Chapter 177: Extended Special Edition! (8,000-word Free Chapter)

Tokyo, Shinjuku Ward.

Nishijima Tomoki, wearing a thick sweater, walked into a bookstore.

As a book critic, his duty was to evaluate various books on the market and point out their strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, the bookstore was his "second workplace" outside of the newspaper office.

He walked past the counter, followed the signs, and quickly found the literary journal section.

Upon reaching the display stand, he stopped and prepared to look for the book he wanted.

Just then, a magazine entered his field of vision.

Nishijima Tomoki was no stranger to this magazine; not long ago, he had written a scathing review of a work inside it, and that work had even gone on hiatus last week.

What surprised Nishijima Tomoki was that this magazine, titled *April Youth*, was a bit too thick compared to the previous issues.

Generally speaking, literary magazines usually serialize about a dozen articles, so the page count is often under 100 pages. But the one before him was far beyond that number.

Even by the most conservative estimate, it had at least 200 pages, more than double the thickness of other magazines.

With a sense of doubt, Nishijima Tomoki pulled one from the stack on the display stand. He glanced at the cover and found it read, "Special Issue: *The Invisible Guest*."

Seeing this title, Nishijima Tomoki couldn't help but be shocked.

A special issue refers to a newspaper or magazine edition dedicated to a specific type of content. So, was this issue of *April Youth* going to focus exclusively on Akiwara Yuto's work?

What was the editorial department of *April Youth* thinking, to actually make such a move!

Nishijima Tomoki hesitated for a moment, then took the copy in his hand to the front desk to pay, and immediately walked to a nearby park and sat on a bench.

He flipped to the table of contents, opened the first page of the main text, and began to read.

……

The story continued to unfold.

Sugou Nobuyuki continued to describe his memories to Watanabe Saki.

That day, after discovering that the driver's father, Yamazaki Ryu, was waiting for him outside the hotel, his instinct was to leave.

But after thinking about it, he stopped and, pretending to be a stranger, took the initiative to approach him, "Hello, I am Sugou Nobuyuki. Is there something you need?"

Yamazaki Ryu stepped forward, bowed, and introduced himself, then said he had learned from the police that the other car at the accident scene belonged to Sugou Nobuyuki.

He walked up solemnly and looked Sugou Nobuyuki in the eye: "The police say my son ran away with money, but I know my son; he didn't steal anything. Someone is covering up the truth."

"I'm sorry, I don't know the specifics. Perhaps you and your wife should ask the police," Sugou Nobuyuki replied subconsciously. "I was in New York during that time."

Yamazaki Ryu was silent for a moment, then reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette, "Sorry, do you have a lighter?"

Sugou Nobuyuki didn't suspect anything and used his lighter to light the cigarette for him.

Seeing his action, Yamazaki Ryu smiled, "What a coincidence. The car that Ms. Makiko was driving at the time had a lighter exactly like yours."

He put down the cigarette, his smile fading.

"Mr. Sugou, I know you have a connection with that woman. I've followed you both; you can't fool me!"

His voice rose.

"I know you are rich and powerful, but I only beg you to return my son to me. Even if it's just his corpse, we just want him to be laid to rest!"

After saying this, he snatched the lighter and threw it into the ornamental pond nearby. Watching the lighter slowly sink, Sugou Nobuyuki couldn't help but think of his own car sinking into the lake.

Two security guards soon heard the commotion, ran over, forcibly separated Yamazaki Ryu and Sugou Nobuyuki, and led the former away.

Sugou Nobuyuki watched as Yamazaki Ryu was taken away, remaining silent for a long time.

Subsequently, Yamazaki Ryu was taken to a nearby police box and questioned by the police.

After that, he never appeared before Sugou Nobuyuki again...

……

After finishing this, Sugou Nobuyuki lowered his head and glanced at the timer placed between him and Watanabe Saki; on this timer, the time was gradually decreasing.

