[Location: Najima's Apartment unit, Time: 3:45 pm]

Seeing the spark in Kavei's eyes, Yukina could tell—he'd either solved the case or was well on his way there. He began pulling off the glove on his remaining hand when a loud voice cut through his thoughts. His gaze shifted to the entryway, where Senzaki and Henkai now stood. Yukina, who had been leaning against the wall, looked in the same direction.

"Sir," the officer who had hurried over said to Senzaki, "the possible suspects are here."

Kavei turned to Yukina. She looked back at him, and the two exchanged a nod. Then, as they stepped toward the door, Kavei spoke:

"Grant me access, Inspector Senzaki."

"When have I ever said no?" Senzaki grinned.

Kavei gave a quick scoff and a nod. "Thank you."

The four of them, joined by a couple of officers, headed down the stairs.

Kavei moved swiftly, descending the steps with purpose. The officer who had brought the news led the way. Behind him, Senzaki followed, his breaths heavier than usual, the effort showing—though he kept pace. Yukina and Henkai came just behind, steady and alert. The low hum of conversation from the corridor above faded as they drew farther from the building.

On reaching the ground floor, Kavei paused briefly, then made his way toward the gate where a man and a woman stood. The man was shouting at a security guard. Senzaki jogged ahead, brushing past Kavei to reach them first.

The woman stood with one leg crossed casually in front of the other, arms folded over her chest. Her short hair framed her face neatly, a small black mole beneath her lower lip. Sleek glasses rested on her nose, adding to her composed elegance.

The man beside her, dressed in a brown suit, looked to be around Najima's age. His temper, however, seemed several notches worse.

"Why are we even suspects?" the man—Choto—shouted. "I didn't do anything! Let me go!"

Senzaki stepped in quickly. "Sir, we ask for your cooperation. The police called you here—not this guard. No need to lash out at him."

Choto shot him a glare. "That's what I'm saying! Let me go, dammit. I've got nothing to do with any of this! Why do cops always drag innocent people to the crime scene?"

He went on, voice rising, words growing personal. He ranted about how the police always catch the wrong people, how they're just in it for bribes and convenience. Senzaki, though still wearing a thin smile, was clearly reaching the edge of his patience.

And then he snapped.

"Listen, sir," Senzaki said sharply, his voice dropping cold. "Please cooperate with the police."

By now, Kavei, Henkai, and Yukina had caught up and stood beside him. Kavei caught the glint in Senzaki's eyes and barely held back a snicker, turning away with his hands in his pockets.

Yukina leaned in, whispering near his ear. "What's so funny?"

Kavei tilted toward her slightly, still watching Choto and the woman. "Senzaki-sir's mad. I rarely see him like this. That guy's about to meet a nightmare."

Yukina glanced between Choto and Senzaki, trying to gauge the shift in the air.

"The police have no right to threaten us into cooperating—" Choto started again, but Senzaki cut him off mid-sentence.

"I didn't threaten you. Not yet, anyway," Senzaki said, running a hand through his hair. "But if you want to see how a cop abuses power, I'd be happy to give you a demonstration."

Choto clenched his teeth, then, blinded by rage, raised his arm to punch Senzaki. He was beyond reason—furious that the police had interrupted a million-dollar meeting, one that had collapsed the moment his assistant called. The panelists had walked out, assuming he'd been involved in something shady.

But before the punch could land, Kavei turned his head and casually reached out, covering Yukina's eyes with one hand.

"What are you—" she began, but a loud thud cut her off.

She flinched at the sound.

Kavei slowly lowered his hand and looked back, letting out a soft, awkward laugh.

Choto was on the ground, one arm twisted behind him. Senzaki stood over him, calm as ever, his other hand tucked in his pocket.

"So?" Senzaki asked, staring down at him. "Will you raise your hand at someone again for absolutely no reason?"

Choto groaned, shaking his head.

