Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner
Chapter 262 - 183

Chapter 262: Chapter 183

The two exchanged a glance and immediately returned to the hall.

Minamoto Tamako pushed the door open and entered. Before she had a chance to ask what had happened, she immediately saw Oogami Nui’s corpse—she was slumped on the sofa, soaked through, her face pale, mouth agape, and her chest no longer rising and falling.

The scream was from Ono Ken, who pointed at Oogami Nui, unable to utter a complete sentence for the moment.

The others were startled by her scream and rushed back to the hall, except Fujiwara Homare, who was still in the guest room meditating. After hearing the scream, he was overwhelmed with panic and continued to practice more earnestly.

Faced with the murder, Minamoto Tamako’s DNA stirred. She set aside fear, rushed over to check, and confirmed that Mrs. Oogami’s heart had stopped beating, her irises had dilated, and she lacked a pulse—it was unmistakable she was dead, causing Tamako’s heart to sink.

Immediately, she began investigating the cause of death. In front of everyone, she grasped Mrs. Oogami’s face, scrutinizing repeatedly. There were scattered petechiae on the conjunctiva of the deceased’s eyes, mushroom-like foam from her mouth and nose, blue-purple around the lips. Without surprise...

"Drowned," Minamoto Tamako said.

Ono Ken covered her mouth and nose, stepped back, and couldn’t help but exclaim again.

How could a living person drown in the hall?

Minamoto Tamako asked around and found that just now, everyone was not in the hall: she and Fushimi Roku need not be mentioned, Mrs. Nakako and Ono Ken were in the bedroom discussing whether to transfer the old house; the assistant, having held back for a long while, went out to smoke two cigarettes; Yazaki Momo ate too much melon and had an upset stomach, thus went to the restroom...

"Co-could it really be the young lady’s spirit that killed Mrs. Oogami?!" Ono Ken’s voice trembled.

Previously, during the Spirit Summoning Ceremony’s interruption, Mrs. Oogami exhibited the same anomaly, vomiting a large amount of clear water from her stomach along with a koi fish...

Thinking of this, Ono Ken turned her head: the koi fish on the floor had already flipped over, white.

If these were just rumors, Minamoto Tamako might be frightened, suspecting malevolent spirits at work; but now, someone died right under her nose, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it—no matter if evil spirits existed, Minamoto Tamako vowed to find proof of their presence!

She immediately phoned for backup, hoping the local police station would help investigate the scene.

However, the police notified that a mountain flood had blocked the roads, and two officers were already missing on the way; thus, advising them to stay indoors and not leave rashly; only when the rain stops by dawn can the police reach Wulin Temple.

Upon hearing this, Minamoto Tamako was not scared; instead, she became more excited.

Isn’t this a classic scene from a detective novel? A murder occurs in a mysterious village, everyone panics, but discovers the roads blocked by floods, preventing police arrival, with the murderer lurking among the innocent, continuing the crime before dawn, leaving everyone terrified...

It’s her favorite stormy mountain village scenario!!

Minamoto Tamako was deeply engrossed, suddenly feeling a sense of mission. Now she was the sought-after detective everyone looked to solve the mysterious case; she couldn’t let the Toshima District Police Station lose face!

"Talk of spirits seeking revenge is pure nonsense!" she said resolutely, scanning the room, "Among us hides a murderer..."

Logically, this was when the supporting characters should say: ’Great, it’s Detective Tamako; we’re saved!’; ’What? How is it possible, who could commit a crime under such circumstances?’; ’Doesn’t matter, I’m leaving...’—all in all, similar lines could build reader anticipation and highlight Detective Tamako’s image.

However, reality was far more stark than she imagined.

Yazaki Momo raised the camera, snapping away at the corpse; the assistant appeared panicked, slumped in the corner, hands covering his face, muttering under his breath; Ono Ken and Princess Nakako huddled together, both visibly anxious, whispering to each other, discussing unknown things.

Minamoto Tamako turned her head, hoping Mr. Fu Jian might say something to support her, but saw Fushimi Roku was tapping against the wooden box, seemingly preparing to collect the deceased’s effects.

Oh well, regardless of support, Detective Tamako would take over this case!

Minamoto Tamako took out a black notebook from her pocket, found a quiet room, and questioned everyone one by one. No one opposed; one might say they cooperated perfectly.

The first to be interrogated was the manager, maid, and cook of Wulin Temple, Miss Ono Ken.

Minamoto Tamako sat upright on the cushion, her little face tense, portraying an image of the stern and ruthless justice of Judge Bao. She asked earnestly, "May I ask, at the time of the incident, was Miss Ono with Mrs. Nakako throughout?"

Ono Ken hesitated briefly but chose to tell the truth: "We separated for a while because, after the Spirit Summoning Ceremony ended, there seemed to be strange sounds from upstairs, so I went up to check..."

Minamoto Tamako remembered that; she too heard what sounded like the sliding track door being pulled on the second floor. Initially, she thought it was Fujiwara Homare causing noise, so she didn’t pay much mind.

Ono Ken paused, then continued: "After going upstairs, I found Princess Akihito’s balcony door open; rainwater had blown in, soaking the tatami mats..."

"Who opened the door?" Minamoto Tamako asked.

"I don’t know," Ono Ken shook her head, "There was no one in the room. I looked around; Mr. Fujiwara was still in the guest room... However, he seemed a bit strange."

"Hmm? Tell me more." Minamoto Tamako furrowed her eyebrows.

Ono Ken described the scene, and after Minamoto Tamako listened, she sensed a clue and jotted it in her little notebook: "Fujiwara Section Chief’s behavior abnormal."

Afterward, Minamoto Tamako posed a sharper question, "May I ask about your relationship with Princess Akihito during her lifetime?"

"Pretty good..."

"Did you ever quarrel?"

"No, I understood my limits," Ono Ken replied.

Finding little of value, Minamoto Tamako switched to interrogating Princess Nakako. As a noble of the royal family, she dared not act with incivility, maintaining courtesy during questioning.

Following the previous pattern, her first question was about Princess Nakako’s actions during the crime. The latter responded without issue, pondering whether to transfer the old house.

Next, Minamoto Tamako asked if Princess Nakako truly believed in the existence of spirits. The latter pondered and replied, "I think...no, I hope so."

"Why?"

"That way, I can see them again," Princess Nakako said.

Minamoto Tamako showed understanding; "them" presumably referred to Prince Akihito, seemingly indicating Princess Nakako retained feelings for her deceased husband.

Finally, Minamoto Tamako broached the topic of tea.