Chapter 302: The Hakone Hot Spring Murder Case

PS: Because I have to watch my brother's match today, there is only one update. Tenzi also wishes all the book friends a Happy Mother's Day here~

"Have you called the police?" Uesugi Muneyuki thought for a moment and asked first.

Being able to save on room fees was naturally a great benefit. Although Uesugi Muneyuki now had a fixed annual income of 4 million yen (the Medical and Dental University one was gone), adding up various miscellaneous items brought his annual income to 7 million yen, which could barely be considered lower-middle class, but he still wouldn't completely disregard 250,000 yen.

Japanese society is spindle-shaped. The vast majority of Japanese people have an annual income in the range of 3.3 million to 5.8 million yen. If the annual income is over 6 million, it is considered a small middle class, allowing the wife to be a housewife and maintain a decent life. For Japanese people, if the annual income is over 10 million yen, that is an out-and-out wealthy class.

This society is generally relatively balanced, though only relatively. The institutional design of Japanese society has a relatively good bottom-line mechanism, allowing for "lying flat" and rotting away. However, relatively speaking, it is the limit for a normal person to rely on their own ability to earn 7 or 8 million a year without a background, and there is almost no room for further upward mobility.

Then, who can afford to stay in a hot spring inn that costs 200,000 yen a night? At the very least, the annual income must be over 12 million, right?

"We have reported it. The nearby police station has already sent people to rush over, but... there hasn't been a homicide here for several years. Patrol Sergeant Sonoda indicated that he cannot handle it and needs to request support from the headquarters."

Patrol Sergeant Sonoda?

Uesugi Muneyuki immediately raised his eyebrows; this name sounded a bit familiar.

But in any case, it was good that the police had arrived. Otherwise, if there were problems with the evidence collection and investigation procedures, even if evidence were collected, it could not be used as evidence in court. For example, if one followed proper Japanese law, the vast majority of investigations and evidence collection in "Detective Conan" would be illegal. Every time Conan and Hattori Heiji investigated, they would be conducting illegal searches, and they would likely be sentenced to many years for dozens or hundreds of crimes combined.

"Let's go in and take a look." Uesugi Muneyuki said to the two beauties, one big and one small, behind him. His tone was unprecedentedly gentle: "Can you move? Do you feel any better?"

A man is always different toward the woman who gave her virginity to him. Ikeda was completely unaffected at the time, but Minami was too delicate, and Uesugi Muneyuki especially cherished and treasured this young lady of the Metropolitan Police Department, his own fiancée.

"Mm... I'm fine, Eirina is helping me." A sweet, apple-like blush appeared on the sweet face of the young lady Minami. She leaned halfway against the tall beauty: "You just do your work, we'll just be spectators."

The young lady's pair of long legs, wrapped in black baroque jacquard silk stockings, were slightly pressed together, both happy and shy.

*Mm, I, too, have completely turned into Muneyuki's shape, just like Eirina. *

"Hey~! Hey! Who are you people? This is a crime scene, you cannot enter!" The first to arrive were a few police officers from the local Hakone Police Station. A police officer wearing a thick suit jacket, aged about thirty-two or thirty-three, immediately reached out to signal that unauthorized persons were not allowed inside.

However, after he saw clearly who had arrived, he was so scared that his flashlight dropped to the ground.

Uesugi Muneyuki?!

"Hm? Isn't this Patrol Sergeant Sonoda?" Uesugi Muneyuki recognized this guy.

Isn't this the Patrol Sergeant Sonoda who came out to testify at the multi-party symposium on the Kanagawa body-dumping case, and who personally handled the case 5 years ago and ruled Nikaido Kei's death a "drowning suicide"? This guy even tried to pretend he didn't know at first, and only admitted it after being exposed by the deceased's father.

Patrol Sergeant Sonoda was full of resentment, thinking, *Isn't this all because of you! *

*You caused me to be transferred from the prefectural headquarters to this place! *

"Forensic Examiner Uesugi, I don't care if you are here for sightseeing or whatever, in short, please do not interfere with official duties. We have not requested guidance from the Metropolitan Police Department either." Patrol Sergeant Sonoda was also tough for a moment: "This involves the privacy of the deceased and the case, please do not enter!"

