"What kind of feeling does the receiving party experience?"
After listening to Misako Sato's approximate retelling of the fairy tale, this thought flashed through Senichi's mind, and he couldn't help but blurt it out.
The first time he considered things from Mrs. Matsushita's perspective, he found it incredible that she could endure the relentless demands of such a greedy person. Naturally, this person, who possessed a motive for murder, became the focus of Senichi's and the others' investigation.
Initially, their investigation focused on Mrs. Matsushita, trying to find any leverage she might have over the other party.
However, Mrs. Sannitori 's continuous greed and demands triggered the other party's murderous intent.
But as their investigation progressed, Senichi also gradually noticed some "abnormalities" in Mrs. Matsushita.
It was as if she had a mental condition similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder, an inability to refuse the items the other party demanded. It seemed to be a kind of compulsive behavior.
In fact, Senichi could empathize with her to some extent because he had a similar obsession with light switches in his past life.
And his obsession with light switches had a reason behind it.
It all started when one day Senichi didn't properly press the light switch, leaving it halfway in between "on" and "off."
As a result, the light bulb flickered back and forth between the two states.
And naturally, the light bulb burned out.
Although his parents said it was because the light had been on for a long time that it burned out, after that incident, Senichi often had to press the switch multiple times whenever he turned off the lights.
Over time, it became more serious, and he had to knock on the switch several times.
Although he no longer had this problem after transmigrating for some unknown reason, he still understood the psychological aspect of it.
Based on his speculation, Mrs. Matsushita had probably experienced something similar, which had led to her current condition of compulsively giving items to others and exhibiting a "peculiar compulsion."
The incident her daughter, May, had encountered downstairs at the piano class and May's words when she asked Senichi to help her keep her hat all solidified this point.
However, these abnormalities seemed to weaken the other party's murderous intent.
Because compulsive behavior was a painful condition—you knew it was wrong, but you couldn't help but do it.
Perhaps Mrs. Matsushita was dissatisfied with Mrs. Sannitori 's demands, but she knew that part of the reason for it was herself.
Rather than having the courage to kill, all she needed to do was break ties with the other party, and the contradiction between them wasn't enough to push Mrs. Matsushita to risk murder.
It was even possible that she was waiting for her husband to come back. Presumably, her husband was aware of his wife's condition, and maybe Mrs. Matsushita was just temporarily enduring it.
Once her husband returned, whether it was warning Mrs. Sannitori not to come to their house again or directly taking his wife and daughter to the embassy to escape abroad, they could put an end to all of this.
Therefore, Senichi felt that there must be other factors influencing the situation, at least something to intensify the contradiction and give Mrs. Matsushita a reason to have the "impulse to kill."
Previously, he had been perplexed by Mrs. Matsushita's "abnormalities," so when he started considering things from another perspective, Senichi had always been thinking from her point of view.
But now, after unraveling a large part of this mystery, he suddenly realized that he hadn't been looking at the situation from Mrs. Sannitori's position.
It was like in the fairy tale when the prince gave gold coins to the poor, he would naturally be appreciated by the poor.
But what if the receiving "poor person" didn't experience the "happiness" that the prince had envisioned?
We often tend to stand on the high ground, unilaterally believing that it's a happy story just like the title of the fairy tale "The Happy Prince."
"But what if the receiving party actually feels 'humiliation' instead of 'gratitude' towards the charity?"
"What thoughts does the person receiving the gifts have?"
Upon hearing Senichi's words, the three of them exchanged glances, never having considered this question before. Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
But as they seriously contemplated Senichi's words, they couldn't help but understand his meaning.
"Senichi-san, are you saying that Mrs. Sannitori is actually dissatisfied with Mrs. Matsushita's act of giving her items?" Takagi, who was investigating the case together with Senichi, quickly organized his thoughts and grasped the meaning behind Senichi's words.
"Yes, when we were investigating, Mrs. Sannitori received a lot of things from Mrs. Matsushita, including expensive items like necklaces," Senichi stroked his chin. "But how did Mrs. Sannitori handle these items she received from Mrs. Matsushita?"
"Well... I think most people would take good care of them, right?" Yumi Miyamoto interjected. "After all, they are things she shamelessly asked for."
"In that house?" Senichi's mind flashed to the messy room and furrowed his brow. "The thoughts of both the giver and the receiver are shrouded in mystery."
"Ah... well..." Takagi forced a smile. From Senichi's words, it was evident what their task for the afternoon would be.
Although Mrs. Matsushita knew about the other party's "abnormalities," her own mindset was still unclear, and they had no way of knowing what Mrs. Sannitori was thinking.
Senichi couldn't determine for certain if Mrs. Matsushita was the culprit at this point. Based on the current situation, she did have the motive, but it was only a motive.
The investigation had reached a bottleneck, and since they had another line of thought and clues, even if it was troublesome, Senichi could only continue delving deeper along this lead.
There might be some gains in the future, but it could also turn out to be fruitless. However, it was still better than being at a dead end.
After finishing their meal, Takagi, who seemed to have snapped out of the "romantic mood," felt the countless murderous gazes around them and awkwardly pulled Senichi away from the cafeteria.
Once they arrived at the office, Takagi finally breathed a sigh of relief. "What should we do next? It's lunchtime, so it's not suitable to pay a visit, right..."
But after waiting for a while, Takagi didn't receive a reply from Senichi.
When he turned to look at Senichi, he noticed that Senichi was holding the hat Mayu had given him, earnestly examining something...
......
After the lunch break, the two of them drove to the Sannitori residence.
The male head of the Sannitori household was not at home at the moment. After all, his wife had been murdered in their house, and even though they couldn't hold a funeral and retrieve the body temporarily due to the case, they still needed to contact the wife's family.
Outside the house, a police line had been set up, and officers were stationed there. After showing their credentials, the two of them were able to enter the room smoothly.
However, what followed was quite awkward. Returning to the crime scene once again, Senichi couldn't help but furrow his brow at the sight of the chaotic room.
It seemed like it would take a lot of time.