After the exchange, Senzaki took Choto into the building. Only four of them remained now—including the new guest.

"So, you are?" Yukina asked.

"Yuume. A pleasure," the woman replied, extending her hand for a shake. She waited, but Yukina didn't take it. Henkai stepped forward instead and took her hand.

"Sakuranda Henkai. The pleasure's mine. And the lady is Itsuhara Yukina, the detective handling this case," he introduced.

Yuume smiled and bowed her head politely toward Yukina. Yukina looked away.

'What a piece of work she is,' Kavei thought, glancing at Yukina.

Yuume turned to Kavei as Henkai stepped back. "And who's the cute boy?" she asked, smiling.

"Cute? This boy is—" Yukina began, but Kavei cut in quickly, his tone shifting to something oddly sweet.

"Ah! I'm Kavei. Niram Kavei."

Yukina cringed at the sudden switch in his voice. He'd been cold with her this whole time—why was he being so nice to Yuume now? She shivered slightly, her stomach twisting.

'What a weird character,' she thought.

"Oh? That's an interesting name. What are you doing here, Kavei?"

"There's a lot of construction going on near my house, so I came with Inspector Senzaki. He's kind of like my guardian," Kavei answered.

Yuume nodded. "Right. Construction's everywhere these days."

"Near your house too?" he asked.

Yuume shook her head. "No, not near mine. But isn't there some work going on near this apartment too?"

Kavei shrugged. "Yeah, but they've paused it for a bit. By the way, Yuume-nee, how did you get here?"

"By my car," she said with a wink, snapping her fingers.

"I wanna see! Can I?" Kavei asked, eyes lighting up.

His behavior made Yukina's skin crawl. He was acting like a total child. How old was he even? She guessed seventeen, maybe, based on his looks—but his attitude? Way too cutesy. Do seventeen-year-olds really act like this?

"Haha, sure. It's a red car, just like my dress—parked right outside the gate," Yuume replied, motioning to her sleek red A-line dress. Kavei nodded.

"How old are you, Kavei?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm fourteen this year—"

"Fourteen??? YOU'RE FOURTEEN?!" Yukina blurted out, cutting in.

Kavei turned and smiled at her—but it wasn't a friendly one. It said, shut up, you're not helping.

[Location: Najima's apartment unit, Time: 4:14 pm]

Yukina, Henkai, and Yuume had already gone back into the building and returned to Najima's unit not long after Kavei left to examine the car. From where she stood, Senzaki noticed that Yuume had begun answering questions. Before her, Choto had been interrogated.

Yukina sat on the black couch, her gaze fixed over the edge of the balcony, waiting. It had been fifteen minutes since Kavei left. What was taking him so long? Was he fooling around instead of doing his job? He had promised her he'd crack the case. His age alone had been shocking—fourteen years old, solving murders—and though it was hard to believe, Senzaki had always spoken highly of him. So she held back her doubts. For now.

And then she spotted him. He walked through the apartment gates with his usual pace, one hand tucked under his chin, the other supporting it at the elbow.

"What is he thinking? Hurry up already," she muttered.

She kept her eyes on him as he moved forward, finally disappearing beneath the balcony—out of her line of sight as he entered through the door on the lower level.

She waited.

Five minutes later, Kavei reached the top of the final stair. From above, he could hear Senzaki continuing his questioning. Yukina caught his arrival and shot him a glare. He didn't return it. Instead, he walked straight toward Senzaki.

"So, to confirm," Senzaki said to Yuume, "you went straight home from work via the main road. Since you had the day off, you only came out when the police called you. And you have witnesses who can vouch for your alibi?"

Yuume nodded politely. "That's correct, Inspector."

Kavei gently tapped Senzaki's arm. "I'll take it from here," he whispered.

Senzaki gave a quick nod. Yuume smiled brightly at Kavei.

"Ah, cute boy Kavei—did you like my car?" she asked teasingly.

