There weren't many hospitals in Mito City to begin with, so after filtering the records, they quickly found a dermatology patient whose appearance matched the man in the video.
Takemura Koji, male, 28 years old. Diagnosed with eczematous dermatitis. Address at Room 207, 1-15 Suehiro-cho 1-chome, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Work as Auto mechanic at Shimizu Auto Repair Shop near his residence.
After reading the information on the screen, Ritsu immediately pushed open the car door and instructed,
"Hayasaka, contact Takagi and Sato. Tell them to come to Ibaraki first thing tomorrow morning."
"Where are you going?"
"Anyone who provides clues needs protection. Take Kamio-san and Eita-kun back to the Kosaka residence. Make sure you're careful. If anything unusual happens, contact me immediately. Understood?"
Hayasaka understood why Ritsu was being so cautious.
There was a strong possibility that a powerful figure in Ibaraki Prefecture was backing this case from the shadows. They were conducting an investigation on someone else's turf. If they were discovered, they could very well be silenced.
"Got it. You be careful too."
After hastily shutting the car door, Ritsu drove straight to Suehiro-cho 1-chome.
At this hour, there was no way Takemura would still be working at the repair shop. The most likely scenario was that he was home resting.
Parking nearby, Ritsu carefully approached a dilapidated apartment building.
It was obvious Takemura's living conditions weren't good. Apparently, he had other bad habits. Otherwise, after receiving payment for murder, he should have been able to move somewhere much nicer.
Climbing the rusty staircase, he stopped outside Room 207.
His gaze lingered on the words "PAY BACK YOUR DEBT" painted in red across the wall, and a look of disgust crossed his face.
Looks like there's a high chance this guy's a gambler.
As he approached the door, he could already hear noise from inside. As expected, not many people went to bed early on New Year's Eve.
Without hesitation, Ritsu slammed his hand against the metal door twice and, after slightly altering his voice, shouted in the rough tone of a delinquent,
"Hey! Takemura! Get your ass out here! Asahi-san wants to see you!!"
This was what you called learning and applying knowledge.
From what he'd gathered, "Asahi" was most likely the person who had hired the killer, or perhaps the second-in-command of the organization behind everything.
Clearly, Ritsu had guessed correctly.
The sound of the television inside vanished instantly, followed by the crash of glass being knocked over as someone scrambled around.
The metal door swung open. A foul stench of alcohol mixed with sewer-like odors hit him in the face. Ritsu frowned and instinctively took two steps back in search of fresher air.
The obviously drunk Takemura let out a loud belch.
After hurriedly covering his mouth and composing himself, he finally looked up at the suited man standing before him.
'Who was this guy?'
Still, judging by his appearance, he was probably one of Asahi's people.
"Hahaha, what's Asahi-san looking for me for?" Takemura asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together. "Did he think I did such a great job last time that he's got another job for me?"
"Yeah. There is a job for you."
Ritsu turned around. "Come with me."
"Sure! Sure!"
The moment he turned away, the smile disappeared from Ritsu's face. With a dark expression, he pulled out a mask and baseball cap and put them on.
The guy smelled absolutely awful.
His hair was so greasy it practically reflected light.
Ritsu seriously suspected Takemura had more than just eczema, he might also have seborrheic dermatitis.
They quickly descended the stairs and entered a narrow alley nearby. It was the perfect place for shady dealings. There were no surveillance cameras, and hardly anyone ever passed through.
"Hehe, sir, what's the job this time?" Takemura grinned. "I guarantee I'll do it cleaner than last time!"
Looking at his sleazy expression, Ritsu had no interest in playing games.
Still smiling, he turned around.
Without giving Takemura any chance to react, he drove a straight left punch, his gloved fist slamming directly into the man's right cheek.
Even the two teeth that flew from Takemura's mouth were stained yellow from cigarette tar.
The sight was nauseating.
Watching Takemura collapse onto the ground howling in pain, Ritsu suddenly regretted eating a hamburger before coming here.
"Who ordered you to kill Atsuko Kosaka?"
Clutching his face, Takemura glared at him furiously. "Heh. Just you wait. I'll make sure everyone sees your face—"
"My face?"
Only then did Takemura realize that at some point, the man before him had put on a mask and baseball cap.
His appearance was completely concealed.
A sense of dread immediately washed over him.
Gulp.
A man who knew when to bend and when to stand tall, Takemura swallowed hard. After forcing his alcohol-addled brain to think, he instantly put on a flattering, bootlicking smile.
With two front teeth missing, his speech leaked air as he talked.
"Hahaha, Aniki, I was just talking nonsense! Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you everything."
"A dog that obeys is a loyal dog. People are no different."
Narrowing his eyes, Ritsu straightened up. "Tell me who ordered you to kill Atsuko Kosaka. Was it Asahi-san?"
"Yeah! It was him!" Takemura nodded frantically. "I only agreed because I needed money to survive! Asahi-san runs an underground casino. Whenever I had free time, I'd go there to gamble a few rounds. His full name is Higashiyama Asahi, and he's the person in charge there."
"Where does Higashiyama operate?"
"1-31 Senba-cho 1-chome. On the surface it's a shop that sells pickled plums. If you tell the cashier, 'I heard this batch of pickled plums is really sweet. Can I have a taste?' they'll let you into the underground casino."
"And does Higashiyama Asahi have someone backing him?"
Takemura nodded, then shook his head. Frowning bitterly, he replied,
"He definitely has powerful backing. But I honestly don't know who it is. Believe me!"
There were no signs he was lying. Looks like the investigation would have to continue through Asahi.
"I believe you."
Ritsu's tone softened slightly. "Let's pretend tonight never happened. But if I hear from anyone else that you've been leaking information..."
His voice turned icy.
"I'll make you wish you were dead."
"I-I won't say anything! I swear! I won't tell anyone I saw you tonight!"
Ritsu narrowed his eyes.
"Did you leave your apartment tonight?"
"Huh?"
Takemura froze for a moment before finally understanding. Staggering to his feet, he began walking away while muttering,
"Nope. Never left. Stayed home the whole time... drinking at home."
Someone willing to commit murder for money wasn't exactly trustworthy.
After discreetly attaching a bug and tracking device to the sole of Takemura's shoe, Ritsu exited the alley through the opposite side.
Pulling out his phone, he called Hayasaka.
"Hayasaka, I found a lead. Investigate the name Higashiyama Asahi. He operates a pickled plum shop in Senba-cho."
"Got it. When are you coming back?"
"There's still one thing I need to confirm. I'll be a while. Talk later."
After hanging up, Ritsu drove toward Ibaraki University.
According to his reasoning, he probably wouldn't uncover much through Higashiyama's social connections. Entering the casino recklessly would only expose himself.
For now, he needed to pursue a different lead. Specifically, the clue Eita had provided.
The police had mentioned that the victim possessed a large number of luxury goods.
If that was true, then the source of those luxury items was very likely the "boyfriend" whom nobody had ever mentioned.
If Atsuko had a boyfriend, the luxury items would be easy to explain. After all, exchanging gifts while dating was perfectly normal.
Moreover, the mastermind hiding behind this case clearly came from a privileged background, making extravagant spending during a relationship entirely plausible.
Opening the car door, Ritsu looked across the street at the closed gates of Ibaraki University.
Hopefully, the trail of Atsuko's university classmates would reveal some clue leading to the mastermind lurking in the shadows.