The Locked-Room Murder! / The Kamakura Detective Arrives

The important figures among the monsters all used this fluorescent road as a landmark and gathered towards the banquet at the mountaintop.

At the foot of the mountain, a green-skinned kappa floated to the surface of a small pond, its frog-like legs dangling, munching on a cucumber picked from the field, and leisurely gazing at the sky. In a shadowy cave, some little monsters emerged, chirping and frolicking.

Meanwhile, the surrounding houses, one by one, turned off their lights and went to sleep, for they had to get up early for work the next day. Whether it was the reveling monsters or the sleeping humans, each had their own lives, without interfering with the others, and each enjoyed their own peace and tranquility.

Two completely different ethnic groups coexist harmoniously in this city.

Shirou and Mashiro were in the room. They turned off the lights, covered themselves with the same blanket, and secretly looked out the window at the street outside.

Outside, a drunken office worker and a monster were arm in arm when they bumped into a telephone pole. After getting up, the two treated the telephone pole as a troublemaker, punching and kicking it, insisting on loyalty and saying that no one would be allowed to bully their brother. But they couldn't hurt the telephone pole at all, their hands turning red from punching, and their expressions were truly comical.

Mashiro and Shirou exchanged a glance and then covered their mouths and laughed.

At this moment, the streetlamp, unable to bear the sight any longer, stretched out a pair of long legs and jumped out from underground, kicking the two drunkards into the air like shuttlecocks. Then, it lifted them up with its toes and hopped along, carrying them home. When it reached the fork in the road, it turned its neck left and right, watching the lights on the left and right flashing alternately, as if considering sending the humans first and then the monsters.

The city where monsters gather is so interesting! There are so many sights I've never seen before. Mashiro couldn't get enough of looking at it. When sleepiness came, she leaned on Shirou's shoulder, hugged Shirou's neck, and fell asleep.

Shirou had no choice but to remain in that position, carrying the girl back to the bed, covering her with a blanket, closing his eyes, snuggling close to her, and smelling the scent of her shampoo as they drifted off to sleep together.

However, deep within the unknown underworld, stands a demon city, the Asura realm of hell. This is a world of slaughter, used to exile evil spirits who have committed murder or other cruel and unruly acts. Here, the ghosts will constantly experience the punishment of killing, either killing or being killed, with no other option.

Every act of killing adds to the sin; merely sitting and being killed does not lessen the crime. Only by truly letting go of hatred and resentment can one find liberation.

On this desolate and treacherous mountain range, there stands a red demon city. The city gate alone is tens of meters high, and inside dwells the most ferocious ghost king within a hundred miles.

In his previous life, he was a bandit king who committed arson, murder, robbery, and all sorts of evil deeds. After arriving in hell, he continued to do evil, and the sins he committed were so great that he could not wash them away even after ten thousand lifetimes.

His battles in hell allowed him to devour many evil spirits, absorbing and strengthening himself until he possessed considerable power. This enabled him to establish his own city in this world of carnage and become a regional overlord.

This demon king, besides his bloodthirstiness, has another peculiar hobby: collecting beautiful women with unique traits.

A furtive figure slipped into the demon city and arrived at the demon king's palace.

This figure was the same rat monster we encountered in the monster Night Market. Besides doing business, he also had another identity: a "donor," who acted as a go-between for important figures in the Demon Realm and hell, engaging in shady little businesses.

Inside the palace sat a colossal demon king, seated on a white jade chair. Upon closer inspection, however, it was revealed that the chair was actually a bizarre object made of intertwined humanoid skeletons, sealed within crystal. Within the chair, one could vaguely discern the clothing of women from different eras, each with its own distinct style.

"Chirp chirp chirp, hee hee hee, Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This humble servant has encountered an extraordinary woman in Kamakura. She is absolutely worthy to be Your Majesty's 495th consort." The rat-man said with a cunning smile.

"Rat demon, do you know what you're saying? If you dare to deceive me, you won't be leaving this city today." The enormous demon king looked down at the rats on the ground; the size difference between them was like that between a human and a rat.

