All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Officer Hidari drove slowly toward the construction site, mindful of the rain-soaked roads and heavy puddles.

"After we arrived in Chiba City yesterday, we immediately began investigating the area around the traffic light where you were targeted. We also reviewed surveillance footage from the department store you used to evade the suspect. In the footage, we found the woman in the black cap. Interestingly, she also appeared in footage from previous crime scenes."

"It was a woman?" Kotomi Izumi was surprised.

"Strange, isn't it? We were shocked too. Her previous disguises were so thorough that it was impossible to tell her gender from her appearance alone."

Hidari glanced at Kotomi, who sat silently in the passenger seat, and refrained from saying more. She's just a high school girl, Hidari thought. Even if she seems calm now, being stalked by a murderer is bound to leave some trauma.

This was precisely why Hidari had come to pick Kotomi up personally. It wasn't just about safety—it was also about assessing her mental state. Many people who experienced violent crime or narrowly escaped harm often faced lingering psychological issues, even after the perpetrator was caught.

Police officers themselves had mandatory visits to therapists every few months, especially those in the Criminal Investigations Division like Hidari. How much more would a civilian need it, especially someone as young as Kotomi?

Hidari kept a watchful eye on Kotomi as she drove. Although Kotomi had mentioned feeling scared last night, she now seemed completely unaffected by the events. Ever since Hidari mentioned the culprit had been dealt with, Kotomi had returned to her usual demeanor—relaxed, even carefree.

It's almost as if we're discussing the weather. Hidari couldn't help but marvel. Is her psychological resilience this strong? Or is she simply… overly nonchalant?

The latter seemed more likely. Kotomi's cheerful, easygoing nature suggested she might simply be too broad-minded to dwell on fear.

"By the way, Officer Hidari, don't you usually drive a police car? I thought you'd pick me up in one," Kotomi teased lightly as they stopped at a red light.

Hidari chuckled. "I'm currently working undercover with Officer Yukii. We're blending in as civilians to investigate this serial murder case. Last night was an emergency, so there wasn't time to return to headquarters and switch vehicles. I just came in my own car. If you'd prefer a police car, I can borrow one to take you home later. Should I turn on the sirens for you too?"

"No, no, no!" Kotomi waved her hands in protest. "Please keep driving this car. If you showed up at my house with police sirens, my parents would freak out."

Not to mention I'd socially die on the spot!

Kotomi cringed at the thought. She tried to steel herself, mentally chanting: Brave Kotomi fears no embarrassment! But deep down, she did.

When they arrived at the construction site, Hidari parked the car but didn't get out immediately. Instead, she turned to Kotomi with a serious expression.

"What you're about to see might be very graphic. Are you sure you can handle it? If not, it's okay—I can explain everything here in the car and take you home afterward."

Kotomi hesitated. Despite being desensitized to gore in fictional games, she wasn't sure how she'd handle real-life blood and violence. After a moment of contemplation, she nodded firmly.

"I think I can handle it. I'm brave! But, um… could you at least give me a heads-up about what happened? So I'm prepared."

"Do you know how we found the serial killer?" Hidari asked.

Kotomi shook her head.

"Well, technically, we didn't. She found us. Shortly after we arrived in Chiba City and coordinated with the local police, they received a report from a concerned citizen about an incident at this construction site."

"Incident?" Kotomi asked, her interest piqued.

Hidari nodded. "Apparently, a steel beam fell from a height of 25 stories. The area has no residents, but the potential for disaster warranted immediate attention. When the police arrived, they discovered a body crushed beneath the one-ton beam."

Kotomi felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly asked, "The body—was it…?"

Hidari nodded grimly. "Yes, it was the stalker who targeted you last night. When the team moved the beam, what they found beneath it was… unrecognizable. Honestly, it was hard to distinguish between flesh and mud. It was like someone smashed her into pulp."

Kotomi's hand involuntarily tightened around her umbrella. The horror of the situation hit her anew. Someone—or something—had taken matters into their own hands.

"Was it an accident?"

"We're not sure yet. Forensic and criminal investigators at the construction site are still analyzing the scene, but there should be a preliminary conclusion now. Do you want to go take a look?"

Before Hidari could finish her sentence, Kotomi had already opened the car door and raised her umbrella.

"This girl's got guts," Hidari remarked as she got out of the car and led Kotomi into the construction site.

Bending under the police tape, Kotomi observed the first on-site investigation she'd ever witnessed outside of television.

"Yo, Hidari. I thought you went to get coffee or something. Wait—" The voice belonged to Officer Yukki, who had just finished speaking with the forensic team. He approached Hidari and spotted Kotomi, his eyes widening in shock.

"Isn't this the girl from Enoshima yesterday? Why'd you bring her here?"

Yukki wasn't the only one surprised. The other officers also cast curious glances. After all, seeing a high school girl in such a grim setting was far from ordinary.

"She's the one the suspect was stalking last night," Hidari replied matter-of-factly.

"I know that, but why bring her here? She shouldn't be exposed to this kind of scene," Yukki said, his concern evident.

Last night, when Yukki had seen the remains under the steel beam, even he, a seasoned officer, had been momentarily shaken.

Although he'd witnessed all sorts of horrific crime scenes, he'd never seen anything as grotesque as someone crushed under a one-ton steel beam, reduced to nothing but pulp.

"There's no harm in showing her the site, just to reassure her that the suspect is unequivocally dead and she no longer has to worry," Hidari explained, stepping in front of Kotomi to block her view of the mangled remains nearby.

