Well hello! Here is a new chapter of Azure Redi-fanfiction. I start planning the next chapter. See you in the next chapter.
"Why don't you take us to your meeting?" Ran asked as she walked with Kogorō and Shizuka on the sidewalk in Tokyo while going to a restaurant for lunch. They talked about the upcoming reunion of the Judo club members.
Kogorō looked very depressed even though the weather was sunny.
There were other people on the street.
"What do you mean why? It's my reunion!" Kogorō said. Now Kogorō sounded nervous.
"But you took me to the last reunion 5 years ago, didn't you?" Ran asked.
"Listen, I can't leave the office without leaving someone there to take care of the assignments. What would happen if I had a big case to solve, and then I was somewhere else?" Kogorō asked, pausing with the girls.
"If the customer comes, there's nothing I can do if you're out having fun!" Ran said. "We also want to go to the onsen. Don't we, Irene-chan?"
"I'm in need of some skin care, and from what I've heard, the hot springs have a positive effect on the skin of the person who bathes in them", Shizuka said.
"Like I said before, instead of an onsen, I'll treat you to lunch now", Kogorō said.
"Then we'll pass it and you can take us to the onsen!" Ran said.
"D-Don't be stupid! It's become more expensive to travel within Japan than abroad lately!" Kogorō said. "And then I have to pay for 3 people?! Try putting yourself in my shoes!"
"So that's the real reason why you don't want us to come with you to this reunion", Ran was irritated.
Kogorō became nervous.
"Thief!" Someone shouted from a nearby bank, and a man ran out with a pistol in one hand and a black bag in the other.
"The bank has been robbed!" Another man ran out of the bank, then stopped in front of the bank.
"Why you!" Kogorō ran after the thief with Shizuka.
"Hey, you both!" Ran shouted as she followed the others.
"Wait! You can't get away!" Kogorō yelled at the thief who ran to a nearby side alley.
Shizuka stopped hiding behind a wall near the side alley, trying to figure out how to get the man's gun out of the man's hand.
"Easy! Don't come any closer or I'll shoot!" The thief stopped, and prepared, which caused Kogorōki to stop.
Shizuka saw a brick in the street, which she quickly threw at the thief, hitting the thief's hand where the thief was holding a pistol. Krak! The thief did not have time to react when his weapon fell on the street.
"You bastard!" Kogorō shouted, knocking the thief onto the street. Dhak! No one noticed that someone grabbed the thief dropped the gun in a handkerchief, and then left the alley.
"Wow! You caught that bank robber, dad!" Ran said as Kogorō pulled the man out from the side alley.
"Well done", Shizuka said leaning her back against the wall of the house behind her.
"Heh heh!" Kogorō chuckled. "For the great detective, Mōri Kogorō, catching a bank robber is easier than taking candy from a baby! But, Irene! How could you throw that brick so hard?"
"I concentrated enough", Shizuka said.
"Then you should take your savior to the onsen as a thank you!" Ran said to her father. "And I'll come along and act as Ireen-chan's maid of honor!"
"Hey! This and that are completely different things!" Kogorō shouted.
"Mōri-kun!" Some woman said out of the blue. "What are you doing here?"
The woman who had just spoken was tall, thin, and her eyes were blue. His hair was short and brown. His skin was pale. He looked 37 years old. She was wearing a green brown dress, and a brown shoulder bag, and on her feet were brown high heels.
"Yumi! What are you doing here?" Kogorō asked as many men stared at Yumi with interest.
"My office is nearby. I just finished lunch", Yumi said.
"You're Horikoshi-san, aren't you?" Ran asked Yumi.
"Oh my. Is that you, Ran-chan?" Yumi smiled.
"Yeah!" Ran said.
"After a long time!" Yumi said. "You're coming to our onsen meeting again, aren't you?"
"Of course! Turns out I'm coming to that meeting!" Ran said.
"H-Hey. Who said that?!" Kogorō asked.
"I look forward to it!" Yumi said walking away from the place.
"H-Hey, Yumi! Wait!" Kogorō shouted. "Ran is..."
Yumi said nothing.
"Damn you two!" Kogorō said.
