Paranormal Crime-Solving Methods / Detective Mashiro

"I'm so sorry, guests! Seeing this has ruined your trip. We'll refund your entire bill. If you want to stay at a different hotel, I'll ask someone I know nearby to give you a discount. So please don't tell anyone about what happened today, otherwise our shop won't be able to stay in business," the proprietress said apologetically.

"No, we won't tell anyone about this, proprietress, please don't worry. This isn't a problem with the inn itself," Shirou reassured him.

"Yes, we're staying here, so there's no problem." Mashiro nodded and said. Uncle Niu was an honest man who was dedicated to running a good inn, and although the proprietress liked to joke, she was very hospitable and cared for the guests. Neither of them were bad people who would rob or kill.

"Thank you, Mashiro- chan, Shirou-kun, and the other customers were very understanding. They were a great help." The proprietress said gratefully with a bitter smile.

However, a murder still occurred in the hotel. Even if the guests didn't say anything, it couldn't be kept secret from other aspects, and it still had a great impact. The criminal detectives investigating the case drove their police cars to the hotel.

"Excuse me, please leave if you are not involved. Please leave the rest to us." At this moment, an inspector from the Kamakura Major Crimes Unit arrived with a group of detectives.

"Ah, Inspector, you've finally arrived. We've preserved the scene; please proceed with your investigation!" Uncle Niu greeted him.

"Yes, please rest assured, Mr. Niu! As long as you are innocent, there will be no problem. We will not wrong any innocent person!" The inspector shook hands with Uncle Niu and agreed.

"Yes! Please help me!" Uncle Niu grasped the police inspector's hand.

Japanese detectives began their investigation. First, forensic personnel collected traces left at the scene, such as tools used in the crime, fallen hair, and fingerprints on objects, to make an initial assessment of the case's direction: whether it was suicide or homicide.

Then the body was collected, placed in a shroud, zipped up, and sent to the forensic department for an autopsy to determine the true cause of death.

They then sent people to question the hotel staff and guests. Shirou and Mashiro were also questioned, but even the waitress who first discovered the problem didn't know what was going on.

This case is rather tricky; there are unnatural signs everywhere. The way the person died—being trapped in the bathtub and unable to float, leading to suffocation—defies common sense. Even after investigating for an entire afternoon, the detectives still haven't found anything.

Chapter 863 Supernatural Crime Solving Methods

The results obtained solely from the on-site search by the forensic department still have many doubts.

Why? Why did the man attempt suicide? Why? He failed twice before, and finally, disgusted with himself, died in the bathtub?

The detectives began to deduce the clues they had gathered, and Boss Niu arranged a quiet room for them to work in.

In addition to the members of the forensic department, there were three Japanese police officers present: the police inspector who was in charge, a middle-aged man, and a young detective.

"The hanging cloth was made from a bed sheet. Besides the waitress, the only other evidence was the deceased's fingerprints, and there were also wood chips from the broken beam on his body. It can be determined that the deceased did indeed hang himself," the inspector said.

"The knife on the table used for cutting the wrists is the same; it only has the deceased's fingerprints on it. The wound shows signs of being cut once and then reopened. The person involved seemed very tense at the time, which is consistent with the behavior of someone impulsively committing suicide. I judge it to be a suicide attempt," the middle-aged man interjected.

"There were no signs of anyone else in the room, so it must have been a suicide!" the young detective said.

"Then what was his motive for coming to Kamakura? And how did he end up drowning himself in the bathtub? It's hard to imagine that someone who has attempted suicide multiple times could possess such willpower," the inspector said.

"Was it poisoned? It was poisoned with a nerve-paralyzing toxin, so it was stuck in the water and couldn't get up, so it drowned. Like these strange fish here! They must have been bought from the monster Night Market. It's not uncommon for ordinary people to have problems after eating things from the Demon Realm world in Kamakura."

The detective pointed to the sashimi on the empty plate on the table and said, "After investigating in the kitchen, the police already know what the deep-sea monster fish in the food looks like, so I'm speculating."

"No, no! We are a well-established business that has been operating for nearly a hundred years. The ingredients we use are carefully selected every day. We have never done anything so immoral or unethical," Boss Niu quickly denied.

