Shinji Hirako's Little Tricks

"I... I really don't know what happened! I was drunk that day, I completely blacked out, I don't even remember how I got home," Kusakawa Ryunosuke exclaimed.

However, the Central 46 produced a testimony, which was the very one that Shinji Hirako had recorded in the Jail.

"But that's not what you said in your testimony. You said you saw your wife cheating on you, and that's when you angrily drew your knife and killed her. Is that right?"

"I... I..."

"Since you say you witnessed the entire process of your wife's infidelity, did you see the man's face? What was his height, weight, and build? What did he look like? What were his features?"

Faced with these questions from the Sage, Kusakawa Ryunosuke couldn't answer a single one.

"Even if you lack the vocabulary to describe people, you should at least know a man suspected of murdering his wife and cuckolding you, right? Now, tell me, which one here is Inuta Ranpo?"

At that moment, four men walked in from the entrance at the same time. The four men were dressed and had the same hairstyle. They were all wearing handcuffs and stood in a row in front of Kusakawa Ryunosuke.

Kusakawa Ryunosuke swallowed hard.

If he cannot identify the real Inuta Ranpo, it means that the affair with his wife is likely a hoax, and he will be charged with murder and sentenced to death.

As for his claim that he was too drunk to remember anything, no one can prove it to him.

Kusakawa Ryunosuke swallowed hard, pointing to the person on the far side. "He, he is Inuta Ranpo."

Hearing him say that, Shinji Hirako couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Because none of the four people present were the real Inuta Ranpo.

His random identification proves that he doesn't know Inuta Ranpo at all.

This greatly increased suspicion against him.

Yamabuki Chidori sat at the top, listening to the people analyze the case, squinting at Shinji Hirako below, no one knew what he was thinking.

At this point, all the unfavorable evidence pointed to Kusakawa Ryunosuke.

However, the Central 46 did not immediately issue a verdict. Instead, they brought in the real Inuta Ranpo.

Then, the Sage began questioning Inuta Ranpo.

"According to your testimony, you were at home the entire day of the incident, but only your wife can testify to that, right?"

"That's right. I was at home the whole day of the incident and didn't go out at all," Inuta Ranpo said.

The Central 46 immediately produced its first piece of evidence.

It was a badge the size of a button.

"This is your family crest, isn't it? According to both sides' testimonies, your two families have no connection whatsoever. Why would your family crest be found under the bed at the crime scene? Please provide a reasonable explanation."

Inuta Ranpo said in a panic, "How could I possibly know? This is clearly a frame-up. They can forge as many of these badges as they want."

The Sage men fell into deep thought after hearing this.

That's right, it's incredibly easy to counterfeit a badge the size of a button.

"Your wife, as the person you love most, is capable of lying. Unless you can prove you weren't at the scene of the crime, Central 46 will not let you go."

"I really was at home! I really didn't leave the house. If you don't believe me, you can investigate the neighbors. Did any of them see me leave? Unless someone has Spatial-type ability! In the entire Gotei 13, there's only one person with Spatial-type ability, right?" Inuta Ranpo looked up at Yamabuki Chidori, who was sitting at the highest point.

If one possesses spatial abilities, one can easily create a so-called alibi.

"Insolence!" the Sage roared in unison.

"Don't get distracted, continue the interrogation." Yamabuki Chidori's voice was like a tranquilizer, instantly silencing the Sage present.

"Furthermore, if you insist on accusing me of murder, then please provide evidence of my presence. Did anyone witness me commit the murder? Or did someone see me at the crime scene?" Inuta Ranpo said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

The forty-four Sage fell silent instantly. Indeed, no one could vouch for his alibi, nor could anyone prove that he was at the scene of the crime.

"Produce new evidence," the Sage said.

The blood-stained garment found at Inuta Ranpo's house was brought out by the group.

"Why is there a bloodstained garment in your home? We have already examined it, and it is human blood."

Just as the Sage were pressing her for answers, Yumiko, who had been listening in the background, raised her hand.

"This blood-stained shirt actually has nothing to do with my husband; I caused it. About two weeks ago, we were arguing and I accidentally cut my arm; the wound is still here!"

Yumiko rolled up her sleeves.

A horrifying knife scar was visible on his upper arm; although it had scabbed over, it was still a chilling sight.

"I used this blood-stained garment to bandage my wounds back then, I never imagined it would become evidence in this case by some twist of fate," Yumiko said.

All of Shinji Hirako's attacks were successfully countered, which only fueled his suspicions.

Chapter 145: The New Witness Yamabuki Chidori didn't focus her attention on the suspects, but rather on Shinji Hirako.

All paths are blocked, so how do you break the deadlock?

