Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

Higashiyama Shin glanced at the game interface. The game would be refreshed tomorrow. He wondered if the game that appeared then would be like "Soul Swap" and have a significant connection to reality.

"Okay, let me give you a basic overview of what era we live in."

Chapter 17: Past Events

"Showa era?"

Upon hearing this news, Ping Shenglong felt a slight ache in his temples.

According to the preliminary forensic examination, the two skeletons found in the sealed room died between 1945 and 1965 (Showa 20 to 1965), but a more specific year requires further laboratory analysis.

However, this timeframe already means that figuring out the identity of the deceased will be an extremely troublesome matter.

Criminal investigation methods were very backward in those days, and there was a period of extreme chaos where it was almost impossible to investigate things like household registration and identity.

If we want to find a breakthrough, we can probably only look for some elderly people who graduated from Komagome Academy and see if any clues have been passed down.

Furthermore, what connection does the locked room mystery from the Showa era have with today's murder case?

The victims in the school building were all young people who hadn't lived through many years of the Reiwa era. They mainly grew up in the Tenjin era (a made-up era name, derived from the Kokin Wakashū, "Heaven and earth are bright, such is the joy, what has been covered, so much is hidden in the brocade"), not to mention the distant Showa era. It couldn't possibly be revenge by the descendants of an enemy.

But he was certain that the two must be connected, because the traces indicated that the secret room had been opened not long ago, and an item that might have been a book was missing from the table, and a skeleton was missing from the corner.

The murder had just occurred, and by sheer coincidence, this sealed room, which had been closed for nearly a century, was opened.

He didn't believe in such a coincidence.

"Teacher Jiao Tan?" Even if this statement seems unreliable, it is still necessary to start investigating in this direction.

Outside the sealed room, convenient lighting had been set up all around. With the help of his assistant, forensic pathologist Otani struggled to climb out of the sealed room through the ladder that had been built at the exit.

"Any new discoveries, Professor Otani?" Ryuhei handed him a cigarette.

Pathologist Otani's lips moved slightly. He glanced at Heisei Ryu, then lowered his head, took the cigarette, lit it with the light Heisei Ryu offered, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

"There has been some discovery."

Ping Shenglong didn't rush to ask any more questions. He simply followed beside him, puffing on his cigarette to relax.

Nicotine quickly crossed the blood-brain barrier, stimulating the brain to release dopamine, which calmed Pathologist Otani down. He let out a long breath: "You've been in the forensic department before, so you should know the saying, 'Everything that happens leaves a trace.'"

Ping Shenglong nodded. He naturally remembered this sentence. It wasn't just from the forensic department; it was a wise saying that many detectives and criminal police officers firmly believed in.

But now, forensic pathologist Otani has specifically raised this question. Could it be...?

"Logically speaking, if someone had entered this sealed room that had been sealed for many years, it would be impossible for them not to leave any traces. Moreover, we can confirm that the dust marks on the table and the disappearance of the bone tissue in the corner all happened within the last day, or even within the last few hours."

"But I couldn't find any trace, not footprints, hair, fingerprints or fibers at all. It was as if those things had been taken away out of thin air, leaving us with not a single clue or trace."

The hands of Pathologist Otani, who had dissected countless mutilated corpses, trembled slightly because of this seemingly small matter, and the filter in his hands twisted and deformed.

“Mini drone? Or suspended operation?” Ping Shenglong quickly listed several possible operation plans.

But he himself lacked confidence.

Pathologist Otani shook his head: "Perhaps it's intuition, but I can sense that something did come down. The missing book and the skeleton were also picked up by him. Never mind, just consider it my ramblings and don't take it to heart. I will send you the examination report on the body and bones as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Professor Otani. Your health is important. I still have a lot of preliminary research to do," Taira no Ryu reassured him.

Pathologist Otani waved his hand, his expression serious: "This matter won't be simple. You need to be prepared for a long battle."

Ping Shenglong nodded silently. As the battle-hardened head of the First Investigation Division, he had the same intuition.

"There's something you might not know: I'm actually a graduate of Komagome Academy," Pathologist Otani suddenly said.

Heisei Ryu wasn't too surprised: "Does Professor Otani have any news you can tell me?"

"There is a rumor about Teacher Jiao Tan, which was a very old campus legend even more than 20 years ago when I was still studying here."

