[242] Explosive Lines! Lemon! 

A fire broke out in a mixed-use commercial and residential building, leaving ten charred bodies that were sent to the Unnatural Death Investigation Unit.

Since the corpses were completely burned beyond recognition, identifying the victims proved to be an immense challenge.

The sole survivor was critically injured and hospitalized.

Meanwhile, Rokurou's father arrived at the Unnatural Death Investigation Unit to inform them about the survivor's condition.

At the same time, he demanded that his son, Rokurou, be dismissed from his position...

After thorough analysis, each victim's identity was confirmed.

The man suspected of being the culprit whose skull showed signs of a severe blow and whose waist bore marks of being bound was, in truth, not the perpetrator at all.

All evidence pointed to the incident being a tragic accident.

The only reason this individual stood out from the others was that, when the fire erupted, he used the firefighting knowledge imparted to him by his father to save others.

As he carried victims downstairs, he discovered that the entrance had been engulfed by flames. Left with no choice, he returned upstairs with the victims on his back, hoping for rescue.

Unfortunately, despite his relentless efforts, help never arrived in time.

Upon hearing this, the man's father broke down in tears.

At the same time, after years of inactivity, another man resumed his criminal acts. The stalled clock of Nakado's pursuit of justice began to tick once more.

———————————————————————

With a firm stroke of his pen, Akifumi stared at the board before him, deep in thought.

"Should I fully flesh out the next two episodes?"

The question lingered in his mind.

After skimming through the previous plot points, he made his decision.

"No!"

Revealing everything at once would kill the suspense. Knowing the full story upfront would cause at least half the audience to lose interest.

A little mystery was necessary.

With that in mind, Akifumi scribbled down a few lines:

———————————————————————

Episode 9: The Enemy's Shadow.

Episode 10: The End of the Journey.

———————————————————————

Nakado's long-sought criminal finally emerges, but all the evidence has been meticulously erased.

In court, as Nakado and his team confront the accused, the perpetrator remains unfazed, confident in his defense.

Faced with this deadlock, what will Nakado and his team do next?

———————————————————————

Putting down his pen, he leaned back to rest as usual.

The audience watching the live stream fell into stunned silence before the floodgates of complaints burst open.

———————————————————————

"How am I supposed to know what happens next?! Just write it all in one go!"

"Damn it, not this again! Fine, fine, take your break, but get back to writing once you're inspired."

"So, the story is only 10 episodes? That's a shame."

"Judging by the pacing, the plot is incredibly tight—every event links seamlessly to the next!"

"If only it were longer!"

"I wonder how long this old troll plans to rest this time."

"There's barely an hour left! Hurry up, or you won't finish in time!"

"….."

———————————————————————

As if he had heard their cries, Akifumi stood up after just ten minutes.

But when they saw what he wrote next, the audience collectively sensed impending doom.

———————————————————————

"Wait, what is this? It doesn't look like plot development..."

"It looks like... dialogue?!"

"Why are you writing dialogue now?! Just finish episodes 9 and 10 already!"

"Damn it! He's not planning to continue the main story!"

"That bastard! How could he cut off at the most crucial moment?!"

"But... this dialogue is kind of amazing..."

"….."

———————————————————————

Realizing there was no changing his mind, they had no choice but to watch in silence as Akifumi continued writing one electrifying line after another.

———————————————————————

Kamikura Yasuo:

"Forensic science exists for the sake of the future."

"This isn't some divine retribution."

"The dead aren't divided into good or evil, they simply had the misfortune of losing their lives. We, on the other hand, were just lucky enough to survive. The living shouldn't fear death."

———————————————————————

Nakado Kei:

"Our true enemy? Unjust death."

"Forensic science, like medicine, advances every year. More than relying on experience, what truly matters is the current findings. That's everything."

"No matter who they are, once you cut open their flesh, every person is just a lump of meat."

"Am I supposed to care about how others feel?"

"A killer should always be prepared to be killed."

"He acted according to his own will—isn't that fine?"

"The dead won't answer you. The future won't provide an explanation. If you seek forgiveness, live on."

———————————————————————

Misumi Mikoto:

"Human resilience is stronger than you think!"

"Instead of wallowing in despair, eat something good, then get some sleep."

"Forensic science is indispensable to a lawful nation. If it is ignored, then so is the law itself."

"Everyone is a sinner. We work to atone for our sins, so we should finish work early and go home."

"Misumi, why do you work? To survive."

"Dreams aren't that big of a deal. Having a simple goal is enough—like deciding what to buy with your next paycheck, where to go on your day off, or who you're working for."

"Even if I come to terms with things, families of unresolved cases never find closure. Not knowing how their loved ones died, they'll search for answers their entire lives."

"No matter how evil someone is, we can't let murder go unpunished. It's not up to us to decide their fate—that's the law's job."

"Legally, it was ruled a suicide. But I believe he was murdered—by something the law cannot punish. A killing named bullying."

"Forensic scientists are also exceptional doctors!"

"Your life is your own!"

"You can only communicate with someone while you're still alive."

"I've always mistaken my anger for grief."

"I refuse to lose."