"Squeak... This humble one, how dare I deceive Your Majesty?" The rat spirit trembled, but still managed a forced smile as it spoke.

The demon king here was originally a bandit, and he was very generous, which is why it chose to come here. However, it also knew very well that this demon king was an extremely perverted person, even in the Demon Realm or hell. This guy liked to kidnap women he fancied, play with them, marry them, and then, after he had his fill, devour them body and soul, ensuring they could never be reincarnated.

That wasn't all; he also wanted to collect all the bones of the dead women and seal them on objects around him, so that no other person would ever have a chance to get them.

Fortunately, the rat spirit was quite confident in the person she was recommending. With her powerful spiritual energy and pure heart, she was a beautiful girl that was rare among humans, and she was also loved by the dead and monsters.

"Hmph! Bring out the Earth-Gazing Mirror!" the enormous demon king commanded his subordinates in a deep voice.

Before long, eight ferocious demons with red skin, each over three meters tall and possessing a single horn, entered, carrying a giant stone mirror. The stone mirror was very heavy, and the eight tall demons struggled with each step, causing the palace floor to creak repeatedly.

"Too slow! Useless thing!" The giant demon king impatiently stretched out a huge hand, grabbed the stone mirror that had been carried in, and knocked the eight red demons to the ground.

"Waaaaahhhhh..." The rat demon was so frightened that he knelt on the ground. If he didn't hold the stone properly and it fell, he would be turned into mincemeat.

"Stop dawdling, you rat demon! Show me your memories from back then!" the Demon King said.

"Yes, yes!" The rat spirit dared not say anything more and immediately released its spirit.

At the center of the stone mirror, the rat spirit's thoughts were received, and a glow appeared, revealing a scene of Mashiro strolling through the monster Night Market. Through this mirror, everything the rat spirit felt at that time could be recreated.

Her long, pale golden hair cascaded down her body, and her amber eyes were clear and innocent, as if they could contain even flames. As a human, she was almost too pure, ethereal like a fairy who had just descended to earth. What was even more precious was her spiritual aura; in the eyes of demons and ghosts, her entire body seemed to be draped in a shimmering veil.

In an instant, the entire palace fell silent. The Demon King stared wide-eyed at the screen, speechless for a long time.

"Your Majesty, what do you think?" the rat spirit said with a fawning smile.

"Hmph... Hahahaha! Hmph hahahaha!!!" The Demon King laughed loudly, his enormous laughter shaking the entire palace.

"Ahhh, so beautiful~! I've finally found a consort worthy of me, the king!" The demon king held the stone mirror up to his face, licked the mirror's surface with his tongue, and laughed loudly.

"Since Your Majesty likes it, then I will go and prepare it right away," the rat spirit said.

"Hmm! Go ahead and do it! As long as it's something this Great King wants, no one can escape my grasp!" the Demon King said with a loud laugh.

Chapter 861 The Locked Room Murder Case!

The sun rose high, shining brightly on the earth. Kamakura wasn't particularly hot today; a gentle breeze blew occasionally, and the surroundings were very peaceful. Suddenly, the leaves rustled, and a bird emerged from among them, spreading its wings and taking flight. The bird flew over an orchard and past rows of rustic wooden houses with tiled roofs. Bright sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating Shirou and Mashiro's faces.

The two woke up to find that it was already past 9:30 in the morning, and their plans to go out for a morning stroll were completely ruined. Mashiro could only take out her sketchbook and notebook to draw the interesting things she had encountered, such as sketches of the strange monsters, and write down what had happened next.

"Good morning, Shirou. You must have had a really intense night last night, getting up so late." The proprietress nudged Shirou with her elbow.

The young maids around them chuckled good-naturedly.

"No, we just slept in a bit late," Shirou said shyly, trying to clarify.

"Liar?! You didn't do anything? Are all young people this tired these days? Yesterday's customer was walking unsteadily, barely clinging to life. Is it because he's too weak? Has he been eating and sleeping properly?" The proprietress asked Shirou, feigning concern.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm perfectly healthy, so it's alright!" Shirou said helplessly.

