Well hello! Here is a new chapter of Azure Redi-fanfiction. I start planning the next chapter. See you in the next chapter.
Shizuka walked towards Mrs. Nanao, and the men in the villa, with Shizuka holding a candle holder like Mrs. Nanao, until she stopped at the bathroom door to see that Kogorō had lifted Reika onto the bathroom floor, rolling up his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. Kogorō had bent down to examine Reika.
"Why this mystery?" Gojou asked.
Shizuka stopped in front of the open door of the bathroom, and then looked at the men she had brought, and at Mrs. Nanao after they stopped:
"Nikaido-san, and Ran-san aren't the only ones who were attacked here, are they, Mōri-san?"
"Yes", Kogorō said as the men and Mrs. Nanao looked into the bathroom to see Reika.
"Why would this happen to Reika-sama?" Mrs. Nanao asked in shock.
"I emptied the bath of the water before you came here", Kogorō said. "The cause of death is the same as for Nikaido-san when the first crime occurred. I can't be sure without examining the water he swallowed, but he was most likely killed by someone who pushed his head into this bathtub. In other words, the crime where Nikaido-san was first killed by the fountain in this villa and the crime, where Ran was almost killed in the kitchen..., then both of those crimes were carried out exactly the same way as this crime!"
Shizuka looked at the startled look on Reika's face, then smelled something coming from near Reika's mouth, causing Shizuka to give another candlestick to Mrs. Nanao, and then bowed down while staying outside the bathroom:
"Smell of gloroform!"
"I don't believe it! Then it means", Mifune said.
"that these are arbitrary murders!" Rokuda finished Mifune's sentence.
"You are probably right. Not only that, for the murderer is very cruel", Kogorō said. "Look. She's completely drenched from her skirt to her socks. That's proof she put up quite a fight when she was killed. The girl's screaming...Also, there are signs that her hands and feet were bound at some point, and her mouth was sealed with duct tape. It would appear that he was held captive until he was killed".
Shizuka looked at the bandage marks on Reika's hands and feet, and then the tape mark in front of her mouth:
"Where the hell could Reika-san have been when we visited here before?" Shizuka asked as Kogorō placed the other candlestick Mrs. Nanao was holding on a nearby table.
"It's still too early to tell, but the maker didn't want her to scream", Kogorō said, looking at the tape mark in front of Reika's mouth.
"Excuse me, Mōri-san, but isn't there a strange smell in here?" Shizuka asked.
"The smell of gloroform on Reika-sama's face is the reason for that", Kogorō said, then looked at the shower stand on the wall near the Bath, with a hand shower nozzle attached to the top end. "The perpetrator probably drugged Reika-sama with sleeping pills or gloroform when Reika-sama came out of her room after changing her clothes. Then the perpetrator tied Reika-sama up and hid her somewhere. By the way, Yone-san, has this bathroom been repaired recently, because that hand shower nozzle is moist?"
"It isn't", Mrs. Nanao said.
"Wet nozzle?" Shizuka thought.
"W-Who...Who the hell could have done something like this?" Gojou asked.
"Only Ichieda-san, Gojou-san, and Mrs. Nanao went to the bathroom earlier, right?" Shizuka asked. "Did you see anything out of the ordinary during that time?"
"Yes", Ichieda said looking like the others at Shizuka. "However, I don't remember seeing anything out of the ordinary during that time".
"Did the rest of you see anything suspicious, or hear anything strange at the time?" Shizuka asked.
"Not at all", Mrs. Nanao shook her head.
"While one person was in the restroom, the other two were waiting outside the restroom, but nothing strange happened during that time", Gojou said looking at Ichieda. "Ichieda-san, who was the last to use the bathroom, told Yone-san and I to go make coffee for all of us, so I don't know what happened after that".
"I see", Mifune said, causing a nervous Ichieda to look at Mifune. "So that's how you got your chance to kill Reika-sama".
"M-Mifune!" Ichieda said.
"It takes at least five or six minutes to make coffee", Mifune said with a smile. "In time, you could pretend to be in the bathroom...while taking Reika-sama into the bathtub yourself, and you killed Reika-sama. Right, Ichieda?"
