Chapter 164
The responsible detective was still struggling to digest what Usuha Izuki had said, but Shiratori Ninzaburo, who should have been most shocked, had already sighed and spoken in a tone that was unclear whether it was relief or pain:
"As expected... I originally thought it was just my imagination, which is why I wanted Samukawa-kun to come take a look..."
Yesterday he'd drunk quite a bit, so even if something felt off, he hadn't thought deeply about it. But today at the wedding venue, after waiting a long time for the groom who never came, when several classmates who had drunk together last night insisted on inviting him to go to the groom's house together to find him, Shiratori Ninzaburo had developed very subtle feelings.
After all, these people weren't professional killers—it was impossible for them to act like nothing had happened so quickly after killing someone. Facing Shiratori Ninzaburo, a detective, even though they felt their plan was foolproof, they were still very nervous. It's just that Shiratori Ninzaburo initially hadn't thought in that dangerous direction, so he only felt something was a bit strange.
When he followed the others to the groom's house and discovered the groom's corpse, Shiratori Ninzaburo suddenly felt his heart grow cold in an instant, and those indescribable subtle aspects of his friends became much more glaring at that moment.
These people kept saying that according to the time of death, they were all drinking at the time, with Shiratori Ninzaburo the detective there who could testify for them. This made Shiratori Ninzaburo's mind very confused, and being too close to the situation limited his thinking—he also somewhat hoped he was just being paranoid and that his friends were actually innocent, which is why he wanted to ask Samukawa Shinryu to take a look.
He was in great pain now, unable to even trust himself, so he only trusted Samukawa Shinryu. Even if the truth wasn't what he hoped for, he could accept it.
But the detective responsible for this case wasn't very pleased.
Actually, when he arrived at the crime scene and saw Shiratori Ninzaburo, the responsible detective had already had an ominous premonition. After all, he was just an ordinary detective with a ceiling on promotions, while Shiratori Ninzaburo was career track and would probably be promoted to Police Inspector in another two years. Career track elites always seemed somewhat arrogant, and he didn't like them much. Work requirements were one thing, but this wasn't Shiratori Ninzaburo's assignment—there was no reason he should continue listening to Shiratori Ninzaburo, right?
But now...
I knew it was you who called Samukawa Shinryu over! Looking at how familiar he was with the case details just now, you definitely told him everything you could and couldn't say!
But what was going on—did Shiratori Ninzaburo also think it was group murder with mutual false testimony? He'd been a detective for so many years and had never seen such a thing, thinking it only appeared in Agatha's novels. After all, the more people involved, the easier it was for problems to arise. For something as serious as murder, the more cautious the better.
If this judgment was wrong, then wrongly accusing so many people at once—the responsibility for that...
Shiratori Ninzaburo saw the resentment in the responsible detective's heart and could only say: "Samukawa hasn't made any mistakes yet."
The responsible detective: "..........."
This was indeed true...
Although Samukawa always caused trouble with rules and regulations—even he had helped write self-criticism essays twice—when it came to solving cases, he really had never made mistakes.
"But what about evidence?" The responsible detective was actually already convinced in his heart, but his mouth was still a bit stubborn. "Don't tell me you knew just by looking."
Usuha Izuki was silent for a moment: "But their acting is really bad—you really can tell at a glance."
The responsible detective: "..."
Then why can't I see it? Have my eyes gone blind?
Usuha Izuki put his hands in his pockets: "But as for evidence, we'll definitely need to find that separately."
Only then did the responsible detective feel like he'd regained some ground.
Exactly! If there was evidence, wouldn't he have discovered it?!
"But you said group murder... when the victim died, they were all still drinking at the hotel! Shiratori was there too, wasn't he?" This was also why the responsible officer felt it was impossible.
Testimony from a fellow police officer—that was an alibi!
Usuha Izuki turned to look at Shiratori Ninzaburo: "Did anyone leave during the drinking? Did the victim leave by himself at the time, or did someone escort him?"
Shiratori Ninzaburo had been recalling for a long time during this period and immediately said: "Yes, Ebina had drunk quite a bit at the time, so two classmates escorted him down to get a taxi. They came back quickly, and afterward everyone went to the bathroom, went out to smoke... I can't remember clearly, but the time definitely wasn't enough for a round trip to his house."
After a pause, Shiratori Ninzaburo suddenly realized something: "You just said this might not be the death scene, could it be that..."
"Let's go." Usuha Izuki sighed. "Let's just ask them directly."
Sigh, Shiratori Ninzaburo was pretty unlucky too—what kind of friends were these, even using Shiratori Ninzaburo as a witness for their alibi? This operation was way too bold. It was better to be like him and prefer quality over quantity.
System: [But I think you're also the type who would use friends as alibi witnesses...]
Usuha Izuki: [What are you saying? Am I that kind of person? If I had that need, I would openly tell them 'I need someone to help me create an alibi, help me out'!]
System: [...........]
That's not any better!
