章 8: Chapter 8: Perception Find-Person Skill

翻訳者: 549690339

The Yamashita Family home was located on the top floor of an eight-story apartment building, with the door plate number 801.

The apartment manager seemed a bit surprised that the police had returned, but without saying much, he took the spare key, went upstairs to open the door, and let Nanahara Takeshi and his group in.

Upon entering, Kiyomi Liuli took a deep breath, seemingly intoxicated by the atmosphere.

So this was the scent of a "crime scene," the setting she had immersed herself in for so many years through detective novels… No, the setting she had immersed herself in for so many years through the deductive methods of detective stories, was finally put to use!

She slowly exhaled the air from her lungs and instantly became tense, her eyes sharp as though she were a police dog, beginning to survey every direction.

The apartment was spacious, a 1L1D2R layout, which means a living room, a dining room, and two bedrooms, with a separate bathroom and washroom—quite a large apartment. One room was a bedroom and the other had been converted into a workspace, filled with documents, blueprints, and various electronic components.

The closets in the living and dining room had also been modified to serve as plant stands displaying many potted green plants.

Hmm, the homeowner has a good income and takes work very seriously, possibly a workaholic.

Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention to her, Kiyomi Liuli quickly toured each room, not overlooking any suspicious spot. Yet after making the rounds, she fell into deep thought.

This was quite different from the detective novels. Generally, when the protagonist arrives at the crime scene, they always find something out of the ordinary. But this room was too normal.

The floor was clean, without a single stray hair;

Doors and windows were intact, not even a scratch, let alone broken;

The bedding and furniture were neat, everything in its proper place, and even the clothes hanging on the balcony were as orderly as troops awaiting inspection.

It didn't seem like any incident had happened here, nothing odd at all.

She stood there frowning for a while, then turned to find the apartment manager and asked in a low voice, "Uncle, when was the last time you saw Yamashita?"

The apartment manager looked at her strangely, not quite understanding who she was, but he didn't refuse to answer. "The officers already asked me this, I last saw Yamashita the night before last at around nine o'clock when he just got back from work."

"You haven't seen him since then?"

"No."

Kiyomi Liuli mused, "So that means, he didn't leave the building?"

The apartment manager looked at her speechlessly for a moment, waving his hand, "This... student, this is an apartment building, not a prison. I don't monitor the entrance constantly. Whether Yamashita left when I wasn't paying attention or was busy with something else, I can't guarantee it. That's what I told the officers earlier."

Kiyomi Liuli felt a bit embarrassed, whispering, "You're right."

Then, thinking for a moment, she asked expectantly, "So in the past two days, have you noticed anything unusual? Like hearing some strange noises, suddenly seeing a shadow and thinking you were seeing things, or have you found any strange marks or objects in some area of the apartment building?"

Usually in novels, by this point, a bystander would provide a clue to the detective, a casual remark that would suddenly enlighten the investigator!

The apartment manager, looking even more puzzled about who she was, watched her like she was an idiot, "No, everything in the building has been normal these past two days, and regarding your questions, the officers have already asked them."

Kiyomi Liuli was stumped. Why aren't you playing by the rules? How am I supposed to solve the case like this?

She started to feel troubled. Based on the current situation, it was possible that Yamashita Tasuku had simply left to clear his mind, at least voluntarily, making it impossible to trace. It seemed as though, apart from asking the police boxes to stay alert, there was no other course of action—wouldn't that mean this trip was in vain?

She was greatly disappointed, but then she became nervous again.

Oh no, if that guy can't find the person and causes the police and the victims to make a fruitless trip, how would he end it? He would surely get scolded, right?

At this thought, she became even more anxious and hurried to find Nanahara Takeshi, only to discover he was closely inspecting a potted plant, which made her angry again—What are you doing playing mystical at a time like this? There are police present right now, it's not the time for your swindling tricks!

She tugged hard on the back of Nanahara Takeshi's shirt, whispering, "Stop pretending. It looks to me like Yamashita might have gone out for a walk. This is not within our capability to handle. Let's leave quickly!"

After pausing, she added, "I'll apologize with you. You probably won't get scolded."

Why should you apologize with me?

Nanahara Takeshi glanced at her indifferently, not wanting to pay her any mind. However, in light of what she had said, he casually replied, "He didn't go out to clear his mind."

"Not to clear his mind? How do you know?"

Nanahara Takeshi explained nonchalantly, "Everything indoors is clean and orderly, the fridge is covered with a schedule and a fitness plan, there's no alcohol or cigarettes in the house, and the bookshelf is filled with plants and gardening-related books. Some of them are clearly purchased a long time ago and have been read repeatedly but still remain pristine, without a single stain or turned-down page.

All of this signifies that Yamashita Tasuku is a person with clear goals, highly self-disciplined, and somewhat of a clean freak, who also has a lot of energy. Despite the high workload, he still manages to maintain his hobbies and finds time to carefully tend to his plants. It's hard to imagine such a person being overwhelmed by stress and inexplicably running off for leisure and relaxation."

Kiyomi Liuli was stunned for a moment, recalling the scene in Yamashita's home and feeling that what he said made sense. Quickly, she said, "I noticed all that you mentioned, but it's definite that Yamashita left on his own. We can't find any clues as to what he went off to do, so everything you've said is useless. We still have to rely on the police to find him, so it's better if we apologize and head back."

She still had the mentality of a minor, afraid of angering an adult. Nanahara Takeshi couldn't be bothered to say more and said irritably, "If you can't find it, keep looking. Making money isn't supposed to be easy!"

"Then how should I look?" Kiyomi Liuli pouted, feeling a bit unhappy with the retort. She also wanted to find the person, but right now, there was simply no way to do it!

