Ibaraki Prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area, one of Japan's three major metropolitan regions. Located only about forty kilometers from the capital, it belongs to the Kantō region and falls within the National Capital Region.
Ritsu didn't trouble Takagi and Miwako by having them personally drive everyone to Ibaraki.
Instead, he simply instructed them to keep their phones on and be prepared to board the fastest limited express train available if assistance was needed.
After driving to Mito City in Ibaraki Prefecture, Ritsu realized it was actually his first time visiting the area.
Although he had lived in Japan for roughly twenty years, he wasn't particularly familiar with anywhere outside Tokyo. Most of his travel experience had come from carrying out missions for the Organization.
Closing the car door, he glanced around at the streets, which were noticeably less bustling than Tokyo's. With a wry smile, he said,
"Seems like every time I visit somewhere, it's never for proper sightseeing. Even when I went to Izu and Hokkaido before, something ended up happening."
"Hm? Onizawa-onii-san, what are you talking about?"
The conversations during the drive had noticeably relaxed Eita. Without even bothering to introduce his hometown, he grabbed Ritsu's wrist and urged,
"The crime scene is over there! Onizawa-onii-san, Hayasaka-onee-san, hurry and come with me!"
The murder site was located in downtown Mito City.
Ritsu carefully surveyed the surrounding area.
There were restaurants, convenience stores, and excellent transportation access. Security cameras were plentiful as well.
It was difficult to imagine someone choosing a place like this to commit murder in broad daylight. If he followed that line of reasoning, the odds of a random attack seemed high.
However, considering the Ibaraki police's attitude and the fact that they had publicly blamed a homeless man with an intellectual disability, it was obvious they were protecting the real culprit.
That significantly reduced the possibility of a random murder.
The crime had likely been premeditated. In fact, judging from the circumstances, there was a strong possibility that the killer had been hired.
"Onizawa-nii, this is where my sister was murdered."
Eita pointed toward a public bicycle rental station. The actual murder location was the bench beside it.
Pressing his hands together and bowing slightly toward the bench, he explained,
"My sister attended Ibaraki University nearby. She usually walked to the convenience store over there to buy dinner, ate here, and then went to work at the fast-food restaurant across the street."
"So your dinners were usually leftover fried chicken from the restaurant?"
Ritsu asked while looking toward the twenty-four-hour convenience store about ten meters away.
"Huh? You figured that out?"
"Your parents passed away, so your sister worked and studied to support both of you. The bandages on your fingers tell me you don't cook very often. She probably wanted you to focus on school and refused to let you spend time cooking."
Ritsu's gaze shifted toward the surveillance camera mounted above the convenience store entrance.
"Thus your dinners were probably leftover fried chicken from your sister's workplace. It didn't cost anything, and it tasted decent."
Hayasaka tilted her head. "Onizawa, what does that have to do with the case?"
"Nothing directly."
Ritsu shoved his hands into his pockets. "I just find it ridiculous."
His expression darkened slightly.
"The police who fabricated lies, the reporters who published false stories, and the internet users who mindlessly joined the mob."
He looked toward Eita.
"A hardworking young woman struggling to survive somehow became a girl selling herself for luxury goods in their narrative."
After a brief pause, he added quietly, "Don't you think some humans are scarier than wild beasts?"
Pointing toward the convenience store's security camera, he said.
"Let's go check the nearby surveillance footage. Those Ibaraki cops definitely aren't going to hand over the case files. Whatever's hidden behind this case is probably very interesting."
The convenience store was less than ten meters from the crime scene.
After entering, Hayasaka immediately presented her police identification.
"Hello. We're police officers. We'd like to review the surveillance footage from outside the store. We'd appreciate your cooperation."
The clerk froze briefly before offering an awkward smile.
"Uh... I'll need to message someone to ask for the video password. The manager set it, so I don't know it myself."
"That's fine."
The clerk picked up his phone and turned around to send a text message.
However, before he could type more than a few characters, the phone was suddenly snatched away.
Panicking, he spun around.
Standing behind him was Ritsu, who had effortlessly used his height advantage to intercept the phone.
Ritsu stared at the screen. Then he read the message aloud.
"Manager, the police are here. Should we tell Asahi about this?"
The corners of his eyes curved upward as he offered a friendly smile. "Oh? I thought you were asking your manager for the password."
"I-I..."
The clerk stammered. "Asahi-kun is from our store... no, wait! He installed the surveillance system for us!"
Hayasaka's face immediately turned cold. She pulled out a pair of handcuffs and slammed them onto the counter.
"Do you think we're as stupid as you are?"
Her voice sharpened. "Hand over the footage now, or we'll detain you for obstructing a police investigation."
The clerk's face changed instantly.
Something was wrong.
Why would the Ibaraki police reopen this case?
Unless...
These weren't Ibaraki police officers.
"O-Okay! I'll get it! Please don't be angry, Officers. I'll pull up the footage right now!"
"No need."
Ritsu lifted the movable counter gate and stepped inside. He immediately began operating the computer himself.
Just in case the obviously suspicious clerk decided to delete anything. Unfortunately, the folder had already been cleaned out.
Not deliberately.
The system was simply configured to erase surveillance recordings every three months.
So the trail ended here?
No.
There were plenty of businesses nearby.
There was still hope.
Finding nothing useful, Ritsu turned toward the clerk, who had retreated into a corner and fallen silent.
"If there's nothing here, why are you so nervous?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"Who exactly is this 'Asahi' you mentioned?"
Pretending to inventory merchandise, the clerk feigned ignorance.
"I misspoke earlier. Since you've already seen what you wanted to see, please stop interfering with business. The manager will dock my pay."
Ritsu raised a hand to stop Hayasaka from speaking. Politely, he said,
"Then we won't disturb your business any longer."
He smiled.
"Let's hope we don't meet again."
After leaving the convenience store, Hayasaka immediately voiced her frustration. "He was obviously lying. Why did you stop me?"
"We don't have official authority to investigate this case."
Ritsu shrugged.
"So it's better not to make a scene."
He glanced back at the store.
"That said, this 'Asahi' has definitely caught my attention. I have a feeling this convenience store is connected to the case."
"This really is turning into a complicated investigation."
Hayasaka sighed.
"But now that we've hit a dead end, where do we even start?"
"Are you hungry?"
"...Huh?"
Not only was Hayasaka completely baffled, but Eita, who had quietly listened to the entire conversation, was equally stunned.
At a time like this, he was thinking about food?
They didn't even have a single useful lead.
Ritsu looked toward the fast-food restaurant across the street and smiled.
"Buy me a hamburger and I'll tell you what we should do next."
"...Onizawa."
Hayasaka's eye twitched. "Has anyone ever told you that you're incredibly punchable sometimes?"
"I have, actually—"
Thud!
"Oww!"
Ritsu never expected Hayasaka to actually kick him. The strike landed squarely on his shin. The pain was exquisite.
Half limping, he forced a bitter smile. "I'm your superior, you know. Did you really have to kick that hard?"
Eita frowned, his brows forming an upside-down eight. With complete sincerity, he said,
"Onizawa-nii, you're really dense."
Even he sounded disappointed. "You're really handsome, but if you keep acting like this, you'll never get a girlfriend."
The remark instantly broke Hayasaka's irritation, causing her to burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, the suddenly educated-by-a-middle-schooler Ritsu blinked blankly.
He was so caught off guard that he even forgot to use his usual excuse about his imaginary girlfriend.
'Good grief.
Kids these days really were sharp-tongued.'
----
Happy Birthday, Ritsu! May you never die! 🎂🎉