"That's right," the proprietress said. "Anyone in this town can ask around; they all praise my boss for being honest and kind."

"We've already eaten the fish, and there haven't been any problems," Shirou said.

"Mm." Mashiro nodded.

"Indeed... the analysis results for the food are in, and everything is fine," said the middle-aged man holding the tablet.

"Phew..." Boss Niu and his proprietress breathed a sigh of relief.

"And there's something very suspicious about this room... everything here is for two people," the inspector said.

Yes, the man was living alone, but he insisted on using two sets of all the tableware and utensils, and even placed two pillows on the bed he slept on the floor.

The proprietress explained, "Because he booked a room for two and paid for two, I offered to change it to a single room and refund him, but he refused and insisted on staying for two. At the time, out of a service spirit of trying to meet the customer's needs, the shop went along with his wishes. But now that I think about it, it seemed like he felt like there was another person next to him; the way he walked was like he was embracing someone."

"Yes! When he walks, he always carries his arm up, as if he's holding someone's arm."

"Yes, yes, he always ignores what we say, his eyes are always fixed on his side, and he mutters nonsensical things to himself. I've been startled by him several times," the two waitresses said.

"We can also prove that; everyone who saw him at the hotel has seen him," Shirou said to Mashiro.

"Is that so? I know. Thank you for your help." The inspector wrote something down in his notebook as he expressed his gratitude.

"Ah, I found it! Sure enough, this man has a history of attempted suicide..." At this moment, the middle-aged man wearing glasses pulled out a tablet computer and read aloud, "Mori Hirotomo, 28 years old, formerly a programmer at Tokyo Black Gold Company. There is a record that he attempted suicide with his girlfriend. The woman died on the spot, and the man was rescued after his suicide attempt."

The inspector, resting his chin on his hand, said, "Is that so... The way he walks, as if he's holding someone's arm, the strange behavior of talking to himself to the side, and the fact that there are always two people around him, yet no one else can see anything... In that case, it really is that side's case."

"It's the work of the dead!" the young detective said.

"Then please have one of our experts come over!" the inspector ordered.

"What is this...?" Boss Niu asked in confusion.

"The problem doesn't seem to be related to humans, so we'll be conducting a paranormal investigation!" the inspector said.

"A paranormal investigation?" Mashiro's eyes lit up.

Shirou quickly restrained the girl, preventing her from doing anything impolite in the situation.

The edge of Kamakura's demonic realm is perpetually shrouded in demonic and spiritual energy, so even those without spiritual abilities can see some of the demons and monsters that come to this city. Through these interactions and frictions, a certain balance has been achieved between the local humans and the spirits.

When modern criminal investigation methods prove ineffective, the police in Kamakura resort to other methods.

For example, one of them is the Descent spell!

At that moment, the door was pushed open, and an old woman with disheveled hair, her long gray hair cascading down her back, walked in without saying a word.

"Excuse me, who are you...?" Uncle Niu asked.

"Grandma Spirit Summoner!! You've finally arrived!" The seated detective stood up, walked over, and pulled the old woman to her seat, where the altar had already been set up.

"The spirit medium is a special expert invited by our police station. She was born deaf and mute and doesn't speak normally, but she has a 100% success rate when she performs spirit summoning. Now we need to ask her to summon the spirits in the house into her body and tell us the truth of the matter," the police officer explained.

"There's a famous saying in Kamakura: if you can get the answer directly from the dead, then the reasoning process can be ignored! So please perform the ritual, Grandma," the inspector said, extending his hand.

The old woman nodded to the police inspector, then sat down in her designated spot. A candle sat on either side of her, and in the middle was a lotus-shaped stand filled with rice. She took out an incense stick, lit it, and muttered to herself, as if reciting an indistinct incantation.

Suddenly, a cold draft arose from nowhere in the tightly closed room, and the temperature inside dropped several degrees.

Chapter 864 Detective Mashiro

"Waaaaaah!!!" The old woman who summoned spirits started shaking her head, once to the left, once to the right, then three times to the left, three times to the right, the frequency kept increasing, and the screams began to sound like she was talking to a fan.

The old woman's loose hair floated high in the air, constantly shifting its position until it finally covered her entire face like Sadako.

