Chapter2 2.Saturday March 2, 2019
"Anyway, thank you for coming. I'm just relieved that you showed up like this."
Maruta felt it was too late to thank him, but Kira did not seem to mind.
"And it would be great if the two of us could work together to solve the investigation."
"Well, I wonder how far the two of us can go." Maruta said, making a smile only with his mouth.
"In all honesty," said Kira. "At first I was lost. I think it was last month that you sent me the first direct message. But I've never had the idea of trying to solve the case in earnest."
"After the Silva's case, I was doing my own investigation over here. But I began to feel the limits of continuing on my own, so I sent a direct message to you last month. It was almost like asking for help. That said, Kira-san, did you remember me in the first place?"
"I immediately remembered that you are Mr. Maruta, who helped us shoot the video in Yurakucho."
On the table, in addition to two cups of coffee, there are several pieces of paper. Of course, Maruta had prepared those before Kira returned to his seat. When Maruta thought it was time to go, he cleared his throat lightly and set the tone.
"So here's my main question."
"Maruta-san, that's great. Did you gather all these materials by yourself?" Kira said, looking at the pieces of paper lined up on the table.
"Yeah. Let's just say," Maruta maintains his composure, trying not to be overly smug. "Let's just say that these are proof that I never approached you out of curiosity."
"Are these documents related to the real estate at the crime scene?"
"Yes. About two months after Silva-san was killed, I guess, I applied to the Legal Affairs Bureau myself and obtained these."
The first piece of paper is labeled 'Ground Plan' in the upper left corner. Maruta said while offering it to Kira.
"This is a drawing of the house where Silva-san was killed.[Fig.1] It should go without saying by now that it was in the mountain of Yamanashi Prefecture."
"I've never seen drawings this solid before." Kira's piercing gaze on the papers is accompanied by overt admiration.
Maruta raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this. Your friend was murdered and you've never even seen a drawing of the shed where it happened. Marta's mind came to such the statement to denounce. However, while suppressing such negative emotions, he continued in the same tone he had used up to that point.
"As you can see, it is a simple one-story building. Did you ever visit this site before the incident?"
"No."
"On the day of the incident, Silva-san and his team were here, I believe, to take a video of the 'haunted spot'. Didn't you accompany them as a cameraman?"
"No, I did not follow those guys that day. I had a summer internship at school at the time."
My guess was off. Maruta imagined himself slumping his shoulders in disappointment. He did not expose his disappointment in front of the guest he was finally able to invite. However, the elation he had felt a few minutes earlier from having met Kira has all but faded away.
"That is to say," While refraining from making a direct statement that "You knew nothing about it", he kept his words polite. "Do you know much about the case?"
"I don't know. Sorry."
"So, I heard that Silva-san was killed in a locked room. Don't you know the details of the situation?"
"I'm sorry, but I have no idea."
Kira sipping his coffee, laughing shyly. Maruta began to realize that Kira didn't have as much information as he had hoped beforehand. With that, Maruta's brain began to construct a new policy to ensure that this meeting would not be a waste of time.
It seems unlikely that the necessary information will pour out of Kira like a broken slot machine.
It might be a good idea to be proactive in giving a lecture to this frail-looking man in front of me.