In terms of strategy, Shinji Hirako was definitely above average. There weren't many people who could go toe-to-toe with Aizen in terms of strategy, and Hirako was barely one of them. Although he was quickly defeated by Aizen, it was already quite remarkable that he could sense that Aizen strangely.

At the point when Hirako was being plotted against and infected Hirako, even someone as meticulous as Shunsui Kyōraku didn't notice anything unusual about Aizen.

Aizen maintained his "good guy" persona until Kurosaki Ichigo invaded Soul Society and Aizen obtained the other half of the Hogyoku. Only then did he reveal his true colors and declare that he would stand at the top of the world.

"Hirako, your intuition is very sharp, so I shouldn't have to worry about dealing with such a small fry." Yamabuki Chidori murmured to himself, then slightly turned his gaze to the scar on Yumiko's arm and smiled.

All the evidence against Inuta Ranpo has now been invisibly neutralized. Although he hasn't been completely cleared of suspicion, there is no concrete evidence to prove that Inuta Ranpo committed the murder. If no new evidence is found, Kusakawa Ryunosuke will be charged with murder.

Yamabuki Chidori looked at the unfortunate fellow, her eyes slightly narrowed. His reaction had been very strange from beginning to end. If the murder had nothing to do with him, why were there two sets of statements in his testimony?

Moreover, both of these arguments were very unfavorable to him.

The people below are still arguing incessantly.

"Bang bang bang!"

A Sage struck the table twice with a wooden mallet. "Silence! Due to the extreme complexity of this case, both suspects will be temporarily detained, and the trial will be held at a later date."

These Sage, unsure of who was right and who was wrong, could only use this method to buy time and gather more evidence.

However, if Kusakawa Ryunosuke cannot produce any compelling evidence, the mere fact that the murder weapon was found on him is enough to warrant a death sentence.

This Zanpakuto originally belonged to him. According to him, he didn't remember his Zanpakuto leaving his side, but the sword marks on the corpse matched his sword perfectly. This evidence confirmed his identity as the murderer.

"It wasn't me, it really wasn't me! You have to believe me!" Kusakawa Ryunosuke pleaded.

In contrast, Inuta Ranpo was much calmer.

After saying goodbye to his wife, he was taken back to the Jail.

Shinji Hirako laughed; he had discovered a blind spot.

Kusakawa Ryunosuke insists that he was drunk that night and knew nothing. He was in a daze when he was arrested. If that's true, as long as he tells us who he was drinking with, and after investigation, if the time he was drinking overlaps with the time his wife was murdered, he will have an alibi and be found innocent.

Any normal person should have thought of this, so why does he insist on not revealing who he drank with that night?

What other secrets remain untold during this period?

He specifically contacted the patrol team that night, but they couldn't give him an answer either; the patrol team members hadn't seen any drunkards coming or going that night.

This increases the credibility of Kusakawa Ryunosuke's words.

He was almost certain that if he couldn't produce any evidence at the next court hearing, Kusakawa Ryunosuke would be sentenced to death.

Just as Shinji Hirako was sitting in his office at a loss, his colleague told him that someone outside wanted to see him and said that he could provide evidence related to the case.

Shinji Hirako sat up abruptly from his chair to greet the eyewitness.

To his surprise, the witness before him turned out to be the head of a High-Ranking Noble.

This was a man who looked to be in his early thirties, with a fox-like smile on his face. He had a Zanpakuto at his waist and wore a Shinigami Uniform, so he seemed to be a Shinigami as well.

"What do you need me for?" Shinji Hirako asked.

The man greeted her warmly, "Hello, my name is Kujo Yomotsu."

Seeing the other party's enthusiasm, Shinji Hirako felt a little uncomfortable.

What he's worst at is dealing with these officials; they're all so hypocritical and insincere, it's annoying just watching them.

"Let's get back to the point. You say you can provide evidence? What kind of evidence is it?" Shinji Hirako asked, somewhat impatiently.

This person gave him the feeling of a cunning fox.

Kujo Yomotsu smiled brightly, "Actually, the person drinking with Kusakawa Ryunosuke on the night of the murder was me."

Shinji Hirako's pupils contracted instantly.

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely eerie.

"Are you sure you're not joking?" Shinji Hirako asked.

"How could I joke about something like this?" Kujo Yomotsu said. "On the night of the incident, I was drinking with Kusakawa Ryunosuke, and I skipped work to go out with friends. If he found out, I would definitely be punished. He probably didn't tell anyone because of that. He's so Mind's Eye. How can something like this compare to a murder charge?"

Shinji Hirako stared at the man before him, a smile always on his face. His expression remained unchanged as he spoke, as if he were wearing a mask he couldn't take off.

