Chapter Forty-Three: Gamblers Get No Home

The curry katsu rice at the Metropolitan Police Department was indeed delicious, and with the addition of the grilled eel that Reina shared with him, Uesugi Soushi enjoyed his meal immensely.

His entire focus was on eating, completely oblivious to the fact that both Reina and the fifteen-meter-away beauty in police uniform were staring at him.

*Watching you eat with such relish is better than a myriad of worldly pleasures.*

Ikeda Reina withdrew her gaze from the uniformed beauty and watched Soushi relish the eel she had given him. A deep sense of satisfaction suddenly swept through the tall beauty’s mind.

Ever since the two of them forged a deeper relationship, Reina found it hard to curb her own greed. She wanted more—she wanted to understand him more deeply, to explore his secrets and talents.

Probing him occasionally to see how he would react, and testing him from time to time to see what he would do, was one of Reina's greatest pleasures.

Yet Soushi was a remarkably stubborn person. Reina could never quite figure out whether he was simply conservative, slow-witted, or operating on a completely different level. Every single one of her probes was either effortlessly dissolved or intellectually suppressed, ultimately requiring him to bail her out.

Still, Ikeda Reina didn't mind that she was always the one failing. She took it completely in stride—who asked you to have need of me? Who asked you to sneak glances at me?

Who made us partners, after all?

Deliberately placing the eel from her own bowl into his was one of Reina's little probes, and his completely unhesitant consumption of it left her quite satisfied.

Buoyed by this satisfaction, a brilliant smile could not help but bloom across the tall beauty's exquisite face.

If he begged her next time, it wouldn't be entirely out of the question to wear her police uniform just for him.

It all depended on whether he had the courage to ask.

"It seems those two are getting along quite well." Not far away, the proud and aloof uniformed beauty wore a teasing expression. "Looks like this arrangement is entirely unproblematic. If he can get along this well with Ikeda, he'll naturally fit in with everyone else in the Metropolitan Police Department."

The uniformed beauty was as strikingly gorgeous as ever, enough to induce envy. Although she lacked Reina's miraculous model physique, her proportions were refined, balanced, and alluring. Her dark hair cascaded beside a stunning face, and her sweet almond eyes narrowed slightly.

"He doesn't seem to have the habit of letting his talent breed arrogance, which is quite reasonable given his upbringing," the Superintendent Yanagisawa nodded. The Superintendent was in his early forties, with prominent whites in his eyes and small pupils, giving him a somewhat harsh and sinister appearance. "Judging by the look of them, they probably haven't slept together."

"...A cautious man," the uniformed beauty muttered, about to say more, when she suddenly noticed Reina turning her gaze toward them.

The two female officers' gazes intersected invisibly.

Ikeda Reina’s eyes widened, a trace of cold indifference and puzzlement masking a hint of vigilance.

The uniformed beauty's expression remained as composed and natural as ever, revealing not a single flaw, and she offered a greeting with an enigmatic half-smile.

The strange sixth sense between women is remarkably acute. The moment their eyes met, a peculiar echo reverberated in each other's minds, as if they both suddenly understood something.

The uniformed beauty offered a faint smile, waving her hand with an air of effortless poise.

Ikeda Reina refused to be outdone. She proudly lifted her slender swan-like neck like a mother wolf protecting her food, and subtly shifted her position to block the space between Soushi and the female officer.

*Heh.*

The uniformed beauty turned a blind eye to the gunpowder smell radiating from Ikeda Reina and quickly looked away.

*When it comes to his turn, it will never be your turn.*

*Fool.*

After the meal finished, Inspector Megure of the First Investigative Division arrived right on schedule with a few other officers. "Uesugi-kun, would you mind accompanying us on a run?"

"What's happened?" Soushi nodded, thinking to himself that work had arrived.

"There's a case in Minato Ward. A construction accident at a building site, where a worker fell to his death. We're heading out right now. The forensics department is currently tied up with a Tokyo Bay corpse-dumping case, and since you happen to be here at the Metropolitan Police Department, could you come with us?" Inspector Megure said quite politely. "Of course, we'll notify the Otsuka Precinct and the hospital, and your compensation will be handled according to standard rates."

