frightfiction Chapter 1305 Forgiving on Behalf of God
Chapter 1305 Forgiving on Behalf of God
Chapter 1305 Forgiving on Behalf of God
"Didn't you see the driver's face?"
"No. My quick reaction was purely due to adrenaline; I didn't even realize what I was doing. I just felt that Kudo was right—the culprit was very likely Ms. Akiba Reiko—so I thought the best way to escape the truck was to go inside a house, or at least avoid the driver's line of sight—"
"So the key to the problem is still Miss Akiba Reiko?"
After receiving the thermos from Shinichi Kudo, Wataru Takagi looked at the tightly wrapped cup with a serious expression.
It's an uncontrollable incident that Kojima Genta, that mischievous kid, couldn't sit still and secretly drank other people's tea. In other words, if things had gone according to plan, Akiba Reiko would probably have a sore throat by now and would have to miss the performance.
From this perspective, the possibility that Akiba Reiko is the perpetrator is greatly reduced; in comparison, she is more likely to be a target being monitored.
"Kudo-kun, what do you think? Was the culprit trying to stop the Domoto concert? Hmm? Kudo-kun?"
When Inspector Megure patted him on the shoulder, Shinichi Kudo, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped out of it, turned his gaze away from Tang Ze, and looked at the policeman who was waiting for his answer.
He answered naturally, as if he hadn't been daydreaming at all, but simply thinking: "I think it's highly likely that the perpetrator's motive was the concert. Originally, we needed to consider whether Yamane Shion, Chigusa Lala, and others would fight for the chance to perform on stage, but now that the scope of the victims has expanded so much, unless all the substitute performers have formed an alliance of interests, it's unlikely that this situation will occur."
Besides these, he has some other guesses, but they are still just speculations at this stage, so he hasn't brought them up.
Compared to the attacks on Kawabe Kanade and the other two victims, the attacks on Akiba Reiko, while relentless, showed a significant decrease in intensity.
In the former case, the perpetrator used a bomb directly, showing no regard for whether innocent people would be harmed, and was completely intent on a brutal attack to kill.
However, the criminals were much more subtle in their methods when dealing with Akiba Reiko.
To reiterate, if they can poison something, killing her wouldn't be difficult, and it would further increase the likelihood of stopping the concert.
If one or two more people involved in the performance die, everyone will be able to see what the perpetrator's purpose is. This would put immense pressure on Domoto Kazuki from public opinion, and even if the performance is not completely canceled, it will have to be postponed or rescheduled.
Why did the criminals become gentler towards Akiba Reiko alone?
Sensing something was amiss, Shinichi Kudo planned to ask Heiji Hattori, who was investigating the bombing scene at the music academy, later. He didn't say much, but simply pointed to the thermos again.
"I've been careful with how it's stored, but it's been in Ms. Akiba's bag for a long time, so whether we can get the perpetrator's fingerprints or whether the perpetrator has wiped it clean are all unknown. But we have to try anyway, and I'll have to trouble you to check it and confirm the contents."
Now, figuring out what poison or drug the perpetrator used is a relatively effective lead and should not be abandoned.
After all, many things aren't readily available, and there are also issues of dosage and concentration. Without prior investigation and extensive preparation, even if you give an ordinary person the opportunity to poison someone, killing them requires a certain level of skill.
Many people can't even kill a chicken or a fish properly, let alone a human.
However, these are all basic concepts in criminal investigation, and the police officers themselves are already aware of them without needing to emphasize them. So after handing over the cup, Shinichi Kudo didn't linger and left the First Investigation Division with Karasawa and Ran Mouri.
After being so busy lately, I still have to divert my attention to keep an eye on Tang Ze's movements, and it's already getting late.
Having finally had the chance to return to his own home, Shinichi Kudo decided to take a good rest for a day and contact Hattori and Karasawa after receiving the test results the next day to see how things were going.
Unfortunately, his expectations were dashed, because the First Investigation Division didn't have time or spare moments to follow up on the thermos during tonight's investigation.
"How is the situation? What about the surrounding residents?"
