Chapter 76 - Light and Shadow 55 {Combined 68/69} (264-265, 266-267: Obtaining Oshima's DNA Sample and Fingerprint Mismatch; Consideration of Isaka's Remarks Based on Matsushima's Testimony)
"Hmm, I suppose one could look at it that way..."
Nishida showed a certain level of understanding for Oba's idea. Sawai also seemed impressed.
"I hadn't thought that far myself."
However, Yoshimura raised an objection.
"Wait a minute! Sada Toru, who was a witness, explicitly stated in his letter explaining the circumstances of the contract's creation that only Kuwano Kinya used his index finger. Shouldn't we assume he was properly watching how each of them pressed their seals at the time?"
It was a thought typical of Yoshimura, who had been the most involved alongside Nishida from the discovery of the contract and letters to their analysis.
"I understand that perspective. In fact, even if we say someone else pressed it, given the circumstances and time constraints from when Sada Toru informed them about the inheritance to when the people listed in the contract left Ikutahara, it's impossible to think a complete outsider did it. If that's the case, even if it was someone else, the possibility that it was Isaka, Hojo, or Sada Toru increases. So, someone dared to use a different finger... Is that possible, Shibata-san, Matsuzawa?"
Nishida turned to the two of them to confirm.
"It's quite common for fingerprint types to differ from finger to finger. The thumbprints—presumably—of the other three on the contract were all whorl patterns. But that alone doesn't tell us much... At the very least, it's certain that none of Isaka's fingers match the samples the police have held since the investigation eight years ago," Matsuzawa replied.
"So we can't reach a conclusion with just that?"
"That's right, unfortunately."
Matsuzawa's answer was within expectations. However, fundamentally, no reason for another person within the 'group' to go out of their way to press the seal came to mind from the contents of Sada Toru's letter, and the fact that he explicitly specified the finger in the letter was also bothersome. Thinking comprehensively, it seemed they didn't need to give much weight to the theory that someone else had pressed it.
"Which means we can't push this any further... let's just leave it at the level of 'there's a possibility, but...' Alright, next. The theory that it's a different person who happens to have the same name..."
Nishida began to say this, but as the words left his mouth, he couldn't help but give a wry smile. And for good reason. The idea that a different 'Kuwano Kinya' with the same name was involved with Isaka Daikichi (Tasuke) separately, and that the 'Kuwano Kinya' who would become Oshima Kaiji appeared later, while the Kuwano from the 'contract' conveniently vanished from the public eye, was a stretch. Even assuming the former was 'disposed of'—meaning murdered—in some way, it was forced to think that a person with the not-so-common name of Kuwano Kinya would coincidentally be involved with Isaka.
Of course, if the reason for the identical names was 'intent,' such as the identity theft they would consider later, it would contradict the premise of it being a 'coincidental identical name,' making the point moot.
"This... yeah, it's not happening..."
No one voiced an objection to Nishida's remark.
And finally, the last theory. The possibility that "the actual person Oshima Kaiji assumed the identity of the Kuwano Kinya from the blood seal."
"What about this?"
From among the group questioned by Nishida, Sawai spoke up.
"Looking strictly at the possibility, it's not out of the question... especially since it overlaps with the period of chaos surrounding the war."
Sawai spoke in a tone that suggested it was quite 'plausible' compared to the content of his statement. In fact, the nearly seven-year gap between the creation of the contract in Showa 16 (1941) and the time Kuwano Kinya entered the family register in Tokyo in 1948 by establishing a new register after separating from his original one overlapped with Japan's era of upheaval and chaos.
For example, in Matsumoto Seicho's masterpiece 'The Castle of Sand,' the protagonist used a trick to recreate a family register as the son of a fictional couple, taking advantage of the loss of family register records during the Osaka air raids. Of course, that was a world of fiction, but it could be said that the society was so chaotic that an author who lived through those times would come up with such an idea.
However, in Kuwano's case, although there was the circumstance of the family register being lost in a great tsunami—a natural disaster similar to war damage—there were also stories of Kuwano himself being spotted by locals when he came to look for his family afterward. It's unlikely he swapped with someone at the point of the register's reconstruction, nor was it a fake register. Therefore, the circumstances were clearly different from those in 'The Castle of Sand.' Besides, the reconstruction of the family register happened well before the creation of the contract, so it shouldn't be related to the current issue in the first place.
