A Bar of Soap, Four Scents

After a brief exchange, Fujino understood the purpose of Juzo Megure's call.

It's very simple, just ask him to help investigate the recent series of police killings.

Fujino seemed somewhat bewildered. "Inspector Megure, is it really alright to ask me to investigate a case of this level?"

"After all, this is a sensitive case involving 'NEED NOT TO KNOW'."

It's one thing to hire a detective to investigate a regular murder case, but why would they hire a detective for a case involving a scandal within the police force?

"I have already reported the matter of asking for your help."

Seeing Juzo Megure's expression, Fujino Megure was somewhat surprised and explained, "I had already received approval from above before the call, and I'm fully committed to assisting you in the investigation so that we can solve this case as soon as possible."

"They agreed?"

Fujino raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised.

[NEED NOT TO KNOW]—This is a code word used within Western police systems, and the internationally recognized code NNTK means that you do not need to know this.

It's a verbal warning from the police to outsiders, or to people involved in the case whose confidentiality level is insufficient, prohibiting them from further investigation... It's equivalent to a confidentiality agreement.

Although we already gave away a spoiler yesterday.

But to be honest, Fujino was still somewhat surprised that Juzo Megure had received approval from his superiors to invite him to investigate this case.

After all, this matter has evolved into an internal police investigation, and generally speaking, outsiders won't be involved...

However, this also means that the police consider him almost one of their own.

"This case is just like what you thought, Fujino: the murderer might be someone we know."

Juzo Megure explained, "Although the investigation has a direction, the progress is not ideal... That's why the higher-ups agreed so readily."

"There's no time to lose, brother. If you have time, come to the Metropolitan Police Department as soon as possible."

"I see."

Fujino nodded, understanding the deeper meaning behind it.

This is not a coincidence, but the result of a long period of time.

Let's not even mention that he gave away some spoilers yesterday.

In the past, his relationship with the police was quite good.

Therefore, it is quite reasonable to invite him to assist in the investigation this time.

"A new detective wanted mission has been detected. Please check your inbox!"

A system notification sound suddenly rang in my ears.

"Has the task been issued?"

Fujino wasn't surprised to hear this, and immediately opened the system interface, where a mission screen appeared before him:

[Detective Profession Mission: Bounty Target (The Real Culprit in the Serial Police Murder Case)]

Mission Brief: Two police officers have been murdered in quick succession, and the real culprit behind it all turns out to be someone they know very well...

Mission objective: Capture Kazeo Kyosuke (Target determined based on information available to the host; location displayed on the heads-up display)

Mission Rewards: 4 million yen, 600 Detective Reputation, and 1 All Profession Points.

"Four million yen?"

Fujino stared at the system interface in front of him, rubbing his chin.

The bounty missions given by the system this time are quite generous.

Since Juzo Megure has already entrusted him with assisting in the investigation, this task can be completed incidentally.

However, grabbing them directly seems to be letting them off too easily...

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department meeting room.

Compared to the Beika Police Station, the Metropolitan Police Department's conference room was obviously much more luxurious. The blinds on the windows were completely drawn, and the floor-to-ceiling windows on the side were also covered with white curtains. In the middle of the room was a long table, and on both sides of the long table were red soft sofas.

"Around last summer, Dr. Jinno Tamotsu of Tokyo Medical University Hospital was found dead in his home."

Juzo Megure sat on the sofa opposite him. As he spoke, Shiratori took a photo out of his pocket and handed it to Fujino.

Fujino took the photo and glanced at it.

The photo shows a man in a red suit, with a thin and somewhat sleazy appearance; he doesn't look like a good person at all.

After examining it for a moment, Fujino looked up and asked the two of them with a puzzled expression, "Since you brought Megure up, this case must be related to the series of murders, right?"

"That's right, these two cases are closely related."

Juzo Megure nodded and explained, "The person in charge of investigating this case was my Senior, Inspector Tomonari, who was also in the First Investigation Division. Under him were Sergeant Nara Detective Shiba Yoichiro, and Sato."

"If that's the case, then Officer Sato is very likely to be next," Fujino guessed.

"That's right, that's what I think too."

Juzo Megure sighed, "But she said she didn't need our protection or anything."

"After all, he's Officer Sato..."

Fujino pondered for a moment, then asked, "So, how is Officer Tomonari doing now?"

"He's dead..."

Juzo Megure replied, "He died of a sudden heart attack while investigating that case."

"So, does that mean that Officer Sato is the only one left who investigated that case back then?"

Fujino nodded. "Could you tell me the specific details of that case from back then?"

"That case back then caused quite a stir."

Juzo Megure pondered, "According to our police investigation, Jinno Tamotsu drank a lot of alcohol before his death. He may have been drunk and, in a moment of despair, cut open his right carotid artery with a scalpel... and the first person to discover the body was his sister, Jinno Tamaki."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Shiratori Ninzaburo, who was standing to the side, took out another photograph from his inner pocket and handed it to Fujino.

