Chapter 1
The chapter opens with a vivid description of Nakano Central Park’s “Dead Bench,” a white wooden seat notorious for its eerie orange sodium‑lamp glow at night. Around 00:10 on October 1, a man referred to as “A” sits defiantly on the bench when a second figure, “Z,” draws a pistol and fires. The first shot clatters off the bench; a second 22‑calibre round strikes A’s left flank, causing severe bleeding. A tries to stand, collapses, and after a painful, prolonged struggle dies.
Later that morning, Kanda Ryūichi, a pharmaceutical sales manager, walks the park’s back‑door route, notices a fresh reddish‑black stain and a tiny hole in the bench’s backrest, and recognizes it as a bullet wound. He imagines the shooting scene and proceeds toward the park’s ornamental water fountain.
Police arrive: a patrol car is followed by an initial investigation team and subsequently a senior detective squad. They locate the victim’s body near the fountain’s tiled area, retrieve two 22‑calibre bullet casings, and document two bullet holes—one in the bench, one in the victim’s abdomen, the latter lodged partially in the bench backrest. The corpse is a well‑dressed man in a navy blazer with gold buttons, white enamel shoes, and a neatly cut haircut. His identification papers reveal the name 秋葉好一 (Akihō Koichi), age early thirties, resident of Meguro’s Jiyūgaoka, and occupation listed as a cabaret performer.
Detectives (a senior and a junior) begin their investigation, noting the lack of witnesses, the narrow time window (approximately 23:40–01:00), and possible motives linked to the victim’s lifestyle. They interview the head of the talent agency, Komagome, who confirms that Akihō works for the agency impersonating the famous singer Jackie Ueno. Komagome explains that the agency prohibits Akihō from pursuing regular acting, mentions his habit of burning fan letters, and notes his numerous romantic entanglements, including a dispute involving his sister.
The detectives also identify a potential witness, flight‑attendant Otsuka Hiromi, who claims she was in a hotel in Hakata (Fukuoka) that night, alone in her room after a briefing, providing an alibi for the murder period. Another person of interest is freelance writer Maba Gōsaku (real name 目白幹雄), who lives in a luxury Aoyama apartment. Maba alleges that on the night of the murder he was driving along the Chiba coastal road, stopped at a disco, met two intoxicated women (one with false eyelashes, a mole, a dimple, wearing a blue skirt; the other in gray suede shoes with an eight‑tooth smile), and later returned to his car, placing his whereabouts away from the crime scene during the critical window.
Further details emerge: the park’s water fountain features three small bronze mermaids spraying water; the bench’s backrest bears a fresh blood‑like stain; the victim’s ID also lists him under the stage name “Mickey Nakano.” Detectives note the victim’s pattern of burning fan letters, his financial motives, and the jealousy his many liaisons may have provoked.
The chapter concludes with the detectives planning next steps: verifying Otsuka’s hotel records, checking Maba’s travel logs, and gathering more information on the two women he described, while preparing for additional interrogations and awaiting further forensic analysis.