Layers of flannel blackout curtains cover the European-style lattice windows, and the white light from the half-open curtains casts a miserable white light on the huge desk facing the door, the solid wood desk, the decorative fireplace with gold hooks, the antique lamp and the furniture...... Heavy but not lacking in delicate furnishings, in front of the two of them, spread out a picture of luxurious temperament.

Stepping into the room on a soft, woolly carpet, Nioh slammed the door shut with his back and whistled loudly at what seemed to be a scene in a movie.

"The room we stayed in was already an exaggeration, but I didn't expect it to be even more extraordinary here!"

"The North Claw family can be regarded as a big family, and there is nothing strange about this style. Yanagi looked around the room as he paced to the bookshelf that occupied an entire wall, and he looked up at the old bookshelf crammed with brick-thick books, and his words were full of admiration, "Edgar Allan Poe, Shoji Shimada, Maurice LeBlanc, Edogawa Ranbu...... There's even the first edition of Yusaku Kudo's "Baron of the Night"!

"Hey, Hey——!!"

Nioh's eyes quickly grabbed his arm that couldn't help but reach for the bookshelf, and the corners of his mouth twitched as he looked at Yanagi, whose elegant temperament had been completely replaced by fanaticism, "Don't forget our purpose!

"Yes, that's right—I was rude. ”

Yanagi coughed dryly, withdrew his hand and pushed his glasses awkwardly, "Then, the first thing to investigate is the relationship between the owner of this room and the 'E.S.S.'...... Since the clue is a letter opener, let's start the investigation from the desk. ”

“......”

Faced with Yagyu Hirushi, who quickly put on a serious expression and had "nothing happened just now" written on his face, Nioh Masaharu rarely collapsed his shoulders helplessly.

So, taking advantage of the short time after the murder and the fact that no one else could act alone, the two teenagers began to investigate the room that had a close relationship with the owner of the murder weapon - not to mention how they pulled open drawers with handkerchiefs and rummaged through cabinets to find clues, and took over the preliminary post-mortem work, they found something unusual first.

"Strange ......"

The red-haired girl squatted on the ground, her fingers wrapped in white gloves broke open the jaws of the charred corpse lying on her back, and frowned at the teeth in the corpse's mouth, and beside her, the dark-skinned Osaka boy carefully held a handkerchief and stood by the door two meters away, twisting his face and looking almost vomited.

"Aren't you alright?" asked Hattori Heiji, calming his churning throat and feeling a little weak.

"Almost. ”

Nao let out a long breath and stood up, her eyes looking at the corpse complicated.

The body of the deceased was burned badly, the entire left leg and part of the body had been charred, and the wooden floor around the body had been burned out of a large hole in the shape of a human figure - this effect could only be achieved in a rainy and humid environment by pouring flammable materials directly on the body and igniting it.

On the other hand, the immense pain of being burned by the flames all over the body was undoubtedly unbearable, but judging from the traces around the body, the deceased did not struggle after being set on fire...... This unusual phenomenon aroused Nao's suspicions.

Was Koji Haneda really burned to death?

Or is it - this is not the first scene at all?

The exact cause and time of death of the deceased must be determined by a forensic autopsy, but this is obviously not possible in this isolated mountain, and the investigation without determining the cause and time of death will undoubtedly make it more difficult to solve the case.

But—

Nao turned to look at the copper-yellow object that Hattori was holding, and the dent found in the deceased's teeth was reflected in his mind, and a hint of playfulness crossed his green eyes, which were foggy with a low-grade fever.

"What a coincidence. She muttered.

By the time Nao and Hattori returned to the villa, it was already time for dinner.

Nioh and Yagyu's investigation has also come to an end, and the two sitting at the dining table are silently cutting the steak, but their eyes are from time to time looking at the red-haired girl sitting at the head of the main seat on the right side, and their eyes are full of excitement and eagerness. Nao felt the gaze cast on him, knowing that they must have found some important clues, and his mood became more and more good, and the corners of his mouth even hooked up a faint smile.

Heiji Hattori, who was sitting at the bottom, looked at the crimson beef with sauce on the plate, but what flashed in his mind was the charred skin-like corpse, and after calming down for a while, there was a surge in the depths of his throat, and he suddenly lost his appetite. He put down his knife and fork and looked at Nao, who was more and more comfortable and even smiling, and there was a little disbelief on his face.

The knife in the girl's hand skillfully cut off the beef piece by piece, took a small piece with a fork and put it in her mouth, and even saw the tendons and thin blood streaks where the knife cut, it was like eating, it was like eating—

"Hmm...... It's rude, it's rude!"

