02x04 - The Yuki-Onna's Innocence

[bunniefuu]

I know who the true culprit is.

There's really no need to rush,

but I guess I can tell you how that will also be resolved.

You know who the true culprit is?

What do you mean by that?

Yes. Frankly speaking, you're already out of danger, Muroi-san.

Even without my help, the likelihood that you will be arrested is rather low.

B-But don't the police have their eyes on me?

You're just being paranoid.

The police don't have time to try to go after someone

who's not even that suspicious.

But why have the suspicions around me lessened suddenly?

The body of the victim, Miharu-san, did not have her money, keys,

identification, or cellphone taken from her.

There are no signs of her clothes being disheveled

or anyone entering her apartment.

That's why.

Miharu-san was dragged to the m*rder scene by the culprit,

or she was invited there.

In which case, she and the culprit

would've had time to have some degree of conversation.

And if that's the case, and you were the culprit, Miharu-san would've said,

"If you k*ll me, you'll be caught for sure."

"If something happens to me,

I've made sure that a formal accusation against you will go to the police."

"If you go home without doing anything to me, I won't tell anyone about today."

Wouldn't she at least try to bargain with you like that?

The accusation could be used

as a w*apon to get revenge against the culprit after her death,

but it could also act as a shield so she wouldn't be k*lled.

If Miharu-san was truly worried about you k*lling her,

she would've used the formal accusation against you in order to protect herself.

If that negotiation took place, Miharu-san wouldn't have been k*lled.

There's no way she wouldn't tell you about the formal accusation.

After all that,

if you had k*lled Miharu-san...

Even if it was possible that the formal accusation was a bluff,

I would probably think that I'd have to deal with it somehow.

Yes.

O-Oh...

And in that case, you would try to figure out a way to get the letter,

and probably think of searching Miharu-san's apartment.

But it's possible that you'd show up on the security cameras near there.

And if she had hidden it somewhere else,

you'd leave traces of your presence behind with all that extra movement.

So you'd give up on trying to retrieve the letter after all.

In that case...

In order to make sure the crime didn't seem solely due to a grudge,

you may have taken her money or other belongings to make it look like a robbery,

or made it seem like it was sexual as*ault.

You would've also tried to hide the body so it wouldn't be found.

To ensure she wouldn't be identified immediately,

you'd destroy her teeth and fingerprints, and take her ID and her phone.

You would've at least done these things.

But there were no signs of any of that,

and they determined early in the investigation that the motive was a grudge.

And when the police went to question you...

When they asked you for an alibi, you couldn't answer immediately.

They had security camera footage of you and a woman resembling Miharu-san,

and you weren't able to give a clear explanation for that, either.

How suspicious!

If you had known about Miharu-san's formal accusation,

you probably would've expected to be investigated by the police.

So it's hard to imagine that

you'd be unprepared and only do things that made you seem more suspicious.

The police have also noticed these inconsistencies,

and are now concentrating on finding another with a possible motive.

If you hadn't met with Yuki-Onna,

there wouldn't be any security camera footage,

and you could've clearly told them that you had no alibi when they questioned you.

They can't invalidate an alibi that doesn't exist,

and since you're rarely with anyone else, there'd be very little evidence against you.

This would make the police investigation more difficult,

and it would deepen their suspicions.

Yuki-Onna seemed to be worried that she had put you in a predicament,

but in truth, it was the opposite.

Ironically, because you couldn't talk about Yuki-Onna,

your suspicious behavior actually got you out of danger.

But then, how would you interpret what was written on Miharu's hand?

You would obviously suspect that she was trying to write my name.

Masayu

It is very likely that Miharu-san was k*lled in a situation

where she could clearly identify who the culprit was.

If you are not the m*rder*r,

then it's natural to think that the actual m*rder*r

wrote it on her hand after k*lling her

to make it seem like you were the m*rder*r.

It happens all the time.

But...

There's no public knowledge about any motive I'd have to k*ll Miharu.

Of course, it'd be different if people knew that

I divorced her because she tried to k*ll me,

but I haven't told anyone.

And it's not like she'd tell anyone that she actually attempted a m*rder.

In that case, who would think they could set me up as the m*rder*r?

For some in this world, infidelity is more than enough of a motive for m*rder.

They may have been possessive in a warped way,

or their pride might've been hurt.

I'd definitely want to k*ll my boyfriend if he cheated on me.

I see...

I was partly at fault for Miharu's infidelity, too...

I don't think your boyfriend would die even if you tried to k*ll him, my lady.

Though I didn't even think of that.

If we connect this with the fact that your

former friend, who had betrayed you, d*ed years later,

it'd be easy to think that you are a vengeful man who couldn't condone betrayal.

Your former colleagues would've also feared that you might seek revenge,

and may have spread such a reputation about you without your knowledge.

That's why the m*rder*r wrote part of your name on Miharu-san's hand

so the suspicions would fall on you.

And in order to make the police believe that you are the m*rder*r,

it would be vital for you to not have an alibi at the time of the m*rder.

So the m*rder*r would've made sure you didn't have an alibi,

We're getting closer to the truth.

or confirmed that there were no witnesses.

