Chapter 67 Five-pointed Star 2
After completing the autopsy, Kurosaki Utsuki immediately checked all the conclusions she had just obtained with the local person in charge who was keeping records as quickly as possible, and then took a shower, packed up her things and left in one go before the next possible body was delivered.
She could add extra shifts, but not on someone else's territory. A single occasion, forced by circumstances, was fine, but if she did it too often, the local police might be pleased, but the local medical examiner and her lab might object.
More importantly, she didn't want to work overtime for even a minute.
...Having said that, after temporarily leaving her role as a "forensic doctor", "detective" Kaki Hagiwara still appeared online.
She had previously exchanged contact information with the young detective Hattori Heiji, and now she called him directly.
The other party answered the call quickly, as if he was on his cell phone.
Kurosaki Utsuki did not hide the information she had just obtained from the body. After all, to be honest, she did not obtain any other information except the exact time of death and the murderer's swordsmanship.
Just as she had previously speculated, judging from the wounds on the body, the criminal's swordsmanship was quite advanced and some techniques were accumulated in it.
Of course, it's far worse than her.
Based on her intuition when observing the wound, the murderer did not seem to be a young man - this was not written into the report, but was only mentioned casually to Hattori Heiji.
She also learned some information from the young detective, saying that a group of people, including the deceased, were looking for a treasure, and that an international arms dealer was involved... This was something she had never come into contact with before.
Then the person on the other end of the line asked, "Do you know anything about Japanese swords?"
“Not much.”
She knew more about the Zanpakutō, which had little in common with ordinary Japanese swords.
"Do you know anything about Hijikata Toshizo?"
“…A little.”
Specifically, besides being in history books in the past, it is also in "Hakuoki" and "Sword Blade".
After saying this, she thought of the local resident death god and added, "But I have a friend who knows him very well." - a friend who participated in the Ikedaya Incident with him and literally knew him very well.
In the end, the other party did not ask any further questions, but just said that they would go to Hakodate Central Police Station later and invited her to come with them.
·
After thinking for five minutes about whether to give up her vacation and work overtime for her detective work, Kurosaki Utsuki turned into a roadside cafe and decided to eat something first. She had been busy from early morning to noon, and only drank a bottle of energy drink before starting the autopsy work, so she was already starving.
As a result, as soon as I walked in and hadn't even sat down, I was recognized and called out by name: "Kurosaki-san?"
This was clearly not a stranger whom she only knew as "Hagiwara Kakiko." Kurosaki Utsuki looked in the direction of the voice and then, uncertainly, called out the girl's last name: "Rokudo-san?"
It turned out to be Rokudo Nagi.
The last time she saw Rokudo Nagi was at her high school graduation ceremony, twelve years ago. The girl hadn't changed much from what she remembered, and she couldn't tell she was already a 29-year-old adult. She was still as petite and cute as a high school student.
Since she had met her former classmate and had been invited, Kurosaki Utsuki sat down in the empty seat across from the girl and casually asked, "Are you alone?"
"I'm alone now," Rokudo Nagi explained, "My brother went to visit a friend nearby."
"Hey - you two siblings have a really good relationship." Kurosaki Utsuki sighed from the bottom of her heart. The last time she went out with her brother was last summer vacation, and it was a painful memory when she was called back to the laboratory to work overtime after being out for a day and a half.
The girl nodded, feeling happy about the compliment on their sibling relationship. "Our boss bought two collectibles from the Axe River Consortium, and my brother and I went on a business trip to retrieve them."
Kurosaki Utsuki was stunned: "Axejiang Group?"
The body she had just dissected belonged to the consulting attorney of the Axie Group. The information Hattori had told her was that the group of people were looking for the treasure hidden by the first head of the Axie family - it's a small world.
"Yes, Kurosaki-san, do you know?"
"Well, sort of... Rokudo-san, do you and Rokudo-senpai work in the same company?"
Although she didn't think Rokudo Nagi was involved in the murder case, since there was a slight connection with the deceased, it would be better to ask a few questions.
The girl nodded slightly. "Yes, it's an international trading company called Vongola."
Vongola...does it mean clams? Are they mainly engaged in the import and export of aquatic products?