Stepping out of the police car, Inspector Megure frowned as he looked at the shops billowing thick smoke, his expression grim.
This is the second bombing in recent days. Compared to the music academy, this bombing occurred directly in the commercial area, causing a greater impact than the former.
"The fire department conducted a preliminary, simple investigation, and it is suspected to be a propane explosion," Kazunobu Chiba replied succinctly. "Apart from the store where the explosion occurred, other businesses were unaffected. The owner of the store where the explosion occurred is dead."
Propane is a common component of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), so simply put, it was a gas explosion accident.
"Based on the situation at the scene, the fire department's assessment is that it is highly likely that a leak occurred indoors first, and then the deceased ignited a match and detonated it. The probability of suicide is very small," Wataru Takagi replied, holding the record sheet in his hand.
Firstly, propane itself is a colorless and odorless gas. However, because it is a flammable and explosive asphyxiating gas, in order to aid in leak detection and allow users to perceive the gas concentration themselves, the production end usually needs to add substances such as thiols to artificially add odor to it.
The fact that the deceased lit a match to light a cigarette without realizing it means he was basically unaware of the concentration of propane in the room, which is hard to explain if it wasn't caused by human intervention.
"What about the identity of the deceased?" Inspector Megure continued, his eyebrows furrowed.
Another explosion, and this attack was completely murderous and ruthless, which made him sense something was wrong.
"The deceased was named Osamu Shida, 36 years old. He was the owner of this music store and a violinist—" Kazunobu Chiba and Wataru Takagi exchanged glances and gave a very familiar message. "According to the current information, he was a graduate of the first class of Domoto Music Academy."
In other words, he was a student in the same class as the other two musicians who died in the explosion.
"A graduate of the Domoto Music Academy. He wasn't involved in the concert preparations?" Inspector Megure felt his head throb even more.
"No. According to the information, although he had excellent grades in school, he did not pursue a career as a performer after graduation, but instead went on to do basic music education and instrument sales," Chiba Kazunobu said tactfully. "However, I think he will be invited to the concert."
The dishes that were compared to Domoto Kazuki's were not to his liking.
But to say it has absolutely nothing to do with the concert is an understatement. After all, I am a graduate, and my alma mater is holding such a big event, so I should at least participate.
Having fully understood, Inspector Megure sighed heavily, then turned his gaze to the still-smoking window.
Miwako Sato was in the first police car, which had entered the scene earlier than them. She hadn't come out yet, so she must have discovered something.
A short while later, Sato Miwako, her face covered in soot, followed the firefighters out down the stairs, carrying an evidence bag.
"The endpipe of a flute. I suppose it originally belonged on the sofa in the shop." Miwako Sato showed them what she was holding. "This can't be a coincidence."
"A series of murders committed by the same suspect." Inspector Megure sighed heavily as he looked at the silver tube covered in mud and grime.
Everyone present understood what he was sighing about; it was both a sign used by the prisoner to announce his presence and a message left behind in a roundabout way.
The flute, but it also has a headwind section—
"Don't we care about that?"
Sitting somewhat awkwardly in the meeting room, feeling unsure of what to do with his hands and feet, Yuga Kyosuke tried to adjust his posture on the beanbag sofa. After a while, looking at the report on the screen in front of him, he couldn't help but ask.
The screen was showing a live report from a reporter about the explosion site in a shopping street in Ginza, which was also Osamu Shida's shop.
There's no reason for the Phantom Thieves to broadcast this kind of news during their strategy meeting, so even without seeing firsthand evidence like the members of the First Investigation Division, Kyosuke Haga had already guessed the nature of the case.
Similar to the case at Domoto Music Academy, this was a murder committed by someone connected to the concert.
Tang Ze didn't even look up, calmly stating, "Firstly, I don't have time to deal with it; he had already set it up over there when he drove his truck to hit people. Secondly, I don't really want to get involved."
Having received hands-on guidance from the Phantom Thieves, Kyosuke Haga understood perfectly well.
He suddenly realized: "Is this also a revenge plot?"
"I guess so," Tang Ze said noncommittally.
