Persona x Tantei Naoto Vol 1 Chapter 5

Upheaval

April 11   Yagokoro Police Station   Special Forensics Division

The results of the autopsy concluded that Alex Brown’s cause of death was loss of blood due to a stab wound to the chest area.  The murder weapon used was the survival knife belonging to Alex Brown himself.

Furthermore, inspection of the scene in the back alley where Alex Brown had died had found traces of a struggle against the person believed to be the murderer.  However, there was none of the evidence necessary to specifically identify the criminal.  The only thing we knew from the traces left behind was that the fight had taken no more than a moment.

He had murdered Alex Brown, a former legionnaire, all by himself.  Moreover, he had easily overcome his opponent, a large man over two meters tall.  That was the hard-to-swallow truth.

Just as I anticipated, the search of his apartment confirmed that the late Alex Brown had been Tajikarao.  Upon accessing the Midnight Site from Alex Brown’s home computer, “Tajikarao” was displayed.  In addition, rough drafts of posts Tajikarao had written on the Midnight Site were saved on the computer.

From what we could deduce from our interactions, Alex Brown did not seem to hold a favorable impression of us.  He was closed-off and belligerent, and his furious eyes, which seemed to view every person in the world as an enemy, were burned into my memory.

However, hearing his circumstances left room for sympathy.

From a young age, Alex Brown had not been able to effectively communicate with the people around him, due to his eye-catching dark brown skin.  As Alex Brown aged and his body grew larger, he resorted to violent means to resolve that friction.  As a result, he had had countless run-ins with the police, creating a feeling of distrust towards them that continued until today.

He may have gone to France, his father’s native country, in search of a place to belong.  However, in reality, there may not have been a place for Alex Brown in France either.  That he was a member of the Foreign Legion, not the regular army, and that he returned once again to Japan, could not be entirely unrelated.

By chance, he had been born into the gap between two cultures, and unfortunately, it had ruined his life.  I was saddened when I considered what could have been had he been born under normal circumstances.  Even so, I wanted to tell him clearly.

“You are mistaken.”

It was common knowledge that the environment had a large influence on the development of one’s personality.  However, there were many people who achieved remarkable growth even in an unfavorable environment.  There were countless people deserving of respect.  I could only conclude that the main cause lay within Alex Brown himself.

He should have fought without yielding to his environment.  He should have struggled so as to make a place for himself.  At the very least, it was not right to have taken the narrow-minded stance of actively denying others as a method of protecting himself.

For example, even if Alex Brown had been unable to do anything on his own, if he had had even one trustworthy person who could set him on the right path,  I would not be feeling this regret.

Similarly, I thought fruitlessly that this sad incident may not have occurred if Kyouhei Hioka had also had such a person.

In truth, the night that Alex Brown passed away, a post went up on the “Midnight Site” that threw the Internet into an uproar.

He had declared his intent to kill and followed through with it.  The mysterious “Kagu-tsuchi” was now a hot topic on the Internet.  The backlash at Kagu-tsuchi over his actions was already approaching the level of a social movement. On the other hand, there was a similar amount of intense criticism directed at the Yagokoro police, who were letting the murderer Kagu-tsuchi do as he pleased.

Among the “Five Togakushi Judges”, two of them, Uzume and Tajikarao, had been murdered by Kyouhei Hioka’s hands.  Though Osamu Haida, known as Omoikane, was being sheltered by the police, if they were unable to protect the remaining members, Sarutahiko and Futodama, their reputation would be ruined.  There was the possibility that numerous top officers among the police would be fired.

I did not hold much interest in that bureaucratic aspect, but I felt that allowing a crime to successfully be committed right under my nose was shameful for me as a detective.

Sousei-san and I detected the past conversations at the place where Alex Brown’s corpse had been discovered, as we had done for Miyuki Midorikawa.

