Most of the mysteries have been solved, but Kiyomi Ruri is still unsatisfied. She really wants to talk to Nanahara Takeshi and show off in front of him, making him stunned and look at her with admiration. She wants him to never underestimate her again, treat her better, and give her a raise. But for some reason, every time he finishes speaking, she can only react afterwards, just a little too late.

She is very unsatisfied, but being able to solve the mysteries and uncover the truth about "premonition dreams" also makes her tremble with excitement, giving her a sense of satisfaction and pleasure.

It's a contradictory and complicated feeling. She secretly feels unsatisfied and satisfied for a while, but immediately raises a new question: "Kameda-san used a tape recorder to fake the scene and frame Aiomari Harumitsu. We know that, but how did he stage his own suicide? The police didn't find any weapons, tape recorders, or tapes at the scene."

Nanahara Takeshi rubs his chin and ponders, "I haven't figured out this question yet. After all, I only briefly visited the scene before. I need to investigate more carefully to come up with ideas. But I guess Kameda-san must have carefully chosen the location, most likely tampering with something through the small river. If it were me designing it, I would ensure that the weapon disappears flawlessly in that environment. Hmm...

I will have Kameda Atsushi call Aiomari Harumitsu first, expressing his willingness to surrender and asking for a small compensation. We will arrange a time for Aiomari to meet him at another secluded location in the park. Aiomari has long wanted to get rid of him, so he will definitely not refuse and will go there on time. Then Kameda will calculate the timing, tie the weapon to a tree when Aiomari enters the park, and then go up and hit the tree a few times before untying the weapon. He will play the recording to attract the attention of the fishermen. After the two or three-minute recording finishes playing, he will immediately put the tape recorder and weapon into some special device and throw it into the river, letting it flow downstream and reach a buffer dam. Then I will pick up and burn this device. Aiomari will be completely unable to explain himself."

Kiyomi Ruri is surprised, "Are you saying he had an accomplice? Someone helping him commit insurance fraud?"

Nanahara Takeshi thinks and nods slightly, "I just have some doubts. Kameda Atsushi's method of framing is both simple and complex. It doesn't seem like something he could come up with, and it's too easy to make mistakes during the operation. It's hard for one person to do it perfectly. To ensure nothing goes wrong, it's best to have someone assisting. Besides..."

"What else?" Kiyomi Ruri didn't expect that after solving the old mysteries, there would be new ones. Kameda Atsushi might have had an accomplice.

Nanahara Takeshi can't be completely sure and ponders, "Also, when I looked at the photos of Kameda's wounds, I found it strange. The location where he was stabbed was too precise, and the chosen spot was very clever. It could be fatal but not immediately deadly. But he clearly has no medical background. Unless someone guided him and helped him practice, I don't think he could do it so perfectly."

Kiyomi Ruri suddenly realizes again. No wonder Nanahara Takeshi went straight to the crime scene after leaving the police station. He had already thought of many things at that time and suspected it was a staged suicide for insurance fraud. He just didn't expect that Kameda would be unlucky enough to be robbed, which prevented him from directly solving the mystery of the "premonition dreams."

She immediately asks excitedly, "So what do we do now? How do we find this accomplice?"

Nanahara Takeshi looks at her strangely, "If we haven't figured out the reason behind everything, it would be reasonable to find him and ask him. But our mission is already complete. We have the evil creature in our hands, and the old lady is safe. Our reputation won't be affected. Why should we still look for him?"

Ah, well... Kiyomi Ruri hesitates, "So we're not going to find him anymore?"

"No need." Nanahara Takeshi says directly, "This is just my speculation, and I haven't done much investigation. We can't rule out the possibility that Kameda Atsushi was just extremely lucky and happened to stumble upon the knife. Aiomari didn't encounter any accidents either. He came alone to the appointment, and the whole plan went smoothly. As for hiding the weapon and tape recorder, you can easily prepare a balloon in advance... Hmm, a balloon won't work. Prepare a live fish beforehand, put the things in a bag and tie it to the fish, then throw the fish into the water. If you're lucky, the fish will swim upstream, and the effect will be similar.

Furthermore, I can't think of any benefits the accomplice would gain from this. Even if Kameda is killed, according to the life and death double indemnity clause in the personal accident insurance, the insurance money, along with any possible civil compensation, would go directly to Kameda's wife. The accomplice would hardly gain any advantage, and the risks and rewards are not proportional. So we can't be sure if there is an accomplice, and even if we find one, it might be a futile search."

