Killed Again, Mr. Detective Volume 1 Case 1 Chapter 4 part 1

Volume 1

Case 1: Queen Irie Class Murder Incident

Chapter 4 I Finished My Warm-up (Part 1)

TLed by: TanoshiKara

This being a request from Amahiko-san, I continued to keep the situation a secret from the other passengers.

It is probably better that way, or so Sozorogi also advised, to which the crew and the staff decided to heed.

After leaving the room, Lilithea and I debated about the culprit while walking along the hallway.

"The culprit is still hiding on this ship. Kashihiko-san said earlier that the culprit would no longer commit murders but I disagree. I done did it!—that is what they will surely think if they know I am still alive."

"They failed to get rid of you"

"That is it"

"Hey, if you go by that logic, won't the culprit target you again? All to kill you for sure this time and seal your lips" Sozorogi called out from behind as he chased after us.

In fact, I did not see the culprit's face when I was killed nor do I have the decisive evidence to lead me to the truth, so there is no need to be in such a hurry to get rid of me, but this does not matter if the culprit does not know of this.

"It is safe to assume that they will target me, the one they failed to get rid of, once again"

"In that case, you should not be walking around needlessly and should remain at a safe location right?"

"No way. Even I am against being locked up in my room for the entire cruise trip. In the first place, as long as we do not know who the culprit is. What if the steward who brings my food over is the culprit?"

"Urkk......"

"We are inside the cruise ship. And the ship is in the middle of the ocean. In other words, a Cruised Circle"

"Sakuya-sama, if you are going to say that, it is actually Closed Circle. Closed"

How tragic, I was full of confidence, but I was instead corrected by Lilithea.

"Closed Circle? The one I often see in mystery novels?"

"Indeed. It is a phrase that refers to a situation where one is cut off from the outside world, with no means of escape. In other words, nowhere is safe inside this ship"

"That may be true but......"

"In that case, the only solution is to get out there and catch the culprit. On the contrary, I might be a good bait to lure the culprit in. It is alright. I will not let my guard down next time"

"Argh......I got it already! But call me immediately if you sense any danger. You understand? Don’t you go charging in all by yourself kid" Sozorogi said, an insult mixed in. He then parts ways with us and heads in the opposite direction. He might have gone back to look at the scene again.

"I am grateful for everyone's concern for my insignificant life. By the way" I said to Lilithea after seeing Sozorogi off, as if I just remembered something.

"I recalled something while talking in that room earlier. You know, M"

"What a coincidence. I did as well"

So she realized. As I expected, Lilithea is sharp. Things will be quick if this is the case.

"Makoto Katsuragi. His also has an M"

Katsuragi knows Watanoya.

"Depending on the circumstances, we may......need to add him to the list of culprits"

"That is also...true"

"Hmm?"

I was slightly intrigued by Lilithea's reaction, but I was happy that the points seemed to be lining up with one another.

"Nothing. I will then check the Queen Iry Class's list of passengers and—"

"The camera feed of the cameras in the ship right?"

"Indeed"

That is also important. It is a shame, but I do not think that the storage room on the first floor had any cameras, but the suspicious individual may be displayed somewhere in the camera feed.

After parting ways with Lilithea, I head to the deck to question the circus members, who had entertained the passengers earlier. As I expected, the members relaxed at the bar after their performance.

Sitting across me were the people who had shown off their stunning acrobatics with the bikes they rode on. Other than the details of the incident, they seem to have heard from Sozorogi that their equipment - the electric hoist, had been used for the crime as they have complex expressions on their faces.

There is a separate group drinking at the back of the bar. That idiot, or so they said in a low voice.

I can hear the new circus member being reprimanded for forgetting to lock the box of throwing knives—the weapon used to kill me—when I strain my ears.

"Erm, sorry for interrupting"

"Huh?"

 When I called out to them, they gave me the 'Why is a kid in a store like this?' look.

"I am a detective," I said, before hinting at several other incidents that have probably not been made public. This made them a lot more amiable.

When I questioned them in detail about the knife incident, I confirmed that a knife had been taken out, after the performance, from the box storing them. They were informed of this when I was still dead.

It must be tough for them as a professional that their tool got used for crime

"When I think about the owner being informed of this later on......This is the worst" The new circus member said, hanging his head.

"Owner? Is that the person in charge of this circus? Is he that scary of a person?"