"Excuse me, but who is he?" Shizuka asked looking at Yumi.
"Horikoshi Yumi. An employee of a cosmetics company. Yumi was even the former manager of the Beika Judo club during my daigaku days", Kogorō said.
"That was a great job, Detective Mōri Kogorō-dono", One officer said as he and another officer handcuffed the thief. "Thank you for your cooperation!"
"Um! It was nothing!" Kogorō said straightening the collar of his jacket.
"Hey, Mōri-san. Shouldn't we get the gun the bank robber was carrying?" Shizuka asked.
"Y-you're right. It's right here", Kogorō said, and went with another policeman to look for the pistol, only to find it missing in a side alley. "That's strange. I'm sure the robber the gun fell here".
"Isn't it here?" The police asked.
"Could it be that someone from this side of the street took it in all the commotion?" Kogorō asked.
"Huh?!" The police got nervous. "Oh no! We need to call the police station and find it right away!".
"I don't believe it! We were only distracted for a moment!" Shizuka thought. "Who the hell took that gun?"
(A couple of days later)
Shizuka, Ran, and Kogorō were sitting on the train on their way to Tochigi while eating their lunch.
They were now on their way to Tochigi prefecture, where Kogorō was to meet up with some of his old friends, and that reunion was to take place at Benkei's private inn in Tochigi, which even had a hot spring bath.
"The lunch boxes at this train station are the best!" Ran said.
"Yeah", Shizuka said.
"Why do I have to take the kids to my appointment?!" Kogorō asked.
"It's okay! You took me to a meeting like that 5 years ago, didn't you?" Ran asked.
"Last time you were too small to leave home alone", Kogorō said.
"Well, if Irene-chan hadn't helped you, you wouldn't have been able to go to that meeting!" Ran said.
"I could have captured that man without this girl's help!" Kogorō said she looked like Shizuka.
"Hey, Mōri-san. Did the cops find that missing gun yet?" Shizuka asked a little angrily.
"That's right! The police haven't reported anything. What happened?" Ran asked.
"The police are investigating the matter thoroughly, but they have no idea where that gun went or if it was used in another crime", Kogorō said. "That pistol is called a Smith & Wesson M439. That robber didn't know anything about pistols. He spent a lot of money on it, but he didn't even know if it was real or just a fake gun".
"I just hope it was a model gun," Ran said. "No, because the barrel of the gun didn't break when that brick hit that gun," thought Shizuka. "And the fact that he had paid a high price for it. So it's probably a real weapon".
(In the evening)
Shizuka and Ran were walking down the hallway of Benkei's inn wearing the blue-gray yukatas they had just put on after taking a bath in the hot spring. on their feet were white socks, and brown slippers.
"My skin actually feels a little softer already, so the talk about the hot springs must be true", Shizuka said after noticing the matter.
"Heh heh! It sure has been a long time!" Kogorō said to his friends in the living room of the inn while sitting in an armchair. They were also wearing blue-grey yuccas.
"It really is... It's been 5 years since we last met, hasn't it?" Yumi asked.
"Yeah, it's been so long since our Beika-Daigaku judo club met", Bald Man said. He was a very robust person with large black eyebrows and black eyes. His skin was tanned.
"It reminds me of how hard we trained back then", Kogorō said.
"Look who's talking! You almost never came to practice!" One man said. He was very tall with short brown hair and brown eyes. He had fair skin.
"Yeah. You never showed up, and you always just said,
"A genius doesn't need to practice!" Isn't that right, Mōri-kun?" The bespectacled woman asked. She wasn't very tall, and had long, brown hair pulled into a ponytail with a blue hair bun. The glasses she wore were quite large, and she had green eyes. Her skin was light.
"And because of that, you're the only one who didn't win any official judo match!" The man wearing glasses said. He was of medium height, and a little fat. He had short, black hair and fair skin.
"Heh heh!"
"That's because..." Kogorō said.
"I knew it!" Ran said stopping with Shizuka behind Kogorō.
"Ran", Kogorō said.
"You always said you were undefeated at the daigaku judo club, but that was a lie wasn't it dad?" Ran asked.
Kogorō gave a troubled grin.
