Kirigiri Novel Book 7

Chapter 3 Part 2- Everlasting White

"There is zero chance of the killer using a master key to get into the room."

Kirigiri, who had been silent for a while, opened her mouth.

We fell silent for a moment as if we had been splashed by cold water and looked at the little detective.

"Huh? How're you so sure?"

Kadomi frowned and questioned Kirigiri.

"There is frost on the floor, so if you enter or leave the room you will definitely leave a trail. But until we entered this room, there was no footprint in front of the door. Therefore, whether the perpetrator has a master key or not, it should be safe to say that no one came in or out of the room."

"Haha, sorry but I can't buy that logic. You don't know when the frost was formed on the floor, do you? Maybe the crime was committed before the frost. Or even if it was after the frost, the frost could've reappeared after the crime and covered the killer's footprints. don't you agree?"

Indeed, as Kadomi said, we can't be sure when the frost started to appear and when it completely covered the floor. When it comes to snow footprints, things like when it started to snow, when it stopped, and how much fell are often important conditions, but the frost in the hall cannot be accurately determined.

"That's true. The timing of the frosting cannot be accurately deduced." Kirigiri admitted bluntly.

"See? Don't get carried away, little brat. Even if both our numbers start with '9', the winner's already decided from the rank numbers. Now, don't you ever poke your nose in my business again."

"Even so, I can still assert that the killer did not enter or leave the room through the door."

Kirigiri's vigor was unabated, and drew closer to Kadomi. Kadomi grabbed Kirigiri's front lapel.

I quickly inserted myself between the two of them. A total of 6 chains interlocked, and it felt like they were about to be entangled.

"Hmph, whatever. You can talk me about it. How do you know the perp didn't use the door to get in and out of this room?"

"The answer is simple. And it is— because I monitored it all night."

Facing Kirigiri's answer, Kadomi was silent for a while, as if paralyzed.

"Monitored it all night... from where? How?" I asked instead of Kadomi.

"Just by peering into the hall from my room. The crime scene is diagonally in front of my own room, so if anyone came in or out, I would've noticed them."

"Even if you say so, how did you do it? There is no gap in the door."

"There are holes for the handcuff chains to pass through, correct?" Kirigiri pointed at the door. "The design of a chain is such that no matter how small you make the hole, there will always be a gap. It's from that gap that I peered into the hall as if it's a keyhole."

"B-but... monitoring all night?"

"Yes. The perpetrator was aware of that of course. If they were found doing suspicious activities, they would have been identified immediately. But I've got to say... I regret that I could only do that much. And in the end, a victim still appeared."

Kirigiri lowered her head with sadness.

Who can blame her. She was in a battle with loneliness all night long. That must be the reason why her face is not looking good. She stood up straight and faced the case.