The Tokyo Police Journey Begins with the Ability to See Evil Thoughts

Chapter 18 Conversation with Yamada

The following day, Tokyo Metropolitan Aoyama High School.

"Officer, please wait a moment, I'll go and call Yamada over right away."

Seeing that the teacher was about to leave, Kamiya Gen waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need to for the time being.

It's still during class time, so it might disturb others.

He interrogated Takahashi Toru last night but found no clues. He could only continue with his previous plan and start with this high school student.

Judging from past report cards, Suzuki has indeed consistently ranked in the top ten of her grade, while her friend Yamada, who harbors some resentment towards her, is always overshadowed by her.

Killing someone out of jealousy... but the conditions are completely unmet.

The two men were roughly the same size, and without the threat of weapons, Yamada could not have forced Suzuki to climb onto the window.

The autopsy results showed no other contributing factors; there was indeed only one person's footprint on the toilet.

As for the water stains in the bathroom, they were just tap water.

Kamiya Gen had encountered many cases where no clues could be found before, but his personality was no different from that of other ordinary police officers. If he encountered trouble, he would simply close the case.

This time, however, he really wanted to find the killer.

So even during his off-duty period, Kamiya Gen still came to this school.

……

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Mari Yamada was called to the teachers' office.

"Mr. Yoshimura, I'd like to speak with her alone," Kamiya Gen said.

The teacher nodded immediately, said hello, and left; he didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing.

Only Kamiya Gen and Yamada Mari remained in the office.

The interrogation officially began.

"I already know you're lying. If you choose to plead guilty now, I will consider mitigating your sentence because you are a minor."

Kamiya Gen got straight to the point, using his power to intimidate people.

Yamada Mari's fingers clenched instantly, clearly showing her nervousness, but she quickly calmed down and said timidly, "C-Officer... I didn't lie."

"Tetsu Takahashi is still at the police station. He got some leads last night. According to him, you seem to be a little jealous of Nao Suzuki. If we have to find a suspect, it should be you who should be locked up."

Kamiya Gen originally thought that he was just a high school student and that he could easily control him with a little probing.

But as soon as he said that, he suddenly noticed that the girl sitting in front of him had slightly relaxed her shoulders, as if he had said something he shouldn't have.

"Officer... I really didn't lie. If you insist that Nao's death was caused by me... then I have nothing to say."

—Where did things go wrong?

As Kamiya Gen thought this, he began to recall everything that had happened last night.

From seeing the corpse, then the dissipation of the evil thoughts above her head, followed by the attitudes of everyone in the cram school, and finally Yamada Mari's statement...

Kamiya Gen always felt that he was about to grasp that thread, but he could never quite see it clearly.

So he picked up the documents on the table and specifically looked at the transcript of Takahashi Toru and Yamada Mari's conversation from the previous night.

Yamada quietly craned his neck, trying to see the words on it.

"So that's how it is..." Kamiya Gen frowned.

"Officer, what did you say...?"

"You like that tutor, am I right?"

The girl's pupils suddenly contracted, and she quickly looked away, her lips trembling in denial, but she dared not meet his gaze again—this reaction had already given her the answer.

Kamiya Gen stroked his chin and continued:

"Otherwise, you wouldn't need to want to see if Takahashi Tetsu really said that about you, even though you know I'm lying."

"Let me think..."

"Although you say you're friends with Nao Suzuki, over the years you've been consistently outdone by her in every way. Apart from family background, you have almost nothing to compare with her in."

"It was fine before, but then you met that teacher, and she really valued Suzuki Nao. This time, you don't want to be her supporting character anymore."

"Until last night... you two had an argument, and you used some means to take her to the bathroom, and then..."

"Do you think I'm a criminal?"

Yamada Mari suddenly looked up and interrupted him, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Kamiya Gen stopped describing, realizing immediately that his statement was incorrect, and after thinking for a moment, changed his approach and said:

"I didn't say you're the culprit, I said you know who the culprit is, but you're unwilling to tell... It's actually Takahashi, right?"

Yamada Mari's body trembled violently, and she subconsciously pinched the tip of her index finger.

Gen Kamiya caught this detail.

It wasn't until then that he understood.

He judged the case too prejudicially based on "malicious intent," and because Takahashi Toru did not have any corresponding malice, he concluded that he was not the murderer.

But in reality, just like what that superintendent did.

In the entire cram school, besides Toru Takahashi, there should be no one else capable of doing something like this.

Go back and continue the trial of Takahashi?

Kamiya Gen temporarily abandoned this plan.

If the murderer is that person, and he could kill without any ill intent, and still not reveal any information under the circumstances last night, then he is not someone who can be easily interrogated.

Evidence... What we need now is evidence.

After thinking for a moment, Kamiya Gen said seriously:

"You want to keep this from Takahashi, but let me tell you, he can't hold out any longer. I have plenty of ways to deal with him, and I'll get him to talk sooner or later."

"Please, please don't treat Mr. Takahashi like that..."

Yamada finally relented, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"Then you'd better tell me everything you know," Kamiya Gen said.

He thought he could immediately turn the tide, but Yamada, sitting opposite him, remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking:

"I...I really don't know anything, it might just be an accident..."

She nodded repeatedly, as if hypnotizing herself.

"Yes! It was an accident! Mr. Takahashi shouldn't have treated her like that. I was jealous of Suzuki, that's true, but Mr. Takahashi liked her, how could he possibly kill her..."

"What does Suzuki himself think of...?" Kamiya asked, suppressing his emotions. "What are his opinions on Takahashi?"

"She thinks Mr. Takahashi is a pervert... but no, she's just ungrateful. If it were me, I would definitely accept Mr. Takahashi's love."

In the end, Yamada Mari almost lost control, her emotions finally overflowing.

"Why? I was the one who went to the cram school first, and I was with Mr. Takahashi first. Suzuki came later, yet she can so easily take everything away from me?!"

She gritted her teeth and said fiercely:

"Good riddance... She really deserved to die. People like her deserve to die. Now that she's dead, I can be with Mr. Takahashi again..."

Snapped--

A crisp sound.

Looking at her swollen and red cheek, Kamiya Gen knew that he would no longer be able to get any useful clues out of this madwoman.