[Creative Mystery] Prayer of the Snow Globe ⑥ Yasuhisa Nagumo: Dream of the Snow Globe Part 1 ~On-site Investigation~

This is the continuation of the creative mystery. The investigation now moves to the on-site inspection. We will be examining the courtyard, where the body was discovered, and Ishiguro's room, the site of the fall. Various new pieces of information will come to light. The story is developing into a proper detective mystery, so please enjoy it if you'd like!

Previous→⑥ Yasuhisa Nagumo:Dream of the Snow Globe ~Autopsy~
Next→⑦ Akari Shiramine:Heartbreak

Yasuhisa Nagumo: Dream of the Snow Globe ~On-site Investigation~

"Next is the scene. Shall we start with the courtyard on the first floor?"
"Yes. I'll go notify the front desk."
"Oh, you might as well have the first person who found the body accompany us. That will save us the trouble of questioning them later."
"Understood."
Having left the infirmary, we headed to the courtyard, the site where the body was discovered, to conduct our investigation.

Natsume spoke to the front desk, and shortly after, Shinichi Kikuta, the first person to find the body, arrived. Kikuta bowed before us and briefly introduced himself, saying, "I'm Shinichi Kikuta."
"I'm Nagumo from the Hokkaido Prefectural Police, First Investigation Division."
"And I'm Natsume, also from the same division."
When we introduced ourselves, Kikuta, looking dejected, said, "Please, this way," and led the way. I wonder if he hasn't fully recovered from the shock of finding the corpse. His complexion isn't good, and he seems restless.
Well, I suppose that's understandable. It's not like people get many opportunities to see a dead body in their lifetime.
As I felt pity for him, Kikuta stopped in front of a thick door. It was a lever-handle type, with a digital keypad lock installed above the handle.
"...This leads to the courtyard. There is another path to the courtyard, which is located on the north side, opposite this lobby, inside the event hall."
"So there are two entrances. Which one did you use to get to the courtyard today, Mr. Kikuta?"
"This lobby side. When I do snow removal work, I always use this side because I go through the backyard to put on my cold-weather gear first."
"This lock uses a numeric code, right?"
"Yes. There is a four-digit number set... please wait a moment."
Kikuta pressed the keypad with practiced ease. A light electronic beep sounded, followed by the click of the lock disengaging.
"Please be careful, as the wind will blow in when I open it."
He warned us in advance, and the door was opened. Instantly, as he said, a freezing wind rushed into the room.
"So cold!"
When I blurted that out, Kikuta looked surprised. Perhaps relieved by my lack of composure, Kikuta stepped into the courtyard with a faint smile.
The walkway seemed to have road heating, so there was no snow accumulation, but it was damp from melted snow. As we were urged to watch our step and walked around to the northeast side, the snow mound where Ishiguro was discovered came into view.
The scene, which had been preserved, looked bizarre. It was covered with a blue tarp to keep it out of sight, but that only made it stand out more.
Together with Natsume, I removed the tarp. Kikuta stood a few steps back, watching us. Perhaps remembering the moment of discovery, his gaze seemed somewhat downcast.
"Mr. Kikuta, you discovered the body just after 5:00 AM, correct?"
"...Yes. It was exactly 5:00 when I entered the courtyard with Chief Kasajima to do some maintenance. The chief was in charge of the area around the central tree, and I intended to clear the snow on the outer perimeter, but..."
He hesitated, then opened his mouth again.
"...I heard music coming from somewhere. When I listened closely, I realized it sounded like a piano piece."
He must be remembering it vividly. As he spoke, Kikuta tightly gripped his hands, which were neatly folded.
"...When I looked for where the sound was coming from, I realized it was coming from this snow mound. So, I... I dug into the snow and..."
His words trailed off. Under the removed blue tarp, Kikuta stared at the marks left by several small flags and fell silent.
"I see, thank you. May I ask for more details about that 'sound'?"
When I changed the question, Kikuta's tension eased slightly. After confirming his "Yes," I asked again.
"How clearly could you hear the sound?"
"At first, it was really faint. But as I got closer, I could tell it was coming from under the snow."
"So it was quite loud, then."
"Yes. When I cleared the snow... the volume when I found it was quite loud. Though, it stopped on its own after that."
The story was that the sound was a smartphone alarm, so it seems it was set to stop automatically. Ishiguro's smartphone is locked, so we haven't been able to examine it in detail yet, but it was likely set to go off around 5:00.
