Ke Xue: I picked up a bottle of sherry at the beginning.

Bai Quanyi, along with other criminal police officers, listened to the representatives' reports while looking through the case materials in their hands.

"Based on the victim's injuries, the attack occurred around 8:50 last night. The murder weapon was a folding knife with an 8cm blade and a total length of 18cm. The fingerprints appear to have been wiped off with a piece of cloth..."

"Surveillance footage from Nihonbashi shows the victim, who was walking under the Edo Bridge underpass, collapsed near the center of the bridge due to exhaustion..."

"About 800 meters from the crime scene, on Hama-cho Greenway," Detective Takagi reported, "a patrol officer spotted a suspicious man. Just as they were about to approach him for questioning, he suddenly fled and was hit by a truck on Shin-Ohashi-dori. He's now in a coma and seriously injured. The suspect's name is Yashima Toki, 25, who lives in the Greenway Apartment in Arakawa Ward. The tenant is Yashima's girlfriend, Kaori Nakahara..."

Sato Miwako stood up immediately and said, "Yashima Toki was in possession of the victim's personal belongings, including a digital camera, a glasses case, and an internet cafe membership card. Only these three items have not been confirmed by the victim's family.

"There's no data stored in the digital camera. The membership card is at the Internet Cafe Kingdom Nishi-Shinjuku branch, near the victim's company. The victim started visiting there six months ago..."

Shiratori continued, "Yashima was abandoned by his mother right after he was born..."

Bai Quanyi looked through the information and combined it with his previous field investigation to gain a general understanding of the entire case.

The case is unique in that the suspect is in a coma after a car accident. His girlfriend is currently in the hospital, unable to respond to questioning due to the severe shock she has suffered.

The investigative meeting was conducted with rigorous procedures, and all investigation arrangements were well-organized. While previous meetings of this nature would have included a press conference, the contents of this meeting were kept strictly confidential.

As the report was completed, the atmosphere in the meeting room became more and more relaxed, no longer as tense as at the beginning. Everyone felt that this case was not difficult to solve.

After the meeting, the detectives took action according to their assigned investigation tasks.

And Shiraizumi Masu was free to play with Miwako.

In the office, Shiraizumi Mashi picked up Miwako and placed her on the desk. While enjoying Miwako's tenderness, he discussed the case with her.

"Meihezi, do you have any thoughts on this case?"

Miwako replied hesitantly, "Well—I think we should go to the hospital first to see if Yashima is in a condition that allows him to be questioned."

"That's right," Izumi nodded, "I think so too. If Yashima can regain consciousness, things will be much simpler, but we must also prepare for the worst."

"Then...when shall we go there?"

"I'll go after I'm released."

……

At the hospital, the suspect Yashima has been sent to the intensive care unit and visitors are not allowed. Despite this, Yashima's girlfriend Kaori Nakahara still sits quietly in the aisle and does not leave.

When Izumi and Miwako came over, they saw Nakahara Kaori at a glance. She didn't look well, and the nurses rushing around her made her look as if she was abandoned.

According to the information currently available, the suspect, Fuyuki Yashima, has a severe skull fracture and intracranial hemorrhage, and is in a very critical condition. The situation is very bad, and he may never wake up again, but a miracle is not impossible.

In general, we can only prepare for the worst...

As if she had noticed something, Kaori Nakahara raised her head slightly and looked at Izumi and Miwako.

Miwako walked over, showed her police ID, and asked, "Have you heard about what happened last night?"

Nakahara Kaori glanced at the two detectives, a man and a woman, lowered her head and replied softly, "Well, I know a little..."

"That's good."

The three of them came to the rest area in the hospital lobby. Kaori Nakahara found a seat by the window and sat down. There were not many people around, so it was very quiet.

Miwako questioned Kaori Nakahara.

"Yashima and I are childhood sweethearts who grew up together in an orphanage." Nakahara Kaori sat across from the sofa with her legs folded, feeling a little awkward.

Miwako asked, "After leaving the shelter, you worked at a nursing home, and Mr. Yashima went to work for a construction company, right?"

"Yeah, but three years ago, the company Fuyuki worked for went bankrupt, and he said he wanted to work in Tokyo, so I came along."

"The last text message Mr. Yashima sent was to you, after six o'clock last night," Miwako said, showing a photo of the text message on his phone. "Is Mr. Yashima looking for a job?"

Nakahara Kaori lowered her head and said, "I've been looking for her since he was fired from the factory half a year ago..."

"Factory? Which factory?"

"Well... I'm not too sure. I just know it's a parts factory. I think it's called Kaneda or Kanemoto or something..."

"Golden Stone Metal?"

"Yes, that's the one..."

"Do you know where he had the interview yesterday?"

"I don't know. I didn't hear him say that."

"Mr. Yashima had a car accident at 9:30 last night. He talked to you on the phone before that, right? What did you talk about?" Miwako continued to ask.