"What's been bothering me for a while is that Sada Toru and Hojo Masato's 'assessment of Kuwano' doesn't necessarily align with Kuwano's subsequent actions... such as snatching away the shares of the inheritance along with Isaka... The fact that Isaka and Kuwano appeared together at the family home in Otaru of the eldest brother Sada Yuzuru and the second brother Toru relatively soon after the end of the war. And that the eldest brother Yuzuru testified, having heard from his parents and Masaharu—the younger brother of the war-deceased Hojo Masato—who first visited the Sada house in Showa 22, or 1947, when Masaharu revisited in Showa 26. Naturally, the visit of those two must have been earlier, given that all the gold dust would have been stolen by then; there's little room for doubt there. The original assessment was that he was a person of great character, but his subsequent actions contradict that. Rather, it seems to align a bit better with the current Oshima."
"Yeah, I was bothered by that too," Yoshimura agreed with Nishida. Considering past words and deeds, Yoshimura had been even more critical of Kuwano's betrayal than Nishida.
This time, Hiruma interjected.
"If you're a detective, don't you face that kind of personality transformation on a daily basis?"
It was true that there were many cases where one couldn't say a person who turned to crime had always been trash. That couldn't be denied.
"Well, that's true, but..."
Nishida hesitated. However, since that personality-based dissonance wasn't fundamental evidence for the 'different person' theory, there was no point in obsessing over it more than necessary. He moved the conversation forward.
"Let's set that aside... After that, the Kuwano Kinya who would become Oshima Kaiji entered Tokyo. The entry in January 1948 on the family register is just on paper, so we don't know what the reality was, but from March 1950 when the actual person was confirmed entering Tada Sakura's boarding house until the present, Koshiba saw him with his own eyes. From that point on, there should be no issue with the identity of Oshima Kaiji and the Kuwano 'Yasuo' who had already changed his name on the register."
Nishida looked at the whiteboard for a while after saying that much. Then,
"Going back a bit, Isaka and Kuwano appeared together in Otaru after the war. Since their appearance and characteristics probably didn't differ much from the descriptions in the letter Toru wrote, isn't it possible to think that up to that point, it was the same person who worked with Isaka—the Kuwano from the contract? It's hard to believe he showed up with a different person," he speculated.
However, upon hearing that, Kurosu pointed out a problem.
"But based on Isaka's story in Matsushima's testimony, it's reasonable to think that the one who snatched the gold dust together was the current Oshima Kaiji, right? If that's the case, when they visited the Sada house in Otaru, the 'real' Kuwano Kinya—who brought the contract and whose appearance likely didn't differ much from the description in Sada Toru's letter—was there. But then the one who took the gold dust in Ikutahara afterward was Oshima Kaiji, a different person from Kuwano. That would mean they suddenly swapped places."
"Kurosu! Before the fingerprints mismatched, wasn't Takeshita thinking that Oshima might have encountered Isaka during his first election campaign and was threatened about the past theft of the gold dust?"
"The Senior Staff did say that. Given the flow of the story Isaka told Matsushima about a 'misdeed done together' that made them inseparable, it's almost self-evident that it refers to snatching the gold dust. Also, the secret that he was actually Tadokoro Yasuo and not Kuwano Kinya, which he seemed to be faking, likely served as leverage... it could have been even bigger leverage than the theft... However, the Senior Staff's idea was from a time when he hadn't considered the possibility that Oshima Kaiji was a different person from the original Kuwano Kinya of the contract. If that's the case, while the general flow might be fine, the problem arises of where he swapped with the Kuwano of the contract before snatching the gold dust, as I just said..."
Kurosu fell into deep thought after saying that.
Nishida watched him for a while, then muttered,
"Wait a minute... I might be able to solve that all at once," and began writing something on the whiteboard.
