The Case of the Metropolitan Serial Drownings

**The Case of the Metropolitan Serial Drownings** (大都会連続溺死事件, *Dai tokai renzoku dekishi jiken*) is the first chapter of the *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga.

## Summary

At Detective Training Academy BLUE, Ron Kamonohashi solves a case no one else in the academy's history was able to solve. This amazes everyone, and one teacher wonders if Ron will go on to solve all unsolved cases in the world after graduation. Ron thanks everyone for their praise and declares that he will use his talent as a lifelong detective.

Five years later, at the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo, the investigative division under Amamiya is struggling to catch a serial killer who just claimed their fifth victim. Amamiya tells everyone to widen their search area and orders Totomaru Isshiki to go home. Despite Toto's protests that he does not mind working two nights in a row and can still keep on going, Amamiya insists that they cannot afford to have incompetent people around.

Instead of going home, Totomaru seeks out Kiku. Kiku tells him that if he does not show any results soon, he will be removed from the investigative team. He reminds him that he let several culprits escape before and was reported for questioning people in a residential area at 3 a.m. While Kiku likes Toto's straightforwardness and disregard for consequences, Toto is simply unsuited for detective work. Still, Toto cannot stand having his hands tied while a serial killer is around. Kiku then refers him to a private detective whom he believes to be the only person capable of solving the current serial murder case. He hands Totomaru an old photo, warns him of the detective's "crazy" personality, and sends him to the Maison du Kamonohashi.

Toto immediately heads to the manager's office where the detective lives. He is about to ring the bell when a voice from within the apartment tells him to "do it yourself" and "go and pray at the shrine again." Only when Totomaru mentions that Kiku sent him, does the door open, and the detective appears. Totomaru notes that he, Ron Kamonohashi, looks quite different now compared to five years ago. Ron asks Toto whether he is only satisfied if he says his thoughts out loud. Totomaru apologizes, and Ron invites him inside.

As they head inside, Ron informs Toto that he knows Kiku because he went to the same school as his son, and Toto nearly steps on Ron's cat. Ron then throws himself on his "Floor of Sloth" and explains that he completely cut himself off from the outside world out of despair; hence, he has his blinds closed and he has neither a TV nor internet access. To keep himself entertained, he tried to knit a 100-meter-long scarf and named his arm hairs and made a diagram for them. Ron adds that Toto is not the first young officer Kiku referred to him: Over the years, many sought him out in the hope of partnering up with him and making a name for themselves; Ron broke their noses and sent them home. Kiku does that because he wants Ron to make a comeback although he knows why Ron cannot.

Totomaru is surprised to hear that Ron is not doing any detective work anymore as Kiku told him to ask Ron for help in the Metropolitan Serial Drownings Case. As soon as Toto mentions the serial murders, Ron yells and says that he does not want to hear about any unsolved cases. Even when Toto reminds him that people are dying, Ron does not budge. Agitated, Totomaru turns to leave. Ron encourages him to pray at the shrine again, and his words make Toto stop.

Toto inquires how Ron knows he was at a shrine. Ron explains that he could have only gotten pollen on his shoulder on the path to the Wakana Shrine. Further, the unopened canned coffee in his left pocket and the jingling coins in his right one indicate that he brought the can to get change to make an offering. After Toto unconsciously voices out loud his amazement that the "shaggy guy who won't listen" can make such a brilliant deduction, Ron points out that this habit shows that Toto was a spoiled child. That he walked down the center of the shrine path also reveals that he was raised in a refined environment, presumably by his grandparents. Toto confirms that his grandmother raised him because his parents were always busy.

Ron also deduces that Totomaru most likely came to him to prevent being transferred to another department due to his incompetence. Toto confirms this as well, though insists this only covers 30% of his reason. Realizing that Ron could solve the mystery, Toto tries to persuade him to help, but Ron resists and even puts on earplugs. Just when Toto tries to remove the plugs, Amamiya calls him. Angry, Ron slaps the phone out of his hand, but his action puts it on speakerphone.