"I thought Kogorō didn't want us with him to this reunion so he could spy on the women bathing in the hot springs in peace", Shizuka thought.
"Hey, Ran-chan! Long time no go!" The bald man said.
"I saw him a few days ago, but he's really grown", Yumi said.
"Thanks thanks!" Ran smiled.
"Where were you all this time?" Kogorō asked.
"In the outdoor bath", Ran said.
"In an outdoor bath?! It's suitable for both boys and girls!" Kogorō shouted.
"Don't worry! There was no one else there", Ran said. "Right, Irene-chan?"
"Yes. Then we had a massage. The masseuse was a woman", Shizuka said, sitting on a chair in front of the living room wall to read a fashion magazine she had picked up from a nearby magazine rack.
"Hey! So you've already relaxed in the massage too?" Kogorō asked.
"Ah? So this is the girl you're taking care of, Mōri-kun, right?" The bespectacled woman said looking at Shizuka.
"What a kind girl", Third man said.
"Nice to meet you", Shizuka smiled.
"I'm Ayashiro Yukio. I used to be the ace of the Beika University Judo Club", The man who just spoke said. He was 38 years old. "Nice to meet you".
"I'm Omura Jun. In the judo match I was the best", The man wearing glasses. He was 37 years old. "You could say I was a 'scorer".
"I'm Horikoshi Yumi, the beautiful manager of the Judo club", Yumi smiled, and winked.
"My maiden name was Kimoto Noriko. I was also the manager of the Judo club and an idol", Woman wearing glasses said hugging Yukio's right arm, causing Yukio to blush a little. Noriko was 37 years old. "I'm Yukio's wife now!"
"I'm Nakamichi Kazushi. I was the captain and also the pillar of the judo team", the bald man said. He was 38 years old, and then pointed at Kogorō with his second index finger. "I'm currently a police officer in Chiba. Of course I didn't stop being a police officer like him!"
"Shut up!" Kogorō said.
"Heh heh!"
"This place is full of Judo club aces and idols!" Shizuka thought.
"Heh heh! I was called 'Beika Sanshiro' at the Judo club. As you know, I'm a great detective", Kogorō said.
"What is that?" Yumi asked after seeing Noriko's red book. "Is that our daigaku album?"
"That's right. I brought it so we can all watch it together", Noriko said.
"Hey! Aren't you listening to me?" Kogorō asked angrily.
"Can I see it?" Ran asked taking the album.
"Yes, go ahead", Noriko said.
Ran sat down in an armchair, and opened the album as everyone walked around Ran to look at the photos in the album.
In one photo, members of the judo club were wearing judo uniforms, and one of them was holding a trophy.
"During this time we got 2nd place in the city final!" Noriko said.
"I remember!" Nakamichi said.
"Everyone was definitely young back then", Omura said.
"That's right! Nakamichi and Yumi were dating at the time", Kogorō said looking at Yumi in the picture standing next to Nakamichi.
Nakamichi, and Yumi were surprised.
"You're right. We both cried when it happened. Didn't we, Omura?" Yukio asked.
"Uh!" Omura blushed a little.
"Oh no!" Yumi smiled, looking like the others at Omura, and Yukio.
"Yumi was really the Madonna of our club", Yukio said.
"Hey hey! You're my husband now aren't you?" A jealous Noriko asked grabbing Yukio's right ear.
"Okay yeah", Yukio said.
"So, could it be that you two are still dating?" Kogorō looked at Yumi and Nakamishi.
Dhak! Yumi slapped Nakamishi on the back:
"Don't be stupid! We broke up ages ago! And that's not all, because Kazushi has someone that Kazushi is marrying!"
"Really?" Kogorō asked.
"H-hey!" Kazushi was a little surprised.
"Are you getting married, Nakamichi-kun?" Noriko asked.
"A-Are you serious?" Yukio asked.
"Y-Yeah, but I wanted to let you know later. Our ceremony will be held before the end of this year", Kazushi blushed a little.
"And who is that girl?" Kogorō asked.
"H-She's my boss's daughter. It's an arranged marriage six months ago. We met at an omiai meeting, and we liked each other. She agreed to my proposal when I proposed to her", Kuzushi said. "I'll introduce him to you next time".