Watanabe Saki stared at her client for a moment before speaking.

"Mr. Sugou, you have now played all your cards: two murder cases, two corpses. The fortunate thing is that the police only know of one murder case because they only found one corpse."

"But we know that the Yamazaki couple must have communicated with the prosecution, and they might accuse you and Makiko of killing their son together and hiding the body."

"And the biggest mystery is who killed Makiko in the hotel, then disappeared and framed you."

Hearing this, Sugou Nobuyuki lowered his head, fell into deep thought, and only replied after a while.

"Perhaps it was that truck driver from the beginning. After the accident, he might have known something had happened but deliberately concealed it, and then, to blackmail us, tricked us into going to that hotel."

"Please don't use the word 'perhaps'; judges don't believe in those."

Watanabe Saki shook her head and emphasized again: "If we want to prove it was that driver, we must provide more specific details."

Sugou Nobuyuki hesitated, then added an important piece of information the female lawyer didn't know.

……

Before the case occurred, Sugou Nobuyuki had received an envelope with the deceased's name written on it.

Inside, besides a photo of a lake, there was an MP3 player.

Sugou Nobuyuki discovered that the photo was of Lake Tazawa, where he had buried the body, and the MP3 player contained a recording—demanding that Sugou Nobuyuki pay 50 million yen for the sender to keep silent.

Without a doubt, this was a blackmail letter!

Following the instructions in the letter, Sugou Nobuyuki arrived at the parking lot outside Yokohama Station at 5: 0 PM.

But outside the parking lot, Sugou Nobuyuki saw Makiko.

……

"Mr. Sugou," Watanabe Saki interrupted him, "this statement has major flaws; the judge won't believe it!"

Sugou Nobuyuki replied: "Perhaps that driver had been suspicious all along and was following us in the shadows, and that blackmail letter was just to test the relationship between me and Makiko."

He raised his head and looked at Watanabe Saki.

"When I sank the car into Lake Tazawa, I heard a crisp sound. I thought it was some wild animal at the time; now that I think about it, could it have been him?"

Watanabe Saki tapped the table in dissatisfaction and once again seized control of the conversation.

"We must now shift the judge's attention away from the deceased and make them focus on the fraud. Only then will I have the confidence to get you off the hook, or even make this case disappear."

Watanabe Saki coughed and continued.

"You must answer at least one of the following three questions!"

"First, why did the killer send the message to your phone?"

"Second, why didn't the killer take the money?"

"Third, how did he leave the room without leaving any traces?"

"This is what you need to answer to the plaintiff."

Hearing this, Sugou Nobuyuki immediately frowned.

He realized that these three questions contradicted the blackmail scenario.

He stood up and took two steps, then saw that more than half the time on the timer on the table had passed, and he began to panic.

He lowered his head and asked Watanabe Saki bluntly: "You're the lawyer, just tell me how to answer!"

Watanabe Saki stood up, looked at him, and revealed a smile.

"For the following story, you should say this."

Listening to the facts "fabricated" by Watanabe Saki, Sugou Nobuyuki was stunned.

……

According to Watanabe Saki's version, at 5: 0 PM that afternoon, after Sugou Nobuyuki arrived at the parking lot outside the station, the blackmailer sent him an email with a phone number from an unfamiliar address.

And the content of this email was also seen by his lover, Makiko, who was standing next to him.

Makiko told Sugou Nobuyuki not to reply to the email, then went out herself and used her own phone to call the number in the email.

During the call, Makiko learned the blackmailer's demand: to go to the Sakamoto Hotel in Yamanashi and check into Room 715.

In addition, the blackmailer demanded that Makiko throw her phone into a trash can and then travel to that hotel by train.

After a long journey, the two finally arrived at the Sakamoto Hotel, but they were told by the front desk that someone had already booked Room 715 in Sugou Nobuyuki's name.

With trepidation, the two took the elevator and checked into Room 715.

But neither of them knew that someone was already secretly hiding in the room's closet.

