In the car at the hotel entrance.
Fujino pulled his gaze back and closed his eyes, resting. He didn't continue to pay attention to Chizuru Bizen inside the hotel.
Even though he had a hunch that this woman would likely die in the next few days, and the empty hotel would be the perfect opportunity to strike, he had no personal connection to her, nor was she a client. A couple of glances were enough.
Fujino wasn't some scoundrel, nor was he a bleeding heart. He was just worried that his vacation would be ruined by a murder case.
After all, seeing too many dead bodies inevitably weighs on one's heart. But if she truly brought it upon herself and ended up dead, well, there was nothing to be done.
Besides, this woman was truly insufferable.
One could only say: let go of the urge to help, and respect others' destinies.
---
Only the Shimokasa sisters and Chizuru Bizen remained at the hotel.
Arimori felt uneasy and decided to go back to close the doors and windows.
Fujino and his group set off first in Shinobu Shimokasa's car.
Soon after, Arimori followed in a small truck.
The dirt roads on the nearby plateau were winding and rugged. Though they couldn't drive fast, it was a steady ride.
They journeyed along, driving for nearly an hour, before finally reaching their destination.
At the top of the small hill, the lake shimmered, with a cool, damp mist faintly carried by the wind. Mountains surrounded them on all sides, partially veiled by clouds, adding a touch of mystery.
"Phew..."
Fujino surveyed the surrounding scenery, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew, a cool sensation washing over his face, making him feel much more relaxed.
"The scenery here is truly beautiful!"
Miyano Akemi looked around, exclaiming, "The air is so fresh too!"
"No car exhaust pollution, just pure nature all around."
Haibara looked around thoughtfully. "Living in an environment like this would greatly improve one's mood and physical well-being."
"That's right, this kind of environment certainly makes one feel very comfortable."
Arimori followed alongside, laughing. "Our hotel is in a remote location and isn't exactly famous. The only reason we have guests is thanks to the surrounding natural environment."
"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen the scenery here. Every time I see it, it feels different."
Shinobu Shimokasa looked at the surrounding scenery and sighed, then pointed to a light spot in the distance. "Oh, that's where the hotel we just stayed at is."
"That close?"
Miyano Akemi looked in the direction Shinobu pointed, surprised. "I remember we drove quite a long way just now."
"This is a plateau, surrounded by small hills, and the roads are winding. You can't drive fast. From here, the hotel should only be about ten kilometers away."
Fujino's gaze was fixed on the distant hotel, when he suddenly noticed a small black dot.
His enhanced vision zoomed in, and he clearly saw Shiromoto driving back to the hotel.
Fujino: "..."
Could it be that he accidentally stumbled upon a wife-killing?
My wretched luck!
"Indeed, Detective Fujino is right. The straight-line distance is only about ten kilometers!"
Shinobu nodded, unable to help but recall, "Come to think of it, we used to go paragliding here. We'd play until evening, and when the sun set, you could see an even more spectacular view. Following the sunset, it wouldn't take long to get back to the hotel from here."
"Eh?"
Just then, a white butterfly flapped its wings and flew past Haibara, causing her to take two steps back in surprise.
"These are Deep Mountain White Butterflies from our plateau. They're very rare elsewhere," Arimori introduced.
"A Parnassian butterfly?"
Haibara looked up at the silver shimmer of the white butterfly's wings, a gentle smile unconsciously gracing her lips.
Under everyone's gaze, the Deep Mountain White Butterfly slowly flapped its wings and flew to the side.
Coincidentally, it landed on Arimori's shoulder.
But after only a moment, the white butterfly fell sideways, lifeless.
"The butterfly..."
Haibara's brow furrowed as she looked at the Deep Mountain White Butterfly, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"This kind of butterfly can't survive without clean water," Arimori said, picking up the lifeless butterfly from her shoulder and placing it gently in her palm, a flicker of pity in her eyes. "This area, too, will probably be polluted before long..."
Fujino thought for a moment and then asked, "Is it Shiromoto's development project?"
Arimori sighed. "Yes, he plans to build a nature amusement park around here."
Fujino: "..."
Perhaps his plan is about to fall through.
"How ironic..."
Haibara shook her head, looking back at the scenery beside her. A gentle breeze blew, stirring the strands of hair by her ear. "A 'nature' amusement park, which, in the end, is achieved by polluting nature. Humans are always destroying the environment to satisfy their own selfish desires..."
