Well hello! Here is a new chapter of my Azure Redi fanfiction. I will start planning the next chapter. See you in the next chapter.
"Ahhh! The only thing I don't want to do is patrol the art gallery at night", The Night Watchman said, startled by the demon-looking statue. He was holding a flashlight in his other hand, as it was now dark in the tea gallery.
He was wearing a blue-black guard outfit. He was tall, and athletic.
"You're never a good guard if you're like that", Another night watchman said. He was wearing similar clothes as his colleague.
The skylight showed the crescent moon, and a cloudy, gloomy night sky.
Klak! The guards stopped after hearing the noise from the gallery behind them.
"Did you just hear something?" The guard who had just spoken asked, looking back.
"D-Don't scare me that way", The guard who spoke first said.
"It-it came from this room", Another guard said, opening the gallery door.
"W-Who's there?!" Another guard asked, lighting the gallery with a flashlight. "Is anyone here?"
Klak! Klak! From the shadows of the gallery walked out armor holding a sword in his right hand. The armor stopped, and its eyes seemed to glow red.
"Aaaaaaa!" The guards shouted in fear.
(On the next day)
"Huh? The medieval armor moved by itself?" Shizuka asked. He sat on the couch in Kogorō's study, reading his Yokai book.
Shizuka was wearing a purple blouse, and black pants on his legs, and white socks.
"Two guards said they saw it", Ran said. "It's a pretty famous rumor around the neighborhood".
Ran wore a red jacket with a black blouse underneath. She wore a yellow miniskirt on her hips, and gray over-the-knee socks on her legs, as well as red-and-white sneakers.
"You're reading a book about every day, so isn't that even of some interest to you, Irene-chan?" Ran asked.
"Ghosts, and yokai's have a subtle difference. Ghosts are translucent, and yokai's are purple", Shizuka said.
"I've heard ghosts themselves are translucent", Ran said. "However, that armor case sounds funny, so let's go see it right away".
"Were the night guards out of his mind after seeing that armor move by itself?" Shizuka asked.
"They were", Ran said.
"Where exactly did you hear that rumor?" Shizuka asked.
"From Sonoko", Ran said.
"Hah hah hah!" Kogorō laughed while sitting in a chair behind his desk reading a newspaper. "So of course! It's probably just some rumor of teenage girls! Or else it's probably a story that the art gallery crowd has come up with just to get more customers".
"Yeah. That's probably so, Ran-san. It's meant to cheat children. Or maybe the art gallery has just been ruined", Shizuka said. "Maybe some just bet on how well they can scare others by wearing armor that supposedly moves on its own at night in an art gallery".
"Do you think I invented this thing?" Ran thought.
"Ok, back to work", Kogorō put the newspaper on the table.
"I'm going to do my homework", Shizuka said. "Ran-san, do your homework too so you don't just miss other students after studying".
"Wait a minute!" Ran hit his left fist on his father's desk, causing a big dent in it. "Work, and homework, can wait a while. We're going to look at that armor, okay?"
Kogorō looked at Ran a little scared:
"Yes".
"If you want to, once", Shizuka said.
"Uh! Ran always does that when things don't go the way he wants", Shizuka said.
"I shouldn't have let him learn karate", Kogorō said.
(Later in the art gallery)
Shizuka went to the museum with Mōri's family, and they looked at the paintings, and art objects on display there.
The interior walls of the art gallery were dark yellow, and the floor was gray. There were white pillars on the walls, and windows.
"Wow! Lost, beautiful works of art!" Ran said looking at one board. "Are you glad we came here? Look at this! Really beautiful colors!"
"Well, at least this is better to watch than watching Kogorō's beer-can piles", Shizuka thought. Shizuka had watched the matter very often, as Kogorō sometimes left his beer cans to hang on the floor of his home.
Shizuka then saw two paintings on the wall to the left of the gallery that caught his attention. He walked in front of those paintings.
The first painting had large carriages with a beautiful woman sitting in the middle. There were other women around those wagons, and below them was a white cloud. There was a pale full moon in the sky that seemed to shine brightly. There was a mansion on the ground, on the terrace of which an old man and an old woman wept. The title of the painting was Kaguya hime ga tsukinikaeru.
In the second painting, Azure Redi stood, with a full moon glowing pale behind it. Azure Redi stood on the roof of some building, and looked mysterious. The title of the painting was Fushigina Azure Redi.
