Chapter 7 6. The only possibility

Chamber murder.How easy it would be to use a "how is that possible" joke. The impossible happened.In the completely enclosed space, the prisoner killed people and then disappeared from it. "What should I do now..." The confused Hakamada watched the expression of his boss. ——Xiantang is meditating. His eyes haven't lost his fighting spirit yet, instead they are shining brightly as if he has grasped something. "...if this backstage is a secret room," He murmured in a voice only Hakamada could hear, "I can only think of one possibility." "Huh?" The only one?That is, can this case be resolved?

"Xiantang, what did you think of?" "Probably." When he said "probably", he was basically confident. "Really? But the scene is a secret room..." "It's because it's a secret room. Hakamada, you're really ugly. Calm down and read the record again." Xiantang rarely used such a roundabout statement, and then continued to give instructions to Bai Hu. "Shirato, continue to take the statement. Please call the two people who entered the gymnasium after hearing the screams." The last two witnesses to arrive are a contrasting duo.

One of them was wearing metal-rimmed glasses, and his school uniform was well-tied. He could be seen as a top student at a glance.But he's not just the book-picking type, his wavy hairstyle is very trendy and looks very popular with girls.Although short, but full of confidence. The other girl was obviously a ruffian, and the thorny look in her eyes was no different from that of Xiantang.The chest of the blouse was wide open, and the ribbons prescribed by the school were tied on the chest indiscriminately.Her long blonde hair was permed into a wavy shape, and she was dressed like a hot girl, but she didn't seem to care about makeup. If you want to know what happened, she seemed more like the female leader of a gangster group. Hakamata thought about these outdated things in her heart.

"I'm Akihiro Masaki from class D of the second grade, and I'm the president of the student council of this school." "Second-year class D, Seinomiya....Huh? The name after that? Rieko." The terms of speech are also completely opposite, but the two also have similarities. "The two of you are classmates." "Ok." "The relationship is not good." Rieko Sagumiya said disdainfully, Masaki showed a wry smile, it was a mature smile as if he could only shrug his shoulders in the face of a child's naughtiness. "I heard that you two heard the screams in the gymnasium and snooped inside. Where were you and what were you doing?"

"Yeah. I'm in the student union warehouse, making papers for meetings." Before deciding on the order of the testimony of the two, Masaki gave a quick answer. "The student union warehouse is on the side of the corridor. From the window, you can clearly see the situation of the old gymnasium. It's 3:15 today... no, it's probably 16. A girl's voice was heard amidst the noise of rain." Screaming, so I went to the gym to find out." "Hmmm... what time have you been in the warehouse since?" "It was around 2:50, and I stayed in the house all the time."

Speaking of class D of the second grade, Nao Sagawa, the head of the table tennis club, is also in this class. Class D is dismissed early today.Press the button first. --wait. Nao Sagawa? Her name flashed in Hakamata's head, and he suddenly understood the meaning of Xiantang's words just now. Nao Sagawa, the secret room. — the only possibility. "Are you alone in the warehouse?" "Well. . . so I don't have an alibi?" "No, we didn't suspect you." Xiantang ignored Hakamada's discovery and continued to make a statement. "Let me just say that at about ten past three, I called a member of the student union. It was the vice president named Yahashi, who was in business contact. I said that I was writing documents in the warehouse. , will be brought to the student council room after completion."

"Yeah. That's how it is. I see....Next is the Needle Palace." "Let's see...I got out of class at 2:50, and I've been waiting for my friends in front of the toilets in the gym. Hearing the screaming, I looked in, and that's it." Rieko gave her testimony gloomily. "What time did you stand there?" "Eh? Even if you ask me the exact time... I can only say it's before three o'clock..." "I think it was two fifty-seven. I looked outside when I entered the warehouse, but I didn't see her. I looked outside again at three o'clock sharp, and she was standing there."

Masaki interrupted from the side.It seems that as the president of the student council, he likes to stand out. "Is that so, fifty-seven minutes. At three o'clock, Sagawa-san and Masumura-sensei from your class walked into the gymnasium together, did you see that?" "Ah, yes, yes. I remember. How early they came." "And then, about three minutes later, Asashima also came?" "I saw him too. It was indeed three minutes after Sagawa and the others entered." "Are you sure that person is Asashima?" "...Well. Sure." Rieko frowned instantly, her already terrifying face became even more ferocious.