Among the many things detected, that line was the most worrisome.  I could recall Alex Brown’s behavior within the station corridor as he snorted at my small stature and dismissed me as a little fool.  I surmised that these were his words upon seeing Kyouhei Hioka.

At 172 centimeters, Kyouhei Hioka was of average height for a man, but there was more than thirty centimeters’ difference between himself and Alex Brown, whose height surpassed two meters.  From Alex Brown’s viewpoint, everyone except Sousei-san must have seemed like a child.

I postulated that Alex Brown, who fought on the same level as Sousei-san, had been so easily murdered because he had let down his guard around his opponent.  Naturally, this much of the analysis I could deduce from the information available at the crime scene.

Before I realized it, three days’ idleness had passed without obtaining any useful information.

We repeated our appeals in the chatroom, but there was no response from the two remaining “Togakushi Five Judges”, Sarutahiko and Futodama.

Did they not notice the appeals themselves?  Or were they watching and waiting?  From the personality of Shirou Konno, known as Sarutohiko, was it correct to assume that he was watching and waiting?

He was such an exemplary student that he was chosen as student council president, but on the other hand, he was a coldhearted person who objectively judged others as a member of the “Five Togakushi Judges”.  He was able to wear those two faces without those around him catching on.  It was not as simple as Tajikarao’s case.

Taking that into account, my current reasoning was that Shirou Konno’s disappearance was not involved with the case, but rather because he sensed danger and chose to conceal himself of his own will.

However, concerning the other person, Futodama, it would have been preferable to receive a reply.  According to Osamu Haida, known as Omoikane, Futodama was the type of person who was brimming with curiosity.  Putting aside the question of whether or not he would cooperate with our proposal, I expected it would not have been strange for him to show himself in the chatroom, but I may have miscalculated.

Regarding the whereabouts of Kyouhei Hioka, the person of interest, Touko-san was playing a leading role in the investigation, but there was no particular progress.

Each day, wild speculation ran rampant on the Internet and mass communication concerning the illusory Kyouhei Hioka: perhaps he was disguising himself as a woman, perhaps he had had plastic surgery and was masquerading as a different person, perhaps he had an accomplice.

With no progress being made, a suffocating atmosphere began to permeate the station.  The faces of the investigators were slowly becoming darker with fatigue.

It happened on April 11, as we drifted in that sea of helplessness.  Something happened that should not have been allowed to happen.

Osamu Haida had been sheltered inside one room of the police dormitory.  Of course, Osamu Haida’s whereabouts were generally kept secret and were treated as top-secret information among those associated with the police.

The first to discover the body was the dormitory caretaker.  Incidentally, the caretaker had not known that Osamu Haida was Omoikane.  It seemed she had been told that he was a new police officer.

As always, after eight AM on the eleventh, the caretaker made breakfast and waited for Osamu Haida, but no matter how long she waited, he did not come.  When, worried, she went to his room, she discovered Osamu Haida, lying dead and bleeding on the bed.  It seemed the door had been unlocked.

Immediately after it was deemed a crime scene, traces of an outside trespasser were found.  The autopsy results confirmed that the cause of death was hemorrhagic shock.  The murder weapon was a gun.  Most likely it had had a silencer attached.  He had been shot only once, but the carotid artery had been precisely hit through the back of the neck.

In addition, from the type of bullet, which had pierced through the bed and remained in the floor, we knew that the gun used had been a Sig Sauer P230.  However, it seemed the rifling marks were not consistent with those found in Miyuki Midorikawa’s case.

The results of a full day’s investigation revealed that an unregistered gun had been stolen.  In other words, Osamu Haida had been shot and killed by a stolen Sig Sauer P230.

How he had come to know of Osamu Haida’s whereabouts was a mystery; however, most were of the opinion that it was a crime that could only have been committed by a person with intimate knowledge of the workings of the police, and the complicated expressions of the investigators indicated the reality that we had once again been outwitted by Kyouhei Hioka.

