Chapter 42: Reciprocity*

The roar of the machine flooded his mind like a torrent, and Akikawa Kyousuke slowly opened his eyes.

What he saw was like a constantly shifting camera screen, with delays and overlapping images.

"You're not dead?"

Akikawa Kyousuke remembered being hit on the head with a chair.

He thought he would die from it, but he was surprised to find that he didn't seem to be dead.

Akikawa Kyousuke suddenly bit the tip of his tongue.

To regain clarity from a state of confusion, relying on pain as stimulation isn't ideal.

But it's the most effective method in the short term.

Accompanied by intense pain and a metallic taste gradually spreading in his mouth,

the delayed image before Akikawa Kyousuke finally steadied, and the blurred vision became clear.

However, what he saw upon waking was completely different from what he remembered before his memory was cut off.

Akikawa Kyousuke saw a man lying beneath him.

An inexplicable fishy smell filled his nasal cavity, irritating his olfactory nerves.

At the same time,

Akikawa Kyousuke realized that he had a double-stranded hemp rope in his hand.

The central section of the hemp rope was pressed against the neck of the man below him.

Akikawa Kyousuke had a feeling in his gut. He used his hands and legs to flip the man over.

Seeing the man's face, Akikawa Kyousuke laughed.

Not because he found it amusing,

but because he felt a surge of helpless anger as he understood the situation.

"No pulse, the man is dead."

"There are obvious strangulation marks on the neck, with significant subcutaneous bleeding and bruising near the marks."

"There's also facial and neck congestion, conjunctival hemorrhage, and the tongue is protruding."

"It's clear that the man was strangled."

With a single glance, Akikawa Kyousuke determined the cause of the man's death.

Having marks on the neck alone isn't enough to prove death by strangulation.

However, the state of the deceased's face, neck, and conjunctiva indicated blocked blood flow.

Thus, Akikawa Kyousuke could confirm that the deceased died from someone strangling him.

The fishy smell filling the washroom now likely came from the deceased's incontinence upon strangulation.

Realizing this,

combined with the fact that he was attacked but survived,

and the rope in his hand still in a strangling position,

Akikawa Kyousuke was sure he was being framed.

This scene was very similar to what he saw when he woke up after his time-travel experience six months ago,

only,

this time the situation was even more vulgar and absurd.

Akikawa Kyousuke turned to look at the dryer in the center of the room, which read, "42 minutes and 14 seconds."

"When I entered the laundry room just now, there were 64 minutes left, meaning I was only unconscious for 22 minutes."

"Clearly, I was struck on the head, but I woke up so quickly, suggesting the person who attacked me deliberately controlled the force, intending to frame me from the start."

"And for the other person to fake the crime scene in such a short time, it's clear they came prepared."

"They had prepared the victim and the murder weapon in advance, selected the location, and then called me here."

As for the true culprit, it's also very obvious.

"Since the other person is so familiar with the layout of the Imperial Theater, they must have spent a lot of time there."

Akikawa Kyousuke remembered the attire of his attacker.

"They intentionally wore protective clothing to conceal their body shape, along with a motorcycle helmet and gloves, showing there's a high chance their identity could be determined just by seeing them wear it."

"If they were theater staff, they could have prepared an extra set of clothes beforehand."

"The only reason they didn't do that is that they can't change clothes at will."

"At the Imperial Theater at this moment, only one type of person can't change their costume——"

Akikawa Kyousuke thought to himself, glancing at his own clothes.

"That is, actors who have already applied makeup and are ready to go on stage."

"Also, there's another clue. When this person attacked me, I said I could meet all of their demands, yet they didn't even respond."

"If they went as far as to conceal their voice, there's a high chance they're a character with lines."

"The fact they wore a motorcycle helmet instead of a mask suggests they had to protect their facial makeup."

"Then, they can only be actors appearing in the third act or later."

At this point, the killer's identity was evident.

"After ruling out the actors appearing in the first and second acts, only one actor remains who has had conflicts with me——"

"Koichi Nishihara."

