Case Files of Secret Society holoX (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 12: Resolution of the Saiki family murder case

Kunie, Uruhashi, Yusuke, and the lawyer were sitting around a table. Inspector Mimamura, Iroha, the two other samurais, and I were standing at the corners.

"Really? A will reading in the middle of a case? Do they really want the money that badly?" Inspector Mimamura grumbled.

The lawyer took out a suitcase and opened it which revealed a sealed envelope inside. It had the crest of the Saiki family but aside from that, it looked the same as any other green envelopes. However, that will was the cause of two deaths.

After clearing his throat, the lawyer began reading the will.

"My assets and belongings shall be equally divided among Shiranui Saiki, Yusuke Saiki, Uruhashi Saiki, Kunie Saiki, and Rena Saiki. In the case that the recipient is not present in the room during the reading of this will, they shall only receive 60% of their share while the remaining shall be donated to the Niwazu Charity. However, if they are no longer alive, their share will be equally divided among those who are still alive."

The final line was the thing that caused this entire mess. I wonder what kind of sick game Goizaburo was thinking of when he made this will. But now that it was read, there should be no more murders happening.

"I'm glad that's over", Uruhashi said.

"Indeed. Two people died because of this", Kunie agreed.

"I'll be going home. Now that this is over, I'd rather relax", Yusuke stood up.

However, I blocked the exit.

"No. This case is not yet over. We still haven't caught the criminal", I said.

"And that's my job as the samurai regiment. There's no need to keep them here", Inspector Mimamura told me.

"No. We need them to stay here for a moment while I reveal the truth of the case!"

Everyone's faces looked surprised when they heard me declare that.

"Are you saying you know the criminal?" Inspector Mimamura asked.

"Yes."

"I'm interested. Can you tell us your deduction, Detective Sakasaki?" Kunie looked at me.

"With pleasure. Let's take a close look at the first murder. Did you guys notice anything weird about Rena's body, specifically her clothes?"

"What's wrong with her clothes? It's a common sleepwear for nobles", Inspector Mimamura asked.

"If she died at around 1 PM to 3 PM, why would she be wearing sleepwear?"

Their eyes widened when they finally noticed it. After all, no one would wear sleeping clothes in the middle of the afternoon.

"So you're saying she didn't die at that time", Kunie said.

"Yes. I can deduce that she died at around 6 PM, back when the Niwazu Festival started. The sound of fireworks camouflaged the gunshot and so, no one will think anything suspicious happened."

"You're an amateur sleuth. Lady Rena's body already stiffened so she's been dead for a long time! It's impossible for her to die at 6 PM!" Inspector Mimamura scoffed.

"Do you know the legend of Sentaro?"

"He's the legendary warrior of Yamato who was betrayed by his lord. In the end, he fought an entire army by himself and died while standing up on his feet", Uruhashi answered

"When someone suddenly dies in the midst of exercising, the protein in the muscles hardens easier and the body stiffens faster than normal. That's the proof that you can die standing up on your feet. In this case, the criminal used the same trick in order to throw off our estimated time of death."