"Hehe, just kidding. We'll have delicious fish for lunch today. The owner will cook it himself for you. Except for beef, which he can't cook, his other dishes are just as good as those of a top chef in the metropolis," the proprietress said with a smile.

"Really? Uncle Niu has such good skills? I'm really looking forward to it." Shirou nodded, recalling the strong, honest yet shrewd old man, and smiled as he agreed.

"Hmm, that kind of fish is said to have aphrodisiac effects, so you should eat more of it. You and Mashiro- chan should look forward to it." Before Shirou could argue, the proprietress led the maids away.

Shirou lost his chance before he could even speak, so he could only shake his head and return to his room to stay with Mashiro.

"Hello," Shirou greeted the somewhat strange-looking man.

The man maintained his arm around Shirou.

Shirou only felt a gust of cold wind pass by his side.

As the man walked, he whispered to the person next to him, as if he were having a conversation.

"..."

"Reiko, those are guests living in the middle of the second floor, a young student couple. They're far away from us, so they won't bother us."

"..."

"Haha, I didn't!"

"..."

"Yes, I know, I know."

Shirou turned back to look at the man walking away, a sense of unease creeping over him. He felt the man's situation was far from dire.

When it was time for lunch, the proprietress, accompanied by a group of female waitresses, gracefully carried plates and placed the dishes on the table. Then, facing the guests, she bowed her head and backed out of the room.

The dishes were truly abundant, containing many ingredients that Shirou and Mashiro had seen at the Night Market last night. The rich aromas made them realize that even though Shirou had overslept during the day Mashiro, it was still a good thing.

"Let's get started then," Shirou said, exchanging a glance with the girl.

"Okay, let's get started!" Mashiro said eagerly.

Shirou and Mashiro enjoyed the lunch that Uncle Beef had prepared with his real skills.

In particular, what Uncle Niu mentioned about the Demon Realm cuisine that humans can eat is really intriguing.

The main dish at the center of the table was the strange deep-sea fish bought last night. Its ferocious head had been cut off and was now arranged on a plate, leaving only the white fish meat with bright red hues, which looked quite presentable.

The tenderest cuts of meat were sliced and served as sashimi on a wooden boat. They were eaten with condiments such as wasabi, grated radish, and soy sauce.

The remaining meat, along with the bones and tail, was put into a clay pot, along with mushrooms and tofu, and simmered into a flavorful fish soup.

However, the light bulb on its forehead was left as decoration. If the light is turned off, you can see that the bead emits a faint glow, although it is not as bright as a firefly.

The strange fish tasted surprisingly delicious; it seems that the creatures of this world truly cannot be judged by their appearance.

There are also rare delicacies from the mountains and seas that are hard to find normally. The aroma of mushrooms grown in nature is several times better than that of artificially cultivated ones.

Shirou and Mashiro thoroughly satisfied their taste buds, and with the fragrant white rice, they ate until they were very, very full.

After the meal, the bowls and plates would be taken away by the waitresses. The two guests only needed to sit down, have a cup of tea, and digest their food. So the two discussed their plans for the day.

After lunch, Shirou and Mashiro originally planned to visit a temple a little further away, where it was said that the temple housed a treasure left behind by the Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo.

"Minamoto no Raikō slays the giant spider! Minamoto no Raikō battles the Gyūoni! Minamoto no Raikō vanquishes the Oni Tribe of hell!" Mashiro recounted the ancient supernatural tales popular in Kamakura with great enthusiasm, already prepared to wear a straw hat when she went out.

"Ah, it's best if you don't have too high expectations for her," Shirou said with a wave of his hand and a smile.

"Huh??" Mashiro looked at him in confusion.

But to everyone's surprise, a scream suddenly rang out at that moment!

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!"

The female delivery girl's face changed drastically as soon as she pushed open the door, as if she had seen something terrifying. She screamed and fell to the ground as if she had spilled oil. She crawled out, supporting herself on her hands.

Shirou and Mashiro heard the noise and came outside, where they found a chaotic scene. The waitress's screams attracted the attention of other shop assistants working nearby. Seeing that the terrified waitress was unable to explain herself, some of the bolder and more curious staff walked into the open room and discovered a horrific scene.

