Chapter 56: I Once Believed in Science

While the top executives of Fuji Television were congratulating one another and basking in an atmosphere of triumphant vindication, the representatives of Dentsu and Hakuhodo watched the sky-rocketing ratings with absolute astonishment.

"Incredible, Kameyama," praised Dentsu President Tatsuka Takashima, unable to hide his admiration. "These ratings have surpassed the Kohaku Uta Gassen. Whose idea was this live broadcast? Truly remarkable. A bad situation turned completely around for Fuji TV."

"It seems this fellow still has what it takes to keep his seat as president," a senior managing director of Dentsu nodded in agreement. "Regardless of whose idea it was, his decisiveness as the head of the network is quite commendable."

"Now it all depends on whether the Metropolitan Police Department can wrap up the case quickly. The victim has been found, and the ratings should hold steady for a while. If they can discover the murderer live on air, we might even push higher—maybe hit 50%," President Takashima of Dentsu said with a peculiar smile. "If it reaches that, I will support Kameyama for another term."

"We support it too!"

Meanwhile, at Sakuradamon in Chiyoda Ward, the Metropolitan Police Department.

The live broadcast from Fuji TV was playing on the large screen. Subordinates had already brought out bedding for the top brass to rest, but as time pressed on, even Superintendent General Eiji Watanabe himself was sweating profusely and had to go wash up and change his shirt.

And right in the middle of changing clothes, the victim was found!

Hearing this news, Eiji Watanabe could not help but throw a fierce punch into the air. But his excitement was short-lived; when he saw the live broadcast showing Muneyuki Uesugi and Mai Shirakawa conversing so harmoniously, a look of triumphant satisfaction crept across the corner of his mouth. Then, he calmly gave his orders: "Now, immediately, contact Tokyo Medical and Dental University!"

"Retroactively draft the cooperation agreement between our headquarters and the Medical and Dental University right away. Ensure through formal procedures that Muneyuki Uesugi’s participation in the investigation and autopsy was officially invited by this department. Do not give the Public Prosecutors Office any loopholes!"

"Understood!"

Subordinates immediately scrambled through the night to contact Tokyo Medical and Dental University. Only then did Eiji Watanabe let out a long breath and slowly sink back into his chair.

This time, his position was secure.

***

In front of the cameras, the Fuji TV production department had set up the scene.

Working through the night, the entire television station had used 2D models to temporarily reconstruct the crime scene. They then invited a female announcer to mimic the posture of Mariko Hironuki, with Muneyuki Uesugi himself providing the explanation, while national actress Mai Shirakawa served as the temporary co-host.

The golden boy and jade girl thus sang in harmony in front of the camera, watched by ten million pairs of eyes across the Kanto region.

The ratings climbed steadily. Had they not considered the optical illusion of hubris, Fuji TV would have already popped the champagne.

"What does our junior-kun think is the reason to rule this a homicide?" Mai Shirakawa asked, glancing at the teleprompter and beaming brightly at Muneyuki Uesugi. "Based on what was discovered inside the wall, Ms. Hironuki's cause of death was asphyxia by hanging, correct?"

Every question asked on Fuji TV had to be vetted by the Metropolitan Police Department.

"Correct," Muneyuki Uesugi nodded.

Standing beside a female announcer lying on a table, he explained the difference between hanging and being strangled to everyone on the spot.

As for the differences between these two types of death, they had been explained previously and will not be repeated here.

Following that, Muneyuki Uesugi discussed the relationship between female incontinence during asphyxia, the degree of bodily decomposition, and the surrounding environment.

"Therefore, we can be certain that Ms. Hironuki's time of death was likely Friday evening, no later than the early hours of the morning. Furthermore, judging from the residue in her mouth, we know she died after a meal."

Muneyuki Uesugi gestured, broadcasting in colloquialisms as simple as possible so that the average person could understand.

"So, what is the junior-kun's judgment regarding the suspect?" Mai Shirakawa continued.

"Without a doubt, this was a crime committed by an acquaintance. The murderer must have known Ms. Hironuki; otherwise, she would not have deliberately avoided security cameras to follow an acquaintance into the complex basement of Fuji TV."

"Secondly, this acquaintance must be an employee of Fuji TV, exceptionally familiar with the interior. If the perpetrator were unfamiliar with the layout, they could not have known about the hidden door that allowed the body to be concealed inside the wall, nor could they have avoided the security cameras after committing the crime."

Muneyuki Uesugi spoke fluently and with composure before the camera: "This could only have been done by an internal employee of Fuji TV."

Hearing this, the staff at Fuji TV turned dark in the complexion and immediately hoisted a cue card.

"The grounds for homicide are insufficiently clear."

Upon seeing this, the officials at the Metropolitan Police Department also nodded. They felt Muneyuki Uesugi's judgment was still premature. After listing a bunch of reasons, why couldn't Ms. Mariko Hironuki have committed suicide? Especially with this kind of hanging death—no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like suicide, didn't it?

