Chapter 6

Murder on D Street is the 6th chapter of the Bungo Stray Dogs manga.

Synopsis
Atsushi accompanies Ranpo, a genius detective who's also very obnoxious, to the site of the murder case. A detective named Yamagiwa had been found dead in the river, shot three times in the chest. Her boss, Minoura, is the officer in charge of the case and is initially dismissive of Ranpo's help because he thought he was just an amateur who reads too much detective novels, but he is quickly proven wrong when Ranpo uses his ability, Super Deduction, to figure out that the culprit of the murder is Officer Junsa Sugimoto, Yamagiwa's junior who is also on the scene. This is proven by the three missing bullets in his gun. It turns out that Yamagiwa had been investigating a corrupt senator, and Sugimoto had been paid off by that senator to get rid of the evidence, but ended up shooting her and tried to get rid of the body. Atsushi later learns that Ranpo doesn't actually have an ability, he's just incredibly gifted, which is why his attitude goes unchecked at the Agency.

Summary
As the agency cleans up following the attack from the Black Lizard, Kunikida tells Ranpo he has received a request to investigate a murder, as Ranpo arrogantly talks about how everyone relies on him helplessly, making his way to leave when he stops and accidentally steps on a book. Atsushi tells Ranpo that he is stepping on a book that needs to be returned to a shelf, the shelf being right beside Ranpo. Ranpo steps off the book and has Atsushi pick it up himself, Atsushi shows visible confusion, seeming to doubt Ranpo's confident words from earlier. Kunikida smiles to Ranpo and says the agency is counting on him, Ranpo goes on to talk about how the agency would crumble without him, to which everyone except Atsushi agrees to. Kunikida sends Atsushi to go work with Ranpo, Atsushi thinking he was going to be Ranpo's assistant when Ranpo tells Atsushi he is just coming along because he doesn't know how to ride the train.

Atsushi and Ranpo arrive at the murder scene beside a river, a police officer, Minoura, annoyed from their tardiness before telling them they aren't needed for the case as the case. Ranpo calls him an idiot, telling him a famous detective must solve different cases. The accompanying officer lifts a sheet to reveal the body of a woman, her blood staining her chest. Ranpo takes off his hat in respect as the 2 officers explain that the body was discovered this morning, 3 shots to the chest and no other information. Ranpo asks if, in order words, they know nothing, to which the head officer agrees to, telling him that even more of a reason they shouldn't leave such a case to amateurs like him.

Suddenly, another body is caught in a net the police had set up to prevent any possible evidence from being washed away. Everyone panics after seeing it's a person, thinking there was a second victim when the person caught in the net is Dazai. Dazai calmly asks if Atsushi was working, and Atsushi asks if he was trying to commit suicide again, Minoura in confusion when he heard the word again. Dazai dramatically says that after the incident with Higuchi, he realized that he must die by a double suicide as it would be empty to leave the world all alone, so he is trying to recruit a beauty to die with him. Atsushi asks why he was floating in the river then, and Dazai explains he was just taking a dip. After Dazai is let out of the net and learns of the murder, he kneels beside the woman's body dramatically in despair, saying she since she was going to die anyway she should've committed double suicide with him, going on to say he's an extraordinary famous detective and will surely avenge her.

Ranpo says they can't do much since they aren't famous detectives, referring to Minoura's insult of calling them amateurs earlier. Ranpo brightens up, asking the accompanying officer his name. He introduces himself as Officer Sugimoto, a junior of the murdered Miss Yamagiwa. Ranpo slaps a hand on his shoulder and tells him he is now a famous detective and will solve this case in 60 seconds, at first, Sugimoto panics. When Ranpo tells him his time is ticking he quickly straightens up and says that Yamagiwa was working on a case involving a suspected corruption among some politicians and was tracking activities of the mafia, pointing out how the 3 bullets in her chest are similar to the mafia's retaliation methods and that the mafia could've killed her to hinder the investigation.

Dazai interrupts, telling Officer Sugimoto that he's wrong. Dazai says that the mafia retaliatory methods are to have the traitor bite a curb, kicking their head in, turning the victim over then shooting him in the chest 3 times. Meaning that the culprit was trying to frame the mafia, Sugimoto becomes sad from the information, asking how someone could shoot an extra 2 bullets just for the sake of a disguise. Ranpo happily tells Sugimoto his 6- seconds are up, to which Minoura tells him he needs to grow up and learn that detection is unrealistic and that crimes are solved with the investigation.

Ranpo tells him that a famous detective wouldn't need to investigate and that once he activates his super deduction the case will be solved, Ranpo being able to know the culprit, when the murder took place, how they killed, the evidence and where to find it, and how to interrogate the culprit into a confession. Minoura doubts Ranpos words saying that the entire police force wouldn't be needed if such a thing was true. Ranpo says he is exactly right, agreeing with Minoura saying that the police force isn't needed. Minoura becomes aggressive, Dazai quicking cutting between the two. Ranpo announces his motto: "If I'm okay, everything's' okay!", Dazai's motto: "To commit a neat and glamorous suicide in good cheer.", and Atsushi's motto: "Isn't it quite nice just to be alive?". Minoura tells Ranpo to start doing as he talking, saying Ranpo will be humiliated if he fails, asking Ranpo if he wants him to count to 60.