After waiting for two hours, Sugou Nobuyuki's phone received an email sent from Watanabe Saki's email address. That email was clearly sent by the blackmailer using Watanabe Saki's phone.

When the two saw the email and were panicking and wanting to leave, the suspect hiding in the closet rushed out, knocked Sugou Nobuyuki unconscious, and brutally murdered Watanabe Saki!

And this murderer was none other than Yamazaki Ryu, who had lost his beloved son and had been following Sugou Nobuyuki all along!

……

After hearing this, Sugou Nobuyuki showed an expression of disbelief.

"Wait, you think Yamazaki Ryu did it?"

Watanabe Saki nodded.

"Yamazaki Ryu has a very strong motive for murder. His purpose in killing was to take revenge on both of you. First, kill Makiko, then frame you, making everyone think you are the murderer! Mr. Sugou!"

Sugou Nobuyuki paced back and forth in the room, thinking about the female lawyer's words as he walked.

He recalled what had been said about her before the introduction: this female lawyer was someone who would stop at nothing to win a case, and she had basically never lost.

And if he could implicate Yamazaki Ryu, then he would very likely be acquitted.

"Lawyer Watanabe, wait," Sugou Nobuyuki stopped and raised a doubt, "Although the motive for murder is there, how do you explain his successful escape from the room?"

Watanabe Saki didn't answer directly but took out a document: "This is the staff list I got from the hotel. Look at this employee."

Sugou Nobuyuki followed the direction Watanabe Saki was pointing and saw a line of text: "Cleaner Yamazaki Saeko."

Watanabe Saki nodded and said with a smile: "That's right, Yamazaki Ryu's wife. She worked at that hotel. So your appearance at that hotel was not an accident!"

Immediately after, she explained the specific method.

……

That day, the Yamazaki couple acted separately; first, they used a sent envelope to confuse Nobuyuki Sugou, then confirmed the relationship between the two by observing them in secret.

The photo of the lake in the envelope was likely just a random shot. What allowed the Yamazaki couple to deduce this was Nobuyuki Sugou's distracted reaction earlier when he saw the lighter being submerged in the pool.

Therefore, after seeing the photo in the envelope, Nobuyuki Sugou, having a guilty conscience, subconsciously assumed it was Lake Tazawa and guessed that the other party already knew everything.

Besides this, Long Yamazaki also demanded to take Makiko's mobile phone, and followed Nobuyuki Sugou and Makiko, boarding the same train.

Because they were nervous, the two did not notice Long Yamazaki.

After getting off the train, Long Yamazaki took pre-arranged transportation and lurked in Room 715 before the two arrived.

At the same time, Saeko Yamazaki used her key as a cleaner to open the window of the room next door.

Then, she walked into Room 715 and handed the key to Long Yamazaki. Afterward, she walked out of the guest room.

Following this, Nobuyuki Sugou and Makiko checked into the room, and Long Yamazaki, from the closet where he was hiding, secretly sent a text message to Nobuyuki Sugou using Makiko's phone.

After the two in the room were in a panic, Long Yamazaki walked out of the closet, used a prepared "murder weapon" to knock Nobuyuki Sugou unconscious, killed Makiko, and then scattered the money on the floor.

Then he used the prepared key to open the window from the inside and left; after climbing out, he pushed the window back shut.

Immediately after, he climbed along the eaves to the room next door and left the hotel via the stairs on the other side.

At the same time, Saeko Yamazaki timed it perfectly, brought the police to Room 715, and opened the door according to the police's instructions.

After the police entered the room to inspect the scene and restrain Nobuyuki Sugou, she took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and quietly walked to the window to lock it.

Just like that, a perfect locked-room mystery was formed!

……

After hearing Saki Watanabe's criminal deduction, Nobuyuki Sugou was completely speechless.

He wondered if the person he hired was a lawyer or a detective?

But because of these words, he became even more convinced of her.

