idk how gosho does it for 1008 chapters i can't even
this is the third version of this chapter and pt.2's coming soon (hopefully) !
Disclaimer: everything belongs to their rightful owners.
"Tsuchida Kenji?"
Akashi could hear the sound of liquid being poured into what he assumed to be a cup or mug from the other line. It was in the morning – around 9 – on a Sunday when he decided to call her. He assumed the liquid he heard was coffee, considering the time, and from the lack of stirring, he assumed it was black.
"Yes," he confirmed. "He's a friend of my father's, and the CEO of the Tsuchida group – a group which focuses on medical and healthcare. He's a highly successful man and is also well known in the business world."
"And you are telling me about Tsuchida-san, why?"
She sounded cranky. He assumed it was because she still hadn't had a sip of the hot coffee she had poured for herself.
"Well, his daughter contacted me late at night yesterday." He explained. "She's a friend and she was also at the party in Kyoto – the one where you had solved Ishikawa-san's murder. She was hoping that I could give you a call in her stead. It is concerning a messaged card that arrived at Tsuchida-san's residence two days ago, one that notified him of his death."
The faint sound of sipping from the other line stopped abruptly before he heard her voice coated with mild surprise.
"He's dead?"
"Yes." He confirmed. "He was found by his eldest son yesterday, murdered in his bedroom. The cause of death was poisoning by potassium cyanide. The police concluded that he ingested the poison when he drank from a bottle of wine found in the room as they found traces of it in the wine glass, as well as the bottle of wine that he was presumed to have been drinking from on the night of his death."
"The son found him?" She questioned. "What about the wife?"
"The wife, Tsuchida Sachie-san, died last year from cancer. Only his two sons and daughter live with him in the Tsuchida residence."
"You said he received a card, right? What did the card say?"
"Please give me a moment."
Akashi approached his laptop that was left to idle on his desk and clicked open an image of the card that was sent by Tsuchida's daughter. The contents of the card were typed, signed by no name but only the drawing of a spade from trump cards.
"'At the stroke of midnight, you will perish for your sins. There is no return for what you have done. You will suffer painfully as that is what you deserve'... It is signed with the drawing of a spade, the suit from trump cards. The police have concluded that it is the job of an outsider as they found nothing significant indicating otherwise and Rika-san – Tsuchida-san's daughter – is desperate to find the killer, although it has only been a day since her father's passing."
She hummed thoughtfully at the information she was provided with, once again the sound of sipping was heard from the other line. She went quiet for a moment, probably lost in thought. Akashi waited for her to speak up but when she didn't, he called out to her, hoping to snap her back to reality.
"Is this you hiring me for the case?"
She finally responded to him. There was a tease in her voice mixed with anticipation. At this, Akashi chuckled, remembering the words she had uttered when she handed him her number. Of course, he hadn't expected to be involved in one himself when he asked. It was merely an excuse that became true and he found a part of himself celebrating, although he knew it was rude to the Tsuchida's.
"Well, technically it is Rika-san that is hiring, but yes. She will be expecting us tomorrow, at the Tsuchida manor."
"Us?"
"Yes. She has asked for my presence as well. Since it will be a consecutive holiday, I've agreed."
"I see." She uttered after another sip of her coffee, her voice sounding much more relaxed than before. "Well, send me the address and I'll be there. Oh, and send me the picture of the card. I want to see it for myself too."
"Understood." He nodded. "Thank you, Kudo-san. I'm sure you will be given an appropriate amount of money as a reward."
"Aah, I don't really care much about the money." He could hear the grin in her voice. "I enjoy doing what I do."
"I thought I told you to send me the address?"
She stood in front of the gates of her house when he arrived the next day late in the evening and had her arms crossed over her chest as an attempt to show displeasure, but the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips foiled that attempt. It was the first he had seen her in casual attire, considering this was only the second time they have met after the party. She wore a black long-sleeved turtleneck paired with beige jeans and had a bag slung over her shoulder.