"If I lose to an unjust death, I lose to my mother who tried to drag me down with her."

" But every day, people die. With every death, someone grieves."

"With every murder, hatred is born, creating even more grief. There's so little forensic science can do."

"If those caught in unjust circumstances abandon their own lives and commit another injustice, then haven't they lost?"

"Our job as forensic scientists is to examine the dead, uncover the truth, and determine the cause of death."

"Nowhere on the report will it mention the killer's emotions. In front of a corpse, only the undeniable fact of their stolen life remains."

"I don't care how tragic your life was. Your motives are meaningless to me."

———————————————————————

As Akifumi wrote each line, the audience, fans, and even the judges watching were left with chills, their scalps tingling from the sheer intensity of his words.

A complete explosion of brilliance.

———————————————————————

"Whoa! These lines are incredible!"

"Even though it's just text, I can practically see these characters standing right in front of me!"

"This perfectly matches the image of Dr. Nakado in my mind!!"

"That cold-on-the-outside, passionate-on-the-inside personality—it's just too perfect for me!!"

"Mikoto's lines are so profound! This is exactly how a forensic pathologist should be portrayed!"

"To a forensic expert, all unnatural deaths are enemies, huh?"

"It may sound cold, but no matter what the reason is, criminals don't deserve sympathy!!"

"Solving cases from the perspective of forensic science—this concept is absolutely brilliant!!"

"Ahhh! I need to see Unnatural Death come to life! Some production company, please start filming already! Don't make me get on my knees and beg!!"

"…Wait, realizing this is just a script suddenly makes it feel less exciting."

"…."

———————————————————————

Judges' Room

Nojima Shinji let out a deep sigh. "I'm just glad I didn't have to compete with a genius like Contestant #13 when I debuted. Otherwise, I might have never recovered in my career."

"Right?"

"For the rest of us, meeting someone like this is basically a disaster!"

The other two judges nodded in agreement, their expressions filled with a mix of admiration and resignation.

"But for us and the audience, it's an incredible stroke of luck!"

Nojima grinned. "We get to enjoy such an amazing story!"

"I wonder when this drama will finally air..."

"Eh? Nojima-sensei, you're already assuming it'll get produced? We don't even have a studio attached yet."

Nojima rolled his eyes. "With a story this good, do you seriously think no company will pick it up?"

"Actually, I'm more worried that no studio will be able to land it. Contestant #13 is from Shueisha, right? Their company doesn't even have a film production division."

"That's true... They wouldn't go so far as to start a whole new company just for this, right?"

Though Kitagawa said this half-jokingly, Nojima replied in a low voice, "They don't have to start a new company. Just investing some money into a production should be no problem at all."

"Well, that's for the big investors to worry about—it's not our concern."

"Fair point. But looking at this kid's episodic structure, I suddenly got an idea."

"Wait, are you saying you're drawing inspiration from a junior? Yuukawa, don't you feel embarrassed?"

"What's there to be embarrassed about? The best ideas win. Contestant #13's story is brilliant. There are so many aspects worth learning from! If only it were a full-length script already!"

The three judges continued their discussion, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. Watching this unfold, Kana couldn't help but let out a wry smile.

"Sensei, I know you're just speaking your minds, but maybe be a little more mindful of the setting?"

"This is a live broadcast!!"

Kana mentally screamed in frustration.

"Even if the contestants can't see this right now, once they watch the replay after the competition, they'll realize the judges were only paying attention to one person. That's gonna be devastating for the others!"

It was just like an exam where the teacher only focused on the top student, completely ignoring the second and third place scorers.

"That's gotta hurt, right? Just thinking about it makes me sigh..."

Trying to bring things back on track, Kana spoke up. "Judges, we still have over an hour left in the competition. Does that mean Contestant #13 has already completed their entry?"

"Completed? More like overachieved!"

Even though two episodes weren't fully fleshed out, the first eight were already structured so thoroughly that they completely overshadowed the other contestants.

Not to mention the story's concept, narrative quality, and character development—each of these elements was leagues ahead.

"Honestly, if we weren't sticking to the competition format, we could declare the winner right now!"

Kana raised an eyebrow. "So does that mean Contestant #13 can just rest for the remaining time?"

"If it were me, I'd go take a nap on the couch."

Having seen the audience's live chat, the judges knew about Akifumi's earlier actions and chuckled as they teased him.

"Maybe the couch the production team provided was just too comfortable. Next time, we should consider getting a firmer one."

"Hahaha!"

As the judges laughed, Kana forced a strained smile. "I'll be sure to pass that along to the production team."

Then, she added curiously, "But if Contestant #13 is done with his story, what is he doing now?"

"Huh?"

Following Kana's gaze, the judges turned toward the screen and froze.

Instead of leaving after finishing his script, Akifumi was still standing in front of the blackboard.

Just as Kana spoke, his pen started moving again.

"If only all of this were just a dream, so I could still meet you in my sleep..."

"Like retrieving something long forgotten, like retrieving something long forgotten..."

Nojima blinked. "Wait… is he writing a poem?"

"This part… is he talking about Nakado's story?"

"But it doesn't quite feel like a poem either… Strange."