Just then, Saki Watanabe's phone rang; she finished the call and then said to Nobuyuki Sugou.

"Latest news: although we don't know the name of the witness the prosecution found yet, it has been confirmed that it is that passing driver."

She lowered her head, looked at the clock with little time remaining, and then quickened her pace of speech.

"Mr. Sugou, let's assume that on the day of the car accident, you were not with your lover, but in New York, and you have an alibi. Therefore, you were not involved in the car accident that led to the death of the Yamazaki couple's son..."

"... hat you need to do is push everything onto Makiko. As for the license plate number and other evidence, you don't need to worry."

"... nd your appearance at that Sakamoto Hotel was also because Makiko requested you to go there. You didn't even know about that young driver."

"Now what we need to do is establish a connection between Makiko and the missing young driver, and ensure that Makiko's personal items are on that submerged car."

"... n that case, you can get rid of two murder charges. And your crime will just be helping your lover cover up the accident!"

Saki Watanabe thought for a moment, then took a map out of her bag and placed it on the table.

"What needs to be done now is: where did you submerge that car? Of course, you yourself should not admit to any charges; instead, I will anonymously inform the police from my side."

"Of course, before that, I will find someone to locate the car first, and then put Makiko's personal items into the car!"

Saki Watanabe lowered her head, meeting Nobuyuki Sugou's gaze.

"In this way, we can tell the judge the truth of the whole matter, but at the same time, it will have nothing to do with us."

Looking at the map, Nobuyuki Sugou fell into silence; after a long while, he raised another doubt.

"That driver will testify. If he appears, my alibi in New York will be invalidated."

Saki Watanabe laughed, then said to the surprised Nobuyuki Sugou.

"This witness is a lie to you. Lawyer Matsui and I can't find him, so you don't need to worry."

She paused and added: "This witness is a lie I fabricated, the purpose of which was to get you to provide the necessary information, Mr. Sugou."

"So, why don't you tell me the whole truth."

On the other side, Nobuyuki Sugou heard the female lawyer's questioning and burst into loud laughter.

And his expression changed from the initial panic and anxiety to becoming confident, as if he were a completely different person.

"Lawyer Watanabe, congratulations on passing my test. Actually, I just wanted to verify your level and see how you would explain the process of this case."

It turned out that from the beginning until now, Nobuyuki Sugou had been pretending; he had already learned through his own channels that the Yamazaki couple had appeared at the hotel.

So from the start, he had already prepared to implicate the Yamazakis in the incident.

After all, as a wealthy entrepreneur, how could he just sit and wait for death?

Saki Watanabe nodded and handed over the map and a pen.

"Mr. Sugou, time is running out. Please explain where you submerged the car?"

This time, Nobuyuki Sugou did not shirk or pretend anymore; instead, he readily took the pen and drew a circle on the map.

Saki Watanabe took the map, then walked to the window of this presidential suite, and glanced at the opposite side of the window with a strange look.

"Mr. Sugou, I have one more thing I want to ask you."

Nobuyuki Sugou raised his head in confusion; after all, in his view, as long as he followed Saki Watanabe's layout, he probably wouldn't have much of a problem.

Saki Watanabe then asked: "When you submerged that car into the bottom of the lake, are you sure the other party was already dead?"

Nobuyuki Sugou hesitated for a moment, then said: "At the time, I thought he was dead."

Immediately after, he told the truth.

When he pushed the car into the lake, he heard a strange sound from the trunk. Immediately after, he opened the trunk and found that the young driver had opened his eyes and was begging him for help.

But because of his serious injuries, he could not move his body.

Nobuyuki Sugou thought for less than two seconds, but still continued to push the car into the lake.

In his view, he had no way back; after all, if he let the young man go, not only would his extramarital affair be exposed, but he might also be charged with attempted murder.

Since that was the case, it was better to end it once and for all.

Saki Watanabe heard this fact, became angry, and loudly denounced him.

