Hoshizono names a culprit.
Hoshizono names a culprit.
“It seems that multiple people have been excluded twice, but now, everyone here has been removed from the suspect list.”
“What are you saying? Is there another culprit?”
Yumi was genuinely curious.
“No, of course not. Everyone in the area is here in this room.”
Hoshizono's answer made Akane frown.
“This is all your fault, Hoshizono. You must have made a mistake somewhere. But, strange... I didn't sense anything wrong...”
“It did all make sense,” Asako agreed.
As if enjoying their reactions, Hoshizono looked around at everyone's faces again, then spoke.
“I'm sure there are no flaws in my reasoning so far. They are the result of correct, logical assumptions. However, if any of the starting premises of my logic were wrong, that would change things. Therefore, the only possible explanation is that one of the premises of our current approach is fundamentally wrong. So, which assumption is contrary to the facts?”
Hoshizono struck a pose and placed a finger between his eyebrows.
“Actually, of our six clues, there was one whose premise wasn't based in objective fact. Did you notice?”
He placed tauntingly generous spacing between his words.
“A premise not based in objective fact – in other words, the 'alibi' clue. It goes without saying, all of the other clues are based on objective facts available to everyone. There really were murder weapons, there really are physical lodges we can judge the locations of, there really was a knot in the string... as I've proven, everything other than the 'alibi' is beyond reproach. However, the 'alibi' clue is different. It's based entirely on Kazuo's testimony, which nothing else can support. That alone isn't sufficient to call it an objective fact. If there's a problem with the base, everything built on it will collapse. Our current conditions have resulted in the unnatural conclusion that there is no culprit, and since none of our other clues can be overthrown, all we have left is to reset this nonobjective clue to a blank slate. So then, the people it proved innocent were Kazuo and myself. The two of us must be returned to the suspect list. Fortunately, I am also proven innocent alongside Ms. Kusabuki by the 'psychological element'. So the only suspect who cannot be excluded is Kazuo. Therefore, we have no choice but to conclude that Kazuo is the culprit. He tried to escape suspicion by giving false testimony, and cunningly increased his credibility by sharing his 'secret' only with me. Of course, the meeting with Mr. Iwagishi was a lie to begin with, so the footprints from the trip must have belonged to Kazuo himself. Isn't that right, Kazuo?”
He stared straight back at Hoshizono.
Aghast, Kazuo got to his feet.
There was an immediate uproar.
Yumi kicked her chair over and ran to hide behind Hoshizono. Mikiko screamed as she went to join her. Sagashima was still sitting, but he moved his chair to try and get away from Kazuo.
“How terrible... Murderer!”
Mikiko had tears in her voice, peeking out from over Hoshizono's shoulder. Yumi also gave him a glare that could melt steel.
Seeing the way everyone looked at him, Kazuo felt his blood run cold. They were all wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and their hearts held no sympathy. His head was spinning. He desperately held back the urge to scream “No, it wasn't me!” He only had one lifeline holding him together – those words Hoshizono had whispered to him earlier today: “Don't be surprised by what happens next. No matter what I say, please try to remain calm in front of the others.” Kazuo was sure this is what he'd been referring to. Yes, Hoshizono must have been setting a trap for the criminal. Kazuo was just a decoy to lure out the true culprit. He didn't know what kind of trick it was, but if he couldn't even follow his detective this far, he had no right to call himself an assistant. He was sure the culprit would give themself away soon. Until then, he just had to remain silent. Don't interfere with Hoshizono's plan.
But the way everyone stared at him, his body began to shake violently. He felt truly afraid. The tips of his hands and feet were cold and he couldn't stop their shaking. Mikiko looked about to cry. Yumi looked about to kill him. Cold sweat ran down his sides. Sagashima was looking at him like some disgusting object. Akane was sneering behind her eyes. He felt sick. His teeth chattered. His eyesight was fading. Asako's eyes... he couldn't bear to look. If there was the slightest hint of contempt or disdain, he couldn't stand it. He wouldn't stop shaking. The inside of his nose stung. His felt so dizzy. Only Hoshizono's eyes were different from the rest. They sent him a clear message: Be patient. Be patient. Be patient. You're almost there. There was a sharp, stabbing pain in his stomach. He was shaking like an epileptic patient. It was getting hard to stand. Is it over yet? Please, sir, please hurry. I can't take this anymore. Everyone's looking at me. Their eyes are so cold. Pitying, hateful eyes. I'm so scared. It'll all be over soon. The culprit will say something. I'm sure they will. They'll be so relieved that I've been accused instead that they'll let their guard down and say something incriminating. Come on, say something. Say something. SAY SOMETHING–
“Is he really the culprit?”
