(Oh right, the murder weapon hasn’t been found yet… I think they said the head was struck with a blunt object)
If it was taken away from the scene, that would make Ayashi-kun, who was outside and had the opportunity to hide it, even more suspicious. Ah, but…
(If we find the murder weapon, I might be able to corner Butler Hanzawa!)
With that thought, I decided to peek into Butler Hanzawa’s mind with half expectation. And then…
“What kind of weapon was used to hit the head… oh, madam…”
[Too bad, the ice I used as the weapon has already melted and disappeared!]
(He’s making such great associations~!)
Fortunately, hearing Inspector Gori’s words made him spill about the weapon’s existence in his mind.
From well-meaning interference to a fine play – I couldn’t help but praise Inspector Gori out loud.
“Inspector Gori, nice!”
He blushed and got a little embarrassed while getting angry.
“W-what’s with you suddenly!? Even if you praise me, I won’t give you anything!”
[Hehe, the great detective praised me. Today calls for a celebratory drink]
(This person always finds reasons to drink, doesn’t he)
While worrying about his liver, I was delighted to learn about the weapon’s existence.
(I see, I see, ice was the weapon! And it melted…)
That’s when I realized something terrible.
(It melted!? Then the weapon won’t be found!? It’s a perfect crime!!)
While I was stunned, Butler Hanzawa was chuckling to himself.
[Kukuku, I made a board of ice with salt water and bludgeoned that woman to death. Then I placed it by the sunny window and set the vase on top… The ice, made easier to melt with salt, would start melting in thirty minutes to an hour, lose balance, and the vase would topple and roll! The moment it hit the floor with a loud sound, if I was with someone, my alibi would be established! Evidence destruction and alibi proof! It’s a perfect trick that accomplishes both!]
(W-what the heeeck!?)
[Even if the ice melts, people will think it’s just water spilled from the vase and won’t notice. It was tough, you know – researching and calculating how long it would take for the weapon ice to melt online, carefully considering how to position the vase so it would fall, and even preparing an excuse that if the salt was discovered, I’d say it was used for cleaning the carpet…]
“S-so thorough! –Oops, sorry.”
I couldn’t help but hold my head and shout.
My loud voice startled the shy Hitomi-san, who jumped back in surprise.
“W-what’s with you suddenly shouting? You scared me.”
[Could she be suspecting me!? I already get called “the face that’s after the inheritance” because of my stern features – this is no joke]
(Th-that’s pitiful…)
I caught a glimpse of one reason why she became so shy and couldn’t help but feel sorry for her… but anyway, back to the case.
(The culprit is the butler, the weapon was ice that melted away… and on top of that, using it to set up an alibi trick… what an SDGs trick!)
Not only the weapon but the full picture of the alibi trick had been revealed, but if everything melted into water, that’s a different story.
(How do you prove that melted ice was the weapon and the trick’s mechanism when it’s mixed with the vase water? It’s a perfect crime!)
Here, a clever detective who made their name through skill would probably present various deductions and properly corner the culprit. But I’m just an ordinary dim-witted high school girl.
(I feel like I’ve seen ice tricks in old Conan episodes and suspense dramas, but how did they solve them again… I don’t remember)
I could only be amazed at my own stupidity and poor memory.
While I was like that, the culprit Butler Hanzawa was chuckling to himself.
“Ah, madam…”
[How’s that for acting skill! I learned this by attending drama workshops! No one will figure out that I’m the culprit!]
(Sorry for making your efforts go to waste, but I already know you’re the culprit)
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
In his mind, Butler Hanzawa was thinking things like “3000 yen per session for several months, that was expensive” and “Maybe I could become an actor,” praising himself. He’d never think that his mind was being read completely.
…However, sorry to interrupt while you’re getting carried away, Butler Hanzawa.
(You’re not the only one who acquired acting skills)
I also gained something from continuously playing the great detective – “suggestive behavior.” No, regarding this, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I’ve “mastered” it.
(I don’t want to rely on this every time though, it’s like walking a tightrope. If only I had a brain capable of elegant deduction)
After sighing at my own patheticness, I decided to take a gamble for the sake of the worried Ichiwada family members.
(I’ll show you the resolve of the “mind-reading detective Oba Kanako” who has solved mysteries through relying on others)
Having decided that, I put on my best bluff and started walking around the room with a “I’ve solved all the mysteries” expression. Inspector Gori saw my behavior and looked at me with expectant eyes, going “ooh.”
“What is it, detective? Could it be–“
“Yes, that very thing. I’ve solved most of the mysteries.”
“W-what!?”
Of course, I don’t have any evidence… but I can’t get cold feet here. I raised one finger and declared with an arrogant attitude:
“Why, it’s really quite simple. The culprit used ice as the weapon.”
“””W-what!?”””
Everyone was surprised, and I continued speaking to them with my “I know everything” face.
“Well, it’s simple deduction. Just think about it for a moment… you’ll understand immediately.”
I made a big show of telling everyone present to “think about it.”
Yes, the strategy taken by me, whose IQ is above cactus level but below armadillo level… is to “have everyone else do the deduction.”
Acting as if I’ve completed my deduction, giving out information I gathered through mind-reading as hints while being mysterious… and surprisingly, several people at the scene notice the trick and search for suspicious points and evidence.
(I just acquire that information through mind-reading and present it as if I deduced it myself)
Like a deduction retail business… I call it “Oba-style relying-on-others deduction.” By the way, the trick is to put your finger to your temple to look like you’ve completed your deduction.
(It’s just not foolproof, so it’s quite a tightrope walk…)
Without merchandise, a retailer can’t function – you get to experience the microcosm of economics as a mind-reading detective… well, that’s not a selling point, it makes me break out in cold sweat. Going from “deduction complete” face to “I don’t know after all” would be too embarrassing to recover from.
(Yes, this is tightrope walking! I’ll cross this rope this time too)
Though I’m a detective, I feel like a circus performer… falling = death as a detective.
With a face full of confidence but a heart full of fear, thankfully several people started deducing in their heads thanks to my words.
[Ice, you say? Wasn’t the floor being so wet not just because of the vase?]
[Certainly, if it’s ice, it would melt and disappear]
[Wait, this kind of trick, I’ve read about it in mystery novels…]
And of course, among those several people was the culprit, Butler Hanzawa.
[What!? I even trampled the remaining ice while calling the ambulance to make it melt! I thought I covered it up perfectly! Why!? Where was I found out…]
(I can’t exactly say “I read your mind, ehehe”)
And Butler Hanzawa began searching for flaws in his actions, ruminating on “what went wrong” in his head.
Yes, actually the person who committed the crime deduces with the most effort. Well, compared to other people, they have the crisis of being arrested.
And they notice holes in their own tricks faster than anyone… because they know the most about the case.
Butler Hanzawa maintained an innocent face while inwardly working hard to find flaws, feeling like he was chewing bitter bugs.
“Hmm, I wonder what it could be…”
—
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
