The Metropolitan Police officers who had been waiting in the parking garage hurried upstairs as well. However, upon arriving at the scene, they couldn't find Onizawa anywhere, leaving Inspector Megure rather puzzled.
At that moment, Ritsu stood in the emergency stairwell with a cold expression, staring out the window.
A few minutes earlier, Pisco had boldly beckoned him over, signaling for them to talk outside. That was why he had come here.
And just moments ago, he had heard information that was extremely unfavorable for Shiho.
"Augier, do you know who I saw? Honestly, I could hardly believe it. Sherry has actually become that."
Pisco smiled as he lit a cigarette and leisurely exhaled a cloud of smoke. Ritsu was surprised by those words.
'Did he realize that Sonoko-san isn't Shiho?'
But the fact that Pisco knew a research member whom the Organization had kept under strict protection.
It seemed Pisco's status within the Organization wasn't as simple as it appeared.
"Oh? What do you mean? Are you saying her personality has changed?"
"No. The one who resembled Sherry, I knew she was a fake the moment I arrived at the venue. But what I didn't expect was discovering something even more surprising."
He paused before smiling.
"Sherry has become a child."
Ritsu's left hand trembled ever so slightly. Without changing his expression, he slipped it into his pocket and chuckled.
"Turned into a child? I didn't know you had time to joke around. Did you take care of the gunshot residue and the handgun?"
Pisco knew Augier wouldn't believe him so easily. Little did he know, Ritsu was simply playing along.
The reason Pisco hadn't reported this information to Gin was because he knew Gin had deliberately assigned him this mission in an attempt to push him out of the Operatives Division, depriving him of the luxurious life he had been enjoying.
That was why he had decided to side with Augier instead.
Ever since Augier had arrived in Japan, Gin had constantly overshadowed him. If Augier wanted to establish his own foothold, providing him with the real information about Sherry would make for an excellent trade.
"Augier, I've seen what Sherry looked like as a child. There's no way I'd mistake her."
Pisco crushed out his cigarette and stepped forward.
"Gin has always been searching for Sherry, hasn't he? If you capture her this time and present her to That Person, you'll probably gain control of the Japan branch."
"So you're completely certain that child is Sherry."
"I knew the Miyano couple personally. Before Sherry was old enough to remember anything, I was the one assigned to monitor their family's daily life."
Pisco smiled.
"That should convince you."
Ritsu casually toyed with the cigarette pack in his hand before reaching toward Pisco's neck. Seeing Pisco instinctively take a step back, he smiled.
"Don't be nervous. Your tie is crooked."
Pisco felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him. His decision had indeed been the correct one.
Augier was even more terrifying and mysterious than Gin. He was likely one of That Person's trusted confidants.
Which also meant, his authority might even surpass Gin's.
He had bet correctly.
After straightening Pisco's tie, Ritsu patted him on the shoulder once more.
"You made the right choice by standing with me. I'll speak to ThatPerson. From now on, you'll work under me."
"So... what do we do now?"
"You keep an eye on Sherry. I still have to put on a little performance with those idiotic police officers outside..."
He smiled faintly.
"...and then I'll head over to Gin. Don't forget, he still believes Sherry is the Suzuki family's eldest daughter."
Pisco froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Hahahaha... Augier, I didn't expect you to be even craftier than I am! You knew from the beginning that she wasn't Sherry, yet you still didn't tell Gin."
"Oh?"
His crimson eyes narrowed slightly, shadows deepening within them in the darkness.
"Does anyone who climbs to this position remain innocent? Pisco, I want her alive. So don't kill her."
Meeting those scarlet eyes felt like staring into an endless abyss. An inexplicable tightness gripped Pisco's chest.
He admitted it.
He was afraid of Augier. It felt as though the slightest displeasure would condemn him to a fate worse than death.
As he turned to leave, Augier twisted his neck slightly and remarked,
"A live kitten is much more fun to play with, don't you think?"
Pisco couldn't help but feel that if Sherry failed to behave obediently, her fate would be unimaginably miserable.
What Pisco never could have imagined was that Augier had already planted both a tracking device and a signal jammer on him.
That made it impossible for him to play both sides by running back to Gin with a completely different story.
If either device was removed or damaged, Ritsu would receive an alert immediately.
At that point, he would shut down all communications throughout the entire building as quickly as possible.
Long before tonight, while investigating the Twin Tower Skyscraper, he had already hacked into the building's main computer and broken through its security system.
The moment Pisco chose to tell him about Sherry, he had already become a dead man walking.
.
Ritsu returned to the banquet hall and found Takagi and the others anxiously searching for him. As he wiped his hands with a handkerchief, he asked,
"Takagi, what are you all looking for?"
"I-Inspector?! We finally found you! Where did you go?"
"I went to the restroom."
He folded away the handkerchief.
"How's it going? Finished the preliminary examination of the victim?"
Hayasaka, who had been examining the body, stood up and reported,
"The fatal wound was caused by the chandelier's metal hook. It pierced straight through the victim's body, killing him instantly."
"No signs that the chandelier was tampered with?" Ritsu asked.
After taking another careful look, Hayasaka suddenly noticed something strange. Pointing at the broken section of the chandelier, she said,
"Onizawa... don't you think this looks like it was hit by a bullet?"
"It certainly does."
He nodded.
"Do we have a forensic light?"
Takagi quickly raised the metal case in his hand.
"Yes. We've got all the equipment ready."
Ritsu immediately instructed,
"Test every guest for gunshot residue. Whoever tests positive can be identified as the killer. Oh, right, after that, don't forget to bring Kisaragi back to headquarters from backstage."
"Kisaragi-san?"
Takagi blinked.
"What happened?"
"He's the murderer who killed Councilman Iwamatsu. And he also just attempted to murder Tokiwa-san. Those two crimes alone are enough to keep him in prison for the rest of his life."
Likewise, he would never again see the Mount Fuji that had led him astray. Ritsu was merely trying to buy time.
Taking out his phone, he noticed a missed call from Gin. Finding a secluded corner, he returned the call.
"Gin. What's up?"
"You can withdraw now."
"Just me?"
Ritsu smiled.
"So you deliberately kept Councilman Nomiguchi from me because you wanted me to eliminate Pisco?"
Gin pressed the speakerphone button, shoved the phone into Vodka's hand, and continued wiping down his sniper rifle.
"What makes you think I wasn't deliberately withholding the information because I suspected you?"
"Heh, if you truly suspected me, you'd have killed me already. There'd be no reason to keep me alive until now. Showing mercy isn't exactly your style."
Looking toward the distant skyscrapers, Ritsu smiled.
"I'm heading over now. Wait for me."
"Mm, hurry up. And Don't let that woman get away."
"You can't rush perfection."
Ritsu chuckled.
"I still have things to wrap up here. If I disappear for no reason, it'll arouse the Public Security officers' suspicions. I'm hanging up."
As soon as he ended the call, he noticed Hiro walking toward him.
It seemed Hiro had been keeping an eye on him the whole time.
"Weren't you supposed to be investigating?"
Hiro asked.
"Who were you talking to that required hiding away in a corner like this?"
Having already prepared his answer, Ritsu replied without the slightest hesitation,
"I was updating my wife. I told her I'd probably be home late tonight."
Hiro pursed his lips.
His gaze lingered on Ritsu's phone for a brief second before withdrawing. He had no reason to inspect it.
But he was certain of one thing.
The person on the other end had definitely not been Akemi.
"I'm taking Yoshiaki-san with me first."
He looked at Ritsu.
"You'll be all right handling the rest?"
"It's my responsibility. I'll take care of it."
"Then I'll be going."