"N-No! I'm not a murderer", Ichieda said nervously.
"Mifune-san is right, as Ichieda-san is the perpetrator", Shizuka thought, standing up, then looked at Kogorō:
"I'm sorry, Mōri-san, but when we searched for Reika-san earlier in this bathroom, and in the kitchen, we didn't find Reika-san in that time in the kitchen, or in this bathroom, and the bath cover was in place during that time, right?"
"You remember right. It was spot on", Kogorō said. "The perpetrator must have planned his act carefully. The murderer is not Ichieda-san".
The others look at Kogorō.
"Mōri-san used to work in the police homicide squad, so Mōri-san, what time do you estimate the crime took place?" Shizuka asked.
"At least an hour or two has passed since Reika-sama's death", Kogorō said looking at Reika, then stood up. We can say the same about Gojou-san, and Yone-san. They and Ichieda-san were in each other's company, and I and Irene were in the reception room from 4 to 7. With their alibis backed up, the list of possible suspects becomes quite small. Suspects are Mifune-san, and Rokuda-san, who locked themselves in their rooms earlier".
Mifune and Rokuda were surprised as the others looked at them, but then Mifune smiled.
"Heh heh! Then this is an open and clear case", Mifune said, pointing at Rokuda with his right thumb. "Then the murderer is old man Rokuda, because I know it's not me".
"Don't be absurd. I saw everything", Rokuda smiled. "I looked out of the crack in the door of my room earlier this morning, and I saw you leave your room at 6 o'clock, and go somewhere".
"I-Is he right, Mifune?" Ichieda asked as the others looked at Mifunea.
"Yeah. I was sleepy so I went to the second floor to wash my face", Mifune said.
"I wonder about that", Rokuda said. "The bathroom on the second floor is right next to the stairs. It's possible you went to commit a crime".
"What?!" Mifune asked nervously. And then smiled. "Hmph! You might be right. Maybe no one can back up my story...but I can say the same thing about you! When I was upstairs, I didn't see you once!"
"Mh!" Rokuda looked at Mifune while Kogorō rolled his shirt sleeves back down.
"The killing time is between 5 and 6 anyway", Kogorō walked to the bathroom door near Rokuda, and Mifune. "Only one of you two could have done that. Why don't you two tell us what you did at the time?"
Shizuka turned on the flashlight on her watch, and looked at Reika, who had tape marks over the rope marks on her ankles:
"Kogorō is right. It doesn't seem to be a mistake that the estimated time of death is between 5 and 6. That would mean those two are suspicious, or is it part of Ichieda-san's plan to deflect suspicion from himself. But it's strange. Why are Reika-san's clothes so wet? Her red, long-sleeved, high-neck blouse, her red, almost ankle-length skirt, and her white socks are soaking wet. No matter how much she struggled, she shouldn't be this wet. Wait! Those they look like tape marks! Reika-san's legs don't just have ropes, they also have tape marks on them. The killer didn't just tie her up with rope, he also used duct tape!"
"So Rokuda-san, you didn't even step out of your room between 4 and 7?" Kogorō asked.
"Yes", Rokuda nodded.
"And Mifune-san, you only left your room once, and that was when you went to wash your face?" Kogorō said.
"Yeah, that's right", Mifune said.
"Um...", Gojou walked forward a bit, causing the others to look at him. "Where was Reika-sama being held prisoner? I mean, isn't it weird? We kept looking for him in the house, and in the forest, but we couldn't find him!"
"We all set out to find Reika-san around 10pm", Kogorō said. "There was nothing strange about this bathroom back then, was there?"
"Not that I remember", Shizuka said. "But we didn't look into the bathtub, as its protective cover was in place when we visited this room. As I recall, Ichieda-san looked into the Bathtub then, moving its protective cover."
"Well, did you see anything suspicious in the bathtub during that time?" Kogorō asked Ichieda after remembering seeing that thing.
"No, there was nothing. The bathtub was empty", Ichieda said.
