Not a detective

Page 102

However, I didn't see those scenes in Asakawa Riku today. Kabukicho seemed unusually peaceful today. I didn't feel anything special walking around. Apart from the fact that there were more signs around, more bars, brothels, nightclubs, and people soliciting customers, it was almost no different from other streets in Tokyo.

Is it because it's daytime and the street hasn't yet revealed its true appearance?

Or perhaps he generalized too much, assuming that the isolated case in the video represents the whole picture of Kabukicho.

As Asakawa Riku followed Kirisame Aoi and walked past the next corner, he immediately understood the truth.

There were a lot of police officers standing here.

The alleyway entrance was blocked off by police tape, and two police cars were parked there. Standing guard on the roadside were two tall criminal police officers with fierce expressions.

Looking past their shoulders, you could see many busy police officers walking back and forth inside, suggesting that the crime scene was there. Under the intimidation of these uniformed officers, the security situation in Kabukicho had improved somewhat, which was perhaps why Asakawa Riku hadn't encountered any strange or unusual individuals along the way.

But it's probably not going to be easy to get through now, because there are still many media outlets and reporters around, carrying cameras and microphones, looking very anxious, but they are being blocked by the police.

...Why is this incident attracting so much media attention? Asakawa Riku keenly noticed this; the number of reporters seemed a bit unusual.

"This is it, let's go."

Without time to think too much, Wu Yu Kui led him over.

Spring of the Case: Chapter Eleven - Crime Scene

"Stop! Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach. This is a scene that needs to be protected."

The detective stopped Kiri Aoi in a stern tone.

Perhaps because she was dressed in "casual clothes," she was not recognized and might even have been mistaken for a reporter from the surrounding area.

But she quickly pulled another document out of her pocket.

This time it seemed to be a police officer's ID. The detective paused for a moment when he took it, then quickly turned serious after looking at it.

"...Please wait a moment, I'll go report."

He asked a colleague to stand guard for him while he respectfully took his identification and went inside to report.

Asakawa Riku didn't know her rank or position within the Metropolitan Police Department as an officer in the Inspection Department, but judging from her expression, it shouldn't be low.

Sure enough, two or three minutes later, the detective ran back, and before he could even stand up straight, he immediately bowed:

"Inspector Kirisame, our superior says you'd like to come inside!"

He spoke loudly, presenting the black document with both hands.

"Thank you," Wu Yu Kui said with a smile, not making things difficult for the ordinary detectives, but simply taking back her identification.

Her beautiful long legs, visible beneath her trench coat, led her across the cordon and into the area.

Asakawa Riku naturally followed, but unexpectedly, he was stopped at the cordon.

The other detective on guard hesitated, unsure whether he should do it, but he still mustered the courage to ask:

"Excuse me, who is this..."

"I--"

Asakawa Rikuya was in a dilemma. He really didn't know how to introduce himself. Saying he was a "detective" wasn't really accurate, and saying he was an "assistant" would be too embarrassing.

He's young and probably won't be taken seriously here. If he adopts a humble attitude from the start, things will likely get difficult.

"Oh, I forgot to mention."

Kirisame Aoi turned back and put her arm around Asakawa Riku's shoulder. Although there was a ten-centimeter difference between them, it didn't seem strange: "He is an important person involved."

This was a pointless remark, but the two guards dared not question it further, and Asakawa Riku was granted permission to pass.

Once inside, Asakawa Riku took a slight step to the side, subtly removing Kirisame Aoi's hand.

He didn't want to be looked at strangely by the police around him, but this action seemed to surprise Wu Yu Kui, who didn't seem to understand the step she had just taken.

The exchange between the two lasted only milliseconds.

At this moment, the person in charge at the scene walked over. Asakawa Riku didn't recognize him, but he was easy to spot. Among the detectives in police uniforms around him, he was the only one wearing a white shirt.

He was a robust middle-aged man who looked a bit like Mr. Matsuyama from the school, but with a more square face and a furrowed brow, as if he was angry all the time.

He had a stubble around his chin, heavy dark circles under his eyes, but sharp eyes. He had a gun holster on his belt and stood upright. He looked like a veteran policeman.

He looked at the young duo, Kirisame Aoi and Asakawa Riku, a hint of confusion on his face, and his opening remarks were even more direct:

"I am Seiichiro Takahashi, my rank is Inspector, and I am in charge of the scene."

