"Brother, wake up, brother!"

In her sleep, Araki Haku heard Yuko Araki's voice.

He struggled to prop open his heavy eyelids and scrambled to his feet, feeling an incomparable exhaustion hit him, and he yawned heavily.

"Yuko, what time is it?" Araki asked, rubbing his eyes.

"It's almost 12 o'clock." Yuko Araki replied.

"It's so late?"

Araki Bai was taken aback and suddenly came to his senses.

"Why didn't you wake me up, did you have breakfast?" Araki Hakuro asked.

Yuko Araki smiled reluctantly and said, "I didn't call you when I saw that my brother was sleeping with Masaka." I had some bread for breakfast, and it was okay. ”

Araki Bai said: "I'll wash up first, and I'll make lunch for you later." ”

Yuko Araki suddenly said, "Brother, there are two guests waiting for you in the living room......"

"Guest?" Araki Bai was stunned.

"It's two policemen...... "Yuko Araki said a little scared, "Brother, you can't do anything bad, right?" ”

She was originally very strange about where Araki Haku got so much money, and it was a mobile phone and a computer, and she didn't get to the bottom because she believed in Araki Haku. But now the police actually came to the door, which suddenly made Araki Yuko a little flustered.

Araki Bai shook his head and said, "Don't worry, my brother hasn't done anything bad. The police are also reasonable people, and they will not arrest people without evidence. ”

Yuko Araki is a little more relieved.

Araki Bai washed up a little and went to the living room with his sister.

Kusanagi and Utsumi were sitting on the sofa drinking tea, and when they saw Araki Bai coming over, Kusanagi first smiled slightly, stood up and said, "I guess you are Araki-kun, hello, I'm Shunpei Kusanagi from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department." ”

Kaoru Utsumi also stood up and said, "Araki-kun, we came here this time because we wanted to find out something from you. ”

Araki Bai smiled slightly and said, "What's the matter?" Did you find evidence that I was looking for someone to pretend to be a bandit, Officer Neihai? ”

Kaoru Utsumi didn't get angry, but smiled and said, "I was wrong last time, I shouldn't have slandered you without evidence, I'm here to apologize to you." ”

Saying that, she really bowed 90 degrees generously.

Araki Bai said: "Officer Neihai doesn't have to mind, I'm not angry. ”

After speaking, he said to Yuko Araki: "Yuko, you go back to your room first, I have something to talk to the two police officers." ”

Yuko Araki was naturally unwilling, but she couldn't bear Araki Bai's insistence, so she could only reluctantly leave the living room.

"Two officers, please take a seat, what can I do to help?" Araki Hakuro pulled a chair and sat down.

Shunpei Kusanagi took out a mobile phone from his arms and showed the photo of "The Death of a Girl" in front of Araki Haku.

"Araki-kun, could you please explain this painting?"

Araki Bai's eyes froze, he didn't expect the two policemen to accidentally discover this key painting. If you are not careful in answering, I am afraid that your secret will be revealed.

"Is there anything wrong with this painting?" Araki Hakuro asked.

"As far as we know, you took out this painting and put it up for auction at a private auction, right?" Kusanagi asked.

Araki Bai nodded.

He knew that it was useless to deny it, there were too many clues pointing to him selling the painting, so he simply admitted the matter generously.

"The girl in this painting is Aya Hirano, a girl who works with you in the Abandoned Heaven Pavilion, I'm right, right?" Kusanagi asked.

"If you just look at her looks, her appearance is indeed the appearance of Hirano." Araki Bai replied.

"Can you tell us how you got this painting?" Kusanagi asked.

Araki Bai was silent for a while, and then said, "I painted this painting. ”

Kusanagi and Utsumi glanced at each other, not expecting such an answer. They originally thought that Araki Hakuro had found the painting somewhere, so they knew in advance that someone was going to do something to Aya Hirano. But this painting was actually painted by Hakuro Araki? Things suddenly turned bizarre.

"As far as I know, the author of this painting has already reached a master's level, is this really your painting?" Kusanagi asked.

"What, I don't look like a master?" Araki asked, smiling.

Looking at his calm and breezy appearance, it doesn't look like he's joking.

Kaoru Utsumi asked, "Let's admit that you painted it." So, why did you paint such a picture? Did you know that Aya Hirano had an accident that night? ”

Araki Bai shook his head and said, "How could I possibly know that I am not a prophet. Originally, I didn't want to use Hirano as a template, but when I was drawing, I didn't know why Hirano's shadow always jumped out of my mind, so I accidentally drew the girl's appearance into Hirano. On the day the painting was completed, I fainted due to anemia and was taken to the hospital. Then I woke up in the hospital, and I realized how I felt for Hirano, so I hurriedly discharged from the hospital to find her. I wanted to tell Hirano how I felt, so I asked the store manager for Hirano's address. As a result, I met Sagawa who was attacked by a pervert on the road, and I thought she was Hirano, so I picked up the trash can and rushed to the pervert...... I think the rest of the story should be clear to you. ”

Kusanagi kept staring into his eyes while Araki Bai spoke, and after he finished speaking, Kusanagi suddenly asked, "Since you have a crush on Hirano, why did you paint a picture of her being stabbed to death?" ”

Araki Hakudo: "I said, when I started painting this painting, I didn't originally use Hirano as a template, so this painting should have nothing to do with Hirano. As for why I painted a picture of a young girl stabbed to death, it was mainly because I was being called on for a debt by a loan shark at the time. An unknown artist like me, if he wants to sell his paintings for a good price, he definitely can't choose those bad street subjects, so I tried to paint a curious painting. As it turned out, I succeeded, and a rich man bought the painting back for 15 million. ”

Kusanagi nodded, and then asked, "But after my investigation, it seems that you didn't confess to Aya Hirano later." ”

Araki Hakuro said: "The battle with that pervert made me completely vent that impulse, and then I never managed to muster up the courage to confess to Hirano, so now I still maintain a relationship with Hirano as an ordinary friend." ”

In Kusanagi's career as a criminal policeman, some prisoners were indeed able to lie without blinking. But there are few people who can be like Araki Shiro, who almost completely does not show the slightest flaw in front of him. Either the kid in front of him is telling the truth, or he's a person who is very good at disguising himself.

Kusanagi believed that Araki Haku was the latter, and he must have something he hadn't confessed to them.

Kusanagi stared into Araki's white eyes and said, "I originally thought that this painting was most likely related to that mask pervert, but you said that you painted it, and you are clearly not that madman." ”

Araki Bai smiled slightly and said, "I also want to help you find that pervert, but please forgive me for not being able to do anything. If the police could devote their efforts to investigating innocent citizens like me to the investigation of the real masked pervert, perhaps this case would soon be solved. ”

Kusanagi naturally heard the soft nails in Araki's vernacular, and he said with a smile: "We don't want to bother investigating innocent citizens like you, but before we start an investigation, who knows if we can find clues to solve the case from you?" No one is a prophet, you are not, and we are not, isn't it? ”

Araki Bai nodded and said, "What you said makes a lot of sense, Officer Kusanagi. Is there anything else I can help me with? ”

Kusanagi sighed, stood up, and said, "That's all for today, if there's anything else you need help with, we'll come to you." ”

Kaoru Utsumi also stood up and left the Araki Hakuro house with Kusanagi.