Abstract

A killer's severed head found at the crime scene?!

A gruesome murder case with severed heads, hands, and feet—
Solved in just a single day by a "temporary" irregular investigator?!

Brought to you by the eccentric genius Jun Kurachi,
A masterpiece of black humor and honkaku (authentic) mystery!

The sheer acrobatics of this deduction
Will leave your jaw on the floor!

Freelance writer Koichi Orimoto, along with his eccentric, otherworldly friend Keitaro Kuze, is hired as an "Irregular Investigator"—a temp gig where they must submit a report after just one day of experiencing a real investigation. The scene of their assignment is a residential home where a brutal robbery-homicide took place. Oddly enough, ten days after the incident, what appears to be the culprit's severed head was found resting atop the home's gatepost. Was it the work of a vigilante "agent of justice," or a sick prankster? As the mystery deepens, Keitaro calmly announces right at the end of their shift, "I've solved it."

Follow this "temp agency" detective duo as they nonchalantly and brilliantly unravel a bizarre, macabre case in this humorous honkaku mystery!

[Table of Contents]
The Killer Returns to the Scene (Head Only) – The Head Severer
Reaching Out to Where It Itches (With One Extra Hand) – The Arm Severer
Bad News Travels Fast (On Only One Foot) – The Foot Severer
Parting Ways Across the Border of Life and Death (With Neither Head, Hands, nor Feet) – The Dismemberer

Author’s Information

Here is a natural and polished English translation for this author profile (倉知淳 / Jun Kurachi):

Born in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1975, he graduated from the Department of Theatre, Nihon University College of Art. He made his literary debut in 1994 with I Don't Want to Go Out on Sunday Night (Nichiyo no Yoru wa Detakunai). In 1997, his novel Murder in the Mountain Villa of Falling Stars (Hoshifuri Sanso no Satsujin) was nominated for the 50th Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Best Novel category). He won the 1st Honkaku Mystery Grand Prize in 2001 for Heaven in a Pot (Kochu no Tengoku). In 2025, his work Don't Play with Corpses, Adults (Shitai de Asobuna Otonatachi) was nominated for the 78th Mystery Writers of Japan Award (Best Novel category). His extensive list of works includes the Nekomaru Senpai series, The Case of the Person Who Died After Banging Their Head Against the Corner of a Tofu Block (Tofu no Kado ni Atama Butsukete Shinde Shimae Jiken), The Serenity Desired by the World (Sekai no Nozomu Seihitsu), The Rough and Vague Notice from the Phantom Thief (Ozappa katsu Ayafuyana Kaito no Yokokujo), The Lover Who Kills (Koisuru Satsujinja), and A Sweet Song to a Cat's Ears (Neko no Mimi ni Amai Uta wo).