"This is strange because all the men here look really suspicious right now, but Ichieda-san is the perpetrator. Ichieda-san confirmed his alibi by moving earlier with Kogorō and me looking for Reika-san in this bathroom, and then in the kitchen. When we left the kitchen, so Ichieda-san must have been the one who closed the microwave door while turning it on. I guess the situation basically went like this. Reika-san went to her room earlier to change her clothes, and then probably came out of there, when the perpetrator attacked Reika-san. Then the perpetrator drugged Reika-san, and flushed the handkerchief she soaked in gloroform down the toilet. Then the perpetrator tied Reika-san's hands, and feet with rope, and tape, and put the tape in front of her mouth, and then she hid Reika-san somewhere, but where? The perpetrator had to hide Reika-san somewhere outside the house, but we couldn't find it Reika-sani from the forest when we visited there before. Of course! The perpetrator hid Reika-san in the trunk of one of the cars he vandalized earlier, where Reika-san was when we were looking for her in the house, and then in the forest", Shizuka thought after realizing the situation.
"So where Reika-sama was held captive was outside the house. Could Reika-san have been in the forest?" Gojou asked.
"No", Kogorō shook his head. "There's a better place outside the house. It's in the trunk of one of the vandalized cars here. Reika-san was in the trunk of one of the vandalized cars here".
"Excellent idea, Mōri-san", Shizuka said as she put the toilet seat back in place, then sat on it.
"Thank you, Irene. And the only people who had time to carry his body from the car back to the house were Mifune-san, and Rokuda-san, since they were far away from us earlier, and on different sides of the house, and since no one can confirm your alibi. It seems it's like one of you is a murderer who enjoys killing people indiscriminately", Kogorō said.
Mifune, and Rokuda looked at each other suspiciously.
"Enjoys killing..." Shizuka thought. "Is that really happening, or did Ichieda-san want to avenge Yaeko-san's death to Nikaido-san, and Reika-san if they did something to Yaeko-san in the storm their yacht club got into 2 years ago? It's only natural to think that since Rani was attacked and he doesn't have anyone else here with him that it was a diversion. But why? Why did the murderer capture Reika-san, and not kill him right away, just so we could find him now? And I doubt that Reika-san was killed By the bathtub. Did Ichieda-san want to make Reika-san afraid at some point? Kogorō is correct in assuming that Reika-san was previously imprisoned here in the trunk of a vandalized car, so why wasn't she killed in the fountain? Reika-san is unlikely to be seen in the fountain, and it's already full water, which would explain why Reika-san's clothes are so wet now. And why is that hand shower nozzle wet now?"
"What do you think?" Kogorō asked after seeing Shizuka's thoughtful expression.
"The thing about why that hand shower nozzle is wet", Shizuka said.
The others looked at that nozzle thoughtfully.
"I see! So it happened!" Shizuka thought, then looked at Reika. "It's a time trick the killer used. Then it means the clothes that were too wet, the tape marks on the body, the reason why Rani was attacked, and the reason why Reika-san's body was found so late...I came up with one thing , which ties them all together! Then that means the murderer is Rodella ichieda-san! So Ichieda-san is also the person who put Rani in danger! But I have no proof. I have no solid proof that Ichieda-san did it. Crap! What evidence is there? Wet clothes? Of course! Could it be? If my assumption is correct, then Ichieda-san is the real perpetrator. Ichieda-san secured his alibi by moving Kogorō and I earlier when we were looking for Reika-san in this bathroom , and then from the kitchen. When we left the kitchen, Ichieda-san must have been the one who closed the microwave oven door while turning it on. I guess it went roughly like this. Reika-san went to her room earlier to change her clothes, and then probably came out from there, when the perpetrator attacked Reika-san. Then the perpetrator drugged Reika-san, and flushed the handkerchief he soaked in gloroform down the toilet. Then the perpetrator tied Reika-san's hands, and feet with rope, and tape, and put the tape in front of her mouth, and then she hid Reika-san somewhere. More specifically, the perpetrator hid Reika-san in the trunk of one of the cars he vandalized earlier, where Reika-san was when we were looking for her in the house, and then in the forest. Then the