The Daily Life of a Salted Fish Assassin in Anime Crossovers

"Regarding this..." Keisuke Itokuro hesitated for a moment, "In fact, the key to this case lies here."

He glanced at Jiang Hang, remembering the wink his boss had given him earlier, and finally took out a surveillance photo and handed it to Jiang Hang.

"Just by seeing this, you should be able to tell the approximate size of the person who committed the crime."

Naruhodo Ryuichi and Jiang Hang looked at the photo in Itokko's hand.

“This is…” Phoenix Wright quickly realized that the location captured by the surveillance camera was exactly near their current location.

In the photo, a person dressed in a prop costume is holding a long gun and dragging their leg toward the location of the first shooting position.

“This is the general’s costume. According to the security guard, he was the only person captured on camera between yesterday afternoon and 4 p.m.,” Keisuke Itokogiri explained. “At the crime scene, this long gun was stuck in the victim’s chest, which is the murder weapon in this case.”

“Our police have investigated and found that it is impossible for an ordinary woman to wear such a heavy costume and still be able to lift a long gun weighing several kilograms so easily. In terms of physique, only Saburo Hosei meets this standard.”

Keisuke Itokuro pointed to the photo again, showing the "General" dragging one leg, and explained to Jiang Hang: "And look at the person in the photo, he is dragging one leg. According to our investigation, the suspect, Saburo Hosei, had a rehearsal with the victim, Takeshi Ibuki, at the First Photography Studio yesterday morning, and injured his leg due to his own mistake."

"According to our investigation, the female staff member from the props department was not present at the time, so she was unaware of Hosei Saburo's leg injury. Therefore, we have ruled out that female staff member as a suspect."

"Therefore, based on the above, our police have identified He Xing Saburo as the prime suspect, who was at Yingdu Photography Studio at the time of the incident and had no alibi."

After he finished speaking, judging from Keisuke Itokogiri's expression, he seemed to be very confident in his reasoning.

Chapter 229: Chapter 227: Suspicious Points in the Case

Jiang Hang did not express any other opinion on Keisuke Itokaki's judgment.

Based on the police's current investigation, there doesn't seem to be any major problem. If Jiang Hang hadn't been able to see things from afar, he probably would have followed the police's line of thinking.

After all, these clues do indeed point to Hoshi Saburo.

The three of them have now arrived at the first photography studio, the "crime scene".

There wasn't much to see at the crime scene. Takeshi Ibuki's body had already been moved by the police, and there wouldn't be any obvious clues left at the scene. Even if Jiang Hang used Eagle Eye, he wouldn't be able to find anything special in this studio.

However, Keisuke Itokogiri's side provided Jiang Hang with photos of the deceased taken by their police yesterday.

The photo shows a man in a costume. When he was discovered, the general's spear was stuck directly in his chest. He seemed to have died from extreme pain, and his appearance before death was particularly ferocious.

"The victim, Takeshi Ibuki, was the actor who played the villain 'Evil Official' in the TV series 'The Great General.' The costume he was wearing was also the costume of 'Evil Official.' So, according to our speculation, Takeshi Ibuki may have been dissatisfied with the rehearsal yesterday morning, so he invited Saburo Hagiwara to the studio in the afternoon to continue filming. It is possible that Saburo Hagiwara intentionally killed Takeshi Ibuki, or there may have been a problem during the rehearsal. In any case, it was here that Takeshi Ibuki was pierced through the chest by a spear and ultimately died."

Since Phoenix Wright has not yet met Saburo Hosei, and given that Inspector Itokozuke's words seem plausible, Phoenix is ​​now wondering if Saburo Hosei accidentally killed Takeshi Ibuki during rehearsals.

"So... if Ms. Chihiro is to take on this case, it might mean she has to figure out how to defend Saburo Hosei on charges of 'manslaughter'?"

His muttering was naturally heard by Jiang Hang, who was standing next to him. Jiang Hang patted him on the shoulder and said, "There are still many doubts in the case."