The person who was able to do that, and did do that, is the true m*rder*r.

Perhaps I shouldn't let her say any more.

Muroi-san, in your case, there are only

a few people who could have done this, correct?

There's only one person

who could've done that.

Are you telling me... it was Iizuka?

Yes.

Iizuka Nagisa. She is the m*rder*r.

Iizuka Nagisa

Decline Answer

Iizuka Nagisa

The Yuki-Onna's Innocence

Iizuka Nagisa

Decline Answer

Masayuki...

I've at least mentioned her to you.

When my company went through a merger,

Iizuka sided with me.

She was one of the few employees we had,

and a capable subordinate who could carry on the work I'd started before quitting.

She was the only one who kept in contact with me

after I was run out of my company.

I thought she was just being cordial,

but I didn't think she had a grudge against me.

On that night around PM...

Yuki-Onna had come over, so we were preparing tempura,

Iizuka Nagisa

and then I got a phone call.

Hello?

Are you alone right now?

You can go ahead and eat.

Right now?

I'm home alone.

It's so good!

I've just been a shut-in, as usual.

I see.

I'm planning on having a drink and reading until dawn.

President...

I'm not the president anymore.

Please excuse me. Muroi-san...

What is it?

I'll be waiting for you to start a new job.

Right...

Well, I'm gonna hang up. I'll leave the rest to you.

Right. Goodnight.

And after she confirmed you wouldn't have a solid alibi at the time of the m*rder,

she set her m*rder plans in motion.

B-But why would Iizuka...

I don't know why she'd have a grudge against me,

and she only met Miharu a handful of times.

She had been calling me quite often lately.

Call History All Iizuka Nagisa Yesterday Safe Care Damage Insurance Tuesday Iizuka Nagisa Thursday Withheld Friday Iizuka Nagisa Sunday Takumo Home Center Wednesday Iizuka Nagisa Saturday Iizuka Nagisa Saturday

She said she learned of Miharu's m*rder because the police came to question her.

She wanted to know if she could help with anything, and if she could...

come over sometime.

Message

Iizuka: Muroi-san

Message

Iizuka: Muroi-san

Message

Iizuka: Please call me

She tried to frame me?

But why?!

Well, I'm afraid I don't have all the answers.

The police are now

investigating under the assumption that someone tried to frame you,

so let's wait until she's arrested.

She probably didn't think that she was the only one who could've known

what you were doing that night.

She probably didn't think that you were so satisfied

with your relationship with Yuki-Onna that you had

completely separated yourself from the rest of society.

And since she let her guard down so much,

she might be arrested sooner than we think.

Be strong.

You didn't do anything wrong.

Yeah.

I'll make it through this.

Even if I am at fault...

You told me that false theory first so that I could handle the truth.

Without that, you knew I might never be able to trust another soul again.

I am the goddess of wisdom, after all.

I am always thoughtful.

But I'm surprised you can predict where the police are in their investigation.

Is that due to your insight as the goddess of wisdom, too?

I just had some ghosts eavesdrop on how their investigation was going at the station.

That's also how I found out that they were no longer as suspicious of you.

Isn't that cheating?

Well, doesn't that speed up the process?

There were quite a few ghosts at the riverbed where the m*rder happened,

and they witnessed it.

Female.

About centimeters tall.

Brown hair.

From their testimonies,

I knew some physical details and the sex of the m*rder*r,

and it was clear that you were not the culprit.

They also witnessed the m*rder*r writing the message on her hand.

Masayu

So I narrowed down the list of people around you,

and had the ghosts who witnessed the m*rder confirm that it was Iizuka Nagisa.

So you knew who the m*rder*r was

before you even came up with that theory?

I clearly mentioned that I knew who the true culprit was.

I won't interfere with whatever you're going to do now.

Whether it be with this incident or your relationship with Yuki-Onna.

There are differences between humans and yokai,

so things won't go well forever.

But still, there is a honeymoon period.

And even if it may be short,

I'm pretty sure no one can take that away from you.

I wish you both happiness.

Masayuki!

Did you hear that? Our ladyship approves!

Yeah.

But don't forget the contraceptives!

Unlike in the past, I'm sure a child

born between a human and yokai would struggle in the modern day.

In Koizumi Yakumo's story, the Yuki-Onna had ten children—

You're really going to bring that up?

Oh, whoa.

What are you doing, Senpai?

I dropped the tea, and...

Um, uh...

Good evening?

Pardon.

This is my boyfriend, Sakuragawa Kuro.

He's part yokai, and to Yuki-Onna, he probably looks like some terrible monster.

Monster...

H-He...

He ate the flesh of a mermaid and also the flesh of another yokai,

and became a monster with terrible powers!

I can't say he really looks like that.

He's got a much cuter face than I do.

Nay! In my eyes, he's...

That creature is...

In comparison, you are so precious!

Precious?

I knew I smelled something rancid and felt an ominous presence.

Er, I know that Kuro-dono means no harm, but...

A-Anyway, my lady, how can I ever thank you?

Oh, it's fine, really. You two are in the optimal mood.