Hakamada felt a little strange.On the one hand, it was the reason for her frowning, and on the other hand, this girl who had nothing to do with the broadcasting department seemed to be very familiar with Asashima, who was in a different grade, and even asserted that that person was "definitely Asashima". "But then I started playing with my mobile phone, and I don't know what happened next." "...In other words, Masukura-sensei came out of the gymnasium, and the first-year members of the women's table tennis club entered the gymnasium, and you didn't see it?"

"Well, have you seen it... I don't remember." "At 3:8, a girl in school uniform entered the gymnasium, did you see it?" Rieko shook her golden hair left and right with an impatient expression. "I am not sure as well." "...Is that so." There was a sharp look in Xiantang's eyes. "Later. Members of the drama department came to the gymnasium at around 3:15, isn't it wrong?" "Ah, here it comes, here it comes. They entered through the side door, pushing a two-wheeled cart. Immediately after that, there were screams."

"Well, that's it. When the drama department came, did you hear a sound like a taiko drum?" "...not sure." "What did you do when you heard the screaming?" "So I didn't say that, I went into the gymnasium. I wanted to go through the door that the drama department entered, but they seemed to lock the door, so I had no choice but to go in through the outer corridor. Then I was stopped by the teacher." "Are you at the same time as Masaki?" "No, because the Needle Palace is closer. When I entered, she had already been called to the front of the stage." Masaki immediately answered. "Then Masaki was the last one to enter the gymnasium. ... Did you see anyone come out of the gymnasium?" "No, I didn't see anyone coming out." He answered immediately again. "...I see. Thank you for your cooperation, you can go back." The final inquiry is over.Masaki bowed his head and saluted, "Then I'll take my leave." Rieko Sarumiya turned her shoulders, and both of them stood up. Hakamada suddenly remembered what his sister said just now, "Why she stood in the rain is a bit unbelievable." "Needle Palace, why are you waiting for your friends in that kind of place? Normally, you would choose the meeting place in front of the foyer, right?" Hakamada spoke to her walking away.Rieko turned around and answered concisely. "...There is no reason, this is my freedom." Very much like the answer of a child in the rebellious period. A few minutes later, Sendo and Hakamada were smoking a cigarette in the middle of the corridor.The teaching buildings including the gymnasium are completely non-smoking, so they can only come outside. Just now, they stayed so much in the confined space where the murder happened. I feel better. However, the topic of the two people's discussion is of course the incident. "You have also confirmed that the scene is a secret room." Based on the records that Hakamada desperately wrote down, Xiantang ratified the facts one by one. "However, there is no lock on the main stage, it is only blocked by human eyes. That is to say, if there is a moment when there are few watching eyes, it is possible to enter and exit the secret room. And, this moment does exist." "When Masumura came back to the office and there was only Nao Sagawa in the gym... right?" Yes.During the five minutes from 3:50 to 3:10, there were only Asashima and Nao Sagawa in the gymnasium. "The backstage is a physically locked secret room. In other time periods, there are often multiple pairs of eyes watching the stage, so this is the only time when Asashima was killed. Sagawa Nao claimed that there was also a mysterious girl who entered the backstage , but the Needle Palace didn’t see it.” "There is more direct evidence. When the drama department entered the backstage, and when the Tsuchiya inspected and investigated the scene, there was no one in the backstage. Moreover, the door locks were locked from the inside, so it is impossible to explain where the girl who entered left from." Well, the answer is simple. ——That girl didn’t exist in the first place. "On the whole, the culprit is Nao Sagawa..." "That's all I can think of." Xiantang's heart was heavy, and he exhaled white smoke from his nose. "Her motive is unknown. But after all, she is at a sentimental age, and there must be some problem between men and women." "Speaking of which, she came to the gymnasium with luggage. It is difficult to hide the murder weapon in the practice uniform, but it is easy to hide it in the bag..." "Asagawa came to the gymnasium at 3:30, which coincides with Sagawa's usual time to come to the gymnasium. Today, by accident, get out of class ended early, so Sagawa came early. Maybe the two agreed to meet here." The more I think about Nao Sagawa, the more suspicious I become. "But why is the dragging of the corpse deliberately made the corpse easy to find?" "I'll have to ask her herself... Similarly, the reason why Asajima lowered the curtain is still a mystery. Maybe Sagawa instructed Asajima to do it." "What about the ribbon backstage, the umbrella in the men's room without fingerprints?" "Those have nothing to do with this incident. It's not surprising that the ribbons and umbrellas of the school uniform were dropped anywhere in the school." "makes sense……" Then Hakamada spent a little