Inside the ancestral shrine, Yuu Hoshimiya saw the memorial tablet dedicated to the legendary Warring States general, Takeda Shingen. This sight made him even more certain of his deduction.
Beside the offering table stood a suit of Shingen's armor!
Seeing it, Ran exclaimed, "This is Takeda Shingen's 'Suwa Hossho' armor. Look, Brother Yuu, it even has white bear fur on the sides of the helmet!"
Japan's Warring States period, spanning the 14th to 16th centuries, was an era of constant warfare, filled with fierce generals and brilliant strategists.
Its historical status in Japan is akin to the Three Kingdoms period in China.
As the preeminent tactician of Japan's Warring States period, Takeda Shingen's image is deeply ingrained in the Japanese consciousness.
Ran naturally recognized the classic look immediately. Her small hand gently stroked the white fur as she marveled, "This feels like real white bear fur."
"But, Brother Yuu, it doesn't look like there's any treasure hidden here."
Facing the girl's confusion, Yuu didn't speak. He simply stepped forward and yanked the wooden token hanging from the armor's waist.
The token, made of a material that was neither stone nor jade and possessing a decent weight, was engraved with the characters 'Kai'.
Yui Uehara, who had just stepped into the shrine, didn't see this happen.
Suddenly, Yuu's phone rang.
Upon answering, Heiji Hattori's anxious voice came through the line.
"Teacher, we have a huge problem! The Takeda patriarch and his wife just showed up and started a shouting match with the Tatsuo family."
"We wasted some time trying to calm things down. Afterward, we went to the restroom to look for Madam Ayaka, but she was gone. We can't find her anywhere in the house. What do we do?"
Yuu frowned slightly and said immediately, "Furinkazan. The Wind and the Mountain have already happened. Have people search the woods, but I'm afraid the situation isn't looking good!"
Yuu had thought Ayaka Tatsuo wouldn't be targeted until tomorrow, but it seemed reality was deviating from his memories; the event had moved up.
Hearing the hint "Furinkazan," Heiji immediately connected the deaths of Yoshiro and Koji, his eyes lighting up with realization.
He quickly rallied everyone to head outside the village and search the woods for Ayaka.
After hanging up, Yuu spoke, "Someone else is in trouble. This time it's Ayaka Tatsuo."
"Let's go. We'll ride the horses into the woods and help with the search!"
Yui Uehara's face turned pale. She quickly signaled Takaaki Morofushi to follow.
The group, some on horseback and some by car, plunged into the woods near the village and began their search.
"Madam Ayaka!"
"Madam Ayaka!"
Shouts echoed through the forest.
Soon, a man's voice called out.
"Over here!"
Everyone hurried toward the sound. Soon, Yuu and his group on horseback saw a body hanging in the shade of a tree. It was Ayaka Tatsuo.
The first person to find the scene was the cane-wielding Kansuke Yamato!
Akira Tatsuo and Kano Takeda, also on horseback, arrived at the same time. Seeing his wife in such a state, Akira dismounted instantly and rushed forward in a panic.
However, he was knocked back by Kansuke Yamato's cane.
"She's dead! Don't ruin the crime scene!"
Hearing this and looking at his hanging wife—her tongue protruding, her face bruised and purple, clearly beyond saving—Akira burst into agonizing tears.
At that moment, from behind the trees, a burly man with graying hair slowly stepped out.
His hair was completely white, as was the thick beard covering his jaw. His right cheek was severely scarred from a burn. He wore glasses, but the right lens was blacked out like a sunglass lens, obscuring the eye beneath, giving him an incredibly terrifying appearance.
Ran, sharing a horse with Yuu, seemed to sense something and couldn't help but turn her head.
Seeing this man, the girl's pupils contracted uncontrollably, and she instinctively shrank back into Yuu's embrace.
His disfigured, menacing appearance was simply too frightening!
Yuu instantly noticed Ran's reaction and wrapped a large arm around the startled girl to protect her.
He then met the gaze of the man who had just appeared—Hyoye Kuroda—and thought about the various descriptions of the Organization's second-in-command, Rum.
To summarize, different people described Rum in different ways.
The three most common descriptors were an old man, a burly man, and a feminine man, with one absolute certainty: he had one prosthetic eye.
Coincidentally, there were three one-eyed characters who fit these descriptions.