○ Isaka and the Kuwano of the contract were told the location of the gold dust by Sada's parents. At that time, their identities were confirmed by their appearance and possession of the contract. However, regarding Kuwano, there weren't many distinct features; the main points were that he was surprisingly tall and had an intellectual 'inner self.' In any case, it's highly likely it was the Kuwano of the contract himself at that time.
○ The Kuwano Kinya from 1950 onwards later became Tadokoro Yasuo and conducted election activities in the Kitami-Abashiri area, where he likely encountered Isaka. It's highly probable he was threatened by Isaka at that time.
○ The existence of the Kuwano Kinya from the contract disappears after that (not confirmed since).
○ It's highly probable that Isaka knew the actual person Oshima Kaiji since before the election.
○ It's highly probable that Oshima Kaiji did not have good memories of Hokkaido.
After finishing writing this much, Nishida began to assert a bold hypothesis.
"The real Kuwano Kinya—the one from the contract—was murdered by someone before the gold dust was dug up. It was likely Oshima or Isaka, or perhaps both, and the actual person Oshima Kaiji assumed Kuwano's identity. Since Kuwano's family and likely many of his acquaintances died in the tsunami, he was the perfect person to impersonate. Perhaps the 'misdeed done together' that Isaka Daikichi mentioned included not just the theft of the gold dust, but this 'murder' as well... The real Kuwano was murdered after they found out the location of the gold dust from the Sada family but before they dug it up. This would largely explain why Kuwano, who was highly regarded for his character, somehow snatched the gold dust meant for Hojo and Mende's son. And Oshima Kaiji... his true identity is still unknown, but he left Hokkaido as if fleeing and went to Tokyo. When he coincidentally reunited with Isaka back in Hokkaido, Isaka threatened Oshima using those crimes as leverage. If we assume this, the story connects, including the current fingerprint mismatch!"
"Hmm, that's quite an interesting theory," Hiruma said, praising Nishida with unusual sincerity.
"If that's the case, Oshima Kaiji knew where the real Kuwano Kinya's permanent domicile was. Since he separated the register from Taro."
"Oba! Regarding that, there's no problem if Isaka heard it from Kuwano himself when they were working together, or perhaps the actual Oshima and the real Kuwano had met before. That could be anything. Assuming that, the problem is that despite likely trying to distance himself from Hokkaido after the murder, he went out of his way to return to run for election. However, this can be explained by the same logic Takeshita and the others had considered to some extent even before this mismatch. When returning to Hokkaido, Oshima might have thought he could manage after considering various things. Back then, it wasn't an era where low-level Diet members appeared on TV as much as they do now. For Isaka, who was from Southern Hokkaido, the only chance of recognizing him might have been a small photo in the newspaper during the election period, so there wasn't much need to fear. Considering the opportunity before him, it would have been worth taking that risk. But in reality, Isaka was in Kitami, the electoral district."
Nishida parried his subordinate's questions smoothly, and it felt as though confidence in his own theory was gradually budding.
"It's good... However, I have one question myself. Oshima himself must have had the level of intellect and academic ability to enter and graduate from Meiho University, but if that's the case, in what form was Oshima acquainted with Isaka? If they were acquaintances from similar circumstances, then like the real Kuwano, quite an intellectual would have been in a position like a 'drifting' laborer?"
Kurosu voiced his dissent while agreeing.
"To be honest, I don't know... Certainly, setting aside personality, in terms of intellect, Oshima Kaiji does properly inherit aspects of the 'Kuwano image.' That point might be a bit weak. However, it's also a fact that from around the Great Depression, even those of the intellectual class were out of work. We can't say it's absolutely impossible."
Nishida answered that way, but since it wasn't a very serious problem compared to others, he didn't worry about it much.
"Then, may I say something too?"
"What is it, Section Chief?"
Sawai asked Nishida.
"Certainly, things might have been more lax than they are now, but when tampering with a family register, identity verification should have been done even back then. When Oshima separated the register to impersonate Kuwano after the murder, how on earth did he verify it? I don't know the details, but I don't think the administration at the time was so careless as to just move a register to Tokyo upon request from an unknown person. Isn't that a problem?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure about that, but since it was a period of post-war chaos with many deaths, if they didn't check every detail, I don't think we need to think too deeply about it."
