The Case of the Locked Room Piggy Bank Theft

**The Case of the Locked Room Piggy Bank Theft** (密室の貯金箱盗難事件, *Misshitsu no chokin-bako tōnan jiken*) is the 2nd chapter of the *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga.

## Summary

Totomaru heads to the Maison du Kamonohashi because Kiku told him to check up on Ron. He has not even rung the bell when Ron opens the door and asks loudly whether he has a case for him featuring a locked room or a strange corpse. Totomaru replies that he does not have a case for him, and Ron heads back into his apartment and throws himself on his Floor of Sloth in despair.

Ron tells Totomaru that he is wasting his talent as the number one student at Blue Academy, the world's most prestigious detective academy from which all top detectives graduate. He had the best grades in his class, and everyone was in awe of his genius, but he was expelled because of his fatal flaw of pressuring killers to death. His detective's license was revoked in the process and he is, thus, banned from solving any cases. If Blue learns that he is still investigating cases, they will kill him. Because of this, Totomaru will pretend that he is the one who solves the cases they investigate. Totomaru says that this arrangement may be impossible, and Ron replies that it is, of course, impossible when he does not bring him any cases.

Totomaru informs Ron that the lack of cases is not his fault as his superior Amamiya assigns them and shows him a picture of her. Ron remarks that she is a beautiful woman and correctly deduces that she is popular at the police station, but that Totomaru is afraid of her. Then, Totomaru tells him that earlier today when they learned of a corpse discovered by a river, he offered to partake in the case, only for Amamiya to throw another case in his "trash can"—his box of case documents which is only ever filled with odd-jobs and cases of low importance. Ron inquires what Totomaru's "trash" of the day is, and he says that he has to work on a case about money vanishing from a piggy bank.

As soon as he hears about the case, Ron rises from the Floor of Sloth and disguises himself, declaring that it is his duty as Blue's top student to solve every abandoned case, no matter how "unimportant" they seem. On the way out, Totomaru almost steps on Ron's sleeping cat.

They go to meet the young woman who has made the report, and Ron introduces himself as "Kamoo Kanetamaru," an employee of the 110 Piggy Bank Company. Deep in character, Ron then attempts to open a "piggy bank" which is, in fact, the large suitcase of the woman's older sister who has just returned home. Afterward, the younger sister guides them to the living room where the piggy bank is kept. Ron picks it up and says that is an "impregnable" piggy bank from which it is impossible to remove any money without destroying it.

The younger sister tells Totomaru that she was away two days ago and when she returned the bank was lighter than before. Meanwhile, Ron's fake mustache gets in the older sister's jewelry and hints to Totomaru that it is strange that the hypothetical burglar did not steal the jewelry. The younger sister then says that she and her sister have been getting strange phone calls lately which prompted her to lock all doors and windows before she left two days ago.

Ron lies down on the ground and drinks brown sugar syrup, declaring that it is hopeless, when the older sister comes home. She testifies that she returned one day before her sister and does not think that the piggy bank has become lighter. When Ron also says that the younger sister must be imagining the weight change then, she sits up, takes the bank, and declares that she is not imagining things and that it was as heavy as an iron statue before.

Satisfied with her response, Ron pushes back his hair and says that it is now time to crack open the piggy bank. They destroy it with a hammer, and the younger sister says that there is definitely less money inside than before. Ron then tells Totomaru to send the coins to the forensics lab while he goes on a walk.

They later meet up at a river, and Totomaru receives a call from Sugano from the forensics lab who tells him that the younger sister's fingerprints are not on any of the coins. He then notices that they are by the same river where Amamiya and the other officers are examining the corpse. They go to meet her, and Ron eagerly heads out to see the corpse. Totomaru tells Amamiya that he is his friend, and Ron says that Totomaru will solve this case. Amamiya is not happy with this and tells Totomaru that if she is not satisfied at the end of his investigation, he will be fired.

Ron takes a look at the corpse and then says to Totomaru that it is his turn now. They gather everyone and even call the sisters to present the solution. Totomaru starts with the piggy bank case and reveals that the coins inside the bank only had the older sister's fingerprints on them. It seems as if only the younger sister's saved money was stolen which is impossible as the piggy bank cannot be opened without destroying it. Totomaru takes out a piggy bank which is identical to the sisters' and explains that, if the bank is broken, it is very easy to buy a replacement. No money went missing: The piggy bank was broken and the incorrect amount of money was later put in the new bank. This cover-up was undertaken by the older sister who killed the man found by the river with the piggy bank.

When the older sister returned home before her younger sister, a stalker was waiting for her at their house. The stalker had previously repeatedly called their landline. In their encounter, the stalker backed the older sister into the living room where she grabbed the very heavy piggy bank and hit him in the head with it, killing him and breaking the bank. Afterward, she bought a new bank and put fresh coins inside as the old ones got covered in blood. She put the stalker's corpse in her suitcase and brought him to the river to dispose of him.

The older sister admits to the crime, and Ron pressures her to drown herself in the river. Totomaru holds him back, but Ron has already "hypnotized" the older sister who runs to the river. Totomaru tells Amamiya to go after her, and Amamiya jumps to catch the sister, but she slips through her fingers and keeps running into the river. Then, Totomaru leaps after the older sister and saves her from drowning. Ron is glad that everyone is safe.

Later at the police department, Amamiya informs Totomaru that they found a piece of the piggy bank in the stalker's hair and that the sister's sentence may be lenient as she acted in self-defense. Then, she chews him out for interfering in a case without permission and bringing an outsider to the crime scene. She demands to know what his friend's name is, and when Totomaru says it is "Kamoo," Amamiya forgets about all she has said moments before as she has become quite smitten with Ron.

Afterward, Totomaru goes to visit Ron at his department to tell him about the case's outcome, and Ron immediately asks if he has a new case for him again. He claims he said it as a joke, but is heartbroken when Totomaru tells him he has none. Ron then praises Totomaru for doing a good job for a "pure idiot."

Despite the fact that Ron is selfish and extraordinarily weird, Totomaru finds himself looking forward to the next cases they will be solving together. Then, much to Totomaru's chagrin, Ron declares the day as "Puppet Establishment Day."

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Totomaru Isshiki
* Ron Kamonohashi
* Amamiya
* Younger sister
* Older sister
* Stalker