Jiang Xia glanced toward the changing room. "Just like the other detective demonstrated earlier, when you kissed Mr. Oba, he wrapped one arm around the back of your neck and pressed hard against your ear. And his other hand..."
He reached out and pointed at the elevator button. "Pressed the door-open button here. The pre-lubricated doors silently slid open behind you, while Mr. Oba used his free right hand to draw his gun and fire while you were absorbed in the kiss, killing the president on the spot as he stood inside the elevator.
"He deliberately timed the shot to coincide with the start of the Commemorative Reception. The cheers at the reception and the sound of party poppers being set off perfectly masked the silenced gunshot and the sound of the body falling.
"And after the elevator doors had been left unattended for a while, they automatically closed, concealing the body inside this VIP elevator that was rarely used. By the time you finished kissing and came to your senses, all you saw was an utterly ordinary elevator."
Tatsumi Sakurako's pupils trembled. She instinctively wanted to refute him, yet everything he said seemed to make sense. Once the truth had been pointed out, all the details she had overlooked at the time suddenly became clear in her mind.
Seeing that things were going badly, Department Manager Oba snorted. "You've got quite an imagination, kid, but no matter how much you enjoy making up stories, you should respect the facts."
He strode forward and gestured at the elevator's speed. "By the time Sakurako and I were kissing, more than a minute had passed since the president got into the elevator. That was more than enough time for him to ride it back downstairs. Even if I had opened the elevator