"The Short-Haired Corpse" (2014/2020) by Yuugo Aosaki

A couple of months ago, I reviewed “Knockin’ on Locked Door,” the first of the same-titled series by Yuugo Aosaki. Shortly after posting that review, Bad Player of Bad Player’s Good Reviews by Bad Player mentioned that he had translated the second story in that series, “The Short-Haired Corpse.” It was originally published in the December 2014 issue of Dokuraku magazine. After some fumbling on my part, he shared his translation with me, allowing me to share with you all another case from the Knockin’ On Locked Door Detective Agency.

To my surprise, Aosaki switched narrators. The previous story was narrated by whydunit specialist Hisame, this one is narrated by howdunit expert Tori. And like in the previous story, it looks like our narrator will be sidelined. The victim is Zenda Mika, the leader of theater troupe Wood Ear. She was found strangled in her own apartment’s bathroom, laying in a running shower in her underwear. Okay, not super interesting on its own for a pair of great detectives, but there’s one other odd bit about the crime scene: the killer cut her hair down to the shoulders.

The rest of the story takes place in Zenda’s apartment as our detectives and the police try and figure out who the killer is and why they cut her hair. Ideally solving the latter will point towards the killer. Tori mostly sits and makes comments since this is Hisame’s domain but, just like in the last story, the narrator gets the last laugh and details how the crime was accomplished, pointing directly at the reason for the killer’s actions.

Aosaki shows a lot of creativity, coming up with two reasons for the killer to cut Zenda’s hair. The first, false explanation would have been enough on its own, but Aosaki outdoes himself. Like the best mystery stories, the final explanation hinges on a misunderstanding, a reversal of the “known” facts of the case. But unlike some of those stories, it’s not just, “You realize X and instantly solve everything,” as Tori’s explanation of the killer’s actions is quite involved. And yet, the clues are all there. Seemingly irrelevant details set up not just “Why the killer did this,” but also, “Why the killer didn’t do this.”

That being said, this is another story where the suspects are literally just pictures with descriptions, no interactions with them at all. And the story isn’t quite as balanced as “Knockin’.” There, both Hisame and Tori got equal billing, with Tori explaining the locked room but Hisame getting the final say about the motive. Here, Tori gets to explain everything, and the reviews I’ve read indicate that the imbalance between “why” and “how” is a persistent issue throughout the series.

But for now, this story is great. BP and Ho-Ling both compared this series to“Popcorn”; a nice, light, treat. If I binged them, I think the charm might wear off but reading them one at a time keeps my attention on Aosaki’s creativity and skill. Recommended.

And if anyone happens to have finished translating the third story… 

Other Reviews: Bad Player's Good Reviews, The Case Files of Ho-Ling.