Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner
Chapter 79 - 1 Fluttering of Butterfly Wings (Seeking First Subscription)

Chapter 79: Chapter 1 Fluttering of Butterfly Wings (Seeking First Subscription)

Explaining the cause of death of Nagashima Takeshi to officers without experience in such matters is quite a challenging task. Especially when it comes to someone like Minamoto Tamako, who is as plain as a white sheet, with zero experience but sharp instincts. Fushimi Roku needs to be careful not to let anything slip inadvertently.

"Have you ever had hemorrhoids? No? Well, that’s unfortunate. Let me explain: generally, a rectal examination is required at a hospital to check for hemorrhoids. Some men experience a physiological reaction during this procedure due to a particular male organ. When a foreign object enters the rectum, it stimulates the controlling organ..."

"The murder weapon was an electrified metal clothes rod bent into an upward curve. Electric current stimulates the gland, and after being exhausted, it leads to urination of blood..."

"There’s more to it. The victim’s neck was hanged. Have you heard of autoerotic asphyxiation? No? Then becoming a famous detective is a long journey for you. In short, the murderer tied a rope around the victim’s neck and hanged him, placing a chair just within reach of his tiptoes."

"To survive, the victim would try to tiptoe onto the chair. But tiptoeing causes sphincter contraction, increasing the pressure of the clothes rod. If the victim lacked strength, his full weight would press on both the neck and the metal clothes rod. In an attempt to survive, he’d have to keep tiptoeing... Tsk tsk tsk, it’s so cruel, something no human could bear to do."

Fushimi Roku shook his head and sighed as he spoke, showing a look of deep sympathy.

The other officers whispered among themselves as Kaga Keido looked down at his watch, allowing time for free discussion.

Minamoto Tamako felt as if she had opened a door to a new world. Although it seemed frightening, she considered it a valuable experience, gaining much peculiar knowledge. Her mental experience bar kept increasing. At the same time, she noted down in her mind the male pleasure point. In case she gets a boyfriend in the future, she could utilize her abundant theoretical knowledge in practice.

"But why are you so certain there is a culprit?"

Minamoto Tamako’s single strand of hair stood upright, puzzled, and asked: "Isn’t there a suicide note at the scene? Usually, shouldn’t we rule out the possibility of suicide first before considering murder?"

Fushimi Roku raised a finger and shook it, pondering how to fabricate something when Kaga Keido suddenly clapped his hands to signal for silence.

"According to our internal analysis, the possibility of suicide is quite high. The deceased had a history of drug use and had conflicting interests with the specified violent group Inakawa Association. Based on the suicide note, it is inferred that after killing seventeen people, the deceased sought more intense pleasure through asphyxiation and the clothes rod and ultimately died by suicide."

"Additionally, there is ample evidence and eyewitness accounts. The survivor, Yasukawa Seiji, claimed to have witnessed Nagashima Takeshi committing murder. Nagashima Takeshi’s fingerprints were extracted from a fruit knife, police gun, and the clothes rod. A drug-addicted psychopath could definitely commit such horrifying acts."

"However, I personally have a different opinion."

Kaga Keido pressed a remote control, and the projector displayed photographs of the fatal wounds of the seventeen deceased:

"Have any of you slaughtered pigs? Do you have experience in animal slaughter? Animals have an instinct to survive. I once worked in a slaughterhouse, where three or four men held down a pig, waiting for the butcher to make the kill. Why? Because the butcher’s hands are steady. Pigs struggle endlessly, yet the butcher can stab the neck artery accurately, bleeding it precisely with one cut. This single cut took the butcher six years to master."

"At the scene, fourteen individuals died from throat slits, each killed with a single slash while armed. Even slaughtering fourteen pigs with a single person is no simple task. I don’t believe a madman could achieve this."

"Furthermore, Nagashima Takeshi already had a gun. Why go through the trouble to steal a police gun? According to the medical examiner, the victims died around one o’clock in the early morning. By then, the patrol police at the Nakagawara Station had convinced the Police Chief to file a case, and Yamaguchi Takashi was intentionally delaying, perhaps to buy time for the murderer to set up the scene."

"The suicide note can be forged, fingerprints can be planted, and the knot on the victim’s neck can also be staged. The murder method is too professional, so I am more inclined to believe it was an organized crime."

"After the police arrived at the scene, didn’t they witness two Yakuza members taking photos? It could very well be a gang dispute leading to the silencing of Nagashima Takeshi and others, with police officers involved."

"Since we have differing opinions, let’s tackle both ends. The criminal police of Toyota District will re-examine the site, interrogate Yasukawa Seiji, and find stronger evidence to support Nagashima Takeshi’s suicide claim; we will investigate Nagashima Takeshi’s interpersonal relationships before his death, screening Inakawa Association, the local Bosozoku, and nearby residents to try to find compelling evidence of murder."

"In conclusion, does anyone have any objections?"

Kaga Keido picked up the coffee on the table and wet his whistle.

The officers present exchanged glances without a word. Minamoto Tamako, unable to hold back, raised her small hand as she noticed everyone’s silence. Kaga Keido looked up and calmly said, "Please speak."

"Yes! Regarding the ’Heavenly Punishment’ blood words on the wall..."

"Red herring, no investigative value," Kaga Keido conclusively stated. He plainly said, "Next, does anyone else have objections?"

Minamoto Tamako shrank back. She had wanted to say she’d encountered a similar case before, which might be of reference value. However, since the superior had spoken, she couldn’t contradict him. After all, these three cases were indeed unrelated, and she wasn’t confident enough to link them.

Perhaps this was the result of Investigator Kaga’s inquiry? Minamoto Tamako felt this superior seemed reliable. Such an obvious doubt must have already crossed his mind, sparing her from worrying.

Fushimi Roku glanced at Minamoto Tamako, reflecting inwardly on his behavior of writing ’Heavenly Punishment’ on the wall. Without writing those two words, it wouldn’t have aroused suspicion. But once someone becomes enthralled, they surely can’t help but leave their mark; he was no exception.

Moreover, Fushimi Roku had his own considerations at the time. The incident of being mistakenly assigned to the Nakagawara Station front Patrol House gave him inspiration. He realized he couldn’t view the present police system from a future perspective.

In the 1990s, Japan had not yet established a complete database. Unlike future generations, histories could be queried with just fingerprints or DNA; criminal police had to laboriously search through paper files in record rooms in cases."

"In those days, it was often after criminals were caught that the police would discover they had committed serious crimes elsewhere. Even residence records in various regions weren’t interconnected. Some women could remarry men from other areas and start anew with a new household registration after divorce."

"The Heavenly Punishment case that happened in Hokkaido, of course, had no files or archives in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department."

If forced to link the three cases, Minamoto Tamako would indeed be the biggest suspect.

All three cases had passed through her hands, with her discovering two of them first: She was insistent on returning to Great Snow Mountain to investigate the skeleton, which led to the discovery of the shooting case. It was also her insistence on visiting the haunted apartment that brought attention to the death of two women in the slum.

Regardless of success or failure, Minamoto Tamako did indeed, through her efforts, change the world. Like a butterfly flapping its wings, even a small change can drastically alter the predetermined fate.

Fushimi Roku watched her side profile as Minamoto Tamako, with furrowed brows, read the on-site report. The whisper of Kawai just before his death echoed in his ears:

"Minamoto Tamako will definitely become a famous police chief representing law and justice in the future..."

"I believe in her; she will surely become a guiding beacon looked up to by everyone."