Period Drama Star / The Period Drama Actor Murder Case

Koharu Yoshino hesitated and looked at Jiang Hang: "Then let's forget about it. I think it's better if you don't set such a flag. What if something really happens?"

Chapter 323: Chapter 321: Period Drama Star

Three days later, at the entrance of the Todo Studios, which has a history of forty years.

Jiang Hang, along with Koharu Yoshino and Daisuke Mikami, the director of Daibao Films, arrived at the photography studio that was about to close down and be converted into a large supermarket.

"So this is the Todo Studios. It looks very historical!" Looking at the rather weathered entrance of the photography studio, Koharu Yoshino couldn't help but exclaim.

It's clear that although Koharu Yoshino kept saying that going out with Jiang Hang would easily lead to murder cases, she was still quite excited at the moment.

"I remember when I was a child, my family would often sit in front of the TV and watch period dramas produced by Eto Studio. At that time, I even said that when I grew up, I wanted to be the leading lady in a period drama. I never thought that I would actually be able to visit Todo Studios today."

At this point, Koharu Yoshino's expression became somewhat dejected. "But I never expected that Todo Studios produced so many classic works, would also go bankrupt."

"After all, period dramas are getting harder and harder to shoot these days, especially traditional period dramas that are filmed in studios with set backgrounds. The investment is large and the return is small. If you want to make money, you might as well shoot morning dramas or family dramas instead of period dramas and tokusatsu," Daisuke Mikami sighed and explained to Koharu Yoshino. "Todo Studios has always been a studio that insists on traditional period dramas. It's just a pity that Mr. Shirota, the owner of Toto Studio, passed away a few years ago. His son, Haruhiko Shirota, took over the studio, and since then, Todo Studios has been declining year by year."

It was clear that Daisuke Mikami had some disdain for Haruhiko Shirota: "After he took over the photography studio, he had a major conflict with the stars who were originally working there, which caused them to leave one by one over the years. In just a few years, he ruined all the reputation and goodwill that his father had built up over his entire life. As a result, the photography studio will be closing down at the end of this month and will be converted into a supermarket."

"Those actors can at least find work elsewhere if they don't film here, but the staff at the photography studio are mostly veterans who have worked here for over ten years or even their entire lives. If the studio closes down, they'll probably only face unemployment." As he spoke, Daisuke Mikami secretly glanced at Jiang Hang, seemingly hinting at something.

"I brought you along because I'm here to poach talent. You've been in the industry for over 30 years, so you should still have some influence," Jiang Hang gave Daisuke Mikami an encouraging look. "If you're capable, you could poach his entire photography studio to Daibao Films without any problem."

Jiang Hang had no intention of acquiring the photography studio this time. One reason was that the studio was already planning to transform it into a supermarket to make money. Daisuke Mikami Haruhiko Shirota, if he expressed his desire to acquire the studio, he didn't know what price the other party would offer him.

He's not some rich fool with money to burn. More importantly, he has no interest in traditional period dramas. He just wants to quietly make the tokusatsu shows he wants to watch, and later start his own animation company. If he has the opportunity, he can also start a game company.

In fact, after solving the arcade murder case a few days ago, the system generously rewarded him with an Animus standard edition device, which is the instrument in Assassin's Creed that can read the user's genetic memory.

Of course, the instrument that the system rewarded him with was still blank and did not contain any memories. Because Jiang Hang did not know how to use the instrument, he temporarily put it away. He planned to hand it over to Professor Agasa if he still could not figure it out after a while.

Moreover, in Jiang Hang's memory, the Conan movie "The Phantom of Baker Street" was about a similar device, so maybe he could get his hands on one of those devices to study for a while.

In short, he will have many places to spend money in the future. Two photography studios under his control are enough. He will be satisfied if he can poach some experienced employees before this photography studio closes down.

"I'll go talk to Haruhiko Shirota about the equipment later. You can take Koharu Yoshino to recruit people."

After receiving Jiang Hang's approval, Daisuke Mikami nodded emphatically.

Soon, led by the staff of the photography studio, Jiang Hang and his group arrived at Haruhiko Shirota's office.

However, when they arrived at the photography studio, they encountered a middle-aged man who had just left the other party's office.

The middle-aged man was about fifty years old. He was wearing a white kimono and had his hair tied up in a Japan ronin-style topknot. He looked very energetic, and his eyes also gave people a sharp feeling.

Jiang Hang's gaze swept over the other person. It seemed this person was an actor. Having been in this world for only a few months and never seen a period drama, he naturally wouldn't recognize them.

He didn't react much, but when Koharu Yoshino saw the actor, she paused slightly, as if she recognized him.

"You are... Shiro Juro Omiya?" Koharu Yoshino exclaimed softly, her expression showing some excitement.

