Chapter 11. Nobody's ever so eager to become a suspect...
Things are getting a bit complicated now.
Should President Hase be credited as the victim?
Morofushi Kagemitsu lay precariously on the edge of the rooftop, pondering how to reclaim his own KPI.
I can't just shoot the real culprit to pay for President Hase's life, can I?
Seeing that the detective had finished observing the scene, his brows furrowed even deeper.
He packed up everything else except the scope on the sniper rifle, intending to use it as a telescope to keep an eye on the banquet.
I wonder how good this detective is. What will he think after discovering the bugging device on President Hase? If he guesses the culprit wrong, wouldn't that mean he might be taking credit for it?
Given the local police's investigative capabilities, there's a high chance they'll make a wrongful conviction. That means I could exploit a loophole to become one of the suspects, and incidentally, further tarnish my already tarnished reputation... well, my identity, which's already as black as a lump of coal.
In short, he quickly sorted out his thoughts and had already figured out what identity he should use to squeeze into the detective's list of suspects. He even had a plan on how to gracefully clear his name after the organization confirmed the mission's success, making the organization even more convinced that he and the police were irreconcilable enemies.
However, before entering the venue, he still observed some details to increase the suspicion surrounding him.
Let him see what this detective is like...
Um?
Morofushi Kagemitsu adjusted the accuracy of his scope and made a clear look at the detective pacing back and forth at the scene.
Wait a minute, why does this detective look so familiar?
He had received professional training; if it was a familiar face, he wouldn't fail to recognize it...
He recalled the events carefully, his gaze unconsciously drifting to another hotel next to the building, where a large poster hung, bearing the words:
[A new installment in the Dark Baron series! Yusaku Kudo attends a fan meeting!]
The rather charming face on the poster is very eye-catching.
He looked at the poster, then at the face in the scope.
Isn't this just one person?!
Yusaku Kudo.
That Yusaku Kudo!
Tsk, this is difficult.
Morofushi Kagemitsu lowered the scope and closed his eyes in anguish.
The scapegoat plan that I had just come up with fell through on the spot.
Are we really just going to watch this opportunity to shine go to waste?
Zhu Fujingguang was not convinced.
He deftly put away his scope, stepped onto the edge of the rooftop steps, and made up his mind to try and stage an accident no matter what!
"Young man, don't do anything rash!"
Um?
"Don't go any further! Get down! It's dangerous!"
He realized something and looked straight downstairs. Before he knew it, a group of people had quickly gathered downstairs.
"Life is still beautiful..."
"Think of your family!"
An elderly man leading the group was shouting loudly, trying to revive the suicidal person's hope for life, while the sharp-eyed Morofushi Kagemitsu had already spotted a housewife carrying shopping bags calling the police...
How could this be...?
Well, there's no time for sentimentality anymore. Morofushi Kagemitsu could only disappear from the rooftop at his fastest speed, deliberately pulling down his hood as he rushed down the stairs to cover himself completely.
He really didn't want to lose face.
Fortunately, the building I chose was tall enough that the old man with his presbyopia would never be able to see me clearly.
Before the onlookers or security guards could climb up, he quickly hid in the restroom, took out the suit he had prepared, and changed into it. Then, after tidying himself up in front of the mirror, he openly took the elevator and left.
Even after stepping out of the building, he could still hear the lingering crowd of onlookers discussing amongst themselves.
"That young man shouldn't be thinking of doing anything drastic again, right?"
"I saw he pulled his foot back, so he should be alright now, right?"
"That's great! I didn't expect the conversation skills my daughter taught me to be so useful, hahaha!"
"Sir, this is a truly meritorious act..."
Zhu Fujingguang immediately quickened his pace and headed straight for the murder scene; he couldn't stay there any longer.
Fortunately, there was no traffic congestion at this time of day, and after a period of acceleration, he finally arrived at his destination.
Pulling out a pre-prepared business card from his suit pocket, Zhu Fujingguang, with a warm smile, said to the receptionist:
"Is President Hase still upstairs? I'm Asakawa from Seida Company. We arranged to meet tonight."
The receptionist paused for a moment, then glanced at the plainclothes policeman not far away, thinking she was being discreet. Then, as if she had received some signal, she told him the room number of the banquet hall without making a phone call.
Morofushi Kagemitsu sighed, knowing they probably wanted to get him into the banquet hall to help solve the case, but this tactic was riddled with flaws. If Kudo Yusaku hadn't been there tonight, he could have easily become a criminal suspect.
But now, we have to take another path.
I hope I didn't come too far—
"...You are the culprit, Mr. Garner."
—It's too late.
As soon as Morofushi Kagemitsu arrived at the entrance of the banquet hall, he was met with a brutal attack.
How did they catch the murderer so quickly?!
Does this process take twenty minutes?
He listened blankly as the man named Kudo Yusaku slowly and methodically explained his reasoning process, his heart sinking deeper with each word.
Isn't this completely none of his business?
Even if I admit now that I planted the bug, it won't help. I might even face repercussions later for revealing information about the organization. Especially that Akita guy, he probably won't let me off the hook and will try to pin other things on me.
"...Sir at the door, is there anything else you need?"
Morofushi Kagemitsu was suddenly called out. He looked up and found that the speaker was not Kudo Yusaku, but a boy who looked about six or seven parts similar to him. He looked like he had just started junior high school and was probably the novelist's child.
He was about to shake his head when a sudden inspiration struck him, and he thought of a way to fool the organization.
"I've come to see the results..."
Leaving behind a riddle-like statement, he gave the future little detective a similar gentle yet eerie smile, instantly scaring the child back down from what he was about to say.
He looked around and saw that everyone's attention was still focused on the murder scene and the big Kudo, so he went inside, took the boy's shoulder, and walked to a corner.
The kid was quite bold. Aside from being frightened at first, he was very calm now, keeping a wary eye on him as he walked... until he took out a recording pen from his sleeve and poked him in the back.
Feeling the child's back stiffen, Morofushi Kagemitsu touched his conscience, which felt no pain at all, and took out his phone to send a text message under the trembling gaze of the little detective.
One of them was sent to that specific number in the organization:
[Hase is confirmed dead.]
On the other hand, he opened the 'Undercover Anti-Fraud Center' and uploaded the number he had just seen.
He wasn't sure if the information was valid, but he figured it would be a waste not to use the two daily reporting opportunities.
Finally, he went online to look up Yusaku Kudo's family information and learned the boy's name in the process.
Shinichi Kudo, who was completely unaware of what Hiromitsu Morofushi was doing, was extremely anxious and seemed to have already imagined many different scenarios.
When he mustered the courage to speak, he saw the man with the eerie smile raise an eyebrow at him, then raise his hand and take out a… voice recorder from his sleeve?
"This is a recording of my phone call with President Hase. I thought it might come in handy, but I didn't expect Mr. Kudo to solve the case so quickly."
Morofushi Kagemitsu then presented the explanation he had prepared long ago.
Completely surprised that the cunning adult would use something like this to scare him, Shinichi Kudo was still stunned when he caught the recording pen.
"Mr. Ghana, this is really useful..."
Moribu Kagemitsu shifted his feet and calculated the angle, casting a shadow over his smile.
Shinichi Kudo: !!!
A note from the author:
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Jingguang: Scaring kids is so much fun! [cheering emojis]
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