"C-Cute?" Senzaki stammered, thrown off. He glanced at Yukina on the couch, mouthing, *What does she mean cute? Kavei? Cute?* Yukina sighed, arms folded and legs crossed, then mouthed back, *You tell me. I was just as surprised.*

Kavei offered Yuume a small smile. "I did. And thanks to that, the case is solved."

Senzaki and Yukina both froze at those words, expressions shifting.

"Who is it?" Yukina asked immediately. "Who killed Najima?"

Yuume blinked, startled by the way she spoke to Kavei, but before she could ask, Kavei began speaking.

"When we entered Najima Ojisan's home at 2:30 p.m., rigor mortis hadn't fully set in. His jaw and neck had just begun to stiffen," Kavei said, calm and precise.

People began gathering, drawn in by his steady tone.

"This tells us it hadn't been long since he died. Rigor mortis usually begins within three to four hours, peaks at twelve, and becomes complete at around twenty-four. Based on his current condition, he likely died around ten a.m., maybe slightly earlier."

He paused, letting the weight of that timeline settle in.

Yukina stepped forward, slipping past Senzaki to the front of the group, her eyes locked on Kavei's.

Henkai moved with her, his brow creased.

Then, Kavei looked at Yukina, not the crowd. "At first glance, how would you interpret the scene?" His voice was calm, but the question hung in the air like a challenge. "Someone broke in and shot him, right? That's what most would think."

Yukina held his gaze and nodded. "Yeah. That tracks."

She narrowed her eyes. "But that's not it, is it?"

Kavei gave a small nod, pleased. She was following him.

"It isn't," he replied. Then he turned without another word and walked straight into Najima's unit. Yukina, Senzaki, and Henkai followed close behind. The crowd tried to keep up, squeezing into the doorway or leaning over each other from the hall.

Inside, everything remained untouched, like a frozen moment in time.

Kavei stepped to the couch and knelt on one knee, pulling out a fresh pair of gloves. The plastic snapped softly as he slipped them on with care. He tapped the chalk outline drawn over the fabric.

"This is where he was found," Kavei began. "Gunshot to the chest—hit the heart. The glass on the floor was shattered at the time of death. There's a significant amount of blood loss, which makes sense. If the heart was punctured, death would've been instant."

"The news said he was found in the morning," Yukina added, stepping closer. "But they didn't mention an exact time."

Kavei nodded. "A corpse never lies. If he was found in the morning, then he either died shortly before that... or he died last night."

Yuume tilted her head, arms folded. "So there are two possibilities," she said. "Which one is true?"

Still crouched, Kavei didn't miss a beat. "If he died from the bullet wound last night, rigor mortis would've been fully developed by now. But it's only just starting. Meaning the gunshot likely happened in the morning, around the time Yumiya woke up."

He stood and began piecing it together. "According to her, she knocked, got no response, was about to leave... then heard glass shatter. Then she called the guard, and now we're here."

He looked around. "She didn't hear a gunshot. No scream. No struggle. Just the glass. Maybe a silencer was used. Maybe he was asleep when it happened. His eyes were wide open, mouth too. And when police arrived, his hands were on his chest. Let's say he made no noise. Still..."

He trailed off, turning toward the body.

"...that still wouldn't explain what I'm going to show you."

The room tensed.

Kavei bent down again, lifted Najima's shirt, and revealed the purplish coloring spreading across his back and lower torso.

Senzaki's eyes widened. "That's... lividity?"

Kavei nodded. "Fixed lividity. Livor mortis. Blood pooling due to gravity. It only sets in like this after a body has been still for a long time."

"But doesn't livor mortis happen because of cold?" Yukina asked, frowning.

"It does," Kavei said. "Which is why Najima Ojisan didn't die from the bullet wound."

He looked up. "He died from hypothermia."

The room went dead silent.