"Of course!" Soushi naturally had no reason to refuse; he was more than eager for the Metropolitan Police Department to call upon him for autopsies.

"Then let's move out." Inspector Megure signaled that they could depart immediately.

Several black Toyota cars drove out of the Metropolitan Police Department. Inside one of them, an inspector sergeant was driving, while Inspector Megure sat in the passenger seat, briefing Soushi in the back about the case.

"The victim is Ko夫 Matsunose, 28 years old, a construction worker who fell to his death from the roof of a building company this morning."

"Fell to his death?" Soushi's expression remained unchanged. "Why would a case of this level involve the First Investigative Division?"

He had spent months working as a medical examiner at the local precinct. Generally speaking, unless a homicide or violent felony was involved, local precincts handled such matters themselves without troubling the Metropolitan Police Department to deploy directly.

"Yes. Initially, Inspector Hayata of the Akasaka Precinct in Minato Ward took charge, but during the investigation, Akasaka discovered a death message left at the scene."

"Before Matsunose died, he wrote 'The company president killed me' on the wall of the building company's rooftop. So the local branch suspects this is a homicide and reported it to the First Investigative Division," Inspector Megure said, sounding somewhat helpless. "Division Chief Mikasa told me to go take a look, and I figured you happened to be around."

Falling to his death, yet able to leave a death message beforehand?

*Interesting,* Soushi thought to himself.

Beside him, Ikeda Reina's eyes were shining as well.

She would get to witness Soushi perform an on-site autopsy again!

When the First Investigative Division arrived at the scene, the area had already been cordoned off by the local precinct. Behind several layers of yellow police tape, a row of officers stood with their hands behind their backs to hold back the crowd, and police cars lined half the street.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Inspector Megure stepped out of the car, and a man in his forties in a suit immediately hurried forward to greet him. Soushi figured this must be Inspector Hayata of the Akasaka Precinct. The inspector initially wore an arrogant expression as he scolded his subordinates for disturbing the crime scene, his chin held high and looking anxious. But the moment the First Investigative Division's car stopped, his expression shifted entirely as he trotted over with a flattering smile.

"Good work." The suited elites of the First Investigative Division naturally had no warm feelings for the local branch. Inspector Megure opened the car door for Soushi. "Sorry to trouble you, Uesugi-kun."

"Oh? Is this that Uesugi Soushi? The one from Tokyo Medical and Dental University?" Hearing the name, Inspector Hayata of the Akasaka Precinct in Minato Ward lit up.

"Yes, it's him. Our division specifically called him in this time," Inspector Megure introduced to Soushi. "This is Hayata, acting chief of the criminal affairs section at the Akasaka Precinct."

The Akasaka Precinct was a major station in Minato Ward, headed by a Superintendent-ranked chief.

"Nice to meet you, please look after me."

"Please look after me," Soushi indicated. "If possible, let's begin right away."

"This way, please."

The construction company was located near Akasaka in Minato Ward. The building was low, only six stories high, and the company president was named House Daken. It was a family business, hence the company was named House Construction Company.

With such a major incident occurring at the firm, the president had naturally rushed to the scene. Because of the death message left by the victim, the president had instantly become the prime suspect. Two precinct officers stayed glued to his side while he shook his head tearfully, crying out, "It wasn't me! Really, it wasn't me! I didn't kill anyone!"

"Stop making excuses, President House! According to our investigation, you owed the victim a month's salary, and witnesses saw you and the victim having an argument. You say you didn't kill him, but where's your proof?" The Akasaka Precinct officers surrounded the president fiercely. "Confess early!"

"It really wasn't me! I don't even know why he fell!" The president shook his head vigorously.

"Then why, despite today being a company holiday, were you working overtime inside? Why didn't the victim write anyone else's name except yours? Out with it!"

The Akasaka detectives applied heavy pressure on the president, who could only shake his head desperately, on the verge of tears.

Meanwhile, Inspector Hayata described the situation: "According to our investigation, the company had just finished a project, and the president gave everyone a three-day holiday. From the morning of that day until the time of the incident, the building was empty. Security footage showed that only the president and the victim entered the building in succession. Furthermore, our investigation revealed that House Construction owed its workers anywhere from one to three months' back pay. This could serve as a motive for murder."