perpetrator, or more precisely Ichieda-san, made us believe that he was looking for Reika-san with us in the house, and in the forest, and then went with Nikaido-san to the garden of the villa, and murdered Nikaido-san. Ichieda-san then retrieved Reika-san from the trunk of the car, returned to the house, and taped Reika-san to the inside of that bathtub, which Ichieda-san allowed to fill with water dripping from the hand shower nozzle, turning off that nozzle, which is still wet. That explains why Reika-san's clothes are so wet. So he was in the tub at the time when Ichieda-san looked into the tub after removing the lid from its place. When we were looking for Reika-san in this bathroom earlier, Ichieda-san looked into the Bathtub, saying that Reika-san is not there, putting the protective cover back on the bathtub. Then Ichiedan-san made all the electrical appliances in the house turn on at the same time to start the blackout, while waiting Ichiedan-san put sleeping pills in Ran's coffee to be able to break the window when the blackout happened and ran into the forest waiting opportune moment to return to the house through the window he broke to attack Rani to mislead us. Hearing us rush into the kitchen, Ichieda-san knocked Rani onto the kitchen floor, ran into this bathroom, and placed Reika-san in the position where Kogoro and I found Reika-san, shredding the tape she was using in the process into pieces, which she flushed down the toilet seat, then returned there, where we were this morning distorting the death wall. If my assumption is correct, then the sleeves of Ichieda-san's shirt should still be soaked through at the elbows, which would serve as proof. They probably got wet when he took Reika-san out of the bathtub. The suspects should be asked to take off their jackets, because Ichieda-san is hiding evidence under the sleeves of his jacket".
"For now, let's go to the room we just used and wait there for the other cars to come here", Kogorō spoke to the others, and prepared to leave the bathroom with the others. "I'm also worried about Ran sleeping there".
"Wait!" Shizuka said, causing everyone to stop and look at her, causing Shizuka to stand up and walk over to Kogorō's side:
"Mōri-san, I would like to ask you something".
"What?" Kogorō asked.
Shizuka touched Kogorō's neck with her stun ring, stunning Kogorō, and then sat Kogorō down on the toilet seat, and then placed the speaker she had just taken from her pocket on Kogorō's neck, then stood up:
"It's good that you agree to me getting a towel to cover Reika-san with after I asked you about it. When I was looking for the bathroom during the party, I opened the door of the closet-room next door, and I saw towels there. I'll get a towel from there, and then I'll bring it to Mrs. Nanao. However, it may take some time".
Shizuka left the bathroom, opened the closet door, and went in there, leaving the closet door open, sitting on the floor of that room, imitating Kogorō's voice with the voice converter she had just taken from her pocket:
"I believe I have figured out how the crimes were committed".
"What is it now?" Mifune asked looking at none other than Kogorō.
"What's wrong Mr. Detective?" Rokuda asked.
"I figured out who the murderer is!" Shizuka said.
"What?!" Mifune asked.
"Murderer?!" Gojou kyayi.
"Everyone, take off your coats and throw them in here", Shizuka said, standing up, looking cautiously out of the gap in the closet door. Doing so will make everything clear".
"Hey, hey, stop it!" Mifune said.
"Please, let's listen to him", Ichieda said. "He says we can tell who the murderer is by looking at the coats".
"Thack!" Mifune snorted, and threw his coat on the floor like the others. "Alright, hurry up and check our coats. You said you knew who the murderer was after looking at our coats, didn't you?"
"Mifune-san's shirt collar is wet. Gojou's shirt sleeve elastics are wet. Rokuda-san's shirt is completely dry, and Ichieda-san's shirt sleeves are wet at the elbows. Just as I expected. So Ichieda-san is the culprit!" Shizuka thought as she grabbed a towel from a nearby shelf, then sat back down on the floor of the closet:
"So it was you. You are the murderer who was behind these three crimes in this mansion!" Like Mrs. Nanao, the men were nervous about what they heard.
"That's right. The murderer first killed Nikaido-san by drowning her in the fountain. Also, the murderer drugged Rani with sleeping pills, and tried to kill her in the kitchen. And then the murderer murdered Reika-san in this bathtub. The murderer is you...Ichieda-san!" Shizuka said causing everyone to look at the nervous Ichieda in disbelief.
