The pink walls and wooden floorboards gave Yoko Okino's room a simple appearance, with minimal furniture. Perhaps it was just a temporary residence.
As soon as Fujino entered the room, he felt a wave of heat. Looking up, he saw that the central air conditioning was blowing hot air.
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be an important breakthrough in this case," Fujino murmured, examining the air conditioning before turning his attention to the body lying in the middle of the room. The body lay straight on the floor, with a fruit knife stuck in its back.
Observing the somewhat stiff corpse, Fujino felt a wave of unease. Suddenly, he experienced dizziness and nausea. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Fujino sighed, "I guess I'm still not used to this."
Honestly, this was the first time Fujino had seen such a fresh corpse, even though he was originally a high school detective. Usually, his cases involved finding cats, dogs, or investigating extramarital affairs. He had never dealt with a murder case before.
However, Fujino had a strong capacity for acceptance. The discomfort soon faded. After it passed, he glanced behind him to ensure the room was empty before moving to the corner of the room by the sofa. Bending down, he searched and soon found a hard object.
It was a gold earring, which Fujino recognized as belonging to Yuko Ikeze. He initially thought that since Yuko had hired him, she wouldn't investigate the scene herself. However, reality proved otherwise; Yuko had entered and investigated the room, leading to the bloody idol case.
Did she not trust him? Fujino put the earring in his pocket, feeling somewhat upset. Nevertheless, the complications of the situation had resolved themselves. After a moment's thought, a bold idea formed in Fujino's mind. Perhaps he could profit significantly from this case.
Five minutes later, accompanied by sirens, the police arrived at the crime scene. Leading the team was a plump man named Juzo Megure.
"So, you're saying that when you returned home, you found this man already dead?" Megure asked, questioning Yoko Okino as usual.
"Yes," Yoko nodded, her eyes filled with concealed sadness. "When I returned from Fujino Detective Agency, I opened the door and found him dead in the room..."
"Detective Fujino..." Megure turned to Fujino, "Are you the detective who was with Yoko Okino when she discovered the crime scene?"
"Yes," Fujino nodded, introducing himself. "My name is Fujino. I'm a detective."
"You're not a high school detective, are you?" Megure asked, noticing Fujino's youthful but mature appearance.
"Yes... I'm still in high school," Fujino confirmed, adding, "I go to the same school as Shinichi Kudo."
"Ah, I see. It's Fujino," Megure muttered, recalling the familiar figure of Kudo. It had been a while since Kudo had appeared, affecting the case-solving efficiency. He wondered if Fujino could be as good as Kudo.
After pondering for a moment, Megure asked Fujino, "Did you find any clues at the scene?"
"Clues...," Fujino touched his chin. "Maybe the room temperature being high."
"The high room temperature..." Megure wiped the sweat from his temple. "I've felt it since we entered. The room is indeed hot."
He turned to Yoko Okino and asked, "Yoko, was the air conditioning set this high when you left?"
"No," Yoko shook her head. "I remember the power was off when I left in the morning."
"That's strange..." Megure said, taking a deep breath before asking the forensic officer examining the body, "Have you determined the cause of death?"
"Yes," the officer replied. "The cause of death was a single fatal stab wound from the fruit knife in the back. Due to the high room temperature, estimating the time of death is difficult."
Nodding, Megure looked at Yoko Okino with suspicion. "If I'm not mistaken, the knife that killed the victim belongs to you..."
"Officer, are you suspecting Yoko?" The manager, panicked, interjected.
"Based on the evidence, Yoko has a strong motive for murder..." Megure frowned, then asked the nervous manager, "Who are you, and why are you so concerned about our suspicion of Yoko?"
"I... I'm Yoko's manager, Eiichi Yamagishi."
"Oh, Yoko's manager... No wonder," Megure muttered. "Do you recognize the victim?"
Both Yoko and Yamagishi studied the body, showing shock. However, their surprise quickly faded.
"I... I need to take a closer look," Yamagishi said, noticing a strand of hair in the victim's hand. As he approached the body, he slipped and nearly fell on it. But Fujino caught him just in time.
Pulling Yamagishi up, Fujino smiled, "Mr. Manager, slipping near the body could hinder the investigation. Or were you trying to interfere with the investigation?"
"No... No, of course not!" Yamagishi stammered, explaining, "I just slipped!"
"Really?" Fujino's eyes narrowed, his smile growing colder. "It seems like you know the victim..."
(End of Chapter)