So hurry on home

and bone already.

That's so vulgar...

Hey!

With that, my lady and Kuro-dono,

thank you so much!

Well, that was another troublesome case.

It would've been easy for you to just identify the m*rder*r.

Considering Yuki-Onna's reaction, it was the right decision to have you hide.

For this case, it was necessary for Yuki-Onna to defend Muroi-san.

Yokai have a hard time defying me as it is,

but if you were also present,

Yuki-Onna likely would've shriveled up and been unable to speak.

Then you probably went too far with that act in the beginning, didn't you?

That alone nearly made her shrivel up.

Well, just imagining that was infuriating.

It's because of how you usually act, Senpai.

Well, I have no choice but to tag along

because you're always taking on more than you can handle.

I wrote out an outline and gathered some documents,

so make sure you write that report.

So... what was the motive of the true m*rder*r, Iizuka Nagisa?

You already looked into that, right?

She respects Muroi-san, and also loves him.

That's why she was frustrated that his ex-wife cheated on him.

She also wanted to go with Muroi-san when he left the company, but...

I'll be able to quit without worrying if you remain here.

Muroi-san had no intention of finding a new job nor relying on her.

She resisted getting close to him

because she figured she'd just be inconveniencing him.

But his distrust for others had him at a standstill.

No matter how many months passed, he just stayed cooped up in that house.

Flower Gift Promotion

She just couldn't bear that any longer,

and resorted to m*rder to get out of that situation.

Iizuka Nagisa pretended like she just

coincidentally ran into Miharu-san while on a business trip.

By the way, Muroi-san was asking me if I knew what you were up to lately.

He might be thinking about reconciling.

What?

Her plan was to start chatting with Miharu-san even more, after bringing up Muroi-san,

and then taking her somewhere with no one else around,

but Miharu-san was scared that her ex-husband would harm her,

so she was genuinely curious as to what he was up to.

She wanted to know more, so apparently,

it was Miharu-san who invited her to the riverbed.

Iizuka Nagisa couldn't have asked for a better scenario.

And then, Miharu-san was k*lled.

But why did Iizuka Nagisa go

out of her way to make it look like Muroi-san committed the m*rder?

If she was obsessed with him and loved him,

she may have k*lled Miharu-san, but not resorted to framing him.

Well, that's the twisted part, you see.

She had kept in contact with him after he quit,

and even if he was treated like a m*rder*r, if she believed in him

and didn't change her attitude toward him,

you'd think Muroi-san would end up relying on her.

He may even eventually fall in love with her.

After being suspected of m*rder,

Muroi-san would be suffering and feel all alone,

and only she would get closer to him,

believe in him, and devote herself to him.

That's the kind of situation she was trying to create.

That's why the m*rder victim could've been anyone

who would make Muroi-san a suspect,

but not make Iizuka Nagisa a suspect.

Yeah, that's twisted, all right.

But if Muroi-san ended up getting arrested as the m*rder*r,

what good would that have done?

That would probably be the part Iizuka Nagisa miscalculated.

And trying to make others believe Muroi-san couldn't forgive his ex-wife

for having cheated on him and ultimately k*lled her is rather forced.

The message she wrote and her knowledge of evidence were both weak.

So even if Muroi-san was suspected of m*rder,

she probably thought they wouldn't be able to make that suspicion stick in the end.

But then, Miharu-san's formal accusation letter was revealed,

and there was footage that made him even more suspicious.

And because of that, the police suspected Muroi-san way more than necessary,

so he was actually almost arrested.

I see.

So that's why, even two weeks after the m*rder was discovered,

she didn't create more evidence that would put Muroi-san

at a further disadvantage.

I wasn't sure if I should've told Muroi-san all this earlier,

but she probably couldn't go through with it.

It would just make him depressed again.

It'll take a while for the police to uncover the truth,

and by then,

I'm sure Muroi-san will have healed enough to accept everything.

Tonight, Yuki-Onna has the opportunity to get even closer to him.

If I were to tell him something that would've interrupted that,

Yuki-Onna would resent me.

Muroi-san might be fated to have bad luck with women.

When his friend first tried to k*ll him,

when his ex-wife attempted to m*rder him,

and then this incident all involved some kind of trouble with women.

He's probably destined to have wicked women fall in love with him.

I mean, there's Yuki-Onna, too.

In the end, she's a yokai.

Yuki-Onna is very emotional and quite beautiful,

but one wrong step, and she could freeze him to death.

Man Found Frozen to Death in His Own Home!

Muroi-san when he was discovered

In the future, I wouldn't be surprised to see an article saying

that Muroi-san froze to death.

Wait.

I can totally relate to the guy.

Yes, well, your ex-girlfriend and Rikka-san were quite problematic.

I'd say you're the most problematic.

How rude! What would make you say such a thing?

I told you! Wasn't our ladyship quite amazing?

She's a bit vulgar, though.

Hey.

It's not like my relationship with her is going to last forever.

Our values and our lifespan are different.

Letting her be seen will also probably cause problems.

But still, I'd like for our time together to continue a little longer.

Hm? What is it?

Nothing.

To be continued