Amamiya tells Toto to go to Kazahana Park as a sixth victim was found there, and he is the closest to the crime scene. Ron groans; because he has now heard of the case, he *has* to investigate it. He desperately wants to solve cases; however, due to an uncurable "fatal flaw," he cannot and he, thus, withdrew from the world. Believing the "fatal flaw" to be nothing but a simple illness, Totomaru offers to be his support. Ron finally agrees to help, but urges him to never let him out of his sight; Ron also starts calling Totomaru "Toto" as he finds his name too long.

Together, they hurry to Kazahana Park which leaves Toto out of breath and Ron unfazed as he works out daily. A police officer leads them to the victim: Okamasa, a personal investor. Shockingly, Ron throws himself next to Okamasa and swears to avenge him before he examines the body. Ron deduces the victim drowned (white foam around his mouth) and handed over his valuables without resistance (no signs of violence, and his watch and wallet were stolen).

Toto informs Ron that it was the same with the previous five victims; none of the victims have anything in common besides being men though. He then hands Ron a map showing where each body was found. Considering where they were found, a limited area where they must have encountered the murderer can be discerned; however, there are no places where someone could drown grown men in that area. When Ron learns that, he immediately solves the case. Glad that his deductive ability has not become rusty, Ron excitedly jumps to his feet. He tells Totomaru that he figured out who the killer is; before they arrest them, they have to go shopping first.

Using Toto's money, Ron buys tasteless designer clothes and makes Toto wear them because he needs to look rich. Afterward, Ron leads Toto to a barber shop to get his hair cut and drills into him that he cannot fall asleep in there, even if he is running low on sleep.

While Ron waits outside, drinking brown sugar syrup, Toto enters the shop and gets seated. He tells the barber that his stocks are doing well before he is told to lean forward to get his hair washed. As soon as Totomaru becomes still, the barber begins to drown him. Before he succeeds though, Ron barges in and exposes the barber as the serial killer.

A moment later, Toto—who was instructed to hold his breath for a minute during the shampoo—takes his head out of the water and demands to know what is going on. Ron explains that the barber was about to drown him: The barber filled the sink with oxygen-deficient air to make his victims pass out and easy to rob and kill. Ron realized that a barber must be the culprit because, although all victims were heading to events that required them to look good, they either had longish hair or undyed roots. This means they died after visiting a barber, one that is in the area, accepts walk-ins, and has easy access to dry ice to create carbon dioxide. Only this shop fulfills all criteria. Furthermore, a barber always talks with their customers and would, thus, know if they are rich or told someone of their barber visit.

Ron then reveals that he recorded everything with Totomaru's phone, prompting the barber to escape via the roof. However, Ron locked the gate there beforehand, and he and Toto can corner the barber on the roof. Upon Toto's inquiry, the barber confesses that he killed the six men for their money because, in the past, rich people tricked him into investing in their stock, and he ended up with a huge debt because of that.

As soon as he hears the barber's confession, Ron unknowingly pressures him to jump, and the barber complies and climbs over the fence. Albeit thoroughly perplexed by the situation, Totomaru immediately hurries to save the barber when he jumps. Right afterward, Ron "wakes up" and asks where the culprit is. Toto tells him that he jumped, and Ron believes he killed someone again until Toto yells at him to help him: After all, he managed to grab the barber, but can neither pull him up nor hold him much longer.

Ron is stunned to learn that the culprit is alive. After he concludes that, because Toto is such a pure idiot, his body must react faster than his mind. He then saves Totomaru and the barber with bungee ropes just when they are about to fall. While they are hanging from the roof, Ron tells Totomaru that he has changed his opinion of him and that his actions sparked an idea in him. On the ground, Kiku smiles as he watches Ron and Toto's accomplishment.

Later at Ron's flat, Totomaru wants to know why Ron pressured the barber to commit suicide and if this is the "fatal flaw" he mentioned. Ron explains that he has no control over his strange ability; he never even remembers using it and only finds out what he did afterward. Because of this "fatal flaw," his case resolution rate was 100% and his arrest rate 0%, and he was banned from doing detective work.

Ron then points out that everything was different this time because of Totomaru's swift actions. Kiku must have sent Totomaru to him because Ron needs a "pure idiot" as his partner, not someone talented. Ron tells Totomaru that he should bring him all his cases from now on; he will solve them for him and turn him into a famous detective.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Ron Kamonohashi
* Amamiya
* Totomaru Isshiki
* Kiku
* Ron's cat
* Barber