Chapter 9 chapter eight

Those who can't bear it can't even stay for five minutes.This is not a sense of oppression, nor can it be called a sense of urgency.The high wall formed by books, although the books are neatly arranged, has a sense of commotion and noise. Is it because the arrogance and truth sealed in each book are competing to spread through the back of the book? Masuda looked at the bookshelf in the living room of Kyogokudo. Cloth-covered books, leather-bound books, boxed books, and round books (after the Great Kanto Earthquake, in order to save the sluggish book market in the Japanese publishing industry, the Reform Society began to launch a series of books priced at one dollar in 1926, called Round version. For a while, various publishing houses competed to publish such books, but soon the fever subsided due to the boredom of readers), thread-bound books.

The dust and ink blend together to form the unique fragrance of ancient books. Masuda didn't dislike the smell, so it was quite pleasant. The host propped one elbow on the low table, smoking a cigarette with an unhappy expression on his face. Masuda knelt down opposite him, respectful. "Masuda," Chuzenji yelled, "even if you're sitting so stiff. Take it easy." "Then you are willing to..." "I don't want to." So fast. "Why do I have to clean up Enokizu's mess? I'm busy." "Mr. Enokizu said that you owed him a favor in the Hakone Hill incident..."

"No. If you balance what you owe with what you owe, he still owes me more. From the time he was a student, almost all the troubles that guy caused were my aftermath. I definitely didn't owe him anything." "Please don't say that, at least listen to the ins and outs, Mr. Chuzenji." "I heard it on the phone." "Didn't you refuse on the spot? It's too fast." "This means that I have no intention of agreeing. Recently, there has been a lot of noise around me, making it impossible for me to read." Chuzenji said, turning the pages of the book in his hand.

—he is reading. This is already the second book since Masuda came here.Although Masuda came panting, Chuzenji completely ignored him. "I was quite panicked when I called. After all, it was just a full-on fight. And..." "Did you say dead girl?" "Yes. So tragic, so sad." "Masuda, you... are more suited to be a police officer." "Eh? Really?" "You can't be a detective like this, Masuda." Chuzenji said, without looking at Masuda, "it's just...you better cherish this feeling. This is my earnest advice, detectives are good at it." The industry is not worth it for you to abandon this mood and insist on doing it.”

Masuda understood the meaning of Chuzenji very well. Detectives can easily become litigants.No, once you participate in an incident, you will become a party even if you don't want to.The person involved will never see the whole picture of the incident and will not want to see it.If you don't have the persistence and awareness to stay out of the matter until the last moment, you can't be a detective. Chuzenji seemed to notice Masuda's expression immediately. "Yes. No matter what form the object has in relation to the subject, it will lose its objectivity. The detective can only avoid the relationship with the subject in order to find the truth. Because Enokizu had a relationship with the incident unconsciously, so for So angry."

——I don't want to continue to be tricked by small characters as pawns! Enokizu did say so. "...Of course he will reject this entrustment, and his father's face will also be lost by him. But Enokizu's father is a rare hero. To him, the Shibata Zaibatsu is just a silk thread dealer. Nothing will happen." "But Mr. Chuzenji, if victims continue to appear..." "Masuda, the fundamental principle and legal system of this incident are completely different from the many incidents you know. No matter who participates in the incident in what form, the result should be..." Chuzenji looked at Masuda for the first time when he said this , and then concluded, "...all the same."

"What's the meaning?" "There's no room for me to play - no - it's not like that, even if I play, the situation will not change in any way." ——If he is on the chessboard, will he also become a chess piece? Enokizu said the same thing.Masuda didn't understand the meaning of this passage, so he asked Chuzenji about it. Chuzenji replied, "For example... well, Masuda, how would this incident have developed if you hadn't come to Tokyo?" "what?" Will it become... how?First of all, Enokizu should personally handle Mie's request.Immediately following Masuoka's visit, Enogizu St. Bernard's College was entrusted.If Enokizu was away, Masuoka would have visited Chuzenji alone.The rest are the same.Maybe the timing was different, but sooner or later the whereabouts of Sugiura would be found out from the staff book.Then Enokizu was ordered by his father to enter the academy.

Nothing has changed... nothing. "Am I... not useful at all?" "Masuda, no." Chuzenji said, closing the book he was reading, "Indeed, even without you—although it will be a lot late—but judging from the situation, it should still develop in the same direction. Enoki Tsuna probably wouldn't listen carefully to Ms. Sugiura Mie's words, and he certainly wouldn't listen to Mr. Masuoka's explanation at all. So Enokizu probably wouldn't read the name book, and besides, he couldn't remember the name Sugiura at all. But Even if Enokizu doesn't look at the staff list, when he goes to the academy, he will find Takao Sugiura and conclude that he is the murderer on the spot..."

In fact, Enokizu almost concluded that. "...From this point of view, you are not an absolutely indispensable pawn in the real murderer's plan. Well, of course. I hope that the former detective who became a detective will just happen to visit Enogizu. This is not something that others can expect Even if it is the real murderer, it is no exception, of course. But..." Having said this, Chuzenji raised one eyebrow, "...Thanks to your skillful actions at the ingenious timing, the process of finding Takao Sugiura should have been shortened to the shortest possible time. This is a fact."

Masuda accepted the commission of detective work, met Masuoka and visited Chuzenji, so the two unrelated commissions were immediately linked together, and Takao Sugiura was found within a few hours-although it was accidental, it was also fact. "Well, I also came in handy a little..." "That's right, it came in handy for the real murderer." "what?" - The enemy is the author of the event. Enokizu said so. "You thought you were acting according to your own will, but unknowingly completed part of the plan for the real murderer. You came in handy for the real murderer."

