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

But now, the bloody and bleak reality shattered every bit of her self-confidence.

How could she be so strong...

She was immersed in despair until Ikenami Shizuka gently brought her back to reality.

"Kazuha, don't forget to bow," Ikenami Shizuka said, her face slightly grim. "Etiquette is a very important part of karuta competition. Don't be so complacent! And Momiji really did perform exceptionally well in this game. Seeing her performance like that, there's no need to be so discouraged."

"Let me put it this way, even when I was competing for the Queen, facing Hongye like that just now would have been very dangerous."

"Thank you for the compliment, Queen. I will continue to work hard in the future." Hongye turned slightly, bowed to Ikenami Shizuka, and then turned to Kazuha.

"Something happened at home," she said. "I will withdraw from tomorrow's game. Besides..."

When she said this, Hongye's eyes dimmed for a moment, but she still forced out a smile with some spirit.

"After this match, you and Heiji should be able to open up to each other and respond to each other's expectations, right? Congratulations on being able to...

"What a lucky girl to be!"

Under He Ye's surprised gaze, tears dripped from Hong Ye's eyes and hit her clothes.

After giving her virginity to another man and conceding to Kazuha, Momiji can finally give up on Hattori Heiji.

Gaoyue Cup competition was successfully held

Today is the day of the Gaoyue Cup high school student competition.

"Wakaba, are you really going to wear this kind of outfit?" Yukiko looked at Wakaba, who was being tidied up by Ikenami Shizuka, with a bit of a smile on her face. "Isn't this... a bit weird?"

"Is there such a thing?" He Ye's face was full of excitement. "I think this thing is great. It can help me concentrate!"

"Ah..." Yukiko said with a reluctant look. "But... won't it scare others?"

"Of course not. It's Kazuha's freedom to wear whatever he wants. After all, this is just a small Satsuki Cup. There's no need to worry about etiquette. How can we talk about dignity when it's not even a best-of-three match?"

In front of the former queen of competitive karuta, such a competition was indeed somewhat unworthy. However, Yukiko's concerns were not unfounded, because Kazuha was not wearing the usual uniform that everyone was more accustomed to wearing during competitions, but an Aikido uniform.

Would wearing this kind of clothes make others think that she came here intending to beat someone up?

……

At the same time, at the venue of Achiha Athletic Park.

"Are you really not going to compete?" President Achiba said to the girl behind him, standing in front of the pond. "With your skills, you can definitely compete for the championship, right?"

"Well, I've made up my mind to withdraw," Ooka Momiji said respectfully, standing obediently behind him. "Well... there are people who need this competition more than I do, so I think it would be a better choice to withdraw and leave the stage to them."

“…” President Achiha turned his head with some doubt, but finally gave up thinking. “Forget it, I called you here because I want to tell you something.

"It's been five years since you switched from the Nagoro-kai to the Satsuki-kai, right?"

"Huh?" Hongye was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly. "Yes, it's been five years."

"Yes, many of the veterans have left the club in recent years, and your karuta skills have improved tremendously, so you've become a valuable member of the Satsuki Club." At this point, President Achiha sighed. "I never thought, now that I think about it, you'd be the first person I thought of."

"Huh?" Ooka Momiji didn't understand what President Achiha meant.

"In reality, the most suitable candidate should have been from Guam: as a wealthy, idle son, he was older, perfect for representing the youth army. Furthermore, in terms of strength, he had already become a leader within the club. But... he's been killed now."

Ooka Momiji stood there, not understanding why President Achiha was saying all this. "President, do you... want me to promote some kind of business event?"

"After him, the next best candidate in terms of athletics is Sekine. Aside from Yajima, he's arguably the most capable person in the club." At this point, Achiha sighed. "But he's a bit reckless and lacks perspective. And most importantly, in real life, he's just an ordinary clerk with limited financial resources."

Ooka Momiji was even more confused. Why should the affairs of the karuta club be measured by real-life financial resources?

"After thinking about it, I suddenly realized that the Satsuki-kai's talent pool seems to be a bit lacking..." President Achiha said softly, turning to look at Ooka Momiji. "After thinking about it, the most suitable person might actually be you!"

"Okay, I already know I'm the best fit," Ooka Hongye said with a confused look on her face. "But... what exactly am I best suited for?"

"Today I will propose a motion to the other core members of the Satsuki-kai to reform the management system of the Satsuki-kai and further promote the level of democracy within the decision-making level of the Satsuki-kai... At the same time..." President Achiha's eyes jumped and finally refocused on Ooka Momiji's face, causing her original puzzled expression to turn into a somewhat uneasy and serious one.