When the actor named Shiro Juro Omiya heard someone call his name, his gaze immediately fell on Koharu Yoshino, and he gave her a friendly smile.

His gaze quickly swept over Jiang Hang and Daisuke Mikami before finally settling on the employee who had led them there.

"Mr. Da Gong, these are the director and boss of Daibao Films. They're here to discuss work with the young master," the employee quickly explained.

"I see. Hello," he said, extending his hand to shake hands with Jiang Hang, and then complimented Daisuke Mikami for a few moments. "I took my nephew to see Gomera's movie in the cinema before. It was a very exciting film."

Koharu Yoshino was also pleasantly surprised and shook hands with the other person. "My mother and I grew up watching your period dramas. My mother always says that your look in 'Chūji's Homecoming' completely captivated her!"

"That would be my honor," Shiro Juro Omiya smiled. He seemed to have some things to attend to. After exchanging a few words with Koharu Yoshino, he turned to the photography studio employee who had led the way. "I'm going to the rehearsal site now. Remember to remind the young master not to forget the time."

After saying that, he turned and left without any hesitation.

Chapter 324: Chapter 322: The Murder Case of a Period Drama Actor

Watching Shiro Juro Omiya's departing figure, Koharu Yoshino couldn't help but sigh, "I never expected to see Shiro Juro Omiya here. If I show this photo to my mother tonight, she'll probably be envious of me."

After watching the other person walk away, Jiang Hang secretly asked Koharu Yoshino, "Is the other person a very famous actress?"

Koharu Yoshino nodded. "Thirty years ago, up to a few years ago, he was a national-level period drama star. Even though he hasn't released any new movies in recent years, he still seems to be quite popular among middle-aged women."

Daisuke Mikami whispered to Jiang Hang, "He's probably the last star to stay at Todo Studios. It's said that he debuted here thirty years ago and has stayed at Todo Studios thirty years without accepting any invitations from other agencies or studios. His personality is quite famous in the industry."

Jiang Hang nodded thoughtfully. Based on Daisuke Mikami's description, he roughly knew what kind of person the other was.

I wonder if there will be any chance to invite him to make a cameo appearance in the Ultraman series after the Todo Studios goes bankrupt and closes down.

He gave Daisuke Mikami a look, indicating that he would leave this matter to him.

To this, Daisuke Mikami could only manage a wry smile.

An actor of Shiro Juro Omiya's caliber has no worries about money or fame; all his focus is on honing his acting skills. Even though Todo Studios is on the verge of collapse, he doesn't plan to leave. It's estimated that after filming this last movie, Shiro Juro Omiya will retire from acting altogether. He doesn't have the connections to pull someone into Ultraman production.

But since his boss had spoken, he had to give it a try.

Afterwards, Jiang Hang went into Haruhiko Shirota's office alone, while Daisuke Mikami and Koharu Yoshino went to visit other places as originally planned.

Haruhiko Shirota, the boss, does indeed fit the description of "uneducated and incompetent" given by Daisuke Mikami.

It's clear that he has absolutely no affection for the photography studio founded by his father. He doesn't seem to care about the movie the studio is currently filming, and he just wants to finish the filming work as soon as possible so as not to delay the demolition work at the end of the month.

Instead of the photography studio's work schedule, his desk displayed the demolition and renovation project schedule for the end of the month.

Jiang Hang also noticed that a notebook labeled "Petition" had been carelessly tossed into the trash can next to Haruhiko Shirota. If he wasn't mistaken, this might be the item that Shiro Juro Omiya had just brought over, probably hoping that Haruhiko Shirota would change his mind and not close the photography studio.

Now, the petition has been thrown directly into the trash can, and Jiang Hang can guess what just happened in the office.

Haruhiko Shirota seemed to have found out some background information about Jiang Hang, so his attitude towards Jiang Hang was quite good. When discussing the price of the photography equipment, the price he offered was also quite reasonable, basically not much different from what Jiang Hang had learned before he came.

After the basic agreement was reached, Haruhiko Shirota's attitude became much friendlier, and he was almost ready to put his arm around Jiang Hang's back and invite him out for a drink that night.

"These last two days are for the final scene. After filming, Brother Jiang Hang, you can just come and take the equipment away," he said nonchalantly. Just then, his phone suddenly rang.

He frowned as he glanced at the person who called before answering the phone.

"I understand. I'm talking to an important guest right now, I'll be there in a bit... I understand, you guys can rehearse on your own for now."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Hang asked Haruhiko Shirota, "Before I came here, I heard Mr. Shiro Juro Omiya mention the rehearsals. Mr. Shirota, are you also in this movie?"