"Huh?" Masuda didn't quite understand. "If the intention of the real culprit is to discover and inform Takao Sugiura, then your unexpected joining has completely played a wonderful role and quickly promoted the real culprit's plan." In other words, did Masuda's actions not help solve the incident, but assist the criminal plan? "But……" "Oh, of course, even without you, the result would be the same. However, if it were someone else, they might take different actions. It's just that although they are different, what humans do and what they think are not too far apart. It’s just that sooner or later, the result is the same.” "This..." Masuda thought about different options. However, I found that I thought there should be an infinite number of action options, but in this case, they are extremely rare. Having said that, why did the real culprit make a layout to solve the incident? What is the significance of capturing Sugiura? ... "In other words, Sugiura isn't the real culprit—is he just a scapegoat?" "No." After Chuzenji flatly denied it in an unemotional tone, he concluded without any hesitation, "Ninety-nine percent of Takao Sugiura is a serial strangler." "That……" "So it's settled, isn't it great?" "It's not good at all, because I don't understand the real murderer's intention at all. Does the real murderer think Sugiura is in the way? I remember that Mr. Chuzenji said a few days ago that after Sugiura was arrested, the stage will change, so the second act What will become of it?" "Sugiura is an introduction, and the real murderer uses Sugiura to report... secretly pointing out the next murderer." "The next murderer?" ——Weaving Bi, the spider's servant. Masuda thinks Wu Miyuki's deduction is correct. Then the next murderer is Bi. If the murderer is Bi, Sugiura's being reported must be a great blow to her.If Miyuki's speculation is correct, Sugiura should have witnessed the scene where Ao pushed Yuko Asada, and Sugiura is still a key figure in the suspicion of prostitution. As Chuzenji said, the arrest of Sugiura became a clear coordinate, pointing out Aoki.So, did the real culprit bring Sugiura's existence to the surface in order to expose Ao's crimes? ——It's useless to catch this kind of pervert too much! ——You are also... a pawn. Enokizu had said that to Ao. --what does that mean? Do you mean it's not over yet? ——The beholder. The beholder and the black mass should be closely related.In other words, Bi was exposed—once the facts of the prostitution organization are found out, it is possible to jointly solve the serial murders. Then the next murderer mentioned by Chuzenji may be referring to the beholder.In any case, centering on the girl selling prostitutes, Sugiura killed three people, and the beholder has killed four people.When Masuda said that, Chuzenji raised his head slightly and said, "The Beholder Killed another person. It happened to be nearby when he was fighting the Strangler in Enokizu." "Really……" "It was Imagawa who contacted me." "Mr. Imagawa? The antique dealer?" Imagawa was once a suspect in the murder of monks in Mount Hakone. Masuda recalled his unique appearance. "Why would Mr. Imagawa..." "He went to Zhijiao on business, was involved in Shi Liang's murder case, was trapped there, and was finally dragged to a dangerous place by a reckless criminal policeman, and suffered a catastrophe. He is really a typical sufferer. Another acquaintance of mine also He was involved and injured, and the reckless detective is my friend with Enokizu." "This... I didn't expect so many people to be related. It's almost like urging Mr. Chuzenji to go out." "Don't say stupid things, I've said it many times, the more people get involved, the more the enemy wants." "So, who is the enemy?" "Spider." Sitting in the center of the web—is it really a spider? "What is the purpose of that spider?" "I don't know..." Chuzenji replied on the spot.Then he must be full of confidence that he doesn't know. "...There is too little information. No... In the final analysis, all the information in circulation is manipulated by spiders. So no matter how the third party judges and acts, everything will proceed according to the blueprint drawn by the spiders." "Is that why you don't want to act?" Chuzenji didn't answer. The birds chirped. Masuda thought. All incidents were attributed to Zhisaobi alone. Masuda did not think that there was someone else behind her. In fact, coincidence over and over again occurred several times. But Masuda didn't feel that it was inevitable that it was woven under someone's intention.It's not that he doesn't understand what Chuzenji said, it's just that he doesn't have a sense of reality. It is difficult for Masuda to assume that there is a real culprit that Chuzenji said at the center of the incident-spider.Even with this assumption, the real murderer's intentions are completely unknown, and even Chuzenji said he didn't know.So isn't it pointless to assume that?Was it not just Aoi