Though Kotomi couldn't see the body, the conversation between Hidari and Yukki, coupled with the metallic tang of blood lingering in the air, churned her stomach. She suppressed an urge to gag and found herself in awe of the forensics and police officers who worked so close to such carnage.

The suspect was indeed dead—very, very dead.

"Any conclusions on the cause of death?"

Yukki nodded and flipped open his notebook to consult his notes.

"I just finished inspecting the rooftop. This construction site was originally scheduled to resume work today. Because of the short hiatus, the site supervisor didn't bother to lower the steel beam and left it suspended from the tower crane.

"The beam weighs a ton. While not ideal, it shouldn't have failed."

"That's the strange part. The steel cable holding the beam, according to the second forensics team, failed due to natural aging rather than sabotage. Meanwhile, the first team found the suspect's tools and plans on the site, proving she intended to commit a crime here."

Yukki pulled out an evidence bag containing an old, well-worn notebook.

"This notebook contains her plans. She documented her murders, took photos of the victims, and pasted them here along with their names—like some kind of grotesque art collection.

"In one of the pages, we found your name, Kotomi. If you hadn't managed to escape her last night…"

Yukki stopped mid-sentence, realizing Kotomi was listening. He quickly decided not to elaborate further.

What he didn't mention was the three additional names listed after Kotomi's.

One of them had already been identified as the owner of the woodworking tools store on the department store's second floor. It appeared he had helped Kotomi evade the suspect. When the suspect realized this, she added him to her list out of spite.

This demonstrated that the suspect was driven purely by emotional instability, killing based on whims. Fortunately, her obsessive-compulsive tendencies to follow a fixed sequence saved the woodworking store owner's life.

The other two names shared the same surname.

Yukki resolved to discuss this detail with Hidari later when they had more privacy.

"She really was a lunatic," Officer Hidari sighed. "So the culprit planned to use this construction site as her killing ground but ended up dying herself when the steel cable snapped and the suspended beam fell on her. Truly poetic justice—evil deeds meet divine retribution."

Kotomi wanted to take a closer look, but Hidari and Yukki firmly blocked her way. Left with no choice, she gave up.

Hearing that the culprit had died by accident, Kotomi let out a genuine sigh of relief. At least she didn't have to worry about her safety anymore.

Noticing the relaxed expression on Kotomi's face, Hidari asked, "Feeling better?"

"Mm-hmm. Constantly worrying about your own safety is really exhausting," Kotomi said with a nod and a sunny smile.

Everyone at the scene was momentarily struck by her radiant smile, as if it had a purifying effect on their weary spirits.

Thus, the serial murder case came to an end with the culprit's accidental death.

As for the culprit's identity and name, the Metropolitan Police Department was still investigating, but results were expected soon.

At this point, the on-site work was mostly cleanup, and as a high school girl, Kotomi had no reason to linger. She had intended to return home, but Hidari insisted on treating her to breakfast.

"You haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you? I haven't either. I'm heading to a nearby diner for a meal. Since the cleanup isn't my responsibility, how about I treat you to breakfast?"

Kotomi blinked in surprise. Officer Hidari, treating her to breakfast?

Was this ignorance of her meal habits, or did Hidari have a wallet deep enough to take the hit?

"That's… not necessary. My appetite's a bit… large," Kotomi said with an awkward laugh, hesitating to accept outright.

"No problem. Don't underestimate the police—I can at least afford breakfast for you," Hidari said with a shrug, sounding completely unconcerned.

In her mind, how big of an appetite could Kotomi possibly have?

Hidari took Kotomi to her car, and they headed to a 24-hour breakfast diner.

Meanwhile, Yukki stayed behind at the site to supervise the cleanup.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Officer Yukki, the identification results for the body are in. It's quite surprising. I initially thought the culprit might reside in Kanagawa, but it turns out she's been living in Chiba for years. Even more surprising—she's been married for a long time and has a daughter."

"Chiba? What's her name?"

"Yuuha Isshiki."

"What?!"

Hearing the name, Yukki blurted out in shock, more stunned than when he first saw the gruesome crime scene.

Quickly putting on gloves, he opened the evidence bag and flipped to the final pages of Isshin Yuuha's notebook.

When he saw the last two names listed, even as a veteran officer, his hands trembled slightly in a mix of disbelief and anger.

"Can you investigate two more names for me?"

"Hmm? Are there other suspects in this case?"

"No, these are additional targets the culprit planned to kill."

"Got it. Give me the names. I have some free time and can look into it for you."

"Tetsunosuke Isshiki and Iroha Isshiki."

Ten minutes later, the other officer called back with the results, including information about Yuuha Isshiki's motives.

"I see. Thank you," Yukki said gravely before immediately calling Officer Hidari.

...

Iroha Isshiki let out a long yawn after listening to Aimi Izumi cry for forty minutes straight.

"Ai, did I wake you up?"

Having cried herself out, Aimi's emotions had settled somewhat. Hearing Iroha yawn, she couldn't help but ask.

"What do you think? My dear little princess, it's four in the morning, and you woke me up just to cry about what sounded like a breakup. But… are you sure you're not misunderstanding your sister? No matter how you look at her, Senpai doesn't seem like the kind of person who'd do that sort of thing," Iroha replied with exasperation.

"Then… I'll ask my sister properly when she gets home?"

"That's for the best. Sigh… Speaking of coming home, my mom hasn't been back since yesterday. She's been staying out more and more lately…"

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