She filled them with rice and meat. Then the bowl found its way back to its owner. The latter began to eat in silence.
There was an uncomfortable calm in which his father eyed him with an exasperated expression on his face. His son responded by staring stubbornly at his bowl and chewing to himself.

After a while, the only woman in the room broke the silence.
"Heiji, what's the reason?"
Her son continued not to reveal his knowledge.
"Heiji, your mother asked you a question!", Heizo urged him to answer strictly.
Heiji looked up and looked over at whoever was sitting across from him.
"Had an argument with Kazuha again?"
"No!", Heiji said with a quick temper and quickly looked regretfully at the bowl on the table in front of him.
Again everyone was silent. Heizo let it rest for the moment, due to a reassuring look on the part of his wife, and continued to eat.

Shizuka watched her son poking around listlessly in his food.
"Is'u not hungry?", Heizo grumbled and frowned at his son.
"No." he said, barely audible.
"Now tell me, Heiji! Before I lose my patience with you.", His father insisted angrily for an answer.
The accused in this interrogation jumped up angrily: "Leave me alone! I can't talk to you about it! Damn it, just leave me alone!"
He fled hastily to his room.

Downstairs you could hear the door slam as soon as it did. Heizo's wife had lost her appetite as well. She got up, took the dishes and put them in the sink.
"What does he think of talking to me like that? And you let him have his own way too!", Heizo snapped at his wife angrily."Leave him alone. There are only arguments.", She soothed him.
For a brief moment she looked at her husband: "Did you notice the expression on his face?", She then asked her husband.
"What expression on his face?" He asked back, confused.
"The one from just when you mentioned Kazuha.", A fleeting smile betrayed what she was thinking as she continued her cleaning job. Her husband, on the other hand, stayed where she was, not one bit smarter.
Heiji spent the rest of the evening lying in bed.

Kazuha met him in class. She had sat in her seat. But now she came towards him: "Hello, Heiji."
"Hey.", It came back from him kindly. He sat in his seat
"How nice, your mood is better.", She was visibly pleased.
Not really.
Heiji laboriously dug out his teaching materials.
Since he was very late, the teacher came in.


After school, Heiji went to the police station alone.
As always, there was a lot of activity there. The detective passed his father's office. However, this was not occupied.
Determined, he headed for Otaki's door and knocked.
"In."
"Good afternoon, inspector.", Heiji greeted him politely.
"Ah, Heiji. Nice to see you. What can I do for you?"
"The question is more, what can I do for you?"
Otaki looked puzzled.
"You wanted my advice, didn't you?"
Otaki's doorbell rang: "Oh yes, that's right. Here." He gave the young detective two portfolios.
It was the autopsy reports. Heiji opened the cover of the first folder and read it carefully:

Name: Miyazawa, Midori

Nationality: Japanese

Place of residence: Osaka

Size: 1.65 cm

Weight: 65 kg

Occupation: student

He turned the page.

Location: Ogimachi City Park

Death by: suffocating

Date of death: October 23; 5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.


The detailed report on the next page.


First page of the second folder:


Name: Akiyama, Yumi

He paused briefly at the young woman's surname, but then let it go.

Nationality: Japanese

Place of residence: Osaka

Size: 1.61 cm

Weight: 58 kg

Profession: High school student

Location: Ogimachi City Park

Death by: suffocating

Date of death: October 30; 5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.


When he had finished, he handed the two folders back to Inspector Otaki: "And what's the problem? It's actually quite obvious."
Otaki cleared his throat: "Well.", He looked expectantly at Heiji: "Don't you notice anything?" The young detective thought about it, then suddenly it fell like scales from his hair. "Police officers ... Inspector Miyazawa ... and. .. Inspector Akiyama. ", Softly, almost in a whisper, he uttered the names of the two police officers in shock and Otaki nodded.
There was silence for a few seconds
Finally the inspector began, "The case has been transferred to our sector as both Miyazawa and Akiyama have been given temporary leave of absence due to bias."
"What is known about the perpetrator?" Asked the student detective.
"Not much yet. We strongly suspect, however, that it must be someone who the two of them put behind bars at some point over the years ...""And now it's about revenge.", Heiji completed the sentence.
"Neither was there any message or message found on the dead?" He wanted to know.
Otaki said no, shaking her head slightly.
"Hm ... really not that easy. What do Akiyama and Miyazawa say about that?"
"Unfortunately not much. Both are currently in shock and are receiving psychological support".
Heiji was about to reply when the inspector's phone rang. While Otaki was on the phone, Heiji considered.
He was so busy with himself that he didn't even notice the phone call was coming to an end. Suddenly the inspector tore him, with the words: "There is a third victim. Sakutes boy!", Torn from his thoughts.
"What?" Said Heiji, startled.
"I was called to the crime scene.
"I'll come with you."