Sousei-san and I used our Personas and searched the scene for past conversations, but we were unable to detect any conversations from the time of the murder.  Most likely Osamu Haida had been shot with the gun as he slept.  He may have slipped into eternal sleep, not knowing when he had died.

In the middle of that night, a post from Kagu-tsuchi went up on the Midnight Site.

It was brief compared to the previous posts.  Nevertheless, the one-sided situation had us at wits’ end; from where we stood, we glimpsed in that brevity Kagu-tsuchi’s strong determination to “surely consign the five of them to oblivion”, and we were made to taste a greater despair than ever before.

At present, we could see no future besides the one proceeding just as Kyouhei Hioka had foretold.

I chose a time when it was just the two of us in the supervisor’s office.

“Touko-san, what do you think of Kyouhei Hioka?”

I came right out and asked the question that I had been holding back until now.

Touko-san gazed at me wordlessly.  I wanted to avert my gaze under the peculiar air of intimidation that she was giving off.

“...Will you not tell me?”

Even so, I did not look away.  I believed we could not beat around the bush if we wished to break the current status quo.  Even if that meant asking Touko-san a cruel question.

“I don’t think this is the case, but… Do you suspect me?”

In the next moment, Touko-san’s gaze had sharpened.

“...I’m asking because I do not wish to suspect you.”

–Didn’t Kyouhei Hioka have an accomplice?

That was the suspicion harbored by many people, not just myself.  Moreover, if that accomplice was part of the investigation team, it would be completely consistent with our absolute inability to grasp Kyouhei Hioka’s whereabouts and how he was always one step ahead of the investigation.

“...How much have you heard?”

“That the two of you were living together.”

There were several people who met the conditions of being former coworkers, but it was also true that there would be no one closer to Kyouhei Hioka than his former lover.

“...That old man’s such a blabbermouth.”

Touko-san gave a shrug of her slender shoulders, wearing a complicated expression.

“...I told you before, Naoto.  It was a long time ago.  There’s no longer any special connection or special feelings between us.  But Kyouhei is still an important person to me even now.  Back when I didn’t know left from right, when all I had over everyone else was spirit, Kyouhei was the one who raised me into a full-fledged detective.  If it wasn’t for Kyouhei, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

I caught a glimpse of the depth of her feelings in her sincere gaze.

“Did he speak to you at all concerning this case?”

At my next question, Touko-san sent one glance at the ceiling and whispered, “...He did.

“Kyouhei said he wanted to know the truth of his sister’s death, and I told him to just let it be.  Even if we know the truth, it won’t bring back someone who’s gone.  I only gave him more empty words.  But Kyouhei didn’t listen to my advice.  I decided to just keep an eye on him for a while.  He thought finding the truth would fill the void left inside him by the death of his sister.  Frankly, I was skeptical about how much he could accomplish alone, trying to find the truth within the anonymity of the Internet.”

The corners of Touko-san’s mouth twisted in self-deprecation.

“I was wrong.  Once he went renegade, his excellence worked against him.  No… It might be more accurate to say that I underestimated Kyouhei’s tenacity.  Not only was he able to reach the truth of the ‘baseless slander on the Internet’ that caused his sister’s death, but he showed me he could find a member of the ‘Five Togakushi Judges’, who would not have been found with the organized power of the police.”

“...Could you be speaking of Miyuki Midorikawa?”

“Yes, most likely.  He didn’t tell me her name, but considering all that has happened until now, it must be Miyuki Midorikawa, known as Uzune.”

Touko-san nodded.

“He continued to make inquiries of the students at his sister’s school every day, and he set his sights on one female student who behaved suspiciously.  Somehow Kyouhei extracted the truth of the death from that girl, Miyuki Midorikawa, and became enraged and completely unable to forgive those who had sent her to her death.  It was unlike him to be so obsessed.”

Touko-san snorted slightly.

