Although 50,000 yen isn't much, it's not insignificant either—equivalent to a third of his savings. For Fushimi Roku, it was like a godsend in a snowstorm.
Seeing him agree so readily, Minamoto Tamako felt an impulse to back out. It wasn't that she was stingy, she just thought Fushimi Roku wasn't worth the price.
Having worked as a lawyer for over ten years, he didn't need the other party to say a word; he could just tell from their expressions that they intended to renege on the deal.
He squinted his eyes and questioned in a low voice, "You don't actually think I'm not worth that much, do you?"
Minamoto Tamako was taken aback, practically having "How did you know?" written all over her face.
"Indeed, you have such outstanding deductive abilities, and with Kawai to back you up, it seems like there's no need for my contributions!" Fushimi Roku spread his hands and sighed, "Do you think spending 50,000 yen for peace of mind is worth it?"
Minamoto Tamako's eyes darted around, her index fingers poking each other, not daring to meet his gaze.
That was exactly what she was thinking.
"Then let me give you a free piece of advice," Fushimi Roku took a step back, withdrawing his leg, "If there really was a 'murder case,' it would've happened at least ten to fifteen years ago. Even if you were a reincarnated Sherlock Holmes, you wouldn't be able to bring the murderer to justice."
"Huh? How do you know?" Minamoto Tamako was stunned.
"Use your brilliant little mind and deduce it yourself! Anyway, I'm just a mascot not worth 50,000 yen," Fushimi Roku yawned as he'd been up for two consecutive nights and was on the verge of dozing off: "Goodbye, I'm going back to sleep."
Minamoto Tamako lunged forward again, trying to grab his leg.
This time Fushimi Roku was prepared; he stepped back to avoid, leaving Minamoto Tamako grabbing air.
"Explain it clearly before you go! Without any clues, how could you conclude that the murder case happened more than ten years ago?"
Minamoto Tamako chased after him, persistently seeking an answer.
Fushimi Roku waved his hand, speaking impatiently as he walked away, "I'm not your partner, so I have no obligation to answer your questions. By the way, the hiring fee has now gone up to 100,000 yen."
Minamoto Tamako clenched her fists, her cheeks puffing up in anger.
According to the setup of a detective novel, Fushimi Roku should be the dim-witted assistant, while she would be the exceptionally intelligent detective. At every critical moment, she'd have a sudden inspiration and find a breakthrough in the case, then Fushimi would eagerly ask, "Why?" and "What's going on?" ... After she explained her brilliant deductions, Fushimi would clap and exclaim, "I never thought of that!" and "Such a splendid and perfect deduction!"
That's right, she spent 50,000 yen precisely to have Fushimi Roku as part of the ambiance!
When a detective is reasoning, there's no thrill of solving the mystery if there's no ignorant counterpart to highlight their brilliance or no dim-witted assistant to give praise!
At this point, it was no longer a question of money, but one of dignity! If she paid, it would be like paying Fushimi Roku for answers, indirectly admitting her own ignorance!
—As a future famous detective and police chief, Minamoto Tamako would never let that happen!
"Even if you don't say it, I can deduce it myself!" Minamoto Tamako refused to be outdone.
"Oh really, I believe you can, good luck."
Fushimi Roku opened the office door, yawning again before leaving, reminding her, "Don't forget to lock the door when you two leave."
After he left, Minamoto Tamako realized she was alone in the dark office and hurriedly went to the women's restroom to find Kawai.
The latter had just finished peeing and was washing her hands.
Minamoto Tamako followed her, relayed Fushimi Roku's advice, and then asked, "Kawai, what do you think?"
"What can you tell from just a piece of paper?" Kawai shook her hands dry and replied, "Besides, I'm only good at posing questions, not deducing them."
Seeing Minamoto Tamako's dejected expression, Kawai consoled her, "Maybe Fushimi was just guessing; it wasn't necessarily a deduction..."
"Even if it's a guess, it should still have some basis, right?" Minamoto Tamako bit her thumb, "What clues did I overlook? How did Fushimi come to that conclusion?"
After the two of them climbed through a window back to the dormitory, Minamoto Tamako lay in bed, tossing and turning, pondering the question.
Why ten to fifteen years?
Does this time frame have any special significance?
The paper was obviously new; it couldn't have been stored for over a decade without yellowing... So why?
Minamoto Tamako drowsily closed her eyes.
In that semi-conscious state, she suddenly had a flash of insight and sat up abruptly in bed, "I get it!"
No wonder Fushimi said she couldn't bring the murderer to justice...
Minamoto Tamako was invigorated, having deciphered the basis of Fushimi Roku's guesswork—indeed, it was merely a conclusion based on speculation, which to her, didn't count as true deduction!
The alarm suddenly rang, and the gap in the curtain let in early morning light, forming a haze on the floor.
"Huh? Why is it morning already..."
But it was just as well; Minamoto Tamako was eager to dispel Fushimi Roku's clumsy conjecture!
She quickly washed up, got dressed, and went to the playground for the daily inspection.
Because of her short stature, Minamoto Tamako always stood in the front row. She wanted so much to turn her head and see Fushimi Roku's expression. Unfortunately, with the instructor watching from the front, she didn't dare make any rash moves.
It wasn't until the portrait drawing class that Minamoto Tamako got a chance to speak to Fushimi Roku.
In front of everyone, holding her drawing board, she quietly moved her chair next to Fushimi Roku.
The male trainees, gnashing their teeth in envy, broke off the tips of their pencils in jealousy.
The police academy already had an unbalanced gender ratio, with only one or two girls per class being quite common. In such a male-heavy environment, Minamoto Tamako's high beauty naturally added an extra layer of allure. In a Showa-influenced police school, a delicate little girl like her was like a rabbit in a wolf's den.
But Minamoto Tamako had no awareness of this.
"Hmph, good morning, Fushimi." She greeted him smugly.
Fushimi Roku took in the hostile or jealous looks and absentmindedly replied, "Morning."
"About the anonymous letter, I have a new theory," Minamoto Tamako lowered her voice, using the drawing board to cover her face, to prevent other trainees from eavesdropping.
"Oh." Fushimi Roku shaded lines on his blank paper with a pencil.
Oh? What does "Oh" mean? Minamoto Tamako pouted and continued, "Don't you have anything to ask?"
"No." Fushimi Roku glanced at her.
Since the inspection, this guy had "ask me, ask me" written all over her face. She was too easy to read.
Unable to hold it in, Minamoto Tamako decided that, even if Fushimi Roku didn't ask, she would speak up anyway.
"Ten to fifteen years is the statute of limitations, right?"
She stared intently, looking up at Fushimi Roku's eyes, "You guessed the case exceeded the statute of limitations, which is why you said 'can't bring the murderer to justice'!"