Darya Dmitrieva

A Genius In The World Of Conan

Added 2025-01-29 18:04:00 +0000 UTC

Chapter 20: Clearing the Suspicion

Kousuke Akikawa’s voice wasn’t particularly loud,

Yet his questioning carried an immense pressure that weighed heavily on everyone present.

In criminal investigations, interrogating a highly suspicious suspect was standard procedure.

However, when summarized from the perspective of the person being accused—Kousuke Akikawa—Their actions seemed like nothing more than unreasonable accusations and deliberate harassment.

If their deductions had successfully exposed any contradictions or uncovered new clues, it would have been justifiable.

The problem was that, in the end, even they couldn’t logically explain the actions they had “imagined” Kousuke Akikawa, as the supposed culprit, to have taken.

And it wasn’t just Sera Masumi—Even Conan himself realized that he had never truly considered this issue.

Kousuke Akikawa was, without a doubt, the prime suspect in this case.

Conan had worked backward from the assumption that Kousuke Akikawa was the culprit,

Then combined that perspective with the crime scene evidence to deduce his supposed method of committing the crime.

But he had completely overlooked the consistency of Kousuke Akikawa’s actions.

A criminal wipes off their fingerprints to conceal their identity as the murderer.

But if Kousuke Akikawa had already decided to commit suicide,

Why would he go through the unnecessary trouble of erasing his fingerprints?

‘At the end of the day, how did he even survive after ingesting an overdose of sleeping pills without taking any countermeasures?’

Conan continued searching for a flaw in Kousuke Akikawa’s statements,

Trying to find a logically sound explanation.

But for once, his usually sharp mind hit a dead end.

He realized he could no longer construct a reasonable method for how the crime was committed.

‘At this point, the most logical conclusion is the one Kousuke Akikawa himself proposed—That there really is another murderer.’

‘And Kousuke Akikawa was simply extremely lucky to have survived being force-fed a lethal dose of sleeping pills.’

Conan thought to himself.

Then, he looked up at Sera Masumi—

And saw that the tomboyish detective from England now wore an expression full of embarrassment.

She, too, had come to realize that she had wrongfully accused Kousuke Akikawa.

As for detectives Sato Miwako and Takagi Wataru,

They were visibly shaken by Kousuke Akikawa’s accusations.

They had always prided themselves on upholding justice and responsibility in their investigations.

But now, Kousuke Akikawa mistook them for being no different than Nakajima Takuto,

A detective who had no qualms about using coercion and false accusations to secure a conviction.

“N-No, Akikawa-san, you’ve misunderstood us. We were just trying to confirm the facts of the case.”

“That’s right. This is a necessary part of the investigation. After all, Akikawa-san, you were the primary suspect in this case. We had to verify your involvement.”

Sato Miwako and Takagi Wataru hurriedly apologized to Kousuke Akikawa.

At that moment, Takagi Wataru’s phone suddenly rang.

“It’s the forensics department.”

He whispered before stepping outside to take the call.

Moments later, Takagi Wataru returned to the hospital room,

Then quietly relayed what he had learned from forensics to Sato Miwako and the two detectives.

“The medical examiner has determined the cause of Akikawa Ryoko’s death—It was excessive blood loss due to stab wounds.”

‘It wasn’t asphyxiation, but rather blood loss… So the first attack wasn’t aimed at the throat after all.’

Sera Masumi nodded slightly.

Both asphyxiation and severe bleeding could lead to rapid death,

So the attack on Akikawa Ryoko’s neck likely didn’t happen early in the assault.

This aligned with their initial assessment based on the strangulation marks.

“There’s one more thing—The forensic team found that over 80% of the victim’s wounds were slanted toward the left.”

‘Slanted left… That means the killer used their right hand to attack.’

‘Only then would the wounds on the victim’s body be angled toward the left.’

The realization struck Conan instantly.

‘Most people don’t deliberately conceal their dominant hand when committing a crime,
But even knowing that the killer was right-handed—What use is that information?’

Conan rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

“Hey, kid.”

Just then, Conan felt someone tap his shoulder a few times.

He turned around and saw Sera Masumi, looking even more embarrassed than before.

“What’s wrong, Sera-san?”

Conan asked, puzzled.

“You said the murderer’s dominant hand is their right hand, right?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

Right-handed people were far too common in this world.

And unlike previous cases where there were only three suspects to narrow it down,

This time, knowing the culprit’s dominant hand didn’t seem all that useful.

“Then there’s absolutely no way that Akikawa committed the crime.”

“Huh? Sera-san, how can you be so sure? Is Akikawa left-handed?”

“No.”

Sera Masumi said, lightly tilting her chin toward Kousuke Akikawa’s direction.

Conan turned his gaze toward Kousuke Akikawa on the hospital bed.

The moment he saw the cast wrapped around Kousuke Akikawa’s right arm,

It was as if an explosion went off in his mind.

‘That’s right! His right arm was broken in the car accident yesterday!’

‘That means there’s absolutely no way he could have committed the crime!’

A sudden wave of panic surged within Conan.

Not only because—

He had just realized that his supposedly foolproof deduction had been completely mistaken.

But also because—

He finally understood that Kousuke Akikawa wasn’t a suspect,

But a victim.

A man who had lost the only family member he had in this world—

And had barely survived himself.

And yet, due to his arrogance and misjudgment,

Kousuke Akikawa had been subjected to further harm.

Sera Masumi quietly relayed her conclusion to Sato Miwako.

Upon hearing that Kousuke Akikawa’s broken right arm made it impossible for him to have committed the crime,

Sato Miwako’s expression turned deeply uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry, Akikawa-san.”

Sato Miwako, Sera Masumi, Conan, and Takagi Wataru all bowed deeply in apology toward Kousuke Akikawa.

“It was our misjudgment. You indeed had no means to commit the crime.”

“We will do our best to find the true culprit who harmed Ryoko-san.”

“...”

Kousuke Akikawa silently gazed at the four people bowing before him.

After a brief pause, he slowly spoke:

“I just have one question.”

“If I hadn’t just refuted your claims, would you have simply arrested me as the murderer?”

“No! Absolutely not! The Metropolitan Police would never arrest someone without solid evidence!”

Kousuke Akikawa’s words made all four of them flinch.

Sato Miwako quickly clarified.

As a detective with a strong sense of justice, Sato Miwako had always upheld fairness and impartiality in her investigations.

The fact that she had become an assistant inspector in the First Division at such a young age was a testament to her exceptional abilities.

She had never feared criminals or murderers.

But she did fear having her integrity as a detective questioned—or worse, losing the trust of the people she was supposed to protect.

And yet, this time, due to her subordinates acting on their own accord, and her excessive reliance on the detectives’ deductions, she had allowed a victim to suffer additional harm.

Sato Miwako sincerely apologized, hoping to salvage the Metropolitan Police’s image in Kousuke Akikawa’s eyes.

But she did not see any sign of trust on Kousuke Akikawa’s face.

Instead, she saw him avert his gaze,

His voice low as he muttered:

“I’d like to rest now.”

It was clear—

Kousuke Akikawa had absolutely no trust in them.

And after everything that had happened today,

He didn’t even feel comfortable expressing his true thoughts.

Sato Miwako wanted to explain that they would never resort to coercion or false accusations.

But she knew—

Without concrete actions,