"Hongye, I will nominate you as the new president of the Gaoyue Society."

"Eh, eh, eh?" Ooka Hongye was shocked. "But, I'm just a high school student, how could I..."

"Following this institutional reform, the president will need to make far fewer decisions on his own, remaining primarily a ceremonial role," President Achiha waved his hand. "In other words, your administrative workload won't be heavy, primarily requiring you to attend public events. As you've long known, you come from a wealthy family and have undergone rigorous training within the family, so you're perfectly suited to the duties of president. In fact, this is the primary reason you're the perfect candidate for future president."

"I see..." Ooka Hongye seemed to understand something.

"Yes, and you have material advantages," President Achiha nodded. "For a long time to come, the Satsuki-kai will be a company with considerable assets but limited profitability. If Sekine were to run 5.5, I'm not sure he'd profit from selling off assets, as he'd likely never have seen so much money before.

"But you... you are too rich. The assets of the Satsuki-kai are just an ordinary amount to you, even less than your interest in the karuta business. You have enough ability and enthusiasm to remain pure in your heart while controlling such a large Satsuki-kai." Having said this, President Achiha paused for a moment.

"So, Hongye, I hope you can seriously consider this matter - although you originally belonged to the Nagoro-kai, but in these five years, you have won the trust of all of us, and you are also qualified to become the new symbol of Gaoyue."

Being a scumbag's girlfriend

At 1:45 pm, in Achiha Athletic Park, outside the pond below where Satsuki-do is suspended.

“…” Looking at Gaoyuetang, a wooden tower standing tall in the pond and leaning against the cliff, Shiraizumi Masu received a text message from Achiha Kensuke.

Therefore, while Conan and Hattori Heiji were still at the competition scene, waiting for the news of Kazuha's victory in the quarter-finals, Shiraizumi Masu came to Gaoyue Hall alone.

In the pond, there was a wooden boat, and a man was sitting quietly on the boat - the man was wearing a hat that covered his face, but Bai Quanyi still recognized him.

"President Achiha," Shiraizumi Masu approached him, addressing him as "President Achiha." "It's nice to see you again."

"I'm here. I'm glad to see you here alone," Chairman Achiha simply waved his hand, motioning for Shiraizumi Masaru to board the boat. "Come on board. I have something to discuss with you up there."

"OK……"

Chairman Achiha smiled and then paddled the oar tied to the stern. "Be careful, we're setting sail."

Shiraizumi Masu sat down on the seat at the bow, looking at Achiha's hands operating the oars, without saying a word.

"My insurance company told me that the Satsuki brand's insurance process has been frozen, and we'll have to wait until the next phase of the police investigation is complete before we can proceed," President Achiha said casually. "Even though it's all official talk, I imagine you guys will have to take some action, right?"

"Uh..." Bai Quanyi was a little embarrassed.

Chairman Achiha's voice was slightly amused. "Today I will tell you many things, many things you could never have deduced on your own. Just treat it as if I were drinking a drink with you, getting completely drunk, and then saying a few words to you. Just take them as a laugh."

"Also, you don't have to worry about me escaping justice. Today, I will give an explanation for the deaths of Yajima and the others, and shoulder the responsibilities that I should bear."

In this way, the boat moved slowly in the lake, approaching the pier just below the tower where Gaoyuetang was located in the center of the lake.

……

Twenty minutes later, in the conference room at Achiha Athletic Park.

"President..." a staff member softly called out to Ooka Momiji, who was standing by the window. "It's a bit disrespectful, but I'm here to remind you that it's time for the president to attend the games. President Achiha has already left the president absent for too long, and any further delay would be somewhat disrespectful."

"Okay, I understand." Ooka Hongye nodded gently. "I'll be there soon, so don't worry too much."

"Understood." The staff member bowed and then left the room.

“…” Ooka Hongye pursed her lips and looked at the Achiha Hall outside the window with a somewhat uneasy look.

She wasn't a seasoned manager, unlike Chairman Achiba, who had built Achiba Real Estate from scratch. She wasn't some transcendental sage, far from a master decision-maker like Shiraizumi Masu, who could maintain rationality even in the most impulsive moments.

But now, she is forced to take on such a difficult responsibility, and any negligence may cause irreparable damage to the existing achievements of the Satsuki-kai brought by President Achiha.