"You said it was a piano piece you heard, but what kind of piece was it?"
"I'm not very knowledgeable about music, so I don't know the title... Ah, but it might have been the piece the pianist who is currently here was playing. Now that I think about it, I feel like I've heard it just a little bit."
"Does that mean Akari Shiramine was playing it?"
Natsume pressed him with the question. Kikuta thought hard, choosing his words carefully as if trying to remember.
"...I think so. The day before yesterday, concert equipment was brought into the hall, and it seems they were doing a light rehearsal. I happened to pass by the hall at that time, and since the door was open, I heard it. It was a song I'd never heard before, but I felt it was a somewhat sad song... so if my memory serves me correctly, I think it was that song."
He didn't seem confident, but I could still sense a certain conviction. The impression one receives shouldn't be underestimated; it stays in the heart more than one might think. Her involvement in the case might be thin, but I'll look into it later just in case.
"You didn't touch the body, did you?"
"Yes. Though, I might have touched the surface a little when I cleared the snow."
"...By the way, were you wearing gloves at that time?"
"I was. I always wear thick ski gloves."
"What color are they?"
"Navy blue."
That doesn't match the color of the fiber fragments. That means those weren't Kikuta's.
"Could I see those gloves later?"
"Yes. They are in the locker room, so I will bring them later."
Once I got his consent, I turned my attention to the area that had been marked.
The snow mound was about 1.5 meters high. The snow that had accumulated due to the morning blizzard had been pushed into a drift, and the surface was in a fresh snow state.
"How high is this snow mound originally?"
"About 1.2 meters. If it accumulates more than that, we maintain and level it."
"Then, was it the same last night?"
"Yes. The snow started falling around midnight, I believe... at that time, the snow and wind should have still been weak. After that, it stopped for a while, and then it started to get rough towards the morning."
In other words, at the time of the fall, it was about 1.2 to at most 1.3 meters.
As I was imagining this, Natsume was quickly writing in a memo app next to me. She must be taking notes while thinking for herself. She was staring at her device with a face that looked deeply thoughtful.
I pulled myself together and turned my eyes to another marked spot right next to where the body had been.
It seems this is where the fall occurred. Indeed, compared to the other snow surfaces, the surface has some irregularities, and there is a difference in the density of the snow. There is no doubt that it was buried by someone's hands.
Natsume was continuing to ask Kikuta questions on the side.
What did he use to dig, how much did he dig, what was the state of the body—she was drawing out information, including re-confirmations.
"I heard that the courtyard is off-limits to general guests and only employees can enter, but what is the locking status of the two entrances?"
"As you saw earlier, both entrances are always locked with keypad locks."
"How many people know the passcode?"
"All of us in facility management know it. Besides that, the event staff and the manager. The front desk and cleaning staff shouldn't know it in principle."
—Fewer than I thought. It seems Natsume thought the same.
"...Then, does that mean it's impossible for a general guest to know it?"
"Yes. ...Ah, but Mr. Ishiguro might have known. He seemed to be going in and out of the courtyard to set up the venue for the concert."
"Ishiguro knew...?"
Natsume muttered heavily. She is probably connecting it to Akari Shiramine in her head. If she had heard the passcode from Ishiguro, she would be able to enter the courtyard—that's what she must be thinking.
We also asked about alibis, the clothes they were wearing at the time of discovery, and their connection to Ishiguro, and the questioning was finished.
There was almost no information about Ishiguro from Kikuta, just things like having seen him in the hall or the courtyard. Regarding Ishiguro, the manager, Hasumi, or the event staff involved in the concert setup seem to know more.
"Thank you for your time. Boss, shall we head back now?"
"Let's do that. It's gotten so cold that I've started to need the restroom."
When I hunched my shoulders exaggeratedly, Kikuta laughed slightly.
The atmosphere at the scene loosened, and the extraordinary returned to the ordinary. And we, too, headed back into the hotel.

—The next place we are aiming for is the 7th-floor suite where Ishiguro was staying. We headed in silence to that scene, which must have many "remnants."

