The villagers attending the banquet had all gathered here, and Fujino's group arrived at the scene too.
Even though he already knew the outcome, Fujino activated his Eagle Eye anyway, scanning the church's interior. Seeing no signs of life, he shut it off with a hint of disappointment.
"Wakaba, open the door quick!"
Tokita Juzo banged on the church doors, his expression growing frantic when no response came.
Fujino stepped forward and gave the door a push.
It was solid wood—heavy as hell. No ordinary person could force it open.
With his detective enhancement active, he was pretty sure he could kick it down in one go. But in his current condition, the effort would probably rip his wounds open.
"No good!"
Uncle Kazamatsuri, who'd been checking around the church, came rushing back. "All the other entrances are locked from the inside too!"
"All locked, huh?"
Fujino rubbed his chin.
If that's the case, this murder was looking like a locked-room case…
Guess he'd have to kick the door down after all?
Taking a deep breath, Fujino was about to trigger his system enhancement when a shout came from behind: "Everyone, step aside!"
Turning around, he saw Odagiri Jin sprinting over, dragging the tow hook from their little Jeep.
*Talk about timing,* Fujino thought, frowning slightly.
That Jeep had been a lifesaver getting here. Now it was coming in clutch to break into the church too.
This thing was pulling MVP duty…
The group hooked the tow line to the church doors. With the Jeep's engine roaring, the doors yanked open with a jolt.
Right in front of them, a headless female corpse lay on a pristine white bed. Moonlight streamed through the skylight above, illuminating the scene. The white wedding dress was soaked in blood, and the bedsheets beneath were stained crimson.
"Ahh!"
Those less hardened among the crowd let out horrified screams at the sight.
Momiji, shaken by the grisly scene, felt her legs wobble. She stumbled back a couple steps, nearly collapsing.
Luckily, Fujino had seen it coming and caught her arm, steadying her.
He got where she was coming from.
As a Kyoto native who didn't hang around Tokyo's murder hotspot, Mihama, she probably rarely saw stuff like this.
"Fujino…" Momiji's voice trembled. "W-Wakaba, she…"
"I'll check it out and see what's going on," Fujino said, helping her stand. He glanced over at Ai. "Ai, come keep an eye on Miss Momiji for me."
"Got it."
Haihara Ai snapped out of her own shock, nodding. She stepped over to Momiji's side quietly.
She understood Momiji's reaction too.
They'd just seen a dried-up corpse, and now her old classmate was lying here decapitated. Even someone with nerves of steel would flinch—let alone a sheltered rich girl like her.
Fujino slipped on white gloves and approached the headless body, eyes narrowing as he examined it.
Tokita Wakaba's head was gone. The severed neck exposed nerves and blood vessels, with arterial spray splattered across the white sheets.
Judging by the blood pattern, she'd been beheaded right there on the bed.
What caught Fujino's attention, though, was the message scrawled in blood on her white wedding dress: *"The seventh corpse, claiming the bride's head."*
The words were vague, leaving him scratching his head.
He looked up, scanning the dimly lit church. Every exit was locked from the inside except for the skylight above.
But eyeballing it, that skylight was way too small for anyone to climb through.
So, just as he'd figured—a locked-room murder.
Pulling his gaze back, Fujino reached out and lifted Wakaba's hand.
Her pale fingers were delicate, with no skin or debris under the nails.
"So she was knocked out before the beheading?" he murmured, setting her hand back down as he pieced it together in his head.
Locked-room cases were a pain in the ass, no doubt. But that's where it ended for now…
Fujino closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, a sharp glint flickered in his gaze. "So that's how it is, huh?"
"Wakaba!"
Odagiri Jin, who'd been slumped on the ground, finally came to his senses and stumbled forward.
"Don't come any closer," Fujino said, turning to block him. "She's beyond saving."
"Wakaba, my daughter!"
Tokita Juzo suddenly clutched his chest, collapsing to his knees in agony.
"Oh no, Tokita's heart condition's acting up!"
Uncle Kazamatsuri was the first to react, rushing to help him up. A few others pitched in, hauling him off to the village clinic.
"Hey, who the hell are you anyway?"
Once the chaos died down, a guy with a birthmark on his face—Torao Hozenshiki—glared at Fujino, annoyed. "Why're you the only one allowed near the body?"
"Name's Fujino. I'm a detective," he replied, turning to face the crowd. "Miss Wakaba's death might be a locked-room murder case."
"A murder case?!"
The group gasped in shock.
Sure, a beheading pretty much screamed "murder," but they'd been too stunned to process it until Fujino's words jolted them awake.
---
Late Night · Clock Mansion
Moonlight filtered through the window into the guest room.
Fujino lay on the big bedroom bed, staring at the ceiling with dead-fish eyes, unable to sleep.
On either side of him, right by the bed's edge, were Haihara Ai and Ooka Momiji.
The three of them shared one blanket, giving off weird "family of three sleepover" vibes…
How'd it come to this? Well, it started after they got back from the church.
Long story short, a freaked-out Momiji had bolted to his room, too scared to sleep alone in her own next door.
Normally, Fujino—upstanding guy that he is—would've said no.
But this village was dangerous in its own way, so he didn't turn her away.
Problem was, the guest room had just one bed, no extra blankets, and the living room sofa was too tiny to crash on. So, they had to make do…
A loli on his left, a rich girl on his right.
Somehow, it felt like the dream life some guys would kill for…
Fujino shook his head, tossing out the ridiculous thought, and shifted his focus to the case.
He was starting to piece it together, though the killer's identity was still up in the air.
*The seventh corpse, claiming the bride's head.*
A pastor's family burned alive twenty-something years ago, with seven kids.
Those headless dried-up corpses in the basement…
And the secrets of Rokakumura.
Was there a connection? Could the corpses in the mansion be that pastor's family?
But logically, that didn't add up…
Suddenly, soft sensations from both sides yanked him out of his thoughts.
Looking down, he saw Ai, half-asleep, clinging to his arm in a daze. Momiji rolled over too, wrapping his other arm against her chest.
Feeling their warmth and faint breaths, Fujino let out a sigh.
This job was turning into a real pain.
(End of Chapter)