If handled as a suicide, the matter would become very simple.

Everyone was exhausted tonight, and the elites of the First Investigation Division were eager to wrap up the case quickly. Only the special task force officers still hoped to get a close-up glimpse of the goddess upperclassman's radiant face.

"It wasn't suicide," Muneyuki Uesugi calmly shook his head. "There is a method that can create the illusion of a hanging."

"The Jizo Burden!"

Amidst the crowd, Minami Watanabe and Inspector Okada pushed their way through and arrived at the scene.

"We made it!" Minami Watanabe whispered happily as she saw Muneyuki Uesugi just beginning his demonstration, acting like a starry-eyed fangirl. "Next, we just need to watch him demonstrate."

"Have you got that much faith in him?" Inspector Okada looked around with curiosity.

"Just watch and see." Minami Watanabe pressed her index finger to her lips.

***

"The Jizo Burden?" Mai Shirakawa faced the camera. "I don't quite understand. Junior-kun, could you explain?"

"Of course." Muneyuki Uesugi began his performance.

"During the Edo period, funerals were an important part of the culture. Skilled craftsmen would carve a statue of Jizo Bodhisattva, and the villagers would gather in a line, solemn as a festival, to escort the statue to the village entrance."

"To transport the heavy statue, the young men of the village would usually use ropes to bind the stone statue's lower jaw, carrying the Jizo on their backs back-to-back. As a result, the Jizo Bodhisattva on the young man's back looked as though it were hanging, hence the name 'The Jizo Burden'."

Muneyuki Uesugi demonstrated on the female announcer, using a towel back-to-back: "This method of murder makes it look very much like a suicide, but in reality, it is a homicide."

"Ohhhhhhh!"

Never mind the audience in front of their televisions; even the experienced officers of the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division rarely knew that a murder could be committed this way?!

How on earth did this guy know so much?

A wave of admiration rippled through the surrounding crowd.

The reason why a hanging death could actually be a homicide had also been clearly explained.

Yet Mai Shirakawa did not seem surprised by this answer. Maintaining a questioning expression, she pressed on: "You've explained the method, Junior-kun, but you can't dodge the point! Junior-kun! This is merely a method of murder; it cannot serve as definitive evidence that it is a homicide!"

"Without evidence, you still haven't proven it's a homicide!"

"You want evidence? I'll show it to you right now." Under the gaze of everyone present, Muneyuki Uesugi calmly curved the corner of his mouth. "Inspector Megure, everyone from the Metropolitan Police Department, can you trust me just this once?"

"We've always trusted you, Uesugi-kun." Inspector Megure nodded as a matter of course.

"Then follow me."

Muneyuki Uesugi signaled for the group to follow him.

And so, with him and Senior Sister Mai in the lead and the Fuji TV camera following behind, a grand procession of over a hundred people trailed closely behind Muneyuki Uesugi, threading through the dim corridors of the second basement level.

He seemed to be searching for something, sniffing the air with his nose.

Are you really a cadaver dog?

Inspector Megure, following closely behind him, muttered inwardly once again.

However, after a mere ten minutes or so, Muneyuki Uesugi made a discovery.

He led the crowd into a utility room cluttered with architectural debris and set pieces. Finding a trace of blood on the floor, he pointed up at the ceiling: "If you believe me, smash open the ceiling!"

This was a simple task for the special task force. With Fuji TV's permission, the special officers easily broke open the utility room ceiling using tools.

Two items fell from above.

A blue Fuji TV employee uniform stained with blood, and a missing high-heeled shoe.

Under the collective gaze of everyone present, jaws dropped, and the entire room fell dead silent.

President Kameyama swore this was the widest he had ever opened his mouth in his entire life.

Even Minami Watanabe and Inspector Okada, who had rushed to the scene temporarily, were frozen in place, not to mention Megure, who had handled the case from the beginning.

This works too?!

Inspector Megure, who had been working all day, stared at the fallen Fuji TV employee uniform and high-heeled shoe, rubbing his eyes vigorously. He thought he was hallucinating.

After rubbing them fiercely several times, Inspector Megure finally confirmed it was real.

I used to believe in science.

Every single person present, including the cameraman hoisting his rig, subconsciously thought this in their hearts.

We used to believe in science.

Over ten million people across the Kanto region thought the same.

"This is the evidence. Therefore, the profile of the perpetrator is as follows: at least 35 years old, with a background of living in the countryside, physically strong and powerful, has worked at Fuji TV for a relatively long time engaged in cleaning and miscellaneous tasks, knew Ms. Hironuki during her lifetime, wore this uniform before committing the crime, and is an internal employee familiar with Fuji TV's underground structure and surrounding environment," Muneyuki Uesugi smiled. "This narrows down the field sufficiently, Inspector Megure."