"Mr. Sugou, my task is to protect you from going to jail, not to cover up your crimes! How do you expect me to defend you! You murderer!"

Nobuyuki Sugou looked indifferent; after all, at the very beginning, Saki Watanabe had already tested him.

And he also knew that the other party was a lawyer who would stop at nothing to win and had very little moral sense.

Nobuyuki Sugou smiled and said: "You won't, after all, you want to win the case!"

Saki Watanabe turned around and took a deep breath.

"Fine, I promise you, I won't let my winning record be broken because of this matter of yours."

She picked up her notebook and said again: "But you must guarantee that there are no other accidents you are hiding from me!"

"I guarantee there aren't any." Nobuyuki Sugou shrugged.

Saki Watanabe showed a mocking expression.

"Are you sure? But there is another possibility, isn't there? That is, you broke the agreement not to see Makiko again, rather than the other party breaking it."

"Besides that, it was also you who took the driver's wallet and forged the illusion that he had fled with the money. After all, only with a big client like you can the bank make irregular operations."

Nobuyuki Sugou seemed to have his mind read, "You can't prove any of this."

Saki Watanabe also said in a sarcastic tone: "You also can't prove it wasn't you."

She glanced at the timer and reconstructed the whole incident again.

……

On the day of the car accident, after Nobuyuki Sugou discovered the deceased, he took the initiative to ask Makiko not to call the police.

Then he made a series of arrangements, including disposing of the body and having Makiko go to pick him up later.

Because of this incident, Makiko was anxious and uneasy, and even suffered from depression.

Consequently, she made a phone call and told the young driver's family the whole story.

To make up for her mistake, Makiko took the initiative to call, booked the hotel in Nobuyuki Sugou's name, and then used her mobile phone to deceive Nobuyuki Sugou, saying that the passing driver had seen something and had found her, demanding 50 million yen in blackmail.

After a series of operations, Makiko arrived at the Sakamoto Hotel first and checked into Room 715.

As for the 50 million yen, it was what she intended to give to the Yamazaki couple to make up for her own mistakes.

After arriving at the hotel, Makiko began to wait for Nobuyuki Sugou and wrote an email using her mailbox, setting it to be sent at a scheduled time.

On the other side, Nobuyuki Sugou, worried that the matter would be exposed, brought 50 million yen and arrived at Room 715.

But after arriving at the hotel, he heard his lover reveal the truth and flew into a rage.

At the same time, his mobile phone also received the email his lover had scheduled to be sent.

Only then did he realize that everything was a trap his lover had already set!

Facing his lover's demand to "go turn ourselves in together," he hesitated; after all, he was rich and powerful, had a bright future ahead of him, and was unwilling to bear the charge of murder.

Suddenly, he saw a statue nearby, picked it up, struck Makiko's head hard, and killed her.

During this process, the noise he caused attracted the attention of people outside, and someone even called the police.

Leaving through the door at this time was undoubtedly a stupid decision.

Moreover, the room's window was locked by the hotel and could not be opened.

So he scattered the money on the floor and pretended that he had "fainted" on the ground.

Immediately after, the police broke in.

……

After hearing this accusation from Saki Watanabe, Nobuyuki Sugou showed an impatient expression.

"Lawyer Watanabe, your conjecture is completely wrong. Otherwise, when Makiko told the Yamazaki couple the truth, why didn't they call the police?"

Saki Watanabe met Nobuyuki Sugou's gaze and said in a serious tone.

"Because they knew that you definitely wouldn't reveal where the body was. In the absence of a body, it is very difficult to establish the crime."

After saying this, she signaled for Nobuyuki Sugou to stand up and walk to the window with her.

"Mr. Sugou, pay attention to the hotel opposite, the second window on the second-to-last floor. The Yamazaki couple is staying in that room, and they are monitoring you with binoculars."

Sugō Nobuyuki saw that room, and a figure was standing in front of the window, looking over toward this side.