The dark-skinned boy covered his mouth and ran out of the restaurant.

"I'm full, thank you for the hospitality. ”

Nao dipped the napkin in the corner of her mouth and stood up, and the few people who were looking at each other nodded in motion, and left the table in the direction where Hattori Heiji left.

There was the sound of rushing water in the bathroom, not the sound of crows croaking outside the window.

Hattori propped his hands on the washstand, letting the cold mountain spring water wet his head and flow down the bridge of his nose and the ends of his hair. His bloodshot eyes widened, and he gasped for breath, as if he was about to squirt out all the unwillingness and frustration in his chest, so fierce that even his clenched fists trembled.

For the first time since he came into contact with the case behind his father, he realized his powerlessness - he didn't even have the courage to touch it in the face of the hideous corpse that smelled of it, let alone investigate, and even escaped from the dining room like a rookie and hid and retched, which was half as good as the girl his age......

Trembling with fear in front of a scorched corpse, why did he take the title of "Kansai Boy Detective" on himself? With his father's kendo? Inherited from his mother's calmness? Or inherited from his grandfather's dark skin??—— and he was still complacent because of these things, immersed in the praise of his father's colleagues?

Is it because of my age, my father's position, or my true ability?

Is the tragic death I have not encountered so far because of their protection?

- Heiji Hattori kept asking himself in his heart.

The boy who has been on the road of smooth sailing in his search for the truth seems to realize for the first time that there is more to detectives than just endless tricks and fascinating reasoning...... More of □ naked deaths and blood.

"Are you crying - the son of the head of the Osaka Metropolitan Police Department, Heiji Hattori?"

A slightly cool voice sounded in his ears, making the Osaka boy with his head down tremble suddenly.

"Who is crying, idiot!"

Hattori Heiji wiped his water-stained face and roared viciously. Nao leaned against the door frame, looked at the young man whose voice was a little broken, and smiled disappretently, "Actually, you are quite famous in our class, the son of Hattori Hirazo, the head of the Osaka Prefectural Police Department, it is said that his reasoning ability has swept the entire Kansai, and he is a good kendo, even the elite of the Osaka Police Search Division are full of praise for you, and there are not even a few people in the country who have obtained these reputations at the age of fourteen......"

"Don't say it...... What swept across the entire Kansai is just a little ghost who trembles even at the sight of a corpse. ”

"Is it humiliating?"

"What ......"

"I say, is it embarrassing to tremble at the sight of a corpse?" Nao pouted at the confused-looking young man, "In our place, even touching a corpse with a complete body will scare some students into tears, let alone this kind of charred corpse that can barely see a human form—it seems that you are the first time, and you have already done a good job." ”

"It's a different ......," Hattori said with a wry smile as he took a step back and sat down, shaking the drops of water from his hair, "I've been encountering all kinds of cases for as long as I can remember, and touching corpses and stuff has been common in the past two years - but never once did I feel like I was covered in a cold sweat even standing there." ”

"It's nothing, you just finally realized it. The girl's eyes softened as she listened to him whisper, "The corpse is a tool used to point out the murderer, and it is the last word left by the deceased in the world...... You must have thought so before, so you don't feel a mental burden even if you touch them with your hands. But this time, maybe it was because the corpse was too hideous, or maybe it was because there was no sense of security from the flashing lights of the forensic department...... But whatever the reason, it makes you feel that solving a case is a game of reasoning. You should be aware of it......"

Hattori Heiji slowly raised his head and stared at her in the girl's slightly hoarse voice, staring at the pair of firefly-green, overly sharp pupils, and words that seemed to be carved into his heart gradually sounded from the depths of his cochlea.

It's not the corpse that you refuse to touch—it's death.

"Try to understand it, understand and accept with awe the qiē that comes with death...... Whether it's sorrow, pain, relief, or fear. Nao turned, leaving him with a slender but tall back, "—if you didn't treat the case as a game. Of course, no one will blame you if you don't change that mentality, after all, you are just a junior high school student who likes to reason. ”

Hattori Heiji looked at the already empty doorway, slapped his face hard, and the dark blue pupils flashed with that familiar light again-

"How is that possible! Self-examination and root nature are also derived from the excellent genetics of that squinting fox, dumb!"

The rekindled Hattori boy followed Nao's steps towards the living room, but he didn't seem to notice the information revealed in Nao's words, otherwise he wouldn't have screamed in surprise when he saw the news - of course, this will only happen after the case is solved.