"What's going on with Kyoto University?" Shizuka Ikenami asked in confusion.
"I'm not sure," her teammate, Mikio Sonozono, said with a face full of schadenfreude. "But whatever it is, if they're having problems, it's a good thing for us."
"That may be true..." Shizuka frowned slightly, her gaze drifting toward where the Kyoto University Kendo Club was gathered in the distance. "But it's inevitable to feel a bit disappointed when an opponent you've prepared so hard to face suddenly can't perform at their best."
"You... you're always so competitive," Mikio shook his head helplessly before waving toward the stands next to the competition arena.
Two young people, a man and a woman, were sitting there. They were friends who had come to watch his match.
"For me, winning is all that matters. Especially with Kazumi watching."
At that moment, the teacher in charge walked over with a smile. "Something happened with the Kyoto University Kendo Club. Their ace, Hattori Heizo, disappeared right after the opening ceremony last night and hasn't been seen since!"
Hearing this, the members of the Osaka University Kendo Club immediately grew excited. Kyoto University was one of the few formidable rivals in this tournament. Who could have guessed that such a strong enemy would self-destruct before the matches even began?
Only Shizuka Ikenami felt a twinge of disappointment. After the teacher told her last night that she would be facing Hattori Heizo, she had been full of anticipation for this morning's match.
"Ikenami, the plan has changed. You're up first," the teacher instructed. "You're fighting our opening battle. Make sure we start with a victory!"
"Yes!" Shizuka nodded firmly.
Meanwhile.
Hattori Heizo, accompanied by Inspector Megure and two officers, stood at the door of the apartment rented by Mr. Kitamura.
After ringing the doorbell, they waited for quite a while before Mr. Kitamura finally opened the door.
He was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, his hair was a mess, and his face was heavy with sleepiness. He yawned repeatedly. "Sorry, I was still sleeping. Please, come in."
"Mr. Kitamura, there are rumors circulating at school about an ambiguous relationship between you and Ruko Nagashima," Inspector Megure said, staring intently at Kitamura's face while taking notes in his small notebook. "Do you have any explanation for this?"
"Just baseless rumors," Kitamura waved his hand dismissively. "Ruko Nagashima was very talented athletically. I always admired her and hoped she could bring honor to the school in competitions, so I looked after her a bit more than others."
"However, a student claimed to have seen you taking Ruko Nagashima into an illegal clinic not long ago," Inspector Megure questioned sharply. "We investigated that place. Ruko Nagashima had an abortion there."
"That has nothing to do with me," Kitamura shook his head hurriedly, trying his best to distance himself. "Nagashima came to me saying she needed help with something, so I went with her. I had no idea she was going there for an abortion."
"Do you know who got Ruko Nagashima pregnant?" Megure pressed.
"That is Nagashima's private matter," Kitamura spread his hands with a look of innocence. "I am just her teacher; how could I ask about such things?"
"According to our investigation, two years ago, four female students from Sakuragaoka died at the school one after another," Megure's tone became increasingly heavy. "It seems you were connected to that as well?"
"Officer, please watch your phrasing!" Kitamura huffed unhappily. "The police investigated the events from two years ago thoroughly. If I were the murderer, I wouldn't be standing here right now."
Inspector Megure was momentarily at a loss for words. Just then, Hattori Heizo, who had been walking around the apartment, approached. "Mr. Kitamura, have you been in this apartment ever since you were suspended yesterday afternoon?"
"Where else could I go besides here?" Kitamura pointed to a cup noodle bowl with leftover broth on the table. "I was in a bad mood, so I just had cup noodles for dinner last night."
"I see. Sorry to have disturbed you," Hattori Heizo nodded, then pulled Inspector Megure along to bid farewell and leave.
Once they had walked some distance from the apartment, presumably out of Kitamura's earshot, Inspector Megure asked in confusion, "I wasn't finished questioning him. Why did we leave in such a hurry?"
"He lied," Heizo explained with a serious expression. "I checked the trash can in his apartment just now and found a supermarket receipt from an hour ago."
"A receipt?" Megure asked quickly.
"I didn't take it out because I didn't want to alert him," Heizo shook his head. "I remember the supermarket's name clearly. Judging by the address, it's in the outskirts of Beika."
