The July weather was as capricious as a child's face, and in a matter of moments, the hot sun was replaced by dark clouds rolling in from the sky, and then rain the size of copper coins smashed the ground, even stirring up puffs of dust on the dry dirt.

Cascading crisp rain emanated from the leaves, completely wetting the entire forest in just a few seconds.

"Ahh

The silver-haired teenager crouched under a tree with one end of his tennis bag and tried to keep out the rain, but the bullet-like raindrops mercilessly smashed into the place he didn't cover.

"Well deserved. The red-haired girl who was doing the same as him on the side rolled her eyes, "If it weren't for you, how could we not even reach our destination...... Not only did I not find a clue, but I also had to be drenched in the rain. ”

"The reason for this should be that we are each other—na, Miss Detective who wants to hunt wolves!"

A wicked smile appeared on the young man's handsome face, but the strands of wet hair sticking to his cheeks really ruined his momentum at the moment. The girl snorted softly and turned away, but the roots of her ears gradually turned pink.

The two of them squatted under the tree with their tennis bags in their hands, and from a distance they really looked like some kind of strange fungus plant.

"Hey, werewolf," Nao stared at the glittering light under the dark clouds and opened her mouth, "I don't think we should hide under a tree in this weather......"

"Did you just notice?" Nioh slumped his shoulders weakly, "even if my tennis bag is waterproof......"

"It doesn't mean we won't be struck by lightning. ”

Nao twitched the corners of her mouth and said dryly.

"Run!"

Nioh shouted, took Nao's hand again, and the two of them ran out of the woods at the speed of being chased by demons. As if to verify their suspicions, a terrifying crackle came from the sky as they ran out, and a branch-like flash of lightning lit up the entire canopy.

"It's dangerous...... I thought I was going to die. Nioh looked back at the place they had just stayed as he ran, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a relaxed tone what felt completely out of place.

He dragged Nao all the way to the porch of a house, and then he breathed a sigh of relief, opened his tennis bag, pulled out a towel, and threw it at the girl's head.

"Well, wipe it. ”

"Ah, thanks. ”

As if she had just come back to her senses, Nao lifted the towel that covered her vision and wiped it silently.

Nioh looked at her thoughtful gaze, the corners of his lips slightly hooked, flicked his silver hair, took out another towel and wiped his hair.

"Now, you saw that, too. After a while, Nao stopped his movements and said to Nioh in a low voice.

"You say 'that', and you do see it. Nioh chuckled, loosened his tie and put the towel around his neck, and his white fingers reached into the girl's long, fiery red hair beside him, and rubbed it vigorously, "But I didn't expect it...... Now, this rain is not in vain, is it?"

"The rubber plate in the woods should be the so-called 'pitcher's board', and it must be where Shinjin Haruka practiced pitching. But what I care about is the scratches on the trunks of the trees...... "As if she wasn't aware of the situation above her head at all, Nao frowned and muttered, "Supposedly, as a right-hander, even if he throws a curveball, it should be a right-sided curveball, which means that the ball will turn to the outside of the batsman...... But why is there a scuff mark on the other side of the trunk in addition to the trunk facing the pitcher's board and the trunk on the left?"

"Then, in addition to practicing straight and right curveballs, that Xinjin also knows left curveballs...... What do you mean?"

"But to get that kind of scuff, you have to be a left-handed pitcher to do it. Now there are only two possibilities: either we ignore another left-handed suspect, or Haruka Shinjin hides the fact that he is left-handed. And ......" A dangerous light flashed in Nao's eyes, "Werewolf, is my head fun?"

"Oops, you've found out!"

"Your neck is about to break, can't you find it!"

"Well~ don't care about those little things," Nioh smiled and withdrew the claws that were messing with Nao's head, and turned his head to look at the hut behind them, "Speaking of which, this should be the room where Shinjin lives, why don't you go in and have a look?"

Seeing the other party's expression of deliberately changing the topic, Nao stabbed him hard with the "must kill the light" of Nian Kuan's true biography, and opened the door on the side-

The room was about the size of four stacks, and there was almost nothing in the room except for a small square table and a thermos in the corner. A few books and notebooks were haphazardly placed on the table, and a somewhat worn sports bag was placed next to the cupboard with futon mats.

Nao took off her shoes at the entrance and put on her gloves and walked into the house, her dripping shirt leaving deep marks on the straw mat. Nioh Masaharu leaned against the door and looked at the girl's back, his half-squinted green eyes tightened without warning, and suddenly he unzipped the tennis bag in a panic, making a piercing "stab" sound.

"What's wrong?"

The girl turned her head sensitively, only to see an earthy yellow coat falling from the sky and covering her face.