***

"Is this Ishiguro's room?"
7th floor of the hotel. Having arrived on the floor with only suites and a bar lounge, we had the hotel room attendant open the door and stepped into Ishiguro's room.
The top-floor suite is luxurious, as expected. A spacious living room, a dining space with a mini-bar and a private coffee maker, a king-sized bedroom, and a bathroom with a view. The jet bath attached is so big that I wonder how many adults could fit in it.
The interior goes without saying. Not only the room design but even the furnishings placed there are stylish and have an incredible sense of luxury.
"Wow... how much does a night cost in a room like this?"
When I looked around the living room, the room attendant answered nonchalantly.
"For this season, it is 140,000 yen per night."
"140,000!? How many bowls of katsudon is that!?"
I shouted involuntarily at the sheer price. Perhaps because I live a life where I don't spend money, my poverty-stricken nature is deep-rooted and I can't help it.
"...Boss."
Natsume glared at me immediately. She probably wants to say, "It's embarrassing, so stop it." ...Well, indeed, that was a bit childish.
The room attendant let out a small laugh and retreated, saying, "I have work to do, so excuse me." Only Natsume and I remained.
"...Please stop that kind of embarrassing behavior. You are a grown adult."
As expected, she said it. I looked away at the scolding I had imagined.
Natsume let out a deliberate deep sigh, then immediately put on gloves and switched to investigation mode. When I also put on gloves, I first focused on the pile of cardboard boxes stacked in the corner of the living room.
They were unfitting for the luxurious interior, and honestly, I had been curious about them since I entered the room.

There were 15 cardboard boxes in total. Two with the printing company's logo and 13 boxes labeled "YukishiroYukishiroCraft." All of them showed signs of having been opened.
"Have you heard of a company called Yukishiro Craft?"
"No. I'll look it up later."
"Yeah. Please do. For now, let's check the contents."
Natsume first opened one of the boxes with the printing company's logo.
—The contents were concert pamphlets.
When I opened the other box as well, it contained a set of postcards featuring pianos and snowy landscapes, and musical scores.
"It seems to be concert merchandise."
Natsume picked up a pamphlet and flipped through it. The content includes Akari Shiramine's profile, interviews, and gravure pages. It's a small booklet of about 15 pages, but both the paper quality and the composition are made with excessive enthusiasm.
"There are 300 pamphlets. ...Considering Akari Shiramine's popularity, that's a bit of an aggressive number."
"Didn't he order them with the future in mind? Things like this need stock, right?"
While saying that, I opened the cardboard box printed with "Yukishiro Craft."

—What came out of it was the snow globe that had just been the topic of conversation in the lobby.

Is it custom-made? When I opened the bubble wrap that was wrapping the whole thing and took one out, the square box had a logo branded in gold leaf that said "Akari Shiramine," and a photo of a snow globe with a grand piano and snow crystals as motifs was printed on it.
And in the corner of the box, there was a line that said "Music box included." The song title written was—

"...Timbre of Snow."

I was thinking it was a song title I'd never heard of, when Natsume, who was reading the pamphlet, turned her eyes toward me.
"It seems to be Akari Shiramine's original song. It's also in the pamphlet."
The page she handed me was the interview page. There was a chapter title "About the original song, Timbre of Snow," and it talked about the circumstances under which it was created and the thoughts put into it.
"Huh... so she also composes."
"It seems so. Since he went as far as to make it a sound source for a snow globe with a built-in music box, Ishiguro must have intended to sell it."
"He's spending money. Things like this aren't cheap, are they?"
"If it's a music box included, and an original song at that, wouldn't the unit price be quite high? Even the pamphlets, postcard sets, and scores don't seem to be low-quality, and I feel like he's pouring quite a lot of production costs into it."
I tried opening one of the snow globe boxes.
—A glass sphere about 10 centimeters in diameter on a decorative base like a Western antique. Inside the clear glass, an elaborate piano model and crystal snow crystals are housed.
Attached to the bottom of the base is a wind-up part. It's probably what you wind to make the music box play.
I thought about trying to play it, but since it's an unopened item, the wind-up part has a small tag on it and is fixed. I could peel it off, but well, I don't have to go that far. I'm somewhat interested, but I'll stop for now.
I looked at the other boxes with the same logo, but they all seem to be snow globes. The number of orders is roughly 100, I'd say.
"That's quite a number. Seeing that there are only postcards, pamphlets, and scores as other merchandise, I wonder if this is the main attraction."
"Usually, I feel like the theory is to make lower-cost and cheaper goods like can badges and clear files the main ones... but with this, I can only think that profitability is being disregarded."
I stared intently at the snow globe I held in my palm. When I tried turning it upside down and back, the white powder imitating snow danced, fluttering and sparkling in the water. That fantastic appearance looked like a piano standing alone in the snow—that's the kind of scene it looked like.

I was lost in thought at Natsume's words.

