Chapter 1: Chapter 1 : I am a murderer
*Ding*
Like dewdrops falling on a calm lake, the clear mechanical sound that rang in Akikawa Kyousuke's mind sent ripples through his eyelids.
As he gradually regained consciousness from his coma, the first thing that came to mind was a searing headache, like that of a crazed drunk.
His body felt as heavy as if it had been injected with leaden water.
The taste of rust spread through his mouth, a taste Akikawa Kyousuke was all too familiar with. It was the metallic flavor of blood.
The spinning scene before him gradually stabilized. In the next second, his eyes suddenly flew open.
A locked, enclosed van.
Cracks like spiderwebs covered the windshield, making it impossible to see the car in front.
And the source of the weight on his body: the woman who had fallen on top of him.
Akikawa Kyousuke wanted to push her away.
He moved his fingers slightly and felt a hard, sticky sensation on his hands.
Only then did he notice he seemed to be holding something.
Using all his strength, he pushed the woman off him toward the driver's seat.
Finally, he saw her condition clearly.
The woman's death had been quite brutal—her neck, chest, and abdomen were riddled with stab wounds.
Her beige T-shirt was soaked in blood, looking like a vicious painting in the dim light.
The hard sensation he'd felt had come from the handle of the dagger embedded in her abdomen, and the sticky, wet feeling had naturally come from the blood around it.
It was clear the woman had been stabbed to death with a dagger.
He recalled her collapsing on him just as he woke up and the dagger still lodged in her abdomen as he lost consciousness.
Akikawa Kyousuke's heartbeat also began to quicken.
For someone who had seen many dead bodies, the sight before him was shocking, but less disturbing than realizing he was now in an unknown place.
"Where am I?" he wondered.
"Who is this woman?"
"Why am I still alive?"
He couldn't understand why he was here when he should have been dead.
There was no memory of killing the woman in front of him.
*Woo——*
Suddenly, the sound of police sirens in the distance pulled him out of his daze.
He realized a serious problem.
"No matter how unfamiliar the scene is, if others see this, they'll probably assume I killed this woman..."
Just then, translucent blue text appeared before his eyes along with the mechanical voice that had sounded in his mind.
[Options system has been linked]
[Beginner gift pack: Japanese (S) (native-level language proficiency)]
[The system will issue corresponding rewards based on the choice made by the host]
[The van is a closed space, the woman has been stabbed multiple times, the sirens are getting closer—what will you choose to do as the presumed killer?]
[1. Do nothing, wait silently for the police to arrive, then turn yourself in and admit you killed the woman]
[Reward: Recovery Card x1 (can restore the host's injuries)]
[2. Do nothing, wait quietly for the police to arrive, but deny that you killed the woman]
[Reward: Trait Card x1 (permanently gain a random character trait)]
[3. Escape]
[Reward: Physical Attribute +3]
[4. Before the police arrive, do everything possible to cover up the evidence of the murder and avoid responsibility]
[Reward: Skill Card x1 (permanently gain a random character skill)]
The terrible headache and dizziness from just waking up still lingered in Akikawa Kyousuke's mind.
Although his thinking was severely impaired, the translucent blue text and the mechanical voice in his mind made him quickly understand his current situation.
"Sure enough, I've time-traveled... Something like this really does happen..."
"The beginner's gift includes [Japanese], so does that mean this is Japan?"
Akikawa Kyousuke still had many questions about this so-called system, but he was obviously not in a situation where he could study the perks of being a time traveler.
He didn't know how long he could remain conscious.
"At first glance, there are four options, but option 3 is too outrageous. How could I escape with this body..."
Simply pushing the woman off him had already drained much of his strength.
He had no doubt that if he did any strenuous exercise in this condition, his extremely weak body would collapse immediately like a stack of blocks.
The option to escape was ruled out, and as for the two options of waiting quietly...
Akikawa Kyuosuke had not inherited the memory of the previous owner.
And even if he had, he had no interest in taking responsibility for the previous owner's mistakes.
"The risk of denying is also very high, because currently, it seems highly probable that the original owner killed this woman..."
"In this case, there's only one choice left..."
Akikawa Kyusuke made his decision and turned to look at the woman in the driver's seat beside him.
"The first case occurred on August 2. A note with numbers was left beside the deceased," said a girl with short, wavy black hair, speaking with a smile to the man pinned to the ground by two detectives.
"The second case happened a week later, on August 9. A note with numbers was also left next to the deceased," she continued.
They stood near a residential building beside a highway in Tokyo.
Next to the girl was a grade-schooler wearing a red bowtie and large, round glasses.
"The third case happened a week ago, and another note with numbers was left beside the third victim. At that point, I was sure this was a premeditated series of murders," the girl went on.
"After investigating the background of the three victims, I found they had nothing in common. The numbers on the notes left at each scene were a trick to make unrelated deaths appear as if committed by the same person!"
"Thinking about it this way, the numbers on the note are easy to decipher. The number minus the date is the precise date of the crime," she concluded.
The man pinned to the ground raised his head, looking in shock at the rather delicate-looking high school girl before him.
"W-Who... what are you?"
"My name is Sera Masumi, and I'm a detective."
With a proud smirk, Sera Masumi glanced at the young boy beside her.
Conan opened his mouth slightly, looking at her with a mixture of surprise and irritation; she had not only stolen the spotlight but also his line.
Finally, he held back his urge to complain.
"Thank you, Miss Sera."
"Yes, thank you, Miss Sera," said the two detectives in the room, expressing their gratitude.
"It's fine, it's fine. As for the perpetrators in the three previous cases, just ask him..." Sera told the detectives, instructing them on what to do next.
Conan, standing beside her, glanced out the window towards the highway blocked by a noise barrier.
Just as the suspect was apprehended, a car accident had occurred on the highway.
Although it was likely just an accident, Conan couldn't shake an uncomfortable feeling.
After all, the timing of the accident coincided too closely with the events of the serial murder case here.
"Kid, let's go."
Sera Masumi, having finished her instructions regarding the case, said goodbye to the beautiful Detective Miwako Sato, who was detaining the suspect and answering a phone call. She lightly nudged Conan, who was still staring out the window in a daze.
Conan snapped back to reality, nodded, and followed her.
"I'm Sato. Yes, there was just a car accident on the highway in front of my apartment..."
Detective Sato's voice was heard answering a call.
Then, in the next moment, Detective Miwako Sato's suddenly elevated voice made both Conan and Sera Masumi stop in their tracks.
"Eh? What did you say? I'll be there immediately!"
A new book from a newcomer. I hope all readers will collect, vote for, and read it~
(End of this chapter)
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