Tom Sasaoka

**Tom Sasaoka** (トム・ササオカ, *Tomu Sasaoka*) is a taxi driver.

## Physical description

Sasaoka is an older man with light combed-back hair. He has two dark spots on the right side of his forehead.

## Biography

### History

Seventeen years ago, Sasaoka was already a taxi driver, but worked as a smuggler on the side. He transported drugs and other illegal goods on the Black Market, but was only ever tasked to be to the handoff point. Sasaoka was never allowed to take a look at the wares he smuggled.

One day, Sasaoka met a man online who treated him to a meal in London. He requested Sasaoka to pick up a man and a pregnant woman and drive them to a certain hospital. Sasaoka complied. A few days later, the man was found dead in the Thames in a sorry state. Ever since then, Sasaoka tried to convince himself that him giving this man had never to do with his death.

### Plateau Auberge Serial Murders Case

Sasaoka is invited to a dinner at the Auberge Reunion. He travels there and, at six o'clock, he heads to the dining room alongside all the other guests. There, they see that there is only a single round table for them all. Right before dinner starts, Ron Kamonohashi guesses the occupations of Sasaoka, Bill Clark, and Karen Lily and is correct each time. Then, they sit down to eat, and Shusuke Sakai brings out the courses one after another. Each of the four courses distresses Sasaoka, and when Sakai brings out the dessert, Sasaoka passes on it, saying that he does not care for sweets.

The next morning, Sasaoka hears commotion and goes to Lenny Gardner's room to find out what happened and learns that Gardner was murdered during the night. Toto and Ron investigate the murder, and Sakai informs everyone that they have no phone signal, the landline does not work, and the mountain road is closed off due to a landslide. Sasaoka and the others then head to the nearby ropeway station, but it is out of service for the day and they have no way to escape from the plateau on which the auberge is located. Then, Sasaoka runs away into the woods, and Toto and Ron follow him.

Ron finds Sasaoka, and Sasaoka tells him and Totomaru that the conspicuous dinner menu, the murder, and the emeralds must be a plot to blackmail him: Seventeen years ago, he worked as a smuggler and drove a man and a pregnant woman to a hospital; the man was later found dead in the Thames. Sasaoka tells them that he was requested to drive them by a man who looked just like Ron. They had met up in a restaurant in London to discuss the request, and the dinner they had then was the same one the auberge served yesterday.

Sasaoka, Ron, and Toto part ways. About an hour later, at 9 a.m., Sasaoka is attacked while he takes a bath. He tries to fight off his assailant, but they ultimately manage to ram a knife into his chest. He dies, and the killer places Sasaoka in the bath whose water he colored red food coloring to make the crime scene look like the dinner's lobster soup.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 38, page 17
2. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 39, page 14
3. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 39, pages 13-16
4. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 38, pages 17-24
5. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 39, pages 3-16
6. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 40, page 6
7. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 40, pages 3-5
8. ↑ *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga; Chapter 40, pages 8-9