"Lividity becomes fixed after twelve hours or so. And rigor mortis in this case is just beginning. That means he likely died around midnight. Livor mortis began several hours later, and now it's fully fixed. The timeline checks out."

Senzaki took a moment, then asked, "How did he die from hypothermia?"

Kavei glanced at him and replied evenly, "The AC."

"...What?" Henkai blinked. "That was the weapon?"

Kavei rose to his feet, eyes scanning the room. Without saying a word, he crossed to the wall opposite the couch and dragged over a chair, its wooden legs scraping softly against the floor. Climbing on top, he reached into the AC vent, fingers probing behind the slats until he found what he was looking for. He pulled it out slowly, studying the object in his hand for a beat before slipping it into his pocket and stepping down.

“It’s actually pretty simple,” he said, approaching the group with deliberate steps. “A neat little trick.”

“Trick?” Yukina echoed, wary.

Kavei didn’t answer right away. Instead, he picked up the medicine bottle sitting upright on the table. He gave it a casual shake, then held it up toward Yukina. Her eyes narrowed, and something shifted in her expression.

“That bottle wasn’t here when he needed it,” Kavei said, turning the container in his hand. “Najima Ojisan probably started feeling pain, went looking for his medication, but couldn’t find it. While he was vulnerable, the culprit turned the air conditioning to an extremely low temperature and left. His heart, already weakened, couldn’t handle the sudden drop in temperature.”

Yukina nodded slowly, putting the pieces together. “So… the bullet wound wasn’t the cause of death.”

“Exactly,” Kavei replied. “It was staged. The shot came after he was already dead. No clotting, no natural response—just a distraction.”

“But if that’s true…” Yukina paused, the weight of her own conclusion beginning to settle. “Then someone else shot him after he was already dead.”

“That’s right,” Kavei said. His tone was flat, confident.

Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room. The hallway outside fell into silence as the crowd made way, watching him approach Yumiya, Choto, and Yuume. He stopped in front of them, eyes sharp.

“You want to know who shot Najima Ojisan?” Kavei asked, his voice cutting through the quiet. He pointed at Yuume. “She did.”

Gasps erupted around him, a wave of murmurs spreading through the gathered onlookers. Yuume’s expression twisted into something sharp and dismissive.

“What absolute nonsense,” she snapped, folding her arms across her chest. “We’re really letting a child’s fantasies drive an investigation now? I went along with this because the police were involved, but this is ridiculous.”

Kavei didn’t flinch. “That said,” he continued evenly, “she didn’t kill him.”

A beat of stunned silence.

He turned and pointed again—this time, directly at Yumiya.

“She did.”

More gasps. The room seemed to tighten around her. Yumiya stumbled back half a step, her voice rising. “What?! That’s outrageous! I was the one who found him—I called for help!”

Kavei’s gaze dropped to her left hand, clenched tight at her side. His voice was calm. “Your hand says otherwise.”

Yumiya blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re holding the key to Najima Ojisan’s apartment,” Kavei said, his tone unshaken. “There are only a few ways someone could enter without attracting attention. They could use a spare key. Climb through a window. Distract the guard. Or break in.”

Yukina nodded from the side, arms folded, listening closely.

“You used a key,” Kavei continued, eyes on Yumiya. “Because he trusted you. You earned that trust—got close, played the part.”

“I helped him! He gave me that key himself!” Yumiya protested. Her hand darted into her pocket and came out holding the key. “But that doesn’t mean I killed him!”

Kavei didn’t respond right away. Instead, he reached into his own pocket and slowly unfolded a small tissue. Inside it was a tiny, chipped piece of red-painted nail.

“Recognize this?” he asked, holding it up. “Same polish as yours. I found it stuck inside the AC vent. Guess you were trying to see if the temperature could go any lower.”

Yumiya’s breath caught. She glanced at the chipped edge of her thumbnail, then at the fragment in his hand. Her shoulders tensed.