"Suspicious points?" Not to mention Phoenix Wright, even Keisuke Itokozuke seemed to be drawn to Jiang Hang's words.

As a detective, Keisuke Itokogiri could indeed sense that something was off about the case, but since those things couldn't clear Saburo Hosei of suspicion, and the police inspector and prosecutor's office were urging them to investigate the case as soon as possible, he didn't mention those things to Jiang Hang.

"Did you take that photo of the 'General' taken by the surveillance camera to ask that Hashira Saburo?" Jiang Hang asked Itogaku Keisuke first.

Keisuke Itokogiri nodded firmly: "Of course. After discovering what the surveillance footage showed, we found him immediately and questioned him."

Then Itokko shook his head: "He said that after having lunch with Takeshi Ikuta in the cafeteria yesterday, he went straight back to the lounge and slept until 5 p.m., when it was time to assemble. He also said that after he woke up, the Great General costume he had left in his room was stolen, but our police have not been able to find the whereabouts of the costume yet."

"Doesn't this mean someone is framing Mr. He Xing?" Phoenix Wright blurted out instinctively.

“He also said that, but I’m afraid he said it on purpose to get away with it. Even if someone really stole his costume and killed Takeshi Ikubukuro, they wouldn’t know that he injured his leg yesterday noon and could only walk with a limp.” Keisuke Itokogiri once again highlighted the key point to Ryuichi Naruhodo.

After hearing what Keisuke Itokozuke said, Phoenix Wright was immediately caught in a dilemma, while Jiang Hang continued to ask Keisuke Itokozuke questions.

"Well, I have two more questions now."

Jiang Hang held up two fingers: "First, did the surveillance cameras capture any footage of He Xing Sanlang returning to his rest area from here?"

Upon hearing this question, Keisuke Itokogiri quickly explained: "The reason the surveillance camera didn't capture it is that Saburo Haboshi deliberately avoided the camera to deal with the costume after the murder. For this reason, we are now more inclined to believe that Saburo Haboshi accidentally killed Takeshi Ikubukuro during rehearsals, rather than that it was premeditated murder."

If Hosei Saburo intended to murder Ikusatake Takeshi, since he chose to avoid cameras on his way back, even if he was wearing the costume of a general, he should have avoided cameras from the beginning to avoid suspicion.

However, Jiang Hang has a different view: "Whether it's premeditated murder or manslaughter, there are serious problems here—"

"Since Saburo Hosei was able to dispose of the costume and avoid the cameras when leaving, why didn't he deal with the highly recognizable spear that served as the 'murder weapon'?"

Keisuke Itokaki was stumped by Jiang Hang's question. He stammered for a while but couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.

Before he could even process what was happening, Jiang Hang asked his second question: "Secondly, when did Takeshi Ikuta arrive here, at the crime scene?"

This question made Keisuke Itokozuke hesitate again. When did the victim arrive here? What was the connection between this case and the victim's arrival time?

Is this important?

Seeing Jiang Hang's "what do you think?" expression, Keisuke Itokuro thought about how his boss had told him to follow Jiang Hang's instructions as much as possible, so he quickly took out his phone to contact his colleagues to find out what was going on.

It took about ten minutes to confirm this, and the answer he received made Keisuke Itokogiri look at Jiang Hang with a strange expression.

Because the surveillance footage only captured the scene of Takeshi Ibuki helping Saburo Hosei, who had an injured leg, to the staff lounge after the morning rehearsal ended. After that, there was no more footage of Takeshi Ibuki in the surveillance footage, let alone any photos of him going to the First Studio.

"What's going on..." Keisuke Itokuro scratched his head vigorously. Their police force had always focused on finding evidence of Saburo Hosei's guilt. If Jiang Hang hadn't brought it up, they probably wouldn't have thought of investigating Takeshi Ikuta's case.

Unexpectedly, he only followed Jiang Hang's instructions to conduct a simple investigation and discovered such a huge problem.

