Not a detective

Page 14

Once you've mastered it, you can even create the kind of effect you see in movies, where while you're hitting one enemy, the others are just standing there watching like idiots.

It is indeed possible to do so.

That's a digression.

In short, Asakawa Riku skillfully used this technique to weave through the crowd, and as he wished, he did not attract any attention.

Most people didn't even realize that a boy had run past.

He didn't want to be filmed in short videos.

After escaping the bustling crowds, once he enters a secluded alleyway, Asakawa Riku will let go of all restraints and run at full speed.

Where no one can see him, he can burst into speeds of over 60 km/h, and not only that, he also has to maintain that speed for the terrifying race around Tokyo, which is no less than a marathon.

This is the real deal, equivalent to a car's pace.

A thin layer of sweat seeped from his body, and his short hair swayed in the wind, but there was no sign of exhaustion on his face. Instead, his breathing was calm and he seemed to be handling the situation with ease.

Although Chizuko-senpai said that "the speed during the crowded evening rush hour is about the same as walking, so there is no need to run," Asakawa Riku knew that in some less crowded places, cars could still drive normally. If he did not maintain his speed, he would be left far behind by "Criminal A," and the conclusions drawn would be meaningless.

At each location, he would follow instructions and stay in place for ten minutes.

It serves as both a rest and a time for simulating a kidnapping.

He gazed silently at the houses.

The victim's residence was actually quite obvious; although Riku Asakawa didn't remember the exact house number, it was still easy to spot at a glance.

...The lights were all off in the victims' homes.

Even though it's already night and dark, the lights are still off, with only a faint light coming through the windows.

An overwhelming, heavy aura swept over us.

What might those parents think about while eating dinner?

He probably sat silently at the dining table, his face somber.

Losing a child, especially a middle-aged person who loses their only child, is an unbearable blow to every victim family.

Even though it happened a year ago, we can no longer have a proper dinner together.

"..."

Asakawa Riku stood at the door, unable to go in and disturb them, nor able to offer those superficial words of comfort.

He clenched his fist and turned around.

Without saying a word, he continued running towards the next location.

His running pace was as if he were chasing after the invisible criminal A.

Spring of the Earth Spider: Chapter Twenty-Four - He Refused the Night's Invitation

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"Asakawa-san?"

A gentle voice came from Chizuko-senpai.

"I'm done. I stopped at the seventh location for ten minutes and am now evacuating with seven hostages. It's very noisy."

Asakawa Riku reported it as if he were actually committing a crime.

"..."

There was silence on the other side of the phone.

"President? Senior?"

He thought it was a bad signal, so he called out twice more before he heard that incredulous tone:

"Asakawa-kun, do you know how long it took you?"

"About two hours," Asakawa Riku replied naturally, having already seen the clock on his phone before dialing.

It is now 8:10, two hours since we set off at 6:00. The sky around us is completely dark, and night has fallen.

If a policeman walked by, given his student status and being out so late, he would probably get a lecture or reprimand, but he was able to easily escape.

That's right, even after completing such a run, he was still not exhausted.

"The world record for the marathon is also two hours."

"A marathon is 42 kilometers, but I only ran less than 30 kilometers today, so the distance is different."

"But you can't stop halfway through a marathon, Asakawa-kun. You stopped for 10 minutes at each location, didn't you?"

"Ah."

In other words, if we subtract the 70 minutes for 7x10 from Asakawa Riku's time, he actually completed the entire course in less than an hour.

What an astonishing speed!

Chizuko could not have imagined that Asakawa Riku was initially unable to maintain his maximum speed throughout the journey in order to avoid crowds, and only gradually increased his speed after nightfall when there were fewer pedestrians.

Her surprised voice came through the phone: "Now I can believe... that what you said wasn't just bragging."

"If you are a long-distance runner who has been trained, you can achieve the same effect."

"The meaning of your exercise is definitely different from that of ordinary people."

Asakawa Riku didn't want to dwell on this topic for too long, so he said, "That's not the point. The point is, was our experiment successful?"

"I'm sorry, Asakawa-kun, you're still too slow."

Chizuko replied, "Based on last year's cases, the latest missing person should have been kidnapped before 7 o'clock, otherwise their family would still be able to find out their whereabouts."

"So, I have to finish within an hour?" Asakawa Riku frowned. "That's absurd. Unless you remove the kidnapping part and just keep running, it's impossible."

"Remove the kidnapping? Unless these students just happen to be standing on the side of the road, and a car just crammed them in as it drives by, and then continues on to the next place."

Chizuko's disapproval could be heard in her voice over the phone: "But that way, we can't build such an ingenious secret room. It would take less than ten minutes to take someone away from the ceiling."

After thinking about it, Asakawa Riku realized that it was indeed true; it was impossible for all these hostages to just happen to be standing on the roadside, waiting to be kidnapped.

He then raised a new question: "So, could there be two cars?"

"Ok?"

"Accomplices, one car is responsible for kidnapping four people, and another car is responsible for kidnapping three people. They set off at the same time, or more cars, so that they can easily complete the task."

Asakawa Riku is running seven points all by himself. If he could create clones, he could divide the work and cooperate with others, and then he would definitely be able to finish before seven o'clock.

"Asakawa-kun, did you know that in criminology, the success rate of solving a case increases by 50% for every additional accomplice? If a case is committed by three or more people, the probability of the case being exposed doubles. Humans are a mob, and the more accomplices there are, the more clues will emerge."

Chizuko dismissed the hypothesis: "If only one car escaped police surveillance, that would be understandable, but if it was two cars, the probability would be too low."

