i lied to the whole world

After Nakajima Atsushi learned from Kunikida about the object of Asada Maki's real resentment, he also felt very uncomfortable, and couldn't help but whispered: "She has a reason for revenge."

"Yeah, but we also have a reason to get the scarecrow." Kunikida whispered, "So, Atsushi, I'm going to give you an important task now. Slow her down as much as possible."

"A search warrant has been issued, we need time."

...although he said so.

After school, Atsushi Nakajima followed behind Maki Asada with a tangled look on how to delay the time.

Asada Maki walked for a while, turned her head and looked at the back unkindly: "Hey, you have been following me since school until now, do you still want to follow me all the way home?"

Atsushi Nakajima was shocked, and subconsciously bowed: "I'm really sorry!"

Asada Maki: "If you want to arrest me, go get an arrest warrant, and then I will call the police, or do you think it's okay to do such a thing because you are a policeman?"

Atsushi Nakajima waved his hand quickly: "Of course not... I just... want to talk to you a little bit."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"It's about the kidnapping case ten years ago!" As soon as Atsushi Nakajima finished speaking, he wished he could take it back. Isn't this poking someone's scar!

Sure enough, Maki Asada's face turned colder: "Since you have already investigated, do you think you can dissuade me?"

"No, I didn't think about it that way," Atsushi Nakajima clenched his fists, "because it must be, the sadness that words can't bear."

"However, I believe that the way of revenge must not be just the way of Hell Girl!"

There was complexity in Asada Maki's eyes, looking at his persistent eyes, his face eased a lot: "There is a convenience store over there."

"……what?"

"I suddenly want to eat an ice cream."

"Oh, okay!"

So, two people sat in the park, each holding an ice cream in his hand, eating in silence.

The atmosphere was awkward, and Atsushi Nakajima was racking his brains for what to say.

Atsushi Nakajima: "That..."

"You're not a policeman, are you?" Asada Maki said suddenly.

"Uh, yes."

"I think so, my age is about the same, and among the people who asked me in the office before, except for the serious uncle with glasses and the other one with a stubble face, the two of you don't look like policemen at all. "

Wearing glasses... Ah, she was talking about Kunikida-san.

Uncle?

Atsushi Nakajima tried to hold back a smile after matching the word with Kunikida's face.

"So who are you and why are you cooperating with the police in investigating Hell Girl?"

"We are an armed detective agency, and we usually investigate commissions from some police officers."

"Detective agency..." Asada Maki turned the wooden handle of the ice cream, and didn't care about the melted cream dripping in her palm, "Even the police will come to ask you, which means you are very good?"

"Yes, Ranpo-san in our agency is a very powerful detective, and no tricks can fool him." Nakajima Atsushi praised him highly.

"..."

Seeing Asada Maki's expression seemed to be a little concerned, Nakajima Atsushi said cautiously: "If my words have caused you trouble, I apologize first, we have investigated your matter."

Asada Maki frowned and lowered his head: "So you already know, do you still want to stop me from revenge?"

Atsushi Nakajima was silent for a long time, looking at the ice cream in his hand that was about to melt, he said slowly:

"I used to have people who wanted to send him to hell. Even now, I still can't escape the shadow that person brought me."

Asada Maki looked up in surprise.

"But I left from there. Although I was kicked out and embarrassed, I also sincerely felt that even if I was escaping, it was great to be able to no longer see that person."

"Because if I stay there any longer, I might kill that person with my claws one day."

"But I don't want to escape now. I want to resist the shackles that person imposed on me. I want to prove to him that I have grown up."

Atsushi Nakajima squeezed the wooden handle of the ice cream in his hand, his fingertips turned white: "I understand the current feeling, full of resentment and powerlessness, the only way to go is to destroy that person, or destroy myself, so I don't will stop you."

"But the road of revenge must not be the only one, this may just be the worst way to escape."

"We can help you re-investigate that matter. Although the result may not satisfy you, it will definitely make that person receive the punishment he deserves! So..."

Asada Maki looked at his side face quietly, and interrupted him with one hand resting on her chin: "Yeah, Hell Girl is just a way to escape, it's useless if you don't make changes."

"In this case..." Atsushi Nakajima looked at her.

"So, I've made up my mind," Asada Maki stood up and interrupted Atsushi Nakajima: "Thank you for buying me ice cream, sorry, I'm going home."

"Ah, please wait!" Atsushi Nakajima shouted from behind, but Maki Asada didn't look back this time.

While chasing, he hurriedly sent a message to Kunikida, saying that he could no longer stop him.

【I see, let her come over. 】

When Asada Maki returned to her apartment, she saw a police car downstairs, her heart sank, and she ran up the stairs quickly, only to find several policemen standing in front of her house.

"Step aside!"

The police did not hesitate to get out of the way. Asada Maki had planned to make a mess at home, but was surprised to find that everything was in its place.

