Side-story: The uncovered truth
It had been 3 months since Minazuki Haruto passed away.
In the Minazuki family's residence.
The dinner table of five laughed with each other happily as if nothing had happened. There were Minazuki's husband and wife, Minazuki Hiroto and Minazuki Shouko, the only left daughter, Minazuki Haruka, Haruto's childhood friend, Uenohana Erika, the 'main protagonist', Tetsuya Yuu. They had ramen together at the same table. If the outsiders looked at it, they would've thought harmonious family's definition certainly being this picture.
Shouko urged them to taste her craftmanship.
"Eat up, eat up"
"Is my ramen delicious?"
Haruka gave a thump up.
"It's delicious as ever Mom"
"Hahaha, I know ramen is yours and your brother's favorite dish"
She had a reminiscent look on her face as she remembered her son. She recalled the happy face when its owner tasted her craftsmanship. The genuine raw emotion without deception made her proud. She missed her son.
In fact, although she followed the bandwagon effect to criticize her son, she has regretted it until now. Instead of guiding her son back to the right path, she pushed him away to the point of committing suicide. She couldn't believe everything had happened. She wished it would be a dream. She blamed the pressure from the Musical community, and the people surrounding her. When it came to Plagiarism, it had a huge impact on artists inside the circle. It was a taint that could impossibly be washed away for the rest of their life. She couldn't withstand it and chose the majority side.
Her family accepted Tetsuya Yuu to be one of the family's members as compensation for the plagiarism incident. Her husband didn't even hold a formal funeral for Haruto, which made her heart ache a lot.
She remembered his cruel sentence.
'Why do you want to waste money on this trash?'. For the first time, she'd felt a distance from her husband. Her mother's instinct always told her that something had gone wrong, but she didn't know what was wrong.
Tetsuya had been dating Erika ever since. They even boldly expressed their love in public places like this time now. They leaned on each other to whisper their love. Why did she have to mention this? Because she felt something off with this guy Tetsuya Yuu. Even though he had a girlfriend, his eyes were always stuck on her daughter, Haruka. She hoped that she just overthought the problem.
"Don't mention that bastard in front of me and this family. He is a disgrace"
Hiroto shrugged and angrily scolded his wife.
Shouko could only keep silent.
Hiroto spoke out.
"Hey, Yuu-kun, when will you release a new song?"
Her husband wanted to sell his daughter to the guy sitting in front of her? Why was your expression like father-in-law?
Yuu replied awkwardly.
"Hahaha, Uncle, it's just that I haven't found new inspiration recently"
Erika defended her boyfriend as she knew the motive of this old man. He wanted his daughter to snatch her boyfriend away.
"Uncle Hiroto, Creating music is not easy. It can't be out just for a second like a certain bastard"
"Ah, I'm sorry"
Erika covered her mouth, but she felt satisfied enough.
Hiroto's face turned uglier. This useless son had become a taint of his family and he couldn't tolerate it. Haruka's face turned bright red as she had suffered countless grievances. She blamed her older brother for destroying her opportunities to be with her Yuu-kun.
On the other side, Tetsuya Yuu didn't get much better. Besides the title 'The best newcomer musician', he didn't gain anything. Many professionals talked to him about 'his' piece. They said something missing in the piece and couldn't invest him any further. He had dreamed countless times of being at the top of society as the best musician. However, the reality of life slapped his face.
From childhood, he had always been jealous of Haruto. Many girls pursued him including Erika. However, he was an idiot with music only in his mind. He wanted to be better than him, but he didn't have any prominent point.
When he saw the piece in the hand of Haruto, he had a hunch that it was an opportunity to develop himself. He calculated to get his piece and finish it ahead of time. When they listened to his piece, they would think of him as a plagiarist. Everything went perfectly without a hindrance. He was confident in his ability to finish it.
As a result, Erika had turned her direction toward him. Society praised him as a genius musician. He couldn't extract himself from this pleasure. So, this was the feeling of successful people. Everyone's eyes looked at him with respect. Moreover, the person, who was his jealous target, went down to the bottom of society to suffer. He felt so good as he wanted to create a harem with Erika and Haruka.
When he heard the news that Haruto could get back and taint his reputation, he panicked instantly and disposed Haruto to keep this mesmerized feeling. However, it didn't last long. If it continued to be like this, he would be forgotten in the musical industry.
When he tried to create a new piece and handed it to his manager, they mercilessly rejected it as if it was a piece of trash. Yet, he was unwilling. Didn't it mean Haruto always being better than him? He knew this truth, but he was still unwilling.