The photo shows a beautiful woman with long brown hair, wearing a pink suit, giving off a cool and melancholic vibe.

"In this case, we initially considered suicide as our primary diagnosis."

Juzo Megure hesitated, then continued, "In Jinno Tamotsu's room, there was a suicide note in which he claimed to have taken responsibility for a failed surgery, but the actual situation..."

"In fact, his sister did not believe that her brother would commit suicide."

Shiratori Ninzaburo continued, "According to her, her brother was never a scoundrel who cared about the lives of patients. It would be impossible for him to commit suicide just because of a failed surgery."

"Just a week before Jinno Tamotsu was murdered, someone saw a man with purple hair arguing with him in front of a warehouse."

Juzo Megure said, "Just to be on the safe side, Tomonari took his men to stake out that warehouse... But while they were staking out, he suddenly suffered a heart attack. Although Sato rushed him to the hospital, he eventually passed away. The other two, however, managed to catch up with that person..."

At this point, his face darkened slightly, and his voice lowered. "That person is none other than our head of the Criminal Investigation Department, the son of Superintendent Odagiri, Odagiri Toshiya."

Upon hearing this, Shiratori took out another photo, but after a pause, he put it away with some surprise. He then quickly reached into his inner pocket and handed another photo to Fujino.

Fujino: "..."

Here we go again. Just how many photos did you prepare?

Wait, wasn't that a picture of Sato Miwako that you just pulled out?

What exactly are you hiding in your pockets...?

Fujino was speechless for a moment, then took the photo and examined it.

The photo shows a non-mainstream, scruffy-looking guy who looks like a hoodlum.

From his perspective, it's hard not to suspect whether this petty thug is actually the biological son of a highly respected figure like the police chief.

"Because of Youcheng's death, this case was forced to close as a suicide."

Juzo Megure's face was grim. "Actually, there was a Tomonari Shin under Tomonari's care. He was very dissatisfied with the news of his father's unexpected death, and even harbored resentment towards the subordinates who were on duty with him at the time, believing that it was their inaction that caused his father's death..."

Fujino nodded knowingly, feeling that this was a fairly normal procedure.

Normally, no one would investigate such a case, especially since it involves the Minister of the Criminal Investigation Department.

Although the other party did not say anything, the people below naturally understood the leader's meaning and went along with it.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Fujino glanced at all the photos on the table in front of him. "So, this case involves the son of the head of the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Department, the son of a former police officer?"

"Yes, that seems to be the case now. Our investigation is currently focused on these two individuals."

Juzo Megure, resting his chin on his hands and said seriously, "We reinvestigated the relationship between the two victims and found that Sato was commissioned by the murdered Officer Nara. Together with Officer Shiba, the three of them started investigating the case from a year ago again."

"Both officers were murdered after the case was reopened for investigation."

Shiratori Ninzaburo looked at Fujino and said, "Just as Fujino- kun said, based on the fact that the two people were clutching the police handbook before they died, we determined that the murderer was someone we knew. We then identified the two suspects... Takagi is in charge of investigating Tomonari Shin, and I am in charge of investigating Odagiri Toshiya."

"Brother Fujino..."

At this moment, Juzo Megure turned his expectant gaze to Fujino: "Do you have any clues about these two?"

"As for clues, I don't have any for now."

Fujino shook his head and replied, "If the suspects can be confirmed to be these two, then all that's left is to observe. Odagiri Toshiya the most likely suspect, since he had an argument with the victim before the murder. If the victim was murdered, it's not impossible that he would have committed the murder after learning that the investigation had been reopened."

"As for the son of another former police officer, Tomonari Shin, in my opinion, he doesn't seem to have much connection to this case for the time being. However, if he is left-handed, there might be some connection."

"Yes, that's what we think too."

Juzo Megure nodded, pondered for a moment, and agreed with Fujino's guess.

"However, it's not necessarily certain that it's just the two of them."

Fujino stood up, stretched, pulled back the blinds, looked out the window, and said meaningfully, "After all, the more obvious the case, the deeper the real culprit is often hidden."

"Is the real culprit even more deeply hidden?"

Juzo Megure was somewhat confused.

"Fujino- kun is probably saying is that the more obvious the case, the harder it is to find the culprit."

Shiratori Ninzaburo acted as the translator, then murmured, "Actually, I also feel that this case is a bit too obvious, and all the evidence points directly to the two of them..."

"We still have too few clues..."

Juzo Megure sighed, his brow furrowing slightly.

To be honest, he felt the same way.

However, less than two days have passed since these cases occurred, and the clues and intelligence gathering are not yet comprehensive. What we are doing now is just speculation.

Meanwhile, Fujino was lost in thought.

Judging from what Juzo Megure just mentioned, he has probably recalled the plot of this case.

