Another incident?
Shuichi Hayashi sighed and strode toward the scene.
As he neared the riverbank, he saw several officers in the middle of the river, struggling to drag a body toward the shore.
"What's this…?"
"This morning, someone spotted it sunk at the bottom of the river's center," Officer Megure explained. "At first, everyone thought it was just trash, so no one paid it any mind."
"But this afternoon, some elderly folks fishing nearby got their hook caught on it. When they pulled it up and saw the face, they realized it was a corpse."
As they spoke, the body was hoisted onto the bank. Among the officers carrying it was Officer Matsumoto.
Since the apartment robbery case at Yukiko Fujimine's place, Matsumoto's attitude toward Shuichi had softened considerably. Spotting him, the officer even offered a friendly nod.
But Shuichi didn't acknowledge him. His gaze was locked on the female corpse, unblinking.
"What's wrong, Hayashi? Do you know her?" Officer Megure asked, surprised.
Shuichi's face darkened as he nodded. "Yeah. She's been a regular at the izakaya these past few days. I only know her last name—Nishikawa. She was a stripper."
"Last night, she came to the izakaya but barely ate. She left in a hurry for some reason."
"A stripper?" Matsumoto's brow furrowed. "Anyone else know her?"
"The manager of the nearby Yolo nightclub, Sada, knows quite a bit about Ms. Nishikawa," Shuichi said, briefly recounting what had happened at the izakaya the previous night.
"I'll go get Manager Sada," Megure said, taking two officers with him and heading off.
Shuichi and Matsumoto began examining Ms. Nishikawa's body.
The corpse was wrapped in duct tape, securing several plastic bags filled with stones—no wonder it had sunk to the riverbed.
"There are strangulation marks on her neck. Was she choked to death?" Matsumoto speculated.
"No, look at her fingernails," Shuichi said, slipping on a pair of gloves and lifting her left hand. "There's mud under them. She was still alive when she was thrown into the river—she fought to survive."
"So, someone strangled her until she passed out," Matsumoto reasoned, "then tied stones to her and dumped her in the river."
"Or they thought she was already dead and tried to dispose of her this way," Shuichi added, shifting his attention to the corpse's right hand.
Unlike the open left hand, the right was clenched tightly, as if gripping something.
Shuichi pried it open, revealing a bright yellow button.
"Even while struggling against drowning, Ms. Nishikawa never let go of this," Shuichi observed. "This button must be significant—likely torn from her attacker's clothing before she was knocked out."
"But a single button isn't much to go on," Matsumoto said, rubbing his forehead.
Shuichi didn't respond, continuing his inspection, but found nothing else of note.
"Her wallet's gone," he said. "She used it to pay at the izakaya last night."
"Could it be a robbery?" Matsumoto asked. "Strippers often make good money—someone might've targeted her for it."
"Unlikely," Shuichi shook his head. "Ms. Nishikawa may have been a stripper, but most of her earnings went to the yakuza. Look at her clothes—plain, no expensive jewelry. A random thief wouldn't pick her as a target."
"And if it was someone who knew her, they'd know she didn't have much to steal."
"The killer likely took the wallet for another reason—maybe it held evidence against them."
"Her clothes are intact, no signs of tearing. This wasn't about assault either."
"For now, we should start with Ms. Nishikawa's relationships—especially the man who conned her and left her with a billion-yen debt."
Shuichi paused, deep in thought. "Last night, she left the izakaya in such a rush she didn't even wait for change. For someone in her financial state, that's abnormal."
"Got it. I'll—" Matsumoto began, then caught himself. Why did it feel like he was taking orders from Detective Samezaki?
Since when did this kid become his boss?
Sure, during the apartment robbery, Shuichi's fearless takedown of the culprits had earned Matsumoto's respect. He wasn't like those loudmouth detectives who only talked a big game. But adult pride didn't bend so easily to a kid.
"We'll discuss the investigation details later," Matsumoto coughed, regaining his composure. "For now, we'll follow your lead."
Shuichi glanced up, instantly reading the officer's thoughts. In his previous life, he'd been an adult too—he understood the stubborn need to save face.