Nishida responded to this point as well with a certain optimistic attitude.
"It's quite possible things were lax in the old days. I think we don't need to worry about that point either. However, the part where Isaka told Matsushima—who was present at the dinner with Sada Minoru in September '87—that 'the contract has his old name from when he snatched the inheritance with me before he became Tadokoro Yasuo' is a bit bothersome now that it's clear Tadokoro, or Oshima Kaiji, and the Kuwano from the contract are likely different people."
Kurosu raised a new issue at the end, even while agreeing with Nishida's opinion on this point.
"What's the problem?"
Sawai asked instead of Nishida.
"Think about it carefully. At the time they snatched the gold dust, wouldn't it be impossible to say Oshima was 'impersonating' Kuwano Kinya? Looking at the timeline of Kuwano's family register, there clearly shouldn't have been any movement until October of Showa 22 (1947). They almost certainly dug up the gold dust before that. Since Hojo Masaharu reportedly first visited the Sada house in Otaru in Showa 22. And Isaka and Oshima had visited the Sada house before that. On what basis could he be said to be impersonating him? Besides, he wouldn't have declared 'I am Kuwano' to someone to dig up the gold dust, and there shouldn't have been a need to impersonate Kuwano when snatching the gold dust, right? But Isaka Daikichi said, 'his old name from when he snatched the gold dust with me,' as Matsushima testified to Kitamura-san. There's an inescapable sense of dissonance there. If the actual person Oshima did it, the 'old name from when he snatched the inheritance' couldn't have been under the name 'Kuwano Kinya' at that point, right? This point remains unexplained even by the Team Leader's theory."
Kurosu answered.
"Now that you mention it, that's true... But in the first place, we don't know if Matsushima testified to Kitamura exactly what Isaka said word for word. Is there any point in obsessing over the details of the phrasing?"
Nishida spoke to Kurosu while twirling the marker in his hand.
"Certainly, Matsushima's testimony is just a memory from eight years ago at that point, so that's true... But the fact that he didn't use the expression 'real name,' which would normally come up, and instead said 'old name,' feels strangely significant now that the possibility has emerged that Kuwano Kinya and Oshima, alias Tadokoro Yasuo, are different people... If Matsushima had testified that Isaka said something like 'Tadokoro's real name is Kuwano,' then that part of Matsushima's testimony would be, in a sense, off the mark now that it's possible Oshima and Kuwano are different. But since that wasn't the case, it still makes sense. Thinking that way, it's not impossible that Isaka actually said that exactly as it was back then, and that the expression itself has a solid meaning..."
Kurosu still didn't seem satisfied with Nishida's opinion. At the same time, even if Matsushima had later paraphrased Isaka's remarks on his own, Nishida also felt that the phrasing was strangely complicated.
However, Nishida would later realize that the phrasing of Isaka's words as testified by Matsushima, which Kurosu was vaguely bothered by, actually held a clear and significant meaning. But at this time, it was realistically too much to ask Nishida and the others to focus on that. Even Kurosu, who was bothered by it, only had a vague, almost unconscious focus, so it could be said to be a very harsh demand.
"But Nishida! Even if that's a convincing hypothesis, it's not enough to move the higher-ups. At best, the situation is just the same as it was before the fingerprints didn't match."
Hiruma bypassed Kurosu's question and began to speak with a realism that felt like dousing Nishida with cold water.
"I know that."
He stated shortly, but he felt a sense of futility, having had to expend so much energy just to escape the worst-case scenario caused by the mismatch.
"For now, isn't it enough to say that we've escaped the 'I have no idea what's going on' situation?"
Kurosu moved to wrap things up as if to mediate.
"I think that's fine. In this chaotic situation today, that's enough."
Sawai reinforced that statement.
"Anyway, Manager! Please make sure to properly convey today's discussion to the higher-ups, not just the results. I'm counting on you," Sawai pleaded with Hiruma.
"Well, I'll do that properly, so don't worry."
Hiruma straightened the collar of his yukata and replied with a serious expression.
"Well then, since it's a good time, let's drink and blow off some steam!"
