"Kuroiwa and Nishimoto were originally supposed to be killed tomorrow night…"
Hoshimiya Yuu finished cleaning up the few traces left behind and stroked his chin, pondering.
The full moon typically spans two days around the 15th of the lunar calendar.
According to the original timeline, Asai Narumi, wanting to expose the truth of the incident, would deliberately leave a cipher and play the Moonlight Sonata after the murder.
However, because Hoshimiya Yuu and Ran already knew the truth, Asai Narumi no longer did this.
It was clear from Hideo Kawashima's death that she was no longer interested in elaborate methods and only sought to complete her revenge.
This meant the remaining two drug traffickers could be killed at any time.
"Looks like I'll have to work a few extra days."
Hoshimiya Yuu muttered to himself with a hint of helplessness.
The butterfly's wing effect was beginning to show.
Originally, he only needed to follow Asai Narumi tomorrow night to help her destroy the clues and evidence, but now he had to pay constant attention and be ready to act at any moment.
Hoshimiya Yuu was prepared to work a few extra days, but Asai Narumi didn't want him to be so burdened.
After returning to the main hall, Asai Narumi, now a murderer, instinctively kept her distance from Ran.
Ran's intuition was incredibly sharp, and she instantly sensed what had happened during Asai Narumi's brief absence.
Looking at Asai Narumi, whose expression was calm but whose smile was gone, Ran could no longer restrain her inner sorrow.
Her purple eyes welled up with moisture, and her pity was almost tangible.
Asai Narumi fought hard not to look at Ran and continued to execute her revenge plan.
Her next target was Nishimoto, the most timid and physically weakest of the group.
"Mr. Nishimoto, Mr. Kawashima asked me to give this to you."
Using the name of the dead man, Asai Narumi handed Nishimoto a note demanding a private meeting.
Asai Narumi was unconcerned about whether Nishimoto would fall for it.
Because the note also contained an explicit threat.
Given Nishimoto's timid nature, he would absolutely show up.
Before long, Hoshimiya Yuu once again saw Nishimoto and Asai Narumi appear outside the Community Hall.
With so many people in the main hall, Asai Narumi certainly wouldn't choose to kill there.
So, after she returned to the hall, Hoshimiya Yuu had been waiting in a corner of the Community Hall.
Tonight, almost all the villagers were attending the memorial service. As long as they left the hall, there was no fear of being seen.
Nishimoto arrived at the agreed-upon spot but saw Asai Narumi, who had handed him the note, instead of Hideo Kawashima.
Just as he was about to ask what was going on, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his throat.
He instinctively reached up to touch it, and a warm, wet sensation came back.
His hand was warm, but Nishimoto's heart was icy cold.
Soon, he went cold all over.
Asai Narumi, a medical graduate with a formal license, knew the human body intimately.
A swift, clean cut severed Nishimoto's throat and ensured he made virtually no sound.
The only drawback was that she inevitably got a few drops of splashing blood on her.
Fortunately, it was only a few drops, and combined with the black evening dress, it would be almost unnoticeable.
"Tsk, tsk, that was swift…"
"Indeed, people who study medicine are ruthless, especially beautiful doctors like this."
Looking at Asai Narumi's retreating figure, Hoshimiya Yuu couldn't help but recall a news story from his previous life.
A female medical student furiously stabbed a cheating man a dozen times, carefully avoiding all vital organs. The resulting injury was only minor or slight, if he remembered correctly…
Once Asai Narumi was far away, Hoshimiya Yuu began his practiced cleanup: destroying evidence and clues.
He also moved the body away from the immediate scene to confuse the police's judgment.
The third time's the charm, combined with the Yellow-Haired Kishida incident, this was the third time, and Hoshimiya Yuu found himself becoming increasingly proficient in body disposal.
In just five minutes, he had everything handled.
All that remained was to find an opportunity to burn the black evening dress Asai Narumi was wearing. Even if the police knew Asai Narumi was the murderer, they would have no evidence to arrest her.
After taking care of Nishimoto, with only the last target, the current village chief Kuroiwa, remaining, Asai Narumi did not feel relief; instead, she felt a greater heaviness.
Not only because of the killing itself, but mostly because the current village chief Kuroiwa would be difficult to kill.
As the current village chief, Kuroiwa would not leave the main hall casually.
And he was almost always accompanied by his secretary and his daughter.
Kuroiwa had a daughter named Reiko Kuroiwa.
She was twenty-seven years old and had a fiancé.
Due to growing up in wealth, she had developed an arrogant and bossy personality.
Especially after her father became the village chief, she was even more unrestrained on Tsukikage Island, practically looking down on everyone.
Her fiancé was a groom-to-be who had been adopted into the family, and they were almost always by Kuroiwa's side.
Asai Narumi couldn't find an opportunity until the memorial service ended.
If she weren't set on dying in the flames, accompanied by the piano music, just like her deceased family, she would have directly and openly dealt with this last enemy.
But if she committed the act openly, she would surely be apprehended, and her wish to be reunited with her family would fall through.
At midnight, after the memorial service ended, villagers gradually returned to their homes.
Asai Narumi and Ran were among the crowd.
Hoshimiya Yuu, seeing this, also stepped out of the shadows to meet the two.
"Hoshimiya Nii-san, when did you get here?"
Ran was pleasantly surprised to see Hoshimiya Yuu, but seeing Asai Narumi beside her, she couldn't bring herself to be happy.
"I arrived a while ago, but it seemed quite serious inside, so I didn't go in."
Hoshimiya Yuu smiled and looked at Asai Narumi. "Dr. Asai, good evening. Was everything smooth?"
"It went fairly smoothly."
Pulling at the corner of her mouth, Asai Narumi revealed a complex, unreadable smile. "Only one left, and then I can face my family with a clear conscience…"
Seeing the sadness and distress of Ran next to her, she didn't continue.
"I'll take my leave now." Asai Narumi quickened her pace, leaving the space for Hoshimiya Yuu and Ran.
She didn't want to see Ran look so sad, but she wasn't in a position to comfort her, so she could only hope Hoshimiya Yuu could talk some sense into Ran.
Some people were perceptive, and others were not.
Asai Narumi had just left, and before Hoshimiya Yuu could even speak to Ran, a smug, overbearing female voice abruptly cut in.
"Hey, handsome fella."
Ignoring the embarrassed look of her fiancé beside her, Reiko Kuroiwa swaggered up to Hoshimiya Yuu.
"I've never seen you before. You must not be a local, right?"
"That's right. I just arrived from Tokyo today."
"So, a handsome guy from Tokyo."
Reiko Kuroiwa's eyes lit up. She quickly extinguished her slender cigarette, leaned close to Hoshimiya Yuu's ear, and whispered, "Want to come over to my place? Just the two of us."
Hoshimiya Yuu naturally understood the meaning behind her words. He had encountered such invitations before.
But Reiko Kuroiwa was the first to be so aggressively impatient.
It seemed that [Dashing] was indeed more effective than [Handsome]. He hadn't noticed much difference before, probably because the affection levels of Ran and the other women were already high enough.