BWDC:SDDK Chapter 104: The Mysterious Bat
A cruel and inhumane event had transpired at the Suzuki Estate.
The Romanov historian, who had been invited as a guest, was found in her room with multiple comminuted fractures. She had been beaten so severely by someone bearing a striking resemblance to Jack Chen that her screams could be heard throughout the entire manor.
By the time the estate servants managed to break down the door, they found only Seiran Hoshi lying on the floor, utterly defeated.
As for the man she claimed had attacked her, he had long since vanished. In fact, there wasn't a single trace of his presence left in the room, save for some discarded firearm components scattered on the floor.
"Officer, may I ask what exactly is going on?"
"Seiran Hoshi was attacked only moments ago. We barely just called the police, and your men are already on the scene?"
Suzuki Shiro, who happened to be home at the time, asked in astonishment.
Inspector Megure was also finding this a bit of a headache.
How did he know about this?
If someone hadn't called to turn themselves in, claiming to be the internationally renowned assassin Scorpion and stating they were going after the Suzuki Corporation—challenging the police to catch them at the Suzuki Estate—they wouldn't have come at all.
To be precise, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have come even with such a claim.
However, because a nearly identical situation had occurred during the Teiji Moriya incident, Megure chose the mindset that it was better to check a thousand false leads than to miss one. He had rushed his team to the scene to investigate.
"In any case, take me there first," Inspector Megure said solemnly.
Accompanied by Wataru Takagi and others, he hurried toward the room where Suzuki Shiro said the assault had taken place.
Inside the room, Seiran Hoshi was slumped against a wall. Her clothes were torn to shreds, as if she had been lashed by something; the brutality of the attack was visible to the naked eye.
The sight was so grim that Inspector Megure let out a sharp breath the moment he entered.
Good grief, whoever did this was ruthless.
He felt a sense of bewilderment. He wasn't surprised that someone had fought her, but rather that Seiran Hoshi was still conscious and even able to speak. A normal person would have been killed outright by such a beating.
Megure shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He crouched down, looked at Seiran Hoshi, and asked calmly:
"Tell me, Miss, you are 'Scorpion,' aren't you?"
The aftermath of the Teiji Moriya incident seemed to follow this exact pattern. He had noticed that Moriya had been incapacitated before the police made the arrest.
He hadn't discussed this with Ren Ichimonji or Mouri Kogoro simply because it was a confidential matter.
Seeing that only Seiran Hoshi had been beaten like this within the Suzuki Estate, Megure's first instinct, based on his previous experience, was that she was Scorpion.
Upon hearing this, a flash of astonishment crossed Seiran's eyes.
That man wasn't a bounty hunter?
He beat her into this state, yet didn't take her in for a reward or kill her on the spot. Instead, he called the police to come and get her.
...What kind of urban vigilante from a superhero comic was this?
A surge of fury rose in Seiran Hoshi's heart. She never imagined that she would one day fall in such a manner!
Cafe Poirot
Azusa Enomoto, the waitress at the counter, waved goodbye to Ren Ichimonji with a bright smile.
About an hour ago, Ren Ichimonji had arrived at Poirot to place an order.
While Poirot was technically a coffee shop, it functioned much like a restaurant. The menu was quite extensive, and many officers from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department even made a point of driving over just for dinner.
Just like right now.
Officer Chiba looked curiously at Ren Ichimonji as he turned to leave the shop, then took another bite of his sandwich.
Though he was curious about what this man who called himself "Batman" was really like, he felt too embarrassed to go over and say hello.
Back during the Ninja case, Chiba hadn't actually spoken much with Ren Ichimonji. Later, when Ren and Megure took a car to Masaru Saruhashi's house, Chiba hadn't joined them, staying behind at Beika North Park to maintain order at the scene.
After the group solved the case, they had all gone their separate ways. This was the first time Chiba had seen Ren Ichimonji outside of work.
Next time. Next time I definitely have to say hello to Mr. Batman!
Chiba made up his mind. In an era full of "normies," it was incredibly difficult to find someone who shared a love for the "2D world."
No one knew that better than him. Now that he had finally found a potential kindred spirit—one whose deductive skills were excellent and who could help him rack up performance credits—there was absolutely no reason not to get on his good side!
Beep, beep.
A sound crackled through the walkie-talkies. Nearly every officer inside Cafe Poirot reached for their radio at the same time.
They looked at each other in surprise before checking the transmission. A voice came through from the other end.
"This is Toshiro Odagiri, Superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police."
"All criminal investigation personnel are to follow emergency protocols. Proceed immediately to the Suzuki Estate to seal the scene and assist the Public Security Bureau in their investigation."
"One hour ago, the individual known as 'Bat,' who appeared during the Teiji Moriya case, has struck again."
"The target of the attack is the internationally wanted criminal, assassin, and thief, Scorpion. I repeat, this is the Criminal Investigation Bureau..."
The 'Bat' again?
Chiba was stunned. This was the second time he had heard that name.
The Public Security Bureau had been handling the investigation into the Teiji Moriya case. It wasn't until this afternoon that they shared information with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, stating that the identity of the mysterious person who attacked Moriya was still unknown. They had assigned the codename "Bat" for the arrest operation.
Chiba had assumed this mysterious figure would lay low for a while after dealing with Moriya to avoid the heat. He hadn't expected them to strike again so soon and so frequently.
Wait... 'Bat' is the same as 'Batman,' right?
Chiba instinctively looked toward the direction where Ren Ichimonji had disappeared from view. Then, he shook his head and chuckled to himself.
"That's impossible. Mr. Batman was right here eating an hour ago."
"Unless he knows the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, how could he be in two places at once—eating dinner and beating someone up at the same time?"
In a Back Alley
Ren Ichimonji reached up and pulled off his head mask, revealing his true face.
Konosuke Jii.
The butler to Kaito Kid.
Earlier that afternoon, Ren Ichimonji had asked Jii for help in locating Seiran Hoshi. However, Jii hadn't been able to help with the tracking.
Because of that, Ren had asked Jii for a second favor. This time, Jii had come through.
He had appeared at Cafe Poirot in the guise of Ren Ichimonji.
It was the ultimate alibi!
End of Chapter
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