As the victim, Takeshi Ibuki shouldn't have needed to avoid the cameras, so when exactly did he go to the First Studio?

And what about the murder weapon that wasn't disposed of?

Chapter 230: Chapter 228: The Appearance of the Swordswoman

Today is the first time Keisuke Itokozuke has met Jiang Hang.

Before this, he had only heard his colleagues mention a very skilled detective at work.

As for those "famous detectives" he had never met, Keisuke Itokogiri naturally couldn't help but feel some suspicion.

But today, Jiang Hang only stayed at the crime scene for a short while before raising several suspicious points that the police could not ignore, which immediately made this seemingly simple murder case become shrouded in mystery.

He had to take seriously the things Jiang Hang had put forward.

Why did the "murderer" leave the long gun, which was the murder weapon, at the crime scene after killing Takeshi Ikubukuro?

Because of this spear, the possibility that He Xing Saburo destroyed the general's costume to exonerate himself seems somewhat untenable.

Of course, it could also be explained that after committing the murder, Saburo Hosei was so flustered that he forgot to deal with the key murder weapon. But why would Takeshi Ikuta, the victim, deliberately avoid being filmed by cameras when he went to the First Studio?

Keisuke Itokogiri has already sent several other police officers to investigate the matter.

“We have confirmed that unless you climb over the wall from outside Yingdu Studio to enter the First Studio, there is only one way to get from the staff lounge to the First Studio inside the studio, and that way will definitely be captured by the surveillance cameras.”

His expression now seemed somewhat serious.

Since Takeshi Ikuta had no reason to avoid the cameras, yet his body mysteriously appeared at the First Camera Station, there must be some secret hidden in this.

Could it be that the first photography studio where the body was found was not actually the first crime scene, and that Takeshi Ibuki's body was later moved there by the murderer in another way?

His thoughts were gradually moving closer to the truth, but he still couldn't guess any bolder.

"No, we can't just jump to conclusions in this case. I need to contact Prosecutor Mikami right now." Although the doubts that have emerged so far cannot disprove the suspicion against Hosei Saburo, Keisuke Itokogiri, as an upright police officer, must pass on this information to the prosecutor's office as soon as possible before the prosecutor's office files charges against Hosei Saburo.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong, the prosecutor's office will naturally have to take responsibility, but the police officers responsible for collecting evidence will lose even more face.

"Sword control?" Phoenix Wright's ears were keen enough to hear Keisuke Itokogiri's mutterings, and he couldn't help but ask with some concern.

"Are you talking about that prosecutor, Reiji Mitsurugi?"

Keisuke Itokaki glanced at Phoenix Wright. Phoenix Wright had only appeared in court once as a lawyer, and it hadn't caused much of a stir. In addition, Phoenix Wright had never introduced himself to him, so Keisuke Itokaki didn't know that Phoenix Wright was a lawyer.

Upon hearing the name Reiji Mitsurugi, Jiang Hang raised his eyebrows slightly. It was because he prevented Chihiro Ayasato's death that Ryuichi Naruhodo and Reiji Mitsurugi, childhood best friends, had not been able to reunite until now.

“You’ve heard of Prosecutor Mitsurugi, right? He’s the prosecutor in charge of this case. The prosecutor’s office was originally planning to file charges against Saburo Hosei as soon as possible. However, Prosecutor Mitsurugi also told me that there are still some doubts about this case, and asked me to pay more attention and report to him directly if I find anything.”

When Mitsurugi Reiji was mentioned, Keisuke Itokogiri's expression seemed to become much more respectful. He talked about the prosecutor's office's "genius prosecutor" and his five-year undefeated record as a prosecutor.

Judging from Keisuke Itokogiri's expression, it was as if he were recounting his own glorious deeds, and the pride on his face seemed to be overflowing.

After praising the swordsman Reiji to Naruhodo Ryuichi and Jiang Hang, Itokogiri Keisuke went aside to make a phone call to the genius prosecutor.