"It's time for your Metropolitan Police Department to make its move."

I really used to believe in science.

Everyone present marveled once again.

To deduce the characteristics of the murderer simply from the cause of death—he truly is worthy of being a descendant of the Kazoku!

***

"Immediately broadcast what Uesugi-kun said to the Special Investigation Headquarters!" Inspector Megure ordered right away. "President Kameyama, we need Fuji TV's employee roster!"

"Right..." President Kameyama's heart, which had just settled, rose back into his throat. He glared angrily at Muneyuki Uesugi.

This brat, why couldn't he just rule it a suicide and be done with it? Why did he have to complicate things so much!

Truly an unlikable fellow.

However, it was genuinely impossible to harbor any real hatred toward him.

***

After providing clear clues and a suspect profile, the Metropolitan Police Department finally allowed the victim's family to view the female announcer's body.

Mariko Hironuki's father and mother both arrived. They looked at their daughter lying on the metal gurney, her complexion ashen, exuding the stench of decay, having been dead for some time.

Her father silently bowed his head, clenching his fists tightly as he endured the agony.

"Mariko?" Mrs. Hironuki could not maintain the same restraint. She looked in disbelief at her deceased daughter and reached out, only to touch a face that was completely ice-cold, the skin's surface even slightly liquefied. "Mariko? Mariko!"

Her expression was suspended between a smile and a cry: "Mariko! Wake up, Mom is here to see you! Mariko! Mariko, ahhhhh!"

Wailing soon filled the room.

"Please accept our condolences." Several police officers from the Metropolitan Police Department bowed their heads and pressed their palms together.

"Condolences? Condolences! Didn't I report her missing long ago? Didn't I ask you to look for her long ago? Why did you take so long, why did you come so late, why?! Sob, sob, sob~" Mrs. Hironuki hysterically grabbed the suit of one of the detectives, tearing at his collar.

"......" The detectives of the First Investigation Division remained silent.

After a while, Shimomachiren, Mariko Hironuki's fiancé, also arrived. Thanks to Muneyuki Uesugi's judgment, he had temporarily been cleared of suspicion.

Yet, on the eve of the wedding scheduled for tomorrow, there was no sorrowful expression on the fiancé's face. He merely remained silent, a trace of slight regret lingering on his countenance—unbeknownst to him, all of this was caught by the sharp eyes of Inspector Kashiwa Jin, the star of the First Investigation Division's Third Section.

"I still think he did it!" Kashiwa Jin said fiercely to Section Chief Mikasa, "Section Chief!"

"Well, though it's normal to suspect the fiancé first in cases like this, let's follow Uesugi-kun's judgment for now..." Section Chief Mikasa deflected vaguely.

"Tch, what does a mere coroner know?" The star inspector looked disdainful. "Only those with the lowest medical skills, who didn't study hard and lack all morals, would become coroners! He didn't even graduate from Tokyo University's Faculty of Medicine..."

"You, tone it down!" Section Chief Mikasa couldn't help but interject. "That fellow Shimomachiren's lawyer said he's going to file a complaint against you for arbitrary arrest."

"It's useless." Kashiwa Jin was completely unfazed. As a career-track elite, he had thoroughly read all laws and regulations; the procedure was absolutely airtight, and lawyers wouldn't find any flaws. "I'll keep them company anytime."

Before he could say more, the local precinct police officers watching the surveillance monitors finally made a discovery!

"Section Chief! Section Chief!"

"Take a look at this!"

The surveillance footage was projected onto the large screen.

A middle-aged man, roughly 40 years old, wearing a blue employee uniform, came into everyone's view.

The Metropolitan Police Department discovered that on the very day of the estimated time of death, this middle-aged man had passed through the monitored areas on the first floor of the Fuji TV building as many as five times. Furthermore, on one of those occasions, he deliberately sat on the steps in front of the building smoking a cigarette, looking deeply preoccupied.

At the same time, amid his comings and goings, the blue employee uniform he wore had been changed to a simple yellow work shirt and cleaning apron.

In the surveillance footage, a dark red mark could faintly be seen on his shoulder—it somewhat resembled a bloodstain, though it might also have been a simple grime stain.

"This man is a prime suspect!"

The Metropolitan Police Department immediately retrieved Fuji TV's employee roster and ultimately found the suspicious middle-aged man among the list of dispatched workers.

"Sanzaburo Fukushima! 39 years old, native of Tochigi Prefecture, dispatched employee, tall and strongly built, with a background of rural life, worked in set design and cleaning within the station, familiar with Fuji TV's underground layout, active in Fuji TV on that day, and someone had seen him conversing with Ms. Mariko Hironuki!"

The Special Investigation Headquarters reviewed his profile, then recalled Muneyuki Uesugi's description during the live broadcast moments ago.

A~bsolutely~ I~dentical~!

We truly used to believe in science!