Inspector Megure crouched slightly, rummaging through the refrigerator for a long time. Its contents were now a chaotic mess, yet he found nothing. "How can this be?"
Hayashi Shuichi paid no attention to the busy Megure. Instead, he walked over to Ota Yuuka and questioned her about her relationship with Nakajima Ryosuke.
Upon hearing his question, Ota Yuuka's already gloomy expression instantly darkened further, as if a layer of frost had settled upon her face.
She abruptly stood up, her hands clenched into fists, her body trembling slightly with rage. "He and I broke up ages ago! We have nothing to do with each other anymore!"
"Why are you police officers so annoying? What does this have to do with your investigation?"
"Stop bothering me!"
Hayashi Shuichi remained unfazed by her anger, maintaining his calm demeanor. "Miss Ota, we are simply performing our duty. In a case investigation, every detail could be crucial to solving it."
"Even if you and Nakajima Ryosuke have broken up, we still need to understand the relevant circumstances clearly."
Inspector Samezaki also approached, asking in a grave voice, "Miss Ota, if you've already broken up and have no relationship, then why did Mrs. Ota kill Nakajima Ryosuke?"
"There must be a reason for murder. We hope you can give us a reasonable explanation."
Upon hearing Inspector Samezaki's words, Mrs. Ota Yuuka's body jolted, and her expression instantly became flustered.
Her eyes darted around, and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but was momentarily speechless.
After a long while, Ota Yuuka stammered, "I… I don't know why Mom killed him. I really don't know anything!"
Mrs. Ota, seeing her daughter's panic from the side, felt her heart clench and quickly interjected, "I killed Nakajima Ryosuke because he wronged Yuuka."
"When he was dating Yuuka, he was still involved with other women."
"As a mother, I simply couldn't bear him deceiving and hurting my daughter like that, so I impulsively took his life."
Mrs. Ota's voice was a little rushed, and her expression was somewhat unnatural, as if she was worried her explanation wouldn't convince the police.
Hayashi Shuichi listened quietly to her explanation, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
"Mrs. Ota, you said the murder weapon you used was a kitchen knife, but the forensics department found that the wound on the victim's neck was caused by some kind of conical object. Do you have anything to say about that?"
Mrs. Ota's face instantly turned pale, her lips trembling slightly, unsure how to answer for a moment.
Hayashi Shuichi didn't press her further. Instead, he changed the subject and looked at Ota Yuuka next to him. "Miss Ota, when you came here today, did you bring anything with you?"
Ota Yuuka's face subtly changed, but she pursed her lips tightly, remaining silent.
Mrs. Ota, worried that her daughter's silence would arouse police suspicion, quickly said, "Yuuka only brought a sports thermos. Nothing else."
As she spoke, she didn't notice the change in Ota Yuuka's expression, nor the flicker of panic in her eyes.
Inspector Samezaki looked at Ota Yuuka quizzically and asked, "It's not cold right now, so why are you still drinking hot water?"
Ota Yuuka bit her lip and replied in a stiff tone, "I'm on my period, so I can only drink hot things."
Hayashi Shuichi said nothing, but began searching the room, quickly finding the sports thermos.
He opened the thermos lid, reached inside to test the temperature, then frowned slightly. "The temperature inside the thermos is very low. This doesn't seem like it contained a hot drink. Miss Ota, how do you explain this?"
Ota Yuuka's face instantly turned ashen. She opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but couldn't utter a single word.
Mrs. Ota hadn't expected her daughter to lie about this and immediately panicked. "This… how could that be? Are you mistaken?"
"Both of you, let me remind you," Hayashi Shuichi said, his expression serious as he looked at the mother and daughter, "There's a world of difference in sentencing in court between confessing voluntarily and being caught with evidence by the police. It's still not too late to tell the truth now, and you might receive a lighter sentence later."
The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense and oppressive, as if the air itself had solidified.
Ota Yuuka and Mrs. Ota exchanged glances, their eyes filled with fear and hesitation.
Inspector Samezaki and Inspector Megure also watched the mother and daughter with grave expressions, awaiting their answer.
Time ticked by, second by agonizing second.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Ota Yuuka's forehead. Her hands trembled incessantly, her fingers digging scratches into the armrest of the sofa.
Seeing her daughter remain silent, Mrs. Ota looked utterly bewildered, unsure what to say.
Hayashi Shuichi shook his head helplessly. He already had a rough idea of what the murder weapon was. His earlier words were just to give the two of them a chance.
"Inspector Megure, take some people to Miss Ota's rented apartment…" Hayashi Shuichi whispered a few instructions.
Inspector Megure, though puzzled, nodded and left the apartment with two officers.
During the time Inspector Megure was gone, the atmosphere in the room remained suffocatingly tense.
Ota Yuuka sat silently on the sofa, her head bowed, her eyes staring blankly at the floor, lost in thought.
Mrs. Ota sat beside her, periodically glancing at her daughter, her eyes filled with worry and self-reproach.
Hayashi Shuichi, meanwhile, found a corner and leaned against the wall to rest.
Kishin Eri stood beside him, unable to resist asking, "Do you already know what the murder weapon is?"
"More or less," Hayashi Shuichi yawned. "But it's just a guess. Whether it's right or not, we'll have to wait for Inspector Megure's report."
"Shuichi, Mrs. Ota and Nakajima Ryosuke, were they really…"
Kishin Eri's words were cut short as she suddenly heard a faint snore. She looked around in confusion, only to finally realize the sound was coming from her childhood friend.
No way, can he sleep standing up?
Kishin Eri leaned closer to Hayashi Shuichi, quietly studying his face.
Although they were childhood friends and already as familiar as could be, after last night's events, looking at Hayashi Shuichi's face brought a different kind of thought to her mind.
"Why does he have to be so handsome?" the girl muttered softly. "It would be so much better if he were a little uglier, then he wouldn't attract so many girls."
"If I were really ugly," Hayashi Shuichi suddenly spoke, "you'd probably be the first one to complain."
"Y-you weren't asleep?" Kishin Eri was startled.
"I'm not a horse, how could I sleep standing up?" Hayashi Shuichi rubbed his eyes drowsily. "Inspector Megure is really something, taking so long to get one thing…"
(End of Chapter)
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