He said nothing more, and Matsumoto, too embarrassed to press further, stayed silent.
Then, a commotion erupted nearby.
Shuichi turned to see dozens of brash, tattooed men in black suits arguing with the officers securing the scene.
"Damn it, trouble's here," Matsumoto spat on the ground.
"Yakuza?" Shuichi asked, already knowing the answer.
Ms. Nishikawa's creditor was the yakuza. Her sudden death, their cash cow gone, wouldn't sit well with them.
This was the peak of Japan's yakuza expansion, forming the three major gangs. Though not as dominant as in the '60s, their influence was still ferocious. Running gray-market businesses and cozying up to corporations and politicians, some gangs even topped global crime revenue lists. Even the police often treaded lightly around them.
"Hayashi, stay here. Getting mixed up with these guys is bad news," Matsumoto warned before heading over to confront them.
Shuichi overheard the yakuza demanding to inspect Ms. Nishikawa's body, cursing the police as useless and boasting they'd solve the case themselves.
Matsumoto, no pushover, matched their aggression, and the exchange quickly escalated into a shouting match. Some yakuza reached into their jackets, ready to draw weapons, while officers, hands on holsters, braced for trouble.
Great, are we about to see a police-yakuza brawl? Shuichi thought, stepping back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
The yakuza weren't something even the police wanted to tangle with lightly—let alone a student like him.
After a tense few minutes, the yakuza leader, clear-headed enough to rein in his men, raised a hand to stop them.
"Three days!" he barked. "You've got three days to find the killer, or we'll handle it ourselves!"
"This woman owed us a billion yen! That debt won't vanish—we'll collect it from the killer personally!"
With those threats, the yakuza stormed off.
Matsumoto, face like thunder, kicked a nearby traffic cone and headed to a public phone booth to report to his superiors.
This was beyond his paygrade now.
After calling Detective Samezaki, Matsumoto returned just as Megure arrived with Mr. Sada in tow.
Sada rushed to the body on the shore. Upon recognizing Ms. Nishikawa, his expression flickered—anger, regret, and guilt warring across his face.
Anyone with eyes could see something was off.
"Mr. Sada, do you know something?" Matsumoto pressed.
"I…" Sada opened his mouth, words on the tip of his tongue, but hesitation clouded his face.
"This case involves the yakuza. If we don't handle it carefully, it could spark violence," Matsumoto said gravely. "If you know anything, please tell us. We'll make sure Ms. Nishikawa gets justice."
He meant to stress the stakes, urging Sada to speak, but his mention of "justice" backfired.
"Justice?" Sada scoffed. "If the police were as righteous as you claim, my sister wouldn't be in the state she's in!"
"What…?" Matsumoto blinked, baffled by the outburst.
"Sorry, it's almost time for my shift. I need to get to work," Sada said brusquely, turning to leave.
Without evidence tying him to the case, the police could only let him go.
"What was that about?" Matsumoto muttered. "What happened to his sister?"
"No idea," Megure shook his head. "But Sada's a bit odd. As a nightclub manager, he should be raking it in, yet he lives in a rundown apartment."
"And there's a woman there—crazed, unhinged. Probably his sister."
"Last night at the izakaya, Sada seemed sympathetic toward Ms. Nishikawa," Shuichi interjected. "Maybe his sister went through something similar."
"So what now?" Megure, still green, looked lost.
"Split into three teams," Shuichi said thoughtfully. "One canvasses the area for witnesses from last night—focus on convenience stores. The duct tape and plastic bags might've been bought nearby."
"Another team digs into Ms. Nishikawa's relationships, especially the man who scammed her. We need to find him."
"The last team investigates Sada and his sister. His reaction today—he definitely knows something."
"Yes, sir!" Megure snapped to attention, hurrying to organize the teams.
Matsumoto glared, fuming. This kid's barking orders like he's in charge, and you're just following him?
Grudgingly, with the yakuza's deadline looming, Matsumoto swallowed his pride and joined Megure to start the investigation as Shuichi directed…
(End of Chapter)