The room fell silent. Everyone stared in shock, realizing that this was something an old woman could not have accomplished easily.

The candle flickered, then suddenly turned a deep blue.

"It's here! This is proof that the spirit summoning ritual was successful." The young detective raised his clenched fist and said excitedly.

"Who are you?" the inspector asked the old woman, shaking his bell.

"Me?" the old woman began slowly, a woman's voice emanating from her throat.

"Why is it a woman? What happened! The wrong person was sent!" The detective clutched his head, saying in disappointment.

"Quiet! Who are you? What is your relationship with the deceased?" The inspector stopped his men and, attempting to summon the spirit, asked.

The old woman, who had lowered her head, suddenly changed her demeanor. After a while, she slowly said, "I... my name is Kuwata Reiko, and I'm his girlfriend..."

This voice doesn't sound like that of an elderly person; it sounds more like that of a young woman in her twenties.

The inspector straightened up and continued, "... According to our investigation, you committed suicide a month ago. Your soul didn't go to the underworld, but instead stayed with the deceased. What did you do to the dead?"

"... I killed him," the old woman said, her eyes rolling back.

The police officers exchanged glances, confirming their target. Boss Niu and his proprietress hugged each other, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"What's the reason?" the inspector asked again.

"There's no reason... I just wanted to kill him!" The female ghost spoke in a low voice through the old woman she was possessing.

"So that's how it is! The evidence is conclusive! This is a homicide. Contact Hell and have them take over. The killer is a vengeful ghost!" The inspector made the final decision and officially announced it.

"Yes! I'll call the Death Bureau right away and have them send someone over!" the middle-aged detective replied.

"Please wait a moment, I have a question for Miss Ghost." At this moment, Mashiro stepped forward and said.

"Who... are you?" the detectives asked the girl.

"I'm Shiina Mashiro! Just a passing manga artist!" Mashiro said, striking a classic pose with great style.

Mashiro's statement shocked the detective standing nearby.

The youngest detective exclaimed in admiration, "Why do you exude such a powerful aura? I wish I could be this cool when I say I'm a police officer! But this is a crime scene. Even if you're a cartoonist who's more handsome than me, you have no right to interrupt!"

"I'm Shirou, the assistant. Actually, we're a team that goes to the locations to gather material and create documentary-style manga, so we have some experience in the supernatural field." Shirou handed over his business card, then took out the manga magazine that Mashiro was serializing in, along with some other documents. He had really gone to a lot of trouble to avoid encountering a situation like this.

"Chuanpu? You mean that super famous Chuanpu? The national-level manga magazine Shonen Chuanpu?" The young detective took the magazine and said in shock.

"Yes, it's that Kawapu." Shirou nodded.

"Then I should call you Mashiro- sensei! It brings back so many memories!" The detective flipped to the page with Shiina Mashiro and exclaimed, "Ah! Isn't this the story of Alice's House of Dolls? I've seen it on TV!"

"Yes, because we're friends with her, and we helped out in the House of Dolls incident," Shirou explained, pulling out his phone to show a picture of Mashiro and Alice sitting on the sofa.

"Really? Really? By the way, where is that place in the photo?" The detective was almost convinced, but then he suddenly remembered a more important question.

"Yes, it was at my house at the time," Shirou casually replied, not realizing he had misspoke.

"What?! In your house! I'm so envious... Wait, what are you doing, you brat?!" The detective suddenly got angry, distanced himself from Shirou, and shouted.

"Eh... I already said I'm a manga artist's assistant," Shirou said, sweating profusely. Why did it feel like the more he explained, the more complicated it became? Besides, I'm a law-abiding citizen. Even if you're a detective, you don't have the right to pry into my private life.

"Suspicious! Very suspicious!" The detective, seemingly unwilling to let Shirou off the hook, continued to press for answers.

"May I ask a question?" Mashiro asked, raising her hand.

"Well, teacher, you are trustworthy given your status. Go ahead and ask, Mashiro- sensei. Also, please sign autographs for me afterwards. Ah, and considering my two seniors, they have children at home, so seven or eight should be enough for me," the inspector said.