more time looking for evidence that could deny that Sagawa Nao was the culprit.But it was all in vain. After all, only she can break the secret room, as long as this point is analyzed, the conclusion will be easy to see. "Is the culprit Nao Sagawa?" Hakamada said something again. A lively girl with short hair, the head of the women's table tennis club. ——If Yuzuno found out, she would definitely be surprised. "please wait for a moment!" Yes, she would definitely yell like that. "Huh?" Hakamata came back to his senses, looked in the direction of the teaching building, and then was speechless. The one standing at the entrance of the outer corridor was none other than his own sister. "Hey, why are you here..." "How can Minister Sagawa be a prisoner! Minister is definitely not a prisoner!" Yukino ignored Hakamada who was getting confused, and approached quickly. Her eyes were burning violently. "Why is the minister a criminal! Please take back what you just said! It is absolutely impossible for Sagawa to kill someone!" "Wait, wait a minute, Hakamada, please calm down." The unexpected protesters made Xiantang confused, and hurriedly stopped her. "Shouldn't you be back in the classroom? Why are you here?" "...I said I was going to the toilet, and I came out." "Won't the searcher accompany you to the toilet door?" "It should be like this, but a crowd of onlookers suddenly made a fuss, so the investigators rushed over there to support. I wanted to come here to see how the investigation was going, and then I saw the two of you talking in the corridor..." It's really amazing to eavesdrop on the conversation of the criminal police. Hakamada was stunned.This little sister is always particularly mobile in odd places. "My business is fine! Why do you think Sagawa is the criminal!" Under the intense questioning of the girl, the two criminal policemen looked at each other.How to explain it to her. "...Yuno, since you overheard our conversation, you should already understand, right?" Hakamada, like a child making a fuss, explained to her kindly. "However, if it's a secret room, it might be suicide!" "Impossible. As you have seen, Asashima was stabbed with a knife and dragged to the stage after being killed." "Then Sagawa's testimony is true, there are people in the backstage! Didn't Sagawa say that he saw a girl go in?" "After listening to our conversation just now, you can understand this problem. There is no mysterious girl in the gymnasium. That is Sagawa lying." "How could Sagawa lie..." Tears welled up Yuzuno's face. Hakamada became embarrassed, thinking that what he said might be too cruel. ——But, that’s it, it’s the truth after all. "Sagawa...he came here with Masumura-sensei, right? Was it a coincidence that the teacher came back to the office? Originally, Sagawa should have no chance..." "You're getting so emotional, but you're asking a good question." Xiantang said. "But Hakamada, if you put it this way, it's just a coincidence that Sagawa and Masumura-sensei came to the gymnasium together? If the teacher stayed in the gymnasium, she would have given up on the plan. But in terms of the result, the teacher's return to the office gave her a chance .So she decided to kill..." "Sagawa won't kill!" Yukino interrupted Xiantang's words loudly. Then he turned around and ran away from the corridor while wiping tears.She probably wouldn't honestly go back to the classroom where the relevant personnel were waiting. "Ah...hey, Yuzuno!" "Okay, let her go." Hakamada was about to chase after him, but his boss firmly held down his shoulder. "It would be a big deal if she planned to cover Oona Sagawa's crime, but it doesn't look like that. She should want to be alone." "Yes, I'm sorry...my sister is too naive..." "Okay. I trust my senior to become a prisoner, so it's normal to behave like that." Indeed, it was presumably that the side who had carried out this painful work had lost its affection. "But it also surprised me. Those people from the Hodogaya Police Station actually abandoned their surveillance mission midway, so I have to give them a good scolding." Xiantang said and put the cigarette butts into the portable ashtray.From his back, you can feel the sense of relief after the incident is resolved. Hakamada hesitated for a while whether to comfort his crying sister, but immediately thought that he should be loyal to his duty and followed behind his boss. In the end, his judgment at this time greatly affected the resolution of the incident. immature.My brother would definitely describe himself like this. No, I understand that too.Brother and their reasoning is reasonable. However, Yuzuno couldn't believe that Minister Sagawa was the criminal no matter what. There's absolutely no way that the perfect Superman Minister, enthusiastic, active, calm, talented, and hard-working, would commit murder. Is there anything you haven't noticed... What should I do? "Hoo, hoo..." Yukino slowed down his running speed and stopped shortly after. It was past five o'clock, and the sun was sinking in the west through the windows into the empty corridor.Yuzuno came near the entrance hall unknowingly. "……How to do it." Even if you ask yourself, you can't find the answer. If this continues, the police will arrest Minister Sagawa.The evidence is all there.No matter how much the minister, himself, and Sanae deny