His unspoken message seemed to be, "I am at the same level as you, and I have been appointed. Outsiders should not try to seize power," which shows the strong sense of territoriality within the police force.

Asakawa Riku didn't really understand where the rank of "inspector" was in the system. But he had watched Detective Conan and remembered that Inspector Higurashi was at that level, which meant it should be considered a mid-level position. Such a person should be in charge of a case, but would he personally come to the front line to supervise? Would such a phenomenon exist?

Based on what he heard from reporters and media, he had a vague feeling that this case might be very important.

Kiri Aoi understood what that meant, but she just smiled amicably and had no intention of getting into a conflict with the local police.

"I am Kiri Aoi, sent by the department to assist you. I will need your guidance."

She waved the other document in her hand, which she had somehow replaced.

The golden emblem was particularly eye-catching; although an average police officer might not recognize it, Takahashi Seiichiro's expression instantly changed.

“I understand.” He nodded, then turned his gaze to the other side: “Is this person also from the department?”

"He's essentially an advisor."

Mist Rain Sunflower answered the question ahead of time.

Seiichiro Takahashi stepped aside and gestured, "Then please, gentlemen, let me explain the case."

...

Although the police cordoned off the entire alley, the actual crime scene was just one of the shops in that alley.

To be precise, it should be "hospital".

"This is an unlicensed hospital. Although the practitioners should all be qualified doctors, this place clearly does not meet the conditions for running a medical institution and is a place that cannot be exposed to the light of day."

As Inspector Takahashi spoke, he led them past the blurry hospital sign. They could only see signs listing a series of services, such as "prescription drugs, sexually transmitted diseases, gynecological diseases, prostate diseases," and several large portraits of doctors and nurses printed on the exterior walls as advertisements. It all looked unprofessional and aroused suspicion.

But opening a hospital like this on this street only shows how shrewd they are at business.

"But Kabukicho is such a place, a melting pot of all sorts of people. Many homeless people, beggars, criminals and illegal immigrants live here, and it has never been effectively cleaned up. This is just something we keep inside, so please don't spread it around. They don't have valid identification, so they can only seek medical treatment in places like this, and the prices are cheap, which sustains these hospitals."

"Where's the camera?" Kiri Aoi suddenly interjected.

She looked up and saw a camera in the corner of the hospital reception area, its light dimly emitting light.

"Don't worry, it's still usable. We've copied down the most recent recordings and are sending people to check them."

Inspector Takahashi gave a very professional answer.

So the three of them walked in side by side and saw many busy police officers and evidence collectors in the corridor. They were wearing white gloves and seemed to be collecting fingerprints or some other traces.

Seeing this scene, Asakawa Riku felt for the first time that a scene from a mystery novel was actually happening right before his eyes, and he was secretly excited.

This illegal hospital wasn't very big; perhaps because land is so expensive in Kabukicho, they only rented these two floors. On the first floor, besides the reception desk, there were only a few consultation rooms in two rows of corridors.

Even at the end of the corridor is the so-called dean's office.

"The dean and other relevant personnel have been taken to the police station for questioning. The second floor houses the pharmacy and cashier, as well as some blood-drawing and testing laboratories, which are unrelated to the case."

Inspector Takahashi explained that the hospital is now almost empty, with only busy police officers remaining.

Asakawa Riku couldn't help but ask, "So, where is the crime scene?"

The place didn't look like a crime had occurred, but the stench of blood lingered in the strong smell of disinfectant.

"It's a basement."

Inspector Takahashi pointed to the staircase leading down to the lower level, shrouded in darkness—

It was the basement again. Asakawa Riku was enveloped by a familiar feeling.

Spring of Events: Chapter Twelve - The Doctors

"It's called a basement, but it's actually an operating room. This kind of shady hospital is definitely not qualified to perform surgery. In fact, their medical licenses are already on the gray area. A hospital that can perform surgery is not a clinic. The required hygiene conditions and other indicators are seriously substandard. It's unimaginable to let them operate on people. But for profit, some people will take the risk... Regardless of whether this case is related to the hospital director or not, he will definitely go to jail. We can guarantee that."