"Ichieda, was that you?" Mifune asked in disbelief.
"P-Please stop joking, Mr. Detective", Ichieda said, raising his hands in front of him, then pointed at himself. "Do I look like a murderer to you? You said before that I'm not a murderer".
"So what I meant was that Ichieda-san is not a murderer unless the evidence proves otherwise", Shizuka said.
"Is there any evidence?" Mifune asked.
"At first, I only had circumstantial evidence of Ichieda-san's guilt, but now there is physical evidence to prove that my assumption is correct", Shizuka said. "Before we talk about that evidence, let's first say a few things about what happened here. In the first case, we went to the forest to look for Reika-san...who disappeared right before Nikaido-san was killed. At that time, the people who were with Nikaido-san were Ichieda-san and Rokuda-san, right?"
"Yes", Rokuda nodded.
"In the forest, you split up from your group of three to look for Reika-san", Shizuka said. "When Ichieda-san was alone, he caught Nikaido-san, and led him to the fountain. Ichieda-san probably said he saw Reika-san near the fountain, or something. And then when Nikaido-san got near the fountain, Ichieda-san attacked Nikaido -san from behind, and murdered Nikaido-san".
"You guys just made this up, didn't you?" Ichieda asked. "Rokuda-san could have done exactly that the same thing. And why did I attack Reika-san, and not only Nikaido but also Ran-san? Today is the first time I met Ran-san. Anyway, when the killer created the blackout to attack Ran-san, wasn't I with you the whole time? How could I have cut the electricity? Or are you saying I had an accomplice who caused that blackout?"
"No. Even without an accomplice, you can automatically turn off all the lights...If you use all the wall heaters in the mansion, and the microwaves", Shizuka said, causing Ichieda to become even more nervous. "I'm talking about that trick I suggested earlier, which I came up with when my assistant found a timer for a wall heater that was timed to the time of the power outage we've seen here before. It's very simple to do. You set the remote controls for the wall heaters in advance so they all turn on at the same time at 12:30, and then you set the microwave ovens in the kitchen to start at the same time. It could have been only you who turned on the microwave oven after closing the door, because you left at the same time with me and Irene after we looked for Reika-san in the kitchen, or Did you hear something strange when we left the kitchen?"
"I didn't hear anything strange when we left the kitchen. At least I don't remember hearing anything strange back then", Ichieda said.
"I assumed something like that. As the trick I just told you, the amount of power used during the set time tripped the circuit breaker. The proof of this is that the remote controls still have a time when they lost power. When the ceiling lights went out, Irene heard something strange. That's right, isn't it, Irene?" Shizuka then asked using her own voice:
"Yeah. I heard what sounded like a 'ping' now that I think about it. That microwave uses a dial, so it was still running when the power went out. And when I later touched the microwave door panel, it was still warm, so there's no error".
"Are you sure it was still warm, because appliances sometimes have quirks?" Ichieda asked.
"I'm sure of it", Shizuka said, starting to mimic Kogorō's voice again:
"When you created the blackout, you broke the window. That's how you made it look like the murderer ran out, and then you made us follow the 'perpetrator' into the woods. Then you carried Ran into the kitchen and tried to drown her. You made Rani drink coffee with sleeping pills, so he couldn't defend himself when you attacked him. Just before the power went out, you, Irene, and I went into the kitchen to look for Reika-san. It wouldn't have been impossible for you to sneak back into the kitchen, and turn on the microwaves".
"Please wait", Ichieda said. "Did you forget that I have an alibi? In the third crime, when Reika-san was killed, I was with you the whole time. If you say that I am guilty of all three crimes, then explain how I was able to kill Reika-san".
Gojou looked at Ichieda, and then at Kogorō:
"Ichieda-san is right. Reika-sama died between 5 and 6. Ichieda-san was with us for three hours between 4 and 7. And then there's the whole thing about sleeping pills in Ran-san's coffee. We took all the cups ourselves. If the murderer put sleeping pills coffee, they could have drunk it themselves".
"It's easy to explain", Shizuka said. "The murderer didn't drink coffee".
"But Ran-san picked her own coffee. How could a murderer predict that?" Gojou asked.