A shy voice. It echoed unpleasantly in his head, which had gone empty as a bell. Whose voice was that? Miss Asako? Ah, no, this is all a trap, and the culprit is going to give themself away any moment now, so please don't interrupt.
“Yes, he is.”
Sir, please expose the actual culprit soon, this girl has nothing to do with this.
“I understand the general idea. But there's still something I don't understand. What is his motive? Why did he kill Mr. Zaino and Mr. Iwagishi?”
Just be quiet, we're waiting for the culprit to fall into our trap. You aren't involved here, this is supposed to be the part where the culprit says... something... Wait, what exactly is our plan here?
“His motive? I don't know for sure, but I can take a guess. The day after Mr. Iwagishi's murder, when I was checking everyone's alibis, Mr. Zaino testified that he was awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of the wind, though he didn't know at what time. If he woke up to strong winds on a cold mountain like this, it would be only natural for Mr. Zaino, our host, to worry about the next day's weather. We were planning to descend the mountain the next day, after all. The window of Mr. Zaino's staff room faces the lodges. Mr. Zaino most likely saw Kazuo leaving Mr. Iwagishi's lodge. And for whatever reason, he kept quiet. I believe he only told Kazuo he'd seen him later on. He probably tried to blackmail him or something like that. Mr. Zaino was a veteran tax evader, so he probably wouldn't have hesitated to add blackmail to his rap sheet. And considering the sort of person his boss was, Mr. Zaino must have felt some sympathy for the man who killed him, so it wouldn't be strange if he agreed to let himself be paid to not tell anyone. Mr. Zaino took Mr. Sugishita down to the basement to refuel the generator. Perhaps that was to give them a chance to be alone. There, Kazuo was given his terms, and that was when he decided to kill Mr. Zaino. That's my theory, at least.”
“I see. And what about Mr. Iwagishi? Once we understand his motive, I think everyone here will be fully convinced.”
“Miss Asako, to be honest, I may have cheated a little. It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but there was some information that only I was privy to, and I worked backwards from there to the solution. That information is this: Kazuo looks up to the president of his company, who is also the president of my agency, to an excessive degree. He has extreme devotion to him, a trait rare in young people today.”
“I knew that, he told me himself.”
“I see, then this story will go by quickly. Actually, this is my cheat information: As Ms. Kusabuki mentioned earlier, Mr. Iwagishi had a rather aggressive business policy, and it seems that many of his business partners had been reduced to tears by his actions. I remember hearing once that the president Kazuo looked up to so much was scammed by him and suffered a huge loss. The president, who Kazuo practically worships, is still on bad terms with Mr. Iwagishi, accusing him of some sort of breach of trust. I've also heard that Mr. Iwagishi practically forced him to help with this job. I hear he's been getting all sorts of other favors, too, both public and private. As you can imagine, the president felt quite a lot of resentment towards Mr. Iwagishi. You've probably figured the rest. Kazuo was targeting Mr. Iwagishi to remove the object of his president's resentment, driven by an unusual, anachronistic sense of loyalty. I believe he heard about this job from somewhere and became my manager so he'd have a chance to get close to Mr. Iwagishi.”
“I see... I didn't know that.”
Asako's voice was cold, but her tone sounded understanding, even relieved.
Kazuo couldn't keep standing. He dropped down into his chair as though his hips had collapsed out from under him. Inside his skull was a vacuum and he couldn't think at all. Could it be, the person Hoshizono had actually set a trap for was...? Question marks floated in his empty brain. And the group's piercing glares never stopped hurting.
“Do you understand?” asked Hoshizono
“Yes,” replied Asako.
“I understand everything.”
The detective exposes the real culprit.
“I understand exactly what this all means. Mr. Hoshizono, the real culprit is you.”
Asako turned to look at Akane. The author shrugged and gave a slight nod.
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