Master already knew that I have a lot of resistance towards poison so normal poisons such as TTX or potassium cyanide can't kill me but he still said that I should drink a lot of poison and make sure that the cure is next to me...
But I know how to die in poison, I am always at the brink of death every time I drink that after all.
"Tell me the information..." I said as I took my pen and notepad in my pocket which is always next to me in case of some important events that might happen that I must not forget. We started walking towards the apartment as I noticed that the apartment's exterior part is actually beautiful, just like the flowers in the front of the building or apartment.
"The victim is called Kyousuke Akihiko, 25 years old, male, left-handed, 5'6 feet in height and his current job is being a scientist. Today, he called his friends: Jacob Aegle, Emily Rose Aelianus, Jana Clara, and Lily Hughes. We are still currently investigating the crime scene and the background of the suspects." Luca reported as she continued reading her police notebook.
"He died in cardiac arrest due to cyanide poisoning on his coffee. It also seems like before he died, he picked a pen on the table and he wrote down a kanji word that we are still not familiar with. And going to ask a Japanese person to know what is the meaning behind those words. Internet won't help us because sometimes, the translator is wrong after all..."
We entered the Japanese-like entrance where you must remove your shoes and change them into the sandals provided near the entrance. The door's keyhole is also not showing any sign of robbers or something The door is also silent unless you opened them hardly.
There is also a hallway where at the end will be the living room and the crime scene. The body is still here. Akihiko is a 5-meter tall male adult and based on his face, it is really cyanide poisoning. His lips and nails changed colors and there is an almond smell on his lip.
I also looked around at the officers who keep finding fingerprints and more clues. I saw the symbols "定" and "数" on the wooden table made out of plank woods.
"Teinku, Jouseku, hmm Teisuu? Oh! Teisuu makes sense..." I muttered as I look at the two kanji symbols, deducting what they meant.
"Teisuu? What is that?" Lemuel asked in confusion.
"Well, it is... constant. If you tried to add one more symbol, it must be Jousuukou now which meant constant term..." I smiled widely as they became more confused.
"Then, why would he write it while dying?" Luca asked and then Lemuel agreed.
"Yeah, I wonder too. Japanese kanji is hard to write and it takes several strokes to create one. Why not use hiragana and katakana?" I took a gaze on the table as I started to think what the constant meant.
"Hiragana and Katakana is their another system of writing, right?" Luca asked as she continued, "That is true. The hiragana and katakana only need three to four strikes, right?"
"Yeah. If you count the strokes from the kanji, it must be 8 strokes for "tie" and 13 strokes for "Suu or Kazu". If we change it into katakana and hiragana which is used commonly, there must only be 11 strokes for both systems. Besides who will think of a complicated symbol as they are dying? Only English or katakana will come into your mind, not kanji. Unless you must write it in kanji..." I placed my hands in my chin to start thinking of any reason.
"Wait--you forgot to report the series of events, right?" I asked as I stopped thinking about the dying message. The only thing I need to do is write it down on my notepad. I also drew the table itself for more information.
"We haven't asked about it yet, we only gathered data first and interrogate them after..." Luca went to a door and opened it. There are four people in there, 'This must be the suspects, huh?'
One guy and three women,
"Can I questioned them by myself?" I immediately asked as the four suspects are confused.
"Umm, inspector, who is he?" The only man that is probably named Jacob asked inspector Lemuel as he pointed his index finger towards me.
"Theo Xerios, a new detective which helped us significantly at the crime scene a week ago..." Lemuel replied as he immediately went to the corner, being followed by Luca, and gestured his hands into sitting into the seat which is probably for the interrogator.
"Well, I may be new but I know how the world works... Now, can you please tell me what happened before the crime happened?" I smirked in front of them as I sit down like a demon interrogating newcomers from hell.
"Well, he asked us to reunite together because it's been a while since we met several months ago due to our busy schedules... Then all the four of us cleared our schedule for this day but I didn't know that this will happen..." A beautiful woman sobs as she answered first towards my question.
"Then, now, who came first?" I asked directly without minding the woman who started sobbing.
"It is me..." the man said as he continued, "I came in first and everything is normal that time."
"Then, can you tell us more about the time you went there? Become more specific." I stared at Jacob who is calm which is very suspicious because his friend just died. His eyes aren't showing emotions at all.
