The purple underwear was likely the set Akita Keito had given.
The sky-blue T-shirt was indeed what Hayashi Shuichi had seen "Ono Yukiko" wearing at the window.
With the women's clothing found, Togo Ryu's changing spot was likely nearby.
It was raining, and others were in the cherry blossom forest, so the killer couldn't have gone far to hide the clothes.
Hayashi Shuichi searched around the tree where the clothes were hidden and soon found a bloodstained rock nearby.
The rain had diluted the blood, but it wasn't fully washed away. A luminol test would confirm it later.
The murder weapon was found, proving Hayashi Shuichi's theory correct.
Togo Ryu had been attacked in the cherry blossom forest.
The "Togo Ryu" they saw heading to the cliff was likely the killer in disguise, creating an alibi.
Recalling the situation, Hayashi Shuichi was certain who killed Togo Ryu.
But he needed solid evidence to accuse them.
With this in mind, Hayashi Shuichi climbed the cliff and found paint traces on the rocks, left by the killer to suggest Togo Ryu was attacked there.
After confirming this, Hayashi Shuichi returned to the inn but didn't enter, instead going to the back of Akita Keito's car.
He recalled Akita Keito tossing his paint-stained jacket into the trunk after being splashed.
The paint the killer used likely came from scraping that jacket.
Hoping to find evidence of the scraping, Hayashi Shuichi found none but noticed small spines on the ground beneath the trunk.
Picking one up, he recognized it as likely from the cactus in Akita Keito's trunk.
Recalling the killer's subtle actions, these spines were enough to prove they scraped the paint.
…
At the inn, the now-conscious Akita Keito struggled, trying to spit out the underwear in his mouth.
"Stop struggling," Reiko said, crouching beside him. "It's hard to get that out without your hands."
"Ugh…" Akita Keito glared at the girl, eyes blazing.
"You insulted Onii-chan. You deserve punishment for doing wrong," Reiko said with a grin. "Didn't your teachers tell you that?"
"Where's Hayashi-kun? He's been gone so long," Ootomo Hiroki said impatiently, pacing and scratching his left palm. "Should we go check on him?"
"No," Hime Eri shook her head. "Shuichi said everyone but him stays here."
"But we've found the killer," Ootomo Hiroki argued. "Why can't we move freely?"
"Forget it, Ootomo-san," Moriyama Kenta said. "What could we do out there? Let the kid handle it."
Just then, Mrs. Togo woke on the sofa. "What… How am I back at the inn…?"
No one spoke, only watching the innkeeper who'd conspired with her son with complex expressions.
Mrs. Togo's puzzled gaze swept over them, landing on Akita Keito on the floor.
"Ugh…" Akita Keito trembled, terrified, having nearly been strangled by her earlier.
Mrs. Togo stared, then recalled what happened.
"…It's you! You killed Ryu!"
Her eyes reddened, and she lunged at Akita Keito with a ferocious expression.
Moriyama Kenta moved to stop her but was tripped by Ootomo Hiroki, both falling.
"Sorry…" Ootomo Hiroki apologized, his eyes fixed on Akita Keito.
"Mrs. Togo, calm down," the three girls stepped in front of Akita Keito. "We've called the police. They'll be here soon, and Akita-san will face justice!"
"Justice? Police?" Mrs. Togo sneered. "If they were any good, I'd be in prison already, not running this inn!"
"Mrs. Togo, please calm down," Fujimine Yukiko soothed. "I know Togo Ryu's death hurts, but you can't bring him back. Try to let it go…"
"Let it go?" Mrs. Togo's face twisted into a strange smile. "Ryu's dead, but the dead can stay with me, like his father did."
"…She doesn't seem right," Reiko whispered. "She's acting crazy."
"When I was pregnant with Ryu, that man cheated with another woman and tried to abandon me," Mrs. Togo said, stroking her stomach, lost in memory.
"I couldn't lose my husband or let Ryu grow up without a father, so I made sure he stayed with us forever."
Her words shocked everyone.
Hime Eri, face pale, asked, "You killed Togo Ryu's father?"
"Not just him, but the wench who seduced him," Mrs. Togo laughed maniacally. "She dared steal my husband! After burying Ryu's father by the pond, I chopped her up in front of him and fed her to the fish."
Her words sent chills through the group.
Akita Keito curled up, frantically trying to hide.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you now," Mrs. Togo said with an eerie smile. "After Ryu's buried, I'll deal with you in front of him to avenge him!"
With that, she ran to the kitchen.
Confused, the group watched as she returned, giggling, with an axe.
"Mrs. Togo," Ootomo Hiroki swallowed hard, "what are you…?"
"Before I avenge Ryu, I don't want the police interrupting. Besides, you're all Ryu's lovers. He's dead—why should you live?"
Mrs. Togo snarled and swung the axe at Moriyama Kenta, the closest.
He dodged, the blade grazing him and splintering the chair behind.
Realizing she was serious, chaos erupted in the living room…
(Chapter End)
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