“It’s not just the hatred a victim’s relatives have for the perpetrator, but a feeling of worthlessness because he couldn’t protect her as her older brother, even though he was a detective… This may have been the result of such complex emotions.  I felt that the situation was becoming dangerous, so I warned him more strongly than before, ‘Please stop being foolish.’ But in the end, it’s as you see.  I wasn’t able to stop Kyouhei.”

Touko-san worried at her lower lip.

“...That man is stupidly serious and absolutely hates things not on the straight and narrow.  He would argue with someone if he thought they were wrong, even if they were his senpai or his boss.  But strangely, everyone loved him.  He was that kind of detective, like a hero of justice.  It’s different than with me; I’m not so serious.  I couldn’t have imagined Kyouhei would go renegade like that…”

Touko-san casually brushed her bangs back.  Her eyes looked sad, peering out between the gaps in her soft hair as it fluttered gently down.  I thought that Touko-san may have harbored the same kind of regret over his sister as Kyouhei Hioka did, though she had failed to stop him.

“–So, how was it, Miss Detective?  Did you find anything strange in my story?”

When next I realized, before my eyes was her usual fearless smile.

“...No.  Nothing.” I slowly shook my head.

“Huh?  Is there a reason you trust me so easily?”

“At the very least, I am convinced there were no lies in what you just told me.”

I could say so with confidence.  Touko-san was not deceiving me; I could tell her true feelings from her honest tone and behavior.

Touko-san laughed as if she found something humorous. “...In ‘what you just told me’, huh.  You’re as shrewd as always.”

Naturally, there was still much about Touko-san I had yet to know.

“I have high hopes for you, Naoto.  You might be able to do what I could not.”

Leaving behind those words, Touko-san jauntily left the room.  The warm glance she sent me as she went left an impression on me.  That was why I was convinced.

–That Touko-san was hiding something from me.

“–Perhaps Kyouhei Hioka is already dead.”

“H-hey!  I talked, right!  Put that down!  Are you listening to me?  Say something!  Why me!  Why do you have to make me suffer!  It’s the Midnight Site’s fault that girl died!  And anyway she was hit by a train!  She shouldn’t have just gone and fallen from the platform!  You reap what you sow!  Ah–––––––”

“B-brother, how’ve you been lately?”

“Huh?  What do you mean?”

“Um, like with work?”

“Ah, it’s the same as always.  I’m busy.  But I’m satisfied, because I can protect the peace of this city through my hard work.  See?  Don’t I say some cool things?  Do you respect me more now?”

“Are you stupid?  You only ever think about work.  That’s why you won’t ever get married.”

“H-hey.  No matter how you look at it, a lot of girls want to marry me, you know?  A little while ago, a young woman in the traffic division asked if I have a girlfriend!”

“Was that all?  No progress?  You’re not going out with her?”

“...Well, you know, adults have got a lot of complicated things going on.”

“How suspicious.  You had a girlfriend five years ago, right?  Are you actually still in love with her?”

“S-shut up!”

“Uwah, you’re serious!  You really do still like her a lot!”

“No, uh, enough about me!  Wasn’t there something you wanted to talk about?”

“...N-not really.  It’s nothing.”

“...It’s not nothing.  If there’s something you want to talk about, don’t hesitate to tell me, okay?”

“...I wonder.  Isn’t it too hard for you to understand the worries of a modern-day high school girl?”

“...No, if you put it that way, there’s not really anything I can say… well, just don’t hold back, okay?  You’re the only sibling I’ve got.”

“...Ah, yeah.  If there’s anything I want to talk about.”

–I suspected Touko Aoi.

[Konno uses “aite” to refer to the person when he needs to, which is a gender-neutral “partner/opponent” type of word. Japanese doesn’t really use gendered pronouns, thus why the next paragraph asks. I couldn’t really preserve the ambiguity very well without using “them”, which is odd in English no matter how you look at it.]

It was valid to assume that Shirou Konno had killed Kyouhei Hioka.

“...How long are yo

Chapter end