“If I hadn’t found this,” Kavei said, voice quieter now, “I might not have noticed the way you muffled the keys in your pocket when you walked.”

He turned away from her, addressing the crowd now.

“But Yumiya-san didn’t shoot him,” he said. “That was someone else—someone who had the freedom to come and go in the building without suspicion.”

His eyes locked back onto Yuume.

“Isn’t that right, Yuume-san?”

The crowd turned to her again. This time, she didn’t speak. Her smile had vanished.

A small, self-satisfied grin tugged at the corner of Kavei’s mouth.

“The mastermind behind this gunshot?” he said, pausing just long enough to let the weight of his words settle. “A small hint in front of the couch gave you away, Yuume-nee.”

His eyes locked onto hers—unflinching, razor-sharp.

“The heel,” he continued. “The mark a heel leaves when it steps in blood.”

Yuume's smile faltered, if only for a second, before she carefully stitched it back together.

Kavei stepped forward. “There was a heel imprint right in front of the couch. It stepped directly into a blood drop—something you probably didn’t even realize at the time.”

He didn’t wait for a reaction. “And your car tires, Yuume-nee… they’ve got a faint charcoal residue. It’s strange, because according to the alibi you gave just moments ago, you came straight from the office—no detours. And as you told me earlier today, neither your home nor your workplace has any construction going on nearby.”

He paused, letting the implications land.

“But the roads around this apartment complex?” He lifted his hand in gesture. “Covered in charcoal. So where’d the residue come from?”

Yuume’s smile froze. She was trying to keep her cool, but it was cracking.

“You wiped away most of it, I’m guessing,” Kavei said, voice low, almost thoughtful. “But you missed a corner. A small, dry trace stuck near the tire tread. Easy to overlook. But not invisible.”

Her confidence wavered now—visibly.

Kavei broke eye contact and turned slightly toward Yumiya. “The one thing I still don’t understand,” he said, “is why you tried to cover up what Yumiya-nee did. You’ll have to tell me that yourself, Yuume-nee.”

The room fell into a heavy silence. No one moved.

Yuume’s hand clutched at the fabric of her dress. Her shoulders trembled as her gaze dropped to the floor.

“I thought I would finish him off,” she whispered, her voice brittle. “But when I got to his room this morning… he was already gone.”

Inspector Senzaki’s brow furrowed. “Then the sound of glass shattering that Yumiya reported hearing…”

Yuume gave a faint nod, her voice thinner now. “I broke it by accident. I panicked. But after hearing Yumiya’s statement on the news, it sounded like people thought Najima knocked it over when he collapsed… so I kept quiet.”

Her voice cracked, and tears began to well in her eyes. “Najima…”

She paused—then her words came out in a rush, raw and seething.

“That man… he destroyed my family.”

The tension in the room shifted. Every pair of eyes was now fixed on her.

“He fired my father from his job over someone else’s mistake. My father was devastated. On the way home, barely able to think, he lost control of the car. He hit someone. And when he got out to check—” her voice caught in her throat— “it was my mother. She had just stepped out to meet him.”

She swallowed hard, the tears falling freely now.

“Both of them... just gone. Because of him. Because of Najima. And no one ever cared.”

Yuume's knees buckled, and she sank to the floor, sobbing into her hands.

“The only other person who burned with the same hate I did… was my sister.”

Yukina’s eyes flicked to Yumiya. Sister? They lived apart, didn’t they? But before she could finish the thought, Yuume answered it for her.

“Yumiya lost herself to revenge. She swore she’d kill him. I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t want to lose her too. So I made her leave—far away from here. Somewhere she’d be safe from him. But I didn’t know…”

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“I didn’t know Najima bought a place right next to hers. I didn’t want to know. I was planning to confront him at the office anyway. But a week ago, I found out. I found out where Yumiya had been living all this time. And when I called her yesterday, like I always do... she said everything was fine now.”