Rumi Wakasa was the one-eyed woman, James Black of the FBI was the one-eyed old man, and Hyoye Kuroda was the one-eyed burly man.
However, these three were all smokescreens laid down by the author, Gosho Aoyama. Later in the story, it was confirmed that the current Rum was Kanenori Wakita, the burly man working at the sushi restaurant.
He was the son of the previous Rum and the true mastermind who killed Koji Haneda 17 years ago, triggering the main plot.
Of course, the trajectory of fate had already changed. According to Noah's investigation, the true identity of the Organization's Boss was different from Yuu's memory—it wasn't Renya Karasuma. So it wasn't impossible for Rum to be someone else as well.
However, since Noah had managed to uncover the Boss's true identity, finding Rum's true identity was naturally no problem.
Not only had his identity been discovered, but his stronghold had also been pinpointed.
Facts proved that unlike the Boss, Renya Karasuma—who had never truly shown his face and whose identity was pure deduction—Rum remained unchanged from Yuu's memory.
He was still that terrifying-looking man working at the sushi restaurant, Kanenori Wakita.
Therefore, the three smokescreens planted by Gosho Aoyama—James Black, Rumi Wakasa, and Hyoye Kuroda—were completely cleared.
Their allegiance to the "Red Faction" was unquestionable, so Yuu didn't plan on spending much effort investigating them.
At most, if the right opportunity arose, he might engage in a "deep exchange" with the highly capable Rumi Wakasa, who was currently teaching at Teitan Elementary.
If he could successfully contract her and make her one of his own, it would add a significant boost to his forces.
But if there was no opportunity, it didn't matter.
Having one more Rumi Wakasa or one less made little difference to Yuu's current overall power.
Hyoye Kuroda's lone eye met Yuu's gaze for a few seconds before breaking contact.
He walked toward the body as if nothing was wrong. "I was wondering why neither of you were at the station. I didn't expect a case to have broken out here. It seems I'm a step too late."
Kansuke Yamato and Takaaki Morofushi greeted him with slight respect, "Good afternoon, Superintendent!"
Kuroda turned and saw Yui Uehara, offering a greeting, "Yui, what are you doing here?"
"Superintendent, did you forget? I married Yoshiro Takeda. I live in this village."
"Oh, right. My memory must be slipping!"
Kuroda tapped his own head, then turned back to Yuu, who had now dismounted.
"You must be the famous Consultant Hoshimiya. I've heard many stories about you from colleagues in the police force. It's a shame we haven't met sooner."
Saying this, Kuroda reached out a hand to shake Yuu's.
Ran remained frightened, standing behind Yuu with her arms crossed, not daring to look at the menacing Nagano police superintendent.
Yuu shook his hand without hesitation. "Superintendent Kuroda, I've heard much about you as well. You truly look like a man whose mere appearance could stop a child from crying."
Their handshake was brief. Kuroda let out a booming laugh, touching the burn scars on his face.
"I can't help it. These scars will likely follow me for the rest of my life. Young lady, I apologize for frightening you."
As he said this, he smiled at Ran hiding behind Yuu.
However, the smile only made him look more terrifying!
Then, Kuroda's lone eye narrowed, his expression suddenly turning serious.
"But Consultant Hoshimiya, how did you know about me? As far as I know, you haven't handled any cases here in Nagano!"
"I have a deep connection with Superintendent Kiyonaga Matsumoto of the Tokyo MPD. I've long heard that you will be taking over his position as the Managing Officer of the First Investigation Division."
"After all, once you come to Tokyo, we'll inevitably have opportunities to work together."
"Hahaha, Consultant Hoshimiya is truly well-informed!"
The burly, one-eyed man turned back to his two subordinates and began inquiring about the case.
Kansuke and Takaaki reported everything they knew.
Yuu took a moment to comfort Ran.
Ran was kind-hearted and didn't judge people solely by their appearance; she was just startled by the sudden encounter.
After learning Kuroda's identity and receiving Yuu's comfort, she quickly returned to normal.
She couldn't help but tug at Yui Uehara's sleeve and whisper, "Is that man who looks like a yakuza boss really a police officer?"
Yui chuckled softly. "Of course he is. He was transferred from the National Police Agency to our Nagano Prefectural Police."
(Note: The National Police Agency is the central coordinating body, while the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Prefectural Police Departments handle local enforcement.)