"I didn't! I had nothing to do with it!" President House wailed. "Failing to settle project funds and delaying wages is commonplace! Once the money clears, I naturally pay out the wages! I swear to the Great Gongzen of Tōshō, I really didn't kill him!"

Both sides held firm to their claims, and Inspector Megure and Inspector Hayata turned their gazes toward Uesugi Soushi.

Without wasting words, Soushi immediately began the autopsy.

The victim's condition was gruesome: he had fallen from a high altitude, resulting in multiple fractures in his lower limbs, and lay flat on his back. His head and facial features were relatively intact, though his body emitted a foul odor from a long lack of bathing. Because he had not been dead long, there were no signs of putrefaction yet, save for some localized rigor mortis.

*Hmm, lower limbs hit the ground first.*

Soushi easily deduced the victim's cause of death: massive internal hemorrhage caused by multiple sternal and rib fractures resulting from the fall.

Glancing upward, Soushi noted that the sixth-floor rooftop was equipped with safety railings.

Raising his right hand, the power of the Azure Stone activated, and Soushi attempted to communicate with the deceased.

"It's a suicide," Soushi stood up just five minutes later with a peculiar expression, a look of mild disdain on his face, speaking with absolute certainty to Inspector Megure and Inspector Hayata.

"Ah?"

"What?"

"Suicide?"

Silence fell over the crime scene upon hearing Soushi's verdict.

The suited elites of the First Investigative Division wore expressions full of question marks.

Five minutes? An on-site autopsy? Declaring it a suicide?

"Uesugi-kun?"

"It's a suicide," Soushi repeated.

Only then did the officers from the Akasaka Precinct react, with Inspector Hayata swearing it was the widest he had ever opened his mouth.

"Uesugi-san, I'm not doubting your skills, but..."

"It's a suicide."

"However, the victim left a death message..."

"That's still a suicide."

"??????"

Seeing the perplexed expressions of everyone present, Soushi repeated once more: "It's just a suicide."

*What kind of person is this?*

True to form, following Soushi's affirmation, the local precinct officers were completely baffled, and suspicion began to creep onto some of their faces.

No dissection, no thorough inspection, no crime scene analysis, no interrogation, no interviews—he just took a quick look at the corpse and called it a suicide?

*What kind of quack is this?!*

*Is this guy even reliable?*

"Let me briefly explain," Soushi signaled for everyone to listen first. "There are three possibilities for death by high-altitude falls: suicide, homicide, and accidental death."

"Accidental death usually occurs when a worker leans a part of their body out from a high place and loses balance, falling as a result. In the vast majority of cases, the upper body leans out first; falling with the lower body leaning out first is not impossible, but extremely rare. Moreover, the victim didn't cry for help." Soushi raised his first finger. "This is not a construction site either, so we can rule out accidental death first."

No one had any doubts about this point.

"Next, let's talk about homicide." Soushi raised his second finger. "The circumstances of homicide are rather specific. First of all, the company rooftop has safety railings, correct?"

"Yes, yes, yes! There are safety railings! One-point-three meters high! They come up to my chest!" President House shrieked, "I swear, I swear to the Suwa Daimyōjin!"

"There are safety railings on the roof. Both inspectors, think about it: if this were a homicide, the president would first need to lure the victim into the building, get him near the railing, and then push a robust construction worker over a 1.3-meter-high barrier and off the building," Soushi smiled. "Setting aside the fact that the president lacks the physical capability to do so, suppose he actually managed it—what would happen?"

"Signs of a struggle?" Inspector Megure mused.

"No, the manner of the fall," Soushi shook his head. "To get someone over the railing, the perpetrator would either have to lift the victim horizontally or push him straight forward. In either case, the result is the same."

"The victim's head would hit the ground first."

"However, the victim's lower limbs hit the ground first," Soushi pointed at the corpse on the ground. "This is the most textbook manifestation of jumping to one's death. Generally, people who jump commit suicide by turning their back to the building and jumping downward with both feet. Of course, those afraid of heights might face the building, but regardless, the victim always lands in a rigid, attention-like posture—feet first, then the pelvis impacts the ground, and the body falls backward into a supine position. Therefore, this is a suicide."

Soushi stated with absolute certainty, "An autopsy would confirm the exact sequence of the bone fractures."

