Chapter 151: Conspiracy and Malice
Akikawa Kyousuke arrived at the Shibuya Ward Office, the administrative center for his current residence.
Here, he used his personal identification to retrieve his household registration records and those of the original owner's mother, Ryoko Akikawa, as well as the household address change records from the past ten years.
In Japan, even if you remain in Tokyo, moving from one district to another requires updating your registered address.
This information isn't recorded on an individual's identification card, but by visiting the ward office where your current household registration is located and presenting proper identification, you can access it.
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After obtaining the household registration change records for both the original owner and his mother, Akikawa Kyousuke realized he had severely underestimated the frequency of their address changes.
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"Although the records show that the original owner and his mother only moved once in the last five years—which corresponds to the address where I first arrived when I traveled back in time—
they actually moved six times in the five years before that."
"Such frequent relocation is anything but normal."
Sitting on a soft stool in the ward office's lobby, Akikawa Kyousuke reviewed the records and thought to himself.
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"If they moved so frequently, the original owner wouldn't have been able to attend school properly."
"It's impossible to switch schools every year. The time spent on various procedures and the energy required to integrate into new groups would be unbearable."
"If that's the case, the original owner dropping out of elementary school wasn't because his mother subjected him to house arrest, but because of the objective difficulty caused by these constant moves."
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As these thoughts filled his mind, Akikawa Kyousuke reflected on the original owner's previous home.
When he first stepped into the house, his initial impression was:
Although there weren't many kitchen utensils or seasonings compared to other homes, the place still exuded a sense of life.
It didn't seem like a household where a child had been long-abused, confined by his mother, and starved under strict control.
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Of course, there was the possibility that the original owner had resigned himself to his circumstances and adapted to that lifestyle.
But could someone so resigned still plan suicide years in advance, taking out an insurance policy to ensure his mother's financial security after his death?
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"Perhaps my past life experiences lead me to constantly think in terms of conspiracy theories in this one," Kyousuke mused.
"Is it possible that there's no conspiracy or malice here at all?"
"Maybe Ryoko Akikawa moved so frequently not because she was evading discovery for abusing her child, but to escape enemies and protect him."
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"The original owner didn't intend to kill his mother to gain freedom or insurance money. He simply knew that his frail and sickly body would burden her, so he decided to leave her the insurance money."
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Unfortunately, at this point, Akikawa Kyousuke could only confirm that the original owner bore no murderous intent toward his mother.
He couldn't be sure whether the mother hadn't abused the original owner.
His previous theory of extreme conspiracy now felt overly idealistic.
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After all, if either Ryoko Akikawa or Kyousuke Akikawa died, an insurance payout exceeding 100 million yen would immediately be generated.
Aside from wealthy individuals like Yoko Okino or Sonoko Suzuki, who wouldn't be tempted by such an amount?
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In addition to discovering their frequent relocations, Kyousuke also learned another key detail.
Ryoko Akikawa's constant moving began after her divorce.
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"This grudge has lasted nearly a decade. What could have happened to cause people to relentlessly pursue this mother and child?"
Kyousuke pondered as he placed the documents back in his bag, stood up, and left the ward office lobby.
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After Akikawa Kyousuke left, a man with short hair and black-rimmed glasses sitting in another corner of the lobby removed his headphones.
This man was Yuya Kazami, a police detective.
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After Kyouji Toda's death, Kazami had been tasked with investigating Akikawa Kyousuke under orders from his superior, Rei Furuya.
Kazami knew Akikawa Kyousuke had been discharged from the hospital earlier that day.
Learning that Kyousuke had left his house shortly after returning from the hospital seemed highly unusual for someone still recovering from injuries.
Years of experience as a criminal investigator told Kazami something was off.
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So, he followed Akikawa Kyousuke to the Shibuya Ward Office.
However, Kazami wasn't worried about losing him.
He had secretly installed tracking and eavesdropping software on Kyousuke's phone.
As long as the phone had battery life and was on his person, the police would know his exact location.
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Checking the phone's tracker, Kazami saw Kyousuke heading back home.
He decided not to follow him further.
But just as he returned to his car to report the situation to Rei Furuya, he noticed Kyousuke's movement speed on the tracker had suddenly increased several times.
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"Did he board a bus?"
Kazami knew there was no need to take a vehicle from the ward office to Kyousuke's home.
Moreover, the eavesdropping device revealed that Kyousuke had no appointments with anyone.
This sudden car ride was highly suspicious.
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Kazami quickly exited the ward office, got into his car, and began driving in the direction the tracker indicated.
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About twenty minutes later, Kazami saw that Kyousuke had stopped at a large shopping complex in Daikanyama. He headed straight for the mall.
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"The Shibuya Ward Office is less than a ten-minute walk from the largest shopping street. Why take a car to get here?" Kazami wondered.
Parking in a nearby coin-operated lot, Kazami entered the mall.
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Following the tracker, he soon spotted Kyousuke.
At the time, Kyousuke was seated in a bookstore café, [Tsutaya Books], sipping a cup of black tea and reading a comic.
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Pretending to be just another customer, Kazami walked by to get a closer look at the comic in Kyousuke's hands.
It was a volume of Masked Superman, a title Kyousuke had recently discussed with his agent.
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"So, he came here to read," Kazami thought, exhaling a quiet sigh of relief.
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After purchasing coffee, Kazami walked behind Kyousuke, blending into the crowd.
At that moment, as Kyousuke flipped through the comic, a flash of disgust crossed his blue eyes.
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(End of Chapter)