Chapter Twelve: Shocking the Police Station for an Entire Year (Part Two)

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“Go. Go now!”

Uesugi Sōsetsu stared down at the waxen mummy. His roar left the scene in complete silence. The only sound was the unending wail of sirens nearby. Beneath Tokyo’s dusky sky, the neon colors and distant clamor formed a striking contrast with the solitude beneath the bridge.

Like a drop of water falling onto the surface of a clear, tranquil lake, Uesugi Sōsetsu’s words stirred up a monstrous wave. He himself did not seem to realize it. After attempting to commune with the dead, he withdrew his hand, only to find that not a single police officer at the scene had moved. Growing impatient, he said, “Go on! Hurry up and do as I said!”

Still, no one moved. Several more seconds passed before Old Man Tanaka finally closed his gaping mouth.

“Uesugi, my boy… how did you determine that—”

“Send people to investigate first. Don’t delay the case! I’ll naturally explain the reasoning afterward. First, send someone to check with the Meteorological Agency, then have them canvass the surrounding neighborhoods. Quickly.”

Uesugi Sōsetsu repeated himself.

The manifested form of Rāgarāja enshrined upon him shone with a vivid crimson radiance. The wrathful deity opened its third eye, and Uesugi Sōsetsu’s words carried a force brimming with fierce infectious conviction, causing everyone present to obey almost instinctively.

“Kuwabara, do as Uesugi says,” Old Man Tanaka instructed his subordinates.

“Yes. You lot, come here. Do exactly as Mr. Uesugi ordered.” Kuwabara immediately relayed the command to the patrol officers from the local police box and the inspectors maintaining order at the scene.

“Good. You, go now. Kobayashi, you’re responsible for First Street. Yoshinaga, go check Second Street. Fukagawa, you…”

The inspectors in charge of the subordinate police boxes immediately distributed the assignments once again. Before long, the newly recruited patrolmen and the inspectors who had served for years began running their errands.

Seeing that the tasks had been assigned, Uesugi Sōsetsu nodded and began explaining the reasoning behind his conclusion.

“This body did not die recently. The deceased has been dead for several years.” Uesugi Sōsetsu addressed Assistant Police Inspector Tanaka and the remaining inspectors. “The reason the body has remained mostly intact is that it underwent adipocere formation. You’ve probably heard that the bodies of some ancient desert civilizations remain undecayed for thousands of years, haven’t you?”

“But why hasn’t the body decomposed?” Old Man Tanaka asked in confusion. “Tokyo isn’t a vast desert. A corpse should begin to rot within a day or two. Wasn’t that what you said last time, Uesugi?”

Uesugi Sōsetsu nodded with his eyes closed.

“That is correct. Under normal circumstances, corpses decompose. For the entire body to become waxen and turn into a mummy is exceedingly rare, so this requires some explanation.”

He held up three fingers.

“First, after a person dies, blood circulation ceases and the body no longer receives moisture. The water in the skin therefore begins to evaporate, and the corpse gradually dries out. At the same time, human skin is relatively thin. Provided that the temperature and moisture are suitable, the body will gradually begin to decompose.”

“However, if the corpse is exposed to a low-temperature, continuously dry environment before decomposition begins, leathery transformation—that is, adipocere formation—will occur first. The outer surface of the body then closes over, and as moisture continues to escape, the corpse loses the conditions necessary for decomposition. It transforms into a waxen mummy.”

Uesugi Sōsetsu pointed at the body on the ground.

“That is why it has become what you see here.”

“I see.” Old Man Tanaka looked only half-convinced. “But what does that have to do with your earlier conclusion, Uesugi?”

“Tokyo has a typical temperate monsoon climate. The temperature is too high, cellular activity is too vigorous, and microbial activity is too high. Under such conditions, adipocere formation would be impossible. Therefore, we can conclude that the deceased disappeared during winter. Tokyo’s winters remain cold enough for more than a month, giving the body sufficient time to become waxen. That is the first point.”

Uesugi Sōsetsu nodded, then continued.

“Next is the question of humidity. If the environment surrounding the body is sufficiently damp, then even at a low temperature, the body will still decompose as long as it does not freeze. But take a look at the surroundings.”

Everyone raised their heads. Towering buildings stood on both sides of Eihei Bridge, their magnificent nighttime lights illuminating the city. Only near the bridge was there a low-rise residential district. Beneath the bridge, the wind blew without pause.

“Oh! I understand,” Assistant Inspector Tanaka said, suddenly enlightened. “You mean there has always been wind here, constantly drying the corpse. All we need to do is determine which winters in the past few years were both especially windy and received very little rain, keeping the humidity low enough to prevent decomposition?”

“Exactly. That is why I want you to investigate which years had strong winds but little rainfall.” Uesugi Sōsetsu nodded repeatedly.

“Wow!”

Gasps of admiration rose from the surrounding officers.

He was incredible. Tanaka Naoki felt as though the twenty years he had spent solving cases had all been wasted. The more carefully the old inspector considered it, the more he realized that Uesugi was absolutely right.