Although smaller than his own, her residence was larger than he expected. It was a given that she would come from money, seeing as her parents were famous people, but for some reason it never crossed his mind that she would be living in a mansion.
Akashi smiled from the backseat of the car and shrugged, himself donning a similar coloured shirt and slacks. He slid to the other side of the car once his driver opened the door for her and Kudo carefully entered the luxurious vehicle.
"I thought it was more appropriate if I were to pick you up instead."
"How thoughtful." She snickered.
The car drove away from her mansion and was now headed towards the Tsuchida's. At first, they avoided the topic on Tsuchida's death, choosing to talk about how they have been doing since the party. Kudo replied with giving a summary of the cases she ran into – some of the details were gruesome enough to earn a restrained shudder from Akashi – while Akashi replied with telling her that the basketball team he led was preparing for the inter-high championship.
"What do you think about Tsuchida-san's murder?"
He finally brought up the topic when they were halfway towards the Tsuchida manor. He was curious to see her input, wondering if she also thought it was the work of an outsider.
Kudo shrugged at his question.
"I can't say anything yet since I don't have all the information," she answered. "But I'm curious about the 'sins' the card mentioned. Do you know anything about it?"
"No," he shook his head. "As far as I know, Tsuchida-san was a good man. He was someone who valued life more than anything else, which was why he chose to focus on medical and healthcare."
"Are there any rumours about him? Anything at all."
"No, not to my knowledge."
The whole situation felt like déjà vu to him. Even during the Ishikawa murder, she was prying information from him, asking about the dirty secrets she assumed he knew. He didn't really. He wasn't involved that deep into the corporate world yet, as compared to his father. He reckoned that if she were to ask his father, she would have gotten all the answers she needed. Provided that he was willing to answer her, that is.
"Well, he must've done something to earn a grudge this strong."
"Rika-san would know more."
"Speaking of which," Kudo leaned back curiously into the car seat and titled her head at an angle that allowed her to see him better. "How long have you and Rika-san known each other? You said she was a friend and it sounds like you guys have known each other for a while."
He wondered how she reached to that conclusion.
"My father is acquainted with hers, so I have known her and her brothers since we were rather young. Perhaps since primary school." He answered. "I spent more time with her compared to her brothers, however, as she was the closest to my age."
The brunette hummed a response before grinning teasingly at him. "Is she like your first love?"
"No," he chuckled. "There was never anything like that. However, I do admit she is an important friend."
"An important friend, huh~"
"What about you, Kudo-san?"
She was obviously surprised at the question that was suddenly directed to her and the look of puzzlement quickly spread on her face. She raised an eyebrow at him along with her shoulders, and asked the meaning of his question.
"Do you have someone from childhood who you would consider your first love?"
He didn't miss the reddening of her cheeks just before she looked away. It was refreshing to see her act like a normal teenage girl, breaking the boyish-detective image he held of her. He held back a laugh as she composed herself with a cough and proceeded to deny having anyone she considered so. He concluded silently that it was a first love that had grown into a current love and decided to not pry any further into the matter.
They were brought to an office upon arrival by a maid where they were greeted by a woman in her early twenties who introduced herself as Rika, Tsuchida's daughter and the youngest of the three siblings. Her long, wavy hair was dyed a light shade of brown and she had a thin layer of makeup on her already flawless features. The dress that she wore was simple, but stunning. It was beautiful shade of midnight blue with laces on the hems and patterns of flowers neatly arranged on the silky fabric. It complemented her fair skin very much.
"Thank you for coming over, Seijuro-kun, Kudo-san." Rika uttered gracefully as she gave a curt bow.
Akashi immediately returned the gesture by reflex, but Kudo's response was slightly delayed as she was enthralled by the beauty that stood in front of her. Akashi had to hold back the chuckle that threatened to escape his lips at the slight pink that dusted the detective's cheeks from her admiration.