"But... couldn't a murderer also force someone to jump down in a rigid posture?" Ikeda Reina couldn't hold back any longer, stepping forward to ask, "On what grounds do you conclude that landing upright equals suicide?"

"Of course, a murderer could theoretically force someone to jump upright, but it's difficult—truly difficult," Soushi rolled his eyes inwardly and continued to explain. "First, given the presence of safety railings, if the victim were conscious, he would struggle. As long as there is a struggle, an upright jump is impossible; it would definitely result in the head or hands hitting the ground first. Second, if the victim were unconscious, it would indeed be possible to toss him off the building in an upright posture. But under those conditions, the victim's muscles would be completely relaxed, and his falling posture would shift mid-air, making it impossible to land upright."

"Therefore, this is a suicide," Soushi concluded definitively.

*So that's how it was!*

The officers from both the Metropolitan Police Department and the Akasaka Precinct suddenly understood.

Put that way, everything made sense.

Yet, one final question remained.

Inspector Hayata asked, "Then what about the death message? The victim wrote on the wall that the president killed him."

"That is actually one of the proofs of suicide," Soushi shook his head. "If it were truly a homicide, the victim wouldn't leave such a death message. But... if we must look at it that way, it's not entirely wrong either. The president was indeed one of the primary reasons that drove the victim to suicide."

"Hm?" Upon hearing this, Inspector Megure and Inspector Hayata cast dangerous glances back at President House.

"Ah???" Having listened to Soushi's analysis, the president's face had just blossomed into a relieved smile, but the situation suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse. His legs turned to jelly and he nearly collapsed. "It wasn't me! I didn't do it! Don't talk nonsense, forensic doctor!"

"If I'm not mistaken, the victim was probably a compulsive gambler, right?" Soushi gestured for him to calm down and pointed at the body. "For a corpse, rigor mortis sets in fastest in the muscles that were most fatigued. As a construction worker, the stiffest part of the victim's body is neither his lower back nor his arms and legs, but his index finger."

"What kind of person uses their fingers frantically, like someone with Parkinson's?"

Everyone at the scene fell into deep thought.

"Pachinko! Marble machines?!" Inspector Megure reacted the fastest.

"Precisely. If I'm not wrong, President House, the dispute arose because this employee Matsunose came to demand his wages, didn't it?" Soushi smiled. "We only need to ask the victim's friends, check his personal accounts, and look into nearby pachinko parlors, and the whole truth will be clear."

"Understood!" Inspector Hayata of the Akasaka Precinct immediately barked at his subordinates. "Go investigate, right now!"

"Yes!"

The squad in suits immediately sprang into action.

Less than twenty minutes later, the precinct indeed learned from the victim's coworkers and friends that he was a hardened gambler. All of his wages went straight into pachinko machines, leaving him heavily in debt with not a single yen to his name.

Subsequently, the precinct investigated the pachinko parlor where the victim frequented, learning that just the previous night he had blown over 300,000 yen and wept bitterly outside the entrance, a sight witnessed by passersby.

With that, the chain of evidence was complete.

As messages poured in from all directions, everyone looked at Uesugi Soushi in a completely different light.

President House finally slumped onto the ground and burst into tears.

*I'm cleared!*

Five minutes—just five minutes.

A single glance, no dissection, immediate determination of homicide versus suicide, identification of the cause of death, and deduction of the motive for suicide.

*What kind of monster is this?!*

"We understand everything you've said, Uesugi-kun, but why would the victim leave such a death message when he committed suicide?" Inspector Hayata voiced his final puzzle.

"Because of a month's salary," Soushi blinked.

"Ah?"

"Because the president owed him a month's wages. To a gambler, that was his last capital to turn his life around. But President House withheld it, driving the victim to despair and suicide. He resented the president for owing him money, so he deliberately left behind that message," Soushi said quite naturally. "Even in death, the victim wanted to spite President House."

Hearing this, the police officers present wore looks of utter contempt.

"I......" The president was driven to distraction, cursing wildly in his head.

With that, the case concluded. Uesugi Soushi raised his right hand, and the victim's spirit poured into the Azure Stone.

*House, House—what a great name.*

*Gamblers don't get a house.*