"Put it on!" the silver-haired teenager stared at the rain outside the door without blinking.

Nao looked at the coat with the R mark in his hand and curled his lips, "You actually carry this kind of thing with you in the summer...... Should I say a half-breed werewolf who turns to ashes when exposed to the sun?"

"Poof!"

"Hey, hey, really, what's angry. ”

"And zippers!"

"Got it, got it~" Looking at Nioh, who seemed to have red ears, Nao smiled and pulled the zipper of the coat to the highest, "That's it, right?"

Nioh turned his head and glanced at her, and saw that she had indeed put on her team uniform, so he breathed a sigh of relief, and said to himself in a voice not much louder than a whisper, "It's really wild, and you don't even have the slightest self-awareness?"

"What did you just say?"

“…… Nothing!" the silver-haired teenager waved his hand in disgust.

Nao raised her eyebrows, turned her head and went on with her work.

Since the discovery of traces of baseball practice in the woods, Haruka Shinjin has become the first suspect.

Before Nioh came up with the idea of using a curveball to set up the secret room, Nao had already deduced countless other ways to solve it based on the existing clues, but as he said, there was no secret room that matched the entire space, and the only way to crack this secret room was to throw the key into the room by throwing a ball.

The method of "throwing the key into the room with a left curveball", coupled with Inao Kai's dominant hand and his misleading intentions or unintentional before, seemed to have given them a glimpse of the truth, but since meeting the last person involved in the case, Haruka Shintsu, a sense of disobedience rose in Nao's heart that she had to care.

- It seems that it is too much of a coincidence.

Not only is there the testimony that the road was built on the day he had to go home, but also the testimony that he happened to see Ayana Mukai when he passed by Inao's house, and the testimony that it happened to be the time when his mother took medicine when he got home.

Nao's inner instinct was telling her over and over again......

There is a problem with this Shinjin Haruka!

So she couldn't wait to come to the temple that Xinjin said, and the traces found in the woods proved her idea even more-

Approaching the scene of the crime, having a conflict with Yuki Inao, the left-handed curveball, the left-handedness, the gap in the window of the secret room, and the key on the trajectory of the curveball...... If you connect these points, you can find that even if the murderer is not Haruka Shinjin, he is definitely someone who has a close relationship with him.

Thinking of this, Nao couldn't help but sneer. I'm afraid that Haruka Shinjin still doesn't know...... His testimony, combined with that of Minister Tsuji, had led her to a rather interesting clue to his motive for killing.

Now, then, the evidence that is only one step away from the truth is-

Nao looked at a pair of hot water bottles in the corner, and a cold smile overflowed from her lips.

"It's gone, werewolf. ”

The girl suddenly turned around, her long red hair cutting through the air in a smooth arc.

The white Mazda RX-7FD sped through the rain-soaked asphalt and stopped in front of an old apartment. A woman in a short skirt got out of the car, and her neat short hair added a lot of heroism. She walked quickly over to the two men standing in front of the apartment, her pretty dark eyes full of surprise.

"You asked me to come here...... Is he really the murderer?"

"Can't be wrong. The red-haired girl narrowed her narrow eyes, "Sato さん, please have you found the information you checked?"

"Ah, it's all here. Sato shook the police manual in his hand, "Also, Ayana admitted that she had been to the scene, but she didn't go to the victim's room. ”

"Is that really the case......

"Yes," Sato continued, "according to her, the light in Inao Yuki's room was already dark when she arrived downstairs at Inao House, and just as she was holding her phone and hesitating to call the victim, she saw a flash of light in the victim's window, which was not so bright like the flash of a camera, but when she looked closely, it was gone......"

"So that's when he saw Akina Muba......" Nao muttered, "What time was it?"

“…… Nine forty o'clock. Sato's face turned stern, "She made a second call to her brother after that, so she remembered the time, and the time shown in the call log was not wrong." ”

"In other words, maybe Yuki Inao has been ...... at that time"

"But if Haruka Shinjin is the murderer, according to you, hasn't his mother already confirmed his alibi?" Sato asked with a frown, "If he has already arrived home at half past nine, is it possible to return to the scene of the crime at nine forty?"

Listening to Sato's words, Nao and Nioh looked at each other and smiled.

"Before you came just now, I investigated the neighborhood with Werewolf さん a little, and the clerk at the 24H convenience store opposite saw a person who looked like Haruka Shinjin.,Hurry home on the night of July 20th.。 Nao blinked, "At the beginning of the evening news." ”

"Ten o'clock......" Sato opened his mouth, "can't be mistaken, can you be sure it's him?"

