Chapter 63: A Little Slip of the Foot
Suddenly, a strange noise echoed from the direction of the mountain, sounding like a heavy object falling.
Though Hikaru Hoshino was curious about what had happened, the relentless rain discouraged him from heading out to investigate personally.
After breakfast, the group squeezed into Teppei Nishikawa's car and made a smooth return to the hotel.
"We've just received a report of a collapse on the highway. Take some men and investigate."
Inside the Miyazaki Police Headquarters, the Superintendent issued orders to his subordinates.
"But it's still pouring out there," a young officer grumbled, reluctant to go.
"Forget it, I'll go."
The thirty-something veteran officer stepped forward once again.
Although the Superintendent had appointed him as the liaison for the Tokyo task force, there wasn't actually much for him to do. They only needed him to provide equipment and support; they had brought their own entire team.
The old officer's mind was still consumed by the arson case, but since he couldn't interfere further, he sought out more tasks to keep himself busy and numb his frustration with work.
The police car's siren wailed as it started up, heading toward the edge of town. The rain was heavy, but not "once-in-a-century" heavy; it was just a standard rainstorm that didn't stop people from going about their business.
The closer they got to the mountain, the muddier the roads became. By the time they reached the foot of the slope, the road was covered in sludge. The old officer donned a black raincoat and got out of the car, advancing with a flashlight.
"Tsk, what on earth happened here? Why are there so many trunks and so much mud? Did someone mess with the mountain?"
The highway was a mess. A pile of timber from who-knows-where lay scattered across the ground. Several cars parked in the area had been crushed and were clearly write-offs; fortunately, no one was around when it happened, so there were no reports of casualties.
"Wait, why is there someone over here?"
The old officer paled when he spotted a figure slumped against the highway guardrail. He hurriedly called over several assistant officers to check.
"A young male. Likely slipped and fell from the mountain," he said, checking for a pulse. "He's already dead."
"Don't touch anything! Preserve the scene! Cordone off the area! Wait for me to report this!"
The old officer immediately briefed his superior. Hearing that there was a fatality, the Superintendent took it seriously, dispatching a large team of police and experts to the site.
"Why does he look so familiar?"
The old officer circled the corpse. The build felt familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"He looks like the arsonist..."
He had watched the surveillance footage from the crime scene countless times. If he saw Ishigami face-to-face, he would certainly recognize and arrest him instantly.
In fact, he was already convinced this was the culprit, but he didn't dare make a final judgment before seeing the face clearly. At the same time, he didn't dare disturb the scene; once he interfered, he would be held entirely responsible for the case.
Despite the ongoing rainstorm, the old officer's mood suddenly brightened.
He began humming a local folk song, reminiscing about his happy days at the police academy.
"Ishigami was probably trying to trigger a mudslide."
After returning to the hotel, Hikaru Hoshino suddenly spoke to Aqua.
"His room was full of shovels and saws, plus fresh soil. With the heavy rain these past two days, I think he was trying to do something wicked on the mountain."
"A mudslide?" Aqua repeated. "But isn't that a geological disaster? The soil has to be loose enough, or have suffered long-term erosion from acid rain."
"There's no acid rain in Miyazaki, and the mountain structure is stable. On his own, it would be nearly impossible for him to cause a mudslide."
"Exactly," Hikaru nodded. "If he had succeeded, we'd probably be buried in dirt right now."
"Since we're still alive and well, he clearly failed."
Hikaru clicked his tongue. "Even a kid like you understands that logic, yet he didn't. It's clear he lacked a proper education."
"Isn't that right, Ai?"
Hikaru turned to Ai, who was on the other side of the bed.
"Hikaru, are you trying to send me to school again?" Ai asked warily. "I think my life is fine as it is. There's no need to go back to studying."
"Of course, of course," Hikaru quickly agreed. "Ai is perfect as she is. I was just joking."
"But as for you two... you still need to study hard."
Unable to do anything about Ai, Hikaru took it out on the twins.
"You're just bullying us because we're kids!"
Ruby began to pout, but Aqua didn't think there was anything wrong with it. In his eyes, learning was beneficial. Even if he didn't aim for university later, knowing more wasn't a bad thing.
The next day, the rain eased significantly. Walking through the light drizzle felt refreshing.
Ai and Ruby stayed at the hotel to rest, while Hikaru took Aqua back to Ishigami's hideout. Once again, there was no sign of him.
According to Rin Futamichi, she had stood guard for a day and a night. During that time, besides the black cat coming and going, no other living thing had appeared.
"Is Ishigami not planning on coming home?" Aqua asked, sounding annoyed.
"It's also possible he *can't* come back."
Hikaru spoke up suddenly. He showed Aqua the latest report from the Miyazaki Police Headquarters on his phone.
"Due to yesterday's heavy rain, minor landslides occurred on some slopes within the prefecture, resulting in property damage, one death, and zero injuries."
"The deceased has been identified as the fugitive from the arson case; specific identity details are still under investigation."
Many news outlets had caught wind of it as well.
"According to reliable sources from the Tokyo Task Force, the culprit of the Miyazaki arson case that shocked the nation was successfully 'apprehended' yesterday. Upon discovery, the culprit was already deceased. The cause of death is tentatively determined as a fall from a height; further investigation is pending."
"Ishigami is dead?" Aqua was shocked.
He seemed to find it difficult to accept. A result like this... it didn't fit the usual narrative pattern.
If this were a story, shouldn't the ending involve them overcoming obstacles and successfully bringing the criminal to justice? Who ever heard of a villain just suddenly dropping dead on his own?
But he wasn't one to overthink things, and he soon let it go. "This isn't bad. The matter is finally resolved."
"I really didn't expect it to end this way," Hikaru said with a sigh. "But it makes sense. Doing bad things is no different from doing good things—they both involve risks. And because bad things are more dangerous, the risks are naturally higher."
"Those villains who always succeed in their crimes and evade capture... if they were that capable, why would they bother fighting me?"
"They'd be better off fighting Akane."
Hikaru reflected for a full thirty seconds before gradually falling silent.
The group looked quietly at Ishigami's belongings in the room, an indescribable atmosphere settling over them.
The black cat suddenly let out a cry, and a dark shadow darted from under the bed. Before Hikaru could get a clear look, it had vanished.
"A man full of malice, eventually consumed by his own malice." He flashed a casual smile. "It's a fitting end, I suppose."
"Let's pack up. Take the electronic devices, diaries, and anything else of note. Leave the other tools alone."
There was very little information on Ishigami himself. With the Miyazaki Police's limited capabilities, they might not even be able to trace him back to this hideout. However, if the task force ramped up their efforts, they might find it, so they couldn't be careless. Getting entangled in a criminal case would be a massive headache.
Aqua proactively pocketed several old mobile phones. Hikaru looked around but found nothing else requiring attention.
Rin Futamichi handled cleaning up any traces of their presence, and the group quickly stepped out into the rain.
Pedestrians on the street were hurrying along, and the shops were brightly lit.
Miyazaki remained exactly as it was yesterday.
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