Inspector Takahashi said with a look of disgust, "In short, they disguised the basement as a storage room for medical supplies, but in reality, it hides a secret passage and an internal space."

The secret passage has now been opened. Asakawa Riku and Kirisame Aoi followed him through a dark corridor and boxes piled with miscellaneous items, and arrived at a hidden operating room.

The sealed door and the sign above it looked quite proper, and there were even chairs for family members to wait, but the closer you got, the stronger the smell of blood became.

At this moment, several people were sitting neatly in the seats.

They wore purple, green, or blue surgical gowns; some wore caps, some wore masks, and some had taken them all off.

They looked dazed, restless, with messy hair and dark circles under their eyes; they all seemed terrified.

There were several police officers standing around, and Asakawa Riku immediately understood what was going on.

...These doctors and nurses are either important witnesses or suspects.

"Before we go to the scene, let me introduce them. These are the witnesses to the case. Their statements have already been taken, but you can ask them again if you wish."

Inspector Takahashi changed his wording as he spoke to Kirisame Aoi.

Kiri Aoi smiled and said, "Let me know your name first."

She didn't take out a notebook or anything like that. Could she possibly remember so much just by thinking about it? Asakawa Riku wasn't confident she could.

He remembered his job and took out a pen to write it down.

"The first one is an anesthesiologist, Midori Fukushima."

The middle-aged woman, wearing glasses, slightly overweight, and with a somewhat haggard face, seemed quite frightened. She trembled when she heard her name called.

"The second one is the chief surgeon, Takesuke Ōmura."

The calmest person present was a middle-aged man with a resolute expression, whether it was feigned or not, he held his head high with arrogance.

"The third and fourth are the first and second assistants, Ono Takayuki and Doi Mizuka."

The two people sitting side by side were Takayuki Ono, a young man with a somewhat bookish air, the kind of face that of a model student or a herbivore. Mizuka Doi was a little younger than him, looking to be only in her early twenties, with a small face and wearing a mask. The two seemed to be a couple, as the man was touching the woman's hand, seemingly comforting her softly.

"The fifth one is the scrub nurse, Sumire Ogawa."

The young woman, around thirty years old, was wearing makeup under her mask. She had bright red lips, upturned eyes, and long, thin lips, making her look like someone who wouldn't be easy to deal with.

"The sixth one is the circulating nurse, Yoshimura Takumi."

This was somewhat unexpected, as he was a male nurse, and quite "massive" in size, not just ordinary fat, probably weighing over 200 pounds, with a憨笑 (a kind of simple, honest smile) face.

"This is the basic setup required for an operation. We have checked the surveillance footage of the corridor and stairwell. Only these people entered the basement that day, and there is only one exit on the first floor. Even if someone was hiding beforehand, there was nowhere to escape. These six people are all our witnesses."

Inspector Takahashi introduced them one by one, saying that he had a very good memory and remembered not only their names but also their positions.

Upon hearing their names called, some people stood up and bowed slightly, while others remained seated, motionless.

"There are also [patients]."

Suddenly, Kiri Aoi interjected.

"Yes, there was also a patient. She was lying on the hospital bed when the nurse wheeled her into the operating room."

Inspector Takahashi was surprised by Kirisame Aoi's quick reaction. If an operation was to be performed, there must be a patient present, otherwise the operation would be meaningless.

In other words, there were not six people at the scene of the crime, but seven.

But he quickly changed the subject: "Unfortunately, this patient is also our victim; she was murdered."

"The patient died during the surgery?"

Asakawa Riku roughly understood the situation and wrote down the information he had gathered: "Then, could it be a medical malpractice case?"

This was the most logical guess, but unexpectedly, this statement instantly enraged someone.

"Nonsense!"

The lead surgeon, Takeshi Omura, immediately stood up and pointed at Riku Asakawa: "It's one thing for you police to detain us here, we can cooperate with the investigation, but how can you let this brat question us! I've told you before, everything we did was a normal medical procedure, and it's all protected by law! There's no way my surgery could have resulted in a medical accident!"

Seemingly enraged by the insult to his profession, he was so furious that his hair seemed to stand on end.

"Where did you come from—?"

"He is a professional we hired."

Kirisame Aoi and Inspector Takahashi blocked his way at almost the same time, but strangely, Asakawa Riku himself wasn't angry; he felt that their demands were reasonable.