(〃〃)
"No, the person I chased didn't actually seem like the killer." Jiang Xia interrupted their train of thought. "Even from a distance, I could tell he was panicking—rather than looking like he'd been discovered in the middle of committing murder, he seemed more like someone who'd been invited to watch the victim burn himself to death."
"...Invited to watch the victim burn himself to death?"
It was only a guess, but since it had come from Jiang Xia, no matter how absurd it sounded, it was worth considering.
Thinking it over, the two detectives really did come up with something. "Come to think of it, because of the unusual spot where that person died in the Tenshukaku, he was inadvertently 'watched' by a massive number of tourists too... Hiss. If that was intentional, the killer's hobby is truly horrifying."
"..." Jiang Xia fell silent for a moment. Why did that description sound strangely familiar?
He had only said it casually, but perhaps because he watched Gin, Vodka, and the others constantly flesh out Uzo's persona, even his offhand words had vaguely pointed toward Uzo... Tsk. Imagining things really was contagious.
Jiang Xia calmly steered the case back on track. "Or perhaps 'inviting people to watch' wasn't for amusement, but a necessary step for carrying out some trick."
Nearby, three heads had gathered at some point.
As witnesses to the second case, Suzuki Sonoko and the others couldn't help speaking up. "But no matter how you look at it, it seemed like suicide."
Hattori Heiji impatiently waved a hand. "How many times do I have to say it? It couldn't have been suicide—there must be evidence of murder!"
As he spoke, he walked over to the corpse, crouched down, and yanked away the cloth covering it.
Otaki froze, then hurried