Not a detective

Page 76

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Fourteen - The Banquet Begins

Asakawa Riku originally thought that a banquet would involve sitting around a large round table and enjoying the food together.

This impression likely stems from wedding banquets in China; he even wondered which table he should sit at.

He's just a bodyguard, he doesn't need to socialize, so he can just eat and drink to his heart's content.

He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast this morning, and had been looking forward to this banquet until now.

But reality was quite different from his imagination.

There wasn't even a decent seat, let alone a round table. It was just like a buffet in my memory, with rows of long tables set with various dishes, and guests would walk around and take what they wanted.

As a result, there was no chance to eat properly; it was more of a social occasion for everyone to interact. Asakawa Riku was greatly disappointed.

"Thank goodness I ate that chocolate," he thought, "otherwise eating while standing would be torture."

As soon as they stepped into the banquet hall, they saw a bustling crowd of people chatting and laughing. Everyone was dressed in a suit like Asakawa Riku's, and their perfume smelled stronger than the food.

The overhead lights are dazzling and shimmering, an incredible and magnificent structure that provides ample illumination, making one wonder how many capitalists would be crushed if it fell.

The warmth of the room instantly dispelled the chill, and a waiter quickly came over, carrying two small champagne glasses.

"No, thank you."

Asakawa Riku shook his head.

Logically speaking, he is not yet of legal drinking age. Although his body doesn't get drunk so easily, he doesn't want to interfere with his work.

Shinonome Suetsuki didn't take the cup, and even Asakawa Riku tasted some of the food on the table (after all, the ingredients and preparation were quite good, and the taste was absolutely first-class), but the detective didn't eat or take anything. She just stood there, completely different from her usual talkative self. She almost became a wooden person.

Unlike the eerie atmosphere of the wine shop from the outside, the atmosphere inside was much more harmonious, probably because of the guests' laughter and chatter, or perhaps because the background music was always soothing and cheerful Christmas songs. At first, Asakawa Riku thought it was a sound system playing somewhere, but later he saw that there was actually a group of orchestras standing in the side railing.

About ten minutes later, whether it was because the guests had gradually arrived or because the time had come, a round of applause rang out on the "stage" at the end of the venue.

"Everyone!"

That was the voice of the butler, Shinohara. The surrounding lights suddenly dimmed and focused on the stage, drawing everyone's attention to it.

The butler, dressed in a formal suit, was overflowing with enthusiasm, his face even flushed with excitement: "Thank you all for gracing Jiutian Pavilion. Tonight's grand gathering is an annual event, but it also brings different surprises every year. I am honored to have served the master for thirty years. Today I see many familiar faces as well as many new ones. In any case, receiving this invitation to the banquet must be a great honor for everyone. Please don't be shy, and cheer to your heart's content!"

His words were a mixture of humility and arrogance, which was both contradictory and strange, but what was even stranger was that no one questioned it, and the surrounding crowd cheered and jeered.

"it is good……!"

"It's our honor!"

"Thank you for the hospitality from the Dongyun family!"

The butler, Shinohara, smiled. He repeatedly gestured with his hands to control the atmosphere, then said solemnly:

"Well then... I'll stop here to get the ball rolling. Next, please welcome our Lord Dongyun to give a speech!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the lights shifted again, this time to the very center of the stage.

There was a luxurious seat there; in fact, he was the only one in the entire room who could sit there, representing supreme privilege.

Sitting there was an old man with gray hair, a wolf-like face, gloomy and unfriendly, wrinkles covering his face, and a terrifying light hidden in his narrow eyes.

That was Higashino Kosuke, the head of the Higashino family and the actual controller of this massive conglomerate.

He is also the detective's father.

Asakawa Riku understood instantly; it perfectly matched the image of a "local tyrant."

The old man was wearing a long robe that was somewhere between a yukata and a kimono, like a haori, but it gave a completely different impression from Kazamatsuri Akihisa. That shrine master was always smiling kindly, but this guy had a haughty and sullen face. The clothes he wore were not patterns but the crest of the Touun family. He even had a beautiful woman in his arms.

Yes, without the slightest exaggeration, just like in the portrait, the scantily clad young woman was completely oblivious to other people's gazes, clinging to the old man and giggling seductively.

“...That is.”

"right?"

"That's really exaggerated..."