“Now that’s what I call impressive!”

The officers nearby voiced their admiration one after another.

That was professionalism.

Before the praise had even finished, however, Old Man Tanaka raised another question.

“There’s no problem with the theory that he disappeared in winter during a windy year. But why do you say he wandered away from home and suffered from a psychological disorder? Why not suicide, an accidental fall, or even a criminal case? He has so many wounds on his body.”

“Yes, why?” Inspector Kuwabara also came over. He had discovered that he rather enjoyed listening to Uesugi Sōsetsu explain his deductions. “Why is that?”

“A man in his thirties, wearing pajamas, freezing to death beneath a bridge—there is nothing normal about that.” Uesugi Sōsetsu continued his explanation. “Regardless of an adult’s circumstances, the instinct to find food and warmth is fundamental. Human beings are not cats or dogs. Even if someone leaves home, he will instinctively seek out possible assistance, or at the very least find some way to keep himself from dying so quickly.”

“So you believe the deceased had a mental disorder?” Old Man Tanaka stroked his chin, beginning to understand. “That makes sense. It is strange enough for someone to leave home in the middle of winter wearing pajamas and crawl beneath a bridge. But…”

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“You mean the wounds on the body?” Uesugi Sōsetsu pointed at the marks covering the mummy. “They were self-inflicted.”

“What?”

“Look closely. Generally speaking, the surface area of the fingers is relatively large, so they dry more easily and are more prone to adipocere formation. Likewise, if a corpse in a dehydrated state suffers abrasions, moisture escapes more rapidly from the wounds. Once dried, they harden and turn dark brown.”

Uesugi Sōsetsu’s voice grew solemn.

“There are numerous small wounds like these on the surface of the hands, as well as on other parts of the body. They can be identified with the naked eye. Some were inflicted before death, while others were sustained during the process of dying.”

“When a person is injured, there is pain. When there is pain, people instinctively seek some way to alleviate it. But the deceased seems not to have cared at all. This strongly suggests that he was an adult with a mental disorder who was prone to injuring himself in daily life. He suffered a sudden episode on a winter night and left home wearing pajamas. Unable to find his way, he instinctively sought out a dark, confined place to hide and ultimately froze to death beneath the bridge pier. It was winter, and the weather was bitterly cold. The body froze rigid. This location lies in a natural depression, where strong winds passed through. The constant wind caused the body to undergo adipocere formation.”

Uesugi Sōsetsu summed up his conclusion.

“A person with an intellectual disability could not have traveled very far in the depths of winter. If you investigate the nearby streets, you will certainly discover the deceased’s true identity.”

“Brilliant. Simply brilliant!”

Assistant Inspector Tanaka had no idea what to say.

It all fit.

Every detail fit!

Could this young man really be a genius?

After hearing Uesugi’s explanation, the surrounding police officers were utterly astounded. They shook their heads again and again, their admiration boundless.

Even the onlookers gathered nearby were speechless.

Professor Ōkōchi had put on his gloves and was preparing to examine the body again, but after hearing Uesugi Sōsetsu’s complete reconstruction of events, the old professor found himself unable to offer a single rebuttal. With a sigh, he quietly removed his gloves.

He felt there was no longer any need to accompany the police to crime scenes. With this young man’s abilities, he could perform autopsies perfectly well on his own.

Perhaps this was the path best suited to him.

Only an hour after they had begun waiting at the scene, a new discovery was reported. A newly recruited patrolman hurried over excitedly.

“We found them, Assistant Inspector Tanaka! We found the deceased’s family!”

“The deceased was Yokojima Takao, thirty-three years old. He suffered from a mental disorder and disappeared five years ago after leaving home one winter. His family had assumed he was already dead… They never imagined his body would be found here!”

“We made inquiries and contacted them immediately. Assistant Inspector, should we have the family come to the scene to identify the body?”

“Of course. What kind of question is that?” Old Man Tanaka naturally wanted to finish work as soon as possible. “Bring them here at once.”

After arranging everything, Assistant Inspector Tanaka and Inspector Kuwabara looked at Uesugi Sōsetsu as though he were a monster.

“You really called it, Uesugi! Amitabha! Are all the new forensic doctors monsters these days? You’re incredible. If every forensic doctor were like you, the police wouldn’t be needed anymore.”

“You flatter me, Mr. Tanaka.” Uesugi Sōsetsu remained calm. “I’m merely a forensic doctor. My job is simply to clarify what happened… Um, when can we finish here?”

“Just wait until the family arrives and identifies the body. If everything matches and they have no further requests, we can wrap up. Other people will handle the rest.” Old Man Tanaka let out a long sigh of relief and enthusiastically patted Uesugi Sōsetsu on the shoulder. “It’s only eight in the evening. You’ve saved me half the night, my boy!”