"There was no need to predict anything", Shizuka said. "It didn't matter who drank that drugged coffee".
The others were surprised.
"Then you're saying that we might have been attacked too?" Mifune shouted.
"Only if you were unlucky enough to drink that coffee", Shizuka said. "When the sleeping pill paralyzed your body, it wouldn't matter if you were a man or a woman. You would have been attacked the same way Ran was".
"So this was a random killing after all?" Rokuda asked as the others looked at Rokuda, then at Ichieda.
"P-Please don't go around calling people murderers!" Ichieda said. "And if I really was a killer, I would have killed your daughter as soon as the lights went out".
"No, you have no intention of killing Ran. In the second crime, what you wanted was not someone's life…for you wanted their testimony by creating a certain presumption!" Shizuka said. "You wanted their testimony that someone forced the victim into the same situation as Nikaido-san!"
"Huh?!" Ichieda was surprised.
"To get someone to say that it looks like Reika-san's head was forced into the water like in the first and second crime", Shizuka said.
"So does that mean?" Gojou asked.
"Reika-san didn't drown?" Mifune asked.
"Reika-san must have drowned", Shizuka said. "But his head is not the same as Nikaido-san".
The men were surprised.
"Don't you think that's weird?" Shizuka asked. "Reika-san disappeared around 10 p.m. But he was killed between 5 and 6 o'clock. The killer left her for 7-8 hours before killing her. Also, the fact that his clothes are unusually wet is strange. No matter how much Reika-san resisted the murderer trying to defend herself, Reika-san wouldn't get that wet. In addition to this, the murderer tied up Reika-san, and used tape in addition to rope to tie him up. The key to this puzzle is that hand shower nozzle that's wet!"
"Hand shower?" Mifune asked looking at that nozzle like the others.
"Usually when you use the bathtub, you use the faucet, right?" Shizuka asked. "But when I was investigating this crime scene earlier, that wet hand shower nozzle caught my attention. It got wet because water was run on it before. Why is that? It's because the murderer quietly filled the bathtub with a hand shower. If the perpetrator caught Reika-san in the bathtub by gluing Reika-san to the tub with duct tape, then Reika-san would drown when the tub filled up".
The men were nervous about what they heard.
"Ichieca-san probably put Reika-san to sleep with sleeping pills or gloroform after Reika-san came back from changing her clothes at 10pm. Then Ichieda-san brought Reika-san to this bathroom, and made all of this happen", Shizuka said. "Ichieda-san set the water so that Reika-san drowned between 5 and 6 in the morning. Then between 5 and 6 in the morning, Ichieda-san made sure she was with us so he would have an alibi. After 7, Ichieda-san pretended to go to the bathroom, and took Reika-san out of the water, disposing of the tapes I mentioned earlier by flushing them down the toilet, but just doing this would make the trick Ichieda-san used too obvious, so Ichieda-san made preparations".
"Preparations?" Mifune asked.
"That's right. Ran was attacked to make it look like Reika-san's head was forced into the water. But with this trick, there was a risk of Reika-san being found in the bathtub. That's why Ichieda-san cut off the electricity in this corridor so people wouldn't come here", Shizuka said. "Because if they saw Ichieda-san at that time, then the trick Ichieda-san used would have failed. But Ichieda-san avoided this by checking this bathroom himself, and saying that there was no one here. To be precise, Ichieda-san said this:
"He's not here either". That being said, no one else could have done that trick except you, Ichieda-san".
"Hah hah! It's true that if that trick was actually used, then I would be a suspect", Ichieda said. "I'll admit it. But did you really see me do all that? Without proof none of these theories are true".
"That's why I asked you all to take off your coats", Shizuka said.
"Then why don't you hurry up and check my coat!" Ichied shouted. "But I tell you in advance that you won't find anything in my jacket!"
"Hmph! What I wanted to see wasn't your coat", Shizuka said. "I wanted to see the water stains on your shirt at the elbows!"
"Huh?!" Ichieda became nervous when he saw those stains on his sleeves.
"The stains on Gojou-san's sleeves are from when he washed his hands in the toilet", Shizuka said, and Gojou looked at the ribbing on his shirt sleeve.