Ranpo smirks, saying it isn't needed. Dazai tells Atsushi to observe the ability that keeps the agency running, Ranpo puts on his glasses, a flash of light comes and goes as Ranpo pauses for a moment, saying "Oh. I see.", Ranpo points to Sugimoto, saying that he is the culprit. Minoura laughs, asking if Ranpo's ability is to make people laugh, questioning how the murder themself would be at the crime scene. Ranpo says it's exactly as said, and that the murder would like to stay close to the scene, asking for Sugimoto's gun to prove his claim. Sugimoto stammers that he cannot hand his gun over to a civilian as he would get into trouble, Ranpo saying that if there isn't any evidence in the gun, then he is just as Minoura says he is.

Minoura tells Sugimoto it's alright, and to show him his gun, Sugimoto suddenly becoming silent. Ranpo says that he's acting as such because he's trying to figure out an excuse for the 3 missing bullets in his gun, Sugimoto slowly moves his hand to his utility belt, grabbing the gun and pointing it to Ranpo, Dazai suddenly pushes Atsushi forward and Atsushi quickly pins Sugimoto into the ground as the gun fires. Ranpo crouches next to Sugimoto, saying that the time of the crim was yesterday morning, the crime scene was the abandoned shipyard 140 meters upstream, and if they go there they'll find the Sugimoto and Yamagiwa's footprints, and the blood splatters he'd left.

Back at the station, Sugimoto explains in an interrogation room that he didn't plan to shoot Yamagiawa. Yamagiwa had been looking into a corruption case involving some politicians, as she looked into the case it seemed that a large senator was also involved. However, this senator had a mole in the police force just in case to get rid of possible evidence found, Sugimoto being the mole. Sugimoto says that when he was training to be a police officer, he failed the entrance exam 3 times, the senator helping him pass the exam to become an officer if he would follow his orders.

The scene cuts to a flashback of Sugimoto and Yamagiwa, Sugimoto trying to convince Yamagiwa that they're serious but Yamagiwa brushes him off. Sugimoto pulls out his gun, telling her to hand over the evidence, or else the senator will hire a hitman on her and get her killed. Yamagiwa tells Sugimoto to put down the gun as she knows he won't shoot her, Sugimoto agrees, putting the gun to his head. Yamagiwa panics, running over to Sugimoto and fumbling around to grab the gun when Sugimoto accident fires, shooting her in the chest, whispering something before falling dead in front of him.

Ranpo says that if such information came out Sugimoto would've been fired, so he then called the senator and followed his instructions to disguise the crime as a mafia hit, destroy the evidence Yamagiwa had collected, delay the discovery of the body by placing it into the river. Minoura asks where the evidence Yamagiwa collected was and that they must expose the senator and avenge Yamagiwa. Ranpo steps behind Sugimoto, asking Sugimoto is he would like him to guess Yamagiwa's last words, "I'm sorry.". Sugimoto cries, saying the evidence is in the drawer of this desk.

As Dazai, Atsushi, and Ranpo are thanked my Minoura before they head back to the agency, he apologizes to Ranpo for doubting his ability. Ranpo smiles, saying that if they ever come across any more tough cases he'll let them use his ability with a discount. As they head back to the agency, Dazai, and Atsushi trailing behind Ranpo, Atsushi gushes about how amazing Ranpo's ability was. Dazai says he can understand about half the case, Atsushi asks what he means by understanding and Dazai says that Ranpo had deducted nothing with his ability as he isn't an ability user. Atsushi is extremely confused and surprised, Dazai explaining that Ranpo is very rare among ability users assembled at the agency because he just an ordinary person, he just acts as if he has an ability.

Atsushi asks how it was possible for Ranpo to deduce the crime so easily then, and Dazai recalls Sugimoto saying the culprit had shot the body twice more to disguise it as a mafia hit, and that an innocent person would see a person with 3 bullet wounds and assume they were all shot at the same time, yet Sugimoto had assumed the first bullet was shot, and then the other 2, and that, of course, he would know such a fact without before the autopsy report because he is the shooter. Atsushi asks how Ranpo could've figured out the time of the murder, and Dazai explains that the body was in good condition and couldn't have floated in the river for more than a day. The day before, was Tuesday, a working day, yet the body was in casual clothing and wore no makeup. Yamagiwa was a busy police officer with frequent overtime shifts, wearing casual clothes and no makeup could only mean the murder was before work, in the morning.

Atsushi asks about how Ranpo knew about the location of the murder and how the murder was done but Dazai says he couldn't figure it out. Atsushi asks about how Ranpo could've guessed her last words when Dazai explained the although it was said Yamagiwa was single, she and Sugimoto wore matching expensive watches, Yamagiwa having the woman's version and Sugimoto having the men's version. She agreed to meet Sugimoto so early because they were lovers, and she trusted him. That also explains why Sugimoto didn't break her face by kicking her head in because he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Dazai turns back to Atsushi, asking if he finally understands why the agency tolerates Ranpo's attitude and respects him.

Chapter Notes

 * It is revealed that Ranpo has a fake ability and only uses his true intellect to solve cases.

Trivia

 * The title of this chapter refers to Murder on D Hill, a book written by Ranpo Edogawa.