"Wait a moment, I need to take notes on the testimonies you provided," Shinji Hirako said.

"Of course, no problem."

Shinji Hirako quickly took out a pen and paper.

"You said you and Kusakawa Ryunosuke started drinking at night. When did it begin and when did it end?" Shinji Hirako asked.

"It started around 8 p. m. and ended at 1 a. m."

"Are you so sure? You're not mistaken!" Shinji Hirako asked.

"It's impossible for me to be wrong, because I skipped work to hang out with my friends, so of course I remember the time very clearly," Kujo Yomotsu said.

Shinji Hirako hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked a question completely unrelated to the case, "What kind of sake are you drinking?"

Kujo Yomotsu clearly hadn't expected Shinji Hirako to ask that question, and asked with a puzzled look, "What kind of sake are we drinking...? Is it related to this case?"

"Whether there is a connection or not is for me to judge. Please answer. What kind of wine did you drink that night?" Shinji Hirako asked.

"The sake I'm drinking is homemade; if you like, I can give you some too," Kujo Yomotsu said with a smile.

"Kusakawa Ryunosuke is just a Low-Ranking Noble. As the head of High-Ranking Noble, why would you be friends with him?" Shinji Hirako asked.

Chapter 146: Shinji Hirako's Little Tricks

Kujo Yomotsu seemed to have anticipated this question, and calmly replied, "Friends are not distinguished by social status or wealth. If you are fixated on your social standing, you will never make true friends."

"So how did you two meet? Kusakawa Ryunosuke is a member of the Seventh Division, while your identity is... Secretary in the Staff Department, responsible for organizing documents and recording files. These two professions are completely unrelated. How did you two end up together? Moreover, I checked your graduation records from the Shino Academy. There's a full twenty-year gap between them. Don't tell me you were classmates." Shinji Hirako looked coldly at the man in front of her.

Although the other party's words were almost flawless, Shinji Hirako had a feeling that the man before him was no ordinary person.

"We met at a cocktail party. Now I remember, Mr. Hirako isn't of noble birth, so he's not very familiar with the rules among nobles. These nobles have been intermarrying for millions of years, and their families are deeply intertwined. Never underestimate Low-Ranking Noble; perhaps his wife or mother is from a noble family of great renown," Kujo Yomotsu said with a smile.

Using marriage alliances to solidify relationships between superiors and subordinates was a common practice among these old nobles.

"Moreover... the Chief Strategist is currently only a Low-Ranking Noble, yet he controls the entire Soul Society ..." Kujo Yomotsu said.

He was only halfway through his sentence when he suddenly felt something tap him on the head. He quickly turned around and saw that Yamabuki Chidori was standing behind him.

"General... Chief Strategist." Kujo Yomotsu awkwardly stood up hastily.

"Why are you gossiping about me behind my back? Hirako, how's the case going? There's still a lot of work waiting for you to do!" Yamabuki Chidori said.

"I'm investigating, please don't bother me." Shinji Hirako showed him no respect and continued to question him.

A cute little girl jumped out from behind Yamabuki Chidori. Judging from her appearance, she was definitely no more than fifteen years old. Her figure and face were very childlike, and only her big eyes kept darting around. You could tell at a glance that she was a mischievous little devil.

Anyone who knows this girl knows that you should never be fooled by her appearance.

The girl appears to be less than fifteen years old, but her true age is over four hundred years old. She is none other than Hane Hane Chiyo, the current Captain of the Kidō Corps.

I heard she was one of the oldest members of the first generation of Gotei 13, but from her appearance, she looks like a cunning little girl.

"If you ask me, we've been too lenient with these criminals. We should use severe torture. Heat iron chopsticks until they're red-hot, stick them into his nostrils and shake them constantly, then pull out his brains and feed them back to him! I don't believe he won't talk!" Hane Hane Chiyo had an expression that seemed to thrive on chaos.

Shinji Hirako's forehead veins bulged. "Is there not a single normal person in the Gotei 13? Are they all out of their minds? Can you please stop bothering me while I'm working? I'm very busy right now."

Hane Hane Chiyo realized that neither of them was paying attention to her, so she ran all the way to Yamabuki Chidori's office.

"Let's continue." Shinji Hirako continued, "When you were drinking, did you have any other friends besides the two of you who could testify on your behalf?"

"Well... of course not. We have a very good relationship and don't want outsiders to disturb us," Kujo Yomotsu said.

If everything the man in front of him says is true, Kusakawa Ryunosuke is very likely to be released in court, because according to the autopsy report, Kusakawa Ryunosuke's wife died at around 1 a. m.