It seemed Yoshimura ultimately wanted to reach that point, and both Hiruma and Sawai accepted it with a laugh. The psychology of wanting to temporarily resolve the stress of the investigation and the dissatisfaction with the results while they were at the inn was likely at work. They weren't in the mood for a wild party, but it must have been a brief respite. Forgetting to tell Takeshita about today's discussion, the detectives devoted themselves to the 'task' of consuming the beer and cup sake from the refrigerator. Because of this, the contents of the meeting were not reported to Takeshita during that day.
The next day, December 10th, Takeshita was once again guarding—no, monitoring—the 'entourage' who had come out of their rooms for breakfast in yesterday's banquet hall. Since the fingerprint results were already known yesterday, it was now just a matter of passing the time. Unlike the banquet, there was almost no coming and going of maids; Oshima and the others were just eating, but they seemed to have been drinking in their rooms after that last night, and no one was making much progress with their chopsticks, perhaps due to hangovers.
After finishing their meal over a fair amount of time, Oshima and the others had tea and a cigarette before returning to their rooms. While the maid was about to clear it away, Takeshita took a sudden, almost unconscious action as if he had just thought of it. He called out to the maid who was about to clear Oshima's tray.
"Excuse me for a moment."
He picked up the ceramic teacup that was on the tray. The maid looked as if she wondered if there was a reason for it, but since she knew Takeshita was police, she likely hesitated to ask. When prompted with "You can go now," she stacked it with the other trays and resumed clearing.
Takeshita hid it in his chest as he had done yesterday, then contacted Nishida, who was also eating, and handed it to Oba, who was waiting in the restroom, along with a note.
[I think DNA can be detected from saliva on the part of the teacup Oshima's mouth touched. I'll provide a 'sample' later, so please compare it with that. More details later. Since Shibata-san will likely be returning to Kitami, I will contact him separately.]
"DNA testing? This is getting out of hand. What is it this time..."
Shibata became suspicious as he cleaned the gaps between his teeth with a toothpick. He handed the note he had already looked at to Matsuzawa. Nishida also peered at it, unable to grasp Takeshita's intention, but since he knew from experience that Takeshita wasn't the type to do such things without reason, he decided not to judge until he heard the story later.
The Oshima 'entourage' left Hotel Shochikubai after 10:00 AM. Oshima would return to Tokyo from Memanbetsu, and the supporters would take a bus to Kitami with Secretary Nakagawa, where they would have a lavish lunch before dispersing. The security detail would finish their duty after seeing Oshima off to Memanbetsu, but naturally, they couldn't just disband upon finishing duty; the flow was to return to the Kitami Headquarters for the handover and report of the duty's completion. Takeshita would likely be tied up until after 2:00 PM.
Nishida and the others checked out immediately after, and Hiruma and Shibata, who had the teacup, headed back to Kitami. They also planned to report to Kurano and the others. Nishida and the others returned to Engaru Station to wait for Takeshita's return. Even after returning to the station, they probably should have talked about something related to the investigation, but Yoshimura and Nishida had drunk heavily the night before, and although the alcohol had certainly cleared (Yoshimura was originally supposed to drive, but had someone else drive just in case), they were sprawled on the sofa. Sawai, perhaps out of consideration for his subordinates' feelings, didn't give any particular warning, and time simply passed.
It was just before 4:00 PM, when the outside was beginning to darken, that Takeshita returned. They immediately got to the subject of the teacup.
"The fingerprint matter is settled, albeit in the worst way possible, so what's the purpose of the teacup? Something about DNA?"
"Section Chief, it's not a big deal... sorry for making it sound so dramatic. I just want to compare it with the bloodstain on that scrap of cloth."
"The scrap? Oh, the one sent by that old man you interviewed in Tokyo?"
Sawai nodded as if remembering, but he still couldn't fathom Takeshita's true intent.
"Yes. Koshiba-san said it was a 'lesson' or something for when Oshima went astray, so I just felt like checking it..."
"Does checking that have any meaning?"
Sawai's question was reasonable.
"I just thought that if it matches and is Oshima's own bloodstain, it might lead to him being injured or almost killed or something like that."
Takeshita answered looking awkward.