Watching this scene, Ryuichi Naruhodo, who was standing next to Jiang Hang, muttered in a low voice, "In Japan, where 99.9% of criminal cases are convicted, isn't it normal for prosecutors to never lose? Even the prosecutor I met in court for the first time, Aya, supposedly had a seven-year undefeated record before meeting Chihiro-sensei."

Listening to Phoenix Wright's complaints, Jiang Hang felt as if he were tasting the sourness of lemons.

Keisuke Itokuro quickly finished his call with the prosecutor he had met. He walked over and looked at Jiang Hang: "Prosecutor Mikami said he's coming over now. Whether or not to file charges against Saburo Hosei will depend on Prosecutor Mikami's judgment after he arrives."

Jiang Hang nodded. The current Yujian Lian Shi in the game hasn't been redeemed yet, and he's quite curious about what the other party looks like now.

Then he gave Phoenix Wright a look, signaling him to pass the message on to Chihiro Ayasato, who should still be in the detention center meeting with Saburo Hosei.

After viewing the crime scene at the First Photography Studio, at Jiang Hang's request, they quickly went to the staff lounge.

Because of the incident yesterday, and because the entire Yingdu Photography Studio was under police control, the staff break room was still a bit messy. The plates left over from yesterday's lunch by He Xing Sanlang and the others were still on the table and had not been cleared away.

"Actually, there aren't any clues here. He Xing Sanlang's room is right behind here. We've already checked it. That room is usually used as a backstage area for the main actors to rest. There are no signs of theft. Besides He Xing Sanlang and the other main actors, only the girl in the props department who manages the keys has the key to that room."

“And that female employee from the props department, Yumiko Mamiya, just finished being questioned by our police, and she should still be around here,” Having witnessed Jiang Hang’s keen sense of smell, Keisuke Itokuro proactively suggested to Jiang Hang that they invite the female employee over to ask her about yesterday’s events again.

Jiang Hang shook his head slightly, saying that there was no rush to deal with that girl.

You're saying there are no clues here?

He had already activated Eagle Vision, and all the clues in the vicinity were now visible to him.

It seems that after discovering several key clues pointing to Saburo Hosei, the police arrested him without conducting a thorough investigation of the area.

He took a pair of gloves out of his pocket, then walked straight to the dining table that hadn't been cleared yet, and looked at the several plates on the table, which were covered with leftover bones.

Keisuke Itokuro quickly caught up with Jiang Hang and explained to him, "They had bone-in steak for lunch yesterday. According to the security guard, the chef in the staff canteen didn't work yesterday, so lunch was made by her and Takeshi Ibuki together."

While Keisuke Itokogiri was speaking, Jiang Hang picked up a bottle of sleeping pills from the table and asked him a question.

Whose sleeping pills are these?

Keisuke Itokuro leaned over and took a look: "We found this bottle of sleeping pills on the ground nearby during the search of the scene. It should be the medication used by the victim. The security guard mentioned to us that the victim had some mild neurasthenia and therefore needed to take sleeping pills to help her sleep."

There was nothing wrong with this explanation. Jiang Hang nodded and then pointed to the several uneaten plates on the table.

"Have you police examined the ingredients on these plates?"

Keisuke Itokozuke subconsciously shook his head, wanting to indicate that the police were there to find the real culprit who killed Takeshi Ikuro, and would not investigate these things.

However, Jiang Hang's gaze remained fixed on the bottle of sleeping pills in his hand, and Keisuke Itokuro was naturally able to guess Jiang Hang's intentions.

"You mean, someone might have put sleeping pills in the steak?" Keisuke Itokogiri looked at Jiang Hang with some suspicion, seemingly unable to believe the shocking truth hidden behind it.

“Since sleeping pills were found at the scene, this judgment should be the basis for making such a judgment,” Jiang Hang hinted to the middle-aged detective. “After all, according to He Xing Sanlang’s explanation, he fell asleep in the lounge after lunch and didn’t even know who took the general’s costume.”