"Dead?"
Suzuki Sonoko was surprisingly the first to speak.
To her, this "Red-Bearded Santa Claus" sounded like a walking horror story. Although they had heard some things from Fumizuki Karen before, having the news confirmed again was still shocking.
The clown nodded. "There were rumors outside that he died suddenly, but there was an injection pinhole on his wrist—he died of drug poisoning. The door to the room was locked from the inside, and there were no signs of struggle around the injection site, so the police ruled it a suicide."
"Counting the days, the Red-Bearded Santa Claus's ten-year lease on Room 315 will finally end on Christmas Eve, the day after tomorrow."
Clown could not help clasping his hands in prayer. "I keep feeling that guy's soul may have been wandering around Room 315 all this time. Only if we make it past the days he lived there, and wait for his soul to leave, can we truly be safe."
On the way back, Jiang Xia glanced at Hashimoto Maya and casually walked over to chat. "So? Are you scared living in that kind of haunted house?"
Hashimoto Maya had not expected the Detective to show concern for him. "I'm fine."
After a pause, he decided to quietly reveal some of his own speculation to Jiang Xia—detectives and Uzo's forces were always at odds. The stronger one side became, the easier it was for the other to be constrained.
"That Red-Bearded Santa Claus was most likely a drug dealer." Hashimoto Maya lowered his voice. "Leaving aside the pinhole on his hand, the color of that room was probably a side effect of drug use too—some people who become addicted grow extremely obsessed with a certain color. If you want to investigate, you could try following that lead."
Jiang