After a pause, he looks at Kiyomi Ruri's delicate and foolish face and adds, "Lastly, even if there really is such a person, and we find him, what can you do? Are you planning to report him?"

Kiyomi Ruri is stunned. Nanahara Takeshi's words make sense, and the question is a bit tricky.Even if there is this person, he really found it out. Should I report him for conspiracy and assisting suicide? Wouldn't that help Aiomari Harumitsu clear his name? Aiomari Harumitsu doesn't seem completely innocent either. Although it is highly probable that Kameda Atsushi committed suicide, it is also possible that he was forced to death by Aiomari Harumitsu. In that case, Aiomari Harumitsu is definitely responsible and it wouldn't be unacceptable for him to spend a few years in prison.

But...

If there is no conclusion to a certain subplot in the deduction, and it ends up being a mess, how can I write it into the story later? And it feels a bit conflicting with the education I received at school to know about a crime but not report it. Something doesn't seem right.

But then again, if I really report it, once the truth is exposed, the insurance money will be gone. What will happen to Kameda's wife and children's lives? What if another tragedy occurs later on? Will I be able to sleep peacefully?

It seems like I shouldn't have looked for this accomplice. It's best to pretend nothing happened.

Compared to half a month ago, she has been influenced by Nanahara Takeshi and has started to become more cautious when things don't seem right. She thinks it's better not to investigate this accomplice. At most, when she writes it into the story, she can say that the murder weapon was tied to a fish and dragged away. If anyone dares to argue, she can kick them to death. It shouldn't be a big problem.

As she was lost in her thoughts and feeling conflicted, Nanahara Takeshi noticed her silence and thought she was being nosy and meddling again. Immediately, he had a bad idea and without hesitation, he took out the "premonition tape" from the recorder and handed it to her, sincerely saying, "I definitely won't get involved in this mess. It's too morally wrong. I'm afraid of being struck by lightning... um, I'm afraid of being condemned by my conscience. But I also respect your thoughts. The evidence is now yours. You can use it to prove Aiomari's innocence, make the police reopen the investigation, and expose the accomplice."

Kiyomi Ruri looked at the tape in her hand and suddenly felt it was too hot to handle. She quickly handed it back to him and said, "No, no, no. You're the boss, I'm the assistant. I'll listen to you."

Nanahara Takeshi pushed it back without hesitation and smiled even more sincerely, "What boss or not boss? You're being too formal. We're friends, and I must respect your thoughts. You just go ahead boldly, and I'll silently support you in my heart!"

Kiyomi Ruri hurriedly pushed it back again, "It's really not necessary. I said I'll be your assistant after school. You make the decisions, no need to respect my thoughts."

Nanahara Takeshi used another Tai Chi move to push it back, "It's really okay. I really want to respect your thoughts, and I also want to meet this accomplice and see why he would do such a thankless task."

"It's really not necessary. You're the boss, I'll listen to you." Kiyomi Ruri firmly refused to take this responsibility. Anyway, she didn't plan on reporting it in the first place, and Nanahara Takeshi didn't want to either. So let him have the final say, to avoid being torn between the law and her conscience.

Nanahara Takeshi finally stopped playing Tai Chi. After all, he had pushed and yielded three times each, which was enough. He smiled and asked, "So I really don't need to respect your thoughts? I have to be the boss?"

Kiyomi Ruri felt aggrieved and said, "Yes, you don't need to respect my thoughts. You're the boss, and you have the final say."

After listening, Nanahara Takeshi burst into laughter and picked up a spoon to tap her head, jokingly saying, "You talk too much nonsense. Since you know I'm the boss, why do you dare to chat and slack off here? Finish your meal quickly and get to work, or else be careful, I'll deal with you!"

.........

Over an hour later, Kiyomi Ruri, who had just finished performing as the female lead in "Vengeful Ghost Housekeeper JK Version," was kicked out of the house by Nanahara Takeshi. After Nanahara Takeshi closed the door, she muttered a small "hmph" and walked towards her own home.

It's not that she didn't want to work, but Nanahara Takeshi always liked to tease her for no reason. He was simply an annoying ghost.