A luxurious room. A concert performance. Merchandise and order quantities that disregard profitability—What's involved in that is, naturally, "money."

The source of that money—might be connected to that certain thing.

"...Could you ask Hinagata to track the traces of Ishiguro using money? I'd like a comparison between personal use and what was spent on producing Akari Shiramine, if possible."
"Understood. ...Boss, by any chance."
"Yeah. If my intuition is correct, I feel like this is the 'motive'."
Ishiguro's crime—the NPO fraud case.Coming here, I feel like I've seen Ishiguro's "money."

Ishiguro is likely devoted to Akari Shiramine.

It's not a profit relationship. If money were the goal, he would think of more ways to sell it. But looking at these merchandise items, I feel a deep respect for Akari Shiramine—a strong obsession.
"...Ishiguro was a married man, wasn't he?"
Natsume muttered as if to confirm, reading it as an affair, and frowned. From the perspective of Natsume, who has a strong sense of ethics, she must have a sense of disgust for the relationship she imagined. She's an easy one to read.
"It's too early to decide it's an affair. We'll look into that properly after investigating."
When I admonished Natsume, who tends to run ahead, she nodded with a face that seemed subtly unconvinced.
I returned the snow globe to the cardboard box and this time turned my eyes to the dining table.
On the natural wood table, many documents are spread out. And besides the documents, there is one more thing.

—The snow globe I had just seen was placed there in an opened state.

"The documents are related to the concert. There's a progress schedule, documents related to the concert staff dispatch contract, and then documents related to the event contract with the hotel."
"And, a snow globe again."
"Is it a sample check of the delivered product?"
"Hmm..."

Something feels off.

The first trigger for that intuitive thought is the packing box placed near the snow globe. The box that the snow globe must have been in is a white paper box, larger than the product box from earlier, and has a different shape. I thought it wasn't printed on the surface because it was a sample product, but at a glance, there is no "sample product" printing.
I picked up the paper box and examined it thoroughly. Then, on the side of the box, there was a print that said "Before assembly." I guessed that there were several small empty plastic bags inside the box, and each part must have been put in them.
In other words, Ishiguro bought only this snow globe as an unfinished product—and made it by hand?

For what purpose?

I returned the paper box to the table and this time picked up the snow globe that seemed to be Ishiguro's handmade one.

Then, I noticed it immediately.
That it had a slightly heavier "weight" than the product from earlier.

Feeling a growing sense of discomfort, I kept my eyes sharp to confirm the unsettling premonition.
Inside the sphere, there are piano and snow crystal decorations, but as expected of a handmade item, there is distortion compared to the genuine product. The adhesive surface between the sphere and the base is also somewhat rough. And I feel the amount of water inside is different from earlier.I feel like this one has a little "more."

And if I look even closer—I also noticed that there is a faint, unnatural "layer" in the water inside the sphere.

When I turned it upside down, the movement of the snow that should have been fluttering drifted sluggishly in the water. It was like it was hesitating to sink, or resisting—that kind of movement.

"...Natsume. Send this to forensics immediately. It's urgent."
At my lowered voice, Natsume straightened her back.
The air became tense at my threatening demeanor, calling her "Natsume" instead of "Riku-kun" or "Riku," and Natsume's gaze became sharper.
"Is there something bothering you?"
"The weight is different from the one earlier. Also, the liquid inside isn't just water. ...Something is mixed in."
When I conveyed my discomfort, Natsume focused on the liquid inside and stiffened her face.
The liquid that I turned upside down and back was mixed for a moment, but in less than a few seconds, the boundary began to separate gradually. The lower layer, which looks slightly different in color, and the snow fluttering above it. —Something is sinking.

This isn't just water.
That was obvious at a glance.

"...Boss. What does this mean?"
"Who knows. But if the purpose is to give a handmade item, there's no need to change the water inside. ...That's what's bothering me."
Changing the color of her eyes, Natsume said, "I'll send it to forensics immediately," and rushed. When she picked up her issued terminal and contacted Kumai, a response came from the other side of the receiver saying, "I'll make arrangements immediately."

Ending the call, Natsume and I exchanged glances.

"At this rate, there might be something else. Let's split up and search thoroughly."
"Yes, Boss."

Nodding to each other, we decided to split into two groups.
The bedroom, the bathroom, and the balcony, which is considered the site of the fall. There is still room to investigate.

—An accident, or a crime.

When I looked out the window at the sign of dark clouds, the vast sky beyond the balcony had begun to spread dull-colored clouds.