"Alright, it's already noon. I'll go get the lunch boxes for everyone."
Arimori placed the butterfly's body on a purple flower's stamen nearby and sighed.
Turning around, she walked down the hill.
And at that very moment, a system notification suddenly sounded in Fujino's ear:
**[New professional mission detected, please check]**
"Here it comes..."
Fujino's eyes went lifeless. Though expected, he still felt a bit exasperated.
Another murder case on vacation...
Damn it!
Why does it feel like every time he goes on vacation, something always happens?
Has he attracted the power of the God of Death?
Or is he possessed by the God of Death?
Fujino sighed inwardly.
Then, he opened the system interface.
A light screen appeared before his eyes:
**[Detective Professional Mission: The Fallen Deep Mountain White Butterfly]**
**Mission Summary: The aging actress Chizuru Bizen falls like a Deep Mountain White Butterfly, and the true culprit is hidden within the hotel.**
**Mission Objective: Solve this case.**
**Mission Reward: 2,000,000 Yen, 200 Detective Reputation Points**
"An aging actress, how detailed..."
"But 'the fall of the Deep Mountain White Butterfly,' this system is getting more poetic."
"Though the description is a bit inaccurate."
"She's probably been 'blacked out' for a while..."
Fujino stared at the mission summary on the interface, silently complaining to himself.
---
In a flash, the sun set.
After exploring the hillside, playing badminton, and watching the sunset, the group decided to return to the hotel.
Shinobu Shimokasa had just started her car, intending to drive them back to the hotel, but Arimori's small truck wouldn't start. Curious, she stopped her car and asked, "What's wrong?"
"The car's engine seems to be having some trouble."
Arimori poked her head out. "You all go back first. I'll see if I can fix it here."
"Do you need any help?"
Fujino also poked his head out, asking.
Though he wasn't an expert in car repair, as an experienced driver, troubleshooting some minor issues wasn't too big a problem.
"Thank you, Detective Fujino."
Arimori smiled. "But it's alright. It gets very cold here at night, and it wouldn't be appropriate for a guest to stay here helping me fix the car. You should all go back first."
"Alright then."
Shinobu nodded and drove everyone back to the hotel first.
---
At the hotel entrance.
As the group parked their car, they happened to run into Shiromoto and his companion returning from fishing.
"Detective Fujino, you're back too."
Shiromoto got out of the car, carrying an insulated cooler full of fish, and greeted them. "We caught a lot of fish today! There'll definitely be enough grilled fish tonight!"
"Well, you two certainly had a big catch today..." Fujino gave an awkward laugh.
Forget grilled fish; he figured they might not even get to have a barbecue later.
The group pushed open the door and entered the hotel. As soon as they were inside, Shiromoto asked the busy Shimokasa sisters, "By the way, has Chizuru come downstairs yet?"
The Shimokasa sisters shook their heads in同步, looking a bit bewildered. "We've been busy with hotel matters all day; we haven't seen Ms. Chizuru come downstairs."
"Well, that's just too much. She's not even eating."
Shiromoto complained for a couple of sentences, then headed upstairs to call her.
"I'm going upstairs to wash my face too."
Fujino looked back at Shiromoto, found an excuse, and went upstairs with him.
"Chizuru, Chizuru!"
Shiromoto arrived at Chizuru Bizen's door, knocked, and called out twice. When he received no response, he grew a bit angry and shouted, "Alright, your temper should have cooled down by now. Why aren't you answering?"
"What's wrong?"
Fujino 'coincidentally' passed by and looked at Shiromoto, asking in confusion.
"Strange, I don't know what's going on. Chizuru won't open the door no matter how much I knock."
Shiromoto frowned, then murmured, "Could something have happened to her...?"
"Indeed, even if she's angry, she shouldn't not open the door at all..."
Fujino glanced at Shiromoto with a strange expression.
Shiromoto's reaction... it was a bit unusual.
He's already suspecting something happened to her?
However, since he already knew she was dead, he decided to speed up the process of discovering the body.
So he suggested, "Do you need me to help force the door open?"
After a moment of thought, Shiromoto nodded. "Then I'll trouble you, Detective Fujino."
"Stand back a little..."
Fujino took a deep breath, looked at the wooden door in front of him, then kicked it.
*Bang!*
With a dull thud, the door was instantly kicked open by Fujino.
