Such a touching friendship, Minamoto Tamako once had a similar one—coincidentally, her good friend also died, and she also wanted the truth to come out.

The only difference is that Owada Kaoru passively waited, while Minamoto Tamako actively pursued the truth.

Fushimi Roku didn't know how to comment on it, so he could only remain silent, listening to Minamoto Tamako's long sighs until the train reached the station, finally getting some peace and quiet.

The second interviewee was the lover's mother. It was only when Fushimi Roku arrived at the doorstep did he find out from Minamoto Tamako that Kujo Hikari's lover's name was Ichikawa Akiyuki.

Suddenly reminded of something, he stopped in his tracks at the small courtyard entrance and grabbed Minamoto Tamako, who was about to ring the doorbell, and asked, "Huh, before Kujo Yuka died, didn't she say she recently hated autumn? Does that mean she had the motive to kill Ichikawa?"

Minamoto Tamako smirked triumphantly, letting out a team leader's signature laugh: "Ha, ha, ha, ha! Fool! Kujo Yuka didn't even know her husband's lover, nor who the lovers were. We confirmed this repeatedly. When she said 'hating autumn,' she meant the season."

Fushimi Roku was quite displeased, feeling that his standing at home was being challenged, and couldn't help but retort, "What's there to be proud of? I didn't know that piece of information. Does mentioning things others don't know make you smart?"

"Of course!" Minamoto Tamako crossed her arms, feeling a satisfying sense of intellectual victory.

Fushimi Roku said expressionlessly, "Fun fact, bananas are toxic; eating too many bananas can be fatal."

Minamoto Tamako was doubtful, "Hmph, you're lying, just pretending to know something I don't..."

"No, it's true," Fushimi Roku turned to look at Taira Sakurako: "Don't believe me, ask Sakurako if bananas have radiation."

Taira Sakurako tilted her head in thought and gave a definite answer, "Yes, I read in an encyclopedia that bananas contain the naturally radioactive isotope potassium-40."

"What?!" Minamoto Tamako was shocked; it was the first time she learned such a thing: "Then, how dare fruit shops sell bananas so openly? I've also eaten bananas before; why am I fine?"

Fushimi Roku pressed the doorbell, hands in pockets, and said, "The radiation dose of each banana is about 0.0778 microsieverts. Eating 250 bananas is equivalent to taking one X-ray chest scan, and to reach a lethal dose, you'd need 35 million bananas, which would take about 200 years to consume continuously."

"..."

Minamoto Tamako was stunned for a few seconds before gradually coming to her senses, stomping her foot in anger, wanting to retort but didn't know what to say.

It seems that showing off intelligence with others' ignorance doesn't really work; it feels like maliciously flaunting one's IQ...

While Minamoto Tamako was pondering this, she suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, back in police school and at the Police Station, you often showed off things I didn't know and mocked me for being an idiot..."

"Don't remember." Fushimi Roku turned his face away and said.

Before Minamoto Tamako could lash out, Ichikawa Akiyuki's mother came to the door.

Knowing that the two police officers were there for her daughter, Ichikawa Riko promptly welcomed them, bringing them into the living room, and not only made tea but also cut fruit, offering a high-level hospitality.

As usual, Minamoto Tamako first soothed emotions, saying the polite phrase "The police are fully investigating, specific details cannot be disclosed," then took out a small notebook and pen to start questioning.

Ichikawa Riko answered every question, cooperating fully with Minamoto Tamako's inquiries:

"Yes, I know that kid Akiyuki was someone else's lover. Although this is indeed immoral, going as far as murder is too much..."

"She didn't leave me anything, just said that if she died, it must be Kujo Hikari who did it. When I heard that, I had a bad feeling..."

"The day before the incident, she was still acting coy, saying she wanted to eat Lorraine Quiche. I made several for her, and even though she hadn't finished them yet, she was already..."

As she spoke, Ichikawa Riko broke into tears.

Having lost her husband in the early years, now depending on her daughter, her daughter's tragic death was like her whole life falling apart.

Minamoto Tamako comforted her a bit, then got up to say goodbye.

The three left Ichikawa's house, wandering and stopping along the streets of Sapporo. Fushimi Roku suggested finding a café to sit down, reasoning that it would be better to meticulously sort through the case details rather than running around searching for useless information.

Minamoto Tamako didn't want to go, but Taira Sakurako agreed, saying she was a bit tired from walking and wanted to find a place to sit and rest.

To accommodate Sakurako, Minamoto Tamako had to agree.

There are quite a few coffee shops in Sapporo City, more stylish than those in Tokyo. For instance, the 'Tea House YUKARI,' where they entered to make a purchase, had been operating for 16 years and might continue to operate in the future.

Fushimi Roku pushed the door open, and as the bells chimed, he looked around; the shop retained a rich Showa-style.

Taira Sakurako was the first to find a place to sit; the waiter handed over a traditional coffee shop menu, and Minamoto Tamako craned her neck to see, wanting to check if there was any coffee she liked or desserts she wanted to try.

Fushimi Roku thought the place seemed like a mix of Japanese and Western vibes, similar to what he saw in period dramas of the Edo Period. The YUKA owner insisted on using Sapporo's old "Okameya" bakery's bread and Kikuchi Coffee's special RI blend coffee beans, but also served Western fast food such as omurice and Napoleon pasta.

As they say, when in Rome, he ordered a classic coffee, planning to taste the local coffee specialty. Minamoto Tamako and Taira Sakurako both ordered desserts, the former wanting to try the old bakery's bread and the latter wanting ice cream.

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