura." Takeichi cut straight to the point.
Moriyama Masao's face turned pale instantly, but he quickly regained his composure and gave a bitter smile: "I understand. It was that kid Sato Yota who said it, right? He's always held a grudge against me because I severely punished him for bullying me back then."
Dazai Osamu leaned forward slightly, his hands clasped together: "The interesting thing is that Sato Yota claims you gave him a large sum of money to keep quiet about something."
"Absurd!" Moriyama Masahiro stood up abruptly, his voice losing its composure for the first time. "This is extortion! Pure extortion! That kid has been trying to squeeze money out of me for years, and just because he occasionally saw Nishimura Yuko coming out of my office looking unwell, he made up this ridiculous story!"
“We didn’t say what the story was,” Dazai Osamu quietly pointed out the flaw in the other party’s statement.
Masao Moriyama was speechless for a moment, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He took a deep breath and sat down again: "Listen, gentlemen. Yuko Nishimura is a poor child who has suffered terrible bullying at school. As the principal, I tried to help her, but sometimes... sometimes I couldn't fully protect her." His voice was full of emotion, almost convincing.
"So you deny all of Sato Yota's accusations?" Kunikida Doppo pressed.
“Completely deny it.” Masao Moriyama said firmly, “I admit that I made mistakes as the principal and did not protect Yuko Nishimura from bullying, but all other accusations are malicious slander.”
The conversation reached a stalemate. Without substantial evidence, they were unable to make any further breakthroughs in the face of the experienced Masao Moriyama.
As they left Moriyama Masao's house, all three remained silent. It wasn't until they had walked some distance that Kunikida Doppo spoke: "He's lying. Although his performance was perfect, his reaction was excessive when we mentioned Sato Yota taking money."
Dazai Osamu nodded: "Yes, he skipped the conclusion of extortion. It's as if he had prepared this story in advance."
Zhu Yi stopped and looked up at the sky: "Wait... what's that?"
Kunikida Doppo and Dazai Osamu followed his gaze.
Above Masao Moriyama's rooftop, a blurry white silhouette was slowly drifting.
A note from the author:
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Wow, thank you all for your concern! I've been eating light food and bought some medicine lately, preparing to recover slowly. Don't worry! [Heart emoji]
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