it, the elder brother and the others will probably not change their attitude. Something has to be done.We must think of a way. But, "You said to find a way...how to do it?" "So, you just stay in the house." Just when Yuzuno was muttering at a loss, a voice of conversation came from behind. "However, the vice president..." "I was the only one who was interrogated. Wouldn't it just add to the chaos if everyone went over? Don't worry about Masaki, go back to the student council room." The two argued as they walked down the stairs.One is Yamato Nadeko with a dignified appearance, and the other is a cute girl with a cut head. "Huh, Hakamata?" The girl with the younger sister's head noticed this.Yukino wiped away tears again, and finally recognized who the other party was.She is a classmate, Hibiya Yukiko who joined the student council. "What are you doing here?" "Ah, no, nothing..." In order to hide her swollen eyes from crying, Yuzuno turned her face away.But Yamato Nadeko walked around in front of her with smooth movements, spying on Yuzuno's expression. Yu Nao is also often praised as a Japanese beauty, but this person is even more beautiful.Long hair, soft limbs, and skin are not inferior to Akita beauty.The kimono suits her best, and the moist eyes and smile on the mouth will leave a deep impression on people. Yukino knows her name. "...Yatsuhashi, classmate?" She is Chizuru Yahashi, vice president of the student council.A second-year student who was the same candidate as Masaki in last month's election, and finally took the second seat of the president.According to Sanae, her grades ranked third in the second grade. "...Hmm." The vice president removed his wet eyes from Yukino's body, and turned to his companion. "Hibiya, you go back." "But, if I go together..." "No. You stay with Shiina honestly." The soft voice revealed an undeniable majesty. After hearing her instructions, Xuezi walked up the stairs reluctantly. Chizuru then smiled at Yuzuno. "Why are the girls in the women's table tennis team practice uniforms crying here?" "what……" Sure enough, the crying face was seen. "Okay. Do you know what happened in the gym?" This is the first conversation between her and Yukino, but it is as cordial as talking to a friend. "The student union only received a notification that a murder had occurred. Who was killed?" "Ah...it's Asashima from the Broadcasting Department." "Chaojima?" Chizuru's voice rose an octave. "Asashima was killed?...By the way, is Masaki involved in this?" "Masaki? Yes. He seems to be one of the witnesses..." "Not a suspect?" "I don't think... there should be no suspicion." Thinking that the real suspect was Minister Sagawa, Yuzuno lowered his head. "That's right... that's great." The vice president sighed in relief. "While I was waiting in the student union room just now, I turned on the intercom. 'I hope you can provide the testimony that Masaki made the phone call', and I was frightened." "Ah... Then Yahashi-san, you now..." "Yeah. I'm going to the police... what are you doing? Most students have already gone back, and the relevant personnel shouldn't stay here alone." "...actually..." When he came back to his senses, Yukino had already told about Minister Sagawa's suspicion. Is this because the vice president I met by chance is a reliable senior, or is it because I really want to find someone to confide in my feelings at this time, or is it a combination of both.Yuno occasionally got angry and cried occasionally, telling out all the unreasonable investigations of the police. "That's it..." Chizuru listened to Yuzuno's sincere confession. "I'm also very familiar with Sagawa... I really can't imagine that she would do such a thing as murder." "Right!" "However, the evidence is too perfect." "makes sense……" "If possible, I also hope that I can help you refute the police like a detective... But I can't think of a logic to refute it." "how come……" Yukino let out a sad voice from the bottom of his heart. If the vice president of the student council in the third grade can't think of a way, it's really helpless. — Grade, third. "...Ah." Yukino thought of it. She is still enjoying the time of daily life.Counting the time, it was about two hours, Sanae's small talk. Like a miracle first grade.The full score is 900 points. Living in the club room, a very mysterious person—— Seeing Qianzuru's appearance, she seemed to have read Yunono's mind, and nodded. "That's right. Masaki is the person involved, so there's nothing I can do... If it's a smarter person, maybe Sagawa's suspicion can be cleared. The location of the two of them seemed to be agreed in advance, just near the entrance hall.The ranking list of results is also posted here. Yukino walked up to the watch that she had completely ignored before, and confirmed his name. It's not called Umigame. First place: Liran Tianma...900 points Should it be read as urazome?A rare surname indeed. Yuzuno looked at Chizuru again, and the vice president who pointed out the way to himself said "Come on", to cheer Yuzuno up. "OK!" Yukino took out the standard answer of the table tennis club, full of momentum, and then rushed to the club building of the cultural club without looking back. For Yukino right now, this is the only possibility she can think of. In order to save Minister Sagawa, I had to ask that person. ——Liran, Tianma.