Akikawa Kyousuke narrowed his eyes, reaching a conclusion. Though he identified the killer, Akikawa Kyousuke was still puzzled.

"But calling it a conflict, it's really just jealousy over Yoko Okino and my previous behavior that annoyed him."

"Would anyone really decide to kill someone over this kind of friction? Is there something wrong with his brain?"

"Or maybe he originally bore a grudge against the deceased and just wanted to blame me because he didn't like me?"

On this point, Akikawa Kyousuke preferred the first explanation.

Because from a killer's perspective, one would consider the suspicion level after committing the murder.

If the deceased truly bore a deep grudge against Koichi Nishihara, he would be suspect even if I were the main one implicated.

If Koichi Nishihara's goal was to frame me,

then having no connection with the deceased actually lowers suspicion against him.

This is very much like a "swap-kill" scenario.

Doing so can obscure the motive and intent of the crime.

Thus, Akikawa Kyousuke deduced:

Koichi Nishihara likely killed an unlucky person unrelated to him just to frame him.

"We didn't have any obvious disputes in the theater, so he wouldn't have spared me out of fear of being suspected."

"He simply couldn't find satisfaction in killing me; he had to ruin my reputation as well."

After this line of thought, Akikawa Kyousuke couldn't help but curse "idiot" internally.

The reason for Nishihara Koichi's murder was absurd, and sparing his life was even more so.

But Akikawa Kyousuke wasn't a cop.

He didn't care about Koichi Nishihara's motives for killing or the reason for sparing him.

The only thing that concerned Akikawa Kyousuke was Nishihara attacking him and framing him.

*Ding*

A clear mechanical sound that hadn't sounded in a long time rang in Akikawa Kyousuke's mind.

The translucent blue screen reappeared before his eyes.

["The deceased strangled, the murder weapon in hand; now that you've identified the real killer, what choice will you make?"]

[1. Admit you are the killer]

[Reward: Feature Card x1]

[2. Tell the police the whole truth and let the real culprit be punished]

[Reward: Skill Card x1]

"I heard that the great detective Mouri Kogoro is coming to watch the play today."

"Which means there's a high chance the Shinigami elementary student is also here."

"Then, as long as I tell the truth about my situation and play the role of an innocent victim, the God of Death student will naturally discover the real culprit."

Akikawa Kyousuke looked at the young man dead below him, pondering.

He reached out and used his clean sleeves to shift the deceased's head, examining the strangulation marks.

He noted that the strangulation marks were higher on the neck, and the angle was vertical.

In other words, the deceased wasn't lying on the ground nor strangled from above.

Instead, he was strangled from behind while standing or sitting.

This is inconsistent with the faked crime scene.

"It's a really crude attempt to frame me. It could've been done far more convincingly."

Akikawa Kyousuke muttered under his breath.

Akikawa Kyousuke believed that even with the Shinigami elementary student's skill, he would quickly see the truth and know he wasn't the real culprit.

All he needed to do was tell the truth, and the real killer would naturally be punished.

"But I'm not satisfied."

"Getting you arrested by the police won't cut it."

Akikawa Kyousuke understood.

It's difficult to get a death sentence for murder in Japan.

Moreover, he had deduced that the deceased was probably someone unknown to Koichi Nishihara.

This would even affect the sentencing outcome.

Once Koichi Nishihara is arrested, as long as he insists it was a crime of passion, Japanese law would protect him.

He could even claim that framing him showed remorse halfway through.

To remove that protection, the murder must be deemed "malicious" enough.

"To thank Mr. Nishihara for his 'grand gift,' I'll give him one in return."

"Reciprocity is a traditional virtue."

Akikawa Kyousuke thought to himself, looking at the third option before him, as a faint smirk involuntarily formed on his lips——

[3. Forge clues, alter the facts of the crime, and frame the real culprit]

[Reward: +5 Physical, Recovery Card x1]

(End of Chapter)