Chapter 148: The Person Killed by Society
Evening.
Due to the rain, the entire sky lacked the warm hues of sunlight.
Standing on the rooftop, one could see the distant sky taking on a pale blue color.
The sky above was a cold white, and as it approached the horizon, the bluish color became more pronounced.
It was as if the entire city had been covered with a cold-toned filter, giving it a somewhat solemn and chilly appearance from afar.
"My younger brother fell from here..." Otsuka stood on the edge of the rooftop, looking at the fixed traces below.
"Hmm..." Takagi nodded and said, "Furthermore, we found a knife in the ditch next to the building."
"A knife, you say?"
"Your brother's legs and hands have traces of being cut by a blade."
"I'm aware of that." Otsuka looked at Senichi and asked, "So, does that mean this knife is the weapon used by the assailant who attacked my brother?"
"Based on the results of the examination, this is indeed the knife that injured your brother, but it only has your brother's blood and fingerprints on it."
"What does that mean?"
Senichi explained to Otsuka, "We didn't find any other person's traces on the knife."
"What about the assailant's fingerprints?" Otsuka asked anxiously.
"We didn't find any, or rather, there is no such person." Senichi shook his head and said, "Your brother's fingerprints are very distinct on the knife, with no missing traces. We couldn't even find any glove texture marks on it. This is highly unnatural because even if someone wore gloves and got blood on them, it would leave some texture or damage the fingerprints."
After all, the handle of a fruit knife is only so big, and Yukihiro Otsuka's fingerprints were all over it. If someone else had held the knife, with or without gloves, they would have definitely covered Yukihiro Otsuka's fingerprints and left some traces.
But there were none.
On the knife handle, Yukihiro Otsuka's fingerprints were very clear, as if they were imprinted by Yukihiro Otsuka himself with a pinching motion.
Otsuka furrowed his brow and asked, "What's going on?"
At that moment, Senichi opened the book he was holding, which had "Medical Affairs" imprinted on it, and showed it to Otsuka. "Here are the notes your brother diligently researched and made."
"Illegally obtaining medical compensation..." Otsuka took the book and flipped to the next page, where definitions of various injury marks were printed.
"When obtaining medical compensation based on medical records, the compensation for injuries caused by self-defense during an assault is different."
Senichi pointed at the marks of the injuries caused by the assault on the book and said, "And your brother's palm and the injuries he sustained on his body are completely consistent with injuries caused by self-defense."
In other words, there was a high possibility that he intentionally injured himself.
"No way!" Otsuka exclaimed in disbelief. "Could my brother... have... committed suicide?"
"Unfortunately, that seems to be the case." Senichi sighed as if he could see the despair Yukihiro Otsuka felt the previous night.
Alone in the pitch-black night, Yukihiro Otsuka came to the rooftop, used a knife to cut wounds on his arms, legs, and palms, creating marks of being assaulted, and then jumped from the rooftop...
"How is that possible! Why!" Otsuka couldn't accept this explanation. "How could my brother have committed suicide..."
"That's the result of our investigation." Senichi looked at Otsuka and said, "Perhaps the constant despair he experienced throughout the year was the reason for his suicide. In other words, he was killed by this society. Perhaps this is his indictment."
Originally able to become a regular employee, but was fired by the company just a month later.
Unable to rely on family, his fiancée also left.
The conditions as a temporary worker were terrible, the salary meager, and he had no place to live. No matter how many times he searched, he couldn't find a new job.
The qualification certificates he obtained through hard study were useless, as no one was willing to hire him.
Abandoned by the social security office, he was forced to resort to selling his "identity," walking down an irredeemable path.
He was kicked out of the container where he used to sleep peacefully, and he spent his remaining money day by day in an internet café.
In order to fill his stomach, he had to live the life of a wandering homeless person, constantly on the move.
And the final straw that crushed him was probably when he stole a doughnut.
Following the escape route of Yukihiro Otsuka, Senichi and Takagi didn't walk for long before arriving at the first place they visited together.
It was the apartment where Yukihiro Otsuka used to live.
According to the landlord, the rental house had found a new tenant in the past two days, which was lucky for the landlord but unfortunate for Yukihiro Otsuka.
The hope that had supported him throughout the year was finding a new job, but even this last glimmer of hope in his precarious life was shattered.
The fact that a new person had moved into his previous apartment meant he couldn't use the mailbox there, and he wouldn't receive any news about job applications or rejections.
Without an address for job hunting, it meant he had lost the possibility of finding a new job.
For him, all of this was probably enough to make him despair of life.
"Perhaps, he really hoped that someone could truly understand his despair."
Senichi sighed. He and Takagi followed the clues from that apartment, step by step, witnessing Yukihiro Otsuka's failure leading him into the abyss.
In the end, they came full circle back to the apartment and found the answer.
It seemed to be the starting point of Yukihiro Otsuka's tragedy, yet also its ending point.
The case ultimately concluded as a suicide, and Yukihiro Otsuka left with a heart full of regret.
[A person killed by society.]
[Congratulations to the host for completing the side quest, and congratulations on randomly acquiring 2 years Kendo skill as an additional reward!]
This time, it seems the rewards were slightly lacking, and the awarded skills were not chosen by the host but randomized.
Fortunately, the additional random reward of a 2-year Kendo skill is much needed for Senichi. It could be considered a significant gain!
However, despite the decent reward this time, Senichi was not particularly happy.
The case this time was too oppressive, just like the cold-toned sky at this moment, devoid of warm colors.
He only wished to taste test something like an ordinary person, but even such a humble desire couldn't be fulfilled.
The people around him, and even he himself, had lost the courage to reach out a helping hand.
No one was sincerely willing to help him, whether it was the CEO of the planning company, the rural field of the construction company, the social security officer Yamakawa, his brothers, or his lover.
They all regarded Yukihiro Otsuka as a trouble, a burden, or someone they couldn't rely on, pushing him away and leaving him with nothing.
In the end, the cold city and cold hearts drove Yukihiro Otsuka to despair and choose suicide.
He became a person killed by society.
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