As for Pu Hejiang, to be fair, despite his age, he has plenty of energy.
He's constantly setting up plastic explosives to blow up schools, chasing after people to try their luck, and running around Tokyo committing crimes.
Just for that much energy, he can sit at the same table as a supervillain from a superhero comic.
Not to mention, the old man was like a ninja, able to follow Akiba Reiko around, drug her, track her down to Teitan, and then hunt her down—
With that kind of ambition, no wonder he can become so eccentric after losing his job; he's got a lot of energy he doesn't know where to put it.
His reason for killing someone might seem reasonable at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it makes no sense at all.
Reiko Akiba's fiancé, Hikaru Soma, is a flutist who graduated from the Domoto Music Academy. By blood, he is the son of Fuwa and Takumi.
He was born out of wedlock and raised by a single mother. Three years ago, during a post-graduation reunion training session organized by the Domoto Music Academy, he was drugged and fell off a cliff to his death.
Pu and Jiang, under the guise of avenging him, raised their knives against these four people, as if they were fathers who cared about their sons. But if they really cared about their sons, what were they doing all this time?
Soma Hikaru was raised by his mother alone. He finally mastered the flute, but his father did not support him at all.
—This whole thing is ridiculous. You, Pu and Takumi, were Domoto Ikki's piano tuners and close friends for many years. When Soma Hikaru passed away, Pu and Takumi were still supporting Domoto Ikki's piano career. Your status at the Domoto Music Academy is self-evident.
It's said that he regretted it after his son died, but three years have passed, and apart from Akiba Reiko still being immersed in the pain of losing her lover, he doesn't seem to be very emotional.
Akiba Reiko had already gone through the entire process of understanding the victim's family and finally found solace in music when he suddenly had a sudden inspiration and came to seek revenge for his son.
Even if we disregard other people, if Soma Hikaru himself knew about this situation, he would probably say, "Who are you? I don't know you at all."
In Tang Ze's opinion, he wasn't seeking revenge at all; he was just a psychopath trying to find an excuse to deceive himself and make his violence and venting seem somewhat justified.
He simply couldn't understand why his longtime friend had fired him, which made him mentally unstable. Unable to find an outlet for his murderous intent, he targeted a few people with whom he had a blood feud, based on interpersonal relationships.
Those who dare not face their failures, and even when they turn to darkness, must first raise a plausible banner to whitewash their fragile and lonely hearts, are, to call such people avengers, somewhat disrespectful.
"He simply lost his inner light and then transferred that pain to those he could bully. Whether they were the ones who killed his son is secondary," Asai Shigemi explained to Haga Kyosuke. "If it were a normal grudge, we wouldn't handle it this way."
It was indeed those four people who caused Hikaru Soma's death, and their repentance and apology for the matter were not sincere enough; one could even say they showed no remorse whatsoever.
No further investigation is needed; just seeing that Akiba Reiko managed to get through all that time entirely on her own is enough to glimpse the true situation at the time.
In any case, the incident was ultimately classified as an accident. Aside from getting people drunk, they didn't push anyone, making it very difficult to hold them accountable. If they felt any remorse, they wouldn't have done it in the first place.
With this in mind, Tang Ze chose to let things take their course, neither offering guidance to the musicians nor attempting to save them.
He was afraid that if he entered the hall of the manual and the artisan's hall, he would discover that he had no connection with Soma Hikaru and accidentally die of anger.
"Miss Akiba Reiko has actually moved on." After thinking for a moment, Haga Kyosuke decided to convey the opinion of the actual victim's family: "She has chosen to forgive those people."
The most important piece for Akiba Reiko's performance this time, and also a piece that both she and Soma Hikaru love, is "Amazing Grace".
Her emphasis on this performance suggests that she intended to offer solace and a message to the late Hikaru Soma and her past self through this song, revealing her true intentions.
Tang Ze nodded, turned a page of the document, and answered matter-of-factly, "Yes, she forgave these people on behalf of God. I think that makes sense. Why don't we let them go see God and understand the situation?"
Hyousuke Haga, who was choked:
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