"If that's the case, would it create some connection between Oshima and the cases so far?" Sawai pressed.
"I might be overthinking it, but that cloth that his adoptive mother Tada Sakura went out of her way to entrust to a third party like Koshiba-san seems to have some great meaning... And I have a feeling it might be related to the strange conclusion that Oshima Kaiji is a different person from the Kuwano Kinya of the contract, despite the circumstantial evidence of the cases so far and Isaka's story in Matsushima's testimony..."
For Takeshita, it was a fumbling situation where he couldn't clearly state his logic, but it might have been a kind of 'detective's hunch.' He wasn't the type to act much on intuition, but since he wasn't the type to have dull hunches either, Nishida couldn't flatly deny it.
"Ah, wait, I have to tell Takeshita that!"
Sawai shouted suddenly, making Yoshimura, who had a sleepy face, startle, but Nishida also understood the meaning.
"Section Chief, I completely forgot... Takeshita! After the results came out last night, we thought about various reasons for this mismatch ourselves, so I want to hear your opinion too!"
Nishida said this and began to explain the review meeting they had held without Takeshita the previous night.
"In the end, the theory of Oshima's identity theft becomes the most likely after all..."
After hearing the story, Takeshita gave his impression and moved in front of the whiteboard where Oba had summarized and written down yesterday's discussion in advance under Nishida's instructions after they returned to the station.
"If that's the case, as the Team Leader says, was the leverage Isaka held over Oshima not just snatching the gold dust together, but also the fact that Oshima murdered Kuwano and assumed his identity? Of course, that would be assuming Isaka conspired with Oshima at the time and knew about Kuwano's family register and such."
"If Takeshita has a similar idea, then I guess we can go with this line after all."
Nishida was happy that the flow allowed him to have confidence in his idea once again, but,
"Team Leader, that's overestimating it. To be honest, there are too many things I don't know, and I don't have any certainty. Besides, why did he try to erase the 'Kuwano color' even more after assuming Kuwano's identity... The fact that the logic leading to that flow remains unsatisfying is a problem, if anything."
After saying that much, he then began to mention the question Kurosu had presented the previous night.
"Then there's Kurosu's question... the remark attributed to Isaka, 'his old name from when he snatched the gold dust with me.' Of course, that's not Isaka himself, but through Matsushima's mouth... Even reconsidering this on the premise that the fingerprints didn't match, is the content of Matsushima's testimony different from the original remark Isaka made at the time, or is it an accurate memory and the roundabout expression itself has a proper meaning? Kurosu's point is certainly understandable in the sense that it's logical, but to be honest, I can't say anything for sure."
Takeshita wasn't being humble; he was likely just stating a objective fact. It was also true that no factual relationship that could clearly mention this had been found yet. Kurosu didn't offer any opinion to Takeshita either.
"By the way, going back to the DNA test, assuming the 'different person' theory is correct, would that scrap of cloth also be involved? Or would it have nothing to do with it? A cloth stained with that much blood, and the adoptive mother's 'lesson' remark."
Nishida suddenly brought the conversation back to the blood-stained scrap.
"Maybe it's related to the 'different person' theory that smells of murder, between Kuwano and Oshima Kaiji... Well, maybe that's too convenient."
Takeshita said this and smiled slightly, then took the scrap out of the cardboard box of investigation materials, cut a small piece from the edge where the bloodstain was firmly attached with scissors, and asked Nishida to give it to Shibata in Kitami.
"It's certain that it's from before Showa 35 at the latest, right? Since it was before Tada Sakura died. Considering the elapsed time, the current technology might make appraisal difficult. I'm a layman, so I can't say for sure."
At Nishida's words upon receiving it, Takeshita's expression clouded for a moment. He likely knew, but being pointed out by someone else made him even more concerned.
On December 11th, Nishida was summoned by Otomo. Wondering what it was about, he went to the Criminal Investigation Director's office, where Kurano and Hiruma were also waiting.
"I heard from Hiruma that you considered various things after the fingerprint check on the 9th, and we've been thinking about that point here too. That's why I asked you to come, as there are a few things I want to ask Nishida."
"What do you think of that idea?"