"The reason why I asked Seijuro-kun to contact you is partly because I want you to find my father's killer, as you must have guessed." Rika explained as she offered them to sit on the couch opposite of her, the maid serving them tea.
"Could you tell us everything from the beginning?"
"Of course." She nodded. "As you know, my father was found yesterday – dead – in his room by my eldest brother, Takeshi, when he arrived home. It was around 1:30 in the morning. He wanted to congratulate father and have a drink with him as the family business has reached its 10th anniversary but when he knocked on the door there was no answer. So, he opened the door and..."
Rika paused to take a breath. Akashi noticed how she fiddled with her fingers as she spoke, a habit she would perform when uncomfortable.
"And he found your father."
It was Kudo who helped her find her words, her voice a little sympathetic when she spoke. Rika bit her lip and nodded.
"Yes. He was on the floor by his desk with the wine glass broken near him. My brother then called for the butler and told him to call the police. I was woken up by my brother's shouting."
"What did the police say about the estimated time of death?"
"They estimated it to be around 11:30pm to 12:30am."
"May I ask for your alibi for that time? As well as the alibi of the others in the manor."
"I was asleep at the time. My second brother was out with friends and my eldest brother was driving home. As for the staff, our head butler – Yamagishi Teruo-san – was with them. They were discussing some matters regarding the manor."
"Anyone to corroborate the alibis?"
"Not for me and my eldest brother. My second brother's friends and the other staff have corroborated my second brother and Yamagishi-san's alibi respectively."
Akashi watched as Kudo offered a thoughtful hum then leaned back into the material of the couch, her eyes remained on Rika's beautiful figure. Her questioning sounded like something she was reading from a script, possibly due to the fact that it was the usual string of questions she would ask in any other case. She seemed to mumble a few words to herself before straightening her posture once again to speak to Rika.
"You said that your father's death is partly the reason you wanted to contact me?"
"Oh, yes." Rika's eyes fluttered, and she walked towards the desk in the office before pulling out a white envelope from the drawer. She handed Kudo a white envelope once she returned to the couch, her expression anxious. "This is the other reason I wanted you to come."
Kudo took the envelope from her and carefully examined it before opening it. There was only a name written on the envelope – Yukito – and inside it was a card that contained the same typed out messaged signed by the drawing of a spade that Tsuchida had received, however the content of the message was different.
"'You protected your father thus you share the same sin as him. At the stroke of midnight, you will join him in hell.'..."
Akashi read the card out loud in monotone and glanced at Kudo, who asked who Yukito was. Rika informed that it was her second brother, earning a hum from the younger female. The woman furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at the card, biting her under lip.
"I'm not sure what this... sin the card keeps talking about but I'm certain it's the work of someone from the inside."
The two teens exchanged looks and it was Kudo who asked the reason for her certainty. Rika got up from the couch and gestured for them to follow as she guided them towards the wine cellar. The wine cellar was located at the end of the passageway to the left of the main hall, protected by a seemingly sturdy wooden door. Once they stood in front of the door, Rika tapped the door handle with a perfectly manicured finger and their attention was brought to the keypad that was under the handle.
"The wine cellar is password protected," She uttered. "Father has very valuable wine in here, so he was especially adamant on keeping them safe. Only my brothers, our head butler – Yamagishi-san – and myself know the password to the cellar so it's unlikely that an outsider could gain access to the wine and poison it."
"Could it be that they got the password beforehand by spying on you when you unlock the cellar?"
"That's impossible." Rika shook her head at Kudo's question. "My father made it a point to change the password every day at random times so even if an outsider were to obtain it beforehand, it would become useless."
"How did Tsuchida-san tell you the new password?"
"He would text us eight numbers and the second number for every pair would be the new password. Just like the password, only the four of us knew about how to derive the password from the numbers."