Oh, and there's surveillance footage too.

This is an unavoidable question in the reasoning process. The task force at the time must have checked the cameras along the route and near the locations. If multiple suspicious vehicles appeared, they would definitely have been discovered.

For long-unsolved cold cases, even the most tightly organized criminal organizations are prone to making mistakes. The only person you can trust is yourself, and the culprit may very well be just one person.

Asakawa Riku said with a hint of helplessness, "So you just wanted me to confirm this?"

"It's hard to believe the culprit is a monster, isn't it? Now, will you believe me, Asakawa-kun?"

"This is making me go for nothing. If you calculate the whole distance using the speed of a car, you can tell it's impossible."

Indeed, that's far from the truth; it's simply impossible to complete within an hour. Even kidnapping seven people takes an hour.

It's not even an arithmetic problem anymore.

"No, the on-site investigation is meaningful." Senior Chizuko said seriously on the other end of the phone, "I was originally worried that Asakawa might be in danger if she encountered the real culprit instead of a monster. After all, we are using you as bait, and I am responsible for your safety. After today's experiment, I can rest assured."

"So the experiment wasn't about seven locations, but about testing my escape skills?"

Asakawa Rikuki smiled.

“Yes.” Chizuko admitted frankly, “That way, if we encounter real danger, Asakawa-kun can protect himself.”

"Thank you so much..."

Asakawa Riku said irritably.

In truth, he had never doubted this point and had mentioned it to Chizuko more than once, but he did not expect her to be so cautious that she would actually have to confirm it.

"You're welcome." Chizuko said with a grin, clearly on purpose: "Well then, Asakawa-kun, that concludes today's club activity. Let's call it a day."

"Wait, don't hang up yet."

Asakawa Riku suddenly said, "It's so late, didn't you say your family would be worried?"

It was already past eight o'clock, and the sky was completely dark except for the streetlights. If Asakawa Riku was wandering around outside in his uniform, he might be reprimanded and questioned by the police. But that senior, who looked like a middle school student, could very well be left at the police station and his parents would have to come and pick him up.

That's alright. I remember her saying that her family's shrine is in the mountains to the north, which is probably even more remote, and there might be danger there.

"Oh?" Chizuko seemed surprised that he still remembered this matter. She paused for a moment before saying, "It's okay. I told my parents today that I would be home a little late."

She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "So, Asakawa-san, are you coming to take me home?"

Asakawa Riku remained silent.

She should still be in Shibuya, while he has already returned to the vicinity of the school, just a short walk from home, and he really can't be bothered to make the trip again.

Asakawa Riku said, "You have the power of a yokai to protect yourself, right? If you encounter anything suspicious, call me and I'll come over."

Chizuko muttered, "You really don't understand romance, Asakawa-kun. When a girl invites you like this, she just wants you to stay at her house for the night. You don't have anyone at home, right? There are spacious guest rooms at the shrine. Your mother will definitely let you stay. You can stay on weekends. It's much better than staying at home alone. You won't be so lonely."

"It's so late, I won't bother you any longer." Asakawa Riku could tell he was joking and prepared to end the long call: "If my daughter suddenly brings a strange male classmate back, I'll be killed by your father, won't I? As an Onmyoji family that knows a lot about yokai, if I enter your territory, I really don't know if I can escape. Please forgive me for refusing."

However, at the end, Chizuko-senpai interrupted and said:

"Since you don't want to come, Asakawa-kun, please allow me to visit your home on Sunday. Goodbye."

This wasn't a request at all; she hung up the phone as soon as she finished speaking.

At this point, there is only one day left before Asakawa Riku faces the murder threat love letter incident.

The Spring of the Earth Spider: Chapter Twenty-Five - Shinonome Detective Agency

On Saturday, Riku Asakawa arrived in Shibuya.

Having learned from yesterday's experience, I didn't get lost underground for too long and quickly arrived at my destination.

Before coming here today, he called the detective agency. A young woman answered the phone and seemed surprised that someone would contact him so early.

"Hello……?"

"I am Asakawa Riku. I may be visiting your establishment later, the reason being—"

He briefly explained how his family had arranged for him to find work, and mentioned his father's name in the process.

However, the contact person who answered the phone seemed to know nothing about it, but she still said:

"I understand. I will schedule a meeting for you today. Please arrive on time."

After hanging up the phone, Asakawa Riku felt inexplicably uneasy.

Do I really need an interview? Didn't we already pull strings and get it done? That unreliable old man...

In short, he is currently short of money and cannot possibly take this in stride.

Before leaving home, Asakawa Riku dressed up carefully, putting together a casual shirt and trousers, and even combing his hair.

Wearing a suit would be a bit too much, considering you're a student. As long as you show a professional and formal attitude, it should be fine.

However, he didn't expect that he would be approached on the street because of his outfit.

The streets of Shibuya remained bustling, and even in the morning, many stylishly dressed women were seen strolling around, as it was a day off.

Shortly after exiting the subway station, he was approached by two women who smiled and asked about Asakawa Riku's relationship status, and wanted to exchange contact information:

"Want to grab a drink, little brother?"

I am sixteen years old.

Asakawa Riku scared them away with a seemingly ordinary remark.

Chizuko once described his appearance as "a standard pretty boy," which wasn't an exaggeration. Asakawa Riku has regular features, a clean and refreshing look, and short hair. His eyebrows, eyes, and nose are all handsome. He's wearing a shirt instead of his usual uniform, and with his already tall stature, he might look like a college student.

I dressed up more maturely today because I'm going to have an interview soon, and I don't want to be rejected by the firm because I'm young.