“That’s true. If you get home before nine, you might even make it in time for a hot dinner from your wife.” Uesugi Sōsetsu raised an eyebrow. “But remember to settle my overtime pay. From five to eight, it’s two thousand yen per hour. And don’t forget the autopsy fee from last time and the fee for this one.”

“Certainly!” Old Man Tanaka thought that would be easy enough. It was not his money, after all.

He could simply claim half a day’s overtime for Uesugi.

As for himself, he would report that he had worked until dawn and take half a day off in compensation.

Amitabha. Ever since meeting this young man, life seemed to be getting easier and easier.

It appeared Tanaka’s luck had finally turned. He had recently complained about his misfortune and the endless accidents, yet that misfortune had led him to meet a talent like Uesugi Sōsetsu. It was just as the old saying went: fortune hides within misfortune, and misfortune lurks within fortune.

The old inspector was positively delighted.

Uesugi Sōsetsu, on the other hand, was in a thoroughly foul mood.

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He had not been able to absorb a soul from this autopsy. The body had been dead for too long, and the power of the contract had failed to awaken its dead spirit. Moreover, judging from the nature of his contracted ability, people with mental disorders did not even form complete dead spirits after death.

That was the real reason Uesugi Sōsetsu had concluded that the deceased suffered from a psychological disorder. Earlier, when the wife of the Ishizaka couple had developed Alzheimer’s disease, her dead spirit had also been extraordinarily weak.

An excellent forensic doctor had to possess the courage to draw conclusions.

Some time later, the family arrived.

An elderly couple with graying hair supported each other as they approached the scene. They recognized their son after only a brief examination.

“Yes, that’s Takao.”

“We are sorry. Please accept our condolences.” Assistant Inspector Tanaka bowed together with several other officers.

“It’s all right. We accepted long ago that he had gone from this world. We simply never imagined that he would spend five years beneath a bridge pier.” The Yokojima couple appeared remarkably calm about their son’s death. Mrs. Yokojima clasped her hands before her and bowed in gratitude. “I’m sorry our son caused you trouble. We truly apologize. Thank you very much.”

“No, this is our duty.” Old Man Tanaka transformed instantly, adopting a perfectly practiced expression of grief. “The forensic doctor has determined that the cause of death was hypothermia. Would you like us to explain anything further?”

“No need.” Mr. Yokojima shook his head firmly and sighed deeply. “Living has always been painful for Takao and for our family. Now that Takao has attained Buddhahood, we should not disturb him any further.”

“In that case, please sign these documents.” Old Man Tanaka did not want to complicate matters either. Seeing that the couple had no intention of pursuing a further investigation, he had them sign the paperwork and ordered the local police box to handle the remaining procedures.

“Pack it up!”

The case was over, but the impression Uesugi Sōsetsu had left on the officers at the scene was extraordinarily deep. By the following day, his story had begun spreading throughout the police boxes and precincts under the jurisdiction of Bunkyō Ward.

“There’s an unbelievably gifted young forensic doctor at Tokyo Medical and Dental University!”

“He can perfectly reconstruct what happened from nothing more than an external examination of the corpse!”

“I saw it with my own eyes!”

“A once-in-a-decade genius—no, a once-in-a-century prodigy!”

Uesugi Sōsetsu’s name arrived with the endless May drizzle.

Several days later, at the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters at Sakurada Gate in Chiyoda, Tokyo.

A computer screen rested on a particular section of a case report. Beneath the desk, a pair of long, shapely legs crossed over one another stirred slightly. Through the matte, flesh-colored stockings, delicate pink skin could be faintly seen, reflecting an alluring sheen in the natural light from the window.

The graceful lines of the stockings extended to just above the woman’s knees, where they disappeared beneath a dark-blue police uniform skirt.

The standard uniform worn by female clerical officers of the Metropolitan Police Department combined beauty with restraint. It outlined the majesty of law enforcement and the elegance of the workplace in a manner that was both radiant and dignified. The dark-blue uniform jacket bore a police insignia and golden shoulder cords that glittered like stars in the night sky. In the center of her immaculate white shirt, a pale-blue uniform tie provided a striking contrast.

A golden rank insignia hung over the woman’s chest. She looked barely past twenty, yet she already held the rank that Old Man Tanaka had spent his entire life striving toward: police inspector.

Resting one hand against the side of her face, she let her smooth black hair fall beside her ear. Her pretty face, marked by an arrogant and aloof expression that seemed to declare “keep out,” now showed the faintest trace of interest. Though no outsider could see her clearly from this angle, that did not change the fact that she was a beauty capable of taking one’s breath away with a single glance.

The report was reflected in her sweet yet haughty eyes as she scrolled through it with the mouse. The woman remained composed, maintaining the elegance and poise befitting her position.

“Uesugi Sōsetsu, forensic medicine intern at Tokyo Medical and Dental University.”

“He turned down a brilliant future as a surgeon to transfer into forensic medicine and spend his days examining the dead. He has displayed extraordinary talent.”

“Is he perhaps from the old aristocracy?”

“How interesting. Truly interesting.”

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