The two veteran detectives who were taking statements and speaking to the host finally smiled at this moment, thinking, "You know how to handle people, kid."

'You're obviously using this as a pretext for personal gain!' Shirou thought to himself, but the situation didn't allow him to say it aloud.

"Okay, then I have a question, Miss Ghost, do you really want to kill him?" Mashiro nodded, agreeing to the conditions, then turned to look at Granny Summoner and asked seriously.

"..." The female ghost who had summoned the spirit seemed to have her secret question exposed, and her whole body trembled slightly, but then she fell silent again.

"She's already confessed, so it's alright now," the young detective said, waving his hand dismissively.

"We agreed to commit suicide together, but I died, and he hesitated to do it because he was afraid, and then he fell into despair and depression... Actually, even if he had chosen to live, I wouldn't have cared..." the female ghost said sadly.

"Huh?" The detective's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"But he broke down that day. He developed mental problems and kept fantasizing that I was still alive. Today he tried to commit suicide again, like hanging and then cutting his wrists, but he failed... He's completely broken down. He's so thin he's just skin and bones, and his spirit is shattered. It was too pitiful to let him continue like this, so I had no choice but to press his body down in the bathtub..." the female ghost whispered.

No one expected that there was such a hidden story behind it all.

Chapter 865 The Truth of the Incident

"Although there are hidden reasons, the fact remains that you killed someone. I will record what you did and submit it to the Grim Reaper in the underworld. You have no objections to that, do you?" The inspector asked the female ghost possessing the old woman's body with a serious expression.

"Okay, that's good." The female ghost Reiko nodded.

"I understand, thank you for your cooperation." The inspector nodded, about to close the case. Although this was originally the judge's job, this case was truly complicated; he hadn't expected the culprit to be a ghost. He couldn't bring a ghost to court.

In general, in this situation, the underworld would take over. However, since a living person was killed, the case can't just be thrown out and ignored; the authorities still need to give the public an explanation.

"No, please let me continue asking. Although she is indeed the culprit in the case, knowing the details is equally important. After all, it is your duty, Inspector, to prevent similar mistakes from happening in society, right?" Mashiro said, looking at the detectives.

"Hmm... I understand!" The inspector hesitated for a moment, but still agreed to Mashiro's request.

"You didn't intend to kill her, did you?" Mashiro asserted, looking towards the female ghost.

"..." The female ghost looked up at Mashiro.

"We entered the room and found the rope that had been used to hang ourselves, and a bloodstained knife. But we overlooked its true purpose," Mashiro declared, pointing to the room where the murder had occurred.

"What?!" the detectives exclaimed in shock.

"The rope was actually made by twisting together pieces of torn blankets. It was probably meant to keep Mr. Mori warm. If we were looking for a hanging rope, there would be no need to go through the trouble of tearing blankets piece by piece. Mr. Mori is very weak. I've seen him shivering in the wind before, clearly shivering from the cold. He looks very haggard, with obvious signs of malnutrition and lack of sleep, so he's more susceptible to the cold than we are. That's why Miss Reiko brought him a blanket," Shirou interjected.

"What!? If that's the case..." The detectives suddenly realized.

The female ghost neither replied nor denied the statement.

"And that knife, actually it's a fruit knife, isn't it? Besides the knife, there's also a plate of washed fruit on the table. It's hard to imagine that Mr. Mori, who wanted to commit suicide and clearly hadn't eaten properly for a long time, would go out of his way to wash fruit. This must have been washed by Ms. Reiko so that Mr. Mori could peel the fruit for her to eat." Mashiro continued, picking up where Shirou left off.

"Indeed! That's a suspicious point," the detectives said.

"But both the blanket and the fruit knife were misused by Mr. Mori, which shows that Mr. Mori's mind is already very unstable. Therefore, what he did should not actually be the responsibility of Miss Reiko," Shirou said.

"Miss Reiko, what exactly happened to you while you were alive? Can you tell us?" Shirou asked softly.

"Sigh..." The female ghost sighed, hesitating as she considered the matter.

If Mashiro hadn't asked her, the female ghost might have been prepared to say nothing, confess her guilt, and let the matter end, burying the truth forever. But once she started speaking, she no longer hid anything and continued to tell her story, word by word.