Never Not
Ch. 135: Uncovering the Mystery

"Ai-kun, why did you come to the Metropolitan Police?"

"Why ask if you've saved the answer!"

"In addition, I want to know why you're here!"

"Why, huh? Maybe because I miss you. I miss our time competing to be the best student."

"really?"

"You're my only friend from since we were in the dorm until I moved here, Seto-kun."

"Ai-kun, looks like the Chief is suspicious of you. He asked me to monitor your movements."

"I told you, you are my best friend! Even for things I shouldn't know, you tell me! But ... Why is the Chairman suspicious of me? I don't think I'm doing anything weird!"

"I don't know either. Maybe some of your friends complain about you."

"Yes .. I know those people don't like my presence."

"They're just cynical about you for being able to easily enter our division. Our division is a privileged division in metropolitan. To enter, you must at least score achievements by uncovering major cases. And this division is also often used as a stepping stone for the police to pursue office."

"Jeez .. so they're trifling me!" Look, I'll prove to you that I deserve to be in the first division of Metropolitan Investigators!"

"As a friend I just want to remind you to keep an attitude and not to appear flashy."

A piece of chatter between himself and Seto, suddenly flashed in his memory. That was when he was transferred to the Metropolitan Police.

Ai screamed, feeling the heat of the bullet lodged in her limbs. The earpiece in his ear had fallen off and had been turned off before. Still in a lying position, he pressed the wound where the bullet was lodged to try to inhibit the blood rate.

"Basic traitor! So you're working with Black Shadow." Seto stared at the sharp eyes with his hand still pointing the gun at Ai.

"What about you yourself? Aren't you a traitor, too?" ai said with a faint smile.

"traitors? What I'm doing right now is part of my duty to protect the country. I work under the orders of the head of national security. In fulfilling duties and orders, I must put aside our friendship."

Ai giggled despite enduring the pain. "Is conducting an assassination attempt on your role model boss part of protecting the country? Or part of the order of the head of national security who was then still the head of the national police?"

That instant also Seto Tanaka's face darkened instantly. How not, indirectly Ai like to mention about the stabbing case experienced by Shohei, where the case has not been revealed until now.

Both himself and Ai were flashing their conversation back then.

"Seto-kun, have you ever used your weapon since becoming a detective?"

"Why are you asking that?"

"I was once in the middle of seeing a crime, but I hesitated to use a gun to stop the perpetrator and chose to find out his motive. I was consumed with the words of our instructor who said a detective rarely uses his gun, he works with his brain not with his weapon."

"Did you catch the culprit after that and find out the motive?"

"Not both."

"Don't hesitate to shoot if it's for the victim's safety. Even the Chairman did it when he didn't want the thief to do it."

"You look very close to Chairman Yamazaki-san, huh?"

"He's my role model."

At that time, Seto did not know that Ai's words were for him. Yes, a few months ago, Ai was patrolling up to the uninhabited alleyways of the shops. He then accidentally saw someone wearing a face mask running fast after doing the stabbing. While holding a gun, he also lurks secretly to catch the man wet. However, it was not so he did when he saw the face of the perpetrator who had just opened his mask. His body was already stiff and could not be moved once he knew the perpetrator was his own professional friend, Seto Tanaka. How much he kept the friendship between them by passing the man away. But now, Seto shot him.

"There's a reason that makes me do that! At least I didn't make him die!" seto shouted in self-defense.

"You're right, I should have shot you right then," Ai stammered as she tried to stand up. Unfortunately, his attempt failed.

Seto still pointed his gun at Ai. Smiling coldly, he said, "Right, didn't you come to hide my crimes? To be honest, I never considered you a friend. I approached you only because you were the son of an official. Ah, but in fact my early career was more advanced than yours. Evidently, I first entered the Metropolitan police force. For my hard work, I was able to join the elite division and work directly under the orders of Yamazaki-senpai, the senior whom we used to idolize together. I approached him and helped him solve many cases. That's why he wants to help me in the promotion to replace him. You know, I'd approach anyone who could boost my career in the police force. But, all of a sudden you came to the metropolis and ruined my hard work all this time! Just because you're the son of an official, you easily waltz in there even without achievements! And now, I think it's time to eliminate you. It would be very troublesome to let the person who knows our great secret remain alive, right? After all, aren't you cooperating with Black Shadow? Wouldn't it be a problem if I eliminated you?"

The man pulled the trigger. However, Shohei suddenly came pushing him from behind and raised his hand up. The two men rolled together. Seto gasped when he found out that the one who foiled his action was Shohei.

With a slight panic, he immediately said, "Chairman, Ai has betrayed all of us. He teamed up with Black Shadow who had killed the justice minister. He was also the chief stabbing agent!"