The conversation almost ended here. After receiving the email from her brother, Rokudo Nagi stood up and said goodbye to her. It was not until the girl's petite figure left the cafe that she remembered to order food to appease her empty stomach.
·
As a result, after coming out of the meal, Kurosaki Utsuki, who thought that Hokkaido was vast and sparsely populated, could take a shortcut through the roof to the police station, but she met someone unexpected again.
"Kaito Kidd?"
An elegant thief in white clothes and a monocle was sitting by the edge of the fence on the rooftop where she had just landed, as if waiting for someone.
But his purpose was irrelevant; the point was that she noticed that the fabric on his chest was also scored with cross marks - just like the remains she had just dissected.
Thinking back to the news about Kaito Kidd’s move the night before...it seemed like he stole the collection of the Axe River Group?
The somewhat disheveled Phantom Thief recognized her at a glance: "Hagiwara Kakiko?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he was stunned on the spot in surprise.
He didn't notice how the woman, who was more than ten meters away from him just now, suddenly approached him, took away his poker gun, and grabbed one of his wrists.
And now, not only did he feel a rare, almost instinctive fear, but he was also unable to move for unknown reasons.
"you……"
Kurosaki Utsuki, emitting a little spiritual pressure to create a sense of oppression, interrupted him: "I have a few questions for you - first of all, who was the person who made the sign of the cross on your chest?"
But after a brief thought, the other party answered irrelevantly: "Are you also investigating this case?"
"I didn't want to, but the case just fell on my face—why 'also'? Is Kudo Shinichi also investigating?"
She had heard the gossip that everyone knew, "Kaito Kid, who used to have a love-hate relationship with Detective Hakuba, is now having a hot affair with Detective Kudo."
Recently, the Superintendent's only son, Hakuba Detective, has temporarily left the country to investigate a case, leaving the baton of "helping the police stop Kid" to Kudo Shinichi. And he has lived up to expectations, becoming the "new love" who constantly appears in the news alongside Kaito Kid, following in his footsteps.
The white-clad thief glanced down at the torn chest of his clothes and answered quite honestly, "Thank goodness those two detectives arrived just in time, otherwise I wouldn't have had the chance to meet such a beautiful lady as Detective Hagiwara."
...Tsk.
Even though her legs were shaking because of her spiritual pressure, she was still able to say such endearing words. No wonder she has so many fans despite being a criminal.
"Eh—I see. I thought you were an opponent I could easily escape from."
Kurosaki Utsuki released his hand and returned the poker gun to the other party, but did not retract his spiritual pressure.
"But since Kudo Shinichi and you are both on this side..."
Then it's totally fine for her to stop participating in the investigation, right?
With so many clues and the criminal seemingly showing no intention of stopping, it was unlikely to remain an unsolved case. She felt that she was no less needed as an investigator.
Before I could finish my sentence, a phone call came in.
Kurosaki Utsuki originally thought it would be Hattori Heiji, but unexpectedly it was an unfamiliar number, like a public phone, and the voice coming from the receiver was even more unexpected -
"Sister Gexi, is it convenient now?"
It turned out to be Shiho Miyano, who went to study in the United States in her early years and whom she had not seen for seven years.
"Shiho? Wait a moment." Kurosaki Utsuki glanced at the thief opposite, simply withdrew her spiritual pressure, waved to him, and made a gesture of "you can go."
The driven away Kaito Kid gave a bitter smile. He was originally waiting here for his assistant to bring him new clothes and casual props, but ended up being usurped by the cuckoo - but he, the little magpie, could not deal with the cuckoo on the opposite side, so he had to find another place to meet.
The figure of the white-clothed thief disappeared from sight. Kurosaki Utsuki took a step forward, leaned on the fence he had just used, and looked at the mobile phone screen again to confirm.
That’s right, this call is from Japan. Has Shiho Miyano returned to Japan?
"Okay, I've cleared the area here." said Kurosaki Utsuki.
The girl on the other end of the phone continued, "I'm in a little trouble." She paused, "Sister Gexi, can you please protect my parents and sister?"
Kurosaki Utsuki, who thought it was a scam for a few seconds at the beginning, suddenly became serious.
