On the rooftop, aside from two office building security guards, there was a familiar face from the izakaya: Mr. Fujimori, the balding, red-nosed old man who always ordered tamagoyaki.
"Hayashi-san?" Mr. Fujimori said, surprised to see Shuichi step out from the security door. "What are you doing here?"
"I was passing by with my sister and saw someone jump, so I came to check," Shuichi said, scanning the rooftop. "What about you, Mr. Fujimori? Weren't you meeting someone today? Was that person the one you were looking for?"
"…I already met him, but he wasn't the one I was looking for," the old man sighed. "And it seems he was dealing with some troubles—enough to choose jumping."
"So the person who jumped was the one you were meeting today?" Shuichi pressed for confirmation.
"That's right," Mr. Fujimori nodded candidly.
Last night at the izakaya, Mr. Fujimori's tone and demeanor had seemed off when he mentioned this meeting. Shuichi had suspected then that the old man might be tracking down an enemy for revenge. But thanks to that talent scout Takashima causing a scene, he'd missed his chance to dig deeper.
Given last night's conversation, this balding old man could very well be the culprit behind the young man's fatal fall.
"Where were you when he jumped?" Shuichi asked immediately.
"What's that?" Mr. Fujimori frowned, his tone sharp. "Are you suggesting I pushed him, Hayashi-san?"
"He did jump on his own," the bespectacled security guard interjected. "When we opened the security door to the rooftop, we saw him go over the edge. There was no one else up here."
"This building is thirty or forty meters from the nearest one," the short, chubby guard added. "If someone had pushed him, there's no way the culprit could've escaped the rooftop."
"Mr. Fujimori, you still haven't answered my question," Shuichi said, ignoring the guards.
"Hayashi-san, you're just an izakaya chef—and a minor, at that," Mr. Fujimori said, clearly annoyed. "I don't owe you an explanation of my business, do I?"
His words hit Shuichi's weak spot. Without official authority, he had no right to interrogate anyone.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, the bespectacled guard quickly explained, "Actually, this gentleman came to the first-floor security office to tell us someone was on the roof, about to jump. That's why we came up."
"The rooftop isn't part of our patrol route, and there are no cameras here," the chubby guard said, defending the old man. "If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have gotten here so fast. Sure, we were too late to save the guy, but this man's a good person. Don't go accusing him, kid!"
Seeing all three glaring at him with indignation, Shuichi didn't press further. He stepped toward the rooftop's edge, where a low barrier, barely knee-high, encircled the perimeter.
Peering down, Shuichi quickly pinpointed the spot where the young man had jumped.
"Careful, don't fall!" the bespectacled guard warned kindly.
The chubby guard, however, sneered, "If you fall, don't go claiming we pushed you!"
"Hey, don't pick a fight with a kid," the bespectacled guard muttered, nudging his partner. "Kids can be impulsive. If he gets mad and jumps, we'll both lose our jobs."
Noticing Shuichi scanning the rooftop as if searching for something, the bespectacled guard grew worried and pulled him back slightly. "Don't stand too close to the edge. The wind up here's strong—a sudden gust could blow you right off."
"Where's that floating thread I saw from below? Did I imagine it?" Shuichi muttered to himself, ignoring the guard. "This building's ten stories tall, but the weather's clear today, no clouds. I know I saw it clearly…"
Following his memory of the thread's direction, Shuichi traced it to a large stainless steel water tank, likely the building's water supply.
Circling the tank, he soon spotted a fresh scratch on the side nearest the security door—a mark left by a thin cord.
"Did anyone come near this tank after you got to the rooftop?" Shuichi asked the bespectacled guard quietly.
"Uh…" The guard thought for a moment. "Sorry, when we pushed open the door and saw the guy fall, I ran straight to the edge. I didn't notice anything else."
Shuichi turned to ask the chubby guard, but then realized Mr. Fujimori was gone. "Where'd he go?"
"You mean the nice old man?" the chubby guard scoffed. "We're not cops. We can't stop people from leaving. He went downstairs—probably gone by now."
"You!" Shuichi's face darkened with frustration.
The bespectacled guard was irritated too. "Someone died, and the police will definitely have questions. How could you just let him leave?"
"It's just a suicide," the chubby guard said dismissively. "The police won't care that much, right?"
"Suicide?" Shuichi let out a cold laugh. "Someone set a trap to make that man fall!"
"If you two hadn't opened the security door, he wouldn't have gone over!"
"W-what did you say?" the bespectacled guard stammered, shocked.
"You, stay here," Shuichi said, pulling the bespectacled guard to the security door. "Don't let anyone up except the police. And keep everyone away from that water tank!"
"Why should we listen to you, kid?" the chubby guard grumbled.
"You don't have to," Shuichi said with a mocking smirk. "But you two fell for the trap. You opened the security door, and that's why he fell to his death. If the real culprit isn't caught, I don't know what the police will do with you, but that man's vengeful spirit might just come looking for you both."
After scaring the guards into guarding the scene, Shuichi hurried downstairs to chase after Mr. Fujimori.
"Hey, are we really listening to some kid?" the chubby guard muttered, skeptical.
"Better safe than sorry," the bespectacled guard replied, glancing at his partner. "Someone died. True or not, we should wait for the police."
(End of Chapter)
------------------------
🔥 Want more chapters right now?✨ Support me on Patreon and unlock advanced chapters early!
👉 patreon.com/TripleCrown07
Join in, get ahead of the story, and enjoy exclusive perks along the way 🚀📖