Yuume lifted her tear-streaked face, her voice breaking open. “That’s when I knew. She’d already done something she couldn’t take back. I rushed here. I thought maybe I could cover it, or stop it from spreading. But it was too late.”

Kavei stood still, the emotion in the air weighing heavily on him. For a moment, a flicker of empathy softened his features. He had never believed people were born criminals. They were shaped—by grief, by trauma, by circumstance.

And yet… was that ever really an excuse?

The silence grew thick, broken only by Yuume’s muffled sobs. Yumiya stood nearby, tears silently slipping down her own cheeks as she avoided everyone’s eyes.

Inspector Senzaki finally stepped forward, voice firm and steady. “Yuume Matsuo. Yumiya Matsuo. You are both under arrest for your involvement in this case.”

Officers moved in, their presence no longer background noise but final punctuation. The handcuffs clicked into place. Neither woman resisted.

As they were led away, the tension began to drain from the corridor. A quiet exhale passed through the room—relief, grief, and something else unspoken.

The truth had come out. And though justice was in motion, it didn’t feel like a victory. Not really.

[Location: Najima's Apartment, Time: 5:00 pm]

The crowd gradually thinned, low murmurs echoing behind them as people tried to make sense of what they’d just witnessed. Choto, still pale and rattled, was led away by an officer—his earlier defiance gone, replaced by quiet disbelief.

Now, only a few remained: Inspector Senzaki, Yukina, Henkai, Kavei, and the last of the officers. The air felt lighter, but not quite calm—like the final breath after a long, tense conversation.

Kavei glanced at the evidence bag in Senzaki’s hands and gave a small nod. “It’s over,” he said softly.

Senzaki met his gaze. “Good work, Kavei.”

The officers began their final sweep, checking corners, snapping final photos. Kavei stepped out onto the balcony, the late afternoon breeze brushing his face. It was a strange mix of relief and weariness.

Yukina joined him, hands resting on the railing. “You’re impressive, you know that?” she said, her tone casual but genuine. “Not bad for a kid.”

Kavei dipped his head slightly. “Thank you, Miss Yukina.”

She looked over at him, half-smiling. “How would you feel about working as a junior detective under me? We could start you off as an assistant. Once you’re of age, move it to part-time. Eventually... full-time.”

Kavei’s expression barely shifted, but his eyes sharpened. For a moment, he said nothing. Then, calmly, “That’s generous of you.”

Yukina nodded, already feeling confident about his answer. But Kavei turned slightly, his posture straighter.

“I appreciate the offer,” he said, “but I’ll have to decline.”

She blinked. “Decline? Why?”

“I have no credentials. No formal education. Nothing to back me up except a few books and what I’ve observed. Giving someone like me that kind of chance... it would be a waste.”

Yukina opened her mouth to argue, but Kavei raised a hand—polite, but firm.

“Thank you again,” he said with a small bow. “I mean that. Have a good day, Miss Yukina.”

Before she could speak again, he turned and walked off, footsteps steady, fading as he disappeared around the corridor.

Yukina stood there, hands still on the rail, watching the spot where he’d vanished. Her lips pressed into a line, thoughtful and quiet.

She turned to Senzaki, who was now speaking with one of the officers. “Where does that boy live?”

He looked up, caught off guard. “Sorry?”

“Kavei. Where does he live?”

Senzaki hesitated. “Uh… across from the convenience store on Black Street.”

Her brows lifted slightly. Black Street. That explained a lot.

“I see…” she murmured. Then: “Do you have his number?”

Senzaki stared at her. “His… number?”

She raised a brow. “Are you hard of hearing, Inspector?”

He sighed, already regretting saying yes. He pulled out his phone, scrolled, and sent her the contact.

Her phone buzzed. She gave a faint smile. “Thank you,” she said with a short bow before turning to leave.

Senzaki watched her go, rubbing the back of his neck.

“What now…” he muttered.

Next: Case Free Arc continued