Chapter 14: Police Intervention
Two hours post-incident, police rapidly cordoned off this not-particularly-remote alley.
Raised police tape attracted clustering pedestrians craning necks, desperate for glimpses inside.
Hachimoto Taro stood within the perimeter, cigarette dangling from his lips, keen eyes scanning the crowd.
Supposedly many serial killers enjoyed mixing into crowds post-crime, savoring police frustration while extracting secondary pleasure.
Unfortunately, by the time this cigarette burned to its filter, he'd detected no abnormalities.
Only a mob of curiosity-excited ordinary citizens, plus several phone-wielding influencers hoping to film viral content.
"Any discoveries, Hachimoto-senpai?"
The tape lifted as a younger figure ducked inside.
Kosaka Itsuki removed his disposable medical gloves, casually tossing them into an evidence bag.
Hachimoto spat out his cigarette butt, grinding it under his shoe.
"Just a crowd of spectators waiting for the show."
"How's it inside? What's the medical examiner saying?"
Kosaka glanced back toward the alley.
"The ME's still assembling pieces."
"Not exaggerating, senpai—the victims' wounds are abnormally clean. Cut surfaces perfectly smooth. Doesn't resemble human capability at all. More like getting thrown through an industrial laser cutting assembly line."
Hachimoto frowned, extracting another cigarette without lighting it, merely spinning it between fingers.
"No tool marks? The murder weapon? Even sliced that thoroughly, there should be some trace. Chainsaw? Wood chipper?"
"That's the most hellish part." Kosaka lowered his voice as if fearing disturbing something.
"No serration marks. No tearing wounds. Every cut surface... like being instantly severed by some ultra-high-powered industrial laser. Smooth, clean—even bone cross-sections show no debris. The ME says even using surgery room's most precise laser scalpel couldn't accomplish this volume of work in mere seconds."
Hachimoto fell silent.
He observed the unlit cigarette in hand, mind attempting to reconstruct the crime scene, but imagination proved impoverished before this bizarre reality.
"Laser cutting? In this alley where half the streetlights are broken?"
He released a derisive laugh. "That's quite the joke."
"I also think it's absurd." Kosaka closed his notebook. "But the fact remains—three people became several hundred fragments. Even using chainsaws, you'd need half an hour minimum, right? Yet nobody nearby heard chainsaw sounds. Nobody witnessed any large equipment entering or exiting."
"Senpai find anything here?"
Hachimoto sighed, returning the cigarette to its pack.
He turned toward the roadside utility pole, pointing at the surveillance camera still blinking red.
"Just checked the footage."
"5:33 PM—those four victims entered."
"Then until 5:56 PM when we received that emergency call—"
"During those twenty-three minutes, nine people passed this street. Four glanced inside but all quickened their pace and left for various reasons."
"Nobody entered?" Kosaka asked.
"Nobody."
Hachimoto shook his head. "Not one person. This alley's a dead end—five-meter firebreak walls on both sides. Unless the killer dropped from the sky—"
Kosaka's eyes widened. "How's that possible? It's a dead end. I checked those walls too—over three meters high without footholds. Unless the killer flies."
Unscientific.
Excluding urban legend supernatural nonsense, only two possibilities remained.
Either the killer was already hiding inside before those four entered.
But the alley overflowed with debris. Hiding a person might prove manageable, but concealing heavy equipment capable of slicing people into fragments? Absolutely fantastical.
"Who was that final passerby?"
Kosaka suddenly asked.
Hachimoto said nothing, extracting his phone, illuminating the screen to display a pre-saved video segment.
"This shows the last person passing during the crime window. Timestamp: 5:54 PM."
Video playback began.
Footage was somewhat blurry but clearly showed a black-haired youth in school uniform carrying a backpack. He stopped at the alley entrance, turning sideways to glance inside. That movement seemed natural—simple curiosity any passerby might display.
"Kazama Chiba." Hachimoto announced the name. "Sakigawa High second-year student. Records show a typical invisible person—no delinquent history, average grades, orphaned parents."
He clicked play.
The video youth lingered at the entrance two seconds before apparently sensing something, suddenly turning his head. Those eyes stared directly at the camera position.
In that instant—
Zzzzzt—
The police terminal screen suddenly exploded with static snow, high-frequency flickering persisting exactly four seconds. Even audio transformed into ear-piercing electrical noise.
"This..." Kosaka frowned. "What's with this static? Equipment malfunction?"
"Technical division says it experienced some kind of instantaneous high-intensity electromagnetic interference." Hachimoto shrugged. "But at that time point, that location, sudden strong magnetic interference? Too coincidental."
Static persisted exactly five seconds before vanishing.
When footage regained clarity—
That youth remained standing in place. His posture barely changed. Then he turned around, walking away with steady steps like nothing happened, exiting frame.
"Just left like that?"
"Just left." Hachimoto pocketed the terminal. "I checked all surveillance for that time point. Less than five minutes after he left, that emergency call came through."
"So senpai suspects this kid?"
Hachimoto smiled.
"Theoretically speaking, he's most suspicious. Only when he passed did surveillance fail. During this twenty-three-minute crime window, he's the last person possibly contacting the scene."
Kosaka pointed at the screen.
"But this doesn't make sense. Even if he exploited those five seconds rushing inside, then what? Five seconds to slice three thugs into fragments while leaving completely bloodless? Even professional assassins couldn't manage that, much less a high schooler."
"Right. Logically inconsistent."
Hachimoto sighed. "That's my biggest headache. Instinct screams this kid's wrong, but reason says it's coincidence. I checked his records—orphan, usual reputation... how to put it, somewhat withdrawn, frequently bullied. This type doesn't seem capable of spectacular cases like this."
"Then he's just a passerby." Kosaka concluded. "Probably just unlucky, happened to encounter interference waves."
Both men exchanged glances, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
Eliminating the only suspect transformed this case into an unsolvable locked-room mystery.
"Then we can only question that sole survivor."
Hachimoto turned, gaze crossing the police line toward the patrol car.
The rear door stood open. A girl wrapped in a blanket sat inside, hands clutching a steaming coffee cup, body trembling uncontrollably.
"I don't know... I didn't see anything... I really don't know..."
"Stubborn mouth." Kosaka scratched his head irritably. "Scared this badly, still playing games with us. I refuse to believe she spent twenty minutes in that alley genuinely keeping her eyes closed the entire time."
"Under extreme terror, people selectively forget, or... deliberately conceal." Hachimoto approached, leaning against the car door. "This girl's clearly protecting someone. Or rather, she fears the killer more than she fears us."
"Family notified?" Kosaka asked.
"Called them." Hachimoto checked his watch. "Said her brother's coming. Records indicate he's a model student. Hopefully he'll cooperate, help us pry open this girl's mouth."
"Brother, huh..."
Kosaka scratched his chin stubble.
"Alright. Hope he's reasonable."
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