"Originally, I thought there was a possibility for someone else, but since I found out that the clerk is a fan of the Kabido High School baseball team, I don't think so. Nao shrugged, "That uncle said, 'That guy is the number 11 of the Kabido High School baseball team!'" ”

In this way, Shinjin Haruka's alibi has no effect. Just a testimony from his mother......"

"Have you forgotten, Sato. Nao raised her eyebrows, "Xinjin's mother's original words were 'he told me to get up at half past nine and take medicine', although it wasn't explicitly stated, but the meaning of this 'get up' ......"

"—It means that his mother was asleep before. Nioh picked her up, "Isn't it easy to set the watch at home to what time it is before waking her up?"

"I am, I see. ”

"So," Nao snapped his notepad shut, "let's go listen to his sophistry again!"

"So, do you think I'm the murderer of my predecessors?"

Haruka Shinjin, who was kneeling opposite a few people, calmly pushed his glasses, "That's right, Mr. Tanaka from the 24H convenience store did see me, but it can only mean that I went out and went home at ten o'clock." He didn't see me when I got home at half-past nine, so surely he was sure that I hadn't been home?"

"You mean to say that you came home at half past nine and woke up Ling Tang to remind her to take her medicine, then went out again, and came home again at ten o'clock...... Right?"

"That's right. ”

"Even then, you don't have an alibi at the time of the crime. Nao propped her chin unconcernedly and said, "The alibi of the others is clear, and you are the only one who is vague, which makes people have to doubt you...... Do you know, we didn't doubt you that much until you said something like that. ”

“…… What's that?"

"It's not okay to forget it so quickly!" Nao raised her eyes and slowly pulled out a malicious smile, her cold gaze scanning the young man in front of her mercilessly, "'I saw a suspicious woman downstairs at Inao-senpai around nine o'clock', did you say so?"

"That's right. Shinjin's eyes flashed, "What does that mean? Shouldn't you investigate that suspicious person first?"

"That's the crux of the matter!"

The red-haired girl suddenly changed her momentum, and her green eyes wrapped around Shinjin Haruka's eyes behind the lenses like a snake, making the hairs on his spine stand up involuntarily.

"Even in summer, it is completely dark at nine o'clock at night, how can you see the facial features of a person a few meters away in the dark?

With a "bang", the girl's palm and the words slammed on the table, causing the young man on the opposite side to slam into a fierce spirit. Haruka Shinjin felt the pressure pressing on him for a moment, and pushed his glasses stiffly with his hand that was shaking involuntarily, forcing himself to calm down.

"You seem to have forgotten that it was a full moon that day, and even the trees downstairs of your predecessor could be clearly seen from a few meters away, let alone the color of people's pupils?"

"Poof......" Nioh, who had been silent, suddenly uttered a syllable of unknown meaning.

Shinjin Haruka glanced at him, as if he had calmed down in his syllables, and continued to Nao: "I can understand your suspicions of me, after all, I appeared near my senior's house on the night of the crime, but you can't slander me, at least find the corresponding evidence!"

"Oh, the evidence......"

Nao hooked her lips, and the evil Okinawan dialect unconsciously melted into her words. She reached back, and Nioh Masaharu in the back handed over an item as if she had said yes. Nao shook the things in his hand and smiled at Haruka Shintsu, who had not shaken his body significantly.

"This thing should be familiar to you who work in a temple, right?"

"Yes, I do. Xinjin nodded, "It's a rope that is used to block the evil straw rope." ”

"Yes, temples and shrines can be seen, and they can be used not only to ward off evil spirits and sacrifices, but also to kill people. Nao used his two hands to play with the straw rope as thick as a child's wrist, and narrowed his eyes at Shinjin, "We found the ash of the incense stick in the straw rope where Inao Yuki hanged, and after investigation, it is the same kind of incense stick in the Licheng Temple, and Master Kunkai told me that the Licheng Temple also happened to lose a note rope a few days ago...... The only person who has a connection with Kurijoji Temple and Inao Yuki is you, do you think this is evidence?"

"I ......"

"Also, the culprit who killed Yuki Inao was a left-hander, and according to my investigation, the only left-handed person around him besides his own brother was you. Nao interrupted him before he could say anything, "We found a pitcher's board in your baseball practice area in the temple of Kurijoji, and judging by the tree scratches on the opposite side of the pitcher's board, the person using this training field is a pitcher who can throw straight, left, and right curveballs, and the furnishings of your room confirm that you are left-handed. ”

"I'm not left-handed at all! And what you just said is just speculation, no evidence at all!"

Under Nao's aggressiveness, Haruka Shinjin finally became excited, and kept pushing his glasses as if he was suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"Not left-handed?" Nao pouted, "It's true that you've changed to your right hand now, but a person's habits don't disappear so easily, and they will always use their dominant hands when they are unconscious." The handles of the thermos in your room are all slightly offset to the left, which is obviously a phenomenon caused by unconsciously using your left hand when pouring water and then putting them down, and ......"