Many years ago, Kazeo Kyosuke, a surgeon, was known as the youngest surgeon and a genius nicknamed "Golden Left Hand".

However, during one surgery, he was cut on the wrist by a man named Jinno Tamotsu, and he subsequently retired from the profession of surgeon.

After all, for doctors, the stability of their hands is life itself; it is impossible to perform surgery with an unsteady pair of hands.

This was common sense for Fujino, who was Doctor Profession.

About a year ago, Kazeo Kyosuke, who thought it was an accident, suddenly learned from Jinno Tamotsu, who was drunk, that the wrist injury he suffered years ago was entirely intentional on Jinno's part.

Enraged, he killed the other person with a scalpel and staged it as a suicide.

Afterwards, the police reopened the investigation into that case, and as a police psychologist, he naturally learned about it.

To prevent the events of that year from being exposed, he murdered two police officers and attempted to kill Sato Miwako, completely eliminating any lingering problems from those events and framing Tomonari Shin.

As for the next operation... it should be the assassination of Sato Miwako.

The location was Shiratori Sara's wedding celebration.

Thinking of this, a glint of light flashed in Fujino's eyes as he looked out the window.

On the day of the wedding celebration.

For the past day or so, Fujino has been cooperating with the Metropolitan Police Department in their investigation of this case, but with little success.

Since it was the weekend, the Fujino family members had a rare free time and went together to attend the wedding celebration of Shiratori Ninzaburo's sister.

Fujino was still wearing that black suit, which was quite appropriate for any occasion in Japan.

Ai Haibara changed into a slightly loose gray long dress as an inner layer, and draped a slightly long white light coat over it, giving her a slightly mature yet cute feel.

Akemi Miyano changed into a gray business suit with a pencil skirt, looking capable, dignified, and composed. She seemed quite shrewd and capable.

"You two go in first, I'll go find a parking spot, and we'll meet up at the wedding celebration on the fifteenth floor later."

Upon arriving at the Mihana Sun Plaza Hotel, Fujino glanced at the crowded underground parking lot and separated from the two.

Is it coming soon?

Fujino quickly found a parking space and parked the car, then looked at the red dot not far away, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Then, he took out Makeup Box from his Pocket Dimension...

Kazeo Kyosuke parked his car in the parking lot.

He opened his glove box, took out a pistol, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Today is the wedding ceremony of Inspector Shiratori's sister from the Metropolitan Police Department Inspector Shiratori.

Having heard about this beforehand, he was already prepared...

Once this operation is over, he will no longer need to worry about his affairs being exposed.

Kazeo Kyosuke took a deep breath, put away his gun, and prepared to carry out his Murder Plan.

But just as he opened the car door and stepped out, a black-skinned Blondie suddenly appeared around the corner, startling him.

"May I ask who you are?"

Kazeo Kyosuke seemed somewhat puzzled by the person who suddenly appeared around the corner.

The person in front of me had wheat-colored skin, short blond hair, wore a thick black coat, and carried a briefcase, giving him a somewhat mysterious air.

He thought about it, but he had no recollection of this person at all.

"I'm selling soap..."

Black- Fujino put the suitcase on the ground, opened it, took out a bar of soap, and handed it to Kazeo Kyosuke: "I can give you one, help me promote it."

As she spoke, Fujino held the soap out to her face. "Smell it."

"Soap?"

Kazeo Kyosuke, looking somewhat bewildered.

Is someone selling soap?

Is your soap salesperson in the underground parking lot?

Although he seemed a little puzzled, he knew he shouldn't accept things from strangers.

But inexplicably, the words of this person in front of me seemed to have a magical power.

This gave him a deep sense of trust.

"Really free?"

He took the soap and asked, puzzled.

"One bar of soap has four different scents."

Fujino looked into Kazeo Kyosuke's eyes with sincerity. "The back and the side smell different. It smells good. You can try it for free."

"Four flavors, is that amazing?"

Kazeo Kyosuke blinked hesitantly, then brought the soap to his nose and sniffed it. "It smells so good... What kind of soap is this?"

"Hmm, if it smells good, smell it some more."

Teng Ye's smile remained unchanged.

"How much are they? I'll buy a few more."

As he spoke, Kazeo Kyosuke took another sniff.

The more you smell it, the more fragrant it becomes; you simply can't stop!

Then, he felt his brain was a little foggy.

My body began to sway precariously, but I felt as comfortable as if I were standing on a cloud.

"Thump..."

The soap slipped from my hand and fell to the ground beside me.

Kazeo Kyosuke fell straight to the ground and fainted.

"The profession of public speaker is quite useful."

Fujino picked up the scattered soap from the side and muttered to himself, "It's absolutely perfect with this soap..."

As he spoke, he picked up the soap from the side and put it back in his suitcase.

Then, he stood up and turned his gaze to Kazeo Kyosuke, a slight smile playing on his lips on his dark face.