"Rather than scary, they place their business first so they lack something called sympathy you see. They hate, more than anything, things that bring them losses...... Even so, they are the only ones always living the high life in their first-class room......"

"Hey, leave it at that"

That is not something outsiders should hear about, or so an older circus member chided.

The culprit seems to give off the impression that they used something in that storage room as an impromptu murder weapon and carried out the murder.

The circus group and its miser of an owner huh. I shall keep this in the corner of my mind.

I came across a luxurious door after walking down the passageway in front of the bar. The sea breeze blew in my face when I opened the door. Beyond it lies the bow of the ship.

The time is eleven at night. With the late-night soon to come, there are few people, making it tranquil. When I turned back, I could see the set on the upper deck, used by the circus for their performance.

The clown balloon from before was lit up by a dim light. Even though it is called a balloon, it is not the type that floats in the air but is one that is placed on the ground. If I remember correctly, wires and metal fixtures ensure that the wind does not blow it away.

"Circus huh......"

I had a sudden thought.

Perhaps the culprit was also watching the circus performance in person. That was why they knew knife-throwing was part of the program.

I think that it is a bit weird for the culprit to, without any prior knowledge, search for a murder weapon, with absolute confidence, after they carried out the act, on the spur of the moment, in the storage room on the first floor; However, if they knew about the knife throwing, they might have gotten the idea to search for a knife, or so goes the flash of inspiration this place gave me, but there does not seem to be anything else of note here.

My phone rang when I was trying to get back into the ship.

"Yuriu-chan huh......Whoops"

After taking my phone out of my pocket, I noticed that my phone was upside down when I was about to press the pick-up button so I flipped it around. This is a common mistake that occurs in the darkness. The smartphone's oblong shape has no distinction for its sides so it is easy to mistake top for bottom and front for back. 

Indeed, top for bottom...... Mistake......

"Sorry for the wait. Did something happen Yuriu-chan?"

"Spottedddd!"

My ears ringed causing my thoughts to fade away.

Yuriu-chan was shouting fervently, her enthusiasm through the roof.

"......Spotted?"

"I spotted her! Lulu! We are locking eyes. We are in the middle of a do-or-die staredown. ......Alllright, alright"

"Is she right in front of you?"

"She is. Over here, over here...... So as not to needlessly agitate her......Here, some bonito flakes. These are some exquisite ingredients that I got the cook to share with me......"

I managed to imagine the situation on the other end from her voice alone.

"Now! Hah! Alright! I did it! Caught she is!"

"Did you catch her!? Nicely done Yuriu-chan!"

"Lulu-chan capture complete!"

I can hear Yuriu's overly ecstatic voice and a cat's cheeky cry that went, 'Mrrww', over the speaker.

My disciple has finally completed the search for the cat through earnest investigation.

"Sheesh. You managed to do it without my help in the end"

I felt a little pathetic as her master, but that persistence of Yuriu's might make her a good detective.

"So where are you right now Yuriu-chan?"

"Erm, in front of a jester. Huh? Was it clown again?"

"That means......the deck?"

"Right"

I took several steps back and looked up once again.

"It is true. There she is, there she is"

I was able to confirm that there is a girl wearing a pink dress at the corner of the deck, near the railings.

"Eh!? Are you watching me from somewhere Master? God's Vision!?"

"Nope. I am below, below"

I tried waving my hand, but she merely paced about, frantically, next to the railing, seemingly unable to find me.

"I will head over there immediately"

I briskly walked back inside the ship while chatting.

There should be an elevator that heads directly to the deck.

"Ahhhh, as I expected, Lulu-chan is carrying something. It is fixed to her with a black belt that is wrapped around her body"

"Eh? Ahh, you did say something about a rucksack"

"It looks like it is not a rucksack. I have seen this before. Erm......yeah, a camera that is fixed to the helmets of celebrities on television! When they are about to bungee jump"

"......A miniature camera? Is that a Go Camera perhaps?"

In recent years, these high-spec miniature cameras have come to be known by their product name the 'Go Camera'.

"A camera on a cat's back? Why?"

I found the elevator and pressed the up button. Fortunately, the lift was on the same floor, so the door opened immediately.

"Ah, it looks like it is recording something. It was also recording while Lulu-chan was walking around I guess? Let's see, let's see"

"By let's see let's see.....You mean to take a look?"

She is a girl brimming with curiosity.

"Mrrww" Lulu-chan cried again over the call.

