When the Detective Work is Done, I'll Die

Chapter 11

The detective and the two suspects were gathered in the parlor. Since an officer who had been hanging around next to the detective looked bored, I decided to let everyone hear my deduction. I may sound a bit full of myself, but it can't be helped. If I don't catch the culprit with my reasoning now, the evidence and everything else will probably be destroyed and the case will end up unsolved. A demon who murdered someone would walk free. I absolutely hate that. Even if I have to become a detective myself, I must stop it.

There was just one thing I had to be careful of while putting on this deduction show: the behavior of the suspicious man calling himself a detective. He should have seen us outsiders as nothing but meddlers, yet he said nothing about my starting the deduction show.

I had told Miiko to keep an eye on the detective, and she probably understood why.

"Thank you all for gathering here."

After a greeting, I paused for breath. Everyone's eyes were on me, and I felt a bit tense. Still, it's nothing compared to when I was locked in verbal battle with the detective. Maybe this level of tension is just right.

I bowed to everyone near the entrance and began to lay out my thoughts on the case.

"This is my theory about the murder of Mr. Koyama. First, let me explain what happened here. The culprit was talking with Mr. Koyama while no one else was around, but something went wrong partway through. Mr. Koyama came to resent the culprit."

Yes. According to my current reasoning, Mr. Koyama was the one who first bore murderous intent toward the culprit.

Mr. Hida, apparently unable to accept this, murmured "Hmm" and raised an objection.

"Eh? Mr. Koyama bore resentment toward the culprit? That Mr. Koyama who's usually the one resented?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't that seem odd? Mr. Koyama holding a grudge? Against the culprit? Why would you think that?"

I presented a single piece of evidence. I told the officer, "Please check under the antiques shelf," and had him take out a single sword. Because it was stained with blood, Mr. Hida turned pale and clamped his mouth shut.

Combine this dreadful sword with one more piece of evidence, and the truth becomes clear.

"So—this. I think it can probably be matched with this sword wound... Hey, stop trying to sneak away from the fact you took a human life, Mr. Furudou!"

"Huhhh!?"

Startled at being pointed out, he flailed and his glasses fell off. I moved closer as he tried to pick them up and hurled burning words at him.

"The cut on your right palm—the vertical slash carved into your palm was from when Mr. Koyama slashed at you, wasn't it?"

"W-why would you say... I don't understand at all..."

While Mr. Furudou held his head, I pressed on with the reasoning.

"If we have the blood on that sword tested, we'll know right away. But let me tell you beforehand. Just as I explained, you were attacked by Mr. Koyama, who'd snapped for some reason."

"Ughhh..."

"You immediately fought back after your hand was slashed with the sword. Right? You had to, or you'd be killed. The incident that happened this time was your counterattack!"

This time the detective muttered an assent, keeping the story flowing.

"So it's self-defense, huh."

His reaction was a good way to connect the narrative.

"Yes. But I don't think Mr. Furudou could decide that in an instant. He must have mistakenly believed he'd killed his opponent. That's why he staged a cover-up. First, the antiques that shook and got mixed together when Mr. Koyama's head hit the shelf. After fixing that... he did the most important thing..."

"Oho... and that was?"

Right after the detective's reaction—

"That was the act of scattering the money at the very beginning!"

Mr. Hida, who'd been cowering at the sight of the blood on the sword, nodded vigorously.

"S-so that's why the money...? Then what the detective said earlier..."

"Exactly. What the detective said wasn't entirely wrong. To hide something—an unavoidable piece of evidence. That evidence was his own blood! If his blood were found at the scene with the corpse, he'd definitely come under suspicion, right?"

This time Miiko helped make the story easier to follow.

"Right. So, just like the detective said, when someone arrived he took the opportunity to act shocked at seeing the corpse and the money. While everyone else was either digging the body out from under the money or expressing shock, he scattered even a small amount of his own blood at the crime scene."

"Exactly! That way, even if the police came later, he wouldn't be suspected. Well, in the end, flustered, he could only hide the sword by rolling it under the antiques shelf."

"That's right!"

I met Miiko's eyes as she nodded eagerly, then together we addressed Mr. Furudou.

"Give it up already, Mr. Furudou! Admit what you did!"

Seeing my earnest expression, Mr. Hida added a word.