"But I don't know the details. I didn't care about these things back then. I was only focused on getting into university. Anyway, let me recommend a friend to you. He's a junior of mine. If I remember correctly, he once founded a 'Strange Tales Club' in the college, which collected all the strange tales in the college, including different versions, how they evolved, and his personal speculations. In short, it was quite detailed. Because I was often in the study room, he asked me about the 'headphone girl in the study room' incident, and we had a conversation."

“I don’t want to believe or believe that this is the work of demons or monsters, but you can take it as another clue. Perhaps the culprit is trying to use ghost stories to kill someone else and disrupt our investigation.”

Otani made a few moves on his phone and sent a friend request to Heisei Ryu.

"What an interesting nickname. Is it meant to express the way of the supernatural?" The person's avatar was a white human silhouette against a pitch-black background.

"Pretty much. His name is Kurosaki Chimei, and I think he changed it himself."

"A demon or monster? Isn't he afraid of attracting ghosts with this name?" Ping Shenglong muttered. This name would probably be troublesome to introduce himself. At least he only knew that it was pronounced "chimi," but he was unsure how it was used as a given name. Plus, it had a lot of strokes.

Otani patted Taira no Ryu on the shoulder: "I'm going back to the Metropolitan Police Department now. Let me know if you find anything new."

"Take care, Mr. Otani."

Watching Otani leave, Heisei Ryu rubbed his furrowed brow.

He has already assigned Shingo Nakajima to follow up on the four injured people who are hospitalized, and will take their statements once their condition improves.

Regarding the deceased's interpersonal relationships, there are also capable people working with the principal to conduct investigations. After school starts tomorrow, they will question and collect information on those with close or hostile relationships.

Further autopsy results require a report from forensic pathologist Otani, which should be available by 9 a.m. at the latest.

The ringing of the phone interrupted his thoughts.

He glanced at the caller ID and answered, "Minister Iwaki. Yes, I understand. Okay, thank you for your concern, Minister. The First Investigation Division will take this case very seriously and will do everything in its power to prevent panic from spreading. We will complete the investigation before America's foreign visit."

I hung up the phone and glanced at the date.

He only has ten days.

Chapter 18: Regular Classes

Dongshan Du was anxiously waiting for the possible school closure notice, tossing and turning all night, checking his phone every few minutes.

As a result, the so-called notice of school suspension was not received by dawn, and I woke up looking like I hadn't slept well.

"Brother! Classes weren't suspended!" Dongshan Du had even planned out his schedule for today!

Where's your school suspension notice?!

Higashiyama Shin calmly placed the breakfast on the table and stared straight at him.

"Why don't you get a good night's sleep? If classes are suspended, go play; if they're not, continue going to school. No matter how long you wait, the outcome won't change."

Dongshan pouted and said, "Oh well, never mind, I'm so sleepy, I need some coffee."

"Go for it yourself."

"Brother, I made it taste bad, please, please." Dongshan twisted and turned.

Dongshan Shen got goosebumps and almost kicked him away. Where did he learn such a strange way of acting cute?

It's more like a younger sister being affectionate, but if your younger brother is being affectionate and you don't hit him, you're practically a model of "brotherly virtue."

Taking a deep breath, I realized he was no ordinary person; I shouldn't bother arguing with him.

I glanced at the time; there was still plenty of time.

"Sit down, finish eating before you make a drink." Higashiyama Shin pointed to the chair.

Upon hearing this, Dongshan immediately sat down obediently and began to eat heartily.

After finishing his meal, Shinichi Higashiyama made himself a honey latte using the coffee machine: "If you're having coffee, do you still want the juice from today's bento?"

"Yes!" Higashiyama Doku is sharing his lunchbox with someone, so he doesn't mind having too much.

As they were leaving, Higashiyama Shin reminded them, "Remember to bring an umbrella; it's not sunny May anymore."

Higashiyama Doku casually grabbed a folding umbrella from the entryway and put it in his bag, glancing at Higashiyama Shin's long-handled black umbrella: "It's so troublesome to carry this kind of umbrella, and you have to put it in a special place."

Higashiyama Shin ignored him, opened the door and walked out.

As the two stepped out of the elevator, they happened to see Captain Sakamoto and Natsuki Otsuka handing over their duties.

"You guys are going to school today?" Sakamoto seemed a little surprised to see them.

"Uncle Sakamoto, what nonsense are you talking about? Higashiyama and the others are students at Komagome Academy. They started school yesterday. Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Otsuka complained.

Sakamoto nodded thoughtfully: "Then I might have remembered wrong. But you guys should be careful at school."

