"The original mother's name was Ryoko."
"Since he directly called the original mother by her given name rather than her surname, it means the original mother shared the same surname as the protagonist."
"So, it was Akikawa Ryoko."
Normally, Japanese women adopt their husband's surname after marriage, abandoning their maiden name.
Therefore, it's not strange for the child to have the same surname as the mother.
"It turns out the cause of the car accident wasn't the car directly hitting the guardrail, but rather the original mother suddenly braking hard, leading to a rear-end collision which caused the car to lose balance and hit the guardrail."
Akikawa Sosuke recalled what happened after he woke up.
The car body had collided with the left guardrail, and the front windshield was covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
"No wonder the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department didn't get precise eyewitness accounts; it seems the rear window also shattered during the rear-end collision, obstructing the view."
"Furthermore, if the car hit the left guardrail at a left-leaning angle, it means the right rear was impacted, or perhaps the original mother was turning the steering wheel to the left at the time."
"In that case, the driver's side would be blocked by the car body, and the vehicles behind wouldn't be able to see the person in the driver's seat!"
"This point can be utilized to create a scenario where a third party committed the crime."
Akikawa Sosuke acted like a naive child who had made a serious mistake and been discovered.
As for why he acted as if he had truly killed someone, panicking, instead of denying Nakajima Takuto's accusations without batting an eye.
That was because—
"Detectives, no, humans, all behave the same way."
"As soon as they realize they have an advantage, they can't help but press their advantage."
"Once they become complacent, their judgment declines, and it's easy for them to reveal flaws."
Imagine this.
Nakajima Takuto, who at this moment was convinced that the child in front of him was an honest, psychologically young individual whom he had fully gained the trust of.
Suddenly discovered that the child in front of him denied killing his mother without any emotional fluctuation.
At that point, Nakajima Takuto would definitely suspect whether his previous actions were all just an act.
After all, for the current Detectives.
Akikawa Sosuke was practically synonymous with a murderer.
Only by making Nakajima Takuto believe his judgment was correct, and that his psychological defenses had been breached, would he continue his pursuit with the posture of a victor.
"If I question him directly, he definitely won't answer honestly."
"But if I propose a wrong idea, people often subconsciously refute it."
This is also why Akikawa Sosuke, despite knowing the original mother died from a knife wound, still said she died from hitting the guardrail while driving.
As expected, Nakajima Takuto, who believed he had the upper hand, immediately refuted him.
Before this.
Akikawa Sosuke knew nothing about the car accident.
Now, a clear and complete picture of the car accident on the National Highway had been pieced together in his mind.
"You're still trying to deceive me? Ryoko wasn't even killed after the car accident! Stop pretending, you killed Ryoko, didn't you?"
Listening to Nakajima Takuto's questioning,
Akikawa Sosuke noticed the other party suddenly emphasized his tone.
"He already asked once before, and now he's repeating it again; it's too obvious."
Akikawa Sosuke noticed that Nakajima Takuto repeated the phrase "Stop pretending, you killed Ryoko, didn't you?" again.
Combined with the sudden emphasis in his tone, the purpose was clear.
"He's starting to record."
Akikawa Sosuke thought to himself.
Then, he would have to speak cautiously.
Otherwise, trying to fish for information only to be recorded as evidence would be counterproductive.
"By the way, he spoke with such certainty just now. How did the police know that the original mother was still alive after the car accident?"
Akikawa Sosuke didn't know when the original mother was stabbed.
According to Nakajima Takuto, the original mother suddenly braked hard on the highway.
Akikawa Sosuke's first thought was that "he" in the passenger seat suddenly stabbed his mother, who was driving, which led to the subsequent series of events.
"More unknown information."
Akikawa Sosuke thought to himself, then, looking as if he was about to burst into tears, he stammered, accusing the other party of needing evidence, and then—
The doubt in his heart was immediately explained—
His hospital gown was pulled open by Nakajima Takuto, who pointed to his left shoulder and said, "This is the evidence!"
However, after saying this, Nakajima Takuto seemed to realize he had accidentally said too much and did not continue.
But even so, it was enough for Akikawa Sosuke to analyze the full picture of the situation.
"Left shoulder? How can this be evidence that the original mother was killed after the car accident?"
"Ah, I know, it's the seatbelt marks."
"It seems the original mother had seatbelt marks on her shoulder, but I don't, which means at the time of the car accident, the marks hadn't appeared yet!"
"If that's the case, the marks on the original mother's body could only have been left during her struggle after being stabbed following the car accident."
"Not only was she killed, but the entire scene of the original mother being stabbed happened after the car accident!"
Having determined this, Akikawa Sosuke suddenly felt a sense of exhilaration.
Having experienced nothing but bad luck since transmigrating, at this moment, his luck had finally turned.
"The original mother's stabbing happened after the car accident, which means the original mother didn't brake because she was attacked by the original owner with a dagger."
"The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the Detective clearly haven't identified the reason for the original mother's sudden braking."
"Isn't this an excellent, self-delivered opportunity to create a third party who committed the assassination?"
Akikawa Sosuke knew that Japan didn't have that many cameras.
In a country where over 99% of traffic violations and accidents rely on traffic police to catch offenders red-handed, it would be effortless to create a third party who caused the car accident, then assassinated the original mother, and fled.
Moreover, he didn't need to be as meticulous as someone attempting a truly perfect crime.
He only needed to establish the possibility of a third party's existence and ensure that the Detectives had no conclusive evidence to identify him as the killer.
As for not finding that third party?
Then it could only be blamed on the Detectives' incompetence.
Ding
Suddenly.
A familiar, crisp mechanical sound echoed in his mind.
Transparent, azure blue text, visible only to him, appeared before Akikawa Sosuke's eyes.
[Option 2, Completed]
[Reward Issued, Physique + 3]
Suddenly, a strange sensation permeated Akikawa Sosuke's entire body.
Akikawa Sosuke clearly felt his body strengthen in an instant.
His originally weak and powerless body was now full of vitality.
"Hoo, this three-point physique boost is much better than I imagined."
Akikawa Sosuke sighed inwardly, then refocused his attention on the Detective in front of him.
"The information this Detective could provide is basically complete. Now there's one last, and most important, thing I need this Detective to help with."
He finally didn't have to endure the intense urge to vomit that had been in his chest since his first bite of food.
This was also the main reason Akikawa Sosuke looked troubled while eating; it wasn't an act.
It was because the original body itself had severe eating problems.
"Ugh—!"
Akikawa Sosuke's face turned pale, and he covered his mouth with his hand, his cheeks suddenly puffing out.