If there was an achievement called "Atmosphere Killer" in the system, Senichi would have undoubtedly achieved it.
With Senichi's sudden words, the previously harmonious atmosphere instantly turned into a heavy "hell."
The smiles of the three ladies also turned into a somber expression, and their faces didn't look too good.
"Mrs. Sannitori came here last year, right?" Just when the atmosphere turned heavy, Mrs. Matsushita, after comforting her daughter, walked over and took the initiative to speak.
"I remember taking her here... It was Mrs. Katori, I think," the lady in the black coat looked at Mrs. Katori, who was wearing a white dress.
And she was the one that Senichi previously felt weighed down by her worries.
"Yes... that's right... it was me," Mrs. Katori nodded slightly with a somewhat unnatural expression.
"Then, may I ask... what kind of person is Mrs. Sannitori ?" Officer Takagi asked.
The four ladies looked at each other in silence when they heard this question.
In this unfavorable atmosphere, most of the things they said afterward were meaningless words, such as why they came here, what they were studying, and so on.
It seemed that the ladies were hiding something, but they couldn't speak up in the current situation.
Afterward, Senichi steered the conversation away from this sensitive topic.
Time passed quickly, and it was time to pick up the children. The four ladies got up to bid farewell, and Senichi and the others also stood up and left together.
"Well then, take care."
As the hostess, Mrs. Matsushita bid farewell to everyone, and the three ladies returned the gesture.
"We'll take our leave."
"Take care on the way."
"We've been a nuisance for a while." Senichi apologized.
"Oh, it's no problem." Mrs. Matsushita smiled gently and said, "I wonder if what we said can be of help to you?"
"It has great reference value for us." Senichi replied politely.
"Um... may I ask a question..." Hesitant, Mrs. Matsushita hesitated and asked, "Why was Mrs. Sannitori killed?"
"Oh, that's the reason we're currently investigating," Takagi evaded the question.
"I saw on the news that Mrs. Sannitori was strangled..."
"Yes, well, that's true," Takagi replied.
"Please make sure to bring the perpetrator to justice," Mrs. Matsushita looked at the two of them expectantly.
"Yes, that's our job." Senichi spoke up.
Afterward, Mrs. Matsushita bid them farewell and closed the door.
Standing outside the door, Senichi and Takagi exchanged glances. Takagi pointed to the roads on the left and right, indicating which direction to go.
Senichi pointed to the right and took the lead, with Takagi quickly following.
The two directions that Officer Takagi indicated were the paths the three ladies took to leave.
Mrs. Katori took the right side, while the other two ladies took the left.
The reason Senichi chose to follow Mrs. Katori was that she seemed burdened from the moment they met. Her enthusiasm was also not high, and he learned from others that she was the one who introduced Mrs. Sannitori to this place.
The more people mentioned her, the heavier Mrs. Katori's expression became.
Given these circumstances, it was only natural to approach her for questioning. Moreover, there were no other people around now, so the words that couldn't be spoken at Mrs. Matsushita's house could likely be asked now.
Senichi and Takagi jogged all the way to the intersection and soon spotted Mrs. Katori's figure.
"Mrs. Katori."
Hearing someone calling her name, she stopped and turned her head to see Senichi and Takagi. "May I help you with something?"
"Sorry, can we take up some of your time?"
"That... it's time for my children to be dismissed from school. I have to go pick them up..." Mrs. Katori rubbed her hands apologetically. "If it's possible, please come with me."
Clearly, she knew that since the two detectives found her, they wouldn't give up so easily on this matter. So she proposed that they go together to pick up the children.
Naturally, Senichi and Takagi agreed. They first accompanied Mrs. Katori to pick up her two children, and then they all headed to her house.
"Please come in."
After letting the two children play inside the house, Mrs. Katori invited the two detectives into the living room.
When visiting someone's home, it's customary for the host to serve tea to the guests.
As Senichi and Takagi sat in the living room, waiting for the hostess to brew tea, the two children were in a nearby room, watching the toy trains running tirelessly on the tracks, making a "chugging" sound.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Mrs. Katori walked over with a tea tray, placing the cups in front of the two detectives. She smiled and said, "I used to think detectives were scarier."
"Our styles are different," Senichi laughed. "Just like the three of you ladies."
"Huh?" Mrs. Katori voiced her confusion.
"All the ladies who gathered at Mrs. Matsushita's today are quite diverse," Senichi casually brought up an open-ended topic, wanting to see how she would respond.
"Well, that's true, but among them, only Miss Matsushita is a socialite," Mrs. Katori replied with a smile.
"A socialite? That's indeed the case."
Takagi felt that by following the flow of the conversation, he could gather more information about Mrs. Matsushita, so he skillfully guided the conversation, "After all, she looks wealthy, and her upbringing must have been different from that of ordinary people."
"Not because of those reasons. It's because Miss Matsushita had a different living environment from ordinary people in the past," Mrs. Katori waved her hand to deny.
"But in our eyes, you are also a true socialite," Senichi complimented her with a smile.
That statement wasn't entirely false. Among the three ladies, Mrs. Katori was the most attractive one. Her innocent appearance made her look like a girl in her twenties, and one couldn't even tell she was the mother of two children.
"Oh... that's too much. I'm not any different from other housewives. I'm just an ordinary homemaker busy with everyday family matters and taking care of the children," Mrs. Katori said modestly. "Even though Miss Matsushita has taught me many things, I haven't had the energy to put them into practice."
"Then... Why did everyone gather there together?" Officer Takagi continued to inquire.
"Oh, well... rather than saying it was to pass the time and forget about the monotonous daily routine, it's more like being with Miss Matsushita makes us feel like we've become socialites ourselves," Mrs. Katori said somewhat embarrassedly. "This kind of feeling is probably hard for men to understand. It's something that only we idle housewives would think about."