Invisible Blood Letter Murder Case

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The **Invisible Blood Letter Murder Case** is an apparent murder case that occurred at the Shingen Archery Dojo in Tokyo.

It is the 19th main case in the *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* series.

## Overview

Toto and Ron visit Amamiya at the Shingen Archery Dojo where she practices *kyūdō* because Ron is looking for a dojo; he used to do archery in the past. They are greeted by the instructor Mayumi Nakamae who allows them to observe her students Shu Kotegawa, Akane Saien, and Mikio Toban train.

During the practice, a cat runs into the dojo. She escaped from home, and Sabatora Nora, the district "detective," was hired to catch her. The practice is put on hold so that he can retrieve the cat. Nakamae is unhappy about the intrusion as the dojo prides itself on not having had any incidents or accidents since her grandfather's generation.

The next day, Kotegawa is found dead in the dojo by Saien who came to clean at 7 a.m. An arrow pierced his vertebrae; he died of asphyxia due to the damage sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight. According to initial examinations, it is likely that the arrow was fired from a bow. There are no signs of a struggle and only Kotegawa's smartphone was stolen; his money and wallet are still in his bag.

There is blood on Kotegawa's index finger as if he wanted to write something, but there is no message.

### Suspects, clues, and theories

*This section is in a test phase.*

* Famous archer
* Family owns the dojo

* Skilled archer
* On par with Kotegawa

* In a slump

**Spoiler warning!**

## History

Totomaru Isshiki watches Amamiya practice *kyūdō* at the Shingen Archery Dojo because Ron Kamonohashi invited him to check out her dojo; Ron used to do *kyūdō* over ten years ago and is now looking for a dojo again. Ron is a bit late, but when he finally arrives, he does not only stun Amamiya and Toto with his archery skills but he also catches the attention of Mayumi Nakamae, an instructor and the founder's descendant.

After Amamiya introduces Nakamae to Ron and Toto and vice versa, she notes that Nakamae is an archery expert who will perform a dance at the opening ceremony of the upcoming tournament. Nakamae then invites them to watch her pupils, Shu Kotegawa, Akane Saien, and Mikio Toban, train for the tournament. Ron, Amamiya, and especially Totomaru are impressed by their skills. And just when Kotegawa is about to shoot again, a cat jumps in front of the targets, and Sabatora Nora runs into the dojo a moment later as he was hired by the Koike family to catch their runaway cat. However, when he tries to get the cat, Nakamae stops him because it is forbidden to enter the shooting range without the "signal." The dojo also prides itself on not having had any incidents or accidents since her grandfather's generation.

Nakamae then calls someone to give the signal—a clap—but before Nora can enter the shooting range, Nekomi flees from the dojo, and Nora has to hurry after her. Afterward, Nakamae and her students inform Ron, Toto, and Amamiya that Nora is a detective known for his incompetency.

The next day, Totomaru and Ron return to the Shingen Archery Dojo because a corpse was found there, and the Metropolitan Police Department was called to investigate; Amamiya is on her way as well. Totomaru and Ron enter the crime scene and see Kotegawa lying dead in front of a target; he was pierced with an arrow through the throat.

Toto asks a forensic scientist if the culprit could have stabbed Kotegawa with the arrow as Winter did to Hibino during the Shibuya Revelation Serial Murders Case. The forensic scientist says he believes the arrow was fired from a bow, but they will have to investigate in more detail. Ron then examines the body and discovers blood on Kotegawa's finger as if he wanted to leave a dying message, but there is nothing on the ground.

Shortly afterward, a police officer shows Ron and Toto Kotegawa's bag. Suddenly, Nora arrives and suggests that the culprit might have killed Kotegawa to get his money to buy a meal at the nearby eel shop. However, although Kotegawa's bag is in disarray, only his smartphone was stolen, not his money or wallet, which disproves Nora's theory. Totomaru inquires what Nora is doing at the crime scene, and Nora reveals that he is a self-taught detective with a C-rank detective license but because of his odd deductions, Ron and Totomaru are doubtful about his license's authenticity. Then, Amamiya arrives, and they start to interview the members of the kyudojo.