"Do you like it, young woman?" An old, bearded man says walking next to Shizuka.
The man was wearing a gray suit.
"Huh? Oh yes. My mother told me the story of Princess Kaguya sometime when I was little", Shizuka said.
"It's a fascinating story, and one of the oldest folk tales in Japan. I also like this painting a lot", the man said. "Not only that. I love all the paintings here as if they were my own children".
"Uh, and you are? Are you an art expert?" Shizuka asked.
"In a way", The man said. "Oh! Sorry I didn't introduce myself, but I'm the leader here. My name is Ochiai".
"Oh, director. No wonder you like these paintings", Ran said when he arrived with Kogorō. They had heard a recent conversation.
"Could you tell me what you know about the history of Azure Redi?" Shizuka asked.
"I don't know much about him, but he fights the Yokai's, protecting us from other people. The Yokai's like to play at people's expense by taking control of them through objects that are important to them. Rumor has it that at some point each Azure Redi yokai", Ochiai said.
"I've seen the new Azure Redi a couple of times", Shizuka said. He then looked at the year the painting was made:
"Wow! This painting was painted when I was 3-years-old. Are there more paintings here about Azure Redi, or yokai? The old stories interest me a bit", Shizuka said. "Is Azure Red my mother in that painting when she was working as Azure Redi?"
"Yes, but this painting is my own favorite", Ochiai said. "It reflects well on his mystery. Based on the rumors I've heard, the current Azure Redi is now your age".
"Even if you only knew the whole truth", Shizuka thought.
"Well, take your time and enjoy", Surprisingly, Ochiai looked to his left to see one man touching the board. The director of the art gallery surprisedly looked nervous. "Kubota! What are you doing?! I told you to always wear gloves when you touch the paintings!"
"Ah! I'm sorry", Kubota said, looking startled at first.
"You've done enough of that here already", The gallery director told Kubota, walking in front of Kubota. Then he looked at another man with gloves on. "Uh, Ijima-kun, take care of this".
"Sure", Ijima said.
Kubota walked away, looking a little angry.
"Hm. Pretty strong reaction! On the other hand, it's practical to touch Art objects with gloves", Shizuka thought.
"Hmph. This is definitely a lonely place", Said the brown-bearded man who came to the art gallery. She had brown hair, pale skin, and black eyes. He was wearing a light brown jacket with a blue shirt underneath and a red tie around his neck. He was wearing light brown pants, and black shoes. He was a little round, and over 30 years old. He stopped behind the gallery director with another man.
"Owner Manaka", The gallery director said.
"This place will close in about 10 days", Manaka said, looking around. "Until then, take care of this scrap where mold grows".
Some employees in the gallery were glaring at Manaka angry.
"Ok. Let's go see the drawings", Manaka said to the man he was with.
"Yes, sir", The man accompanying Manaka says, carrying an envelope that was light brown in his right hand.
The men walked away.
"Is this art gallery closing?" Ran asked the gallery director.
"Yes. The previous owner's company went bankrupt, so he sold this place to Manaka", The gallery's director said.
"The previous owner sold him this place under an agreement that Manaka will continue to maintain this place. But during the second meeting, when Manaka bought this place, he said he would turn this place into a hotel", Ijima said.
Everyone looked at Manaka.
"Many don't seem to like that Manaka because he looks really greedy. Closing this gallery and building a new hotel on the site of this gallery could mean kicks for some employees of this gallery. That's why many, an employee of this gallery, don't like Manaka", Shizuka thought.
Klak! The armor helmet suddenly fell to the floor, and Ijimi and the leader looked surprised.
That helmet had a red feather on the head of that helmet.
Kubota picked up the fallen helmet, and placed it in a wheelbarrow on his left side, topped by a large, purple cloth. There were parts of the armor under that cloth.
"That guy treats the work of art violently again", Shizuka thought.
"Your name is Kubota isn't it?" Manaka asked. "I've heard of you. You better go get some money early! Heh heh!"
Manaka walked away from the scene with his assistant.
"Damnable!" Kubota tossed the helmet into the wheelbarrows. Klak!
"Ah! Again", Shizuka thought.
"Well then all, please, and enjoy", The Director and Iijima led the others to a true gallery.
"He got so angry last time", Shizuka thought curiously.
Later.
The group was in a gallery called Earth Room.
There were paintings on the walls, and crowns in the glass showcases, and other valuables.
Some tables even had pots.
Later.