'Are all of your ability pouring in the 'Zense' piece?'
'Why does it get worse than before?'
He had been keeping this fine facade and lying that he hadn't found inspiration. He was not a musical maniac like Haruto and couldn't get over this huge shadow. Everything was not enough to surpass Haruto's piece.
Let those useless thoughts aside. He and those members at the table finished their bowl of Ramen. Little did he know, this was his last meal because the siren outside the house was coming closer and closer.
The Minazuki family's members, Erika and Yuu dropped their chopsticks and stopped their meal to figure out what was going on.
The office vest woman went together with a blue outfit man with the symbol of Sakura country. The people at the scene immediately understood who they were.
The neighborhoods also took out watermelon to watch the fun. Last time, it was plagiarism, this time was Police Officers. The family had many dramas to watch.
They knocked on the door and the middle-aged man opened it.
"Sorry for interrupting your time, we're Police Officers"
They showed the Police's ID to Hiroto as he got confused completely. What were they doing in his house? He remembered he hadn't done anything wrong at all. Or did some homicide happen that related to his family?
"What can I do for you, um...?"
"Criminal Investigator Shimizu Kurumi, and my assistant Watanabe Sousuke"
Sousuke replied politely: "Hello, Mr. Minazuki"
Hiroto's face frowned a little. He couldn't help but ask.
"Is there a homicide that Criminal Investigators have to find me?"
"Yeah"
Kurumi nodded her head to agree with his statement.
"What can I do for you?"
"It's about your son. Mr. Minazuki"
Hiroto thought that this bastard must've done something related to criminal activity. He scoffed and expressed his disgust inwardly, but he didn't let it out. Despite that, it couldn't escape the observation skills of rich experience criminal investigator Shimizu Kurumi, who was a top-notch 35-year-old detective agent of the Criminal Department of the Police Force. She couldn't help but raise a pity toward the victim Minazuki Haruto.
"Did he do something wrong in the past?"
"I knew he had passed away but he didn't spare the living"
Hiroto's tone contained disgust and hatred.
Sousuke on the other hand, who was an intern and knew the whole story, couldn't control his emotions to raise a fist.
Kurumi coughed to remind this intern.
*Cough, cough*
She used her elbow to signal him.
"Don't let emotion interfere with our job, Intern-kun"
"There are still many cases even more absurd than this"
Kurumi turned her professional mode and said.
"No, sir, you misunderstood. In fact, your son didn't commit suicide, but was the victim of a homicide"
Hiroto paused and his face expressed his shock.
"Wha? What are you talking about?"
"Isn't it clear that this is suicide?"
"The police also confirmed the case being suicide, didn't it?"
Kurumi nodded her head and couldn't help but express her shame of being a Police Officer. She almost got the murderer slipping away if it wasn't for the anonymous report of the key evidence.
"It must've been so if the police didn't get deceived by the perpetrator"
"If so, who is the murderer?"
Hiroto's mind was a mess.
"Is there Tetsuya Yuu in your home?"
The next sentence made Hiroto's mind messier. Why did you mention Tetsuya Yuu? His mind had already come to a conclusion, but he couldn't believe it. They were best friends with each other. He couldn't...right? Nonetheless, he believed that his trash son wanted revenge but Yuu defended himself, so it was not wrong.
"Yes, please come in"
"Oh, so lucky, Shimizu-senpai" The intern exclaimed.
"Sh..."
Kurumi had to teach this expressive intern. If you can't control your emotions, the perpetrator will take advantage of you.
"Yes, senpai"
He gestured to keep his mouth as his expression froze.
They headed inside the house.
"Sorry for intruding"
As for the members inside the house, they didn't have the mood to continue to enjoy homemade ramen. They rushed outside the living room to meet the guests. All had the same thoughts. 'What are Police Officers doing here?'
"Please, sit down"
Shouko brought out a tray with barley tea and two cups.
"Thank you for your hospitality"
"Sorry for interrupting your ramen time"
Sousuke joked around and earned a serious glare from Kurumi.
Only Yuu kept his innocent and sunny facade, but inside, the panicked feeling grew stronger than ever because the only guilty one knew the best.
"No problem, If you want, you can taste it"
Shouko politely invited them, but they refused due to their profession.
"No, thanks"
Erika couldn't help but ask.
"What are Police Officers doing here?"
Kurumi also observed a certain boy not far away, then replied.
"It's about Minazuki Haruto"
"He is the victim of a homicide, not suicide"
Shouko's face turned in shock as if her ears heard wrong. Her son was murdered. By who?
