10: Chapter 10: A Bold Idea

Pink walls, wooden plank flooring – Yoko Okino's apartment was surprisingly simple, almost sparsely furnished.

Maybe just a temporary place, Fujino guessed.

Stepping inside, he immediately felt a wave of oppressive heat. Looking up, he saw the central air conditioning unit blasting hot air into the room.

"If I remember correctly, this AC unit is a key clue in this case," Fujino murmured to himself, his eyes lingering on the vent before shifting to the body lying in the center of the floor.

The man lay face down, a fruit knife protruding from his back.

Staring at the stiffening corpse, Fujino felt an unexpected wave of unease wash over him. His head swam, and a faint nausea churned in his stomach.

He took a deep breath, waiting for the unpleasant physical reaction to pass.

"Guess I'm still not used to this, huh?"

Honestly, across two lifetimes, this was the first time Fujino had seen a dead body this... fresh.

His previous incarnation might have been a "high school detective," but his caseload consisted of lost pets and cheating spouses. He'd never encountered a murder scene like this.

But Fujino was adaptable. After a moment, the queasiness subsided.

Once the feeling passed, he glanced furtively behind him. Seeing no one else had entered the room yet, he quietly made his way over to the sofa in the corner.

He knelt down and reached underneath, feeling around. His fingers brushed against something small and hard.

Pulling it out, he saw it was an earring. A golden one.

Fujino frowned, recognizing it instantly. This belongs to Ikegami Yuko.

Damn it. He had hoped that by hiring him, Yuko would have refrained from snooping around Yoko's apartment herself. Reality, as usual, wasn't so kind.

Apparently, even after hiring him, Yuko had come here anyway, conducted her own illicit search, and inadvertently triggered the murder.

That fool woman. Didn't she trust me?

Fujino pocketed the earring, a sense of irritation bubbling up. Still, this development, while annoying, did potentially simplify things.

An idea sparked in Fujino's mind. A bold one.

Maybe... just maybe... I can make a serious profit off this whole mess.

Five minutes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠later, the wail of sirens grew louder, and the police arrived. Leading the team was a stout man Fujino recognized instantly: Inspector Megure Juzo.

"So, Ms. Okino," Megure addressed Yoko, his tone professional but sympathetic, "you're saying you discovered the body when you returned home?"

"Yes," Yoko nodded, her gaze downcast, grief clouding her eyes. "I came straight back from Detective Fujino's place, opened the door, and... found him like this..."

"Detective Fujino..." Megure turned his attention to Fujino. "You were the detective Ms. Okino consulted, the one present when the body was discovered?"

"Yes," Fujino nodded. "Fujino. I'm a detective."

"Not another high school detective, are you?" Megure squinted, taking in Fujino's youthful yet strangely mature features.

"Well... yes, I'm still in high school," Fujino confirmed. "Same school as Kudo Shinichi, actually."

"Ah, so you're one of Kudo's juniors, eh?" Megure's expression softened slightly.

He seemed to recall the familiar figure of his favorite young detective.

Speaking of which, haven't seen Kudo-kun around lately, Megure thought wistfully.

Case clearance rates have definitely dipped. He wondered if this new kid had the same knack.

"If I recall correctly, Fujino-kun, you were the one who called this in," Megure continued.

"Did you notice anything unusual at the scene?"

"Anything unusual..." Fujino pretended to think, tapping his chin.

"Well, the room temperature is unusually high."

"High room temperature..." Megure wiped a bead of sweat from his temple. "Now that you mention it, it is rather stuffy in here." He turned to Yoko.

"Okino-san, was the heat turned up this high when you left?"

"No!" Yoko looked surprised.

"I remember the power being off when I left this morning."

"Hmm, strange..." Megure took a deep breath, then called over to a forensics officer examining the body. "Any findings on the cause of death?"

"Yes, Inspector," the officer in the blue jumpsuit looked up. "Single stab wound to the back with the fruit knife. Fatal. Time of death is difficult to estimate accurately due to the elevated room temperature."

Megure nodded grimly, his gaze shifting back to Yoko, suspicion clouding his features. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"Okino-san, if I'm not mistaken, the murder weapon appears to belong to you..."

"Inspector! Are you suggesting Yoko did this?!" Yamagishi, the manager, interjected frantically, looking aghast.

"Based on the current evidence, Ms. Okino certainly had the opportunity..." Megure frowned, then turned his attention to the flustered manager.

"And who might you be? Why are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you so concerned about whether we suspect Ms. Okino?"

"I... I'm her manager, Yamagishi Eiichi."

"Ah, Ms. Okino's manager, that explains it..." Megure mumbled, then asked both of them, "Do either of you recognize the deceased?"

Both Yoko and Yamagishi leaned in to get a better look at the victim's face. Expressions of shock flashed across both their faces, quickly masked.

"I... I need to see more clearly," Yamagishi stammered, noticing a strand of long hair clutched in the dead man's hand. He moved closer to the body.

Suddenly, his foot "slipped," and he stumbled forward, nearly falling onto the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠corpse.

But just before he landed, Fujino grabbed him from behind, steadying him.

Pulling the manager upright, Fujino offered a tight-lipped smile. "Careful there, Manager-san. Slipping near the body could contaminate the crime scene."

His smile widened slightly, turning sharp.

"Or perhaps... you weren't just slipping? Perhaps you had another reason for getting so close?" Fujino's eyes narrowed, his smile taking on a cunning, almost fox-like quality.

"Wh-what? Of course not!" Yamagishi stammered, flustered. "I just lost my footing!"

"Really? Just lost your footing?" Fujino's gaze intensified, his smile turning colder.

"Because it almost looked like... you recognized the victim."