The group was in a gallery called Sky Room.
There were statues, and on the roof was a large, slightly bird-like stained glass window.
Later, the group was in a gallery called the Ocean Room.
There were paintings, too, and statues.
There were even scale models of the ship.
Later, the group walked down the hall.
"What?" Ran say when stopping in the hallway. He looked ahead to see a sign on the floor that read:
"Access denied".
"It's weird. There should be one room straight ahead", Ran said, looking at the guide in his hand.
"Forget it. I just want to stop this kind of hike", Kogorō said, returning in the direction of departure.
"Mōri-san, why did Ran-san want us to come here too?" Shizuka asked.
"Believe it or not, but she's afraid of ghosts. When Ran and Sonoko once spend the night at Shizuka's home, Ran often demanded that his friends peek under the bed and in the closet before Ran dared to fall asleep", Kogorō said.
"That's how it was", Shizuka thought. "However, you wouldn't easily believe it to be true because of Ran's karate hobby".
Eventually, Ran followed the others.
"I'm tired. Let's go home, Ran-san", Shizuka said, sitting with Kogorō on the bench.
"I'm hungry", Kogorō said.
"You're so weak...you're just tired of this- Huh?" Ran looked to his left, seeing the corridor he had previously stared at. "No access denied sign. Hey! Now that we're here, I just want to check that room".
"What?!" Shizuka, and Kogorō asked without believing their ears.
"You can go home if you want, but you make dinner yourself. Heh heh!" Ran laughed as he walked toward the corridor he had just stared at.
"That's despicable", Shizuka and Kogorō said irritably, following Ran.
"Is he curious", Shizuka said.
"Just to know how curious he really is. If you have a diary, then I recommend you hide that diary so Ran can't read it with his own permission", Kogorō said.
"Thanks for the advice. He seems to be the type who rushes directly into action without thinking about the consequences", Shizuka said.
"To put it mildly. And when he gets angry, he doesn't listen to anyone. He's just too easily tense. He commands, dictates, and he always has to be right. It's sometimes really frustrating", Kogorō said.
"So how do you stand him?!" Shizuka thought. "Ran is my friend, so I shouldn't think about him".
Eventually, the crowd arrived at the Hell Room Gallery.
It was dark in the gallery, and there were armor, and statues here and there.
"What a dark room", Ran said.
"Well, this IS a hell of a room", Shizuka said.
The crowd did not notice the shadow in the room. Eventually, they saw a large painting with a sword pierced in a man's throat.
"Wow! Such a big painting!" Ran said.
"This is really a painting of hell", Kogorō said.
"Let's see...This is called divine punishment", Ran said, looking at the name tag on the painting. "It says that this painting is about a heroine who tamed the devil".
Tip!
"He?" Like others, Ran looked to the right, where he heard a drop-like sound hitting the floor.
Manaka was attached to the wall of the room with a sword that had struck his throat. The wall behind him, and the floor below him, were covered in bloodstains. There was blood in the man's clothes, too.
"Iiiiiiik!" Ran shouted in fright.
"Owner Manaka!" Shizuka shouted in shock.
(Later)
Police were in the gallery investigating the crime.
"You again?" Megure asked Kogorō.
"Yes, Keibu-dono. Of course, I haven't let anyone touch the body", Kogorō said.
"Hmph", Megure snorted, walking to the left, and then stopped in front of the gallery staff. "So? Has anyone seen a criminal?"
"I've talked to everyone and no one has seen a criminal", The gallery director said.
"O-Oh yes, and the criminal may have been recorded on that camera", Ijima pointed to the surveillance camera in the column in front of the right corner.
Everyone looked at that camera.
(Surveillance Camera Room)
"It's? It's armor", Megure said, watching the surveillance camera video with the others.
"How stupid a criminal. Not even knowing that his actions were recorded on a surveillance camera", Kogorō said as he sat in a chair in front of a computer desk.
Manaka walked in front of the armor on the video, and watched it. He then looked at the wristwatch in his right hand.
"It's the owner. This is going to be a criminal", Kogorō said. "I am looking at you..."
Surprisingly, everyone saw how the armor appeared behind the owner, holding the sword in his right hand. It first wounded Manaka on the back with his sword.
Manaka looked startled, and then fell to sit on the floor.
