Chapter 22: Decision
After parting ways with Suzuki KĹji, Kishida Masayoshi returned home. Due to work, he currently lived alone in a rented apartment. The small space was somewhat messy, so he took the opportunity to tidy up a bit while it was still early. His gaze then fell on the whiteboard in the corner.
At the top of the whiteboard were nine photos of young girls, each with a brief description underneath. Below the photos was a map of the city, marked with red dots indicating the locations where the bodies had been found.
After staring at it for a while, Kishida picked up a marker and added three names to the board. At the top was Kagehara Tetsuya, followed by two downward arrows pointing to Yomikawa Tsuko and Hasebe Koichi.
Next, he drew another arrow from Hasebe Koichi pointing to the Makeup Hunter, jotting down some clues along the arrow and marking it with a question mark. After some thought, he erased the question mark.
Aside from this reasoning, he couldnât think of any other motive for Kagehara Tetsuya to help Hasebe Koichi. Suzuki had mentioned that Tetsuya was a successful psychopath with minimal interpersonal needs and that his relationships were usually driven by strong ulterior motives. This seemed to align perfectly with the information Yomikawa Tsuko had provided.
The only thing that still nagged at Kishida was Suzukiâs assertion that Tetsuya was unlikely to seek revenge against the Makeup Hunter for his fatherâs death. This matched Tetsuyaâs refusal to accept the suicide note, but it raised another question: If he wasnât seeking revenge, why was he investigating the Makeup Hunter?
âEither Suzukiâs judgment is wrong,â Kishida muttered to himself, âor thereâs more to this case than meets the eye.â
âAnd that âmoreâ might be something Yomikawa Tsuko knows.â
He was almost certain that the information heâd gotten from the girl today was just the tip of the iceberg. Thinking about her conditionâher demand to be involved in the investigationâgave him a headache.
The problem was, she had become a key link between the two cases. Solving the case might indeed require her help. People driven by emotions were the most stubborn; right and wrong, moralityânone of that mattered to them. Kishida was almost certain that if he didnât agree to Yomikawaâs condition, she would stop providing information.
What should he do?
He had considered consulting his colleagues or Suzuki for advice but ultimately decided against it. It wasnât that he didnât trust themâquite the opposite. It was precisely because he trusted them that he couldnât say anything. If they accidentally leaked the information, it could put them in danger.
However, after hearing Suzukiâs analysis of Kagehara Tetsuyaâs personality, Kishida had already begun to lean toward a decision.
When he first heard Yomikawaâs condition, he had been wary. Allowing her to participate in the investigation or directly interact with witnesses would inevitably expose her to confidential information. It was possible that she wanted this information to pass it on to Tetsuya, helping him evade the police.
At the time, although he hadnât outright refused, he had already made up his mind to reject her request.
But now, it seemed more likely that Yomikawaâs actions were being manipulated by Tetsuya. This made the situation even more dangerous. On one hand, even if he refused her condition, she might act on her own, possibly irrationally. On the other hand, if Yomikawa couldnât participate in the case, she would lose her value to Tetsuya. And since she knew so many secrets, Tetsuya might decide to silence her permanently.
Kishida frowned. Although this was just speculation, even a one percent chance was enough to warrant caution.
âOnce Kagehara Tetsuya starts committing crimes, heâll be another Makeup Hunterâor even more dangerous.â
Suzukiâs warning echoed in his mind. Kishida even considered whether he should inform Yomikawaâs parents about the potential danger. But doing so would mean losing a valuable source of information.
âPerhaps I should agree to Yomikawaâs condition and protect her in the process. If I can gain information, thatâs a bonus. If not, at least I can keep an eye on her and prevent her from going down a criminal path.â
âIf I can reason with her and help her see the right path, that would be ideal. It doesnât seem impossible. From our interaction today, sheâs a very intelligent and rational girl. Maybe she can figure out whatâs right.â
Kishida circled Yomikawa Tsukoâs name on the whiteboard and marked it with a star.
âHowever, I canât let her access key witnesses or information just yet. Over the next two days, Iâll focus on the critical investigations, and then Iâll take her to meet Ĺshima Mana.â
The critical investigations he had in mind revolved around the clues Hasebe Koichi had about the Makeup Hunter. Over the past ten years, nine young girls had been killed. By investigating the connections between these victims and Hasebe Koichi, he might find a breakthrough.
There was no reason why Kagehara Tetsuya could uncover something that he couldnât.
Revisiting the families of the nine victims would have to be done within two days. Additionally, he needed to investigate Hasebe Koichiâs possible hideouts. As a former bosozoku (biker gang member), Hasebe would have some known hangouts. This task could be delegated to Matsushita Makoto and others, but the results couldnât be shared with Yomikawa Tsuko.
âŚâŚ
The next day, school resumed.
Suzaku High School wasnât far from the villa, so there was no need to take the train. On the way, Tetsuya, disguised as Yomikawa Tsuko, ran into senpaiâs classmate and close friendâ Nakamura Manatsu .
Nakamura Manatsu was a quiet-looking girl with a rare braided hairstyle. She carried a few books and wore thick glasses. When she saw Tetsuya, who was disguised as her âfriend,â she happily ran over to greet him. âTsuko, good morning!â
The previous afternoon, Tetsuya had gone through Yomikawaâs LINE chat history with Nakamura. They had discussed music, books, and some interpersonal relationships. From the content, it seemed Yomikawa was the more dominant one in their friendship, with Nakamura often agreeing with her opinions and rarely directly contradicting her, even when she had differing views.
âThis girl probably isnât senpaiâs accomplice,â Tetsuya thought, responding to Nakamura with a smile. âGood morning, Manatsu .â
âHuh? Tsuko, your outfit is different today,â Nakamura said, looking surprised as she approached. She glanced at Tetsuyaâs legs, noticing that the usual black knee-high socks had been replaced with tights. âBut it still looks really pretty.â
Of course, Tetsuya couldnât wear knee-high socks. The gap between the top of the socks and the skirt would expose part of his thighs, which would raise suspicions. âThank you. By the way, Manatsu, did you see the news yesterday?â
âI did. Another murder⌠Itâs so scary. And wasnât that inn the place where your club had the outdoor activity?â Nakamura looked visibly shaken.
âYeah, and one of the underclassmen went missing during it. The two-day, one-night trip was cut short that same night. Itâs such a shame,â Tetsuya sighed, though inwardly he was thinking of a way to get Nakamura to leave.
At school, they needed to change into indoor shoes, but Tetsuya had no idea where Yomikawaâs shoe locker was. He would have to search for it, and if someone who knew Yomikawa well saw him, it would be impossible to explain. Additionally, he didnât know Yomikawaâs seat in the classroom. His plan was to delay entering the classroom as long as possible, so the last remaining seat would undoubtedly be his.
But if Nakamura stayed by his side, the plan would fall apart.
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