Yumi walked next to Omura:
"Sheesh...The former Madonna is now an old maid. Besides, the economy is going bad, and I might have to quit my job. I feel like I could die..."
The others were surprised by Yumi's words.
"I'm kidding! I just felt like saying that", Yumi said.
"Don't scare us like that, Yumi!" Noriko said.
Kazushi's expression was irritated.
"But now it seems that Omura-kun and I are the only singles left in our club. I guess we have no choice but to get married!" Yumi suddenly said to Omura.
"Huh?! M-M-M-But..." Omura blushed.
Jack! Yumi slapped Omura on the back:
"What a jerk! It was a joke! Don't take everything so seriously! Heh heh!"
"Heh!"
"Heh!
"Hey! Isn't this picture taken when we came here 5 years ago?" Ran asked as she turned the page of the album.
"Huh?" Noriko asked.
"See? I'm in the picture too", Ran pointed to one photo of her and some others holding table tennis rackets.
"Right! We took that picture in the ping pong room", Noriko said. "We decided to include this photo in the album".
"Here's an idea! Why don't we all play table tennis?" Kazushi suggested.
"Oh, that's a great idea!" Kogorō said.
"Let's play!" Yukio said.
Yumi was taken aback.
"But aren't we going to see the fireworks tonight?" Noriko asked.
"Don't worry! They don't start until 6:30", Yukio said.
"We have over 3 hours. As long as we finish before 6:00, we should be fine", Kazushi said.
"I'm going to my room here", Yumi said heading towards the room surprising the others. "I suddenly feel tired, so I'm going to rest in my room".
"Yumi hasn't changed at all", Kogorō said. "Like he does whatever he wants, or goes at his own pace".
"Yumi just doesn't like being caught up in what other people are doing", Omura said.
Shizuka looked at the hangings on the walls of the room masks, put the magazine back on the magazine rack, and then left the room with the others.
"Anyway, time to play table tennis!" Kogorō said.
"As they say, table tennis and Onsen go together perfectly", Yukio said.
"It's been so long and it's good practice!" Kazushi said.
"I would bet my job as a gym teacher that I wouldn't lose in a game of table tennis!" Yukio said.
(Later)
Shizuka, Ran, and Kazushi were sitting on a bench in front of the wall of the table tennis room, watching the table tennis game between Kogorō and Yukio.
"Alright! This victory is mine!" Yukio said after winning.
Omura was leaving the table tennis room.
"I'll try again!" Kogorō shouted.
"Where are you going?" Kazushi asked Omura as Omura opened the door to the room.
"I'm going to the bathroom", Omura said.
"You're the next player, so don't take too long", Kazushi said.
"Okay", Omura said, and closed the door.
"Um...Nakamichi-san, you won first place in the national judo tournaments, right?" Ran asked.
"Yeah. I won once when I was a junior in daigaku", Kazushi said.
"So, you were the strongest member of the Judo club", Ran said.
"No. There was someone who was much stronger than me", Kazushi said. "I never even hit him once".
"Really? Was anyone that good?" Ran asked.
"That's the man you know, Ran-chan", Kazushi said. "He's here today too!"
"W-Who is that?" Ran asked.
"Aaaah!" Kogorō shouted falling to the floor after losing to Yukio again, but then sat up:
"It's not fair to hit the ball like that!"
Suddenly, a sound like running could be heard from the hallway of the inn, approaching the table tennis room very quickly.
"Heh heh! That person is..." Kazushi's sentence was interrupted when the door to the room opened, and a startled Omura ran into the room:
"W-What's wrong? That was quick".
"Nothing", Omura said.
"Huh?" Shizuka looked at Omura worriedly.
Later, Noriko and Yukio played table tennis.
"There, Yukio-san!" Noriko said.
"For you, Noriko!" Yukio said.
"Do not tease me!" Noriko said.
Kogorō looked bored:
"Hey you two, how long are you going to play cute?"
"Say, isn't it time to go watch the fireworks?" Shizuka asked. "Even the sun has already set".