If only there was someone who could help me... Those seniors would be fine, but as the guild leader, I can't always be begging them for advice. Ideally, the person I could turn to would be someone smarter than me, with plenty of experience... Also, ideally, someone of similar age, someone who wouldn't be like those seniors, acting like they were seniors and trying to give me advice. In short, someone I could talk to on an equal footing and who could offer reliable advice.

When he thought of this, a figure flashed through his mind for no reason, but then disappeared.

Well, he is indeed a good person. If you remove the unfair bonus of the first love filter, he is actually better than Heiji.

What a pity he has a girlfriend? More than one.

Thinking of this, Hongye sighed. She really didn't want to be the number one in the denominator.

What is this guy doing again?

"I have to commend you for your guesses," said President Achiha, sitting across from Shiraizumi Masaru, taking a sip of tea and smiling at Shiraizumi Masaru, who didn't dare touch his own cup. "Your guesses are all correct, without a single mistake: I killed Yajima, and I also killed Nagoro Shikao.

"And more importantly, Nagoro is actually here, not far from us."

Having said that, President Achiha smiled and gestured for Shiraizumi Masu to look straight up.

"Ah?" Bai Quanyi was surprised, and then looked up.

"That was five years ago," Achiha recounted the events of that time. "At that time, Nagoro came to my house and competed with Gaoyue on the tape. In this part, I told the truth before.

"But I lied about the result: even in such an unfavorable situation, Nagoro still won, and he also conquered the two red leaf karuta cards that Gaoyue had placed in his strongest defense area.

"When I was returning home, I happened to see Nagoro delivering the last karuta to Satsuki's formation, and I immediately realized what had happened.

You will probably never be able to imagine the fear and despair I saw on Gaoyue's face at that moment: she was so familiar with the order of the tapes, yet she was still defeated so completely by Nagoro. This meant that she would have no chance of winning the next day. And the Gaoyue Club would inevitably come to an end after the next day's competition.

"As you know, Gao Yue's health is not good and we don't have children, so Gao Yue Association is the most important thing in her life. If the association is disbanded,

"So I did what I did, smashed Nagoro's head in with the radio, and then hid his body here.

"I had thought everything would be over after that, but right after the match, Gaoyue received a belated letter from Nagoro himself. It was an apology explaining his illness and the reason for his aggressive behavior. It was also a letter of recommendation for the two most promising disciples of the disbanded Nagoro-kai to be sent to our Gaoyue-kai for training. The date on the letter was the day before the match, which meant that he had already made up his mind to disband the Nagoro-kai."

Bai Quanyi sighed in his heart.

"I wasn't home at the time. It was Gao Yue who opened the letter. Her mental state suffered a great blow after that. She was depressed all day long. In short, that's what happened."

"Where's Mr. Yajima?" Shiraizumi asked. "I understand the circumstances surrounding Mr. Nagoro's murder, but what about Mr. Yajima?"

"Killing him is to stop his slander." President Achiha's answer surprised Shiraizumi Yoshi.

"What slander?"

"When the crime happened, Gaoyue's karuta was still on the ground. When we were hastily trying to cover up the traces, Gaoyue used her bloody hands to pick up the karuta, leaving her bloody fingerprints on it. You and the insurance company have already discovered this, right?

"Yajima noticed this, and using his faction's influence and the fact that most of my followers were away on business trips, he used the barely adequate attendance and equally barely adequate approval votes to isolate the Gaoyue card. Although I felt a little uneasy at the time, I wasn't sure until he and I had a private conversation two months ago.

"During that conversation, he accused Satsuki and I of colluding to kill Nagoro, and threatened to publicly condemn us once he found evidence.

"I know my sins are grave, and I don't intend to defend myself. But Gaoyue is different. She is innocent, and she has been dead for three years. I don't want her to be wrongly accused. But my negotiations failed. Yajima refused to stop accusing Gaoyue.

"My dear, I know it may be difficult for you to understand what I have done, but I hope you can remember that Gao Yue is my wife, and it is my responsibility as a husband to protect her, so I must do this."

Baiquanyi continued to remain silent.

"Even though I've said all that, I don't think the police have any evidence, right?" President Achiha suddenly said. "They haven't found Nagoro's body yet, and I hired a professional killer to murder Yajima, so they're unlikely to get any results from that line either. In other words, if I don't provide evidence, the police probably won't be able to do anything to me."

This was true. Shiraizumi and his team could only confirm that Nagoro had left blood on the karuta, but they couldn't prove the amount was enough to murder Achiha-san. His defense attorney could easily claim that it was just a minor nosebleed from Nagoro Shikao. As for Yajima's death scene, they had no clue about the murderer.