"Because you are not a suspect, we have no reason to destroy this place that still has family warmth."

At this time, a sound came from the computer in the policeman's hand.

Asada Maki looked at the laptop in the policeman's hand, to be precise, it was the person on the screen, and said in a cold tone, "Since I'm not a suspect and you haven't found anything, can you leave?"

Poe on the screen did not answer, but looked at Atsushi Nakajima who was chasing after him: "Mr. Atsushi, you did a good job of delaying time."

Hearing this, Atsushi Nakajima scratched his head in embarrassment, and was glared at by Maki Asada.

"If you didn't delay the time, we should have no time to contact Ranbu-kun."

"Huh?" Atsushi Nakajima looked up in surprise.

"Asada-san, you should have heard of the name of the detective agency to some extent, but it's too shallow to make you give up revenge on this alone, so we found evidence."

"Evidence?" Asada Maki was stunned, and his first reaction was, "Impossible. I investigated that person for a long time. He was very cautious and basically left no evidence. In addition, it has been ten years and the witnesses have been seven years old. It is very difficult for them to identify this person, and the prosecution period has passed."

This is the reason why she was desperate and even pinned her last hope on the hell girl.

"That's right, so what we found was not evidence that he was a human trafficker, but evidence that he tortured and killed several children." Poe said on the other end of the computer.

They asked Atsushi Nakajima to delay the time as much as possible, not to have more time to search her home, but to contact Ranpo. Only he can infer the past information in such a short period of time in the old case. The irrefutable proof of that man-shark.

"However, I do not recommend that you prosecute the crime of human trafficking, because the time involved in the case is too long, and this case involves international disputes, so it is best to prosecute him as the murderer."

Poe relayed Ranpo's words to Maki Asada: "According to the information we found, your parents committed suicide by burning charcoal in despair after the perpetrator was tried, probably because they knew this fact."

Asada Maki recalled what happened that day, her eyes turned red instantly, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

"Of course, this is not a transaction, and whatever you choose in the end, we will submit this evidence."

After Poe finished speaking, the scene fell into silence.

Everyone was anxiously waiting for Maki Asada's choice.

Suddenly, she laughed and asked, "May I know the name of the detective who made such a brilliant deduction?"

"Edogawa Ranpo, he is my biggest and most admired opponent."

"Really, then are you a detective too?"

"Yes."

"Then it seems to me that you must be a great detective, too."

Poe froze for a moment.

Asada Maki walked to the end of the entrance, and there was a small shrine in front of the living room.Note 1

She knelt on the tatami and looked at the photos of her parents and younger brother in the shrine: "I have seen it here for a long time, and I would know if I was touched, but this is the only place in this house that has not been searched." Pass."

"You already knew where I put the scarecrow, didn't you?"

Poe fell silent, and said softly: "In a mystery novel that I have read that I like very much, it was once written that 'besides reasoning, there are human feelings.'"

Asada Maki smiled, opened the hidden drawer under the shrine, and took out the black scarecrow from it.

The people present almost raised their hearts, watching the girl's movements anxiously.

This was probably the craziest part of Poe's plan, and if she pulled the red string at this point, it would all be for naught.

However, Asada Maki just put the scarecrow in his hand: "Does Mr. Detective believe that there is hell in this world?"

Poe froze for a moment, and said honestly, "No, I don't believe in things I haven't seen."

"Really, but I believe," Asada Maki smiled faintly, "Actually, the target of this scarecrow is not the trafficker, but me."

Everyone was stunned.

"I am willing to treat that person with the harshest punishment, so I know after asking the hell girl that the real way to use the hell girl is not to let that person experience some kind of hell, but I have seen the scenery of hell in person and know that What kind of severe punishment will a person go through before he can make up his mind to send him to hell himself.”

"After all, if he simply dies, there is no way for me to vent my hatred."

The girl's calm words stirred up waves in everyone's hearts. How can one hate a person to achieve this level.

Poe: "Yes, if it's your wish, I also hope that hell can exist."

"Thank you, don't worry, I changed my mind just now," Asada Maki put the scarecrow on the ground, facing the slope in the screen, "I want the case to be cleared, I believe in the existence of hell, so let him be in prison first Make atonement here, and go to hell to be tortured."

"I won't go to hell with him, it will dirty my eyes, I will go to the place where my parents are in the future."

"You will," Poe decided.

"Thank you."

The event is over.

Atsushi Nakajima was relieved to see the scarecrow being held in the hands of a policeman with a brim and properly wrapped in a box, so that he could find the existence behind the hell girl.

Unbeknownst to him, the moment the policeman put the scarecrow in the box properly, the scarecrow disappeared for a moment and reappeared in a second. He closed the box with an innocent face.

The author has something to say: Note 1: Shrines, things placed in Japanese homes to commemorate deceased relatives, probably, if I checked correctly.