Chapter 100: , Wanting to Become Human!

The arrest operation went unexpectedly smoothly.

Saijo Yasue's parents had completely given up on this child; they directly authorized the police's arrest operation in the capacity of monitors, and they even agreed to a series of requests made by the police, including searching the room, interrogation and detention, and long-term custody.

Correspondingly, the police had to keep the information about this family strictly confidential, ensuring it would not affect their lives and guaranteeing their records would not be impacted by this incident.

After deliberation, the Joint Special Investigation Headquarters agreed to the parents' request, because in reality, as part of the investigation, after Public Security revealed Saijo Yasue's identity, the criminal police had already conducted a thorough background check on her family; currently, there was no evidence to prove this couple was related to the serial murder case involving their son, and their alibis were solid, having long since been cleared of suspicion.

The Joint Special Investigation Headquarters was able to formally arrest Saijo Yasue.

Police Inspector Kashiwagi, Chief of Section 3, volunteered to be the primary interrogator for this suspected true culprit of the serial murder case.

It didn't even need to be called a suspicion; anyone who had participated in the Joint Special Investigation Headquarters meetings and frontline investigations knew that there was a 99.99% chance this schoolgirl had done it.

But they needed evidence.

However, facing this schoolgirl who kept suppressing her laughter, Kashiwagi Jin realized something was wrong with her.

Kashiwagi Jin pressed her, Saijo Yasue suppressed her laughter.

Kashiwagi Jin threatened her, Saijo Yasue suppressed her laughter.

Kashiwagi Jin pleaded with her, Saijo Yasue still suppressed her laughter.

He tried appealing to her emotions and reasoning, covering law, morality, family relationships, and the pain of the victims' families—all the standard interrogation tactics used on minors were deployed.

Saijo Yasue couldn't hold it in anymore and blurted out: "You're flustered."

It was as if she were watching a monkey show, only the police were the monkeys, and she was the audience.

Police Inspector Kashiwagi was already full of rage.

As a proud elite of the Career Track, having married the former Face of the Metropolitan Police Department, Kashiwagi Misa, and being widely sought after within the Metropolitan Police Department for his excellent orthodox deduction skills and outstanding "playboy-type" appearance, he was an out-and-out Star Inspector.

Kashiwagi Jin even prided himself on being "the Metropolitan Police Department's final trump card." Driven by a strong sense of justice, he loved his profession, was always proud of his status, and enjoyed living in the spotlight.

Yet, a pile of events over this period had turned his life into a mess!

He had also been following the Chiba Prefecture Serial Murder Case, and when he heard the Metropolitan Police Department could finally intervene openly, Kashiwagi Jin was equally eager to try; he firmly believed that all evil would eventually be brought to justice!

But what was happening now made him want to explode.

After the Joint Special Investigation Headquarters was formed, Kashiwagi Jin had worked himself to the bone on the front lines, day and night, without any results, and all the various hypotheses he proposed were overturned; having his most confident orthodox deduction profile torn to shreds by Uesugi Muneyuki's judgment was already a huge loss of face.

What was even more embarrassing was that Uesugi Muneyuki's judgment was damn right.

It really was done by a high school girl!

That would be one thing; he wasn't someone who didn't respect the facts.

What made Kashiwagi Jin even angrier was that Uesugi Muneyuki had compromised with Public Security in order to investigate the case.

Among the Police Inspectors who came to the front lines, Kashiwagi Jin was the most hostile toward Public Security; he had been quite happy to hear that Public Security had hit a wall!

One thing after another, Kashiwagi Jin was already very unhappy, and now that they had finally caught the culprit, she turned out to be a tough nut to crack who wouldn't listen to reason and was on the verge of breaking.

Hearing her say "You're flustered," this Star Inspector of the Metropolitan Police Department finally lost control; he lunged across the table, grabbed Saijo Yasue by the collar with both hands, and pulled her toward his face: "You did such a cruel thing! Don't you have even a shred of remorse?! Kora!"

"Remorse? What's that?" The expression on Saijo Yasue's face was somewhat bewildered, but she quickly returned to her half-smiling expression and even raised her fist to strike directly at Kashiwagi Jin's handsome face: "As long as you're confident, you can express it however you like."

"You bastard!" Kashiwagi Jin dodged instinctively; he was shocked that this high school girl actually dared to swing a fist at him inside the interrogation room. The Star Inspector's emotions completely spiraled out of control, and he swung a fist back, smashing it hard into Saijo Yasue's face!

Boom!!

Saijo Yasue was struck by Kashiwagi Jin's punch, nosebleed splattering, her body falling to the ground with a crunching sound, and her cheek immediately swelling up.

"Police Inspector Kashiwagi!" "Police Inspector Kashiwagi! Are you alright!"

"Officer, be careful, don't be impulsive!"

The events inside the interrogation room shocked the people from the Metropolitan Police Department watching from outside. Police Inspector Shiratori and Kosaka rushed into the interrogation room, grabbing the out-of-control Kashiwagi Jin and holding him tight.

"Bastard!!!" Kashiwagi Jin roared in anger; if his colleagues hadn't been holding him back, he would have definitely beaten this damn kid!

He was finally restrained.

