Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner-Chapter 814 - 493: The First Murder Case (Part 2)

She wanted to uncover the truth.

Only after Sakakita Taro and Fushimi Roku left did Minamoto Tamako realize what had just happened.

She didn’t want social pressure on everyone while solving the case, so she loudly encouraged, "Yes! That’s how it should be! Do you usually worry about your identity when investigating? Eliminating suspects is a correct step in the investigation, don’t consider our feelings, we don’t want to be treated differently!"

The crowd’s response was lukewarm, so Minamoto Tamako added, "The bonus will not be distributed based on personal preferences. As long as the truth is uncovered and the murderer is caught, I guarantee the person who solves the case will receive a 10 million yen bonus! If several people solve it together, splitting the bonus is not a problem either!"

As soon as she finished speaking, all the investigators gathered around. It wasn’t just detectives, but also novelists. They asked Minamoto Tamako for details about the murder case, hoping to find a breakthrough from the clues.

There were also people like Mori Na who gave up investigating, most of them writers, standing aside observing and faithfully recording the crowd’s reactions.

Minamoto Tamako felt like she was holding a press conference again; this time she didn’t need Taira Sakurako’s prompts, she could handle it herself.

"Please don’t make a fuss; one at a time. I can’t answer questions this way, and it’s wasting everyone’s time... Now, I’ll call on people randomly, and I’ll answer all your questions."

With that, Minamoto Tamako picked a kindly uncle who caught her eye: "Sir, you go ahead and ask."

"Hello, Miss Minamoto, my name is Tsuboi Michiaki, here’s my business card. I hope we’ll cooperate well in the future."

Tsuboi Michiaki took out a personal business card from his inner pocket, bowed slightly, and handed it over with both hands.

This is the normal social process in Japan; generally, in formal occasions, exchanging business cards to establish hierarchy makes communication and interaction more convenient afterward.

"Ah, no need for formalities, what I said earlier is true, this is not a social occasion, here there are only murder cases and suspects, no bride and groom."

Minamoto Tamako reiterated once more and asked warmly, "So, Mr. Tsuboi, what would you like to ask?"

Tsuboi Michiaki hadn’t even finished reading the booklet; he wasn’t interested in these trifling games. The photos were full of blood and bodies, which were nauseating to look at, and the various details of the murder case were excessively tedious, making one feel drowsy.

He just wanted to get close to the bride, which was why he squeezed over.

"Uh, this... Could you tell me, Miss Minamoto, what is your relationship with the deceased?" Tsuboi Michiaki asked.

"It’s written in the booklet, including the life story of the deceased." Minamoto Tamako was a bit dissatisfied with his investigative attitude but didn’t show it. Instead, she said loudly, "Okay, next, this gentleman, please go ahead."

The next person chosen was Aoshima Harano again; he was lucky to always stand in the most conspicuous place: "If I’m not mistaken, this case concluded with a final report, and the murderer turned himself in, so may I ask..."

While he was still asking, Tsuboi Michiaki interrupted: "The case is closed? Then what’s left to investigate?"

Everyone turned their heads; those who knew Tsuboi Michiaki gave a schadenfreude smile, while those who didn’t were puzzled, wondering how someone so incompetent got in.

Minamoto Tamako patiently and earnestly explained: "Even if the police announced the case as closed, there are still doubts in the details. For instance, the fingerprints on the murder weapon, the gun, don’t match anyone at the scene, which is enough to prove the presence of a ’fourth person’ at the time of the crime... Moreover, I mentioned at the beginning that a total of four murders occurred, and each one subsequently had ’Heavenly Punishment’ written in blood, enough to determine the real culprit is still at large."

"Ah, I see..." Tsuboi Michiaki was a bit embarrassed.

Minamoto Tamako didn’t take it to heart, just considered Tsuboi Michiaki to be in poor form.

She often saw the glorious deeds of Tsuboi Michiaki’s office in TV commercials and newspapers, so she subconsciously considered this middle-aged man to be a remarkable famous detective. Over time, it left a deep impression, and naturally invited Tsuboi Michiaki as a guest.

"Then I’ll continue," Aoshima Harano cleared his throat: "May I ask, Miss Minamoto, have you interrogated the self-confessed murderer?"

He flipped through the booklet again and said:

"The final report is all clichés, and the confession of the murderer, Ishizuka Yoshio, is basically coerced by the prosecutor. The details are all vague..."

"Since he came forward to confess, he likely knows the inside story and is an important breakthrough. Have you, Miss Minamoto, questioned him?"

Minamoto Tamako shook her head: "No, at the time I was not a formal criminal police officer, just a trainee, with no capacity to interfere in police business. By the time I was able to investigate, Ishizuka Yoshio consistently refused visitors, so I had no means to proceed."

Aoshima Harano understood; for the police station handling the case, the crime was a major stain. Even if the relevant departments couldn’t outright refuse Minamoto Tamako’s investigation, they could hinder it surreptitiously, such as claiming the criminal refused visitors...

He nodded, indicating he had no more questions.

Then others continued to ask questions, which Minamoto Tamako answered one by one.

The hall was bustling, the investigation was in full swing; meanwhile, in the hallway behind the hall, Sakakita Taro and Fushimi Roku leaned by the window, neither saying a word.

This was a common tactic of Sakakita Taro’s, using silence to make suspects uneasy, constantly applying psychological pressure to reveal flaws.

But it seemed Fushimi Roku felt no pressure at all; when Sakakita Taro didn’t speak, he didn’t either, just leaned on the windowsill looking at the scenery, seemingly reminiscing about the beauty of his hometown.

After a long silence, it was Sakakita Taro who first lost patience: "As someone involved, could you recount the course of events?"

"Sure." Fushimi Roku agreed readily.

"Recount it backwards," Sakakita Taro said.

"That won’t work." Fushimi Roku shook his head: "I hit my head at the time, and I don’t remember what happened afterward, so there’s no dialogue for the final scene."

Sakakita Taro was somewhat suspicious, but it was just suspicion: "How coincidental, you happened to forget the process of the murder?"

"I might have passed out at the time." Fushimi Roku shrugged.

"Alright." Sakakita Taro didn’t press further on this issue, instead asking a small question: "I have a small query, why were you going to the church at the time?"

"The instructor threatened me, I had no choice but to go." Fushimi Roku was being honest.

"You don’t seem like the type to be intimidated," Sakakita Taro pointed out this small inconsistency.

Earlier, during the speech, Fushimi Roku was utterly fearless, composed and at ease. Such a person wouldn’t be easily threatened. All detectives are adept at reading people, and Sakakita Taro was no exception.

"At the time I was young, just a student," Fushimi Roku continued honestly: "I’ve experienced many things over these years; I can boast that I’ve grown quite a bit since then."

"I see," Sakakita Taro nodded: "Then I have no further questions."

That’s what he said, but he was thinking of something else.

The two returned to the front of the hall to join the others.

The investigators asked questions for three hours straight, all about tedious details, but everyone present found it fascinating.

Except for Tsuboi Michiaki, he felt out of place.

Mori Na was writing swiftly; she was already drafting the outline of a new novel.

If the next case were equally thrilling, she might even scrap the current outline or embed it into a story-within-a-story format...

It was exciting, truly exciting!

Suddenly, the muse reappeared, offering the greatest gift to a creator filled with talent and passion.

A thought burst into Mori Na’s mind, making her shiver as if electrified, her pupils widening with excitement, goosebumps rippling across her skin.

Brilliant!

Previously, she felt the story was missing something... If she designed the story this way, it would be flawless!

As everyone was intently recording details, Mori Na couldn’t help but shout out:

"The killer is among us!"