Kudo hummed at the information provided to her and crossed her arms over her chest, a suspicious gaze directed towards the door handle. Akashi noticed she had become engrossed in her thoughts as silence fell upon them and he sighed, turning his attention to the anxious Rika.
"You are aware that you are placing suspicion upon yourself, right, Rika-san?"
Rika nodded regretfully.
"Yes. But I don't mind as I am not the killer."
Her words were filled with enough certainty that could convince anyone. However, Akashi knew that it wasn't enough to remove her from the suspect list just with her self-certainty. Rather, the self-certainty could be a source of doubt depending on other circumstantial factors.
Kudo seemed bothered. Why exactly, Akashi couldn't say. Her eyebrows were knitted and the glare she sent towards the keypad was so intense that if looks were as effective as weapons, the keypad would be destroyed by now. After another few moments of staring at the keypad – to which Rika couldn't help but query what the matter was – Kudo excused herself and disappeared into the main hall just as she pulled out her cellphone. Rika sent a questioning look to Akashi, hoping to understand what had just happened, but he only answered with a shrug.
"I wish for the two of you to stay the night," she uttered all of a sudden. "The card sent might be just a prank but considering what happened to my father, I don't want to take any chances."
"I don't mind." Akashi nodded. "However, I would have to confirm with Kudo-san if she is okay with staying the night."
"Of course." Rika glanced at the corner where Kudo had disappeared before solemnly uttering to Akashi, "I hope she is able to catch the killer."
Her green eyes reflected sadness, however there was also a hint of determination. Determination to catch whoever it was that killed her father. He knew how close the two were – something he envied about her since their acquaintance at a young age – so he could imagine the pain and anger she was feeling at his loss. If he wasn't so particular about boundaries, he would choose to give her shoulder a squeeze or perhaps a hug. But he just closed his eyes and uttered,
"I'm sure she will."
Rather than an empty assurance, he was confident that she would solve the case. The solving of the case in Kyoto was anything but a fluke and she did have a flawless record. If there was anyone that he was sure could find Tsuchida's killer, it would be her.
There was a knock on the guest room he was provided to spend the night in. Kudo had agreed to stay the night as she also had a bad premonition regarding the card that was sent to Rika's brother. They were both ushered into their respective guest rooms by Yamagishi after a satisfying dinner with the three siblings and a quick survey of the master bedroom – the crime scene. Since then, Akashi had been reading books from the book shelf provided in the room. It was a cozy room, albeit smaller than the rooms in the mansion he grew up in, but it was definitely extravagant. As expected from a group as successful as the Tsuchida's.
The clock on the wall showed 11:38pm and Akashi wondered who it was this late at night. He placed the hard-covered book he had been reading beside him on the bed then walked across the carpeted floor towards the door before cautiously opening it.
He was surprised to see that it was Kudo who stood in front of his room, wearing clothes that differed the ones she had been wearing when they met up. He let her into his room – to which she thanked him for – and she instantly made herself comfortable by lowering her bottom onto the soft sheets of the bed.
"Did you anticipate that we were going to have a sleepover?" He asked, referring to the change of clothes.
She was wearing a t-shirt two sizes larger than necessary with ¾ tights under the loose cotton fabric while he was still in his shirt and slacks. She also must have just gotten out of the shower as he noticed the scent of expensive shampoo that lingered in her hair when she passed by him.
She shrugged at his question, her expression indicating that her change of clothes was less significant than whatever it was she wanted to talk to him about in the middle of the night.
"I brought them just in case." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Rather than that, I found out something interesting about the case."
"Something interesting, you say." Akashi uttered and turned the cushioned chair by the desk in the room to face her before taking a seat. "What is it?"
"I called an acquaintance in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department earlier before dinner and asked about the details of the case." She explained. "The potassium cyanide seemed to have originated from the wine bottle, but the thing is, there were no fingerprints left on the bottle nor the glass Tsuchida-san was drinking from."
"None at all?"
"Yeah. This means the killer must have wiped them off because his fingerprints were on them."