"What dangers could there be at school?" Otsuka asked nonchalantly, noticing that Sakamoto was acting strangely today.

Sakamoto smiled and didn't continue the topic, instead moving on to handing over the tasks at hand.

After the two brothers greeted each other and walked away, Higashiyama Dotsuke asked, "It seems like Uncle Sakamoto also knows what happened at our school. Has it already made the news?"

"Didn't someone say he used to be a criminal investigator? It's not surprising that he knows a little more."

"Oh, that's right."

Dongshan just wants to get back to school as soon as possible and see if the police are still there.

Sure enough, when they arrived at the school, the road leading to the old teaching building had been blocked off. School guards and teachers blocked off key points, giving students no chance to escape. In the distance, they could see police cars parked inside and police officers moving around.

"Brother, don't worry about me, let me take another look." Dongshan Du's previously listless spirits instantly perked up. He found a few familiar faces, gathered around outside, pointed and whispered about the situation inside, and began to speculate wildly.

As a witness to the events, no one knows the whole story better than Shin Higashiyama, and it is also recorded in "Soul Exchange".

Carrying the umbrella, I arrived at the high school section, changed my shoes, and placed the umbrella on the umbrella stand.

"If you're curious, you can wander around, but don't go too far. Be sure to come back inside the umbrella as soon as possible. The school's yang energy is very strong during the day, which will take a toll on you. Also, I might need you to do something for me later."

Thank you, thank you, Brother Dongshan.

Shin Higashiyama didn't say much, nor did he warn him not to scare people. Given Ueda's personality, it would be good enough if others didn't frighten him.

Even before entering the classroom, one could sense its unusual quietness, a stark contrast to the other classes.

Sure enough, after taking a few more steps to the door and glancing around, Ikeda, like a giant, stood with his hands on the podium, his muscular body leaning forward, his already fierce face even more taut, putting unprecedented psychological pressure on the students, who all sat upright and were all good students.

Higashiyama Shin sat down in his seat, and Chiba Shion paused her self-study, picked up her pen and gently tapped Higashiyama Shin's back, showing no psychological pressure whatsoever because of Ikeda's appearance.

"Something big happened at school last night." Chiba skipped the preamble, not saying anything like, "Have you noticed anything strange about the school?"

If Higashiyama Shin can't even handle this, she won't consider him her only friend.

"People have died, and most likely more than one, and it's related to the Seven Clans." Higashiyama Shin replied casually, cutting out some information.

Chiba Shion remained expressionless and nodded slightly: "It seems you also noticed the brooches and badges on those police officers' collars."

Badge? What badge?

Even his foolish brother could guess that someone might be dead, so why would he need to look at the badge?

“Only people from the First Investigation Division would wear that brooch badge. I even saw the head of the First Investigation Division, who has appeared on television before,” Chiba Shion said, explaining her reasoning. “The fact that the head of the First Investigation Division personally came into the case indicates that this is a serious criminal case.”

"You said it's related to the Seven People. Does Higashiyama Doku know anything about it?" Chiba Shion knew some things about Higashiyama Doku.

"Yes, last night, the seven of them held a test of courage for the newcomers at the old teaching building."

Chiba Shion's lips curled into a mocking smile. She had always loathed these delinquent groups and never bothered to hide her attitude towards them.

"He deserved to die, didn't he?" Higashiyama Shin finished her sentence.

Chiba greeted the morning sun with a faint smile: "Humans have the chance to correct their mistakes, but beasts don't."

"Their pure malice may have unknowingly destroyed the future of countless people."

“I don’t like meddling in other people’s business, and there’s not much I can do, but I’m happy to see them get what they deserve as soon as possible.”

The reason why Shinichi Higashiyama and Shion Chiba get along well is precisely because of their similar personalities.

"Then, may they be good people in their next life." Higashiyama Shin opened his thermos and took a sip of the fragrant tea.

It's eight o'clock.

Everyone who could make it has arrived.

Dongshan glanced around; everything seemed fine. But wait!

How old are you? Nobi Tomoyoshi.

Looking at his fierce expression, Dongshan even suspected that this person was born with a bad luck constitution.

The leader of the group, Koizumi, is already dead, and the remaining two are probably terrified. They certainly won't be interested in causing him any more trouble for the time being.

Today we're also going to elect class officers. If the class representative is a strong-willed person, a little reminder might help him avoid being targeted by the 80s again.

So, where did this little culprit come from?

Chapter 19: Shared Vision