The Girl With a Magical Brain

Upon hearing Yuto's seemingly casual words, Hinano froze on the spot, and the motion of pushing Yuto came to an abrupt halt.

"Why would you know... could it be that you're involved in this matter?"

Initially, she considered Yuto as just a student, but upon hearing his words, her expression turned wary.

Hinano's cautious expression wasn't surprising. Due to concerns about causing panic, information about previous incidents had been completely blocked. However, Yuto, not being an insider and having not seen the deceased, describing the victim's gruesome state raised suspicions.

Despite Yuto's refined appearance, with both looks and height in check, giving off a harmless vibe, mystery novels often featured seemingly cultured, handsome guys who turned out to be twisted murderers.

"Miss Detective, don't be too tense. If I were involved, do you think I'd recklessly increase my suspicion in front of you?"

Observing her tense expression and awkward movements, Yuto instantly realized he had picked the wrong person; she was clearly a rookie.

Did the recruitment standards for police officers drop so low, or was the examiner also a fan of ball games?

In a society with fierce job competition, a girl with a figure like hers would be in demand, even if just as an attractive billboard model.

Yuto didn't want to get involved in this matter unless it happened near his home and the system issued a mission. Unfortunately, events had unfolded, indicating the presence of rule-breaking entities in the vicinity, possibly posing a threat to his family.

In the present societal context, supernatural beings like monsters had become rare. Humans, armed with powerful weapons, had taken the stage. Monsters, existing based on human "fear," were fading away, much like gods losing their existence without believers.

In this environment, disbelief in monsters was widespread, let alone fear. Only a few remaining monsters acknowledged humans as the dominant species and tried to assimilate into human society.

However, in any group, there were individuals dissatisfied with the status quo, considering humans weak and unworthy of dominance. These troublesome monsters were collectively known as "Calamities," as they let their natural instincts bring disaster to others.

The appearing monster this time was undoubtedly one of these troublesome individuals, commonly referred to as "Calamity Yokai."

"How do you know the victim was torn apart? Don't try to deceive me. I can tell if you're lying professionally. Also, detective novels often involve plots where highly intelligent criminals deliberately divert attention, casting suspicion away from themselves."

The girl, appearing confident, believed she had unraveled Yuto's tricks, relying on her own assumptions and detective novel clichés, making her deduction vulnerable to scrutiny.

Yuto, hearing her response, was once again at a loss for words. While he reluctantly accepted her claim of him being highly intelligent, her self-proclaimed professionalism left him skeptical. In Yuto's view, her deductive abilities were comparable to a certain drowsy detective from the neighboring studio, who was also considered professional!

As expected, Hinano, an aspiring police assistant, was handling such a major case for the first time. Eager to contribute to solving the case, she was determined since the early morning. However, despite her hopes to shine, the team leader assigned her the task of maintaining order.

Although she wished to impress, her role was now limited to keeping things in check. However, like gold shining anywhere, she, in her capacity, found Yuto, the young man, quite suspicious.

"Kujou, what are you standing there for? Don't you want to be a full-fledged officer? If you have time to idle, come over and record the clues."

Initially, Yuto wanted to argue with the inexperienced young lady who lacked intelligence but was stopped by a middle-aged man with a small beard, holding a cigarette in his mouth.

Later on, Yuto observed from a distance as the girl, named Hinano Kujou, explained something with a combination of words and gestures to her senior. Subsequently, Yuto was called over by her.

"Kid, how do you know the victim's condition? Do you know the victim, or did you witness the culprit in action?"

The middle-aged detective with a small beard was clearly more experienced. Unlike the rookie girl, he didn't mistakenly consider Yuto a suspect after a miraculous deduction. The reason was simple; this was their third similar case this month, though the previous two occurred in different streets. This time, it happened in Ukiyo-cho.

The deceased, much like the previous victims, was a strong adult man. The detective, nicknamed Small Beard, didn't think Yuto, a seemingly weak young man, could be the culprit. However, Yuto, without seeing the deceased, knew about the victim's condition, piquing Small Beard's curiosity.

"I do know who committed this crime, but I don't believe, with your capabilities, you can handle it."

As Yuto approached, he sensed a faint trace of yokai energy in the air, accompanied by a strong foul smell, noticeable only to his heightened senses.

"Rats in the sewer, weak as they are, insist on causing trouble."

Ignoring others, Yuto casually walked to the covered body. Glancing at the victim's gruesome state, he became more certain of his suspicions.

"Hey, kid, who allowed you to mess around? And what did you mean by what you just said? While Ukiyo-cho's security forces aren't strong, we all have gun permits. As long as the other party isn't an armed thug, our strength is enough to handle it."

A seasoned detective, saw Yuto take the initiative to lift the white cloth covering the body and heard his bold words. Originally, he intended to reprimand Yuto, but seeing him calmly examine the corpse without a hint of unease, he refrained from the scolding he had in mind.