Nanahara Takeshi's gaze returned to the potted plant, and he said softly, "The apartment doesn't have any fertilizer or gardening tools."

Kiyomi Liuli looked at the potted plant, incredulous. "At a time like this, you're planning to fertilize the flowers?"

Nanahara Takeshi didn't even know what to say to her and, after a moment of silence, said, "This is the 'Night Beauty's" 'Little Gekka,' a cultivar of the cactus family's Selenicereus species, specially cultivated for human appreciation. It requires an extremely strict living environment. A slight deviation in temperature, humidity, or soil pH, and in less than three days, it will die right before your eyes—it's almost dead now."

Then he pinched the soil in the pot and sniffed it lightly close to his nose, thoughtfully saying, "Like the other few pots we've seen, they were fertilized and watered two or three days ago."

Kiyomi Liuli still couldn't comprehend and asked in confusion, "So...?"

"You really are clueless." Nanahara Takeshi ran out of ways to describe the dullness of Kiyomi Liuli's brain, "Yamashita Tasuku clearly has a place dedicated to taking care of potted plants, and it's very close to here!"

......

"Nanahara, have you perceived Yamashita's location yet?" After waiting a long time, Mrs. Takamatsu, unable to contain her anxiousness, stepped forward to ask.

Nanahara Takeshi shook his head, "The energy here is very peaceful; I haven't found anything."

Mrs. Takamatsu was greatly disappointed, and the two detectives also showed expressions that said they had expected as much. Nanahara Takeshi then turned to the apartment manager and asked, "Mr. Manager, from Yamashita's aura, I perceive that he often tended to plants. Then, he must have a greenhouse for taking care of his potted plants. Do you know where it is?"

Before the apartment manager could respond, the taller and more robust of the two detectives spoke up, pointing at the ceiling, "It's on the rooftop. We've already checked it out, everything is normal there."

The police weren't idle; inquiry was often more straightforward than deduction, asking everyone and checking every place that could be checked.

If it weren't for the fact that Mrs. Takamatsu was a relative of the chief, he would have stopped this farce long ago. Now, his patience was wearing thin. He was taking the initiative to speak out of impatience—not wanting to mention the greenhouse at all, and ready to send Nanahara away as soon as he finished "perceiving" the apartment.

But unfortunately, the rooftop had been discovered, which only added to his annoyance.

Nanahara Takeshi didn't care whether the two detectives still had patience. He thanked them and asked the manager to lead the way. Kiyomi Liuli and Mrs. Takamatsu naturally followed, while the two detectives, left with no choice, shook their heads and followed behind.

Well, they had no choice but to waste more time checking the greenhouse and hoping these two kids would leave sooner.

Yamashita Tasuku's apartment was on the top floor, very close to the rooftop, and while walking, Nanahara Takeshi suddenly stopped, tilting his head towards the door of room 803. The tall and robust detective behind him sighed and said, "What now?"

Nanahara Takeshi said nothing, peering into the room through the peephole with a playful look, his behavior somewhat disturbing.

Everyone was speechless. Kiyomi Liuli tugged hard at his clothing to signal him to stop acting so mysteriously and to get on with the task at hand. Nanahara Takeshi shrugged, smiled, and continued walking, going up to the rooftop with everyone.

The greenhouse of Yamashita Tasuku was quite large and appeared to be professionally built. It seemed he indeed had a passion for potting and horticulture, and not being short on money, he had nearly a hundred pots of various flowers, including some rare and precious species, which dazzled visitors upon entry.

This was their last hope. It was unlikely the police would accompany them to search anywhere else. Kiyomi Liuli perked up and started exploring around, only to find that beside pots, there were more pots, and absolutely nothing out of place. Even after digging through the pile of fertilizer in the corner with a small trowel, finding nothing but loose yellow, black, and dark red soil mixed with a bit of gravel, not to mention a person, she couldn't even find a worm.

Sigh, they really shouldn't have come. Searching for people was a job for the police. That guy was delusional thinking he could make money this way.

Kiyomi Liuli was discouraged and worried, already considering how to apologize on behalf of Nanahara Takeshi when he would be scolded later.

"Can we go back now?" the tall and robust detective said impatiently, "We've searched here before, and there is nothing suspicious. If we head back earlier, we can issue a lookout notice sooner, which would be more helpful in finding Yamashita."

"There's no need for a lookout notice," Nanahara Takeshi said, staring at a small camellia, also known as a rhododendron, and after a moment of reflection, he said with regret, "Yamashita is here in the greenhouse."

"In the greenhouse? Where?" Everyone was stunned, looking around.

"Right here," said Nanahara Takeshi, taking the small camellia off the shelf, carefully removing the plant, and then overturning the flowerpot onto the ground.

As he lifted the flowerpot, soil spilled out, and a severed hand rolled out, landing right before Kiyomi Liuli.

The hand had been cleanly cut at the wrist, buried in the flowerpot for some time; it was now a dead-fish white color, slightly bluish and swollen. When it hit the ground, it bounced a couple of times.

Kiyomi Liuli stared at the severed hand for three seconds, then backpedaled three steps, nearly falling to the ground on her behind.

She was just a fan of mystery novels; this was her first close encounter with part of a corpse, and even if it was only a severed hand, the shock was profound, both mentally and physically.

Nanahara Takeshi looked around the greenhouse again, pointing at various pots in succession, and said calmly, "These two pots, that pot, that pot, those two pots, and that row over there... Yamashita's other parts are inside."

The expressions of the two detectives changed drastically at this point. After quickly noting down Nanahara Takeshi's directions, they looked at each other in disbelief.

It turned out that this high school student really was a spiritual medium, truly able to perceive things that ordinary people couldn't!

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