"That's right! If you confess here, your sentence will surely be lighter! If it's just destroying evidence in a panic, you probably won't even go to prison..."

Still holding his face, Mr. Furudou sat down on the floor nearby. It looks like we've won. We've made him admit what he did.

"Ah...! Ah...! That's right. He attacked me..."

"So you charged at him with your body?"

I asked him.

"That's right! I didn't know what was going on then...! After we'd finished negotiating the antique deal, he suddenly said something weird like 'What I was about to hand over is our family heirloom, so I'll take your life as payment,' and then he came at me!"

"Maybe he'd gone mad from illness... You mentioned it too. Something about a brain disease."

"Probably... that's why he'd become so quick to anger... But even so, the sword was excessive... I had no choice, my own life was in danger otherwise... so I killed him...! Ahhhhhh...!"

He collapsed in despair.

Yes, his heart-rending wails echoed through the house. The dog who'd lost its master in the garden howled in sympathy, and a hollow emptiness hung over the place.

"So the deduction is over, huh."

The detective broke the heavy silence, looking at us with a lively face.

"Ah... What do you mean?"

"I don't know whether you learned that reasoning from manga or novels, but do you understand what a terrible thing you've done?"

"Huh...? Wh-what are you talking about!?"

The detective grabbed me by the chest and pulled his fist close. I could only panic, unable to resist his speed.

"You—"

"Hey, violence in front of an officer again?"

"Cut it out," Miiko and Mr. Hida tried to stop the detective. But the detective silenced them with a single stern word.

"No! You think it's fine as long as the criminal is caught, but do you realize you've ruined these people's lives with your reasoning?"

"Huh?"

"This Furudou guy has a daughter! Your deduction might be right! But what happens to her? She'll have to bear the cross of knowing her own father killed someone, whatever the reason! She'll carry it too!"

"B-but the fact remains he killed someone..."

"So what! No matter the reason, society will discriminate! There's no place for people who've killed! Do you think his daughter can live a normal life!? Once the police know everything, the truth will have to be revealed. Then the girl will have nowhere to go—at school, anywhere! As the daughter of a murderer! Do you get it!?"

So... I destroyed the lives of people who'd done nothing wrong... with my deduction?

"Eh..."

The detective hurled even harsher words at me, along with the blood that flew from his throat.

"Hey! Do you get it!? I came here as a detective to erase this case! A detective's job isn't to expose the truth!"

"Then what is it...!?"

What does this detective think a detective is?

He shouted the answer himself.

"Sometimes you use your wits to think of the person hurt most by the case. A detective's job is also to hide crimes for the sake of human kindness! I had a reason for framing you guys! I was going to let the case go unsolved and hide the hopeless, unbearable truth! This wasn't some game for an innocent detective to play with deductions! Hey! Do you get it!?"

"B-but if not, the victims won't be avenged... the past sin won't be punished..."

"That's only the culprit's problem! What about you? Are you saying the victims of exposing the past sin are also responsible? Did Furudou's daughter do anything wrong!?"

Ugh...

My heart aches. I have no way to counter these verbal bullets.

Right. Driven only by defiance toward the detective, I did the worst possible thing. Whether it's right or wrong isn't the point. It's about whether anyone gets hurt.

Justice isn't always right.

I took one blow from the detective's fist and collapsed. Miiko rushed over and wiped the detective's blood from me and the blood from my split lip.

"...Hyoga."

"Yeah... This case..."

This case...

My deduction on this case isn't over yet.

"...Mr. Furudou, cut the jokes. I never seriously thought you killed anyone in self-defense."

Maybe he thought I'd come to retract my earlier reasoning. He looked puzzled through his tears.

"It's too late...! What are you saying now? Whatever the reason, I killed Mr. Furudou with these hands. You're the one who made that clear... It's too late."

"It's not too late."

"What do you mean it's not too late!?"

His rejection shocked me again.

...Right. If my reasoning so far were truly correct, I would have been hit with a despair you could call shock—well, that's how it's supposed to go.

"What do I mean? I just said I don't think you're the culprit who killed someone in self-defense."

"Huh...?"

Now I'll proclaim it. The hidden truth guided by the mystery.

"I'm talking about the cruel person who really murdered Mr. Koyama!"

"What!?"

"In that case, it doesn't matter whether it's late or early, right?"