"Why would he go to the outskirts early in the morning?" Megure's brows furrowed deeply.
"He didn't go there early in the morning. I checked his bedroom. Although the quilt was spread out on the bed, there was no warmth inside the bedding at all," Heizo said, rubbing his chin. "Yet, when he opened the door, he told us he had been sleeping soundly. If that were true, the bedding wouldn't be that cold."
"I suspect he wasn't in the apartment at all last night. He was likely near that supermarket the whole time and only returned to the apartment this morning because he was afraid the police might notice."
Watching Hattori Heizo speak with such assurance, Inspector Megure felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he were facing Hayashi Shuichi. He subconsciously asked, "What should we do next?"
"Split the manpower into two groups. One group goes to investigate near that supermarket to see if anyone saw him last night," Heizo thought for a moment. "The other group stays here to monitor Kitamura's movements. He might go back to the place he visited last night."
"Alright!" Megure nodded hastily.
Just as he finished arranging the two groups and returned, he saw Hattori Heizo frowning while staring at the watch on his wrist.
"What's wrong? Did we miss something?" Megure asked with concern.
"Nothing. It's a personal matter. I'm already too late," Heizo shook his head with a hint of regret. "Although I missed the Kendo tournament, Hayashi-kun was right. Compared to human life, other matters don't count for anything."
Teitan High School. Break time.
The classroom was noisy.
Seeing Hayashi Shuichi staring into space at his desk, Eri Kisaki couldn't help but reach out and nudge him. "What are you thinking about? You aren't thinking about that beautiful swordswoman from last night again, are you?"
"I'm thinking about the Sakuragaoka case," Shuichi replied with a solemn expression. "Eri, why do you think Ruko Nagashima got pregnant?"
"Don't you know why?" Eri glared at him, her face slightly flushed, a hint of rebuke in her eyes. "Aren't you clear on what you did last night?"
"I'm not asking about that," Shuichi laughed awkwardly. "I mean, who got her pregnant?"
"Her boyfriend, obviously," Eri said dismissively. "In a school like Sakuragaoka where academics aren't prioritized and students are left to run wild, isn't it normal for boys and girls to date?"
"But when I went to Sakuragaoka the day before yesterday, Ruko Nagashima's classmates said she was reclusive and rarely interacted with others," Shuichi mused. "If she had a boyfriend at school, someone would have definitely seen them."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Eri rolled her eyes at her childhood friend.
"Midori mentioned before that the last time she found Ruko Nagashima, Ruko was with three men and two women preparing to go karaoke. That doesn't look like something a reclusive girl would do," Shuichi recalled. "Those two girls were also wearing Sakuragaoka uniforms, but the men didn't look like students. They looked like adults from society."
"I'm wondering if Ruko Nagashima was engaging in Enjo-kousai (compensated dating). Or perhaps, it wasn't just her. Maybe many girls at Sakuragaoka are doing it, and the organizer could be one of their teachers... like Kitamura?"
"Ruko Nagashima getting pregnant was likely an accident, which is why Kitamura took her for an abortion."
"But didn't you suspect earlier that Ruko Nagashima might still be alive?" Eri countered. "If her relationship with Mr. Kitamura is as you say, why would the murderer kill another innocent girl just for Ruko's sake?"
"Besides, I still don't believe a teacher at Sakuragaoka would do such a thing. Even if they neglect the students and are irresponsible, they definitely wouldn't organize female students for compensated dating. That's a crime!"
At this point in time, Japan's economy was still booming and hadn't yet stagnated as it would in the future.
Compensated dating wasn't overly common yet. Since men with money were easy to find, they naturally wouldn't be stingy toward the goddesses they pursued. And women in this era had plenty of ways to extract money from men without resorting to compensated dating.
"Even if it's just a guess, I have to alert Officer Sato and the others," Shuichi stood up from his seat.
"Hey, class is about to start! And it's Ms. Murakami's class. She's already unhappy with you taking so much time off recently," Eri warned worriedly. "Also, the school's public phone is right at the main gate. If you go there to make a call, you'll definitely be seen."
"Let them see me," Shuichi waved his hand indifferently. "If Ruko Nagashima is still alive, getting scolded by Ms. Murakami is a trivial matter compared to her life."