"The stains on Mifune-san's collar are from when he washed his face", Shizuka said, causing Mifune to look at the collar of his shirt.
"Then what are those water stains on your sleeves and about your elbows?" Shizuka asked Ichieda who backed away a little, then the others looked at Ichieda.
"T-This is just like their…" Ichieda said.
"At what point did you wash your hands?" Shizuka asked. "It doesn't seem likely to me. Are the water stains on your shirt from washing your face? No, not from that either. You can't get stains there unless you take your coat off. It's true. You took your coat off when you committed your crime in this bathroom. You did it so you wouldn't get your shirt wet wet when you took Reika-san out of the bathtub. Your sleeves are wet at the elbows from rolling them up when you did what you just said. Right, right, Ichieda-san?"
Ichieda looked completely cornered and couldn't say anything.
"B-But why would Ichieda do that?" Mifune asked.
"Irene, before I sent you to get the others here, you said that while you and Ran were at the mountain villa owned by Suzuki Sonoko's family, where Suzuki Ayako was holding a reunion of her old friends, a screenwriter named Ikeda Chikago was murdered during that time because she had stolen the Sorairo no kuni-script secretly made by his friend, Tokumoto Atsuko, turning it into an Ao okoku-movie. You said that incident resembled this incident. How did it resemble this incident?" Shizuka asked coming out of the closet holding a towel in her right hand and gave said towel to Mrs. Nanao who had placed another candlestick on a nearby table:
"Well, Mōri-san. Done the deed Takahashi Ryoichi tried to kill Ran-san 3 times, because Ran-san had previously accidentally seen that Takakashi-san was really thin, even though Takahashi-san pretended to be fat, so that no one would think Takahashi-san was Chikago-san's murderer. At first, I assumed that the perpetrator of this incident attacked Ran-san because Ran-san had accidentally seen something the perpetrator didn't want Ran-san to see, before we began to assume that it was just a ruse so that we wouldn't find out that the perpetrator was someone Nikaido-san felt. The perpetrator at the Sonoko family's mountain hut had cut the phone lines, and destroyed the bridge leading to the villa with an ax so that Chikago-san could leave that villa. The perpetrator even broke a window, making the situation look the same as in this case. In that sense, that case resembled this case in many ways".
"Why did the perpetrator do such a thing at the Suzuki family's villa?" Gojou asked.
"Tokumoto Atsuko was so upset by Chiokagon-san's stolen manuscript that Atsuko secretly made that Atsuko committed suicide. Takahashi-san was in love with Atsuko, and wanted revenge on Chikago-san. From what Ayako-san told Atsuko, she was a kind person who would rather run away from trouble than would have continued to cause trouble. Ayako-san was so shocked to hear the true side of things that she was on her own for a week to a year," Shizuka said, returning to the closet and starting to speak through the voice converter:
"I understand. Based on that, I believe that this case is also about revenge".
"What did the perpetrator want to take revenge on Nikaido, and Reika-san?" Mifune asked.
"I'll tell you in a moment", Shizuka said. "Before I understood Ichieda-san's motive, I asked Irene to ask you about Mrs. Nanao's grandchild, Yaeko-san, at a time when I was thinking about what had happened to Yaeko-san in the storm 2 years ago. That question yielded results, and made me suspect Ichieda-san because Mrs. Nanao told Irene an interesting thing that Irene told me before Irene went to get the towel she just brought here. Keep in mind the way the victims were murdered. I strongly believe that these crimes have something to do with what happened 2 years ago, with the boat accident you told me about earlier, where Yaeko-san, who belonged to the same yachting club as you, died in a storm, when Yaeko-san went alone to the island in a lifeboat to save Reika-san, who was left alone on that island, because compared to Reika-san, Yaeko-san was said to be very kind fairy tale, and according to Mrs. Nanao's estimation, Ichieda-san had a crush on Yaeko-san.I asked Irene to clear things up by asking you more about that boat accident I just told you about, and that's how I found out about that matter. Then I thought of this:
What if Reika-san, and Nikaido-san did something to Yaeko-san during that storm, and Ichieda-san somehow found out about that matter, and this is about avenging that matter to Reika-san and Nikaido-san?"