When they got to the scene, many police officers were already there. Heiji got out of the car with Otaki and two other police officers.
Then he followed the inspector, who approached his colleagues.
"Hello, my son.", He was greeted by his father, who was also here.
Tomaya greeted him too.
Heiji did it to them with: "Hello." equal.
Then he followed his father's gaze, who, like the others, looked to the side.
It was the little boy's body that was being carried by two officers on a stretcher to a car, where another policeman opened the doors. The child was pushed inside, the doors closed, and the car drove off towards the autopsy.
It got smaller and smaller and then disappeared completely _in the already very far advanced twilight.
The chief inspector took the floor: "Shouta was found by his nanny about an hour ago. She is currently not available. Sakute has already been notified. He should be here at any moment."
"Do you think it is the same perpetrator?" Otaki expressed his suspicion sadly.
"Yes. It looks like it.", Heiji's and Kazuha's fathers answered.

Heiji slowly moved away from the others and carefully looked at his surroundings.
He walked slowly towards the nanny. That sat on a bench with its head turned to the ground.
"Hello. May I sit down with you?" The detective addressed the young woman in a friendly manner.
She looked up slightly, nodded, wiping her tears with the palm of her hand.
Heiji sat down next to her.

Without further action on his part, she began to tell: "I went to the playground with him. His ball ... his red ball ... I went across the street to get him back." A shudder made her shiver . Sobbing, she continued: "I came back and he ... he was no longer there ... I had just let him out of my sight for a moment."
"Did you notice anything", Hattori asked carefully. The nanny just hastily shook her head.
It got loud ...

Commissioner Sakute came running towards Heiji's father and the others, his voice heard all the way up to Heiji.
"Where is he? ... Where is my son?" Completely dismayed, he discovered the young, black-haired woman with the long hair.He roared at her and Heiji, furious with anger and desperation. He stopped in front of the two of them: "It's your fault! You didn't take care of him properly!", With these words he slapped her in the face.
Both Hattori, Kazuha's father, and Otaki, and Heiji responded immediately. Several other police officers also ran to it. With difficulty, Mr. Sakute was withdrawn and detained. Slowly, very slowly, he sank down on the meadow and began to cry in despair.
The nanny also cried: "It's all my fault." Heiji tried to comfort the bitterly whimpering woman: "I'm so sorry ... I'm so terribly sorry for everything."
Otaki had gone to get reinforcements.
After a short while he came back and Mr. Sakute and the nanny were taken away.
Heiji, like the others, looked after him in shock. Nobody said a word until Heizo finally broke the silence: "Come on Heiji! It's time."
Then he turned to his colleagues: "It's late. We'll finish for today." Determined, he walked towards the car. Heiji ran after him.
His thoughts were so deep that he hadn't even heard his father. When he finally reached him, he looked at him sternly: "Heiji, you will stay away from crime scenes in the near future. Is that clear ?!"
Heiji just nodded. Both got into the car and drove home in silence. Heiji avoided looking at his father.


At home Shizuka was already waiting for the two of them: "There you are at last," she greeted them with relief.
She had already been waiting at the front door when father and son got out. While Heiji, tired and exhausted, was hanging up his jacket, his mother informed his father that Yumi and Midori would be buried at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Without answering, Heizo went into the kitchen where his wife had put the food on the table. Heiji and his mother sat down. Not a word was spoken during the meal. Nobody liked the soup, although it was prepared exactly as usual. Each of the three was deeply affected. To Heiji, his problems suddenly seemed completely insignificant.

After dinner he went upstairs to his room, his parents were talking quietly. He closed the door and threw himself on his bed in frustration.

The next morning his mother woke him up lovingly. Then she left the room. When Heiji had got ready, he trotted slowly, still deeply shaken, down to his parents in the kitchen.
The doorbell rang. His father opened