"Tetsuya Yuu, you're suspected to be the murderer"
Yuu played dumb.
"What're you talking about? Wasn't the case closed long ago?"
Erika's expression turned from confusion into disbelief.
"No, there must be something wrong. How can Yuu be a murderer?"
Kurumi ignored this woman.
"Let me ask you again. Where were you between 9:00 PM and 9:30 PM on Saturday, 9th, March?"
"The previous testimony is that you were at home"
"But there was a video capturing your figure at the abandoned pool, a.k.a the crime scene at that time"
Kurumi showed security camera footage as Yuu's figure appeared clearly at the scene.
Yuu couldn't believe his ears and eyes. He obviously deleted all of the footage. How could a video capturing him in the hand of the police pop up? He also had testimony of his friend to sleep over at his house.
"Tell me it's not you right? Yuu?"
"Yuu-nii-san?"
Haruka's brain got shut down when this new information came out.
Yuu realized that there was no way to hide anymore. He directly admitted.
"Yes, I killed Haruto, but out of defending myself"
"He was jealous of me so he called me out to the abandoned pool to kill me"
"I just defended him to protect my life"
Yuu said righteously as if he hadn't done anything wrong.
Hiroto nodded his head as he had expected, while Shouko gasped in shock. Her mother's instinct seemed to see something unbelievable. The more info the police announced, the less obscured the truth unfolded.
Erika and Haruka sighed a relief, because self-defend may bear a lesser sentence, but Kurumi didn't allow that to happen.
"Heh? Really, why didn't you admit it directly to get lenient treatment?"
"You should know clearly the self-defense laws, right? Tetsuya Yuu-kun"
How could he admit that he had already deleted all the footage? Besides that, he didn't want a homicide case to taint his portfolio. It should be a perfect crime. Yet, how the hell did this video pop out?
"Sorry, I'm still young, so I got panicked and hurriedly covered my crime"
Yuu thought that he managed to get a lesser sentence if he admitted.
Kurumi sneered.
"As a student committing the first crime, you covered yourself so perfectly that the police closed the case as a suicide, huh?"
Kurumi said nothing wrong. According to her criminal psychological study, this teenager in front of her cleverly planned out his murder. It was just that the anonymous report destroyed his almost perfect crime.
"Ah, I just got lucky"
Yuu couldn't admit defeat.
"Hah, you're still stubborn"
Kurumi sighed.
"I have a warrant arrest in my hand, It means that the Police have obtained enough pieces of evidence to catch you"
"Just now, you have wasted all of your chances to get a lenient sentence"
"What an ignorant youth"
Yuu couldn't help but let out a cold sweat. What? All pieces of evidence?
"Now, follow us to the Police Station"
Erika scolded.
"Wait, if you want to catch him, at least show us the truth"
"That's right"
Haruka agreed with Erika at this point.
"..."
Kurumi saw the victim's sister standing on the murderer's side without knowing the truth, which made her speechless. As the father as the daughter. They were the same.
However, Shouko believed her mother's instinct and urged the Police Officers.
"Please let me know the truth, I have the right to know the truth behind my son's death"
She had been sleepless since Haruto passed away. Something was amiss and she had lived in regret all the time. Her son constantly said that Zense was his piece and affirmed strongly that it was his child. She wanted to believe it, but the evidence was so clear that she went against him.
"All right, let's flashback 6 months in the past"
Yuu's expression turned uglier. Wasn't it the time when Zense was released?
"You, Tetsuya Yuu, knew the best right?"
Kurumi taunted.
"The so-called plagiarism is the original of the case"
Erika retorted.
"Isn't that guy jealous of Yuu, then he wanted to avenge Yuu, but Yuu made a self-defense move to protect himself?"
Sousuke couldn't help but comment.
"What an idiot"
Erika got angry. "What did you say?"
Kurumi reminded. "Language, intern"
"Sorry, senpai"
Sousuke patiently explained.
"You forgot the cause of death of the victim, huh?"
Shouko's expression turned clearer as she understood the meaning behind it.
"No self-defense technique could drown others, besides that the pool at that time was kind of shallow because it was abandoned"
"The water inside was all the raindrops accumulating"
"The first months of the year didn't have much rain"
Shouko yelled in shock.
"It means..."
