As he thought about it, Inspector Otaki could not help looking at Mogi Takashi, wondering what this man's background was—or whether he was merely a scapegoat.
Before he could make out anything, he suddenly froze.
Mogi Takashi stared blankly at the diary. A moment later, large tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.
"She... she trusted me that much." The young man raised a hand to wipe away his tears, but in the blink of an eye, he was sobbing too hard to speak. "It's all my fault. I should have made time to be with her more. I never thought she would forgive someone like me..."
"..." The people beside him watched with complicated expressions. Some believed him, while others did not.
As Inspector Otaki had a junior officer escort Norizuki Dema into the police car, he looked at Mogi Takashi and probed, "All right, we can discuss that later. Come make a statement first." Or perhaps turn yourself in while you're at it?
Yet the next second, Mogi Takashi's crying abruptly stopped. He shook his head. "Sorry, but I have something to do tonight. I really can't spare the time. I'll definitely come by when I'm free."
With that, he gave a polite bow, turned, and left in the other direction.
Suzuki Sonoko clearly did not believe Mogi Takashi's performance just now. Pouting as she stared at his retreating back, she grumbled angrily, "Can't you just arrest a scammer like that?"
Inspector Otaki sighed. He was not optimistic about it, but he could not say so outright. He could only reply, "Don't worry, we're already investigating—the money can't just vanish into thin air. If we keep following the trail, we'll definitely bring the scammer to justice."
Norizuki Dema stared at the man's back, gritting his teeth hard. *So