Fujino slowly walked into the room and saw in the dim light a figure dressed in a red jacket and a pink mini-skirt, her feet dangling in mid-air from the ceiling fan.
Clearly, it was Chizuru Bizen.
"7:20."
Fujino pulled out his phone, checked the time, and simultaneously dialed the police.
"Chi... Chizuru!"
Hidehiko Shiromoto was clearly startled, taking two steps back, his face filled with horror.
After finishing the call to the police, Fujino turned to Shiromoto. "Mr. Shiromoto, Ms. Chizuru is probably dead. This is now a crime scene. If you could, please wait outside. I have some things I'd like to investigate."
Shiromoto nodded numbly and backed out of the room.
Fujino then pulled out his gloves and put on shoe covers, activated his Eagle Eye, and began surveying the room.
This time, Eagle Eye's hints were the security latch on the door he had kicked open, and a light spot on the triangular area of Chizuru Bizen's skirt...
Fujino temporarily ignored that strange small light spot. After some thought, he walked over to the security latch, picked it up, and examined it.
The golden iron security latch should have been installed next to the door frame, but it had fallen onto the room floor after his kick.
There were also some fine scratches on the edge of the door lock.
Fujino turned his head and looked at the door frame.
Similarly, there were also some scratches on the door frame.
"If that's the case, the culprit must have opened the door, then used a screwdriver to re-engage the security latch to create a locked room..."
Fujino thought as he stood up and walked over to Chizuru Bizen's body.
He looked up at her.
The aging actress, who had been alive and ill-tempered yesterday, now had no temper left.
Her eyes were closed, and her face wore a peaceful expression.
"Without that scowl, her appearance is actually not bad."
Fujino murmured, "If that's the case, then she must have been killed while unconscious..."
After all, if someone were strangled to death while conscious, there would typically be defensive wounds around their neck, and their dying expression wouldn't likely be so peaceful.
He reached out and touched the corpse's pale arm.
It was already in rigor mortis...
From the time of death, it was roughly the same time he triggered the detective mission.
Only Shiromoto had returned then. So, it seemed Shiromoto was the culprit.
However...
Fujino narrowed his eyes, examining the light spot marked by Eagle Eye.
The light spot indicated a white powder stained on her skirt.
Fujino reached out and touched a bit, rubbing it between his fingers. It felt a bit like cosmetics.
He didn't act like a fool like Conan and dare to lean in and sniff it...
After all, she was a celebrity. If it were drugs, he'd be done for; even a little contact with that stuff would ruin the rest of his life.
However, with his keen sense of smell, he still caught a faint scent from a distance.
It was a foul odor...
---
An hour later, accompanied by the wail of police sirens, police from Nagano Prefecture arrived at the scene.
"I'm Koichi Mito, a detective from the Nagano Prefectural Police."
A handsome detective in a gray suit surveyed the crime scene, then exited and looked at Fujino with a somewhat displeased expression. "From what I've just heard, you're the first person to discover the body and enter the crime scene, correct?"
"That's right, and I'm the one who called the police."
Fujino nodded, and then pulled out his identification from his pocket. "I'm Fujino, a consultant from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division. Mr. Shiromoto was worried something might have happened to her, so I forced the door open with his permission."
"Consultant Fujino, huh..."
Koichi Mito looked at Fujino, his expression softening considerably. "I've heard about you. I didn't expect you to come to Nagano Prefecture. Are you here for a trip?"
"That's right."
Fujino nodded in agreement. "A friend gave me an invitation ticket to this hotel, so I decided to come here for a trip during the long holiday. I didn't expect to run into something like this."
"That's certainly unfortunate."
Koichi Mito nodded heavily, empathizing with the pain of having to work late at night during a holiday.
He then turned to a slightly overweight detective behind him, dressed in a dark blue suit, and asked, "How's the scene investigation coming along?"
"The deceased is the popular actress Chizuru Bizen, thirty years old. She came to this hotel for a trip with her husband this time..."
The detective, holding a notepad, reported on the scene's situation. "The victim's time of death is estimated to be between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM. The room was a bit stuffy, so there might be some margin of error. The cause of death was compression to the neck."
"From the scene, it looks very much like Ms. Bizen committed suicide," Koichi Mito said, looking back at the room, then up at the white cloth hanging from the ceiling fan, before his gaze settled on Chizuru Bizen's body, now quietly placed on the bed.