"Fujino pushed the stone slab open with force, revealing a winding staircase before him.
Following the stairs downward, they led to a dimly lit tunnel.
Puddles dotted the floor of the tunnel, and droplets of water fell from the stone walls into them, producing steady drip-drop sounds.
Fujino scanned his surroundings and spotted a half-open iron door.
From inside that door, faint light seeped through.
Suddenly, a wailing cry echoed out from within.
Fujino tensed instantly.
Peering through the gap in the door, what came into view was a room resembling a prison cell.
Inside, a man with long, disheveled hair and beard was locked in a cage.
At that moment, he was frantically tearing at a worn-out bedsheet, crying out in anguish toward a gray-haired woman wearing a black burlap dress standing outside the cage:
"Mother! Let me turn myself in!"
"No, Akio!"
Tears glistened in Mrs. Yamada's eyes. "As long as we wait until the statute of limitations expires, we can have a fresh start!"
"I've had enough of this life—every night I see Father's face in my dreams!"
As he spoke, Akio desperately slammed his head against the iron bars, screaming with every impact, "Let me die!"
"Akio!"
Outside the cage, Mrs. Yamada helplessly used her hands to protect his head. Her already rough hands quickly became covered in scratches from the repeated blows.
Moments later, Yamada Akio finally quieted down.
It was only then that Mrs. Yamada crouched down and gently stroked his matted hair, softly comforting him: "What's done is done. No matter how painful it is, the dead cannot return. Just hold on a little longer—once the statute of limitations passes, everything will get better…"
So they're the culprits of the haunted house murder case, huh?
Standing in the corridor, watching the scene unfold, Fujino already had the whole picture in his mind.
He had a fair understanding of the statute of limitations.
In every country, criminal cases are subject to statutes of limitations.
If that period passes without the crime being discovered or prosecuted, the culprit is no longer held accountable, and the judicial system has no authority to prosecute them.
But for someone like Yamada Akio, who still clung to his conscience—what good would that statute of limitations do?
The irreparable trauma would forever fester in his heart, and each night's sleep would be haunted by the faces of those he had killed.
"The dead may not return, but the guilt will forever linger in the heart of the murderer."
Collecting his thoughts, Fujino leaned against the wall and muttered to himself.
"Who's there?!"
Hearing movement, Mrs. Yamada quickly wiped away her tears, grabbed a fruit knife from the ground, and spun around.
[Notification: Detective Time activated. Countdown: 0-0-59]
Hearing the system prompt, Fujino silently gripped the card in his hand, taking a deep breath.
Looks like I need to hurry…
Taking another steadying breath, he pushed the door fully open and stepped inside. "My name is Fujino. I'm a detective."
"Detective?!"
Mrs. Yamada's gaze flickered with panic as she stared at the young man before her. "Why is a detective like you here?!"
"Of course, I'm here to investigate the murder that took place five years ago."
At her question, Fujino calmly fixed his gaze on her and spoke slowly: "Five years ago, there was a home invasion and murder here. The victim's wife and child moved away long ago, and the killer has yet to be caught… But strangely enough, ever since that mother and child moved out, this house has been the subject of all kinds of ghost stories."
Pausing for a moment, he chuckled softly. "But now, the truth behind those ghost stories has become quite clear."
"If I'm not mistaken, you two must be the Yamada mother and son from that case five years ago, right?"