"That would mean he didn't wear any gloves." He uttered. "If it was a premeditated murder, wouldn't he have prepared gloves?"
"Exactly." She licked her lips with a nod. "I have my assumptions for why he didn't prepare the gloves but it's merely an assumption."
"What about the spade that the messaged card was signed with? Does it have any significance?"
"Well, the spade suit can represent 'death' so I suppose that's what the killer wants to convey."
She shrugged and allowed herself to fall into the soft covers on the bed, an incoherent mumble uttered as she did so. She sounded like she already had a theory built up, but he suspected that she lacked the proof to support her theory, just like the previous case they were involved in.
At dinner, the detective took her chance to question the three Tsuchida's, confirming their alibis and asking if they had any idea for the motive of Tsuchida's murder or the targeting of Yukito. Yukito was the first to deny any knowledge, followed by Rika, while Takeshi hesitated. Although pushed by Kudo, Takeshi wouldn't say what was on his mind and proceeded to deny having any knowledge of motive.
Kudo informed Akashi that she had cornered Takeshi just after they were taken to their rooms to ask him once again if he had any idea about motive but failed to get an answer. Being the eldest and the successor to his father, she was sure that he was well informed about the family's affairs – business and personal-wise. She stressed that she was certain he knew something and that he was perhaps protecting himself – or someone – by not telling. Her reasoning was sound – Akashi mused – however it wouldn't help the case if they continued to dwell on Takeshi's reluctance to tell.
"Going by their alibis, it would seem that Rika-san and Takeshi-san are the most suspicious, am I correct?"
Kudo nodded, merely glancing at him.
"According to the police, Yukito-san's alibi is solid and although Yamagishi-san – the butler – excused himself from the staff discussions for around 10 to 15 minutes, I doubt he'd have enough time and he wears gloves around the manor. There's no need to wipe off fingerprints if he were the killer. And as far as motive goes, there's nothing that the police could find. Did Rika-san say mention anything to you?"
She was hoping Rika told him something, considering their childhood bond. He guessed by the way she stared his way, once again with anticipation, just like the Ishikawa case. He wondered why she thought he had all the information regarding the families he was acquainted with. Everyone had their own dark secrets that they kept to themselves, and he was sure she was well aware of that.
"Other than claiming she is innocent, nothing in particular."
Kudo sighed, and Akashi could tell she wasn't pleased. The suspect pool was narrowed to two people, but pinpointing the killer was proving to be a task with the lack of evidence surrounding them. Plus, there was also the lack of motive from both suspects. Why would one of the two – if not both – kill their own father? Inheritance would suffice as a motive, but it seemed a little lacking, especially since the children all had their fair share in the company's money.
"That reminds me," Akashi spoke up in a moment of realization. "I had a chance to speak with Yamagishi-san earlier."
"Yamagishi-san?"
It seemed that questioning Yamagishi had slipped her mind, probably due to the assumption that he wouldn't speak without prior approval of his employers. Furthermore, she wasn't a close friend of the family, so she had probably assumed that he wouldn't talk based on that fact as well.
"Yes," he affirmed. "I asked him if there were any significant incidents in the business or family that had occurred that might cause someone to hold a grudge against Tsuchida-san. At first, he was not quite sure, but he remembered an incident just a year ago that had occurred in one of the hospitals Tsuchida-san owned."
Kudo sat up – visibly intrigued by the new piece of information she was presented with – and leaned forwards and she waited for Akashi to continue his words.
"One of the doctors committed suicide by jumping off the hospital building." He told. "An eyewitness said it happened during midnight. According to other hospital staff, he was a successful, well-liked doctor who didn't seem to have any trouble in his private life thus they couldn't think of a reason he would want to kill himself."
"Midnight..."
She had placed a finger on her chin as she muttered, noticing the significance of the story he had told her. It was too much of a coincidence for Tsuchida's notified time of death and the doctor's suicide to not be related.
