Kurokouchi (クロコーチ)

December 1968

Investigation of

the 300-million yen robbery which occurred 45 years ago

on December 10, 1968, ran into extreme difficulty.

The investigation headquarters created a wanted poster based on the testimony of

the bank employees who were robbed.

It was what's come to be known as

the man in the photo montage.

It hasn't been disseminated yet, but

that's a fake photo composed of deceased people's faces.

If, in the worst case, should you get arrested,

our existence will be endangered as well.

We've told your father everything.

You'll have to commit suicide.

The 300-million yen robbery

remains unsolved to this day.

November 14, 2013

Unidentified human remains?

Yes. Local residents who were picking wild edible plants

found the remains of a portion of the hand.

Also,

an empty duralumin case was buried near the body.

Duralumin case?

I wonder if money was in there.

Human remains...duralumin case.

Money...

300 million yen.

- You can come in now. - Okay, thanks.

Cause of death is most likely brain contusion due to skull fracture.

That duralumin case might be the weapon.

There's what appears to be bloodstain on it.

Does that mean it's murder?

From the shape of the pelvis, it's a male.

From the sutures of the skull, he was in his mid-thirties.

From the condition of the skeletonization, he's been dead approximately...

45 years.

No, I'd say 10 years at the most.

Oh, 10 years?

Seike-san, what was that about 45 years?

Oh, it's nothing.

Dead for 10 years...

It's been 10 years, huh?

Don't come back anymore, Takamiya.

Thank you for everything.

Congratulations.

Welcome back.

No matter how many times you come, I have nothing to tell you.

Do you know? The remains of a body that was recently found in our prefecture.

Near that,

an empty duralumin case was uncovered, I heard.

For this plan, I need Takamiya-chan to

play a part too.

Plan?

Although someone else will be the protagonist.

I'm Echigo with the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office.

Sawatari Kazunari-san.

I will be interrogating you thoroughly

in regards to your past crimes.

Please prepare yourself.

The protagonist...

The protagonist is...

From the driver's license in the wallet, the human remains have been identified as

Takanashiyama Corpse Abandonment Investigation Headquarters

Haitani Ryuji-san, who disappeared 10 years ago.

Also, from the fact that the DNA on clothing we borrowed from Haitani-san's family

and the DNA of the blood that was found on the duralumin case at the scene matched,

it is believed that 10 years ago, someone struck Haitani-san

on the head with the duralumin case and killed him.

The victim was a freelance journalist.

But according to his colleagues back then,

he was a so-called blackmailer who extorted money by threatening to expose scandals.

Right before he disappeared 10 years ago,

he was heard saying that he was expecting to get 50 million yen soon.

50 million yen...

The content of the case was probably that 50 million yen.

The reason being that upon investigating the origin of the duralumin case,

we found out it had been robbed 10 years ago.

Robbed...

On October 8, 2003, at a pachinko parlor in Shin Sugimoto-cho,

a duralumin case containing the store's proceeds of approximately 50 million yen

was robbed by a man wearing a ski mask.

The culprit was a former member of a large gang conglomerate, Akaba-gumi,

Takamiya Kenta.

Takamiya turned himself in 2 days after the robbery.

At the first trial, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and

subsequently expelled from Akaba-gumi.

A blackmailer and a robber...

- Which means? - This is just a speculation, but

if Takamiya was the one Haitani Ryuji was

blackmailing for 50 million yen,

Takamiya didn't give Haitani the 50 million yen that he robbed,

but killed him instead.

Tsubokura-kun, have you contacted the prison?

Yes, however,

Takamiya finished serving his 10-year sentence and was released this morning.

This morning? What's Takamiya's forwarding address?

It's listed as a small factory in Ishikawa-cho, but I doubt he'll be there...

Each team is to proceed with the search for the former Akaba-gumi member,

Takamiya Kenta, as the person of interest in the murder of Haitani Ryuji.

Excuse me. I have one more thing to report.

According to the prison guard,

recently, there was a man who came to visit Takamiya frequently.

Was that someone from Akaba-gumi?

Well, it's...him again.

Again...

The human remains found the other day in the mountain of Takanashiyama

has been identified as Haitani Ryuji-san, a freelance journalist.

The police is...

The police must be frantically searching for

Takamiya-chan right around now.

As the suspect in the murder of Haitani.

I didn't kill him.

Then what did you do with the 50 million you stole?

Like I told the police...

You spent it all on booze, gambling, and women?

Should I believe that too?

Come on. Who did you give it to?

The guy you gave that 50 million to...

isn't he the one who killed Haitani?

In any case, that money's what you're after, right?

But I can't give you what I don't have.

You don't get it, do you?

What is that?

What I'm after

goes a lot deeper.

Sawatari didn't say a word, did he?

But it's not like we didn't gain anything.

It's just my gut feeling, but

he's hiding something else besides the series of crime.

Something that goes much deeper.

And so, they're suspecting me again, huh?

Why were you visiting Takamiya Kenta, a former member of Akaba-gumi?

Well...

it's a long story.

He's now a person of interest in the murder case of Haitani Ryuji.

That's just something the police arbitrarily decided, right?

Are you saying that someone else is the murderer?

Isn't finding that out

Seike-san's job?

Then what is Kurokouchi-san's job?

Well...to become friends with that guy, maybe?

Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office Criminal Department Chief, Echigo Yataro.

He's handling Sawatari's current case.

Sawatari-san...

Good evening~.

You're Prosecutor Echigo with the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office, right?

I'm Kurokouchi with Prefectural Police Second Division.

- This is - Seike with First Division.

What can I do for you?

Just between us,

I was wondering if

you could give us information on Sawatari Sensei.

I can assure you I'm tight-lipped.

- There's nothing I can tell you. - Even if you're offered 50 million again?

50 million?

You know this person well, don't you?

A popular IT figure who was recently called upon to be the Prime Minister's

private ad hoc adviser, Ayakawa Shinnosuke-san.

It hasn't been made public, but

10 years ago,

when you were at Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, Special Investigation Department,

you ran him down for window-dressing accounts, didn't you?

But for some reason, the prosecution backed off at the last minute.

That's because in exchange for letting the window-dressing slide,

you accepted a bribe of 50 million from Ayakawa.

I've heard that rumor, you know.

I don't recall doing anything like that.

Excuse me.

Then what about this?

You know who the final recipient was of the 50 million Takamiya stole 10 years ago,

don't you?

He was released this morning.

Takamiya Kenta, former member of Akaba-gumi.

I'm not obligated to answer that question.

Kurokouchi-san, are you saying that the final recipient of the 50 million yen

that Takamiya-san stole was Echigo-san?

Probably.

Wait a minute.

There's Haitani-san who was extorting 50 million yen, and

Takamiya-san who robbed 50 million yen.

In the meantime, there's Echigo-san who took a bribe of 50 million yen, and

Ayakawa-san who bribed him.

Are these 50 million yen all the same?

Yes. Cor~rect.

But how are these four men connected?

Don't make it so complicated.

Basically, it's just a matter of who the 50 million yen Takamiya stole

went through before it reached its final destination, Prosecutor Echigo.

The only question is,

who was it that Haitani was blackmailing.

Anyway, once we find out who killed Haitani,

we'll find the connection.

Then,

say you find the murderer.

Say I find the murderer?

And everything falls into place,

what are you planning to do to Echigo-san?

You're curious too, aren't you?

About the people who had this.

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