Yui tapped her cheek with her index finger, looking thoughtful.
"I remember hearing that Superintendent Kuroda suffered a terrible accident while on a case. Not only was his face severely burned, but he was in a coma for nearly ten years—practically in a vegetative state."
"He was lucky enough to wake up, but the stress of the treatment turned all his hair white when the bandages were removed. His face is heavily disfigured. It feels like he became a completely different person, and his memory is still somewhat fragmented."
"When I was a police officer six years ago, I worked under Superintendent Kuroda. Even though he looks fierce, he really isn't a bad person."
Ran shook her head sympathetically. "How pitiful... to go through something like that. He probably hasn't married to this day, right?"
Learning the tragic origin of the terrifying scars made her feel guilty about her earlier reaction.
Yui nodded. "That's right. Superintendent Kuroda is already fifty, but he always keeps to himself. I've never seen a wife or kids. It can't be helped."
While the two women whispered, Kuroda was getting caught up on the case.
"...So, including Ayaka Tatsuo who died today, three people from the Takeda and Tatsuo families are dead."
"One swept up by a tornado, one buried in dirt, and one hung in the woods. The killer is using Takeda Shingen's 'Furinkazan' strategy. Dark boy, did you figure all this out yourself?"
Heiji shook his head. "This was my Teacher Hoshimiya's deduction. He knew it as soon as the first two victims appeared."
"Also, look at the victim's feet—there's a dead centipede there, just like the first two. This is undoubtedly a serial murder case. The centipede also links back to Shingen's centipede banner. Damn it, my Teacher specifically warned me, but I still let the killer get Madam Ayaka!"
Yuu maintained an aura of serene composure, while the others around him stared in astonishment.
Kuroda continued, "The killer is likely the same person. That means everyone in the Tatsuo and Takeda families is a suspect."
Ran spoke up immediately, "Madam Yui has no alibi, but actually, from 10 AM onward, she was hosting us the entire time and never left. We can testify to that."
The glasses-wearing Tatsuo patriarch, Tameshi, also added, "My mother shouldn't be a suspect either. She's seventy years old. How could she possibly overpower Ayaka and string her up in a tree?"
At that moment, Kansuke Yamato spoke. "Now isn't the time to rely on your one-sided testimony. Superintendent, I've found something. There are no footprints under this old tree. How did the killer string the victim up without leaving any traces?"
Hearing this, Kuroda's lone eye narrowed, and his brow furrowed.
Beside him, the handlebar-mustached Takaaki Morofushi asked, "More importantly, I'm curious what Madam Ayaka heard that caused her to act so erratically—locking herself in a restroom and then vanishing mysteriously."
Takaaki's eyes locked onto Heiji Hattori and Akira Tatsuo with piercing intensity, radiating an intimidating presence.
Yuu couldn't help but sigh inwardly. These two were truly rivals; instead of focusing purely on solving the case, they had to compete with each other at every step.
Akira Tatsuo spoke up quickly, "All I said was that after Yoshiro died, Koji locked himself in his room, muttering things like 'I'm next.' When Ayaka heard that, she started acting very strangely. I never imagined she would end up being murdered like this... wuu wuu!"
Akira burst into tears again.
Kuroda turned to Yuu. "Consultant Hoshimiya, may I ask if you have any brilliant insights?"
"I'm afraid we'll have to ask Shigeji Takeda and Akira Tatsuo about that. As far as I know, those two, along with the deceased Yoshiro, Koji, and Ayaka—these five people actually had a secret group. They formed a treasure-hunting team to find the '100,000 Gold Coins of Koshu' hidden by Shingen."
"I fear this matter is somehow connected to their treasure hunt!"
At these words, the sleazy-looking Shigeji Takeda turned pale, sweat inexplicably beading on his forehead.
Ran couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that you found the treasure, and someone wanted a larger share, so they started killing off the other members of the team?"
"If that's the case, the remaining members—Akira Tatsuo and Shigeji Takeda—are highly suspicious."
"After all, that kind of plot is very common in TV dramas."
The bespectacled Tatsuo patriarch, Tameshi, snapped, "Stop talking nonsense! Ayaka was Akira's wife. They were so deeply in love. How could he possibly kill his own wife? If anyone did it, it's that prodigal son of the Takeda family."
Hearing this, the sleazy-looking Shigeji waved his hands frantically. "I didn't do it! You have to believe me!"