The others also looked at the wall clock, which was already a little past 6:00.
"Damn! It's past 6:00!" Yukio shouted.
"Oh no! We have to hurry, because the place to watch the fireworks is filling up really fast!" Noriko shouted.
"Then let's go!" Kogorō said as he and the others cleaned the table tennis equipment from the room.
"I'm going to return the rackets and the net. You can go, and book us a place to watch the fireworks", Nakamichi said, holding boxes of table tennis rackets and balls in his lap as the others went to watch the fireworks.
"Alright. Let's do it", Kogorō said.
Later, the group ran towards the place to watch the fireworks, carrying the seat platform with them.
"Oh no! We forgot to wake up Yumi-san!" Ran said pausing.
"Let's let him be. The fireworks are about to start!" Kogorō said.
"Someone will probably wake him up", Omura said.
"But what if everyone forgets it?" Ran asked. "Irene-chan, come on. Let's go wake up Yumi-san!" Ran started running towards the inn with Shizuka following Ran.
"Hey!" Kogorō shouted. "Shit. They should just let Yumi sleep".
Pam! A single firework rocket lit up the dark, night sky after the sun had set not long ago.
"Oh no! It's already started!" Ran said after stopping in front of the inn's front door with Shizuka.
The girls opened the front doors of the inn, and left their sandals in the lobby, putting on slippers.
"We need to hurry, and wake up Yumi-san", Ran said running with Shizuka towards Yumi's rooming house worker seeing them.
Finally, the girls stopped in front of the door of room 201 of the inn.
"Room 201. We're here!" Ran said, and knocked on the door. Knock knock! "Yumi-san! Yumi-san! The fireworks have already started. Yumi-san, I'll open the door".
"Huh? Well there's Ran-chan, and Irene-chan!" Nakamichi said as he came over with a towel on his shoulders.
"Nakamichi-san!" Ran said, releasing her grip on the door handle to Yumi's room that she had just grabbed onto.
"I thought you guys already went to watch the fireworks", Nakamichi said.
"We came back to wake up Yumi-san", Ran said.
"Heh! You better not!" Nakamichi said. "Yumi gets all grumpy when someone wakes her up!"
"Why are you still here, Nakamichi-san?" Ran asked.
"I was sweating while playing table tennis, so I took a bath", Nakamichi wiped his forehead with his towel, and then headed to the lobby with the others, putting his towel in the pocket of his yukata. He then went to the lobby of the inn to see Yukio, and Noriko. "Then I heard you guys run over here. I thought it was weird. It's because we're the only ones left here".
"What's wrong with you? Are you still here?" Nakamichi asked Noriko, and Yukio.
"Y-You too?" Yukio asked. Then he went to watch the fireworks.
"Well, did you take a bath too?" Yukio asked.
"Yeah. But unlike you two, I was in the master bath", Nakamichi said.
"But Ran-chan, it's a good thing you didn't wake Yumi", Noriko said. "Yumi is terrible when she wakes up!"
Ran was surprised.
The fireworks continued.
"But Yumi is going to be really mad because we didn't wake her up!" Yukio said.
"Without a doubt", Noriko said.
Finally, the group arrived at the fireworks viewing area, which was crowded with people, and where Omura and Kogorō were sitting on the seating platform they had placed on the ground.
"Hey, Ran! We're here!" Kogorō shouted when he saw Ran, and the others. "W-Where's Yumi? It's just the two of you".
"We failed to awaken Horikoshi-san", Shizuka said.
"Huh? The others were right behind us!" Ran said after noticing that Nakamichi, Yukio, and Noriko were missing.
Kogorō was holding a soda can, and there were 3 other soda cans on the platform.
"We must have split into that crowd", Shizuka said.
"I'll go find the others", Omura went to find the others.
"Hey, Omura!" Kogorō shouted.
"This trip sure looks like it's falling apart", Ran said.
"Y-Yeah", Kogorō said.
"Excuse me, Mōri-san, but is Omura-san the type to take things seriously?" Shizuka asked.
"Yes. Omura has always been like that", Kogorō said.
(Later)
Shizuka, and the others sat on the floor cushions in the inn's dining room.