He had just walked out when the class bell rang.
Teacher Yui Murakami walked into the classroom. Her gaze swept around the room and immediately noticed the empty seat.
"Where is Hayashi Shuichi? Kogoro Mouri, Eri Kisaki! You two should know where he went, right?"
Kogoro looked completely blank, while Eri was trying to come up with an excuse for Shuichi.
At that moment, a student sitting by the window suddenly shouted, "Isn't that the Class Rep?"
Ms. Murakami walked to the window and sure enough, she saw Hayashi Shuichi walking toward the school gate. She immediately leaned out and shouted angrily, "Hayashi Shuichi! Are you trying to skip class again, you brat?!"
Seeing Shuichi ignore her, Ms. Murakami stomped her foot in rage. "You all study on your own. I'm going to drag that brat back here personally!"
Near Mr. Kitamura's Apartment.
Hattori Heizo and Inspector Megure had been sitting in the car on stakeout for two or three hours, but there was no movement from Mr. Kitamura. He had stayed in the apartment without stepping out.
During this time, only the Dean of Students from Sakuragaoka had visited, supposedly to discuss work matters with Mr. Kitamura.
When he came out, the police checked his ID but didn't pay him much mind.
Inspector Megure couldn't help but yawn. He rubbed his eyes, his face full of exhaustion. "I didn't sleep well last night. I wonder when this case will end."
Beside him, although Hattori Heizo also hadn't slept much all night, his energy levels were much better than Megure's. At this moment, he was frowning, deep in thought.
"Inspector Megure," he suddenly asked. "Are you sure the person who entered Kitamura's apartment just now was the Dean of Sakuragaoka?"
"Positive," Megure nodded affirmatively. "I met him when I went to Sakuragaoka to investigate earlier. What's wrong, Hattori-kun?"
"I just feel something isn't quite right," Heizo looked out the window. "Like we missed something."
Just then, a plainclothes officer knocked on the car window. "Inspector Megure, a message came from Officer Sato. Consultant Hayashi suspects that Ruko Nagashima might have been coerced by a school teacher into compensated dating activities. The suspect is likely not acting alone; he may have accomplices within Sakuragaoka School."
"What did you say? Coerced compensated dating?" Inspector Megure's eyes widened. "How did he..."
Hearing the officer's words, Hattori Heizo, who was sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly sat bolt upright. "No wonder I felt like I forgot something! Inspector Megure, quickly send someone to contact the team investigating the suburban supermarket. Tell them to track the Dean's movements!"
After saying that, he hurriedly got out of the car and ran toward Kitamura's apartment.
After barking a few orders to his subordinates, Inspector Megure quickly chased after him. "You mean the Dean is Kitamura's accomplice?"
"There's a high probability," Heizo's face was full of self-blame. "If Ruko Nagashima is really being imprisoned by them, and they noticed the police watching Kitamura, they might choose to silence both of them!"
Arriving at Kitamura's apartment door, Heizo knocked loudly, but there was only silence inside. No one responded.
He exchanged a glance with Inspector Megure, and then they slammed their shoulders against the door together.
Moments later, the apartment door burst open. Hattori Heizo rushed in first and immediately saw Teacher Kitamura hanging in mid-air.
He quickly hugged the man down and began chest compressions for first aid.
Inspector Megure noticed a piece of letter paper on the table. Picking it up, he realized it was Kitamura's suicide note.
It stated that he and Ruko Nagashima had long been in an illicit relationship and that she had even had an abortion for him.
Last Monday after school, they had an argument in the office. Ruko Nagashima threatened to expose their affair. In a moment of agitation, Kitamura accidentally killed her.
To cover up his crime, he took her body to the construction site under the cover of night and encased it in the cement pillar.
For the past week, he had been suffering greatly over her death. Seeing that the police had discovered the body, Kitamura could no longer bear the guilt and decided to hang himself.
Inspector Megure quickly brought the letter to Hattori Heizo. Heizo glanced at it and immediately made a judgment. "This is fake. The strokes of the handwriting aren't continuous, and the sizes vary. Someone clearly traced Mr. Kitamura's handwriting to piece together this suicide note..."
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