"The purpose of the law is to punish criminals and serve as a warning to others. If that's the case, I have a compromise." With this, President Achiha pulled a letter from his chest, placed it on the ground, and then stood up. "I only killed two people, so according to Japanese law, even if I confessed everything, I still wouldn't be sentenced to death. However, I know my sins are grave, and death is the only way to atone for them. Therefore, I sentence myself to death. This will be a better punishment than letting the law judge me."

"As for warning the police, who can't even find evidence of my crime, how can I use me as a tool to tell the world about the badness of crime? Therefore, if I declare my guilt myself and publish a confession, it will be much more meaningful than the police's useless efforts.

"So I think I don't need the police to do these things for me. I can do them myself."

President Achiha walked past Shiraizumi Masaru and headed out the door, where there was an outer corridor with handrails.

"President Achiha, you..." Shiraizumi Masaru finally understood what the other party was going to do.

"I called you here so that you can witness all this, and then tell the police who are still groping in the dark what the truth is." Walking to the handrail, President Achiha looked at the calm lake below and took a deep breath.

"Call the police quickly and tell them that I committed suicide out of fear of punishment after leaving a suicide note. But I still hope they don't sound the alarm. The competition is still going on in the hall, so I hope my death won't affect the exciting atmosphere of this annual competition."

Saying this, President Achiha leaned forward, and as his center of gravity shifted outward, he fell out from the low part of the railing of Gaoyue Pavilion.

"Bang!" Accompanied by the resounding sound of a heavy object hitting the water dozens of meters below, Bai Quanyi sighed and took out his phone.

Hongye transferred to Tokyo to study

At 2:55, next to the lake below Gaoyuetang, Shiraizumi Mashi and Conan stood beside a rock, watching several plainclothes detectives packing up something.

"President Achiha actually called you out alone without informing us." Looking at the lake that had calmed down again, Conan curled his lips. "Why on earth is this guy doing this?"

"Maybe he thinks that if it were you two, you would probably stop him and prevent him from committing suicide?" Bai Quanyi shrugged.

"Speaking of which, I'd like to ask you, why didn't you stop him?" Conan raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the non-professional detective beside him. "Even if he were prosecuted, he'd likely only receive a life sentence. Even if he were sentenced to death, he'd still have at least five years to live. During that time, he could very well regret his actions and retract his confession, shifting the blame onto Lady Satsuki. In that case, the prosecution would have no evidence and could either reach a plea agreement or, due to insufficient evidence, could only find a murder conviction, resulting in a possible sentence of only 20 years. Even if the court imposed the death penalty, such a sensitive sentence wouldn't likely be approved by the Minister of Justice. President Achiha is still young, so as long as he reforms himself in prison, he could still..."

"He can still survive, right?" Shiraizumi glanced at Conan. "But whether it's for President Achiha or the families of the deceased, Nagoro Shikao or Yajima Shunya, isn't it a bit ridiculous that two murder cases were closed with a result of no evidence?

"You and I have no right to judge his crime. Only the law can."

"We're discussing how he can find inner peace and comfort the families of the deceased," Shiraizumi Masaru said, turning his gaze to the officers preparing to withdraw. "He's responsible for two lives. Honestly, do you believe that after 20 years of prison reform, he'll be able to forget the murders he committed? Do you believe that after 20 years of prison reform, the families will find comfort? President Achiha, while he undoubtedly regrets his crimes, do you really think that 20 years alone will heal the scars etched in the hearts of either the murderer or the victim's family?"

"Besides, I didn't judge his guilt. I simply stayed out of my way. I'm not a judge. If you want to criticize me, please don't. If you really want to criticize me, you should improve your reasoning skills and try not to wait until the criminals have calmly committed suicide before arresting them next time."

"Well, you have your own ideas after all, and it's too late to say anything now." Conan finally let go of all his thoughts and sighed. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's change to another more troublesome topic. How can we talk to Hattori about the case being closed like this?"

"Just say what you want to say," Bai Quanyi didn't react. "Would he still have any objections?"

"Have you forgotten what day today was supposed to be?" Conan quickly reminded. "If Toyama wins the game today, she will confess to Hattori."

"Oh, that's right." Shiraizumi immediately realized the problem. "If he knew the case ended this way, I'm afraid Hattori wouldn't be willing to accept Toyama-san's confession, right?"

"So what should we do? Should we hide it from him?" Conan said with a bitter face. "Although it's not good, I always feel that it will ruin such a perfect confession atmosphere."

"Anyway, no matter what you want to do," the voice made Shiraizumi and Conan look bad. "I already know everything now."