There were trays of food on the floor in front of them.
"Shit! Omura and I are struggling to get seats and no one even shows up!" Kogorō said.
"Sorry!" Kazushi, and Yukio said.
"Then Omura, being himself, went off to find the others and never came back!" Kogorō said.
"I'm sorry. I got lost", Omura said.
"Okay, okay. Let's forget about it and drink sake!" Yukio offered other sake.
"Go away and do more of your own thing!" Kogorō said.
Shizuka looked at the floor cushion on her right, then pointed at it with her right index finger:
"Hey, Horikoshi-san still hasn't woken up?"
"Huh? Now that you mention it, he should have woken up by now", Noriko said.
"He's probably throwing a tantrum because he couldn't come to see the fireworks", Yukio said.
"Easy, because everyone does their own thing!" Kogorō said.
Nakamichi stood up:
"We have no other choice. Let's all go together to wake up our judo club Madonna!"
"Alright, let's go!" Yukio said.
"You mean if we all wake up that selfish girl then she won't be so scary right?" Kogorō asked.
"Hey, hey, be careful not to say that in front of Yumi!" Yukio said.
"Heh heh!" Noriko laughed.
Afterwards, everyone went to the door of Yumi's room, and Yukio knocked. Knock knock!
"Hey, Yumi, it's time for dinner!" Yukio shouted. "Yumi! That's weird".
Yukio then opened the door to Yumi's room:
"Hey, are you still asleep? I'm turning on the overhead lights!"
Yukio turned on the ceiling lamp in Yumi's room, but they saw Yumi sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall behind her, with a large, dripping blood stain, and Yumi had one on her head as well, and she was holding a pistol in her right hand.
Everyone was shocked by what they saw.
"Yumi!" Noriko, and Yukio ran into the room to help Yumi.
"Don't touch him!" Nakamichi yelled stopping the others. "Just, Mōri and I can catch up because I'm a cop and he's a detective! Ran-chan, hurry up and call the police! Hurry up!"
"O-Okay!" Ran said after recovering from her shock. Ran then ran to call the police.
"Y-Yumi", Noriko cried as Kogorō examined Yumi.
"He's dead", Kogorō said finally. "He has a bullet wound in his temple. He has a pistol in his right hand".
"Mōri-san! Isn't that the same gun the bank robber you caught a couple of days ago had?" Shizuka asked after recognizing the weapon. "That gun disappeared when you caught that bank robber".
"What?!" Kogorō asked, looking at the pistol. "The pistol is definitely a Smith & Wesson M439. There are marks on the barrel that indicate it was hit by something. Except Yumi was there at the time. So Yumi took the pistol with the intention of using it on herself. That means she planned to kill herself at our meeting".
"I-I can't believe it", Omura said.
"Why would Yumi do that?" Yukio asked.
"No. Let's not jump to conclusions", Nakamichi said. "Let's wait until the police get here".
"Y-You're right", Kogorō said.
"Yumi, why?" Noriko asked, crying. "Why did you do that?"
"It's still too early to say anything. Wait a minute! From here, Horikoshi-san's hand doesn't show any marks of lead, gunpowder, or anything like that. And there's no burn mark near his temple, which is usually near the victim's temple at such crime scenes. Could it be that someone murdered Horikoshi-san, and then arranged the locked room situation?! But why?!" Shizuka thought.
Shizuka looked around until she saw the dark clouds that appeared in the sky from the window of Yumi's room:
"Is it about to start raining?"
Soon it started raining.
"You guessed right", Kogorō said.
"What?! Will it take 2 hours for the police to get here?" Kogorō asked after Ran had returned to Yumi's room and recounted her conversation with the police.
"Yeah", Ran said. "They said the streets are really crowded because of the festivals".
"Easy! We can't possibly wait 2 hours!" Kogorō said, taking off the jacket part of his yukata. "We have no choice but to examine his body ourselves".
"Yeah. Did someone bring a camera?" Kazushi asked.
"I have a camera", Omura said.
"Give it to me", Kazushi said.
"I'll go get it from my room!" Omura went to get his camera.
"Who would have thought that we would have to use it to study Yumi?" Nakamichi asked.