The sweat pouring down his forehead made him look exceptionally guilty!
The bald Takeda patriarch, Nobushige, also spoke up. "This so-called treasure is utter nonsense. They're grown adults running around the woods all day instead of doing real work. They haven't found a shadow of a treasure; how could anyone kill over it?"
"Useless trash. Look at you, shaking in your boots just from being questioned."
The Takeda patriarch clearly despised his son. Scolded so harshly, Shigeji flinched and didn't dare say another word.
Seeing the deep conflict between the two families, Kuroda barked, "We have a murder here! This is not the place for your petty squabbles. Everyone, go back to your homes and wait. I've called for backup, and we will be conducting investigations at your residences shortly. No one is to leave without permission."
Hearing this, the patriarchs finally ceased their bickering and headed back toward the village.
Yuu's group followed Madam Yui toward the Takeda household.
Watching Yuu walk away leading his horse, Kuroda's lone eye narrowed, his gaze profound.
He raised his hand and examined his palm, where several distinct bruises were visible.
This 'Great Consultant' really holds a grudge. Just because I startled the girl behind him, he retaliated like that during a handshake.
"Takaaki, what do you think of this Consultant Hoshimiya?"
Takaaki Morofushi's expression was cool and aloof as he replied, "To seek out a wise man but not follow his ways is like wanting him to enter but closing the door."
"Heh."
Hearing this, Kuroda gave a cold chuckle, patted Takaaki on the shoulder, and turned back toward the body.
To be honest, he hadn't understood a single word.
But as the superior, he had to pretend he did. That was the only appropriate reaction.
Meanwhile, Kansuke Yamato, who had been investigating the scene, suddenly called out.
"I've found something else! There are no footprints under the tree, but there are horse tracks behind it."
The two officers immediately headed toward Kansuke's location.
In the group heading back to the village, Yui Uehara, leading her horse, fell to the back to walk alongside Yuu.
"Yuu-san, we now have Wind, Forest, and Mountain. The only one left is Fire. Where do you think the killer will strike next, and who will be the target?"
"I don't know!"
Having deduced the truth, Yuu knew that the victims were reaping what they had sown, so he naturally adopted a stance of letting events unfold.
"How is that possible? You're the Great Consultant. How could you not know?"
Hearing this, Yuu rolled his eyes at her.
"When I say I don't know, I don't know. A consultant isn't a god."
Yui didn't believe him for a second. This guy was investigating the Kai house earlier, but with a single phone call—without even going to the scene—he instantly grasped the situation with the Tatsuo family.
He predicted a murder had occurred and accurately stated the body would be in the woods.
He definitely knew what was coming next; he was just being wicked and refusing to say.
"Then can you at least tell me the connection between Senior Kai and today's case like you promised earlier?"
Yuu shook his head. "I still can't tell you that!"
At this, Yui puffed out her cheeks in anger. She remembered the wicked grin on Yuu's face when he asked her earlier:
Madam, what you just said—about being willing to cooperate with anything as long as the case is solved—was that the truth?
Does he really expect me to go that far?
With that thought, the widow gritted her teeth, grabbed Yuu by the wrist, and pulled him toward the deeper part of the woods.
Eh? What's happening? This is the first time a woman has dragged me into the woods. I'm actually a little excited!
The group returning to the village was completely oblivious to the fact that the two people at the back had vanished.
Well, Ran noticed, but she just puffed out her cheeks, let out a helpless sigh, and chose to let it happen.
If it was consensual, and since the family wasn't short on one more beautiful widow, why should she try to stop it?
Meanwhile, in the middle of the group, Shigeji Takeda—wearing his white headband—looked around nervously, as if terrified a vengeful spirit would jump out to claim his life.
At that moment, his phone vibrated in his pocket. A few drops of sweat beaded on his forehead.
He sneakily pulled out the phone, glanced at the text message, and his face turned deathly pale.
But immediately after, he pretended nothing was wrong. He slowly drifted from the center to the edge of the group and, using the horses for cover, slipped into the woods and vanished.
No one actually saw this happen.
The group continued toward the village. Meanwhile, deep in the woods, Yuu was pushed back against a towering tree by a small hand.
He looked at Yui Uehara, dressed in her beige top and white skirt, and teased, "Madam, please conduct yourself with dignity!"