Then the armor walked in front of the camera. Then the armor turned around, and struck its sword again at Manaka's left shoulder. The armor then grabbed Manaka's neck with his left hand, and then struck the sword he held in his right hand into Manaka's throat, and at the same time the armor struck his sword into the wall behind Manaka. Blood spilled on the armor too. Then the armor seemed to be walking towards the camera.
Megure stopped recording the surveillance camera by pressing one button on the computer desk.
"Wait a moment", Kogorō said, standing up a little.
"Where have I seen this scene before?" Shizuka asked.
"Oh yeah. I saw it in a painting in that gallery", Shizuka said after whispering that thing. "It's just like that painting!"
"That painting?" Megure asked.
"It was a painting on display in that gallery. The title is a divine punishment", Kogorō said. "Probably Manaka was killed to imitate that painting".
"But how a brave criminal", Megure said. "What if he was seen?"
"The murderer must have used the armor as a false weapon so that he would not be seen when he murdered Manaka. If I'm right, the murderer had to wipe the bloodstains spilled on the armor, even if it was wiped off from the murderer must be in really good condition to be able to move well in the armor because of the weight of the armor, because the armor is metal and therefore probably weighs a lot. But no one saw the murderer. The killer had to lament his deeds when the no-entry sign was in place. The killer apparently needed enough time to commit the would also explain why that sign was in front of that gallery doorway for so long. And Manaka looked at his watch, before he was murdered. If I'm right, then the course of events was such. The murderer lured Manaka to that gallery after first arranging a meeting with him at that gallery. Then, after Manaka had gone to that gallery to wait for the murderer, the murderer put an access-sign in front of the gallery doorway, put on his armor, and then murdered Manaka, taking a model from that painting. The murderer then hid somewhere, took off his armor, and wiped the blood in it, putting the armor in place, or hiding. We didn't see anyone coming out of that gallery when we went there. If there is any back door in that gallery, then the author could escape through it by putting the armor he wiped back in place first. He then took the forbidden sign off the front door of that gallery before we came near that gallery. The perpetrator seems to know this building well in order to plan this crime so well. In other words, the murderer must be one of the employees of this art gallery who holds the keys to this building and who didn't like Manaka. Was the murder due to Manaka planning to build a hotel on the site of this gallery? I would need proof, but the only proof, that armor, is now hidden somewhere. Oh yeah! Kubota used to transport armor in carts. Would that be the armor I was looking for?" Shizuka wondered.
"Now when I think about it, the hallway in that room used to have a' no entry ' sign", Ran said.
"What?" Megure asked.
"Ran, it was about four o'clock then. Am I right?" Kogorō asked.
"Yeah, but when we got back there at about five o'clock, that sign was gone", Ran said.
Megure looked up
Megure looked surprised, then looked at the clock times on the screens on the computer desk screens:
"The crime took place around 4.30. There is no doubt that the criminal put a 'no access' sign there."
"The way he had acted suggests that he wore that armor in that room", Kogorō said.
"Then he killed the owner he had to meet", Megure said.
"This has to mean that the criminal needs to know the art gallery", Kogorō said.
"In short, the criminal is one of you!" Megure said looking at the art gallery staff.
"Hey look! The owner is doing something", Shizuka said after noticing that issue after launching the surveillance camera recording.
"Huh?" Megure asked.
"Do you rewind the tape without asking?" Kogorō said.
"Look. The criminal first took the momentum, and then he looked ahead, and the owner then does something", Shizuka said.
"What?" Megure asked.
Everyone saw Manaka take a nameplate from a board from a nearby wall, and a ballpoint pen from a table on his right, and then wrote something on the nameplate he had just removed.
"Yes. He noticed something, and took the nameplate on the board", Kogorō said.
"And now for the pen that was on the table", Megure said.
Manaka then threw a pen on the floor, and wrinkled the name paper inside his right fist.
"He's writing something. He threw the pen away. What about the title paper?" Megure said.
"He wrinkled it with his hands", Kogorō said.
The armor looked at Manaka, and then grabbed Manaka's neck with his left hand, took his sword with his right hand, and put his sword in Manaka's throat.
"What about that nameplate", Kogorō said.
"Is it still in his hands?" Megure asked.
"He was right-handed. The murderer also used his right hand to commit the crime", Shizuka said.
"Well noticed. You've clearly learned something by observing my detective efforts", Kogorō said with satisfaction.
"Irene-chan, you have accurate eyes, just like Shizuka!" Ran thought after noticing that thing.
Everyone went to the crime scene.