Haruhiko Shirota waved his hand dismissively. "When I was young, I also worked as an actor, but only in minor roles. This time, we're filming our studio's last movie, so I'll just play a villain in a cameo role. Anyway, period dramas are outdated, and I doubt many people will watch them."

"If it weren't for those people wanting to make one last movie as a memento before it all ended, and even secretly securing investment from me, I wouldn't have bothered making this movie... I could have just made something random."

Hearing Haruhiko Shirota's words, Jiang Hang couldn't help but frown slightly. He really had nothing to say to such a person, and could only feel sorry for the actors and staff in the photography studio who were still working hard to shoot one last good work.

"Mr. Shirota, why don't you go and settle things with the film crew first? I was just thinking of visiting the studio." Jiang Hang had lost interest in continuing to chat with Haruhiko Shirota; he wanted to check on Daisuke Mikami Daisuke's recruitment efforts.

Seeing that Jiang Hang didn't seem to want to stay in the office any longer, Haruhiko Shirota smiled awkwardly, then quickly called someone over to show Jiang Hang around the photography studio. He also told Jiang Hang, "If you see anything you want in the studio, just let me know. My rehearsal is quick, only about ten minutes. After I finish rehearsing, we definitely have to go for a drink tonight."

Jiang Hang was somewhat helpless against someone like Haruhiko Shirota who insisted on forging a friendship with him.

Although he verbally agreed, he had already thought of a way to escape. At worst, he would meet with Daisuke Mikami to find out about the poaching situation, and then he would simply use the excuse of having something to take care of to leave with Koharu Yoshino.

Anyway, once the equipment acquisition was completed, he had no intention of dealing with the other party again.

What he didn't expect was that just as he met with Daisuke Mikami and asked him to step up his efforts to find Koharu Yoshino, who was watching the rehearsal at the studio, he received a shocking message Koharu Yoshino her.

During the recent rehearsal, actor Shiro Juro Omiya mistakenly used a real sword instead of a prop sword. In addition, Haruhiko Shirota seemed to be in a hurry and did not carefully check the fighting moves with the action director and other actors. Due to a serious error in his positioning, he was accidentally slashed in a vital Shiro Juro Omiya by Toshiro Omiya, who was rehearsing according to the script, and died on the spot.

Chapter 325: Chapter 323: Accident or Intentional Homicide?

Following Jiang Hang's report, Inspector Megure quickly arrived at the long-established photography studio with his team.

"The deceased's name is Haruhiko Shirota, he was 40 years old and the owner of Todo Studios," Takagi Wataru read aloud the information he had obtained, his expression slightly off.

"The cause of death was massive bleeding; the victim had been slashed hard in the front, and the killer was Shiro Juro Omiya of period dramas."

Upon hearing that the murderer was Shiro Juro Omiya, even Inspector Megure adjusted his hat, looking somewhat wistful.

It's clear that both Takagi Wataru and Inspector Megure probably grew up watching each other's period dramas, and may have even admired the characters they played in movies when they were young. Who would have thought that they would actually meet each other in such a setting today?

"The situation at the scene should be completely clear by now," Inspector Megure asked, then looked around with some concern. "Where's Jiang Hang? Wasn't he here when we arrived?"

"Jiang Hang should be asking his assistant, Ms. Muchun, about the situation at the time. After all, Ms. Muchun was standing below the rehearsal site when the incident occurred and witnessed the victim being murdered up close," Takagi Wataru explained, then continued recounting the events of the incident.

"Based on the current situation, the murderer, Shiro Juro Omiya, admitted that he accidentally picked up the wrong prop knife. At the same time, because the victim did not carefully follow the action instructions and Shiro Juro Omiya's action arrangements, he made a mistake in his positioning and was slashed in a vital area by Shiro Juro Omiya, who was acting according to the originally set action. Regarding this, since it happened during rehearsal, many people witnessed the process, so it is highly likely that it was an accident."

"Mr. Shirota, who was murdered, seemed to be a person who liked to show off. This film was also the last film they shot, so he appeared as the villain in this final work. Today we are shooting the final battle scene between him and the protagonist."

"According to the security guard at the photography studio, the deceased was probably in a hurry to finish rehearsals so he could invite Jiang Hang for drinks, which is why he refused when the action director was about to explain the specific movements to him."

Takagi Wataru a truthful explanation, and also explained why Jiang Hang was at the photography studio.

In his heart, he actually hoped that this case was just an accident. After all, the murderer was his childhood idol. Moreover, after the accident, Shiro Juro Omiya cooperated with the police investigation and questioning. In this respect, Shiro Juro Omiya's attitude was just like those tough guys he played in movies, completely different from other murderers who tried to escape their crimes by various means.

"If it's an accident, then it's easier to handle," Inspector Megure said. Although it seems highly likely to be an accident, as police officers, they must do their job to the best of their ability, so further investigation is still necessary.

"However... there should be a big difference between a real sword and a prop sword, right? Can you confirm that Mr. Omiya didn't intend to kill Mr. Shirota, which is why he deliberately took the real sword before the rehearsal?" Inspector Megure raised his question.

Takagi Wataru's expression immediately became conflicted.

In fact, the place where Inspector Megure was asking questions was the key to this case.

If it can be proven that Shiro Juro Omiya intentionally took the real knife, then this case is undoubtedly a case of intentional homicide. However, if it cannot be proven, then the police can only treat this case as an accident.

"Before we arrived, Jiang Hang had already taken out the real knife and the prop knife and put them together here. Inspector Megure, you should check them yourself."

Seeing Takagi Wataru expression, Inspector Megure probably already knew that it would be difficult to distinguish between the two.

When he saw the two knives placed in front of him, he couldn't help but show a troubled expression.

From the outside, the two knives look almost identical, and even their weight and the feel in the hand are no different.

Inspector Megure picked up both knives and tried them out; at least he couldn't directly tell the difference between them.

Only after careful observation can one discern subtle differences at the cut.

During rehearsals, the lighting conditions on set are not very good, and it is possible that it is impossible to distinguish between a prop knife and a real knife.

"Has there ever been a situation where a prop knife was mistakenly taken from a real knife?" Inspector Megure asked again.

Takagi Wataru nodded. "In the early years, when the technology for making prop knives wasn't as advanced as it is now, veteran actors could easily distinguish between the two. But since we switched to prop knives a few years ago that are not much different from real knives, this situation has become more frequent. There have been several instances of people picking up the wrong prop knife in recent years, but none of them have caused any major accidents. At most, it's just a scratch. This is the first time this has happened."

After observing and investigating the scene, both Inspector Megure and Takagi Wataru seemed to believe that the case was more likely an accident.

"What about... Mr. Omiya, the murderer?" Inspector Megure suddenly thought of this.

"Due to the unexpected circumstances, he also had Mr. Shirota's blood on him. After a brief questioning, he went to change his clothes. We will conduct further questioning on him later to determine the true nature of this case."

Takagi Wataru said this, he couldn't help but mention Jiang Hang, who wasn't even in the vicinity at the moment. "Perhaps Jiang Hang can discover some key issues that we haven't been able to discover yet."

Now let's turn back to Koharu Yoshino.

When the murder occurred, Koharu Yoshino's mind went almost completely blank.

Although she had seen the death by sword in the art museum before, what she saw then was only the aftermath of everything.

This time, she saw it up close, with crystal clarity, as Haruhiko Shirota was slashed in the body and blood gushed out.

Some of the other person's blood even splattered in front of her.

The incredibly realistic scene of murder appeared before her without warning, leaving her completely stunned.

She even hesitated for a moment, wondering if all rehearsals these days were really that realistic.

It wasn't until all the crew members rushed forward in a panic to try and stop Haruhiko Shirota's bleeding that she realized this was a real problem.

Instinctively, she took out her phone and contacted Jiang Hang, telling him everything that had happened.

Afterwards, Jiang Hang revealed his identity as an advisor to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, instantly stabilizing the previously chaotic scene.

After that, Jiang Hang briefly questioned the people at the crime scene. After Takagi Wataru and the others arrived, he took her to a nearby lounge and asked her in more detail about the specific events of the incident.

Although he knew that Koharu Yoshino was a little confused after suddenly encountering such a situation, at this moment, Koharu Yoshino, who had intermediate intelligence capabilities and had witnessed the entire incident firsthand, was someone he could completely trust.

However, it was clear that Koharu Yoshino hadn't been working as an assistant at the agency for nothing during those few months. Despite not being in the best mental state, she was still able to give quick answers when Jiang Hang asked her questions.

"I remember that at the last moment, Mr. Shirota seemed to realize that he had made a mistake in his positioning. I also heard him say 'I'm sorry' to Mr. Omiya. But Mr. Omiya just looked at him and told him to continue rehearsing, which led to the accident." Koharu Yoshino recalled what happened.

She couldn't help but mutter a complaint to Jiang Hang in a low voice, "See? I told you a long time ago not to make such dangerous promises so easily. This time, things really went wrong, didn't they?"

Jiang Hang hadn't expected that Koharu Yoshino pale face, would still be able to make a sarcastic remark about him.

Of course, since the other party has this mentality, he doesn't need to worry too much about Koharu Yoshino.

At this moment, Jiang Hang did not argue with Koharu Yoshino, but instead began to think about the situation of the case.

He had already confirmed that the prop knife was the same as the real knife used to kill him.

With his Eagle Eye, he could easily distinguish between the two, but without Eagle Eye, it wasn't so easy to tell them apart.