"Hmph! Yaeko didn't die in that storm. Nikaido, and Reika-sama killed Yaeko!" Ichieda shouted angrily.
Rokuda, Mifune, and Gojou became nervous at what they heard while Shizuka walked out of the closet and took the speaker off of Kogorō's neck and put it in her pocket. Shizuka walked outside the bathroom, stopped in front of the closet door, and looked at Ichieda.
"What made you suspect that?" Shizuka asked Ichieda.
"Oh what? I saw one thing that stormy day. Namely, I saw when Yaeko went to the island alone in a small lifeboat to help Reika-sama on that island. Yaeko was wearing one life jacket, and the lifeboat Yaeko was using had another life jacket for Reika-sama. But when Yaeko arrived on the island, Yaeko was in for a surprise. Nikaido was then on the same island with Reika-sama when Yaeko arrived on that island. But Yaeko only had one life jacket in the lifeboat she was using at the time, including the one on Yaeko," Ichieda said
"T-Then…" Rokuda said.
"Could it be..?" Mifune asked after realizing something like Rokuda.
"Yes! They stole Yaeko's life jacket for themselves, and saved themselves!" Ichieda shouted angrily. "Even though Yaeko went to save them, they both saw her die! They coldly left Yaeko to her own devices! I found it strange. When Yaeko's body was found, Yaeko was no longer wearing a life jacket, even though she had been wearing it when she went to the rescue Reika-sama. And those two said they didn't even see Yaeko", Ichieda said.
"B-But is that enough to prove that they let Yaeko die?" Gojou asked turning to Ichieda.
"Hmph! Before I killed Reika-sama, she told me everything", Ichieda said, then like the others looked at Reika. "Reika-sama admitted to killing the precious Yaekoni. Hmph! Reika-sama, and Nikaido had to suffer for his act in some way".
"What rubbish is that?!" Mrs. Nanao yelled at Ichieda.
"Y-Yone-san!" Ichieda was surprised.
"There is not a single person on earth who deserves to die", Mrs. Nanao walked towards Reika, and placed the towel she had just received from Shizuka on top of Reika, near the crouched Reika, and then closed Reika's eyes. "I'm not saying that I forgive Reika-sama for the crime he committed. But when someone dies, it means that someone else suffers as a result. Even if I'm the only one sad, that's more than enough".
"Ms. Nanao is right. It's easy to be bitter towards others. But that kind of thing only makes it harder to move forward", Shizuka thought(Taken from the Zodiac PI magazine, which I don't own the rights to.) "No one should tarnish their future with any stupid grudges".
"Well said, Mrs. Nanao. It's easy for others to become bitter. But that kind of thing only makes it harder to move forward. No one should tarnish their future with any silly grudges", Shizuka said. "My lords, could one of you explain this situation to Lord Yotsui when he gets back here?"
"I can explain the situation to Lord Yotsui," Rokuda said after looking at Shizuka just like the others.
"Well said, young lady", Mrs. Nanao said to Shizuka.
"Thank you", Shizuka said
(2 days later)
"Huh! Ran, so you were attacked too?" Sonoko asked as she walked with Shizuka and Rani on the Tokyo sidewalk towards home wearing their uniforms while the weather was beautiful.
"Hmm. I don't really remember much about when I was drugged, but I have a feeling that dad came and saved me", Ran said.
"Huh?!" Sonoko stopped in surprise.
"Mōri-san really saved you, Ran-san. He asked me to tell you something at one point. Shizuka-san's father saved you a long time ago shortly after you befriended Shizuka-san", Shizuka said after stopping.
"How did Yusaku-san save me?" Ran asked.
"So what?" Sonoko asked.
"I hear the adults at the time decided not to tell you about it until you were ready to hear it, so I don't think it's the right time to tell you about it yet. I will tell you at some point", Shizuka said.
"Don't treat me like a child!" Ran said embarrassed.
"I'm not being rude, but it's not my fault if your father still sees you as a knee-high kid", Shizuka said.
"Huh?!" Ran, and Sonoko were surprised by what they heard.