"The doctor's suicide could be the motive... Did Yamagishi-san tell you who the doctor was?"
"No, he didn't know his name."
Kudo bit her under lip then worriedly glanced to the clock on the wall which indicated 5 minutes before 12. She slid of the edge of the bed and took her phone out of her pocket to check the time, perhaps to confirm if the wall clock was accurate or not.
"It's almost midnight..."
He nodded at her statement, comprehending that she was referring to the notified time on the card. He wondered if there was really going to be another killing tonight, specifically the killing of Yukito, the second child of the family. If there was going to be another killing, then it would take place at midnight, just as specified by the card. The timing seemed to significant for the killer to not abide by it.
"I'm going to Yukito-san's room." Kudo announced as she made her way towards the door.
"I'll come with you."
The hallways were dark as the lights have been dimmed but they were sufficient enough to see where they were going. Carefully, they made their way downstairs, using their hands to guide them towards the kitchen where they found some of the staffs unwinding with a bottle of alcohol. Followed by rushed thank you's and apologies, they acquired the location of Yukito's room from the staffs and wasted no time in heading towards the room. The large clock in the main hall had chimed, signaling midnight, while they were in the kitchen thus there was no time to spare. The two hastened their steps to the third floor and to the end of the hallway to the right, where Yukito's room was.
"Yukito-san?" Kudo called out as she knocked on the door. "May we come in? Yukito-san?"
There was no response from Yukito and Kudo sent Akashi a concerned glance that was barely discernible under the dim lighting. She knocked on the door a few more times and when there was still no response, Akashi saw her face him and open her mouth to convey something to him when all of a sudden, the door flew open violently, striking Kudo on the shoulder.
Akashi managed to catch her when she lost her balance due to the impact and he was close enough to see her eyes instantly shooting a glare towards a shadowed figure that ran off towards the staircase. He too was looking in the same direction but there wasn't enough lighting for him to identify who it was that had escaped.
"Chase him!"
It was Kudo that shouted an order after a much-needed curse and shoved him aside before breaking into a run. Akashi ran after her, adrenaline pumping through his veins as they ran down the steps following the hardly visible figure. Their footsteps echoed throughout the quiet mansion along with their ragged breaths. Being athletes, the sprinting wasn't a big problem for them, but it was dark, and they could hardly see where they were headed. It rather unnerved them, the fact that the person they were pursuing could just be waiting at the next corner, using the darkness to their advantage, to bash a blunt object into their skulls and get away with murder. But they kept chasing after them, not wanting to lose sight of their suspect.
They had chased the person to the first floor – their hearts pounding loudly in their chest – but by the time their feet touched the marbled tiles of the main hall, they had already lost sight of them. Their eyes darted around the darkness to try and detect any movement, but they couldn't see anything.
"Damn it!"
There was a loud sound which Akashi assumed was Kudo slamming her fist into the wall, followed by a refrained wince. She sounded frustrated. It was understandable, he mused, considering the fact that they had just let someone who is possibly the killer get away.
Akashi allowed his breathing to steady before carefully inching closer to where he assumed Kudo was. Just as he was about to call her name, the lights of the mansion lit up to their intended brightness and they could hear footsteps approaching them. Their eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden change of lighting but when they did, the sight of Yamagishi, Rika and Takeshi was the first they saw. All three of them were in their night attires and Akashi concluded the loud shouts and running from him and Kudo must have woken them up.
"What happened?" Yamagishi asked worriedly.
"The killer was here." Kudo stated with a bitter undertone in her voice, not bothering to use formalities as she did.
Akashi noticed how she glared at the three people that came to them, analyzing every detail of their behaviour and appearance. She observed as the three showed various degrees of shock, fear and worry, gauging the authenticity of their expressions. She seemed to have noticed something from the three of them judging from the way her eyes narrowed suspiciously at them. She shook her head after that and turned on her heels to head up the stairs.