A certain sound came to my mind all of a sudden when I heard the cry again. It was the faint sound I heard when I was inspecting the hoist at Nejihiko's feet—

"That sound......That time......"

The faint sound I heard.

There were too many things to think about at that time, so I put it off. I put it off and had completely forgotten about it, but—

Mrrww.

"So that was Lulu's cry! Lulu was there at that very moment!"

"Erm......Master, I tried replaying the video but this......is this something I should be looking at......?"

Yuriu's voice, which was lively up until earlier had, at some point in time, become somber. It seems like she is extremely afraid of something.

"A lot of things were displayed...... Like people walking down the corridor and waiters......And a video in some storage room is playing right now but......"

"The storage room on the first floor!"

The elevator has yet to reach the top floor.

"A man and......another person is being displayed"

The man is probably Nejihiko.

"I only see the back of the other person so I do not know who they are but......it looks like they are arguing......"

As I expected, that was it. Lulu-chan was watching from the shadows at that time.

"Ah! The man is! His head is being hooked from behind by something...... Whoa! Whoa! He is quickly being lifted up...... How horrible......!"

"Calm down! That aside, you do not have to watch the video anymore, hurry up and get away from there!"

There is no need to even watch it anymore. If the video goes on, it will be the scene where I nonchalantly showed up in the storage room and got stabbed from behind. This is the past that has already been set in stone.

Lulu was there, at that time, watching the whole thing happen. That was why my ears picked up on the cry at that time.

What if the culprit caught sight of Lulu and realized that there was a miniature camera fixed to her back? What if it dawned on them that their entire act had been filmed? 

Lulu running around with the camera on her back until now would mean that the culprit failed to catch her on the spot. This means that the culprit is probably on edge. A cat is leisurely wandering about inside the ship, carrying irrefutable evidence of their crime. The thought of finding the cat as soon as possible and erasing the video evidence would naturally come to their mind.

Additionally, the individual with the closest match to the culprit's profile right now has already gotten their hands on a piece of important information—Lulu's whereabouts. The culprit would have known, from listening to the conversation between me and Yuriu just now, in the room where the Watanoya family gathered, that Yuriu had gone up to the deck. Naturally, the culprit would probably head there in an attempt to retrieve Lulu, before Yuriu spots Lulu and watches the video evidence.

"Huh......this person...... Is this person the culprit......?"

However, Yuriu had already watched it.

"Alright, Yuriu-chan, listen carefully. Danger is closing in on you. Leave that place immediately!"

I should actually be calling Sozorogi and checking where each member of the Watanoya family is, but I cannot afford to do something so time-consuming right now.

The elevator finally stopped and the doors opened. The sea breeze blows against my cheeks. There are no passengers as far as I can see. I immediately jump out onto the deck and search for Yuriu.

There she is. 

She is at the same spot earlier, back facing me. However, there was already a figure closing in on her back.

"Yuriu-chan! Behind you!"

I pulled away from my smartphone and called out directly to her. At the same time, that figure threw itself at Yuriu, ramming into her.

"Stop! Wako-san!"

"Eeekkk!"

Yuriu's body was sent flying within moments, along with Lulu, that she was hugging. They flew over the railing and fell.

My body moved before I could think; Running straight to Yuriu's side. Her body had disappeared into the darkness beyond the deck.

"Yuriu-chan!"

No, it is alright. I can see her hand clinging to the corner of the deck. She has not plunged down yet!

I did catch a glimpse, at the corner of my eye, of Wako Watanoya, the individual who pushed Yuriu off, trying to run away from the scene. However, I have no time for that. That is why I tried calling out.

"Lili! Please!"

"Understood"

I could not see her, but I got a reply in no time flat. At the same time, a single knife flew from somewhere, making a crisp sound before it stabbed into the deck.

After a short scream, Wako-san collapsed on the floor.

At that moment, I jumped over the railing and grabbed Yuriu's hand.

"M-Master!"

Oh my, Yuriu did not let go of Lulu even in such a situation. She has quite the guts, but her eyes are filled with fear. After all, what lies below is the depths of the dark ocean. Our lives are forfeit if we plunge down.

"It's......alright! I'll save you!"

That said, the weight of a human, plus a cat, is not one that can be called light exercise for a single hand, even if the aforementioned human is a dainty girl. I might have sprained my arm. But what about it? My body will regenerate on its own anyway.