who was at the center of the incident?So…… He still felt that it was not the best policy to just stand by and watch. If you ask why... Because even though Sugiura was arrested, Orisori Ao was still safe and sound. As Chuzenji said, the arrest of Sugiura points out from many angles that Ao is the next murderer. But the named murderer herself, Bee, is still rock-solid.It is possible that Bi could escape without being suspected. Masuda expressed his thoughts, and Chuzenji asked with a surprised expression, "Are you talking about the weaver's fourth daughter?" "Yes. The servants of Sugiura and the spider, maybe even the beholder was commanded and manipulated by Ao. And...the one who killed Yuko Asada was Ao herself." "It's not necessarily true. It's just that according to your words, the situation is indeed favorable to the fourth daughter of the weaver writer. But, although I don't know how smart she is, if her relationship with the incident is really as you said , she will be arrested in a short time. The perpetrator will be arrested. Takao Sugiura has confessed, right?" "He pleaded guilty. As soon as he took off the kimono, he was very docile as if he had changed into a different person. He honestly confessed that he killed Kozo Honda, Kozo Ryo, and Sayoko Watanabe, and attacked Haitang Zhuo..." Masuda recalled. After the monster gave up resisting, he collapsed and became powerless. Although not tied, he obeyed meekly and was led by Shibata to the meeting room. After wiping off the darkness with a towel, there was a dirty and ordinary face of a man in his thirties. Before the police arrived and no one pressed him for questioning, Sugiura began to talk about his crimes. "I'm a useless person, I'm not qualified to be a person." "I am the black sheep of society, a criminal, an executioner." "Please sentence me to death..." Then he pointed to Mei Jiang who was seated at the same table, knelt down and begged, "This woman has nothing to do with me, we have already severed ties, please let her go." However, at that time, no one had the authority to agree to his request. "Does he admit his relationship with Kawano Yuyei?" "This is also admitted. Regardless of whether it has anything to do with Zhisuobi or not, there is indeed a prostitution organization in the college. This is a considerable blow to the school. The principal almost fainted, but..." "Just what?" "He refused to name the students." "Didn't he confess that he participated in prostitution?" "Well, he admitted that he was in charge of mediating sex sales, but he didn't name anyone. He said that even if he was killed, he couldn't tell. Sugiura inherited Kawano's position and continued to pimp, so he should also know the customer's name and other information. But he also refused to say this part..." The school still uses Sugiura's refusal to tell the truth as a shield, advocating that his confession about prostitution is all fiction.I really don't want to die until the Yellow River.Masuda felt that no matter whether the matter was public or not, they should give up quickly and admit it early. So... the suspicion of Zhisuobi is still ambiguous. "If this continues, the matter may end with Takao Sugiura committing the crime alone. No, this possibility is relatively high. I don't think there will be a next stage as Mr. Chuzenji said. Takao Sugiura was arrested , is likely to end there.” "I don't think so..." Chuzenji looked at the sky and thought for a while, then turned his gaze to Masuda, and said slowly: "...the police in Japan are very good. Even if Sugiura doesn't tell the truth, they can find evidence of the situation. If that girl is involved in the crime, it will be He will definitely be on the search line. If that’s the case, I hope the police will work harder.” Then his gaze fell to the typeface at hand. Masuda said as if trying to draw his gaze back, "Impossible." Chuzenji said displeasedly: "You were still a police officer until last month, right? You can't underestimate the police organization." "No, I'm not saying that the police are incompetent. It's just that for some reason, things can't go so smoothly now... Now, the police's operations are almost completely stopped." "What do you mean?" Chuzenji stared at Masuda, who shrank back in fright.For those who are not used to it, Chuzenji's expression is very scary. "...The academy refused to hand over Sugiura, saying that it could not hand him over until it was confirmed that there was indeed a prostitution incident." "How can there be such a stupid thing? This is a murder case." "The college is also desperate. If you fully believe Sugiura's confession, it is tantamount to admitting the fact that the students are prostitutes. The college is unwilling to admit this no matter what..." The school insists that if there is evidence such as fingerprints, Sugiura will be handed over to the police immediately, but since Sugiura's motivation is based on the students selling sex, they cannot be