Nishida's only wish was to keep the line of investigation that could directly target Oshima alive.
"Well, I don't think it's bad. However, even if the fingerprint match Nishida and the others were betting on had happened, it would have been barely enough. Without it, it's tough to aim for Oshima's arrest through an investigation that directly targets him."
"I see..."
At Otomo's words, Nishida uttered something that was neither a reply nor a sigh.
"Setting that aside. That theory that Oshima Kaiji assumed Kuwano's identity—no, to be more precise, that he killed him and assumed his identity?"
"Yes."
Nishida looked at Hiruma beside him, and Hiruma nodded in response.
"I have a few questions about that story, so let me ask Nishida, who is the proposer, what his thoughts are."
"Understood."
Nishida felt a surge of tension at the unexpected turn of events, but he dared to relax his expression so as not to show it.
"First of all, killing Kuwano is one thing, but the motive for why he went as far as to assume Kuwano's identity is not visible. Even if he wanted to make it look like he was alive, it was a period of post-war chaos. I don't think a murder would be discovered just because one or two people who were like drifters—to put it bluntly—disappeared, right? Besides, if he assumed the identity, if it was discovered that he wasn't the real one, it would only lead to more prying. Ultimately, why did Oshima himself need to transform into Kuwano? I feel like a proper motive is necessary."
Nishida thought, 'Oh no.' Since the other party had taken the time to consider it, the idea they had come up with in the heat of the moment indeed had simple flaws. Otomo's point hit a sore spot.
"That is..."
Otomo's gaze pierced the standing Nishida. After he remained unable to answer for a while, Kurano offered a lifeline while also dealing a further blow.
"I discussed it with the Director, and I don't think we need to think deeply about that yet. However, even if we let that pass, the next problem arises."
"Which is?"
"After Oshima Kaiji assumed Kuwano's identity, what happened to the actual person Oshima Kaiji?"
Otomo once again asked a question in place of Kurano. At this time, Nishida's head had started to work a bit better, so he immediately replied,
"How about this: compared to Kuwano, he was someone whose disappearance from the world was fine?"
"Hmm... In other words, even if he vanished from the world, no one would worry, and it wouldn't be a problem?"
"Yes."
"Regarding that point, as I said earlier, Kuwano himself didn't seem to be in a position with much social presence, so if the actual Oshima was someone with even less presence, the logic might hold."
Otomo gave a certain evaluation of Nishida's answer, even though it was a desperate one, after hearing the reasoning.
"Understood. Regarding the second point, even such an abstract idea doesn't seem too bad. That leaves the first point... Alright. That's enough for today. If you think of anything from now on, let me know."
Otomo withdrew for the time being.
"Understood."
"Also... regarding the matter of Kitamura's tape. Since the fingerprints didn't match, doubts have arisen about the content of the testimony, albeit partially. I don't know what the final decision will be, but I think the only part we can properly disclose to the investigators will be the conversation between the two accomplices."
Kurano announced another review result following Otomo's remarks.
"So that's how it's going to be..."
Nishida felt disappointed by the higher-ups' decision, while at the same time, he couldn't help but accept it as inevitable. As evidence to suspect Oshima's involvement in Sada Minoru's murder, even before worrying about Oshima's pressure, the mismatch of the fingerprints and the discrepancy in Isaka's story from Matsushima's testimony had cast doubt on the credibility of the tape's contents itself.
"Then let's leave it at that. You may return now. Sorry for bothering you during work."
Otomo said this coldly and turned his chair to face the window. Nishida felt a sense of rejection in his attitude and left the Director's office with a feeling of chagrin, unable to persuade the other party.
*
Back in the investigation headquarters, Yoshimura asked,
"How was it? Any problems?"
When Nishida explained the situation, Yoshimura said,
"I see... we missed that point. I thought it would work, but I guess the higher-ups weren't very convinced. We have to think of some countermeasure," and fell into thought.
In the end, after that, not only Nishida and Yoshimura, but also the members of Engaru Station led by Takeshita and Kosaka were unable to come up with a concrete and persuasive idea as to why Oshima needed to assume Kuwano's identity, and time simply passed.