The Case of the Yadagami-sama Murders Pt. 3

**The Case of the Yadagami-sama Murders Pt. 3** (夜蛇神様殺人事件③, *Yoru yagamisama satsujin jiken ③*) is the 20th chapter of the *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga.

## Summary

Ron, Toto, and Spitz assemble the villagers and the police. Toto begins, saying he will explain the truth behind the murder.

Last night, when they spotted Yadagami-sama in the hut and run over there, his friend (Ron) accidentally dropped the tube of brown sugar syrup and stained the tatami mat floor. But when they went back there today, there was a large gap between the tube and the stain. After Spitz said he saw a white snake in the river, they went to check it out, and found a rock with a string tied to it. All those things, plus the loud bam sound they heard upon entering the hut, as well as the shrine's temporary closure last night, provided the key to the mystery of the Yadagami-sama's disappearance trick.

The Yadagami they saw was a picture that had been attached to a tatami mat. The culprit put the mat in a standing position, attached the picture scroll of Yadagami-sama that is usually in the shrine, and held all of this in place with the string. The person pinch one end in the front door's fram, and tied the other to a rock which dangled outside the window. When the three opened the door, it released the string, which fell into the river, and the tatami mat fell down into place on the floor. That was the source of the loud bam sound they heard. The mat probably had no trouble falling into place because the tatami was so old there was a wide gap for it. Spitz raises the picture scroll itself, saying he did not remember it right away, but he knew that it looked familiar, and it's because he saw the picture years ago. Toto continues. The reason the brown sugar stain and the tube were separated was because the tube slid down the tatami mat when the culprit lifted the mat to retrieve the picture scroll.

Mii asks who would do such a thing. Toto says the culprit tried to contrive an impossible crime so no villagers would come under suspicion. They needed a witness for the trick. The one who made sure the three of them were in the room was the mayor.

When the three saw the scale-like marks on the victim's neck and mentioned "the one we saw coiled up last night", it would have made sense to associate that with the victim. But the mayor blurted out Yadagami's name, Toto says. That is because he knew about the picture scroll.

The mayor defends himself, saying it proves nothing, that they have not found a murder weapon. Toto falters, admitting that they have not found anything that is tied to the marks on the victim's neck. But Ron interrupts to save Toto, saying well done, he mentioned a rope. Toto falters again, but quickly notices: it was the rope from the shrine. Ron continues: if one looks closely, they will see that the rope is different from yesterday. It looks as if it was used for something then replaced. Also the shrine rope was more further apart prior to the crime. Toto takes it from there: the murder was the shrine rope. If they examine it, he is sure they will find both skin from the surveyor's neck as well as skin from the mayor's hands.

Mii cries that it could not be, but the mayor admits that he did it. He hated the surveyor who was leading the dam construction project, so he called him out to the shrine area and killed him. Toto asks directly if that was the only reason, is he not hiding something else.

But the mayor did not get a chance to reply. Ron activates Kill on Sight, telling the mayor to fall, to repay the dead with his own death, to fall into the waterfall. The mayor succumbs, and walks over to the cliff side. Toto rushes over, trying to stop the mayor from behind. The mayor is freed from the pressuring, but the rock crumbles under him and Toto, and both fall off the cliff, with Toto barely holding them both, as Ron regains consciousness. A rope is tossed from nearby onto the cliff edge. Toto manages to catch the rope, as the others begin to pull them up.

Later the police formally arrest the mayor, and he tells his granddaughter Mii to find happiness. Shortly Mii bows to the villagers as they begin to leave. Once the villagers are gone, Ron asks into the woods if it isn't time that he showed himself, the one who threw the rope. From the side of Mii's house a man appears, addressing Spitz, saying he sure has grown. It is his elder brother. The brother asks when did they realize he was there.

Toto answers on Ron's behalf: When he heard how Muroi lost consciousness in the mountains and awoke down at the foot, he figured it was possible that someone living in the mountains had saved him. Then he remembered how Mii used an insulated bag, when she was making an offering to the shrine. Mii realizes her mistake. Toto continues. He thought maybe she was bringing food to whoever was living in the mountains. Ron then picks it up: When Mii asks "Why are you here?" when she saw Spitz, they realized that the person she was bringing food to at the waterfall must look like Spitz, so it was very likely his older brother.

The brother says it looks like Spitz made some excellent friends. Spitz asks why did the brother disappear. He explains: It started 15 years ago, when he came to the village for research. When he heard that the mayor who had treated him kindly, was having trouble with the dam plan, he joked about using the legend of Yadagami's power of disappearance to play some pranks. After he returned home, he found out that the mayor had actually hidden the heavy equipment in the mountains and halted the construction plan. The mayor was grateful to him for giving him the idea.

But four years later, the brother was doing fieldwork in a certain country when his life changed forever. After learning some forbidden information, he became a target of a certain organization. Spitz immediately demands what organization, but his brother says he cannot tell him that. If he did, he could not guarantee his survival. Ron concludes that is why the brother had to disappear without even telling his family, and the brother confirms. After he threw off his pursuers and ended up in Yada village, the mayor offer to hide him in the mountains as thanks for helping to stop the dam constructions. The villagers supplied him with anything he could not gather on his own. Toto confirms that all the villagers knew about it, and the brother says yes, ever since the day he disappeared from Spitz. But in the end, all he did was bring misfortune on the village. It was for his sake that the brother's sake that the mayor killed the surveyor. Once the man caught on to his existence and realized there must be some important reason behind him hiding there, he extorted money from the mayor to keep the secret. Eventually he escalated his intimidation. When he threatened to make the brother's existence public, the mayor killed the surveyor.

The brother says he has no intention of living at the expense of other's happiness. He asks Toto to arrest him. Everyone protest, most especially Spitz, who finally got to see him again. The brother says he is glad he could tell Spitz the truth before he was arrested. He tells Toto he has every intention of taking the blame for instigating the heavy equipment theft. Ron interrupts. Does the brother really think the mayor was just trying to protect him? He hazards a guess: the mayor really wanted to protect Mii's feelings for him. The brother gasps as Mii blushes.

Ron continues, they dragged the man that Yadagami-sama hid away out into the open. At this rate, they will incur the god's divine punishment through Yadagami's scowl, when it suddenly starts raining. Ron turns his back and starts leaving. Toto wonders about it, understands, then salutes. Since they have successfully resolved the case, he will excuse himself as well, then jogs after a smiling Ron. Spitz does not understand for a moment, then he thanks Tototo and Ron.

In the classified documents storage room of Blue Academy, Spitz opens a grate and drops onto the room. It is now his turn. He is sure that Ron didn't kill anyone during the Bloody Field Trip, and the file hiding in the room will reveal what actually happened. But a flashlight is directed at him. A woman asks if this is what he is looking for, It is the headmaster (principal), holding a file. She says that colluding with an expelled student to betray them; she presumes Spitz is prepared for the consequences.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Totomaru Isshiki
* Ron Kamonohashi
* Spitz Feier
* Mayor
* Mii
* Shepherd Feier
* Aimee Emmerich