At these words, Yui's already flushed face turned even redder, and she glared at him with indignation.
How did it end up looking like I'm the one forcing him?
"What will it take for you to tell me the connection between Senior Kai and this case?"
It was the same question again. This woman truly valued her bonds of loyalty and affection. She had investigated for six years and still hadn't given up.
But Yuu truly didn't intend to tell her the connection. After all, he planned to claim the "100,000 Gold Coins of Koshu" for himself.
Although his wealth could already rival nations, who ever complains about having too much money?
More importantly, it would be a shame to come all the way to Nagano and return empty-handed. Bringing back some local "specialties" seemed appropriate.
Taking the Koshu Gold from the treasure back to his women as a souvenir would be incredibly classy!
Yuu let out a wry smile. "Madam, what I said before was just nonsense. I truly don't know the connection between the two!"
He didn't even believe that himself, let alone Yui Uehara.
A look of firm resolve flashed in Yui's eyes. She didn't speak again; instead, her hands moved to lift the hem of her skirt.
Yuu took a defensive stance, guarding against a sudden kick.
But soon, Yuu found himself utterly dumbstruck, his "HP bar" instantly plummeting.
He stared straight at Yui Uehara; the sight before him was incredibly enticing.
Yui's face was beet-red. She turned her head away, not daring to meet his gaze.
Acting this way today was, for her, the boldest and most reckless move of her entire life.
Her pale blue eyes darted around erratically, terrified of being seen.
"There. Now will you tell me about Senior Kai?"
As she spoke, her hands released the fabric.
It was as if this was an exchange condition—satisfy Yuu's demand, and she would get the information she wanted!
She really is a stubborn woman, still refusing to give up.
A light smirk touched Yuu's lips. His large hand grabbed her slender wrist and pulled her toward him.
Yui was spun around and found herself defenselessly pinned against the tree in a "kabedon."
"Madam, there are some things you simply cannot do in front of a man like me!"
Hearing this and feeling her wrist securely trapped with no way to break free, Yui grew tense.
"Yuu-san... what are you doing?"
"You have no idea how much charm you possess!"
With a wicked grin, Yuu didn't wait for her to speak again; he captured Yui's pink lips in a kiss.
Yui's pupils contracted violently!!!
Immediately, she drove a knee toward Yuu's groin.
But Yuu's reaction speed was far too fast. With a twist of his body and a squeeze of his legs, he clamped her knee in place.
With her hands pinned above her head by a single one of Yuu's hands, the beautiful widow was completely immobilized.
Not far from there, Kansuke Yamato was crouching on the ground, using his cane for support, inspecting the body.
A gentle breeze blew past, dropping several green leaves perfectly onto his head, making his head look remarkably "green."
(Note: "Wearing a green hat" is Chinese slang for being cuckolded.)
Takaaki Morofushi approached, reached out, and brushed the leaves off his head. "Found anything else?"
Wearing gloves, Kansuke opened the victim's eyes and said, "There are no signs of a struggle on the victim. I believe the likelihood of an acquaintance committing the crime is extremely high—most likely someone from the Tatsuo family."
"Furthermore, Koji Tatsuo's death is also full of suspicions. Conversely, Yoshiro Takeda being swept up by a tornado is an act of nature, not something a person could engineer. The problem lies with the Tatsuo family."
Takaaki Morofushi shook his head.
"My thoughts are the exact opposite of yours. By utilizing human fear to design a deadly trap, the time left for the victim to react and struggle is minuscule. The lack of struggle marks doesn't prove anything."
Kansuke stood up with his cane and sneered. "We should still ask who came looking on horseback just now. Takaaki, I'll leave the body here in your care."
With that, he leaned on his cane and began walking back along the path toward the village.
"This guy... doing this again!"
Takaaki rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He leaned against a tree, left to wait alone for reinforcements from the Nagano Prefectural Police.
As for Hyoye Kuroda, the menacing-looking investigator, he had long since disappeared to an unknown location.
In the group returning to the village, someone finally noticed that a few people were missing.
The matriarch, Kano Takeda, couldn't help but ask, "Shigeji... where did Shigeji go? Why is he missing?"
Ran chimed in accordingly, "Brother Yuu and Ms. Uehara are missing too."
Heiji Hattori spoke with a grave expression, "Could it be that the Madam wanted to make a move on Shigeji Takeda, and Teacher saw through it and ran to stop her?"