"Anyway, call the police." She instructed to particularly no one. "If I'm right, Yukito-san is already..."
She paused and decided not to finish her sentence.
The view that was in front of him was definitely something that Akashi didn't want to get used to. To get used to something would require constant exposure. He wouldn't want to receive constant exposure to dead bodies if he could help it.
Yukito's body was sprawled on the carpeted floor with his eyes wide open and his hands raised beside his head. There was a small dot on his neck which resembled an injection mark and Akashi heard Kudo mumble to herself about how it could be poisoning by potassium cyanide, just like Tsuchida.
"It seems that he struggled with the killer before or while he was injected with the poison." She uttered, raising the victim's right hand with a handkerchief to show Akashi from her crouched position. "Look, there's skin and blood under his nail. He must have scratched the killer during the struggle."
Akashi crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame, his nose crinkled slightly at the sight of the body.
"Isn't that different from Tsuchida-san's murder?" He asked. "Tsuchida-san wasn't poisoned with a needle and he didn't struggle with the killer."
"It's probably because this is the second murder." She uttered. "Tsuchida-san had just been murdered following the notice from the card so obviously Yukito-san would be on guard. Since poisoning the wine wasn't an option anymore, the killer had to change his methods."
Kudo placed a hand on her knee to straighten her posture but winced the moment she exerted force onto her right arm. As if by reflex, Akashi took the few steps towards her and offered a hand to help her up, which she accepted. He observed as she squeezed her right shoulder a few times before choosing to speak up.
"You should put ice on that shoulder, Kudo-san."
"It's fine, it's fine." She waved her left hand in dismissal. "It's not as bad as you think."
"Still," he insisted. "You should."
"Later then."
Kudo shuffled away from Akashi and proceeded to walk around the room in hopes of finding evidence. Akashi sighed, a little appalled at her decision to prioritize the case rather than her own sore shoulder but he supposed he should have expected it. As long as the shoulder didn't get in the way of her investigation, he guessed she wouldn't apply even first aid on it.
With another sigh, Akashi joined the remaining members of the Tsuchida family who were in the room opposite of the crime scene. Rika was sobbing uncontrollably when he entered and holding her in his arms was Takeshi, who tenderly stroked her back as an effort to comfort her. Yamagishi stood by them faithfully, a solemn look in his eyes as his gaze remained firm on the carpeted floor.
The eldest of the Tsuchida's noticed the redhead entering the room and acknowledged him with a nod. Anger and grief was reflected in the eyes that gazed his way and he could feel sympathy welling up in his chest. The man whispered a few words to Rika before he let go of her and approached Akashi.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
Takeshi shook his head at his words and gritted his teeth.
"I will kill the bastard who did this to them."
Akashi refrained pointing out the fact that it was an insider – one of them – who killed Tsuchida and Yukito and settled with a sympathizing hum. It was enough heart ache for one day.
Takeshi sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and allowed his head to tilt backwards as he closed his eyes before shooting a troubled gaze to the younger male in front of him. He seemed to have something to say but was carefully choosing his words. After a momentary pause, Takeshi sighed again and shook his head.
"Sorry." He uttered. "I'm getting emotional."
"No, it's understandable."
The man gave a wry smile and lightly patted Akashi on the shoulder before walking out of the room. At the corner of his eye, he saw Takeshi speak to Kudo who approached him – probably to ask him for his alibi – and he noticed the way Takeshi's expression gradually changed from gentle and welcoming to one with hostility. It didn't take a full minute until he heard a huff from Takeshi before he walked off, clearly unpleased with whatever conversation he just had with the female.
Kudo sighed and looked towards him, sending a stern look as her eyes narrowed his way. However, he realized she wasn't looking at him, but rather at Rika and Yamagishi who were in the room right past him. And it was also then that he realized she had found the evidence that she needed to name the killer that they were looking for.
Thanks for reading !
