"Threatening letter?" The young Detective seemed very interested in the topic. Jiang Xia looked toward Officer Sato's bag. "Can I take a look?"
"This..." Sato Miwako looked a little embarrassed. She reached into her bag, felt around, then took out a wooden box and placed it on the table.
It was an antique-looking square box, with several words carved into its lid: [Threatening letter Inside.]
"Why did you bring the box too?" Suzuki Sonoko poked the wooden box, puzzled. "Is the threatening letter actually a really thick stack? This criminal has way too much free time."
Officer Takagi shook his head. "It's a Trick Box. Unfortunately, we haven't found a way to open it yet."
Jiang Xia picked up the box and turned it over for a look.
Beside him, upon hearing "an unopened Trick Box," Hashimoto Maya's ears twitched, and he silently shifted backward.
Hashimoto Maya: ...Jiang Xia was way too bold. What if the thing popped open with a cloud of poisonous gas, or some Poison Needles? Standing this close would make him a perfect target. That kind Detective really didn't understand how dangerous people could be...
Officer Takagi said, "One of our colleagues is from Hakone. He said this kind of box is a local specialty—one of those Trick Boxes that absolutely cannot be opened unless you follow a specific sequence. Even people who follow the instructions step by step often get it wrong, but this box doesn't have any instructions at all... Sigh, we originally wanted to saw it open, but after the Forensics Department examined it, they said there didn't seem to be letter paper inside. Sawing it open carelessly might damage whatever's in there and anger the threatener."
Officer Sato said, "So we had no choice but to bring the box along and follow