And he had a lot of quirks. If others were working, they would just work. But if he had nothing to do, he would act like a lunatic, pointing and criticizing everything. It was really annoying.

She swore in her heart that she would run him over with a bulldozer someday!

She cursed Nanahara Takeshi in her heart and went home, vowing to take revenge someday. As she passed by the living room, she glanced at Kiyomi Kako, who was watching TV without paying any attention to her. She hesitated for a moment and didn't go upstairs directly. Instead, she sat down and watched a boring family drama with her.

Kiyomi Kako looked at her strangely and thoughtfully said, "Is the school finally going to call our parents? It's a few days earlier than I expected!"

Kiyomi Ruri was speechless for a moment and complained, "I didn't cause any trouble, why do they want to call our parents? I just wanted to wait with you for Dad."

"What are you waiting for?" Kiyomi Kako was even more puzzled.

Kiyomi Ruri felt a little embarrassed and said, "I just want to thank him."

She didn't mean anything else. It's just that she learned about the tragedy in the Kameda family today and thought about Kameda Atsushi's desperate struggle. She suddenly realized that she had always been very fortunate, even though her father was a drunkard who loved playing mahjong. He might not have an easy life in society, but he had always been working hard for the family. She couldn't help but want to express her gratitude.

Well, at least she grew up carefree with the hard-earned money her father brought home. She felt like she should say thank you.

After listening to her words and looking at her expression, Kiyomi Kako understood a bit and felt very relieved. Her voice involuntarily softened, "Let's say it to him later. He's in Sapporo now, working on his book."

Ah, right, I forgot...

Kiyomi Ruri just realized that her father was on a business trip, but it didn't matter. She directly snuggled into Kiyomi Kako's arms and whispered, "Thank you, Mom, for letting me grow up happily. You've worked hard, and I haven't been able to thank you. I'm really sorry."

These words of gratitude and apology were sincere, and Kiyomi Kako's eyes instantly turned red. She couldn't help but feel a bit emotional and jokingly said, "I won't agree to give you any pocket money until next year. You don't need to act cute."

Kiyomi Ruri gently shook her head in her embrace and said, "I won't ask for pocket money anymore."

Kiyomi Kako quickly lowered her head to look at her daughter, smelled her scent, and confirmed that it was indeed her own silly daughter. She couldn't believe it and felt an extraordinary sense of relief. She discreetly wiped her tears and hugged her tightly, softly saying, "It's good that you have this kind of heart. Actually, it's nothing. It's what moms and dads should do. No need to say thank you."

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Kiyomi Ruri shook her head gently in her embrace again and said, "I still want to say it. I hope you'll be well. If you have any difficulties, remember to tell me, and I'll find a solution with you."

If the tragedy of the Tsuruta family happened to her family, she would definitely not be able to accept it and would go crazy. She didn't want to lose such a good mom and such...probably a good dad. In fact, she was a little scared just now.

"I...I know. There's nothing difficult at home. You don't need to worry about me." Her daughter's sincere words caught Kiyomi Kako off guard, making it difficult for her to speak. She really didn't expect that one day her eldest daughter would hug her and say such heartwarming words. In an instant, she felt that the hardships of the past ten years were suddenly worth it, and she felt a great sense of fulfillment and happiness.

Some things should indeed be said and not left until it's too late to regret.

The mother and daughter hugged each other, feeling the warmth from each other's bodies. They didn't speak for a long time. After their moods calmed down, Kiyomi Kako curiously asked, "Why did you suddenly think of saying these things to Mom? Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened." Kiyomi Ruri didn't want to reveal the entrusted matter to her family, so she just vaguely said, "It's just that Nanahara told me a story, and I suddenly felt very happy."

Kiyomi Kako didn't ask further. She thought that it must be Nanahara Takeshi, the "orphan," who talked about his background, and her daughter must have been touched by it, which caused her sudden emotional outburst. She simply stroked her daughter's smooth and silky hair and felt a great sense of relief.

No wonder Confucius...or was it Mencius or Sun Tzu? No wonder someone changed neighbors three times. It turns out that having a good neighbor can really help one's own child grow. In just half a month, there has been such a big change. If it continues for three to five years...she doesn't even dare to think about it!

What month does the hunting season start this year? It feels like it's time to go back to the hometown!

(End of this chapter)