Haunted House Murder Case

Fujino shoved the stone slab aside with all his strength, revealing a winding staircase.

He followed the stairs down, reaching a dimly lit tunnel at the end.

Puddles covered the tunnel floor, and droplets of moisture fell from the stone walls into them, making a steady drip-drip sound.

Fujino looked around and spotted a half-open iron door.

A faint light shone through from behind it.

Suddenly, a mournful wail came from within.

Fujino's heart tightened.

Peering through the crack in the door, he saw a room that looked like a prison cell.

A man with long hair and a long beard was locked inside a cage.

He was tearing at a tattered bedsheet, crying out in anguish to a gray-haired woman in a black burlap dress standing outside the cage. "Mom! Let me turn myself in!"

"No! Akio!"

Tears glimmered in Mrs. Yamada's eyes. "As long as we wait until the statute of limitations expires, we can begin a wonderful new life!"

"I can't stand living like this anymore, seeing Father's face in my dreams every night!"

As he spoke, Akio desperately slammed his head against the iron bars, roaring as he did so, "Let me die!"

"Akio!"

Outside the cage, the helpless Mrs. Yamada shielded his head with her hands. Her already rough hands were left covered in wounds from the repeated impacts.

After a while, Akio Yamada finally calmed down.

Only then did Mrs. Yamada crouch down and gently stroke his long hair to comfort him. "What's done is done. No matter how much it hurts, the dead cannot come back to life. Just wait a little longer. Once the statute of limitations has passed, everything will be fine!"

So these two were the true culprits behind the Haunted House Murder Case?

In the corridor, Fujino watched the scene inside the room and already understood what had happened.

Fujino knew a thing or two about statutes of limitations.

No matter the country, criminal cases had a statute of limitations.

Once that time had passed, prosecution would no longer be possible.

In other words, if someone committed a crime and was not discovered before the limitation period expired, the murderer would no longer bear responsibility, and the judicial authorities would lose the right to try them.

But for someone like Akio Yamada, who still possessed a conscience, what did it matter if the statute of limitations expired?

The irreparable trauma would forever linger in his heart, and every night thereafter, he would see the face of the person he had killed in his dreams.

"The dead will not return to life, but guilt will forever haunt the murderer's heart."

Setting aside his thoughts, Fujino leaned against the wall and sighed.

"Who's there?!"

Hearing the sound, Mrs. Yamada immediately wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, grabbed a fruit knife from the ground, and turned around.

Notice: Detective Time has begun. Countdown: 0-0-59

Hearing the system notification, Fujino silently tightened his grip on the card in his hand and took a deep breath.

Looks like I need to hurry.

Then he took another deep breath and pushed the door open. "My name is Fujino. I'm a detective!"

"A detective?!"

Mrs. Yamada sized up the young man before her, unable to keep from panicking. "Why is a detective like you here?!"

"Of course, I'm here to investigate the murder case from five years ago."

Fujino looked steadily at Mrs. Yamada as he spoke slowly. "Five years ago, a home invasion murder took place here. The victim's wife and son moved away long ago, while the culprit has never been caught... But strangely enough, ever since that mother and son moved away five years ago, eerie ghost stories have spread through this house."

After a pause, he chuckled. "But now, it seems the truth behind those ghost stories has become perfectly clear."

"If I'm not mistaken, you two are the Yamada mother and son from the case five years ago, aren't you?"

"That case from five years ago was not a home invasion murder at all. It was a deliberate murder disguised as a robbery! The murderer is one of you two!"

"Shut up!"

Mrs. Yamada glanced at Akio Yamada, then pointed the fruit knife at Fujino and gritted her teeth. "I am the murderer! He was only imprisoned here by me!"

"Is that so?"

Fujino rubbed his chin. "A wife killing her husband and imprisoning the son who witnessed everything is indeed a plausible explanation."

A moment later, he raised his head and fixed Mrs. Yamada with a sharp gaze. "However, there is another explanation: Mrs. Yamada, you are trying to take all the blame and deliberately protect your son, the real murderer!"

"Five years ago, Akio Yamada killed his own father. When he was at a loss over what to do, you helped him stage the crime scene and escape punishment!"

"Ordinarily, no one would ever have discovered the truth if things continued this way... But you never expected that his conscience would torment him until he wanted to turn himself in!"

"And to stop him from ruining his future, you imprisoned him in the iron cage in the basement, planning to live in hiding until the statute of limitations expired before bringing him back into the sunlight!"

"I heard your conversation just now. The true murderer in that case five years ago was your son, wasn't it?!"

"Shut your mouth!"

Mrs. Yamada's expression gradually twisted. Seeing that she could no longer hide the truth, she clenched the fruit knife even tighter, her scar-covered hand trembling uncontrollably.

When she realized the truth had been exposed, she had intended to shoulder all the blame alone.

But this detective had shattered her last remaining illusion.

A vicious glint flashed in her eyes as she raised the fruit knife and stabbed toward Fujino's chest. "Die!"

"Mom, don't!"

Akio Yamada gripped the iron bars tightly and shouted at Mrs. Yamada.

But how could Mrs. Yamada, who had already lost her mind, care about any of that?

Her only thought now was to kill the detective before her and silence him forever.

"Are you still refusing to see reason?!"

Fujino crushed the Ability Amplification Card in his hand.

Perception enhancement activated for host. Strength Boost: 100%. Countdown: 0-0-59

Suddenly, the world around him seemed to slow down.

With both his strength and perception enhanced, Mrs. Yamada's movements became crystal clear in Fujino's eyes. He could even make out every nick in the blade she held.

"Wake up!"

Fujino kicked Mrs. Yamada's knife hand.

The silver blade flew high into the air, then fell to the ground moments later with a long, crisp clang.

"Give up."

Fujino lowered his leg and stared at Mrs. Yamada expressionlessly.

"I won't let you send Akio to prison!"

Mrs. Yamada struggled to her feet, dragging her dislocated wrist as she lunged at Fujino again in a hysterical frenzy.

"To be honest, I really don't want to use my full strength..."

Fujino frowned slightly as he watched Mrs. Yamada close in, looking somewhat troubled.

The fact that his previous blow had not sent her to the hospital was already more mercy than she deserved.

But if she insisted on remaining stubborn, he would not keep indulging her.