"I've heard it all!" shohei said in a surging voice as he held back the anger, "but .. long before, I had suspected you were the culprit. Did you forget I held your leg? At that time, I clearly remembered that the shoes worn by the perpetrator were similar to police shoes. I also remember the number of the perpetrator's shoes. Then, the leather gloves I found back then were actually yours, right? You accused Ai of making me suspect her, because I told you that the forensics team only detected leather gloves stuck to my sleeve. But you forget, I know you always wear this type of leather gloves when riding a motorcycle," Shohei recalled when he found the gloves.

"Who's this glove?"

As the police stared at each other with their heads shaken, Seto immediately said, "It looks like it belongs to Otaka Ai. I saw him wear it while investigating. He did often drop his things carelessly."

The gloves he used during the stabbing must have been removed. However, it has similar type of gloves. As a detective, he knows how to avoid Shohei's suspicions by accusing her of belonging to Ai who happens to be not in the room.

Staring fully at the silenced Seto, Shohei continued saying, "One of the forensics team said, traces of shoes were found at the stabbing site, same with the shoe tracks I found around the courtyard of the building where the minister of justice was arrested. Doesn't that mean ... You killed the justice minister too? That's why, you were in the backyard of the building back then when all the cops were still combing into the building."

Shohei said slowly as he looked back on the fateful events that had obliterated the justice minister. Just then, he and Rai fled to the back of the building as soon as they heard the sirens coming in a row. He asked Rai to immediately escape leaving the building. Not long after, he saw one of the policemen not far from him. He came out of hiding to distract the police. However, it seems that he and the police were both surprised once they found out about each other.

"Chairman? You're here too?" ask Seto in shock.

"Even before you came." Shohei continued walking, but a moment later his steps stopped for a moment as his gaze descended down.

"Chairman, does that mean you saw Black Shadow?" ask Seto back.

Shohei closed his memory, then said again, "Wasn't your question then as if to ensure your own safety? I didn't know what you were doing, but at that moment I saw sand powder stuck to one of his shoes. There is no sandy soil in the back yard. Isn't that the sand you brought from the sand pile in the corner of the front yard of the building directly opposite the storage room? Then, the next day, you were busy combing the yard around the building as if you were looking for something. Wasn't it because you realized there was something that the original Black Shadow had left behind that night?"

Yes, right, the day after the incident exactly after the death ceremony of the late Matsumoto performed, the, Shohei asks Seto and Ai to accompany him to the detention site to join the investigation team that was there first to conduct an investigation. At that moment, Shohei overheard a conversation between Ai and Seto.

"Oi, what are you doing? The crime scene is none of our business. We're just here to accompany the chairman" asked Ai to come near Seto who looked busy looking for something.

"I was just wondering if the man left behind any evidence" Seto replied.

Seto felt confident, when confronted with Black Shadow, he deliberately kicked an electric shock device until it fell into place so that it could be used as evidence.

"Ah, right too, yes! Usually Black Shadow always leaves Camelia petals in every action, but this time it does not!" said Ai who actually realized with the characteristic that is always left behind Black Shadow.

Seeing that, Shohei slightly breathed a sigh of relief. Because, during the confrontation with the fake Black Shadow, Rai accidentally dropped an electric shock device. Fortunately, Shohei first found the object.

Then his conjecture of Seto grew stronger, when Rai said the fake Black Shadow had the ability to run very fast.

"Rai, you're the only one who comes face to face with that fake Black Shadow. Do you remember that special trait that guy had?"

"While I remember, she had the same lip shape as me. The battle moves are similar to yours. He can deflect all my attacks so easily. And ... The run was very fast! I had a hard time chasing him, except when he stopped on purpose."

"The run is very fast?"

Once again, this made his suspicions on Seto grow bigger. Because, as he remembered the man was a former running athlete who had won many times the national Olympic championship.

After recalling the scenes that corroborated his accusation to Seto, Shohei said, "Tanaka-san, why are you doing all this? Even if every piece of evidence points to you, I'm still trying to believe you and assume it's all just a coincidence! Explain to me what made you do that!"

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author note:

some of the dialogs above are some of the dialogues that exist in several chapters that have passed.

btw, for those who feel the original black Shadow guess correctly, congratulations, you get a 50 thousand credit reward. please go to the nearest counter, write your number, continue to pay each one using your own money

🎊🎊🎊

Yesterday I said yes, if I had ever spill the expertise of Seto Tanaka who is actually the clue of this mystery. Here it is:

This is in the chapter with the case title behind the case. There are still more surprises in the next chapter before the ending, please wait patiently, yes!

nulis gini heavy, do not forget like and komeng neh