Chapter 5 Part3 (1/2)
Yumoto Adventure Land's management office…
Atami and Ibusuki stood before the meeting room where that'd had all those involved wait. Before meeting them, they did a final check over how everyone was involved.
If Oku Tamotsu who fell to his death in the new attraction, the House of Darkness, was actually killed, then naturally, there was a high probability the culprit was among those gathered.
”Hmm… At the time of the incident, not counting the victim, there were seven relevant people nearby.”
Atami flipped through his notebook as he conveyed the info the local police had gathered to his boss Ibusuki.
”First, there were five testers invited alongside the victim. And there were two female staff members to serve as guides for the attraction.”
Atami turned his eyes up to look at Ibusuki.
”Excluding Chizuru-kun, and from what I heard from the officers at the scene, Tsukioka Yusuki-kun was there as well, it seems… excluding them, that would make for five suspects.”
”What?” Ibusuki's narrow eyes grew even sharper. ”What basis do you have to exclude them? They're splendid suspects all the same.”
”R-right! … And apart from the seven, I also had the manager of this amus.e.m.e.nt park come over. Because there are plenty of things we have to ask.”
”I see… then let's go in.”
Around the meeting table in the center of the meeting room, sat the persons concerned. As the lights weren't on, only the sunlight streaming in through the blinds would illuminate the s.p.a.ce.
Anxiety over a police visit, and irritation at being detained mingled in with the looked directed at the two detectives. Only Tsukioka Yuzuki who was seeing familiar faces let a relieved expression cross his feminine face.
Giving him a light greeting with his eyes, Atami noticed something.
”Yuzuki-kun.”
”h.e.l.lo, Officer Atami. Fancy meeting you again.”
”Yeah, that aside… where's Chizuru-kun?”
”Oh, Chizuru-senpai is…”
At that moment, from behind the two officers, Kiris.h.i.+ma Chizuru made his entrance.
He carried a bottle of melon soda under one arm.
”Ah, Officer Ibusuki, Officer Atami. I appreciate your service.”
He let out a greeting without any heart, taking his position at a corner of the table with an innocent look on his face.
Taken aback for a moment, Ibusuki soon a.n.a.lyzed the situation and openly expressed her anger as she drew close to Chizuru.
”Why did you arbitrarily go out on your own?”
”I bought a drink from the bending machine. But even so, things sure are expensive at an amus.e.m.e.nt park.”
”Shut it! Just stay put!”
After some unintentional rage, she noticed the doubtful eyes of the other suspects and cleared her throat as she returned her eyes to them.
”Now then, everyone.”
Starting off with a normal greeting, Ibusuki walked to the whiteboard where it was easy to see her.
”I apologize for keeping you here so long. From here on, I'd like to ask you all a few questions…”
”Like, what is this all even about?”
The young woman with her hair dyed blond ipenly narrowed her painted eyelashes as she spoke.
”You know, it seems a person died, but we're not related to that at all, are we?”
”Oy, oy, Makita,” her presumed boyfriend beside her calmed her down. ”You don't have to say it like that.”
”So what, s.h.i.+n-chan? I'm telling the truth.”
”Anyways, calm down for now.”
With blatant discomfort, Ibusuki took back control.
”Who's related and who's irrelevant is something for the police to decide… now then, let's get the flow of this case in order.
As I'm sure you're al aware, a new attraction- The House of Darkness- opened for the first time today. And a man who entered as a tester… Oku Tamotsu-san fell down a hole in a portion of the building, and fell to his death.”
”Hah? There was a dangerous place like that? That's totally terrifying.”
The blond woman knit her brow.
Perhaps unable to let that fact stand, a single man rose to his feet. Wearing a tidy suit, his hair split in a seven-to-three ratio, the man who looked to be in his forties was clearly the manager.
”This may sound forward, but I'm the manager here. I'm called Miyahara. Um, as this is a problem related to my company's credibility, I'd like to say it clearly.”
Ahem, Miyahara cleared his throat.
”To make sure the testers never approached that hole, our preparations were perfect. First, in a location no guest would overlook, we put a clear sign saying the path was dangerous, not to go that way. In large print, right in the center.”
”Oh, come to think of it, that was there. The 'Don't go right!' warning.”
The blonde-haired woman's lover, the brown-haired man was the one who said it.
Miyahara nodded.
”Right? And in the million-to-one chance a guest overlooked that notice, to make sure no one fell into the hole, there was a 'Danger!' warning bulletin placed right before it.”
”That's right, for argument's sake…” Ibusuki sent a sharp glance at Miyahara, ”But that aside, Manager Miyahara. Why was there such a dangerous spot in an attraction where guests were left free to raom What's more, a pitch-black attraction.
”That's you see. Originally, that hole that led down was supposed to be covered with gla.s.s. But that specially made gla.s.s order didn't make it in time, so to our first testers, we thought it couldn't be helped, and after putting a notice not to approach, we opened up the House of Darkness. From the start, by the blueprints, that road was nothing more than a dead end, and Producer Akabane who drafted it up didn't put much emphasis on it.”
”I see. So you couldn't change the date the testers were invited in?”
”We had already publically announced the date, and it came to light that it didn't seem it would make it in time after we had already sent the tickets and notices to all the testers.”
”… Okay, I understand the circ.u.mstances. Now about that,”
Ibusuki made eye contact with everyone again.
”About the 'Danger! Do not Enter!' metal board Miyahara-san mentions before… truth be told, it fell into the depths of the hole.”
”Now that's…”
While he'd stayed silent to that point, the narrow=eyed man in the brown jacket said it intrigued.
”… And from the undamaged state of the metal board that supposedly 'fell', the probability that this act was done by someone's hand with malice aforethought is exceedingly high… meaning this is a murder case.”
”Eeh!?”
The staff member with fluffy chestnut hair raised the first cry of surprise. The other faces also showed surprised reactions.
”Calm down. Now then, that's how it is, so at the time of the crime, I'd like to check when people entered and exited the attraction.”
”… First, when the attraction opened…”
The female staff member with black, braided hair spoke in a voice that travelled well.
”After I gave the introductory statements, we started letting guests in from the front of the line.”
”I see. What's your name?”
”I'm f.u.kaya. My first name is Shouko… and then, let's see. The first to go in was were those two.”
She indicated the couple of dyed hair.
”Then let's hear your names.”
Still standing, Ibusuki leaned forward and put her elbows on the table. She looked over the couple as if to intimidate them.
”And I would be thankful if you could divulge your positions.”
”I-I'm Oomiya s.h.i.+njirou.”
Nudged by his girlfriend, the man started out.
”I'm a third year at Yumoto University.”
”Likewise, Ino Makita.”
With a sullen voice, the woman also named herself.
While Ibusuki sent them a glance, Atami made himself scarce as he took a memo on his notepad.
”I see. So the two went in… and did they get out?”
”Yes,” f.u.kaya nodded, ”Right after we confirmed the two of them had pa.s.sed the halfway point, we let the next guest… meaning Oku-san into the attraction.”
”I see. How did you know Oomiya-san and Ino-san had pa.s.sed the halfway point?”
”When a certain door is opened, it sends a signal sound to my intercom. I heard the noise.”
”I see. And Oku-san went inside… meaning for a period of time, you two and Oku-san were in the same s.p.a.ce.”
”Hey, you don't have to word it like that.”
Ino Makita let out a complaint.