Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

The piercing scream, like a boulder thrown into calm water, instantly shattered the tranquility of the hot spring inn.

The group, who were resting or having a drink in their rooms, were all awakened by the terrified screams.

Everyone poked their heads out of the room and then gathered around, drawn by the sound.

The scream came from a young girl. Her face was ashen, and she was trembling violently. She was one of the college students that Masashi Akiyama had seen during registration.

She slumped down in front of an open Japanese-style room, her fingers trembling as she pointed inside, her lips quivering, but she could no longer utter a complete sound.

As everyone gathered at the doorway, the sight that greeted them made the air freeze instantly.

On the tatami mat, a young man lay on his back, also wearing the hotel's yukata; he was one of the companions of those young men.

His eyes were wide open, his pupils unfocused, staring straight at the ceiling, yet his expression was strangely peaceful, even carrying a faint smile.

A sharp knife, seemingly from the kitchen, was stuck straight into his left chest, right up to his heart, with dark red blood spreading across his light-colored bathrobe and already congealed.

A faint, sweet, rusty smell filled the air.

"Ah, Ah Zhuo...?"

Another boy's voice trembled as he tried to step forward, but his companion held him back tightly.

"Don't go over there! It's...it's beyond saving!" the girl who grabbed him cried out.

"Someone's dead! Someone's really dead!" The man in the couple turned pale and instinctively shielded his girlfriend behind him.

"Oh my god... how could this happen..."

The proprietress covered her mouth, her slanted eyes filled with fear, and instinctively moved closer to her husband.

The boss's face was ashen, sweat beaded on his forehead, and he muttered, "How could this happen... how could this be..."

The shadow of death loomed over the area, and after a brief silence came a sudden outbreak of chaos.

"Who?! Who did this?!"

"It must be one of you!"

"Nonsense! We're good friends with A-Zhuo!"

"That's hard to say; you can know a person's face but not their heart!"

"Boss! Boss lady! Is there something wrong with your hotel?!"

"Sir, you can't just say things like that! We've been in business for decades..."

Under the pressure of sudden death and isolation, fear quickly turned into suspicion and aggression.

Strangers, and even companions, began to look at each other with suspicion and fear.

Accusations, explanations, and cries mingled together, leaving the scene in a complete mess.

Masashi Akiyama stood at the edge of the crowd, quickly regaining his composure from his initial shock.

He didn't participate in the argument, but instead gave a sharp look as he scanned everyone present.

The panicked college student companions, the couple tightly embracing, the pale-faced business owners, and Suzuki Maki, the Saionji siblings, and Arimura Rio who rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

Rieko Uchida stood beside him, her face pale but her eyes relatively calm.

That's enough.

The argument paused slightly as everyone turned to look at the man who had been silent since the beginning.

"There's no point in arguing now," Masashi Akiyama said, adjusting his glasses. "The most important thing is to protect the scene and then call the police immediately."

"Call the police? Yes, call the police!" The boss suddenly realized what was happening and quickly turned around. "I... I'll go get the front desk's phone right now..."

"Wait!" the man in the couple suddenly shouted, his eyes scanning Akiyama Masashi with suspicion.

"How...how can you be so calm? Someone died, and you're not afraid at all? You even told us to call the police? You...you wouldn't happen to be the murderer, trying to pretend to be calm and get away with it, would you?!"

As soon as he said that, several suspicious gazes immediately fell on Akiyama Masashi.

In such a closed environment, anyone who is unusually calm may be seen as a potential danger.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Rieko Uchida suddenly stepped forward, blocking Masashi Akiyama's path, her voice sharp with anger.

"Yas could never be the murderer! He's a lawyer! A very capable lawyer who has won many cases and even brought down politicians!"

As she spoke, before the other person could react, she turned and ran quickly toward her room.

A moment later, she ran back, carefully holding several folded newspapers in her hands.

It was a recent report she had brought specifically about the Sakura Yuna case and the Nakajima brothers' scandal, which included a photo and name of Akiyama Masashi.

"Look! Tokyo Shimbun! The top story in the social section! Lawyer Masashi Akiyama!"

Rieko Uchida unfolded the newspaper, pointing eagerly to the photos and headlines on it.

"He only handles big cases! He's a lawyer who catches the real killer and seeks justice for the innocent! How could he possibly be a murderer?!"

Maki Suzuki also stepped forward at the opportune moment and took out her press pass.