'Is he seriously a cold-blooded person like me?' I sighed inwardly as I observe him more closely.
"Well, when I went to the door, I knocked and Akihiko opened the door for me. After that? There is nothing that happened much. I removed my shoes and changed them into slippers on the ground. At that time, he immediately asked me to choose between chocolate coffee, white coffee, or black coffee. I chose white tea because I prefer white tea over the rest of them. Then, he went into the kitchen to make a coffee and after that, he went into the living room where I am politely sitting at,
He went to the bathroom afterward. I waited then suddenly, Emily arrived..." He gazed towards Emily who still can't get over the incident.
"Yes, I arrived next to him. I also did what Jacob did because if we entered a Japanese room, we must use the Japanese manners inside. I sat on the left side of Jacob and the right side of Akihiko. When I knew that Akihiko is in the bathroom, I stood up to brew my black coffee but Jacob said that let him take care of my coffee since Akihiko is in the bathroom and I just arrived..." She stated as her face didn't change.
'Then, the first two people came in can poison him...'
Jacob came in first where Akihiko offered him a coffee but suddenly, Akihiko went to the bathroom, probably leaving his coffee aside. Who would bring a coffee if you are doing your business inside the bathroom?
That means, there are no witnesses during the time Akihiko went inside the toilet.
On the other side, Emily who came in second can also poison him because Akihiko left to brew a coffee for her, leaving no person can testify that she placed poison on Akihiko's coffee.
Also, based on their location, Akihiko must be on the right side because it is next to his room, bathroom, and kitchen while Jacob is on the left side of the table because it is obviously the first thing you would think to sit on. If you used that pattern, then the phrase "left side of Jacob and right side of Akihiko" makes sense.
But why is the coffee of Jacob and Emily swapped? At the table earlier, Jacob had the black coffee while Emily had the white coffee.
"Did you swapped your coffee by any chance?" I asked Emily directly and she replied, "Huh? Yes, I swapped my coffee with Jacob"
"Why?" I continued asking as the police beside me are also listening.
"Because the black coffee he made is so bitter, So, he felt somehow guilty and changed coffee with me..." Emily replied as I look at Jacob who is embarrassed.
I stared at the notes and saw that Akihiko's coffee is a black coffee too.
"Then, who came in next?" I continued the interrogation.
"Then, that is where I came in..." A woman said as I stared at her and asked, "Name?"
"I am Jana. I also did what they did and when I entered, they have their own coffees already but all of them are all not drinking their coffee and Akihiko is already there..." Jana stated as she said slowly.
"Yeah, Akihiko left the bathroom before you came in..." Emily said as she explained and I interrupted, saying, "Why are you not drinking your coffees?"
"Well, we won't drink alone because it is considered selfish in Japanese tradition. We must wait until the five of us are together..." Jana explained as I nods and said, "Continue..."
"After that, no one left the table and I sat between Jacob and Akihiko, Emily is on the other side so I definitely remember that no one left." I looked at the first two people and they understood what I meant. I am asking them if they are going to support that claim.
"Then? What happened next?" I asked as I stared at them with a serious face.
"Our phone ringed and then a video was sent to our group chat. It is the video of Lily who is near here." Jana stated as she tries to remember.
"Where is that place?" I asked and then Jacob said, "At the back of the apartment. We also went there to see if she is there because it is been a while since we saw her beautiful face..."
'He sounded like a pervert...'
"Then?" I touched my temple as I sighed inwardly.
"No one is there but the door suddenly opened and when we came back, the door sounded and saw Lily there, removing her shoes" Jacob continued as I felt that it is all but I still continued asking, "Then?"
"We only chatted without doing anything to each other, we also checked the room where he keeps all of his watches but no one is suspicious... After that, Lily went outside the garden to appreciate the beauty of the flowers, Me and Jana are preparing dishes while Jacob and Akihiko are chatting in the living room." Emily stated.
"Did you drank the coffees?" I asked.
"Umm, no--we are used to this kind of gathering where no one dares to raise their coffee first because it is considered selfishness in Japanese tradition. So, even though we did all of that, no one still drank their coffee. Then after preparing the dishes, Akihiko initiated eating and we raised our coffees and drank them together. That is the time, where he suddenly collapsed. Then, after seeing one of us, his face became dark and then started writing symbols that we don't know what it meant..." Emily stated as she touched her temples.