"What's the trouble?" She frowned, quickly took out her earphones, lifted the phone away from her ear, and typed an email to Ishida Ryugen. "I'm in Hakodate now, and it'll take a few hours to get back to Tokyo. I'll ask a reliable friend to go over to Akemi and her uncle and aunt."
What level of trouble would bring disaster to her parents? At that moment, Kurosaki Utsuki recalled the kidnapping of Miyano Shiho as a child. The arrested criminals claimed they were seeking revenge against Ishida Ryugen, and although she found this suspicious, she didn't investigate further.
Miyano Shiho on the other side was silent for a few seconds before she spoke with a firm mind: "I'm in Hakodate now too. Would it be convenient for us to meet later?"
In front of her, there is a case being investigated by two reliable detectives and a thief, and behind her is her little sister who is in trouble and has grown up under her care. Kurosaki Utaki chose the latter without hesitation.
"Of course, tell me the address and I'll be right there."
After noting down the address, Kurosaki Utsuki added a reassuring reassurance before hanging up: "If you're ever in danger, feel free to leave it to me. You know my fighting ability; I can withstand even the sky falling."
…The last sentence is a bit exaggerated, but that’s the meaning.
·
Kurosaki Utsuki was unable to meet Miyano Shiho.
The agreed time had passed, and she didn't know whether the man hadn't arrived or had left for some reason, but the room they'd been meeting in was empty. It was a nondescript three-story apartment, on the far back of the third floor. Initially, she rang the doorbell but no one answered. She tried to open the door, only to find it unlocked, and there was no sign anyone had been in the room.
If Miyano Shiho had not come here yet, then the scene could still be explained, but if she left for some reason or was forced to leave, then there must have been a "cleaning team" that had been here before her.
...The situation is not good.
No one answered the call she made just now. Kurosaki Utsuki looked around on the balcony and noticed a ghost within her sight, so she prepared to ask him about the situation.
But when I went downstairs to the entrance of the apartment and just walked out the door, I was suddenly hit in the face by a bullet.
But whether it was because the other party was not well trained or did it on purpose, the bullet only went through the side of her and penetrated the glass door behind her, as if to remind her.
Kurosaki Utsuki clicked her tongue, feeling a lot happier than when she first discovered that Miyano Shiho might have been kidnapped. At least she now had a straightforward clue—
Before the second bullet arrived, a car suddenly stopped on the side of the road in front of her, and the window rolled down, revealing a face that she had some impression of.
The driver was a man in his thirties, with long hair, green eyes, and seemed to be of mixed race. His face was a little thin and angular, but it had to be said that he was quite good-looking.
Another bullet almost grazed her head. The driver said, "Get in." As soon as he finished speaking, she had already nimbly gotten into the back seat.
After the car drove out for a distance and noticed a suspicious black car following behind, Kurosaki Utsuki asked, "Which side are you from?"
She wasn't here to escape a sniper's danger; she was in the man's car simply because he was closer than the sniper, who was far away.
"Akai Shuichi, if you still remember, I'm a junior of Morobushi Takaaki." The man replied in a deep voice, his voice very pleasant, "and also Miyano Shiho's cousin."
She gradually remembered the previous point. About fourteen years ago, when Miyano Shiho was kidnapped, she was hospitalized with Ishida Ryugen and later secretly taken away by the criminals. The man next to her happened to be passing by the prison where they were being held and tried to call the police, but she accidentally knocked him unconscious. He later searched for her in the hospital.
But she had never expected the latter point. She only knew that Miyano's mother was mixed-race and that there was an older sister, but she had never heard that this sister also married a Japanese man, and that their Japanese-British son went to the United States.
“…FBI?”
However, upon closer inspection, the person next to her does look somewhat similar to Miyano Shiho, especially her lower eyeliner.
Akai Shuichi responded in affirmation.
Kurosaki Utsuki didn't raise any doubts or ask for proof of identity. Instead, she followed up on his question, "Where's Shiho? Do you want to just tell me the answer directly, or explain everything to me starting with the background?"
If she guessed correctly, the trouble that Shiho Miyano was currently involved in was definitely related to the person next to her.
But the other party answered the question irrelevantly: "You reacted quite calmly to the sniper attack just now."
"Answer my question."
The black-haired man glanced at her through the rearview mirror and finally replied, "Okay."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