"This!" Sugō Nobuyuki suddenly revealed an expression of suspicion and uncertainty, but he still maintained a negative attitude toward the facts Watanabe Saki had previously stated.

Watanabe Saki shook her head and added, "I know more about the Yamazaki couple than you do. When the Yamazaki couple learned of Makiko's death, they realized the possibility of bringing you to justice was slim, so all they could do was keep you within their line of sight at all times."

"From that moment on, Yamazaki Ryū began to become your shadow; whether it was your residence or the hotel you booked, he found places to monitor you and kept 24-hour surveillance on you and everyone around you."

"He even followed me."

Sugō Nobuyuki believed Watanabe Saki's words; he thought he still had a chance of winning.

"Even so, this employee roster can still prove they are framing me!"

Sugō Nobuyuki pointed at the document Watanabe Saki had taken out earlier, on which was written "Cleaner Yamazaki Saeko."

"This proves nothing, Mr. Sugō. This work schedule was just something I forged," Watanabe Saki sighed. "If you want me to help you, then admit to me that you killed Makiko."

Sugō Nobuyuki panicked; only then did he realize he had been led around in circles.

"Fine, Lawyer Watanabe, I won't hide it anymore. I admit everything you said is correct; I killed Makiko. In any case, please do your job! Think of how to handle the judge!"

Looking at Sugō Nobuyuki's expression, Watanabe Saki revealed an inscrutable look.

At this moment, the telephone in the hotel room rang.

Sugō Nobuyuki pressed the speakerphone, and the voice of Lawyer Matsui rang out from inside.

"Mr. Sugō, why can't I get through to your cell phone? I have good news to tell you: I found a crucial witness! And I got them to accept my proposal!"

Watanabe Saki glanced at the phone, then looked at Sugō Nobuyuki, "Let's rest for 10 minutes before we continue."

After saying this, she made an excuse about going downstairs to buy a cup of coffee.

As she was leaving, Sugō Nobuyuki called out to her, "Lawyer Watanabe, thank you."

Watanabe Saki hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at him, nodded, and pushed open the door.

After she left, Sugō Nobuyuki took out his phone to take a look and discovered that his phone had shut down at some point.

He picked up the phone and listened to Lawyer Matsui speak.

"I found that driver and used money to convince him; he can prove you weren't there at the time."

After finishing this sentence, Lawyer Matsui asked again, "How did your chat with Lawyer Watanabe go? What is your impression of her?"

Sugō Nobuyuki laughed, "She is trustworthy."

Just at this moment, an interference sound appeared in the call.

Sugō Nobuyuki looked down and saw that the pen in his jacket pocket had leaked ink at some point.

At this time, he suddenly saw the notebook Watanabe Saki had left on the table; everything written on it was unrelated to the case.

He remembered his phone; it seemed to have shut down after the other party took Lawyer Matsui's call.

While he was lost in silence, a noblewoman wearing a luxurious gown walked into the elevator heading to the 7th floor...

On the other side, Watanabe Saki walked to another hotel opposite the first one and arrived at the second room on the second-to-last floor.

She walked into the room, hugged a middle-aged man standing on the balcony holding binoculars, and handed him a device that looked like recording equipment.

Immediately after, she took off her wig, removed her colored contact lenses and eyelashes, and put on a pair of framed glasses. She revealed a "haggard" appearance, completely unlike her previous noblewoman image...

The story ended here, but after reading the whole story, Nishijima Tomoki couldn't help but feel his hair stand on end!

What does this mean? Watanabe Saki isn't actually a real lawyer? She was actually disguised as the victim's mother?!

What happened to helping him get off the hook? It ended up developing into luring the murderer into revealing the truth? This is truly beyond anyone's expectations!

Damn it, how many times did this story reverse? It could actually lead to so many possibilities!

Was my brain fried at the time? I actually told the other party this work was a failure!

This work is not an exaggeration to describe as a masterpiece!