handed over easily. Sugiura's attack on Haitang happened in full view, so the suspicion of harming Haitang and attempted murder cannot be avoided. But regarding the other cases—the three homicide cases, only Enoki Tsu said that Sugiura was the murderer, and there was no physical evidence, only a confession.No matter what testimony Sugiura has, it cannot be concluded at this stage that Sugiura is the murderer of Honda and Ryo.The same is true for Sayoko's murder. Enokizu just saw Sugiura hiding next to Sayoko's body, but didn't see him strangle Sayoko to death on the spot. To put it bluntly, in the case of Sayoko's murder, Enokizu was also an out-and-out suspect.The college claims so. Even so, it is unreasonable to refuse to hand over the suspect. Of course, the police from the Chiba Headquarters, who came to the site much later for inspection, were furious and protested.But it doesn't matter what they say.Don't harbor any prejudices, search first and talk later, if something is found, we will cooperate with it at that time - the principal keeps repeating like a parrot. "The parents of the students are not young, and they also have political considerations. The school is now discussing the aftermath countermeasures and plans to let the students go home for the time being." Shibata Yuji seems to feel very embarrassed, but those who stick to the academic school are stubborn, and the old foxes of the Shibata Zaibatsu seem to be cunningly playing behind the scenes, Shibata has no choice but to take this position. Now the chaebol's lawyer team must be stationed in the academy on a large scale, and they must be arguing with the Chiba police. Masuoka is very busy, so it is very likely that he will be resolutely dismissed, but the famous Shibata Zaibatsu seems to have more than 30 royal lawyers alone, and the loss of one Masuoka will not affect it. "...So if, as Mr. Chuzenji said, after Sugiura is arrested, the next murderer will be exposed, then the current situation will not be so smooth. No, even if the police intervene smoothly in the future, it will still be very difficult. The next murderer will be very difficult. Entangled." "You mean Weaving Bi?" "Yes. Although Mr. Shibata Yuji stands at the top of a group of greedy and ugly waste, he is quite a fair and reasonable person. However, he also thinks that Bi has nothing to do with the incident, and that girl has an unfathomable magic. The principal and Every other adult believes in her deeply." "It's really troublesome. People who should be knowledgeable people have such an attitude. It's a problem to fall into this situation." Chuzenji said complainingly, putting his hands in his arms. "Mr. Chuzenji, you haven't met her before, so you can say that, and..." "And what?" "Dark magic...is not something the police can handle." "dark magic?" "Yes, that's black magic." "It's impossible for middle school students to use black magic." "Of course I don't think there is any mysterious and incredible force at work, but if this continues, the matter will not be resolved at all. Bi is as stable as Mount Tai. I don't know where her self-confidence comes from, but that weird situation, If I want to describe it, I really want to call it black magic, and a small character like me is helpless. So... Mr. Chuzenji, please go to the academy. If Mr. Enokizu quits, the only hope is Only Mr. Chuzenji is left." "You are really long-winded, so what if you said I went? The murderer was not handed over to the police, but he has been arrested, right? Are you asking me to persuade the police and the academy? I am not a mediator." "This..." Masuda hesitated. Chuzenji folded his arms and said, "Masuda, it's not that I don't understand your worries. It's just that I don't think Zhisuo Bi is as strong as you think. Um... yes..." Chuzenji paused for a moment, then said slowly: "...Since you have said so... I will listen to you. By the way, will you tell me the new facts mentioned in Sugiura's testimony? " "yes." As long as he is willing to listen, it will be a success - Masuda thought.So he pays attention to the wording and explains the content of Sugiura's confession in as much detail as possible. Sugiura said that Kawano Yuei had used the college's female students to make a lot of money from a year ago. They are all daughters of good families, and they are only thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls, and the selling price is frighteningly high—— Gongrong boasted to Sugiura.The most important thing is that the girls don't even ask for a dime, and all the prostitutes are left in Gongrong's hands, which makes Gongrong a lot of money. "No matter how you say it, it's the wrong person to buy it." Chuzenji said contemptuously, and Masuda also thought so. In any case, it is not ordinary people who buy it. "What does Sugiura say about that?" "He said he was very outraged when he heard it." "indignation?" "Yes, Sugiura Takao seems to have been saved by a female student