"Yeah, as you thought, it was intentional homicide, not suicide"
"This is the water bill of Mizugi Company as they received an order to deliver a truck to supply near the crime scene"
"You filled the pool to fake your crime scene by raising 1m2 height of water to 3 meters height of the pool"
"Making others think that Haruto chose this pool to commit suicide"
"Also the phone call of you with the victim on that day was from 8:27 PM"
"You must call Haruto to talk about something"
Yuu clenched his fists as he had a feeling they knew the whole story.
Kurumi smirked and watched Yuu's expression.
"For example, you admitted that you stole his piece and wanted to apologize?"
"Right? Mr. Plagiarist"
Shouko covered her mouth and gasped at the situation. Erika and Haruka had disbelief faces.
"No, it's not true right? Yuu-nii-san"
Hiroto also had unbelievable expressions, which made Sousuke appreciate.
"Yuu, tell me, they are lying"
Erika needed affirmation from her boyfriend. She grew more insecure with that info.
"This case was indeed hard for us because it involved the abstract field like music"
"Not every police officer has talent in that field because music depends on preference"
Yuu sighed in a defeated state. If they could pull it out, it meant that they knew the ins and outs of the case and had full pieces of evidence to convict him.
"Please, take me away"
Shouko slapped Yuu's face hard.
"You animals!!!"
"It can't be helped. I always chase after the figure of Haruto. What's wrong with me to step on him?"
The mask couldn't be maintained as his true face was revealed.
"You bastard!! You calculated so well!"
Shouko had tears swelled up in the corner of her eyes. She knew something wrong but didn't do anything.
"Madam Minazuki, please calm down"
"Let the police do the rest, don't do anything makes you more regrettable"
"Didn't I live in regret enough? That beast!!"
She gave Yuu another slap, but he didn't do anything except for lowering his head.
Haruka and Erika were stunned because Yuu didn't deny it and even admitted his crime proudly. Then, the person they were disgusted with was the pure and innocent one? The person they loved turned out to be more vicious than the former they thought. They slumped back to the sofa of the living room to process their brain. Their face turned uglier and distorted to the point of ruining their appearances.
Shouko cried out loud and it took a long time to calm down. However, she managed to have a last request.
"Please...hic. Po..Lice...hic Officers, at least, could you return the innocence for my son? hic... hicc..."
"Hic...He can't bear the label Plagiarism in this world anymore..."
"All because of me not believing him... hic"
"Despite... feeling... hic... something wrong hic..."
She sobbed miserably.
Kurumi and Sousuke nodded and took Yuu to the police car, leaving Hiroto dumbfoundedly.
...
"Police Officers, how could you reopen the case to catch me?"
This was a question that he had been curious about. Once the police closed the case, it was not easy for them to reopen it.
"A mysterious musician"
"Huh?"
"Do you believe in music spirit?"
"What are they?"
"Hah I knew it"
Kurumi also didn't believe it at first because it belonged to an abstract field. The mysterious report also mentioned it. At first, she thought it was a joke or something. However, they were indeed real in some people.
"It's like Zone in the basketball"
Sousuke answered.
"What do you know intern?"
"Yeah, Zone appeared in some professional players as they could explode 100% of their strength in the match instead of 70% of normal humans"
"The conditions to trigger this supernatural phenomenon have two things"
"One is an extreme love for this sport, and the last but not least is that you have to be a talented individual"
"Kobe once said he stepped in the door and let himself sink in it as he can't think of useless information except for basketball"
"So like the music industry, the music spirit phenomenon is the same"
"There are also rumors in the musical industry that Beethoven has the ability to feel the music spirit"
"To explain why he is deaf but can leave behind all the masterpieces for the later generation"
Kurumi commented.
"Understandable"
Tetsuya Yuu smiled bitterly. He couldn't expect that his perfect crime was cracked by this supernatural phenomenon. The mysterious musician had reported him. Who could be?
Kurumi suddenly remembered something as she took her mobile phone out.
"This message is for you"
Yuu took a look at it, then laughed as if he was crazy.
It turned out...
It turned out...
It turned out himself ruining Haruto's piece. He lost his self-confidence. Although it was ruined, it could get the title 'The best newcomer musician'. A clown was actually myself.
"Wahahahaha, I couldn't surpass you at all, Haruto"
His last piece was the thing reporting his crime. How sarcastic it was.
The piece I stole had become the one reporting me.
Haruto was one of the people, who could feel the music spirit. His child screamed for justice, suffering, and anger. The mysterious musician was also the same kind with Haruto beginning to reinvestigate the whole case and cover the truth behind it. The anonymous musician also invited him to a play to witness and listen to the true piece of Zense to see how badly he had ruined it.