Seeing him like this, Uesugi Muneyuki was very annoyed.

*It's clearly the problem of you Kanagawa police yourselves, and you're blaming me? *

*Then I don't care. If I hadn't encountered it, that would be one thing, but since I have encountered such a thing, and the Qinghui Stone has lit up, then I must handle it! *

Seeing that both sides were unwilling to give way, the young lady Minami smiled sweetly and, supported by Eirina, slowly approached: "Patrol Sergeant Sonoda, hello, I am Police Inspector Watanabe Minami, and this is Police Sergeant Ikeda Eirina."

"Police Inspector, Sergeant, hello." Patrol Sergeant Sonoda could only salute, after all, these two held much higher ranks than him: "It is an honor to meet you, but even if you are the daughter of the Superintendent General and the Chief of the Special Mission Unit, it is still..."

"We are here to help you." Minami said with a light laugh: "Sonoda-san, being transferred to Hakone, you aren't very happy, right? Do you want to return to the prefectural headquarters?"

"Uh..." Patrol Sergeant Sonoda's expression changed inexplicably.

"You were wronged in the last incident. As for five years ago, that must have been a judgment made by Assistant Police Inspector Sato. We believe you are a good police officer. Didn't you overcome the difficulties in the end and bravely come out to testify?" Minami continued: "Now is a great opportunity. Muneyuki is right here. He performed the autopsy, and you solved the case. You will be the great hero of the first homicide in Hakone in years. When the time comes, I will have a word with Uncle Kobayashi, and with this merit, won't you be able to return to the prefectural headquarters?"

Patrol Sergeant Sonoda's eyes lit up.

*That's right, why didn't I think of that? *

*Uesugi performs the autopsy while I am present, Uesugi deduces while I command. If it succeeds, the credit is all mine; if there are problems, the responsibility is all Uesugi's! *

*Ah, yes~ ah, yes~ yes~ yes~*

*I was truly muddled. No wonder I'm still just a Patrol Sergeant at thirty-two. The people from Tokyo really have more ink in their bellies and know the ropes! *

"Apologies, Uesugi-san, it was I who didn't think clearly. Please, come in, please come in!"

Patrol Sergeant Sonoda immediately pulled up the yellow tape, signaling for Uesugi Muneyuki to enter the scene to perform the autopsy.

Ikeda Eirina couldn't help but glance at the young lady Minami, only to see the young lady Minami smile sweetly, signaling, *You guys, you can't do it without me. One is stupid and one is straightforward; without me, you wouldn't know how many people you'd offend. *

*There is only one person in the Special Mission Unit who can call the wind and summon the rain, and that is Muneyuki. And there is only one person in the Special Mission Unit who can shield from the wind and rain, and that is this young lady! *

*Ouch, my legs are still weak... * In the end, the young lady was still supported by Eirina as she walked into the scene.

"Deceased, Fujiwara Nobuhiro, 39 years old, Director of the Japan Economic Friends Association, Chairman of the Japan Association for the Elimination of Child Poverty, Vice President of Okada Children's Products Co., Ltd."

"Deceased, Fujiwara Temari, 32 years old, housewife."

"Deceased, Kamikawa Eisa, 36 years old, lobby manager of a Mitsubishi UFJ Bank branch."

Uesugi Muneyuki observed the scene while listening to Patrol Sergeant Sonoda's introduction. He thought for a moment and asked: "What is the Economic Friends Association?"

"It is an association composed of a series of economic and financial institutions, responsible for industry coordination among financial institutions such as Daiwa Securities, Nikko Asset Management, Okasan Securities, Goldman Sachs Japan, etc.," the young lady Minami said from the side.

"Mm, we found the scene like this when we arrived," Patrol Sergeant Sonoda said in a low voice.

"Early this morning, the inn staff heard arguing and the sound of heavy objects hitting something here, so they knocked on the door to ask what was happening, but there was no response. Out of respect for the guests' privacy, they didn't inquire further. It wasn't until 8:30 in the morning, when the breakfast reserved for this room was delivered to the door, that the staff knocked and received no response, so they used a door card to open the door and saw this scene before us."

Uesugi Muneyuki nodded, indicating he understood.