once. I don't know, but he said that because of this, he has a special deep affection for girls. Ah, he doesn't seem to be sexually interested in girls, On the contrary, it gives people the feeling of worshiping girls. It is unforgivable for Sugiura to use those girls who should be admired to prostitute themselves." "worship?" "Yes, he kept repeating words like innocence and sublime. He also said that compared with girls, he was a dirty pig and an incompetent ant. Ms. Meijiang cried when she saw her husband's humble appearance .” Chuzenji let out an "oh", reacted like Enokizu, and asked, "Then what happened?" "But Sugiura didn't rebel against Yuiei." "Why? Isn't he almost unbearably angry?" "He's a dog." Chuzenji said "I don't understand". Only this matter, without explaining it, Chuzenji would not understand—Masuda thought. "I heard that Sugiura and Gongrong met in a club in Asakusa. That happened in September last year." "what club?" "It's a secret club where gossip people gather to talk about bad interests and weird eroticism. After Sugiura left home at the end of August, he lived a life of a homeless person for a few days, and then washed dishes and cleaned at that club and made money. Yui Rong I also had an affair with the boss there, and when I saw Sugiura, I asked him to go back." Chuzenji frowned: "What do you mean you're going back?" "It's literally like asking for a puppy. This woman, Yui Rong, seems to be a sadist. And Sugiura, as far as I can see, is a masochist. This is called congeniality. Yui Rong I saw through the true nature of Sugiura at a glance, and wanted to take him back as a pet. I always feel uncomfortable listening to him." "It's not a warm story." Chuzenji's expression became even more disgusted. "A sadist matches a masochist, it's a broken pot with a bad cover. So Sugiura's second life started in the bar 'Zhu', but this is only on the surface. Gong Rong's residence is no exception, there are many men In and out. She has five people at the same time just as a lover, so if someone stays at home all the time, it will be very troublesome. Yumi Ei seems to have planned to use Sugiura as a pimp from the beginning. Yui Ei does not know what he did to Sugiura, Maybe there is also the anesthetic Xiluoben, and it didn’t take long for Sugiura to be completely trained to be a dog.” "Yida, your description is really not good." "It's not a good thing. Sugiura is completely obedient to Yumi Rong. It's really bad that he encountered this kind of thing when he was mentally unstable. As a result, as soon as the training was over, Sugiura was dispatched in late September. Went to college." The place where the girls are located is a boarding college far from human habitation.Not to mention bringing them out, even free contact is very difficult.Every week, Sugiura pretends to be shopping, goes out to the town, contacts Yumisakae, gets instructions on who to take where in a few days and at what time, and then goes back to lure the girls to the lower world in the dark of night——I heard that this is how it is done of. "Before that—that is, before Sugiura entered the school, the girls went to sell sex once a month on the days that Yumisakae instructed. Mr. Chuzenji, I heard that the first-night girls actually asked for 60,000 yen. The second time Girls from now on will ask for half the price each time—30,000 yen. Sixty thousand yen, 50 yen worth of tempura soba can eat 1,200 bowls.” "Don't compare things like that." "Oh, I'm too frivolous. In short, Gong Rong is greedy for profit. She wants to increase the frequency of once a month to once a week. That's why she sent Sugiura over there. Putting her men next to the girl to monitor, almost Intimidating threats to make the girls obedient..." "I see." "But... accident, accident, I didn't expect Sugiura Takao to be on the girl's side. Gong Rong was bitten back by his dog. Because the attempt failed, Gong Rong was furious, and because of this matter, he had a fight with the girl." Friction. This fact is completely in line with what Wu Miyuki heard from the deceased Asada Yuko." "Are you talking about the curse?" Chuzenji said in extreme disgust. "Yes, there were some disputes, and the prostitute was cursed——that's what the girl Yuko said. And then, Kawano Yuyei, who was exploiting girls, was really cursed, and was killed in mid-October." "What about Sugiura?" "It's very simple, Sugiura betrayed. His master changed from a sadistic queen to a demon-worshiping girl, and became the dog of the girls. The girls cursed and killed Yumi who was in the way, and got Sugiura, a loyal dog, who can be free Feel free to sell sex out of your own volition as before—to borrow Xizi’s words, it’s a black mass.” Chuzenji crossed his arms, stared at the sky and said, "It's ridiculous." "Is it ridiculous?" "It's ridiculous. What about black mass, don't be kidding, there should be a limit to children's mischief." Chuzenji said dissatisfied. Then he stared at Masuda