Thoma recounted Hirota Ai's suicide once more. As expected, the moment his words fell, Hirota Jiro gave the exact same answer as his wife.
"This is impossible! No one else would commit suicide, but my daughter couldn't possibly!"
Hirota Jiro had been a soldier in his early years, so his psychological resilience was undoubtedly strong. Although heartbroken by the evidence, he maintained a considerable degree of calmness.
"It is precisely because there is something suspicious about this matter that we need to have a good talk, isn't it?" Thoma said.
"Hmm… come in…"
Hirota Jiro pulled his almost dazed wife into the house, and Thoma followed closely behind.
The two sat down on the tatami, while Miyu Hongda was carried back to the bedroom by Hirota Jiro.
"Mr. Hongda, could you please tell me in detail what your daughter has been doing recently? The more detailed, the better."
"…" Hirota Jiro's brows furrowed into a knot upon hearing this. He thought carefully but found that his daughter's behavior was completely normal.
"She usually hangs out with the Akiyama family's boy, and sometimes she stays at home reading the latest novels published by Yae Publishing House. Nothing special."
"That's strange then. If it was suicide, there's absolutely no reason, is there?"
Thoma felt that this matter was truly too peculiar. Everything in this world adheres to a cause-and-effect relationship; there must be a cause for a result. However, there was no cause for Hirota Ai's death.
Instead, it seemed more like an accident, such as tripping while walking or accidentally falling off a cliff while climbing a mountain.
But where is the saying of accidentally committing suicide? Accidental death is a macroscopic factor, while suicide is a subjective factor, because it is the deceased's own intention. But if she didn't intend it at all, how can it be called suicide?
"By the way, you keep mentioning the Akiyama family's boy. Could you call him over? You also said he's been with your daughter recently; maybe he knows something."
"You're right… Then please wait a moment. I'll go see if he's home. If he is, I'll call him over," Hirota Jiro said, standing up. After refilling Thoma's cup with hot water, he left the house.
Not long after, Hirota Jiro returned, leading a young man.
The young man's face still held a bewildered expression; clearly, he had no idea why his stern future father-in-law had called him over.
"Mr. Thoma, I've brought him here."
"Hmm, your name is Akiyama Satoru, right? I'll be direct. Your fiancée committed suicide by jumping off a bridge at two o'clock this afternoon, but since there's no reason for it, I need you to explain her recent behavior to me. This concerns her true cause of death."
"What?"
Akiyama Satoru's eyes widened. The information was too much for him to process. How could she just commit suicide out of nowhere?
"Have you made a mistake? Ai and I were doing great. How could she commit suicide?"
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. Don't you want to know why she jumped off the bridge to commit suicide?" Thoma slammed the table. With three consecutive people reacting the same way, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.
"I…"
Akiyama Satoru lowered his head deeply, his face now filled with confusion. His beloved had suddenly died just like that, and by suicide. Anyone would react this way.
"Sigh…"
Thoma sighed. Just by looking at his expression, he knew that no useful information would be gleaned from him.
"You two think carefully again. For example, has Hirota Ai had any abnormal behavior recently? I'll be back tomorrow."
"Also, please claim the body as soon as possible. No matter what, let the deceased rest in peace first." After saying that, Thoma left.
On the way back to Komore Teahouse, Thoma couldn't help but vigorously scratch his hair. He really hadn't expected to question so many people and still not get a single clue. Was it really just going to be left unresolved like this?
Although he considered the possibility that the passerby might have misread the expression, he quickly dismissed it. Just as he thought, if it was truly suicide, there had to be a reason, unlike the current situation.
Living a normal, ordinary, but happy life, and then suddenly committing suicide? It simply didn't make sense, right?
That night, Thoma tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He simply couldn't figure it out.
It wasn't until late the next morning that Thoma, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, walked out of Komore Teahouse.
However, he hadn't even reached the construction site when, his nerves sensitive from the suicide case, he heard that familiar word again.
"Hey, did you know? Someone just jumped from next to Hyakumonogatari, and their head went *thud* against the flagstones of Hanamizaka. It just exploded, red and white everywhere!"
Upon hearing this, Thoma instantly perked up. He rubbed his eyes, adjusted his expression, and approached the two talking people.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, I just heard you say…"
"Oh, it's Mr. Thoma! You wouldn't believe it, but a girl just jumped straight down from Hyakumonogatari! So many people saw it, I'm not making this up!"
"And do you know who that girl was?"
"Uh, let me think… I heard someone say… it seemed to be Yamada Tomomi? I'm not too sure about the details, perhaps you can ask others near the stairs."
"Thank you for the information!"
Thoma thanked him and then quickly ran to the stairs. Sure enough, there was a large crowd gathered below. As for the deceased's body, it had already been removed, leaving only the area circled by a warning sign.
Looking around, Thoma approached a middle-aged man with a regretful expression and asked, "Uncle, do you know who the deceased Yamada Tomomi was?"
"Of course, I know! That young lady and I were neighbors!"
"It's truly a pity, such a wonderful girl. She was about to get married, why would she think of jumping down like that?"
"Sigh… you didn't see her fiancé, he was crying his heart out, truly heartbroken. He fainted on the spot and is probably lying in the medical clinic now!"
Listening to the uncle's words, Thoma felt a sense of déjà vu. These characteristics… how are they so similar to Hirota Ai?
Female, young, about to get married, and most importantly, an unprovoked suicide. What exactly is going on?
"Then do you know which medical clinic it is?"
"Hmm… I think it was Wenbu Medical Clinic?"
Without time to thank him, Thoma ran directly to Wenbu Medical Clinic, leaving the uncle behind to sigh to himself, "Oh, that young man, he runs so fast!"
Arriving at the entrance of Wenbu Medical Clinic, before even entering, Thoma heard, "Why is it another unconscious person?"
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