"My thought was exactly like that", Kogorō said.
(Later)
Nakamichi photographed Yumi with Omura's camera, then looked at Kogorō:
"Alright Mōri".
"Okay", Kogorō began his investigations. "Even his toes are starting to stiffen".
"This means he's been dead for quite some time", Nakamichi said.
"I'll check for irritation just to be sure", Kogorō said.
"Yeah, but with this much blood loss, I don't think there will be much", Nakamichi said.
"H-Hey! Yumi isn't wearing underwear!" Kogorō said. "Why is that?"
"I don't know", Nakamichi said.
"That's not the only weird thing", Shizuka thought. "Horikoshi-san is wearing a big yukata. When he was in the lobby earlier, he was wearing a smaller yukata. And the finger of the hand holding the gun stiffened without being on the trigger of that gun. But the strangest thing is on his head, because it doesn't have a burn mark like it usually does is at such crime scenes. When the gun goes off, the shooter's skin and clothes are left with lead, soot, antimony and barium and nitrite and so on. But from here, it looks like Horikoshi-san has no lead, soot, antimony and barium left on his skin and clothes and nitrite and stuff. Did someone put Horikoshi-san back on after shooting Horikoshi-san?"
"Sorry, Mōri-san, but I've seen when watching crime movies that when the gun goes off, lead, soot, antimony and barium and nitrite and other things are left on the shooter's skin and clothes. Is that always the case?" Shizuka asked.
"It is. Just look at Yumi's right hand", Kogorō said, taking the gun out of Yumi's hand, placing it on the floor, and lifting Yumi's right hand up to see that it had none of the substances Shizuka had just mentioned:
"This is strange. Yumi's hand has no traces of the substances Irene just mentioned".
"You're right", Nakamichi said after noticing the same.
Ran brought her father a new piece of yukata, as Nakamichi put Kogorō's previous piece of yukata over Yumi:
"Have you come up with anything, dad?"
"Judging by the degree of rigidity in her body, Yumi died more than 7 hours ago", Kogorō said, putting on the new coat part of the yukata.
"Over 7 hours ago? That would be around 3:00 am", Omura said.
"Wasn't that the time Yumi left us when we went to the ping pong room?" Yukio asked.
"Yeah. Yumi probably came back into this room, took out the hidden pistol, and shot herself in the head", Nakamichi said.
"Then it's no mistake to assume it was suicide", Kogorō said.
"But why...why would Yumi commit suicide?" Noriko asked.
"Remember what Yumi said earlier", Yukio said. "He was probably depressed. That's why he did it".
"Mōri-san, how did Horikoshi-san shoot himself in the head?" Shizuka asked.
"Why did you ask that now?" Ran asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Kogorō asked. "She put a gun to his head like that. Huh?!"
Then, Kogorō and Nakamichi were surprised, and continued their investigations.
"Hello, Mōri!" Nakamichi shouted. "What's wrong? W-What's going on? Mōri!"
Kogorō took the jacket part of the yukata off Yumi's head, continuing his investigations:
"Hey, Nakamichi. When people commit suicide with a pistol, they usually put it directly to their head, right?" Kogorō asked.
"Y-Yeah", Nakamichi said.
"Then there should be something in the wound that is missing from this case", Kogorō said.
"Y-You're right!" Nakamichi looking at Yumi's head. "There are no burn marks!"
"It is", Kogorō said. "When you fire a pistol, there is a high-temperature flash from the barrel of the pistol, which comes with the bullet in the pistol. If he puts the gun to his head, there should definitely be burn marks. The fact that there are no burn marks means that this cannot be suicide. That's why There was no lead, soot, antimony and barium and nitrite and other things left on Yumi's skin and clothes".
"T-That means someone else shot him!" Nakamichi shouted.
"Yeah. Someone shot Yumi, and tried to make it look like suicide", Kogorō said. "So the murderer is someone staying at this inn!"
Everyone was startled.
"There are no signs of a break-in on the door of Yumi's room, or the window of Yumi's room, so the murderer might be someone Yumi knew", Kogorō said after examining Yumi's room door and window for signs of a break-in.