The detective responsible for this case watched as Usuha Izuki and Shiratori Ninzaburo were already walking outside, apparently planning to confront people.
Although he felt his face had already been thoroughly slapped, at least it was just their internal discussion—they hadn't slapped his face like this in public...
But Samukawa Shinryu had taken down even Police Superintendents back in the day and emerged unscathed—what was he compared to that? Having Samukawa Shinryu show him such consideration!
Thinking about it this way, somehow all the dissatisfaction and jealousy in his heart transformed into gratitude!
That was Samukawa Shinryu! What had he done to deserve this! It was practically Police Superintendent treatment!
Being so good to him suddenly—could it be that Samukawa Shinryu was about to be promoted to Police Inspector and was building his team in advance?
Although Samukawa Shinryu wasn't career track, the treatment he enjoyed in Criminal Investigation Division One really didn't seem like that of an ordinary person. They said he was an orphan—complete nonsense. Which orphan had better treatment than royalty, with promotions going so smoothly? He definitely had very deep connections!
Usuha Izuki had no idea that just by not criticizing a colleague's professional level in front of everyone, the other party's attitude had changed so dramatically that he'd even started conspiracy theories. He just walked while making a phone call.
"Hello, Spider? It's me."
Both Shiratori Ninzaburo and the responsible detective couldn't help glancing at Usuha Izuki.
This weird codename... could this be the legendary gray connections of Samukawa Shinryu?!
They'd only heard rumors but never seen evidence or witnessed it firsthand—today they were really opening their eyes!
The responsible detective was even starting to thank Shiratori Ninzaburo for calling Samukawa Shinryu over, letting him witness this precious moment.
He'd have something to brag about in the future!
The two unconsciously held their breath, listening to the phone conversation, afraid of affecting the other party.
Seeing the suspicion value pouring in, Usuha Izuki calmly continued his phone call: "Help me check where the location was when the last email was sent from this phone number... I know the mobile service company can check, but can't you do it faster?... Shiratori, what's your friend's phone number?"
Shiratori Ninzaburo quickly recited a string of numbers.
Only then did Usuha Izuki bring the phone back to his ear, speaking very politely: "That's it, I'll leave it to you. Send me the results later, thank you."
The others: "..........."
How should they put it—although he seemed very polite and used honorific language, his tone was completely non-negotiable...
Shiratori Ninzaburo hesitated but couldn't help asking: "Um, Samukawa-kun, who did you call? An information broker?"
Usuha Izuki: "No."
"...Then a hacker?"
"Not that either." Usuha Izuki deliberately looked at Shiratori Ninzaburo with a very subtle expression. "As a police officer, you should use more normal methods to investigate information."
Shiratori Ninzaburo & the responsible detective: "???"
You just performed finding questionable gray contacts right in front of us two, and now you're lecturing us?
The responsible detective didn't dare ask, but Shiratori Ninzaburo couldn't help complaining: "Then what did you just call?!"
Usuha Izuki replied righteously and steadily:
"Someone from the Mobile Investigation Unit analysis team. The team he leads is called Spider Squad—calling him Spider is more convenient."
Shiratori Ninzaburo: "..........."
The responsible detective: "..........."
Don't be convenient! Don't you know that saying these codenames makes people's minds wander?! Obviously if Shiratori Ninzaburo called someone like that, they'd just think he had chuunibyou syndrome!!!
The house wasn't big, so after chatting for a bit, they were back in the living room. Everyone was still waiting there, and even the victim's ex-girlfriend who had been about to leave had stayed, currently chatting with Hagiwara Kenji about something.
Seeing him return, Hagiwara Kenji came over to quietly share his findings.
"The victim's father had previously invested in the bride's family business, but later withdrew the funding, indirectly causing the bride's father to commit suicide. However, the victim had already confessed this to the bride and they'd reached a reconciliation. The matter mentioned in the email should be something else. Also... look at this."
He showed Usuha Izuki the wedding poster: "The 'エ' on the poster matches the habit in the email—it was written by the victim's classmate Nobuchika. The fiancée and ex-girlfriend both use the same style as the victim. I haven't had time to test the others yet."
As expected of Hagiwara Kenji with his exceptional observation skills—he was already suspecting Nobuchika among the classmates, just hadn't thought of group murder yet and was struggling to think of ways to create the current alibi.
Usuha Izuki thanked him, took the poster to look at it, then stared at the guy named Nobuchika without saying a word.
Nobuchika's face visibly paled, his face unknowingly covered in sweat: "Wh-what is it?"
Why was he looking at him like that? Was there something wrong with the poster? Surely it didn't say on the poster that he was the criminal? That was something he wrote himself! How could he not know what he wrote?!
Wuu wuu wuu, stop looking at him, help! Yesterday when they killed someone and faked the scene together, he hadn't felt this scared. Why was he the only one being targeted when the others were also not innocent...
But it was fine—the police definitely had no evidence! They had specifically bought a perfect murder plan! The other party claimed that as long as they didn't encounter their nemesis, there would absolutely be no mistakes!