Mirza Aaqib Beg
In the fourth episode of ‘In/Spectre’ season 2, Kotoko, or the Goddess of Wisdom explained to Muroi the reasons why the police are not suspecting him anymore. While the shocking facts of the case came to light, Muroi and Yuki-Onna were left dumbfounded. It was later revealed that Kurou had actually accompanied his girlfriend for the rendezvous but remained hidden the entire time because Kotoko had rightly estimated that Yuki-Onna would get scared of him.
Kotoko Helps Muroi
Kotoko assures Muroi that he is already out of hot water since the police no longer consider him a prime suspect. She reveals that the law enforcement authorities found that nothing was actually stolen from Miharu following her murder. Kotoko argues that if he actually tried to kill Miharu then his ex-wife would have definitely tried to use the written statement against him as a means to negotiate. Furthermore, in case he had gone through with the murder, Muroi would have most likely tried to visit his ex-wife’s apartment to ensure that the statement never landed in the hands of the police and would have been caught on CCTV cameras.
In addition to all this, Muroi would have also tried to steal a few of Miharu’s belongings or rearranged her clothes to make it seem as though the culprit was a thief or a sexual predator. But police found no evidence of any such effort and all other proof including Muroi’s statement to police only painted him in a bad light, something a murderer would have been well-prepared for according to Kotoko. In order to assure that the police no longer consider him a prime suspect, Kotoko reveals that she also used ghosts to overhear the discussion between the investigators of the case.
That gave her theory even more legitimacy and Muroi finally felt a lot better. Kotoko then advises Muroi that even though human and yokai relationships are usually never long-lasting or free of conflict, he should take his opportunity and spend as much quality time as he can with Yuki-Onna. Interestingly, that’s when Kurou accidentally spills his tea and it is revealed that he has been there all this time. Since a yokai like Yuki-Onna may see him as a monster and get scared, Kotoko has lied that he had not come with her for the meeting.
Who Killed Miharu? What Was the Motivation Behind the Murder?
Before telling Muroi the name of the killer, Kotoko argues that the culprit has to make sure that he has no alibi. Since Muroi is a very private person, the list of suspects was already not too long, but this argument by Kotoko directly pointed toward the murderer. Muroi already realized and knew that the killer was none other than Nagisa Iizuka, his former colleague who calls just when Kotoko is explaining her theory. He reminisces that on the day of the murder, she had called him to make sure that he is alone at his apartment and engaged him briefly with small talk. This meant Muroi had no alibi from Nagisa’s perspective and she used this chance to kill Miharu.
Furthermore, Kotoko has also talked to the ghosts on the murder spot who have seen the crime being committed and their description clarified that Muroi could not have been the killer. She then investigated further and was eventually able to figure out that the woman responsible for the crime was none other than Nagisa, which further legitimized her theory. Kotoko later reveals that Nagisa used to love and respect Muroi for a long time. So when it became common knowledge that he has been cheated on by his then-wife, she started hating Miharu.
Since Muroi had refused to take her help and had closed himself off completely to stay in his room for months, she plotted his wife’s murder in the meantime. She met Miharu on the evening of the crime on the pretense of discussing her relationship with Muroi and also the fact that her ex-husband may wish to get back together with her. This was enough to interest Miharu, who eventually took Nagisa to the riverbank, unbeknownst to her intentions. Nagisa used the opportunity and got rid of Muroi’s wife. Now it may seem strange that she did all this for Muroi but eventually ended up writing his name on the victim’s hand.
Kotoko explains that Nagisa’s love was quite twisted. She wanted to make Muroi a murderer in everyone’s eyes so that she can use the chance to become his only support system. Since this will make him rely on her, she planned to use this opportunity to make an emotional bond with him. While the plan on the surface was not that horrible, she miscalculated a few factors and the police ended up finding too much evidence that painted Muroi in a bad light. Luckily, a few facts of the case did not make sense with Miharu’s ex-husband as the prime suspect, otherwise, he would have been in deep trouble.
Read More: In/Spectre Season 2 Episode 3 Recap and Ending, Explained