with fierce eyes: "Then what does Sugiura say about his murder?" "He said it was for atonement." "What redemption?" "that is……" Sugiura recalled that although the girl asked for it, he still felt that he was a scumbag who helped the girls prostitute themselves.And he knew that Sayoko was sexually abused despite her unwillingness, so he decided to try to rescue her. "Did he say he found out by chance?" "It must have been accidental, he heard the girls playing the curse game." "Is it...? But in this way, the fact that the murdered Sayoko Watanabe was raped by Kozo Honda is the truth?" "Yes, Kozo Honda seems to have really raped Sayoko Watanabe to... uh, raped. Sugiura said that he witnessed a suspicious scene once and was always concerned." "According to your report just now, Mr. Shibata Yuji said that the deceased Mr. Yamamoto also thinks there is something wrong with Honda Kozo?" When Masuda explained, Chuzenji seemed to be absent-minded and not listening at all, but in fact he listened to every word.Although somewhat different from Enokizu, Chuzenji is not an easy character to get along with. "That's what he said. Well, Honda doesn't just treat students like this, it seems to be very nonsensical towards female teachers. Mr. Yamamoto seems to think this is the problem. Since last summer, Honda's behavior seems to be very Something is wrong. Well, that aside. Sugiura said he was thinking about Sayoko, and at this moment..." "Sugiura overheard that Sayoko hated Honda so much that she wanted to kill him, right?" "It seems to be so. Well, from Wu's tone, it seems that Sayoko is just cursing and playing, but Sugiura doesn't seem to think so, because he witnessed it on the spot. Not long after, Sugiura found that she—Watanabe Sayoko wanted to get close Spider's servant--his own master, he was deeply troubled. He said he didn't think Sayoko could be a prostitute." "So he took advantage of the fact that Watanabe Sayoko's relationship with the Devil Worshiper was not that deep, and realized Sayoko Watanabe's wish as soon as possible, killing Mr. Honda, right?" "Yes. He said to Honda that he wanted to talk about Sayoko Watanabe, called him to the roof, and strangled him. He painted his face black as if to prevent being seen, and as for the strange appearance, The intention is unknown..." Still don't understand why he's wearing a woman's kimono. "In short, Sugiura killed Honda, but he was one step too late. Or, it was the worst timing..." Through Xizi, Xiao Yezi was eroded by the spider's poison and completely lost her composure. As soon as she saw Honda's body, she committed suicide by jumping off the building.Sugiura confessed that he caught Sayoko on the ground, and that he still had the injuries caused at that time, and Masuda also saw it. Chuzenji had an unconvinced expression on his face. "Then what about Asada Yuko's death?" "He didn't say anything, he just said that Asada Xizi fell." "I always feel...it's a coincidence. His testimony—or recollection, should be almost all facts. Although it is a fact...yes, there is still a thread in it." "There's another line? Well, anyway, Sugiura seemed to say to Sayoko at that time: 'You can't die, don't say anything, I did it all by myself.'" "This should be true. Sugiura, who eavesdropped, committed suicide without permission, not instigated by Sayoko." "It was at first, but Sayoko found out. She found out who it was who had painted his face black and was wearing a school uniform—although it was covered with a strange kimono." After Yasuke began to threaten Sayoko, she secretly went to find the Black Madonna, Sugiura, who saved her.Although Sayoko didn't say anything, she should be persuasively begging Sugiura to kill him. "Sugiura said that he was entrusted by Sayoko, so he killed the new intimidator, Orisaka, for... Sayoko." "For Sayoko." At that time, it became clear why Liang was in urgent need of money. Shi Liang appears to have embezzled the school's operating funds, which is exposed and he is held accountable.After Shibata came to deal with Honda's murder incident, Shiliang's misappropriation of public funds was immediately exposed.To make matters worse, Yunosuke died suddenly.Although Yunosuke has given up on Shi Ryo long ago, he is still Shi Ryo's only backer, but now he is dying, and Shi Ryo seems to have become self-defeating because of this. "On the morning of Mr. Yuunosuke's funeral, it was Ryo who was violent with Mr. Wu and Sayoko Watanabe. Sugiura came across this scene..." So Sugiura lay in ambush at the door and followed Shiliang back home. He was wearing that kimono—though he didn't know why, but Sugiura said he needed it anyway.Because it was too eye-catching, Sugiura put on another coir raincoat that he wore when working in the fields, and followed Shi Ryo to leave the school gate. It was Ryo who sneaked out of the funeral to come to school, so he couldn't drive a car, so he came on foot, so Sugiura planned to catch him in the forest and