He vaguely heard whispers from the crowd around him. The woman seemed to be a famous idol star. After her name was mentioned, Asakawa Riku realized that he had seen her on TV before.

But now she was casually pushed away by Higashino Kosuke, kneeling at his feet like a stray dog ​​begging for food. Perhaps she was not just a simple lover, but her personality had been completely destroyed.

"Everyone..." Higashino Kosuke took the microphone and began to speak.

His voice was hoarse and rough, which matched his appearance perfectly. The audience fell silent for a moment, all listening attentively.

“It’s been held every year. At first, I was very enthusiastic, but after a while, I got tired of it. But we can’t stop these kinds of events because the people below are urging me to do them, both openly and secretly. You all know what the purpose of this banquet is, so I won’t go into details. My will will be revised tomorrow, but it won’t be made public. Let’s continue as usual.”

Kosuke Shinonome didn't look directly at anyone and casually put down the microphone.

Perhaps this kind of person has never had the experience of "pleasing" others since childhood. He doesn't need to care about other people's opinions or use any social niceties.

But no matter what he said, the moment he finished speaking, the people around him immediately and reflexively started clapping.

There were probably nearly a hundred people standing in the banquet hall. The applause was so loud it could have lifted the roof off, and it lasted for a long time...

Only Shinonome Suetsuki stood still, her face calm, without making any movement.

Asakawa Riku made a move, but he was chewing on his steak and didn't put down his knife, fork, or plate.

The butler, Shinohara, bent down to pick up the microphone from the ground, his ever-present warm smile never fading, and said to the applauding crowd:

"Thank you, Lord Shinonome, for your wonderful speech! Let us move on to the next segment with gratitude, which is to invite the birthday wishes to come forward one by one and offer their blessings!"

Asakawa Riku was taken aback. He realized that the orchestra beside him had suddenly changed its style of music, from Christmas songs to birthday wishes.

Meanwhile, the crowd around them gradually thinned out, and a long queue formed on the side of the stage...

"So it was... a birthday banquet?"

This was the first time he heard of it.

"Yes, on the surface it's a Christmas banquet, but in reality it's just them acting like saints and enjoying the worship of believers."

Beside her, Dongyun Sueyue sneered, her sharp tongue now even more unconcerned about the opinions of others:

"Well, this old man deserves to die, doesn't he?"

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Fifteen - The Nineteenth Month

"Father, I have brought the family to wish you a happy birthday! We wish you good health, freedom from illness and worry, and that you will always be a guiding light for us, your descendants!"

The first person to go up and offer birthday wishes seemed to be Higashino Kosuke's eldest son, who was already a middle-aged man with a nearly bald head.

Although the wig was attached very well, Riku Asakawa could still tell.

Standing beside him were his wife, two sons, and a daughter—a large family gathering. The order of the birthday celebrations was also strictly controlled, with the direct descendants arriving first, arranged according to seniority and the closeness of the relationship. Each person brought their family and offspring, perhaps considering that this could become an important bargaining chip in the inheritance dispute.

Whether this strategy worked or not is a matter of opinion; at least the local tyrant remained seated without uttering a word, regardless of which of his children had come up to the throne.

The old man had a gloomy face and barely looked up. The gifts, all expensive antiques and masterpieces, were carried away by servants under the direction of the butler, Shinohara.

The person offering the birthday wishes could no longer contain their embarrassment and left on their own.

Perhaps for Kosuke Shinonome, this is just a routine he goes through every year, and he's probably already tired of seeing it.

Asakawa Riku, on the other hand, watched with great interest, as if he were watching a classic Chinese sitcom about a wealthy family.

Before coming here, he had spoken with Xingyu and wanted to know the complete list of attendees.

After all, the assassin or mastermind is very likely to come from here. Getting the information earlier will allow them to strike first.

But Xingyu said the secret was too high for her to obtain.

Reluctantly, she had to back down. Asakawa Riku suggested that she be a potential candidate to participate in the inheritance dispute. Although Hoshino was initially very unwilling, she was willing to go all out for her mistress.

Only after repeated assurances that the information would remain confidential did he finally obtain the list...

There are a total of nineteen direct descendants of Higashino Kosuke.

This is an outrageous number, but Xingyu actually said that it does not include illegitimate children, only the recognized legitimate offspring.

He was indeed a complete emperor-studded man. He didn't care about laws or ethics at all. He just wanted to spread his seed to the death and leave as many descendants as possible in the world.