"Waaaaaah!!!"

"Shirou?" Mashiro asked, puzzled.

"It's the direction of that guy we met last night. Looks like things aren't looking good," Shirou muttered. He'd only thought of being wary of the man and keeping him away from Mashiro when he saw him, but it seems trouble still has arisen.

They started making noise in the hallway.

"What's the matter?"

Someone's dead!!!

"Police! Call the police!"

"Mashiro, wait here for me, I'll go check on her." Shirou patted Mashiro's shoulder, comforting her.

"Don't panic! I'm here!" At this moment, Uncle Niu, the store manager, rushed over from the kitchen and shouted to everyone.

The shop's staff finally felt at ease after finding their leader.

Chapter 862 The Kamakura Detective Arrives

"Everyone who's been inside, stay here. If two more men come in, old woman, go call the police! Everyone else, step back! Go do what you're supposed to do!" Uncle Niu shouted.

"Yes..." Everyone else obediently withdrew.

Shirou stepped forward, and there was also a young man who was learning to cook, whom Uncle Niu had been training in the kitchen.

"Brother Shirou, thank you for your kindness, but this is a matter for my shop. Are you a customer, or..." Uncle Niu said, looking at Shirou.

"No, let me help out here," Shirou said earnestly to Uncle Ox.

"I understand, let's go in then." Uncle Niu sensed Shirou's sincerity, and now was not the time to hesitate, so he could only nod.

Upon entering the room, they saw broken ropes hanging from the rafters. On the small table on the tatami mat were used tableware and a bloodstained knife. Blood dripped into the bathroom. Boss Niu led most of the people into the bathroom and saw a man whose body was submerged in the pool, his eyes rolled back. He was definitely dead.

The man still had the broken part of the rope around his neck, as if he had been hanged. There were cut marks on his left wrist. His hands were braced against the edge of the bathtub, but his back was pressed against the bottom of the tub. His posture was very irregular, as if he had been pressed down and fixed there by something.

Seeing this, everyone was too heartbroken to watch any longer and left the bathroom.

After everyone recovered from the shock, they remembered the question of how people died.

"Wow, that's terrifying! Was it suicide? But it looks like they struggled, and they seemed to be in a lot of pain before they died," one of the young men said.

"No, generally speaking, a person can't keep themselves submerged in a bathtub. Once they lose consciousness, they'll float up," Shirou said, shaking his head.

"By the way, this is your first time here, right? Did you see anything? Like Black Shadow hiding somewhere! That's the murderer!" another person asked, remembering something.

"I don't know! I ran out when I saw blood all over the floor!" the waitress, the first eyewitness, cried.

"No! This is the second floor. In an old house like this, anyone who tries to climb onto the roof beams will definitely leave marks. It's also impossible to escape through the window. Wooden stakes have already been driven in from the outside. Only a child could squeeze through," Uncle Niu said.

"That means he committed suicide... but he committed suicide three times, how could that be? Come to think of it, this guest's behavior since he moved in has been very strange," another person said.

"Whether it's suicide or homicide, we'll have to wait for the police to arrive and tell us. Let's not speculate anymore," Uncle Niu said.

"Then... Master, what should we do now?" the young kitchen helper asked.

"I suggest we don't touch this place. Since we have witnesses, the problem isn't with us. Moving things around here will only disrupt the scene and prevent the police from conducting a proper search," Shirou suggested.

When encountering a case, protecting the scene and letting professional police investigate and gather clues is the most reliable course of action.

"Alright! Stop talking! Get out of the room, don't disturb the scene, let the police handle this!" Boss Niu ordered.

"Yes!" Upon hearing their master's words, the two young kitchen helpers immediately stood up straight and went out.

"Shirou, are you alright?" Mashiro stepped forward and asked.

Shirou shook his head and said, "The man we encountered yesterday on our way back from the Night Market was dead in the bathtub. We don't know if it was suicide or murder."

After that, the proprietress went to each of the hotel's guests to apologize. Fortunately, there weren't many people staying at the hotel. However, a murder was still a heavy blow to a business like a hotel.