"Uekusa has been killed?"
Kazuha couldn't help but hug Heiji tightly, her eyebrows furrowing deeply.
"Yeah, I heard the killer used a gun. It was brutal," Nohara Jun said, her face gradually turning pale.
"Kazuha, wait here for a moment." Heiji planned to head inside and take a look.
"Heiji, put these on." Kazuha quickly took a pair of white gloves from her bag and carefully helped Heiji put them on.
"Kazuha, no wonder Heiji is so good to you. You're so gentle," Nohara Jun sighed.
Looking at Heiji's back, Kazuha smiled sweetly, a flash of determination in her eyes. "For Heiji, I'm willing to do anything."
The police were outside setting up cordons to block off the area.
"Kid, this is a crime scene. You can't come in," an officer blocked Heiji's path.
Heiji didn't show any displeasure. He glanced at the police working inside and let a smile hook onto his lips. "Sakata, it's me."
Sakata, who was busy with the investigation, looked back and his eyes instantly lit up. "Heiji! Quickly, let him in."
The blocking officer hesitated.
"That's Hattori Heiji," Sakata said grumpily.
"Hattori Heiji?" The officer's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Heiji. "You're the 'Nemesis of Thieves,' the genius high school detective?"
Heiji smiled faintly. "My name is indeed Hattori Heiji."
"Please, come in."
The other officers also looked at Heiji with pleasant surprise. Although they knew Heiji was from Osaka, as local officers, they rarely saw this miraculous high school detective in person.
Heiji nodded politely to the officers and walked straight to Sakata's side.
"Sakata, what's the situation?"
"You probably recognize him, right?" Sakata pulled back the white sheet.
Heiji nodded. "His name is Uekusa. He was a member of the kendo club. I heard he just transferred back from abroad. Logically, he shouldn't have any enemies."
"But the other party seems to really hate him. They fired three shots." Sakata lifted Uekusa's shirt, revealing three bullet holes in his chest, all very close to each other.
Heiji's brow furrowed. These three bullet holes were not simple.
He didn't say it out loud but walked around Uekusa's body, his frown deepening. Afterward, he paced around the surrounding area. He eventually took off the disposable gloves.
"Sakata, this case isn't simple. The traces left around here aren't enough to solve the case at all. The killer is very experienced."
Sakata and the others looked confused.
Heiji sighed helplessly. "First, there are no signs of a struggle on the victim. This proves he was shot cleanly and decisively. The three wounds are so close together yet the flesh isn't a mangled mess, proving the shots were fired in rapid succession; the marksmanship is highly skilled. Finally, the area outside the kendo club is sandy. Anyone coming in would leave a lot of sand in the entrance hall. However, the scene is very clean. An average person wouldn't think to pay attention to these details or wipe away the traces. Any way you look at it, the killer is extremely experienced. The only one capable of this is..."
"A hitman!" Sakata said with a serious expression.
Heiji nodded. "Go check who had a grudge against Uekusa and has the capability to hire a hitman. They might be the one pulling the strings."
"Quick, go check immediately!" Sakata shouted to the other officers.
At Noon.
Heiji and Kazuha were eating lunch under a tree. Sakata arrived at the school again.
"Heiji—"
The two looked up.
"Sakata, any leads?" Heiji asked casually.
Sakata shook his head. "Uekusa just came back a few days ago. He hadn't built any resentment with anyone."
"No motive for murder?"
"Heiji, I'll keep looking for clues. I'll notify you as soon as I find anything." Sakata left in a hurry.
"Heiji, is this murder case very troublesome?" Kazuha picked up a piece of fried shrimp and held it to Heiji's mouth.
Heiji leaned against the tree trunk and smiled faintly. "Based on my deduction, this incident should be a case of mistaken identity."
"Mistaken identity?" Kazuha looked at Heiji in surprise.
"With the current clues, that's the most likely scenario." Heiji shrugged casually.
A Small Tavern.
"Oguchi, your wine is still so fragrant."
"Haha, drink more then!" A simple and honest middle-aged man wiped a wine glass and laughed.
At midnight, the streets were already pitch black. Oguchi prepared to close the shop. At that moment, two men in black walked over and entered the tavern directly.
"Jeez, customers, I've already closed."
A cold, dark gun barrel was pressed against his forehead.
"Close the door."
The other man in black walked over and shut the door.
"Misters, please don't kill me. I have money!" Oguchi's face turned pale as he dropped to his knees.
Pfft—!!!
Blood splattered. A bullet hole appeared in the center of Oguchi's forehead, and blood slowly seeped out. The tavern door was shut, and the two men in black disappeared into the night.
Police cars sped along the road. Watching the departing cars, Kazuha's eyes flashed with surprise. "Heiji, has another incident happened?"
Heiji shrugged. None of my business. The system hadn't issued a mission, so he was happy to take it easy.
A police car stopped beside Heiji. The window rolled down, revealing Sakata's face. "Heiji, I might need your help this time."
Heiji frowned. "Kazuha, go to school and help me request a day off."
Kazuha nodded obediently, took a pair of disposable gloves from her bag, and handed them to Heiji. He got into the police car and headed toward the crime scene.
"Sakata, is this case related to yesterday?"
Sakata looked at Heiji with surprise. "As expected of you."
The two soon arrived at the scene. After getting out of the car, Heiji scanned the surroundings, then walked to the door and looked down to investigate. He frowned.
"Heiji, come look at this."
Hearing Sakata, Heiji walked over to the body.
"This man's name is Oguchi. He was the owner of this tavern. Neighbors described him as a very warm and hospitable guy who didn't have grudges with anyone. But last night, he was killed with a single shot to the head."
Sakata pulled back the white sheet covering the body. In the center of Oguchi's forehead, a bullet hole was clearly visible, the surrounding flesh scorched black.
Heiji's brow furrowed. "Sakata, is there only one bullet hole on his entire body?"
"Yeah. Most importantly, the bullet model is identical to the ones used on Uekusa," Sakata said seriously.
"The same model of gun?" Heiji asked indifferently.
"If this is a coincidence, it's too much of one," Sakata said.
Heiji looked at Oguchi's body and lowered his head in thought.
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