Of course, if he were to encounter such a massive dispute over his inheritance in his later years, it would be none of his business after his death.

　Shinonome Suetsuki is the last one among them, meaning she is the youngest sister.

Just looking at their age difference is enough to prove this point; it looks almost like the age gap between a grandfather and a granddaughter. I'm afraid the old man is already at his last gasp.

The "moon" in her name also implies the end, perhaps signifying that this generation has come to a close here.

She has eighteen older brothers and sisters.

Her eldest brother is more than twenty years younger than her, and half of her brothers and sisters never exchange more than three sentences with her.

It's not that they had a bad relationship, but rather that they were completely unfamiliar with each other. In such a large family, everyone was a stranger, or even an "enemy."

Eighteen older brothers and sisters, which means eighteen suspects.

They all had motives and could have been the masterminds behind the murders, which is why Asakawa Riku paid special attention to their names.

Togumo Yutaro, Togumo Kayo, Togumo Hideo, Togumo Kazuya, Togumo Yuuna, Togumo Seiichi, Togumo Junko, Togumo Mika, Togumo Ruri, Togumo Takashi, Togumo Yu, Togumo Ayaka, Togumo Mioko, Togumo Koji, Togumo Hideki, Togumo Ryota, Togumo Yuka, Togumo Yuriko...

It sounded like a tongue twister that would make anyone dizzy. Normally, Asakawa Riku would never have been able to remember such a complicated name, but this is where the advantage of recording it in a notebook really shines.

Even if his phone is taken away, he can always take out his small notebook and memorize the names by comparing them to those in the queue on the stage.

The men of the Dongyun family, needless to say, all the women also married into the family through marriage, thus retaining this "honorable surname".

Most of them hold senior management positions in corporate groups, and some have successfully built their own businesses. In fact, many of them have not only established themselves in business but also in politics, thus penetrating all levels of the country and becoming deeply entrenched and difficult to eradicate. Many of them have even appeared on television news.

"There are just too many suspects..."

He sighed inwardly, realizing that remembering these eighteen people was difficult enough, not to mention that most of them brought their families with them.

I really envy the extraordinary memories of the detectives in novels. It would be great to have such a superpower.

Even Conan often faces choices of three options, unlike this, where he's given a bunch of names and left without any clues.

Just as he was deep in thought, the detective beside him suddenly spoke up:

"Stop looking, the murderer isn't among them."

"Hmm...?" Asakawa Riku was taken aback.

He looked around. Almost everyone else had gone to queue up, leaving them all alone and inconspicuous in the darkness. Perhaps this was the only way to have a conversation.

Asakawa Riku lowered his voice: "What do you mean? Did you see who the murderer is?"

He still remembered Shinonome Sugetsuki's superpower, which was an ability that was absolutely cheating for a detective, allowing him to foresee events and even see through criminals and their methods.

"...No, but I know they can't be the murderers."

Dongyun Moyue shook her head, her earrings swaying and clinking, making a light, cheerful sound: "If they wanted to kill me, they would have done it years ago, not now."

Makes sense.

Since the person in question has said so, Asakawa Riku put away his notebook. It seems he had wasted his time memorizing those names.

"So, detective... what exactly did you see?"

He hoped that Shinonome Sugetsuki would stop being so enigmatic and that if there were any clues related to assassination, he should be informed promptly so that the risks could be mitigated as much as possible.

To everyone's surprise, she laughed. If things had gone according to plan, this wouldn't have been the person she was.

"Still calling him a detective? This isn't a work setting, there's no need to use his title..."

"Then, Shinonome—"

"There's more than one Dongyun here."

"The last month."

"Very good." She seemed quite satisfied with the title, then immediately changed the subject: "Lu, are you asking why I had a falling out with my family?"

Being suddenly addressed by his name, Asakawa Riku was taken aback for a moment:

"Yes."

He honestly admitted it. Although he didn't know how she found out, either Xingyu told her or she discovered it using her superpowers, so there was nothing to ask.

Asakawa Riku was indeed very curious: "After all, this could also be a [motive]."

Perhaps she had a falling out with someone from the Dongyun family, and that person held a grudge and decided to kill her. That's also possible.

Shinonome Suetsuki gazed at the farce on stage, her eyes revealing an unreadable emotion. She said softly: