Shūhō got up as if nothing had happened and walked over. Amon handed him the flyer in his hand. Though he did not like him, he was still willing to share the clue.
"Hm?" Shūhō took the flyer, his voice tinged with emotion. "This really brings back memories."
"Eighteen years ago, the same thing happened here. How much do you know about this case?"
"As a relevant law enforcement officer, 'I don't know anything.'" That was Shūhō's answer. It was indeed a standard one, enough to keep himself out of trouble. At the end of the day, Shūhō definitely knew some inside information, but he still had his reservations.
"As a relevant law enforcement officer?" Amon knew there was more to Shūhō's words. It was not as if he had no way of forcing the truth out of him, so he continued probing. "Then what about personally?"
One of the clues was that the hairpin had been found beside the police station. It was not hard to infer that the culprit might actually be human. What that implied went without saying. Perhaps the truth involved too many people, which was why it had been buried so deeply. Shūhō frowned again and considered it, but ultimately could not bring himself to speak.
Amon was almost out of patience.
But Shūhō slowly began to speak.
It seemed he had made up his mind.
"This Haruka Seta, who disappeared eighteen years ago, vanished on her way home after the Fireworks Festival. Fifteen years ago, a female high school student also suddenly disappeared. Going further back, the same thing happened thirteen years ago, though that case took place in the neighboring 7th Ward."
Shūhō spoke smoothly, as though everything remained clearly imprinted in his mind and he could still recite it all from memory.