"The victim has a name paper in his hands", One police officer said, taking the paper from the victim's right hand. He then handed the paper to Megure.
Megure opened the title paper:
"Hmm. This-This is! K-Kubota!"
"What?! Why is my name written on that nameplate?!" Kubota asked.
"It looks like you used armor to hide yourself from the camera, but the victim knew who it was", Kogorō said.
"No no! It wasn't me!" Kubota shouted.
"I don't think it was him. His expression is nervous, but not in the same way as a cornered criminal. He looks scared. The murderer is someone else who just staged Kubota guilty to remove his own name from the list of suspects. Did the real murderer perhaps tell Manakan to write the name of Kubota on that note to roll the cause over Kubota's necks?" Shizuka thought.
"Then will we hear your alibis at 4:30?" Megure asked.
"I...was alone in the office doing the work the manager asked me to do", Kubota said.
"I definitely asked him that", The manager said.
"Then it has to mean that no one saw you at the time", Megure said.
"Wait a minute! I have no reason to kill the owner!" Kubota said retreating a little.
"Lying won't do any good, Kubota-san", Iijima said. "You sold the artwork here in secret, and the owner forced you to pay for your loss, right?!"
"U-uh", Kubota said.
"Is it true?" Commissioner Megure asked.
"But, but", Kubota retreated further. "It has nothing to do with this! I didn't kill him!"
"That's ok. When my men find armor, the truth will be revealed", Megure said.
"I'm sorry, but how much does the armor weigh, because it's made of metal?" Shizuka asked the art gallery director.
"Medieval ring armor weighed 13 kilograms and Italian 15th century plate armor weighed 26 to 32 kilograms. The medieval armor was flexible and moderately light to carry. The biggest problem with the armor was its dangerous heating during battle, which could cause armor used in the tournaments was thicker and clumsier than the armor used in the Japanese 7th century armor rod was made of iron was replaced by a lamella armor adopted from the mainland. At the end of the Heian period in 1185, a lamellar armor o yoroi, consisting of several parts, was used. century, some armor began to be made thicker. Armor was abandoned in Japan in the 19th century when it was replaced by Western military uniforms(Taken from the wiki)", Oichi said.
"Thank you", Shizuka said.
"Please", The manager said.
Shizuka walked in front of the armor until he saw a gold-colored ballpoint pen on the floor of the room:
"That must be the pen Manaka used before his murder".
Shizuka took a handkerchief from his pocket to pick up the pen from the floor. Then he walked in front of the commissioner:
"Sorry, Megure Keibu, but I just found a pen used by the victim near those armor".
"What?" Megure asked.
Shizuka handed the pen to Megure.
"Great job, Irene-kun", Megure said, looking at the pen. "Ahh. This is a nice pen".
There were even black kanji marks on the pen, and it shone a little.
"That pen was made for the 50th anniversary of the Beika Art Gallery. All employees have one", The director said after seeing the pen Shizuka had just found.
"So someone left this behind?" Megure asked. He twisted the pen around, and the blade protruded out of the pen. He then drew a little into his notebook. He then compared the message written by the victim after the pen. "The color and thickness are the same. The victim probably used this".
"It's weird. Kubota-san should know about the camera. Why did he use this particular room when he had to hide his identity with the help of armor? In order to mimic that situation of painting? No. He doesn't seem to have an interest in art. It supports my theory that he's not factor", Shizuka wondered after remembering how Kubota had previously thrown armor into helmet wheelbarrows. "Why would he do that?"
Shizuka unobtrusively picked up the sleep bomb from his pocket, and walked to the doorway of the room, where he leaned down, pretending to tickle his knee as he rolled the sleep bomb into the gallery. Shah! The bomb exploded, spreading smoke into the room, with the result that everyone in the room fell asleep, falling to the floor at the same time.
"I take a look at the surveillance camera recordings again just for certainty", Shizuka thought as he walked into the control room.
Two police officers looked at the recording of the crime:
"Wow, how crazy!"
"It's like a wild movie".
"What are you doing?" Shizuka asked.
"Hey girl! You can't come here!" Another police officer said.
"Megure Keibu asked me to pass on a message to you. She wants you to go and help others resolve this case", Shizuka said. "He, and the others fell asleep suddenly, so I came here to talk about it for you".
"Huh?" Another police officer asked.
"D-Did he notice that it was fun for us to watch a surveillance camera video?" Another police officer asked.
"In that case, let's go", Another police officer said.