Saien states she found Kotegawa lying on the ground at 7 a.m. and immediately called the police. At the time of his estimated death, she was sleeping at home, but there were no witnesses as she lives alone. Though he is dismissive about the reason, Toban testifies that he was out running last night and when he ran past the kyudojo around 10 p.m., he heard a bow being fired inside. From the sound of the bow, he could determine that he does not know whoever fired it. Toban also points out that he is currently in a slump and could not have possibly hit Kotegawa precisely in the vertebrae.

Afterward, Nakamae shows up and says that, like Saien, she was asleep at home last night and has no witnesses. Toto then asks Saien, Toban, and Nakamae about the arrow that killed Kotegawa, but none of them can identify it; he also informs them about the blood on Kotegawa's finger. Further, Nakamae states that no one held a grudge against Kotegawa, as far as she knows. He was also supposed to be the *ochi* (last shooter in the group) at the upcoming tournament. (There are names for the positions where the archers stand and when they fire: *oomae*, *niteki*, *naka*, *yonteki*, and *ochi*.) Because there is a lot of pressure on the last archer, the cool-headed Kotegawa was ideal for the position. Nakamae wonders what Kotegawa could have wanted to write, and Saien says it is likely meaningless and she should not put too much on herself.

A crow then passes by, and Nora states that someone is lying. Amamiya scolds him for saying something so ridiculous and drags him away to give him a lesson. However, Ron says that Nora was not wrong as the "truth is in the palm of the shooter's hand" like an arrow.

Later, Nora gathers everyone to present his deduction: The murderer is among them, and Kotegawa wrote his dying message with blood on the whiteboard in the hallway; he has blood on his index finger because of that. As the message says "Saien," Saien is obviously the culprit. She, however, tells Nora that she wrote her name on the whiteboard to remind herself that she has cleaning duty, and Toban remarks that the hallway is ten meters away from the place where Kotegawa died. Nora is distraught, unable to believe that his deduction was wrong.

Totomaru then tells everyone what actually happened: Kotegawa did not write a dying message, but the blood on his index finger hints at his killer as it points out an archery position, *niteki*. There is nobody at the dojo associated with that position; however, the name can also be read as *nakamae* ("before *naka*") which means that Nakamae is the culprit. Immediately, Nakamae admits her guilt and says that she killed Kotegawa because he said something that "dirtied" the honor of the Shingen School.

Although Ron figured out the meaning of Kotegawa's blood message, he was unsure of Nakamae's motive, but when Nora remarks that she is lying, Ron understands what happened: Nakamae did not murder Kotegawa; it was an accident. She was practicing with him because she is in a slump and used a weaker bow to correct her form; for that reason, Toban did not recognize its sound. Nakamae accidentally shot Kotegawa when he was in the shooting range; she had not heard his clap as he was standing to her left, and she is deaf in her left ear. "Toto" deduced that because he exclaimed something in surprise yesterday while standing to Nakamae's left and she did not appear to have heard it although she is strict with noise in the dojo.

Nakamae confesses that Ron is correct. She suddenly became deaf due to stress, and when she was training for the tournament, she made her first *hayake*. This sent her into a panic because archery is all she has. Kotegawa eventually noticed her struggles and offered to help. Last night, they were practicing again, and in her impatience and frustration, Nakamae kept firing arrow after arrow. She did not hear Kotegawa clap, and when she noticed him in front of the target, it was already too late. Nakamae then erased all traces of their training and put blood on Kotegawa's finger to make the accident look like murder, as she wanted to be a "peerless archer" to the end instead of a "worn-out archery instructor."

Afterward, Ron and Toto speak to Nora about his talent for detecting lies. Toto, on Ron's behalf, asks him if his skill has anything to do with crows, and Nora replies that he hates crows since he was attacked by one as a child and now gets nervous around them. And because there is a crow nearby right now, Nora wants to leave, and Ron tells him he can help "Officer Isshiki with his deductions" the next time too. Nora catches that it is partially a lie, confirming that his ability works as Ron thought: His fear of crows amplifies his lie-detection skill. This excites Ron because Nora could be useful in the future, and his excitement terrifies Totomaru.

## References

1. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 60, pages 2-15
2. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 60, page 17
3. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 60, pages 19-20
4. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 61, page 10
5. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 61, pages 2-5
6. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 60, pages 2-20
7. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 61, pages 2-19
8. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 62, pages 2-20