The three deceased at the scene, Fujiwara Nobuhiro and Kamikawa Eisa, were both in a state of nudity, and with Uesugi Muneyuki's forensic experience, it was easy to see that the two had been "exercising" before they died.

As for Fujiwara Temari, the wife of Fujiwara Nobuhiro, she was wearing a perfectly intact Tomesode Kimono. She was lying on her back on the tatami mat, next to a wooden cabinet. The drawer of the cabinet had been pulled out a bit, and there was blood on the corner of the drawer.

*It really is one man and two women, and they really were exercising! *

The young lady Minami and Ikeda Eirina on the side had already understood what was going on, their faces flushed red and they were unable to speak.

"Is someone missing?" Uesugi Muneyuki frowned: "What about Mrs. Kamikawa's husband, Mr. Kamikawa Kiyoshi?"

"We have sent people to look for him," Patrol Sergeant Sonoda said: "After we received the report, we immediately considered Kamikawa Kiyoshi a major suspect. As for the reason..."

Patrol Sergeant Sonoda coughed twice, appearing slightly embarrassed: "Someone saw Kamikawa Kiyoshi lurking in the vicinity."

As soon as he finished speaking, two patrol officers from outside walked in, escorting a man of about 40 years old.

"Let me go! It wasn't me, I don't know anything!" This man was wearing a loose Yukata and gold-rimmed glasses. At a glance, he was a typical elite successful person. He was held up by the two police officers in quite a disheveled state, his face full of panic.

Kamikawa Kiyoshi, 38 years old, senior fund manager at Nomura Bank, a subsidiary of Nomura Holdings in Japan.

"Shut up! You guy, what kind of joke are you playing!" Patrol Sergeant Sonoda instinctively pointed at the scene on the floor and roared: "Besides you, who else could it be? The person who died is your wife, and she and Mr. Fujiwara... it must be that you killed the Fujiwara couple and your own wife to take revenge, right?"

"It wasn't me, I didn't do it, I don't know anything! My wife said last night that she was going to Lake Ashi to watch the sunrise this morning; I had no idea she..." Kamikawa Kiyoshi tried to explain in a flustered state: "I woke up and couldn't find Eisa, so..."

"Then why did you run when you saw us?" The two Detectives pinned him down firmly.

"I... I..." Kamikawa Kiyoshi truly found it hard to speak; he suddenly knelt on the ground in deep despair: "Wait, can we wait for my lawyer to arrive here first? I am truly innocent, I cannot be implicated in a murder case, I really didn't kill anyone, I cannot..."

"Save those words for your lawyer back at the station!" Patrol Sergeant Sonoda couldn't be bothered to listen.

Three people are dead: one is your unfaithful wife, one is your wife's lover, and one is the lover's wife; plus, someone saw you passing by nearby. In this situation, if it isn't you, then who could it be?

Don't underestimate the authentic deduction of us Japan police!

Ikeda Erena, standing to the side, looked on, puzzled: "Why is he so agitated? If he really didn't kill them, he will naturally be released after the investigation. Looking at him like this, he is nine times out of ten the murderer."

"It's very simple, because he is a finance man." Miss Minami chuckled and whispered: "He is a fund Manager under Nomura Bank; you can understand him as an agent who manages assets and venture capital for many big clients. People like him value their reputation and image the most. Once involved in a case, even if he is proven innocent in the end, would the big clients still dare to entrust their money to him?"

"Oh, so that's how it is." Erena understood roughly.

Just then, the Death Soul Contract was completed, and Uesugi Muneyuki, with a complex and unreadable expression on his face, wanting to laugh but not daring to, suddenly said to Patrol Sergeant Sonoda: "Let him go, he is not the murderer."

"Huh?!" As soon as these words were spoken, everyone at the scene was stunned.

Kamikawa Kiyoshi, not the murderer?

That's impossible, no matter how you think about it, it's him.

"He is indeed not the murderer." Uesugi Muneyuki suppressed his laughter, shook his head, and said: "This murder case has no murderer, or rather, the only murderer in this case is this person."

He pointed his finger at the corpse on the ground, which was the fully clothed Lady Fujiwara Temari.

"She is the only murderer."

Uesugi Muneyuki's words left everyone even more confused.

A corpse, can kill people?!

(End of this chapter)