"Yeah", Another police officer said.
"He would like you to find out if there are back doors here, and tell me about it", Shizuka said. "He, and Mōri-san, even wanted you to look for the armor that the murderer used to murder owner Manaka. The murderer has probably wiped the blood stains off with some cloth, but it could still react to the luminol".
"Checking the matter", Another police officer left his room with his colleague, closing the door.
Shizuka sat in a chair, and rewound the video back to the top.
"It's from here", Shizuka said. He paused the video for everything else. "What's where the clue I'm looking for is?"
Manaka looked nervous looking at the note he later wrote on.
"Why is he so surprised to look at the name tag?" Shizuka murmured. He rewound the video again, and stopped it. "Why did he throw the pen aside after he finished writing? The criminal soloist might have noticed it. Wait! When I found that pen, then its blade was inside! It's weird. Why would someone in a killable position put the ballpoint pen blade back inside the pen? Maybe the leader is guilty".
"If I'm right, it's time for Nemuri no Kogorō to shine in the limelight again to solve this case, but I should make sure I don't see myself using my voice transducer. place at the same time", Shizuka said irritably.
Surprisingly, his jewelry began to shine, and an identical copy of it appeared in front of him:
"I can fulfill your wish, Shizuka-sama. I will present you in the meantime as you take care of Mōri-san's speech part".
"Thank you", Shizuka said, a little surprised, becoming invisible, and starting with her copy of the room.
Eventually, the police they had seen before came against them.
"We found the back door you mentioned earlier. It's in the crime scene gallery. It wasn't locked", Police said.
"Thank you. I'll mention it to Megure Keibu", A copy of Shizuka said from the right with Shizuka back in the gallery.
"Then, take care of it", Megure tells her subordinates.
"OK", One police officer said, looking at the small plastic bag he held in his left hand, which contained a note previously written by the victim.
Megure walked to the right.
"Now", One police officer said.
"There are traces here! So that's what it was done", Shizuka, who had become invisible, thought, looking at the victim's previously written paper. There were even white lines on that paper. "If only I realized that's how the leader committed the crime".
"Where were you?" Kogorō asked Shizuka for a copy.
"My watch has run out of batteries, so I went to look at the clock in another room because it's pretty dark here", Copy said.
"Undeniably it's dark here", Kogorō said, walking in front of the dragon-like statue.
The invisible Shizuka pressed his watch, and fired a stun arrow at Kogorō's chin.
"Uh", Kogorō sounded, and then fell to the floor from behind.
"What now, Mōri-kun?" Megure asked.
"Keibu, Mōri-san, we found it", Police officers Shizuka had previously met as they entered the room. He was carrying a gray cloth in his hands. "The armor previously used by the murderer was the In the Kubota's closet".
"Did you find it?" Megure asked.
Shizuka launched its audio converter:
"Right, keibu-dono. I sent Irene to forward a message to the police who had just found the armor after inventing something".
"What kind of message?" Megure asked as police lowered the fabric they were carrying to the floor, and inside the fabric, blood-stained armor was revealed.
"I figured out how the perpetrator escaped after the act. And also that he had possibly hidden the armor he was wearing during the crime. At first I thought the perpetrator would have wiped the blood stains off the armor with some cloth, but it could still react to luminol. But we don't see the need for luminol, for the armor is still covered with blood stains from the completing his act, the author must have fled through the back door of this gallery after stripping his armor, then he put that armor inside that fabric and brought it back here inside the gallery. -when do you think the armor ended up in your closet?" Shizuka asked.
"I-It's impossible! I don't know anything about it!" Kubota shouted.
"There's two irresistible evidence here", Megure said. "Bloody armor, and the death message left by the victim!"
"No. It's not a death message", Shizuka said. "It's just a trick the criminal left to accuse Kubota of murder by a real criminal".
"Set?!" Megure asked. "Then who is the factor?!"
"Another employee of this gallery. Let's start by repeating the course of events", Shizuka said.
"When we came here, we saw various works of art. At the same time we saw owner Manaka. We heard that the previous owner's company had gone bankrupt and he had sold this gallery to Manaka, who had said he would continue this. But later Manaka had decided to turn this gallery into a hotel. because some who work here might have lost their jobs. That's why many who work here apparently didn't like Manaka, am I right, Ijimi-kun?" Shizuka asked.
"Yes", Ijimi said.