"What did I say..." Nakahara Kaori thought about it, opened her mouth, and suddenly looked away. "I'll go home right away. I'm sorry for being so busy late... That's all."

"Is this really all?" Miwako looked at Kaori Nakahara quietly.

"Well," Nakahara Kaori bit her lower lip, "Fuyuki definitely didn't do that kind of thing. He couldn't possibly kill someone... something so horrible..."

"Miss Zhongyuan," Quan Yi interrupted, "I understand how you feel, but we police found the victim's belongings on him, and he did try to escape when he was discovered by the patrol."

Quan Yi took out several photos of evidence, as well as a photo of the victim, Aoyagi Takeaki.

"He was the head of the Jinshi Metal Manufacturing Department. He was murdered around 9:00 PM last night. His belongings and briefcase were with Mr. Yashima. He was spotted by patrolling officers and was hit by a truck while fleeing... These are the details of what happened so far."

"Are you saying he killed this person and stole the property? Fuyuki wouldn't do such a thing, he's not that kind of person!" Nakahara Kaori's eyes gradually turned red, and she clenched her fingers and muttered, "He's definitely not that kind of person... It must be a misunderstanding, something went wrong..."

"We also feel that the suspicions are very serious, so we are diligently investigating," Izumi comforted softly, "Ms. Nakahara, if you know anything, please let us know. This is also for Mr. Yashima's own good..."

After leaving the hospital, Kaori Nakahara didn't say anything else. In the end, she only knew that "Jinshi Metal Company" was the only connection between the victim and the suspect.

Miwako was not discouraged, she just smiled at Izumi and said, "How is it?"

"She must know something," Izumi glanced back at the hospital, "and she's hiding the truth. That's not uncommon... But looking at her, she seems quite sure that Yashima Fuyuki wouldn't kill anyone, but for some reason she's also a little doubtful...

"I think Fuyuki Yashima must have said something when he called her last night after the incident..." Miwako said suspiciously.

"That makes sense." Quan Yi smiled and said, "Let her calm down for now. Next, we will go to the victim's home to check the situation."

"This is just the beginning..." Miwako sighed.

Aoyagi family.

The victim, Takeaki Aoyagi, was a department director of a large company. He had three relatives at home: a wife, a daughter, and a son. As they were a high-income family, their residence was quite luxurious, a small villa located in a high-end residential area.

When Izumi and Miwako drove over, the villa was surrounded by noisy reporters. They believed that by the evening, the identity and background of the victim would be fully revealed.

But can't these people consider the feelings of the victim's family? The head of the family was killed, and it's a sad time...

"Come to think of it, we are also bad guests," Quan Yi squeezed through the crowd and entered the Aoyagi residence with Miwako, "but in order to get to the bottom of the case, there is no other way."

Because they had called in advance, Qingliu, who looked unhappy, quickly invited the two into the house.

Miwako in a bikini

The living room of the Qingliu family.

Mrs. Aoyagi held up the photo of Fuyuki Yashima and shook her head: "I don't know him..."

"Yashima worked at the Jinshi Metal factory half a year ago," Izumi added with a frown.

"My husband hardly ever mentions company matters to me." Mrs. Qingliu still shook her head.

"Excuse me, does your husband often go to the area around Nihonbashi?"

"Actually, we don't understand why he asked to go there..." Mrs. Aoyagi returned the photo of Yashima to Izumi. "Other police officers have asked about this before."

"Did you notice anything?" Miwako suddenly asked the victim's son, who was standing nearby. "Did you see anything unusual when you last saw your father?"

The victim's son avoided his gaze and shook his head: "No..."

Izumi and Miwako looked at each other and saw the confusion and curiosity in each other's eyes.

By the time I left Qingliu's house, I hadn't gotten any clues. Seeing the family's distress, which they couldn't hide, and the questions they asked, they knew nothing. No one knew the victim's private situation.

The victim did not seem to have a very close relationship with his family. He was a very stubborn father and did not like to talk much. He only became talkative when he mentioned swimming to his son.

"Three days ago, Mr. Qingliu called his son's alma mater, Shubunkan High School. Judging from his son's expression just now, it seems that he has thought of something," Quan Yi said in a deep voice, "Let's go to Shubunkan High School to take a look."

Miwako had no objection. Quan Yi had solved so many suspicious cases, and this strength convinced the 27 experienced police officers.

"This is the only way, but why do these people like to hide the truth?" Meiko couldn't help but complain.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing," Quan Yi said with a smile. "There are three kinds of lies: lies to protect yourself, lies to deceive others, and lies to cover up for others... Generally, lies are just shadows of the truth. As long as you hold on to them, you'll definitely gain something."

"The shadow of the truth..." Miwako murmured.

Although the suspect, Fuyuki Yashima, who is still in a coma, has the victim's belongings on him and has attempted to escape, it seems very likely that he is the murderer. The police are just trying to confirm the facts...

