Murder At The Rainy Mansion ~The Never Ending 100 Tales~

Chapter 25: And the murderer is…YOU!

Jiro: “Are you kidding me? Reiko was here yesterday! Even though I only saw her from afar, I’m sure it was her.”

Ayano: “If you had seen her closely, I think you would have noticed it. I talked to her yesterday at the courtyard. I asked her if she saw the person who killed Uncle Yamamura jumped down from there. But that was Reiko-san’s living spirit[1].”

Jiro: “Huh…?”

Ayano: “That is why I said that the rooftop is a locked-room because of the spirits guarding around the area.”

Tanimoto: “Wait a minute. I also talked to Reiko-san yesterday at the corridor behind the toilet. Shimizu-san, you saw it too, right? Oh, I forgot. Shimizu-san can also see ghost.”

Shimizu: “What are you talking about? I didn’t see Sudo Reiko.”

Tanimoto: “When I said I haven’t finish interviewing everyone, you scolded me while looking at Reiko-san. That was why I chased after her and then interviewed her behind the toilet.”

Shimizu: “No. I was talking about Nobuko-san at that time.”

“Looks like Tanimoto-san can sees living spirits. Or to be precise, you can only see living spirit but not ghost,” Ayano said with a smile. “On the other hand, Shimizu-san can only see ghosts. Maybe the case was made complicated because of your situation.”

Shimizu: “…Are we the one who made the case complicated?”

Ayano: “Tanimoto-san. Maybe you have seen living spirits before in your daily life. Perhaps you have talked to them thinking that they are living person.”

Tanimoto was astounded after hearing what she said. Suddenly, Jiro shouted, “But Reiko is still there even now!” He pointed to Reiko who was standing in the courtyard. She was dressed differently from yesterday.

Oops. This is bad, Shimizu thought. “I can—”

Ayano hurriedly cut him off. “That is her living spirit. Although you can see her clearly, it is just a living spirit,” she said, lying through her teeth.

How can she say that so confidently…? Shimizu thought to himself and decided to cover up for her. He turned towards the crowd and said, “… Right, I couldn’t see anyone there.”

Other than Reiko, Shimizu also could see the ghost nearby the hydrangea. But at this moment, he decided there was no need to be too meticulous. Besides, Jiro was too nervous and didn’t notice anything either.

Ayano: “So, even though there are many suspects with motive to kill Uncle Yamamura, you are the only one who could see Satoshi-san and has the motive to steal the toilet bowl in order to silence him.”

Jiro: “These are just your hypothesis. Do you have any proof?”

Ayano cocked her head to the sight immersed in her thought when she noticed Takato and Shun had entered the room. She looked at the smartphone in Shun’s hand and it gave her an idea.

Ayano: “I just realized it now… I think I can find the proof. Uncle Jiro, please show me your phone.”

[1] Ikiryo: Disembodied spirit of a living person, kind of similar to Doctor Strange’s astral projection. I will use ‘living spirits’ in future chapters.