Hearing this, the Takeda patriarch panicked.
"Impossible! Yui is a very good daughter-in-law. How could she possibly harm Shigeji?"
Beside him, Tameshi Tatsuo looked on with schadenfreude.
Conan asked urgently, "Old man, where is Shigeji most likely to go?"
"I know! His cabin in the woods. His treasure-hunting tools are all there. I'll take you."
The bald, fat patriarch turned and ran back toward the three-way intersection they had passed earlier. The others naturally followed.
As the large group passed the intersection, the sound of a train could be heard in the distance.
Then—
"AHHHHH!!!"
A sudden, blood-curdling scream echoed from the direction of the tracks. The group was struck with horror.
The Takeda patriarch cried out, "That's Shigeji's voice!"
They changed direction and bolted toward the source of the scream.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the railroad tracks and saw Hyoye Kuroda standing there.
In front of him, a body resembling a charred piece of coal was still burning. It seemed Kuroda was the first to arrive at the scene.
The group rushed forward. The body by the tracks was still engulfed in flames.
The Takeda patriarch took a few steps closer and recognized that the build of the body was indeed his only son. His legs gave out, and his eyes filled with tears.
It was the ultimate tragedy of a white-haired parent burying their black-haired child.
"Shigeji... Shigeji!"
His mournful cries were like weeping blood. His wife hurried to support him.
It seemed that even though the Takeda patriarch often scolded and beat his son, showing him nothing but disdain, he still loved him as his own child deep down.
Heiji and Conan looked grim. The atmosphere was incredibly depressing.
Kuroda spoke up: "Dark boy, the 'Fire' from the 'Furinkazan' you mentioned is now accounted for. It seems this serial murder case ends here."
"But didn't this guy go back with you? Why would he suddenly detour here?"
"I'm not exactly sure. He must have quietly left the group on the way back. No one noticed."
Conan, putting on an innocent act, turned to Kuroda and asked, "Mister, weren't you investigating the hanging case? Why did you run all the way to these train tracks?"
Kuroda laughed.
"What, you suspect me? I heard the scream just now and ran toward the sound."
"I'm just a bit faster on my feet than you lot, and I happened to be closer, so I got here first. But... where is Consultant Hoshimiya?"
Conan replied, "Teacher and Madam Yui ran off somewhere. But with Teacher there, there shouldn't be any problems."
At that very moment, Yuu and Yui Uehara were still locked in a passionate kiss, completely oblivious to the fact that another murder had occurred.
Yui hadn't heard the scream, and Yuu—despite his incredible hearing—chose to ignore it entirely.
Solving cases was nowhere near as fun as playing with girls!
He really hadn't expected Yui Uehara to be so "well-endowed"—she was practically on par with Yukiko!
Even though she was still a virgin, those years hadn't been wasted; she was a year shy of thirty, carrying the perfect aura of a light mature woman. Naturally, her body was incredibly mature as well!
The former policewoman was on the verge of tears. Her face was bright red; having taken such a huge loss and been taken advantage of so thoroughly, her head was spinning.
Her pale blue eyes glared furiously at Yuu, laced with a hint of crimson, yet in her heart, she was lying to herself:
If I didn't want to know the truth about Senior Kai, I'd never let you act this recklessly!
God as his witness, Yuu had released her hands a long time ago.
This woman's own hands were resting on Yuu's shoulders; she was the one reluctant to let go.
After pulling away from another deep kiss, Yui finally spoke, "You bastard! Hurry up and tell me about Senior Kai! Do you believe I'll call the police to arrest you?!"
This was the fourth time she had made that threat. Yuu paid it no mind; if she really wanted to call the police, she would have done so already.
However, they couldn't kiss anymore. They had already delayed for quite some time. If this continued, Heiji's group would probably come looking for them.
"Alright, alright. I suppose I can tell you."
Yuu took her small hand and led her out of the woods.
"That Officer Kai Nagato you respect so much... he is the cause of this recent string of cases."
"According to my investigation, Kai Nagato should be a descendant of the elite Koshu Army under Takeda Shingen during the Warring States period."
"The Koshu Army was the very unit that buried Shingen's '100,000 Gold Coins.' Most of them perished fighting Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga, but a small detachment remained to guard Koshu."
"After Shingen died, no one in the Takeda family had the prestige to command this garrison, so they disbanded and lived their lives in Koshu."
