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

Chapter 26: Just give up already

Jiro: “Why should I show my phone to you?”

“Oh, you are right,” Ayano said and turned to look at Shimizu.

Shimizu half-heartedly said to Jiro, “Please show me your phone.”

Jiro reluctantly took out his phone. Tanimoto took the phone from him and gave it to Ayano. She browsed the phone and said, “As you might have known, the signal inside the mansion is bad – maybe because of the ghosts. If you go out of the building or go to the courtyard, you can get better signal. In this modern world, you can get any information on the internet – including how to remove a toilet bowl.”

Tanimoto had a lightbulb moment after listening to her explanation.

Ayano: “But the perpetrator needs to do it fast without making any noise. So, it is unlikely that they will do it while browsing the internet. Besides, they won’t get signal here. That is why I think the perpetrator must have checked the internet beforehand and took screenshots for the important parts.”

“Ayano!” Takato shouted suddenly. “I can’t believe you know about screenshot!”

Do you have to be that surprised? Ayano thought to herself. She then said, “Yes. I’m not really good with gadget such as smartphone or tablet. I usually don’t use these kinds of thing. Most elderly people are like that too. And typically, these people don’t know how to delete files. I know it well because I’m like them.”

She showed the screen to Jiro. “Uncle Jiro, do you know that the pictures such as screenshots are still there even if you delete the file?”

Jiro saw the screenshots he had taken about the method to remove toilet bowl on the screen. “How can this be?! But I already deleted them?!”

“After you delete a file, you need to delete it again. Otherwise, the data will still remain. When you scroll down to the bottom, there is a ‘Recently Deleted’ column. I also found out about it recently,” Ayano explained. “I have always feels that computer is quite similar to ghosts – the part where they both lack flexibility.”

She had noticed the setting because she wasn’t used to the latest communication device. For a person who was familiar with this kind of gadget, they wouldn’t even bother to check because they would have thought that the file must surely no longer there after they deleted it.

“It is true that I was the one who pushed him down the roof,” Jiro said and stood up. Everyone was surprised that he admitted to the crime.

Jiro: “But, can you really say that I was the murderer? I was only possessed by the ghost from the altar room. The ghost must be the one that smashed his head into the stone.”

Ayano: “But the ghost from the altar room has already left. It seems she was satisfied after killing a person and moved on from this world. We won’t be able to confirm this matter with the ghost.”

“You evil woman! You are exactly like your mother!” Jiro cursed at her angrily.

Ayano: “I was called evil by a murderer…”

Jiro: “That man already became an adopted son-in-law of another family but still insist to remain in this Rainy Mansion. Is it wrong for me to kill such a greedy man?!”

Shimizu raised from his chair and let out a sigh. He walked up to Jiro and grabbed his arms.

Jiro: “Shimizu, you should know how horrifying this Rainy Mansion is, right?”

Shimizu didn’t answer and just dragged him out of the room.

Ayano: “Uncle Jiro, wait. Can you tell me which stairs did you use to go to the rooftop?”

Jiro: “Huh? The one nearer to the entrance.”

Ayano: “But Uncle Toru said he didn’t saw anyone. How did you managed to go up without getting seen by him?”

Jiro: “I didn’t use any cheap tricks. Toru was not there in the first place.”

“That is weird.” Ayano tilted her head. “Oh! I have one more question!”

Both Jiro and Shimizu showed an annoyed face to her.

Ayano: “Sorry. Uncle Jiro, where is Satoshi-san?”

Jiro: “I threw away the toilet bowl into shichinin bishaku.”

He then explained that he saw Ayano talking to Satoshi. And before the incident, he had a quarrel with Yamamura nearby the toilet.

Ayano: “Oh, you threw it into shichinin bishaku. I thought you threw it as recyclable garbage. They will collect the ceramic, glass and rubbers today[1].”

Shimizu: “So that is why you were rushing earlier.”

Tanimoto: “What is shichinin bishaku?”

Ayano: “It is a swamp. People will melt if they fall into it.”

“No, they don’t,” Takato refuted her in a low voice.

Ayano: “Uncle Jiro. Even if you throw it there, it won’t melt.”

Jiro: “People don’t go nearby that place so it is a convenience place to throw stuff. Damn it! I should have killed that man somewhere else and throw him into shichinin bishaku.”

Ayano: “Hmm. You are right. Please do so next time.”

“There won’t be a next time in the near future because you will be in jail,” Shimizu said and finally dragged Jiro away.

[1] Japan is very strict about garbage sorting. Other than combustible and incombustible garbage, there are more than 10 types of recyclable garbage. Every area has their own rules and schedule. Sample of how to sort the garbage and the collection schedule.