However, both Izumi and Miwako felt that it was too early to draw such a conclusion.

Fuyuki Yashima may not be the real murderer. He may have just passed by the scene and taken away the property.

"Mioko." Izumi Mashizou looked at Miwako's bright eyes, and thought of Nakahara Kaori trying hard to hold back her tears, and suddenly shouted.

"how?"

"I don't know what you think, but I feel that what Miss Zhongyuan said is true. There may really be some misunderstanding in this case."

Meiwazi groaned, "I have the same opinion as you."

……

After driving to Shubunkan High School, Izumi and Miwako stood together at the school gate.

The victim contacted the counselor of his son's swimming club and said that he wanted to talk to the teacher about his son Yuto Aoyagi. The swimming club teacher did not hide this fact, and other police officers came to investigate in the morning.

"The victim was upset about not getting along well with her son recently and said she'd find another time to talk, then she hung up..."

"It can't be that simple no matter how I think about it," Quan Yi frowned and said, "Is there really something wrong here?"

Compared with previous cases, this case did not show any signs of high-IQ crime, but it was not going smoothly and was extremely troublesome.

……

It was already evening, and Izumi and Miwako returned to Nihonbashi Ningyocho together and happened to pass by a dessert shop.

"Miwako," Izumi stopped and said, "Let's eat something first."

"Welcome," a waitress greeted the two people, "Would you like anything to eat?"

"One pudding... and a cup of coffee with four sugar cubes, please."

Quan Yi sat down near the window. Seeing Meiwako staring at him, he smiled and said, "Desserts are good for thinking. Would you like some?"

Miwako nodded and sat down across from Izumi. "Please give me one too... By the way, Izumi, do you always put four sugar cubes in your coffee?"

"Not every time, but I do like sweeter ones."

Miwako nodded in understanding, opened her smartphone, and placed a map and the victim's information in front of Shiraizumi. "Izumi," she said, "Look, Izumi, the other teams have the latest information. Mr. Aoyagi went to a cafe in Edobashi that evening, near the murder scene... According to the waiter, he bought two lattes at 7:30 p.m."

Quan Yi tapped the table lightly upon hearing this: "Does that mean there was someone else with him at the time?"

"Shiratori thinks it's most likely Yashima," Miwako nodded. "They say Yashima was probably fired, and six months later, he ran into the director of the head office and harbored a grudge... But it's still a problem. Yashima was looking for a job that day, so it's a bit illogical for him to have a folding knife."

"Indeed," Izumi listened, "Nakahara Kaori also said she had never seen that knife."

"Also, I heard that Mr. Aoyagi was seen in Ningyocho, Nihonbashi, a few days before the incident. I remember him buying a glasses case at a gift shop," Miwako continued. "It's the glasses case that the family hasn't confirmed. His company is in Shinjuku, his factory is in Kunitachi, and his exile is in Nerima... I really don't know why he would go here specifically to buy a glasses case and then be killed in Nihonbashi."

Quan Yi took the map and marked several important locations. "What on earth is Mr. Qing Liu doing here?"

"Miwako-san? Long time no see!" A waitress nearby asked in surprise when she saw Miwako. "Are you investigating the murder case on the Nihonbashi Bridge?"

"Long time no see," Miwako smiled. She was the waitress's senior in high school. She picked up the photo of Aoyagi Takeaki and asked, "Have you seen this person?"

The waitress came closer and nodded, saying, "He's been coming here regularly since six months ago. I don't think he's ever been to Ningyocho before. He even asked me for directions back then."

"half year ago?"

"Yes, he mostly comes on weekends. He says he wants something sweet after working out. He wears light golf clothes, always looking at a map while checking the time on his watch. He then takes his digital camera with him for walks, and he doesn't just go to one place..."

"As expected of a reporter," Miwako exclaimed, "Your observation is very sharp..."

The waitress said embarrassedly: "I just call myself that. Now I have to work here to make a living."

After the woman left, Quan Yi took a bite of the sweets and couldn't help asking Miwako, "An acquaintance?"

"A junior from high school."

"Oh, I see." Quan Yi looked at the waitress busy on the other side without asking any more questions.

From the information provided by the waitress, we at least know that the victim has been active in the Nihonbashi area since half a year ago, and seems to have deliberately concealed it from his family.

"According to Mr. Aoyagi's family, he did go out to play golf every weekend, which caused Mrs. Aoyagi to complain... The family only doesn't know about three items. The source of the glasses case has been confirmed, but is there any connection between the digital camera and the internet cafe membership card?"

Izumi pondered, "I asked Officer Takagi, and it seems the internet cafe membership card was also issued half a year ago... Oh, Miwako, I'll go to the national factory myself tomorrow to check out the relationship between the victim and the suspect. Maybe I can find out something."

"Huh? Don't I need to accompany you?" Miwako asked puzzledly.