"Well to return to this topic. When we were going to this gallery at 4 o'clock, there was a no-access sign in front of the doorway of this gallery. But when we got back here at 5 o'clock, that sign was gone. It was because the murderer put that sign on this gallery to the hallway in front to keep others away from this gallery, for he had previously arranged a meeting with the owner of Manaka in this gallery, after all, we noticed in the surveillance camera video how Manaka-san looked at his watch before he was murdered, so he was waiting for someone to come here. dressed in armor to hide his true identity, he then murdered Manaka-san as you saw in the the first attack, Manaka-san fell to the floor and tried to write a death message after identifying his murderer perhaps from the murderer's name of his murderer, but he then noticed that the murderer had already written the name of Kubota on that paper. Therefore, he did not press the blade of the pen out of the pen, but wrote the name of the murderer on paper with the pen on the pen without the blade of the pen. Proof of my theory are the white lines in that paper. The killer saw Manaka-san's act, and re-attacked him as you saw earlier in the video. The murderer then hid somewhere in the dark part of the gallery, and took off his armor, and then put the armor in that sack that Megure Keibu's subjects had just brought here. The murderer then escaped from here through the back door in this gallery. He returned here through the front door, and then took that sack to Kubota-kun's closet to stage Kubota-kun guilty of petty crimes committed by Kubota here. The murderer then removed the access denied sign from the aisle 5 in front of this gallery at 5 p.m. He had taken a lot of time to do his thing", Shizuka said.
"Dad, then who is the right factor?" Ran asked. "He ruined the work of art."
"No, no, because it's just copy-decoration", Ijimi said. "It's probably what Kubota-san wore in the past".
"I see. It was a copy. So that's why the manager didn't say anything about it when Kubota-kun threw its armor on the helmet of the wheelbarrows earlier", Shizuka said. "However, the director pointed out to Kubota-kun about when Kubota-kun dealt with painting without gloves, remember correctly?"
"Yes. Works of art need to be handled with care, and that requires gloves", The director said.
"Yeah. However, Kubota-kun doesn't seem to be interested in art, so maybe he forgot to wear gloves because he's not interested in art", Shizuka said.
"We were lucky that the armor used in the murder was just a copy. It looks like other works of art have been saved as well", Ijimi said.
"That's it. The murderer did not care about the copies of the gallery, unlike the authentic works of art. Later, when I thought about it properly so...the wall where the murder took place was the name paper on the painting, but there were no paintings on that wall. The criminal took those paintings out of place before the murder to save the paintings from coming into contact with blood. So the criminal must be someone working in this art gallery who appreciates the original works of art here more than any other employee in this gallery. But wait a minute. This is a trick where it would make no sense unless the Kubota-san alibi is proven in any way. This must mean that the only person who could have committed the murder of owner Manaka here is the leader!" Shizuka said.
The manager looked a little nervous.
"W-was it really him?!" Ijimi asked.
"Yes. He said earlier that all the paintings here are for him like children of his own", Shizuka said. "He probably didn't like the fact that Manaka was planning to turn this place into a hotel. So he decided to murder Manaka-san to prevent him from getting rid of the gallery's artwork, and at the same time stage Kubota-kun guilty of treating some artwork carelessly".
"If my reasoning is correct, then he still has it", Shizuka said.
"It?" Megure asked.
"Give him a piece of paper so he can draw something", Shizuka said.
"All right", Megure handed her notebook to the gallery director.
The manager took his pen from the inside pocket of his jacket with his right hand, and spun the blade of his pen out of the pen, preparing to draw until he became more nervous. Then his hand began to tremble.
"What's wrong, Ojima-san? Why don't you write in that notebook? Oh, I guess! That's true! You knew before you even started writing that your pen didn't work. But it's weird. Why do you have a pen that you know is inoperable?" Shizuka asked.
"A pen that's out of order? So is this death message a scam?" Megure asked.
"At least halfway. Look at it again. Isn't there any weird sign on it? It has a sign that looks like it's made with a pen that didn't work. I'm talking about the white lines I mentioned earlier. Megure Keibu drew in that notebook earlier. What if this character was made with a pen that didn't work to make it look exactly like what was originally there?" Shizuka said.
"I understand that! This was not written by Manaka-san. It was written by a criminal from the beginning!" Megure said. "But what was he going to do when he wrote this? Why would the owner then take the title note?"