kill him.But Liang's footsteps were faster than expected, and Sugiura was not familiar with the geographical environment, so he lost his target on the way. That day, Shiliang seemed to come by train. Shixingjin Station is the nearest station to the college.The weaving writer's house is in Misaki Myojin, which is located in the middle of Kotsu Station and Ubara Station, a little closer to Uhara. Although it is considered over-the-top, it is relatively close from Uhara Station.If you want to go back to the weaving writer, it is faster to take the tram.But at that time, it seemed that Ryo had gone to Katsuura, which was further away. Sugiura said that instead of going to Xingtsu Station, he went directly to Cape Myojin. When he arrived at the weaver, he happened to meet the coffin buried in the ground. It is said that weavers have cemeteries on their own land. There were so many people that Sugiura got scared and ran away. Sugiura originally had social phobia. Sugiura had no choice but to visit the temple.The funeral staff here are cleaning up the whale screen, but there is still no sign of Shiliang.As a last resort, Sugiura stayed in the temple for one night, and went to the weaver before dawn the next day, sneaking into the courtyard when the maids and servants were not paying attention. At noon, Liang returned home from Katsuura. Then, Sugiura killed Ryo. In this way, almost all of Miyuki's reasoning was proved. Except for one thing—the suspicion of Weaving Bi. Chuzenji pondered. Has he finally pulled himself together? "Sugiura killed two people for Sayoko...and then killed Sayoko?" "It's just that I don't understand." As soon as this matter was mentioned, Sugiura burst into tears and couldn't get in at all.Regarding Haitang, Sugiura seems to want to kill it for the same reason as Ryo, but it's weird when you think about it.If the reason is the same as that of Ryo, it means that she was entrusted by Sayoko—to kill for Sayoko. It's for Sayoko... But Sugiura personally killed Sayoko first... And then for Sayoko... "This is a difficult problem. There are several possible conjectures. For example, Gomi Yuki's testimony is all a lie." "Masuda, I can guess what you want to say. You mean, the positions of Miyuki Gore and Sayoko Watanabe can be changed, right? Miyuki is actually manipulating Sugiura." "Yes, it is Wu Miyuki who was violated by Honda and resented Honda...but this is impossible." "why?" "That girl is not that kind of person." "Oh? What basis do you have? Impressions? It's better not to judge people by their appearances. In fact, you know women like the back of your hand?" "Based? Mr. Enokizu said. He said that girl is not like that..." Chuzenji said, "So that's the case," and continued, "I think the role assigned to this girl, Wu, is the same as that assigned to you and me, so there shouldn't be such a thing." "No matter what, Sugiura has absolutely no reason to kill Sayoko. Sugiura is not a devil worshiper, but a girl worshiper. And his motive for killing is for Sayoko's sake." "But he actually killed Sayoko, so there must be a reason." "That's right..." After stroking his chin for a while, Chuzenji said, "From your words, it's just as you imagined. The next murderer will be Orisakubi..." Then he concluded: "...There is no need for me to appear, and Bea will be arrested sooner or later." "Huh? Really?" Masuda didn't think so at all.If she just ignores it like this, Bi won't be able to show her feet easily. 尽管如此，中禅寺却冷静地说：“是啊。益田，杉浦的供词破绽百出嘛，根本用不着直接去听。” “哦……不过那也不是警方的侦讯，全都是杉浦的独白。” “所以才有问题。如果是被警方讯问，遇到不利的问题而保持沉默，那还可以理解，但是自发性地说上一大串，却出现那么多矛盾，是怎么回事？” 被中禅寺这么一问，益田也无话可答。 “感觉不像全是假的，他应该有什么不能说的理由吧。”中禅寺说着，托着腮帮子沉默了。 “你说的矛盾，是怎样的矛盾？” “很多啊。例如说……杉浦潜进织作家的庭院后，又怎么侵入屋内？” “门没上锁吧？” “碰巧没锁吗？今川说过，织作邸内部非常广阔，复杂得像迷宫一样，连去隔壁房间都需要上下楼梯。杉浦在这栋如同迷宫般的宅子内，竟然能够直接抵达不晓得人在哪里的是亮的所在处，而不被任何人发现，他到底是怎么办到的？” "This……" 益田本来想说是“是碰巧的”，但他住口了。 只有这一次，碰巧似乎不是碰巧。So…… ——会不会是碧带他去的？ 益田就要开口之前，中禅寺接着说：“还有，问题是……杉浦为什么要在那一天杀掉本田幸三？” “那一天？” “你刚才不也说了吗？杉浦杀害本田的时机是最糟糕不过的，对吧？如果杉浦不希望小夜子与蜘蛛的仆人接触，赶快把本田杀掉不就得了？等到隐身不见的麻田夕子被拖到吴同学和小夜子面前，说出恶魔崇拜者的真相之后再动手，不就太迟了吗？可是杉浦却一直拖延到最后一刻还不行动。很奇怪吧？” “是……很奇怪呢。” “很奇怪啊。这与其说是拖拖拉拉而慢了一步，更像是在等待时机吧。有种事先说好的感觉。” “和谁说好？” “那天晚上，就会知道第三个诅咒是否会成真吧？” “是啊，但是……” “杉浦是恶魔崇拜者的手下吧？他当然知道她们某些程度的动向吧？像是她们什么时候诅咒了谁……对吧？” "This... it should be." “杉浦是在前天下午偷听的，而小夜子她们积极地行动，想要与恶魔崇拜者接触。如果杉浦真的害怕两方接触，应该会立刻想别的办法，或是当天就完成行动。” “不，杉浦他……正因为他知道蜘蛛仆人的动向，所以才觉得已经来不及了不是吗？再怎么说这都是杀人，就算是杉浦，也不得犹豫再三，就在他踌躇不决时，小夜子她们突然与蜘蛛的仆人接触了。杉浦认为再这样下去，不出多久，小夜子就会被拉进蜘蛛的仆人当中，所以下定决心动手杀人……” “原来如此，这样倒也说得通。可是……麻田夕子会在那天被拖出来，应该不是偶然。我认为就是因为拿到了报纸，蜘蛛的仆人才会让夕子和小夜子她们会面。而弄到报纸的人，当然就是杉浦。” “是……啊。”益田暧昧地应声，实际上他并不了解这有什么意义。 “说起来，恶魔崇拜少女怎么没会知道小夜子她们在调查自己的事？” “那是因为一年级的——叫坂本吗？那个女孩……” “遭到拷问而招出来的吗？那么那个叫坂本的女孩的事，又怎么会被恶魔崇拜少女知道？” "This……" “不可能是那个叫坂本的女孩主动告的密吧。没有人明知道会吃苦头还去做那种事，她目击仪式的朋友立场也相同吧。” “那么……其实坂本原本就是蜘蛛仆人的同志，这样如何？” “怎么可能？同志会在不晓得有谁在偷听的图书室里讲述自己的事吗？” “这……假设说，那些传闻原本就是要陷害小夜子的陷阱，怎么样呢？” "impossible." 当场驳回。 “小夜子她们主动接触，所以才被当成问题。如果蜘蛛的仆人不晓得小夜子等人的事，应该就不会加以理会，而且在初期阶段绝对无法预测到她们会主动接触，如果这是个陷阱，就是自掘坟墓的陷阱了。故意宣传自己的事，然后再对听到的人施加制裁吗？