It is alright even if it fractures, just pull Yuriu up. No matter what.

"Master! Please! Even if it's only this cat, take her first!"

Even so, Yuriu desperately tried to push Lulu up with her left hand, which was cradling Lulu.

You are kidding, right? Is this girl for real? This is not a movie you know. There is no stuntman who will take your place nor is there a mat laid out below. Would you prioritize the cat's life even so?

"Ain’t that......totally heroine-like!"

It became weird when I thought through it and strength welled up inside of me all of a sudden. I pulled her up with the last of my strength. Yuriu grabbed the railings once again.

"Alright! This is good!"

Just as I got visual confirmation, my body passed hers by in mid-air, plunging into the ocean after that.

"Master!"

During my final moments, I heard Yuriu's voice and the sound of the bones of my neck fracturing.

□

When I came back from the verge of death—no, from the depths of death, an angel very much resembling Lilithea was looking down upon me.

"Welcome back (You have revived), Sakuya-sama"

A compassionate greeting from my assistant.

I was laid down on the deck, my head on Lilithea's soft lap.

"I......plunged down right?"

"Yes, you did. Your head had twirled about a hundred eighty degrees when you were found"

No wonder I feel like I sprained my neck.

"I see......Argh......"

I close my eyes once again, accepting the death that was inflicted upon my body.

"Urghhh, that was scaryy!" 

I blurted out my true feelings.

"Sakuya-sama sure did his best"

While still giving me a lap pillow, Lilithea petted my forehead, smiling kindly in a way that only I could see.

I became embarrassed and hurriedly lifted myself up. Just then, there were voices coming from behind me.

"Eh? You are alive? Y-You are kidding me, right?"

I took a look to find the members of the Watanoya family and Sozorogi looking right at me.

"As Sakuya-sama was lucky enough to plunge down near the corner of the bow, we were able to swiftly retrieve your body. Mr. Officer over there was the one who carried you back onto the deck. Give your thanks later, alright?"

"Are you alright? You looked like you were dead from every angle though......" Amahiko asked timidly, on behalf of the family.

"......Looks like I just so happened to hit a more harmless spot"

"I saw that your head faced your back and it looked like your cheek was glued to your shoulder blade though......"

I stood up slowly. There was still somewhat of a discomfort remaining that affected the flexibility of my neck.

"Master~!"

Yuriu hugged me soon after, causing me to fall again.

"I thought you were dead! I thought you were dead!"

Yuriu bawled her eyes out, ruining her cute face.

"Sorry, it seems like I used up all of my strength to pull you up" I comforted her awkwardly.

"But Yuriu-chan should not have been reckless as well. The life of a cat is important but you must prioritize your own life first"

Yuriu had a somewhat reproachful expression on her face when she heard my chiding.

"I return those very words to you, bow knot tied!"

I could not even retort.

I then stood in front of the person lying facedown on the deck—Wako Watanoya. A sharp knife pinned the hem of her kimono to the floor, immobilizing her. The object that kept Wako-san rooted to the ground was a hidden knife that Lilithea threw from afar. Not those used by the circus members. It is her very own.

"Splendid work, Lilithea"

When I praised Lilithea for her skill and swift reflexes, she struck a darts pose.

"It is because I finished my warm-up beforehand"

"......Do not tell me you were playing darts in case this happened"

"Of course"

"You are lying"

Wako-san was tied up by Sozorogi. She looked like she had already resigned herself to her fate. It was only natural as Yuriu and I had clearly witnessed her pushing Yuriu off.

"Mother......why did you......"

Amahiko was at a loss for words when he saw that his mother was hanging her head.

"So you were the true culprit, Wako-san" I said, neither angry nor happy.

I hesitated to tell the truth to the family again, but sugarcoating it would not make much difference.

"It is all that child's......Nejihiko's fault...... I......I only wanted to protect the family......" 

As if she broke down, Wako-san squeezed those words out of her mouth as she clawed her nails across the floor.

"To protect......the secret...... And yet!"

"Wako! That is enough! Any more than that is—!" Kashihiko-san stopped his wife's monologue, his face slowly turning pale.

"You look like you know something Kashihiko-san. Perhaps you know the reason why Wako-san tried to kill off Nejihiko-san?"

"I-I......!"

I do not want to answer, or so the expression on his face suggests.

"Mrrrwww♪ I'm gonna pet your belly~......Huh? Ah, yes!"