"It's actually pretty easy. The criminal told Manaka-san to write on the nameplate behind him. That's why the murderer turned his back on the victim for a short time. "He wrote the real criminal's name on paper. But he couldn't. Why? Because the pen put in there didn't work".
"So the owner threw the pen he was using aside, and tried to crush the paper in his hands", Megure said.
"Right, and then the murderer killed him. After the crime was committed, the murderer took a dysfunctional pen with him, and replaced it with a pen Irene had previously found. so he could easily put the pieces of armor together, am I right?" Shizuka asked. "Now, let's hear what your alibi is at 4:30".
"L-leader", Ijimi said.
"At the time, I was waiting. I was waiting for that bad man by hiding in that armor", The Director said.
"What?!" Gallery employees asked.
"It was just like you said. I set up to stand in front of the camera to make it look like I was giving the owner some time, putting the name paper in the right place, putting the pen in the right place. It was all done according to my plans because I practiced it here many times", Leader said.
"So you wore armor at night, and you rode here dressed in that armor to get used to moving in it", Shizuka said, turning off the sound converter.
"Yes. I thought it was silly, but I did it all to get rid of owner Manaka, the devil who tried to take the art gallery I thought of as my own child for his selfish reasons. And I also wanted to punish Kubota-Kun who sold works of art behind our backs", The director said. The leader said, looking at Kubota.
Kubota looked nervous.
"Ochiai-san, unlike the painting you see it seems that you also received divine punishment", A copy of Shizuka said.
"No, it's just like that picture. The devil was destroyed by the heroic knight, but the knight who was covered in the devil's blood eventually became evil himself. It doesn't matter what my reason was, because I'm a murderer. I've also become different. unable to deceive the slightest eye from justice", Ochiai said. "Heh heh!"
(Later)
The invisible Shizuka walked home with his clone, Ran, and Kogorō.
"Your conclusion was ingenious, Mōri-san?" A copy of Shizuka said.
"I know", Kogorō said. "I don't remember that, though".
Kogorō walked forward as Shizuka stopped, like his copy, to look at the Azure Redi's-books on the shelf of a bookstore showcase.
"Could Irene-chan be Shizuka? I'll ask that?" Ran thought.
"Irene-chan, Did you hear that our physical education teacher, Kishida-sensei, is getting married?" Ran asked.
"That gorilla?" A copy of Shizuka murmured.
"Did you just call him a gorilla? A special coincidence, because Shizuka says Kishida-sensei to be a gorilla", Ran said.
Shizuka, and his copies looked at Ran nervously:
"Does he suspect Irene, and Shizuka, are the same person?! Did he swing it when I came to the conclusion about the murderer's right-handedness?! That I had to mention to him sometimes the usefulness of paying attention to small details!"
"Mōri-san, I just remembered that the milk ran out! I'm going to buy more of it", Shizuka said.
"It fits", Kogorō said.
Shizuka walked with her copy to a nearby side street, and became visible when her copy disappeared. He peeked out of the alley to see Ran, and Kogorō return home. He took his cell phone from his pocket, and called Professor Agasa:
"Akasa Hakase, could you help me a little?"
"In what way, Shizuka-kun?" Agasa asked.
"Ran seems to doubt my true identity. I'll be back to his house in 10 minutes, so could you call him then, and use even another voice converter to mimic my voice? So we turn his doubts away from me", Shizuka said.
"Sure. Besides, I have a prototype of a new voice converter under development. I'll try it when I call Ran-kun", Agasa said.
"Thank you", Shizuka said, turning off his phone, and putting it in his pocket. Then he went to a nearby shop.
(Later)
"I already came", Shizuka left his shoes in the lobby, and went to Kogorō's office, where Ran sat on the couch, holding his hands in a gust.
"The milk was on offer", Shizuka said, looking at the plastic bag he was holding in his right hand.
"I see?" Ran asked.
"Where is your father?" Shizuka asked.
"In the shower", Ran said.
Pring pring!
Ran stood up and picked up the phone with his right hand, pressing its key, making the call:
"Mōri Tantei Jimusho".
"For a long time, Ran", Agasa said in Shizuka's voice.
"Shizuka? But how can you call me right now?" Ran asked, looking at Shizuka in surprise.
"What?! Have you already forgotten me?! How can you be such a nasty childhood friend?!" Agasa asked.
"What do you have? You just sound like my grandfather", Ran said. "Looks like I was wrong about my suspicions about Irene-chan".
"Great, Akasa Hakase", Shizuka thought contentedly.