However, while the police were restraining each other, Saijo Yasue's reaction on the ground was also strange; she neither cried out in pain, nor wept, nor did she show any look of hatred or fear.

She still calmly touched her face: "Your name is Kashiwagi, right? Officer?"

"You hit me and made me bleed."

"I felt your strength; is this what's called anger?"

"If I have the chance, I will definitely pull you apart inch by inch, tear that face of yours open, and make you feel my anger too. I promise, just like..." Saijo Yasue said very calmly, but she quickly shut her mouth: "Never mind, I'm joking."

After saying this, her bloodied face returned to calm, and she relaxed as she stood up with the help of the police and leaned against the chair: "Oh, I'm joking. When are you letting me out?"

The Police Inspectors present saw their own reflections in those hollow, indifferent eyes. The girl had no expression on her face, but that hollow gaze stared deeply at them, watching them as if she wanted to memorize every single one of them.

At this moment, even Kosaka Shinichiro, the Chief of Section 3 with the most experience in handling cases, felt fear.

……………………

The person was taken back for interrogation, while Uesugi Muneyuki and the others searched Saijo Yasue's room. Since her parents did not obstruct them, they searched almost every corner of the small attic room where Saijo Yasue lived, stuffing everything that could be packed into boxes to be taken back to the police headquarters for slow analysis.

"Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th."

Police Inspector Megure, wearing gloves, picked up a pile of videotapes from the house and couldn't help but shake his head: "It certainly matches my imagination, but relying solely on these..."

"I have them in my room too," Uesugi Muneyuki said meaningfully: "I'll be at your doorstep soon."

"Don't scare me." Police Inspector Megure was startled by Uesugi Muneyuki; even though he knew Uesugi Muneyuki was joking, he still felt afraid.

This major case that had stirred the whole country was filled with eerie elements everywhere.

The crime was abnormal, the motive for murder was unknown, the process was strange, and finally, when the suspected culprit was caught, her behavior was also not right.

If not for Uesugi Muneyuki's judgment, Police Inspector Megure would never have been able to connect a 15-year-old high school girl to the culprit of a serial murder case even now.

And thinking about it carefully, Uesugi Muneyuki was actually professional to this degree... what would happen if he committed a crime?

Just thinking about it was scary.

The few of them rummaged through boxes and cabinets for a while and found many manga and some novels, such as No Longer Human and Devilman.

While searching, Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly noticed the super glue on the desk.

"It seems our Ms. Saijo is indeed a master of counter-surveillance," Uesugi Muneyuki picked up the super glue, which was clearly more than half empty, and said to Okada and Megure: "Do you know what this is used for?"

"This is used to erase fingerprints." Without waiting for the two to answer, Uesugi Muneyuki continued, "There are several ways to avoid leaving fingerprints at a crime scene."

"The simplest method is to wear gloves, but fragments left by the gloves might combine with skin dander and hair left inside the gloves to form evidence."

"Then there is this kind of 502 glue." Uesugi Muneyuki demonstrated, "Applying 502 glue to your fingertips can prevent leaving fingerprints."

"Of course, besides that, taking capecitabine also works; that medicine can prevent leaving fingerprints for a long time, but it has side effects, easily causing joint skin inflammation, rashes, and similar problems."

"Strange, she is only a 15-year-old child; using 502 glue to avoid leaving fingerprints and traces—these are techniques only spies and secret agents would know."

Just at this moment, Superintendent Ichijo of Public Security walked in from outside. Hearing Uesugi Muneyuki's words, Superintendent Ichijo also showed a look of confusion: "That is why we in Public Security have always believed it was done by an experienced person, but... how could it be a child?"

"Did you bring the item?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked.

"Yes." Superintendent Ichijo took a flashlight from his person and handed it to Uesugi Muneyuki.

A portable LED uniform-light investigation lamp.

"Megure, please turn off the lights," Uesugi Muneyuki said.

"Huh? Oh!" Police Inspector Megure reached out and turned off the lights in the room. The attic was dim, and the room instantly became pitch black.

"What is this?" Seeing Uesugi Muneyuki turn on the purple light, Okada asked.

"Human skin surfaces secrete oils, and these oils can persist for about two weeks to two months. By examining the oil marks left by fingers, perhaps we can determine what she has mainly been doing at home during this period."

Uesugi Muneyuki held the lamp and walked around the small attic room.

Oil marks appeared on the table, books, pillows, chairs, comic books, videotapes, and the remote control.

It looked like there was nothing special.

Until the light in Uesugi Muneyuki's hand shone on the side panel of the cabinet where books were placed.

There was a large amount of oil marks at a certain position on the side.

"?" Uesugi Muneyuki showed a look of confusion. Oil marks on the side panel? Generally speaking, very few people would repeatedly touch the sides of a bookcase, right?

So he went to the other side of the bookcase, and at almost the same position, there were also a large amount of oil marks on the side panel here.

At this moment, even Megure and Okada understood what was going on.

They reached out with their gloved hands, one person on each side pressing on the positions of the oil marks, and pushed with force together.

Whoosh~

A book hidden behind the bookcase fell to the floor.

This is... a journal?

Uesugi Muneyuki picked up the book from the floor. Just as he opened it, the first page contained hair-raising content.

"Want to become a human!"

"Really want to become a human!!!"

(End of chapter)