这有什么意义？” “对呀……” 那是个会施法诅咒的恶魔集团，就算会看穿一切也不足为奇——好像连益田都这么认定了，他被氛围给迷惑了。 这只不过是个幼稚的先入为主观罢了。 如果冷静地来看——蜘蛛的仆人在短短一天之内就发现了吴美由纪和渡边小夜子在打听组织的事。 就像中禅寺说的，一定有情报来源。 “那么，她们是怎么知道的？” “很简单，有人听到了。” “除了杉浦以外……还有其他人在窃听吗？” “不，就是杉浦。” "what……" “如果杉浦的证词是真的，那么他确实听见了小夜子的诅咒，如果他真的不愿意小夜子与恶魔崇拜者接触，当然会保持沉默，但是如果他真的保持沉默，情报应该就不会那么快泄露出去，不是吗？而且以你的说法形容，他不是一条狗吗？是狗的话，一定会……摇着尾巴抢先向主人报告。” “杉浦把小夜子她们的事……告密出去了？” 那么一来，光是这样，事件的样貌就完全不同了。 中禅寺没有停顿太久，接着说：“还有……小夜子为什么会去屋顶？” 他问了意外的问题。 “这……是为了自杀吧？” “是吗？”中禅寺说，若有所思地抚摸下巴。连这种事都要怀疑吗？ “她陷入错乱应该是事实，那种情况，人大多都会叫着去死，可是如果是真心想死，是不会说出来的。因为说要去死的人，通常都是希望有人阻止的。” “可是她真的跳楼了。” “是啊。但是那应该是她看到本田的尸体，冲动之下才会跳楼吧。” "what……" 因为益田知道小夜子跳楼的事实，所以完全没有把这件事放在心上，但是如果小夜子的自杀未遂是突发性的行为，状况就不同了。那么依赖，小夜子是在跑上屋顶以后，才选择了死亡的。 “是啊，中禅寺先生说的没错。如果她打一开始就想寻死，那就没有什么不自然的，但是如果撇开跳楼这件事，小夜子没有任何人引导，就被本田的尸体给吸引过去似的跑上屋顶，的确是有些不寻常。” 中禅寺换另一只手托腮：“益田，你的意思是……如果想要自杀的话，那里是最适合的场所吗？” exactly. 校园里有许多高楼建筑物，但是如果想要跳楼，除了校舍以外，别无选择。宿舍总是有人，也没有适合跳楼的地方。礼拜堂和圣堂无法爬到屋顶上，有楼顶的建筑物就只有校舍。而且听说通往楼顶的门并未上锁。 益田这么说明。 “这样啊。正因为如此，本田才会在校舍的屋顶被杀。”中禅寺说，“其实不管是后庭还是校庭都可以吧。不，既然要把人叫出来，叫到森林里更方便。因为马上就可以埋起来了，而杉浦却特意在屋顶杀害本田。他是为了让人看到，才选择了那个地点，选择那里的理由，是因为那里是适合跳楼的地点……吧。” “请等一下，中禅寺先生刚才不是才说小夜子的自杀式突发性的吗？连小夜子会不会陷入错乱，冲出房间，都没有人知道了，又有谁能够预测到她会跳楼自杀？那么谁又会想到她会到屋顶……” “不是，那是为了杀害夕子的陷阱。” "what……" 想都没想到。就算夕子真的是被杀的——益田认为她是被杀的，但他一直认为这宗命案是突发性的。 中禅寺说：“我想，这件事件原本并不是杉浦为了小夜子杀害本田，然后夕子也突发性地在同一个现场遭到杀害，而是蜘蛛的仆人设下陷阱，想要杀害夕子来笼络小夜子等人，却因为小夜子突发性的自杀而失败。原本预定要伪装成自杀的只有夕子一个人——应该是这样的。” “可是……如果想要杀害夕子，她们随时都可以轻易办到不是吗？” 蜘蛛的仆人已经咒杀了好几个人。 中禅寺皱起眉头，表情苦涩地说：“益田，事情没那么简单。小夜子她们知道麻田夕子是恶魔崇拜少女的叛徒吧？要是随便杀掉夕子，被小夜子她们四处招摇生事就糟了。得先堵住她们的嘴巴才行。” “可是……小夜子和吴同学也一样，只要想有收拾，就可以轻易地收拾掉啊。杀一个和杀三个都一样……” “不一样。杀害麻田夕子，然后为了封口，在封闭的学院里再杀掉两名成员，这再怎么说都太糟糕了。她们没有笨到那种地步。要是尸体这样接二连三地出现，会引起轩然大波的。” 如果连续三个人死亡，想要伪装成自杀的确很困难。 “益田，你觉得这种时候，最有效的手段是什么？” “……拉拢对方加入同伴吗？” “是啊。吴这个女孩似乎相当有骨气，蜘蛛的仆人可能认为只是威胁她，她也不会闭嘴。” "so what?" “所以蜘蛛的仆人不直接对她们施加制裁，而是先让她们和麻田夕子见面。从已经接受过制裁的人那里直接听到体验，比随便暴力相向更恐怖。事实上效果也的确非凡，小夜子都吓得六神无主而错乱了。” “然后……再以某种形式让她们看到本田的尸体。诅咒本田去死的人是小夜子，所以小夜子会感到罪恶——会认定本田形同是自己杀的？”“是啊。这个时候再杀掉叛徒夕子，表示要是泄露秘密，下场就是这样……轮效果，的确是非常有效。” 中禅寺说到此，又说“可是哪里不对劲”，之后陷入沉思。 益田思忖。 被隐藏的众多事实依然指向织作碧。那么杉浦并不是为了小夜子而玷污双手，而是为了蜘蛛的仆人——碧在行动。 如果这么想，无法理解的小夜子命案也符合道理了。 活下来的小夜子终究没有屈服于蜘蛛的仆人。 不仅如此，她还得知了某些秘密，不但没有成为同志，甚至想要造反。 只有杀了她。 另一方面，小夜子等于是把敌人的心腹当成自己唯一的手下挑战这场战争。会失败也是理所当然的。 “那么杉浦他……其实一点都没有变得温顺……是吗？” “是啊。”中禅寺自言自语似的接着说，“我想杉浦隆夫在心情上几乎没有说谎吧，但是他还是主动隐瞒了某些事实。这么说来，被他袭击的海棠这个人怎么样？” “那个人实在糟糕……” 海棠这么供述：他想去找渡边小夜子，但小夜子不在房间，于是他在学院里到处寻找，结果一名女学生过来，说是小夜子托她转交的，把一张纸交给海棠。纸上写着小夜子在礼拜堂后面等他…… “所以他就呆呆地去了？” “是的，他呆呆地过去一看，结果突然被怪物给掐住脖子……” 柴田质问海棠为什么甚至在会议中离席，也要去见渡边同学，但海棠含糊其辞，只是傻笑打马虎眼。感觉无可救药。 “拿那张纸过来的女学生是……” “海棠不是学院的人，所以不知道学生的名字。他说如果看到，可以认得出来，可是总觉得太凑巧了，那是蜘蛛的仆人的同志吗？” 中禅寺装傻说了声“不晓得”，然后明白似的点了点头说：“原来如此，也就是破绽百出，总而言之，这是小孩子画的图哪。” "What's the meaning?" “益田，蜘蛛的仆人不足为惧。” "yes?" “你仔细想想。她们的计划一个接一个失败了不是吗？说穿了只不过是基于幼稚的思想做出来的粗糙计划啊。现况会如此混乱，是因为对手画的图太糟糕才引发的混乱。所以用不着那么担心。警方不用多久就会查到织作碧，碧会因为杀害麻田夕子的嫌疑遭到逮捕，卖春组织也会被揭发吧……”中禅寺断言道，“……所以没有我出面的必要。” “可是中禅寺先生，就连刚才说的那些只要稍微冷静想想，任谁都明白的事，却连警方在内，没有任何一名当事者发现啊。” “确实就像你说的，警方和学院似乎都被那个女孩玩弄在股掌之中。由我这样的第三者出面了结或许比较快，可是，益田……” 中禅寺探出身体。“……就算我出面做了什么好了。你觉得结果会怎么样？”声音压低了。 益田也探出身体。“这……继杉浦之后，下一个凶手——织作碧会被告发……不是吗？” 店主把声音压得更低了，益田将身体探得更出去。“是啊，只是织作碧被告发的时期提早了一些罢了。换言之……” “换言之？” “你是在叫我……扮演你发现杉浦隆夫时扮演的角色吗？” "what?" “我才不要为真凶效力。”中禅寺说道，拉回了身子。 ——你也是棋子啊。 ——原来是这么回事。 意思是说，碧和杉浦都是一样的吗？那么无论提早或延迟，那都不是终点，只是个中继点罢了。尽快通过那里，也只是加快计划整体进行罢了。 在这个计划里，无论关系人选择了哪一个选项，都只有快慢之分，而不会对结果造成任何影响…… 益田思考着。 这种计划真的有可能吗？ 假设杉浦没有被捕。 就算在那种状况下无法逃亡，但是如果榎木津没有撞见杉浦掐住海棠，想要逮住杉浦，或许不是件易事。杀人所需的时间不多，如果榎木津不在，益田等人赶到现场之前，海棠肯定已经死了。 那么……如果不管怎么发展，对结果都没有影响的话，海棠这个人不管是死还是活都无所谓。 海棠会死，杉浦会逃亡。 那么将会如何呢？ 下一个会有危险的…… ——八成是吴美由纪……吗？ 但是这个时候杉浦已经遭到怀疑了。 无论有没有在现场逮住他，迟早还是会捉到他，就算他销声匿迹，也只会徒增嫌疑。再加上小夜子、海棠连续遇害，校内应该会有大批警力进驻，搜查也会更加严密吧。不管怎么样，校内都会变成不适合杀人的环境。 --So…… 不管杉浦有没有落网，美由纪都不会有危险吗？ 如果美由纪获救，聪明的她依然会发现真相，和现在一样，高声质疑碧吧。 即使杉浦一直没有遭到逮捕，碧的立场的确也和现在差不了多少，难以说是高枕无忧。 就算自以为计划得很巧妙，但本田、夕子、是亮、小夜子接连遭到杀害，这要说是粗糙也的确粗糙，结果碧被逼到了绝境。 ——如果没有任何人被杀的话，会怎么样？ 卖春的事很有可能已经曝光了。 碧还是会遭到怀疑。不管怎么发展，织作碧迟早都会成为俎上肉。 而现状对她来说，绝非好的状况。感觉更像是危如累卵、如临深渊。 乍看之下她似乎非常机灵地处理，但这样一想，她的行动简直就像在自掘坟墓。 只是，即使如此，碧依然处之泰然。 如果中禅寺出马，她那种处在生死关头的安泰一定也会急速动摇。but…… 如果事情真的就像中禅寺说的，那么这也只是如了真凶的意。所以中禅寺才会推测就算不予理会也不会有任何差别。 ——结果只是让发展提早罢了。 ——没有我出面的必要。 ——结果应该是相同的。 一切都如同中禅寺一开始所断言的，这是在绕圈子。他在听到详情之前，在非常早的阶段就已经识破事件的构造了吧。 “请问……真凶的最终目的到底是什么？” “我最初也说过了吧，我不知道。要是知道的话，还有法子可以想。” 这也是——中禅寺一开始就说过的话。 可是这样子根本就无计可施。 “例如说，真凶会不会是企图想要摧毁圣伯纳德学院？” 如果搜查就这样继续进行下去，碧真的被逮捕的话，那所学院的信用将会扫地。如此一来，经营肯定会出问题，甚至不难想象它会被迫废校。 “不是的。”中禅寺说，“如果目的只是这样，根本不需要这么复杂的发展。那种私立学校靠的是校誉，只要散播一两个负面流言就成了，根本没必要杀人。” “那么……是仇视织作家的人的复仇吗？” “这也不太可能。操纵幺女让她做些怪事，有这种复仇吗？的确，入赘女婿被杀，而且女儿也跟命案有关，织作家被逼入了进退维谷的状况，不过……”中禅寺露出严肃的表情说，“现阶段果然还是无法下判断，也无法出手哪……” ——登场人物没办法指挥作者。 榎木津也这么说，这次中禅寺和榎木津说的话都一样。 益田说出自己的想法，中禅寺便说：“别看他那样，他好歹也是个侦探。如果和他的意见相左，就代表错了。” “那么中禅寺先生的意思是，现阶段无法阻止真凶的计划成功吗？” “现阶段……几乎不可能吧，因为根本就不知道要阻止什么才好。” “例如说，协助织作碧让她不会被逮捕如何？” “你说要帮助她吗？不行的，犯罪总是会被揭露的。临阵磨枪地维护即将瓦解的犯罪，也只是让崩坏更加提早罢了。而且我觉得真凶早已将这一点也计算在内了。规模变大的话，也只是增加那个女孩的罪状而已。没有意义的。” “那、那……我知道了，我们做出意想不到的破天荒行动怎么样？像是荒唐地加以干涉，或是鲁莽地行动。” “全世界最荒唐的侦探和全日本最鲁莽的警官都没能发挥任何遏止的作用了。连意料之外的行动都已经计算在里面了，就算胡搞一通也是没用的。” "what……" ——不行啊。 的确，要做出完全无法预测的行动，或许意外地困难。平凡的益田连榎木津的半点行动都无法预测到，根本不可能想出什么破天荒的点子来，就算绞尽脑汁想到了，也早就全都被人猜透了吧。 “就连那个乱七八糟的榎木津都无法置身事外，被牵扯进来了。这个事件是没有外侧的。” “没有外侧？” “如果想要待在外侧，只有完全不扯上关系——不，只得连事件本身都不知道。这一点不管是任何事件，或多或少都是一样的，但是在这次的事件里，显得更为明确。” “与事件相关的人绝对无法阻止真凶——蜘蛛的企图吗？” “没错。织作碧这