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They went over the crime scene one more time.
The victim, Inouemura, looked like he'd slit his own throat with a fruit knife.
But everyone knows — no one can actually cut their own throat open that wide with just a little fruit knife.
The survival instinct alone would make you stop. And after the first gush of blood, your strength would fade fast — no way you'd be able to carve open a wound almost as wide as a bowl.
And just before dying, Inouemura's face looked… terrified.
So most likely…
Threatened?
Talked into killing himself?
Or maybe, when he started cutting, someone else "helped" him finish the job?
"Is there any CCTV footage?"
Kudō Shinichi asked casually, not expecting much.
Sure enough, Inspector Megure Juzo's awkward, wrinkled expression said it all.
Who in their right mind would install cameras in a fancy middle-class residential district?
And everyone knows — rich folks in these neighborhoods have their own dirty little games.
Feeling like he was wasting his time, Kudō's eyes drifted back to the corpse.
That's when he spotted something strange.
The victim's expression was… weird.
Frozen in fear, but with this deep exhaustion behind it — like an overworked salaryman who hadn't slept in days, his spirit drained dry.
But how could a rich man look like some worn-out office drone?
Kudō felt like he'd found the key.
Someone must have been scaring Inouemura for a while — enough to make him restless, unable to sleep.
That also meant the real culprit had been working on breaking him down for some time before killing him.
"Inspector Higurashi! I need the victim's social contacts from the last few days!"
Higurashi's eyes lit up immediately.
Here we go.
Every time "Little Brother Kudō" got that look, it meant the case was about to be cracked and the credit was theirs.
He quickly ordered Takagi Wataru to pull Inouemura's recent files.
And before long, Kudō locked onto a suspect—
A fellow manager from Inouemura's company: a greasy, middle-aged, bald man with a beer belly.
Kudō grinned.
He thought this would be tricky. But… this guy? That's it?
…
…
Damn it.
Something's off.
Kudō's scalp tingled as he watched the greasy man confess.
It was too fast.
Way too fast.
So fast that Kudō hadn't even spoken yet — he just rang the doorbell, and the man practically rushed to surrender, all "Yep, I'm the killer" without a fight.
No struggle, no hesitation — just a model prisoner.
And this guy was supposed to be a wealthy middle-class type.
Kudō had seen enough cases to know: people like that, even if thrown in prison, could still buy their way out.
Even with rock-solid evidence, they'd bark and snarl like cornered dogs.
A whole "Yeah, you caught me, but you still can't touch me" attitude.
But this guy?
Kudō's face darkened.
He wanted to stop Higurashi and the others from celebrating their "successful arrest," but he didn't have a solid reason yet.
So he kept quiet, riding in the police car back home.
Takagi was driving, chattering nonstop, clearly excited to be working with Kudō again.
"Kudō, you've helped the police department big time again. You don't even know — the higher-ups gave us a death order to solve this one."
"But man, I don't know what Inouemura and Kawaguchi Wataru were thinking. They're making so much money and still not satisfied — both trying to take each other down."
"Honestly, the way those two fought… they probably haven't slept in days, just scheming how to—"
Wait.
A flash of inspiration shot through Kudō's mind, sparked by Takagi's "reminder."
He'd read both their files.
Same company. Different departments. Sure, they had some business conflicts, but not enough to want each other dead.
His heartbeat quickened.
His breathing grew heavy, his focus sharpening like a blade.
They were rivals, sure — but not mortal enemies. If either of them got the chance to legally and cleanly bring the other down, they wouldn't hesitate.
Conflict. Profit. And the perfect weapon…
Kudō slammed a fist on the seat.
"Turn back! Now! Immediately!"
"Huh!? Turn where?"
"Their company!"
…
…
"Beautiful…"
Seishū Minazuki almost laughed.
So this is the "crime-solving protagonist" type in a detective story dungeon?
That ridiculous "intuition" of his — pure nonsense scientifically, but damn effective.
Seishū was now sure: his shadowy plan was the right call.
Against a protagonist who can just "lightbulb moment" his way to the mastermind, you had to be extra careful.
Unless you could bulldoze straight through… or crush them with an information gap.
And conveniently…
Seishū had all the supernatural information.
But still — this type of protagonist was absurd.
His setup was a mess — throwing clues around at random, sometimes even tossing in ones that had nothing to do with the case.
Yet Kudō had managed to string them together anyway.
Absurd…
Watching Kudō's car speeding toward the real culprit, Seishū was reminded of countless mystery and horror movies he'd seen in his past life.
No need to rush.
Meals are eaten one bite at a time, roads walked one step at a time.
Go too fast, and you might pull something you'll regret.
If the game went wrong, it'd be awkward.
Still, Kudō's performance pleased him.
Smart people.
Smart people are proud.
They trust their own deductions more than what's right in front of their eyes.
And people like that… were exactly the pawns Seishū needed to push open the curtain on his "spiritual revival" plan.
Look at that — he hadn't even made his big move yet, and Kudō was already chasing the "truth" all on his own.
It was like running a company where your employees work themselves to death… and even pay to come to work.
Perfect.
Kudō's relentless pursuit meant Seishū could save himself a lot of work… and a lot of system points.
…
…
"Are we there yet!?"
Kudō shouted impatiently.
Takagi didn't understand why he was in such a rush, but he could tell something was up.
Clearly, Kudō had found something big.
"Almost!"
At the same time, he sent an urgent message to Higurashi.
Hurry!
Faster!!
Kudō could feel it — he was close to the truth.
But before it came out… someone else might die.
And that "someone" was…
The company president — Seiichirō.
The one man both managers had a common interest in bringing down — the higher-up leeching off them both.
When Higurashi heard that the company president might be in mortal danger, he panicked.
This was going to blow up big…
"Takagi! You have my authorization! No matter who's in your way, push through!!"
With the green light, Kudō felt more confident.
They reached a tall office building, and he and Takagi charged upstairs.
The lights… were on?
When they reached the floor, Kudō's pupils contracted.
An elderly man stood there, as if he'd been waiting, his face tired but wearing a faint smile.
"Ah… I knew it.
The savior of the police department — still as sharp as ever…"
"....."