"And Kai Nagato is the descendant of the commander of that army. In other words, his family possesses clues regarding the '100,000 Gold'."
"The clues were in the Kai home. But after Kai Nagato died, Shigeji Takeda suddenly claimed to have found relics related to Shingen in his own home. He formed a treasure-hunting team, saying he wanted to find the treasure Shingen buried."
"Tell me, how could an ordinary family like the Takedas possess such clues?"
Hearing this, Yui's expression changed. "Are you saying... they did it?"
Yuu chuckled.
"I can't say for sure, but they are definitely involved."
"And among the people who died this time—Yoshiro, Koji, Ayaka—they were all part of the treasure-hunting team. Clearly, the killer's next targets were Shigeji and Akira. It's just a matter of who gets unlucky first."
As he spoke, Yuu led Yui out of the woods and back onto the path.
They ran right into Kansuke Yamato, who was leaning on his cane, waiting for them.
Kansuke's lone eye contracted sharply, darting around in a very obvious manner.
He first looked at his childhood sweetheart's slightly disheveled clothing, then at her flushed, sweaty face, and finally at their intertwined, tightly clasped hands. He was completely stunned.
This setup... they clearly just came back from doing something in the woods!
What were those two doing in the woods?!
Rage burned fiercely in Kansuke's chest.
He was waiting here because he saw the two horses grazing quietly by the path. He had headed back to investigate the riders, never expecting to run into his first love and Yuu Hoshimiya.
Kansuke gripped his cane tightly, saying nothing.
Yui's face turned pale, and she struggled to free her hand from Yuu's grasp.
Yuu didn't want to push her too hard, so he let go. He then took a step forward with his right foot, placing himself protectively in front of Yui.
This simple body language made his stance crystal clear!
Kansuke's body trembled. His uninjured right leg bent slightly at the knee, as if preparing to launch an attack.
At that exact moment, his phone rang, shattering the tension-filled atmosphere.
"Superintendent! Whatever it is, it can wait. I have a lesson to teach!"
"...What? Someone else died? Burned at the train tracks... suspected to be Shigeji Takeda... Understood. I'll be right there."
Hanging up the phone, his lone eye swept over the two of them. Without a word, he pushed past them and sprinted toward the train tracks.
He's smart enough not to ask for a beating!
When Yuu draped his large hand over Yui's left shoulder, he found her completely rigid.
Being caught in such a situation by Kansuke Yamato had left her mind in total chaos.
"Yui, someone else has died!"
Seeing that she was still dazed, Yuu rapped her lightly on the head to snap her out of it.
"Didn't you hear what the Cyclops said? Shigeji Takeda died by the tracks. We need to go check it out."
"O-oh!"
Yui was about to start running, but Yuu grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her onto the horse.
He immediately vaulted up and sat behind the beautiful widow.
Before Yui could even voice a refusal, Yuu yelled "Hya!" and the brown horse took off in a wild sprint.
The horse quickly caught up to Kansuke Yamato, who was running on one leg with his cane.
Kansuke watched the two riding the same horse, looking incredibly intimate, and his face turned black as pitch.
What is going on with those two? Didn't they just meet today?!
Yui bent forward, lowering her head completely, not daring to make eye contact with Kansuke.
But this posture only made it look even more like she was snuggling into Yuu's embrace, leaving Kansuke fuming.
The horse was already far ahead when Yuu's nonchalant voice drifted back.
"There's another horse back there. You can ride it and catch up. We'll go on ahead. Hya!"
The two vanished from his sight, leaving the infuriated Kansuke violently swinging his cane at the ground.
Before long, the pair arrived at the tracks on their single mount.
With a graceful dismount, the dizzy Yui Uehara followed Yuu to the ground.
Hyoye Kuroda spoke immediately.
"We meet again, Consultant Hoshimiya. However, the two of you didn't return with everyone else. What were you up to?"
Yuu spoke with a righteous tone: "Investigating, of course. I'm not familiar with these woods, so I needed Yui to help guide me. What happened? Another death?"
Seeing the bald Takeda patriarch slumped on the ground in a state of absolute despair, Yuu raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. The victim is Shigeji Takeda. We identified him from the personal belongings near him."
"Furthermore, it appears Shigeji Takeda committed suicide by lying on the tracks. It seems the case can now be closed."