"I am reporter Suzuki Maki, and I can vouch for Ms. Uchida's words. Attorney Akiyama is an excellent lawyer who has been featured in our newspaper many times. Now is not the time for wild speculation. We should do as Attorney Akiyama says, call the police immediately and protect the scene."

Seeing the newspaper headline with a clear photo of Masashi Akiyama and Maki Suzuki's professional press pass, the doubts in everyone's eyes finally lessened a bit.

Their identities as lawyers and journalists brought a sliver of credibility at this time.

Seeing this, the boss no longer hesitated and quickly ran to the front desk to make a phone call.

However, less than two minutes later, he returned with an even more unpleasant expression.

"No, no... the phone line... the phone line has been cut! It's completely unreachable!"

"What?!"

"It's been cut?! How could this be...?"

"Then, what about the cell phones? Whose cell phone has a signal?" the woman in the couple asked, her voice trembling with tears.

Only then did everyone remember and hurriedly pull out their phones.

However, this hot spring hotel is located halfway up the mountain, where the signal is already weak. At this moment, whether due to the weather or the terrain, the signal bars on everyone's mobile phone screens were empty.

"No signal...and mine isn't either..."

"Mine too..."

"This is it...we're trapped here..." A college student-looking boy crouched down, holding his head.

The proprietress said in a trembling voice, "It's quite a distance from the town at the foot of the mountain. Usually, customers either book a pick-up service or drive themselves. We...we don't have a car. The earliest bus up the mountain isn't until nine o'clock tomorrow morning..."

Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.

This means that for at least ten hours from now on, they will be trapped in this secluded mountain hotel with a corpse and one or more unidentified murderers.

"Oh my God..." someone groaned in despair.

"Then, what do we do now?"

The boss looked around at everyone, bewildered, before finally fixing his gaze on Akiyama Masashi, who appeared to be the calmest.

"Since we can't call the police or leave for the time being," Masashi Akiyama said after a moment's thought, "the first thing we need to do is protect the scene. No one is allowed to enter this room again, and no one should touch the body or the murder weapon. Then, we need to gather everyone in a public area, such as the lobby, to supervise each other, prevent anyone from acting alone, and also prevent the murderer from destroying more evidence or committing another crime."

"But...but Ah Zhuo..." The girl who first discovered the body was now in tears, pointing into the room.

"Are we just going to leave him here alone? No! The murderer... the murderer might be among us! This is clearly a murder case! We have to find the murderer! We can't let Ah Zhuo die without knowing the truth..."

"Find the killer?" Akiyama Masashi glanced at her, asking calmly, "How?"

The girl choked, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

Finding a murderer among a crowd filled with suspicion and fear is no easy task, especially when there is a lack of professional criminal investigation methods and external support.

Masashi Akiyama said no more, but simply gestured for the boss to find a piece of cloth to temporarily cover the sliding door of the room as a simple form of on-site protection.

Then, he turned around first and walked towards the hotel lobby.

Maki Suzuki, the Saionji siblings, and Rio Arimura immediately followed, with Rieko Uchida close behind him.

The couple hesitated for a moment, then supported each other and followed.

After a moment's hesitation, the college students looked at their companion's body and then at the crowd gradually walking away. Ultimately, fear overcame their fear and they slowly followed.

The proprietress exchanged a glance, sighed, locked the other door leading to the guest room area, and then headed towards the lobby.

The hall was brightly lit.

The group sat scattered on sofas and chairs, maintaining a wary distance from each other. No one spoke; only suppressed breathing and the crackling of burning firewood filled the air.

Masashi Akiyama stood alone by the window, gazing at the courtyard outside, which was faintly illuminated by the snow.

The moonlight was obscured by clouds at some point, and fine snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

"Attorney Akiyama..." Rio Arimura quietly approached him, "...What are you thinking about? What should we do?"

Masashi Akiyama's gaze remained fixed on the window, where snowflakes fell silently onto the dry landscape garden.

A moment later, the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch almost imperceptibly.

He turned to look at Rio Arimura and spoke in a voice that only everyone could hear.

"I wasn't thinking about anything. I just felt..."

"Didn't that lady just say she was looking for a murderer?"

"The murderer is right here."

"What?!"

Rio Arimura gasped, abruptly covering her mouth, her eyes widening in astonishment as she instinctively looked in the direction Masashi Akiyama had just been glancing...

The killer... is among these people?

who is it? !