Just then, Yuriu approached me while cradling Lulu.

Even though she was just about to get killed earlier...She has quite the mental fortitude.

"Master, I finally managed to get it off"

Lulu finally got the Go Camera off of her back, so she seemed to feel refreshed.

"......Come to think of it, who fixed this camera to Lulu's back......?"

"Ahh, I think it is probably Katsuragi-san"

"I see, it is as I expected"

I did sort of sense it, but any other person, besides the owner himself, would not be able to easily attach a Go Camera to the back of a cat, that was a struggle to even catch.

"It looks like that person is quite knowledgeable about the cameras he uses for work. But why did he do such a thing?"

"I was curious for a while now but is that cat Lulu-chan?"

Amahiko joined in the conversation from the sidelines, while we were discussing Katsuragi's odd act.

"Do you know her?"

"I am a fan you see. I always watch her on a video site"

"Video site?"

"You do not know? Lulu Walks Channel. Through the camera fixed to Lulu's back, you can enjoy various sights around town from the perspective of a cat"

Amahiko held his smartphone screen up for us to see. It is true that several of such videos have been uploaded to a famous video posting site. The poster's name and other related information have been redacted, shifting all of the focus onto Lulu.

I did not get as excited as Amahiko even when I looked at it, but, I see. This allowed me to understand Katsuragi's actions. As a hobby, he uploaded unique videos utilizing cats. And he is probably doing all this behind his wife's back.

"I would hazard a guess that he was going to title the video, 'A Trip on a Luxury Cruise', and was probably planning to record some unique footage. However, excited by an environment that she was not used to, Lulu ran out of the room soon after the cruise set sail"

"Ahh! That is definitely right!" Yuriu said when I tried to sum everything up.

"Katsuragi-san was panicking when I met him in front of his room. When I called out to him and asked what was wrong, he said that his precious cat had escaped which prompted me to go, 'Leave it all to me!'"

"So you volunteered to take on the role of detective even when you were not asked to"

"Ehhh, but he looked like he was troubled. Well, I did tell him that he did not need to because I would search for her"

"He probably wanted to avoid having his lead actress discovering this hobby of his I guess. Too late though"

In short, this is filmed in secret using a cat, so it is not a hobby to be proud of.

"UwUw...... Do you think that I did something unnecessary? Masterrr"

"Don't cry. Yuriu-chan did what Yuriu-chan could" I comforted a dejected Yuriu.

"I know right! We managed to get our hands on some important evidence because of that after all!" Yuriu boasted as she held the detached camera up in the air, much like a champion's belt.

She sure changes gears quickly.

Just then, a video started playing on the camera's screen all of a sudden. It seems like her hand accidentally tapped on the playback button.

"Ah, I am sorryyy"

Yuriu panicked as she tried to stop the video.

"......Wait a minute!"

I stopped her immediately and peered at the video. Wondering what was going on, the others also did the same.

Shown on the screen was the scene in the storage room, where Wako-san and Nejihiko were arguing. The details of the conversation are as follows.

"I have had enough! I'm gonna spill everything once I'm back in Japan!"

"Nejihiko! Do you know what will happen to our family if you do that!? The history and trust of the Watanoya family that has been built across five generations, you are going to......!"

"Even so, it is crazy to continue this as part of the family business. It is useless to stop me, Mother. I will bring everything to light! I have endured it for years!"

The argument between mother and son was intense.

"Do you not know that this is all done to rebuild the company?! What kind of emotions did you think your father had when he steeled himself!"

"As if I care! The business went downhill during Dad's generation because Dad did not have a knack for business! What does new product Black Sugar Okra Cookieee even mean?! No way that will sell! So what if the company survives anyway?! That has nothing to do with me! Hmph! Amahiko showing off by putting his damn name all over it just because he is the eldest son!"

"That is......! It is not just the company. It was all to bring all of you up!"

"I did not want to get brought up with money profited from doing dirty work! This kind of........."

"Ahhhh!"

The sudden nightly sea breeze caused Yuriu's voice to echo across the deck. As everyone looked up and away from the video they were concentrating on, Yuriu pointed to a spot on the camera that everyone neglected. That was around the clown's feet—of that clown balloon.

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Note that the copyright of the image in the chapter belongs to its respective owners and was uploaded to ensure that readers experience the translation as they would if they were reading the chapter in the book itself.

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Feel free to comment/pm me if you find any mistakes. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the first part.