The red-haired girl quickly grabbed Xinjin's hand when he pushed his glasses again, and curled the corners of her lips shallowly, "You also unconsciously used your left hand when you pushed your glasses, and the middle finger, index finger and thumb of your fingers also have calluses, which shows that you often use this hand to practice pitching - these three fingers are the fingers that must be used when pitching." Even then, do you still want to say you're not left-handed?"

"W-So what!" shouted Shinjin Haruka as he pulled back his left hand vigorously.

"So what——?" Facing the annoyed Shintsu, Nao instead sat back in place with a shallow smile, and his slender fingers tapped the table one by one, and said in a long voice, "Didn't you hear what I said just now? The one who killed Inao Yuki was a left-handed and pitcher! And you are the only one in his range of communication who is both a left-handed and a pitcher, and you have a completely vague alibi, and the hemp rope that hanged the murderer is also directly related to you...... Didn't you kill Yuki Inao, lock the door with the key, and then run downstairs and throw the key bag into the window with a left-hand curveball—the prisoner?"

"I'm not ......"

"Ah, are you waiting for me to show this before you want to tell the truth?"

Nao made a look of abrupt realization, and pulled out a transparent evidence bag from behind him.

"This—This is ......"

The moment he saw the plastic bag, Xinjin Yao's last line of defense completely collapsed. He looked at the plastic bag containing some white porcelain shards, and opened his mouth with difficulty, "How can it be...... I'm obviously not ......"

"yes, you obviously disposed of it, how could the fragment of that teacup be here?"

Nao looked innocently at Nioh, who shrugged at her.

"But now that I have this, I can let you tell the truth!" the girl was already full of momentum when she turned her head to face Shinjin again, "You know what?" Inao Yuki broke a cup when she made you tea, and accidentally scratched her hand by a shard, although it was a small wound, but it still left blood stains on the handle of the cup and the tea tray - if your saliva and his blood were examined on this cup...... You know what's going to happen, right?"

Shinjin Haruka's gaze never left the fragment of the teacup.

"Why ......"

He chattered his lips and muttered, his young face instantly turning gray.

"Why did you find ...... Why do you know so clearly...... It's like ......"

(It's like watching from beginning to end at a murder scene.) ）

"Now, bastard, you know what!"

The red-haired girl grabbed his flat neckline, and her golden-green eyes carried undisguised disgust, "Killing people for ideals, using what you love, is the worst scum!"

Haruka Shinjin didn't seem to be able to hear what she was saying anymore.

His glasses were pulled off the bridge of his nose, revealing fearful, weeping eyes.

"Right...... No...... ......"

Looking at the boy's sliding body, Nao's hand gradually lowered, and he let out a long breath.

It didn't take long for the police car to arrive, taking Haruka Shintsu, who was still in tears.

The three of them watched the police car go away, and although they felt a sense of relaxation, they also weighed heavily on the bottom of their hearts.

Haruka Shintsu, who once admired Yuki Inao as an ace pitcher, resented that Inao still did not leave the main selection after his injury, and he believed that if Yuki Inao did not quit the team, Jr. would not have a spot on his training roster...... But what he didn't know was that Yuki Inao's left hand could no longer play, and he would continue to stay on the team only to teach him the skills, enduring seeing his beloved baseball again and again but never touching again.

"It's sad. Nao's eyes were filled with pity.

"But I've finally found the murderer for Yuki Inao, so his family will be at ease. ”

Sato smiled, "But you guys are really good, you actually found the evidence hidden by Haruka Shinjin!"

"Ah, you said this fragment......"

"Crackle!"

Nao and Nioh laughed together.

"I just smashed one of the cups of the Inao family again, and I already knew about the teacup anyway. The girl winked mischievously, "If the real evidence is intact, then tell the prisoner that although the cup was accidentally broken by me, there is still a reaction of blood and saliva, and if the real evidence happens to be fragments—"

"-It's a mistake!"

"You're really ......," Sato couldn't help but hold his forehead.

"Thanks to our fraudster, he came up with the idea. Nao shrugged, "Criminal psychology or something, he seems to be a little interested lately. ”

"Oops, I've won the prize~" Nioh twisted his braid and smiled brightly, "Since you thank me so much, why don't you ...... Ahh

“…… Huh?"

"-Ahh

"That's right, I hear you. ”

"It's not...... Ahh

"I said I heard it, it's 'Ah Sneeze'. ”

"-Ahh

The author has something to say:

Ahh

I have a cold...... Wipe your nose pitifully.