Chapter 54

The Perfect Murder and Murderer Part 1 is the 54th chapter of Bungo Stray Dogs.

Summary
The chapter opens with Mushitarou Oguri killing someone with a shovel. It then focuses on Ranpo Edogawa in a bear costume. He visits Doppo Kunikida and says that Kunikida has been framed by Dostoyevsky and that he will prove Kunikida innocent. When Ranpo runs back, he crashes into Edgar Allan Poe, who is reading a mystery magazine at the moment, wondering what the solution could be. Ranpo removes the head of his costume and explains the reason why he is wearing a bear costume - he had to help a local shop owner as part of his punishment for ignoring the president's orders not to attack the mafia.

The two head to the windows while Ranpo tells Poe of his suspictions that there might be a 'Cleaner' between the Rats, and that he owes said 'Cleaner' due to the fake police data that tricked him. Ranpo only knows his face. Poe initially doesn't think much about the case, but realizes there's something to Ranpo that forces him to work together.

Not getting any further, Poe switches from topic and starts talking about the mystery in the magazine. He says that it was the author himself who died before the fourth and last chapter could be released. The method was the same as in the writer's stories. The killer apparently took the manuscript because the trick to the murder was revealed in the fourth chapter. Many people have tried solving this, but came up empty. Poe had been thinking of it, but didn't solve it yet, after which Ranpo remarks that Poe must have a lot of free time.

When Ranpo takes a look in the magazine, he says he figured out the murderer in a few seconds. He also says that the murderer had two motives: resentment and money. According to Ranpo, the murderer was close to the author and was waiting for the fourth chapter to finish so it could be illegally sold after they had killed the author - to Poe.

Trivia

 * In this chapter, Yokomizo is mistakenly referred to as female.