A Genius In The World Of Conan

Chapter 15: Critical Error

Sato Miwako’s words made Nakajima Takuto, who had been standing by the wall with his head down, suddenly lift his head in shock. Together with everyone else, he turned his gaze toward the three documents on the table.

On the table were a mandatory liability insurance policy and two life insurance contracts.

The so-called mandatory liability insurance, similar to Japan's automobile liability insurance, is insurance that all car owners in Japan are required to purchase.

Life insurance, on the other hand, is optional and must be purchased from an insurance company.

"Although these documents bear the name Akikawa Ryoko, that doesn’t necessarily mean Ryoko purchased the insurance herself," Sato Miwako explained.

"As long as someone has access to the seal and insurance certificate, whether a child or a spouse, they can purchase insurance on behalf of a family member."

Hearing this, Nakajima Takuto, as if clutching at a lifeline, suddenly exclaimed with excitement:

"If Akikawa Ryoko dies, not only will Akikawa Kousuke gain freedom from his mother’s abuse, but he’ll also receive a huge payout that would secure him for the rest of his life!"

"Death benefits, while considered inheritance, aren’t taxed by the government!"

"Akikawa Kousuke is the greatest beneficiary of Ryoko’s death, and he has a clear motive for murder!"

"He must have planned all this from the beginning, taking out those two life insurance policies on his mother!"

Nakajima’s speech once again drew a look of disgust from Sera Masumi, who turned to him and asked sharply:

"If Kousuke’s goal was the insurance payout, why would he attempt suicide after his mother’s death?"

"Well, he didn’t actually die, did he? He must have known how many sleeping pills he could take without dying, just to cover up the fact that he killed his mother for the insurance money."

"No, Nakajima-kun, you’re wrong about that," Chiba Kazunobu interrupted, leaving Nakajima stunned.

"Last night, the doctor detected a dangerously high concentration of triazolam in Kousuke’s body, determining that the amount of sleeping pills he took was indeed enough to be fatal."

"In fact, it’s strange that he survived at all," Chiba added.

"If his goal was truly the insurance payout, he would never have taken a lethal dose of sleeping pills."

"Then that means—"

Nakajima was momentarily speechless, but after a moment of thought, he hastily replied:

"The insurance policies were purchased by Ryoko for herself, unrelated to Kousuke. Kousuke’s true goal from the start was to kill his mother and then commit suicide!"

Before Sato Miwako could respond, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

"Come in," Sato called.

A young nurse entered the room, looking somewhat apprehensive in the presence of detectives.

"Did you discover something?" Chiba asked.

"Well… Akikawa-san is currently receiving treatment for a fracture," the nurse began hesitantly.

"Oh, I see. Thank you," Sato said, offering a polite smile before softly asking, "Is there something else? Please don’t hesitate to tell us."

Sato’s keen instincts as a detective picked up on the nurse’s unease, prompting her to gently encourage the nurse to speak.

"The doctor… asked me to inquire…" the nurse stammered, "why the patient… was given so much food."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sato asked, puzzled.

"Akikawa-san has liver dysfunction… he shouldn’t eat too much," the nurse explained.

"And even if he eats, he should be taking liver protectants and anti-nausea medications like ondansetron or domperidone beforehand."

"But Akikawa-san ate much more than he usually could, without taking any medication. The doctor found it very strange and asked me to ask about it."

Throughout her explanation, the nurse kept glancing nervously at Nakajima Takuto, who had delivered Kousuke’s breakfast.

Though the nurse had spoken tactfully, Sato Miwako immediately understood: Kousuke’s health had worsened due to overeating, likely exacerbating his existing condition.

Her brows furrowed as she turned to Nakajima and asked coldly:

"Nakajima-kun, you were the one who brought breakfast to Kousuke, weren’t you? What’s going on here?"

"I-I didn’t know! I didn’t hear anything about him having liver failure!" Nakajima stammered, startled.

He was growing increasingly flustered. How could Kousuke have so many health issues piling up? It was a wonder he had even lived to 20 years old.

But Nakajima genuinely had no idea about Kousuke’s condition.

"Wait a moment," Conan interjected, looking at the nurse. "Could Akikawa-san’s liver dysfunction be due to excessive triazolam intake? I recall that overuse of sleeping pills can impair liver and kidney function."

"If that’s the case, Nakajima-san might not have known about it," Conan suggested.

"No," the nurse replied, "the doctor said this was a long-standing issue Akikawa-san has had for a very long time."

"Moreover, Akikawa-san should have shown signs of resistance while eating. He would have known he couldn’t eat without taking his medication," she continued.

"That’s why the doctor found it strange that he ate so much."

The nurse’s words once again directed everyone’s gaze toward Nakajima Takuto, whose face turned even paler.

He suddenly remembered that when he initially offered Kousuke rice porridge, Kousuke had indeed shown reluctance.

Later, under Nakajima’s persistent questioning, Kousuke had experienced severe vomiting.

Nakajima had assumed it was due to stress, but it was now clear that it was caused by liver failure combined with overeating without medication.

As for why Kousuke overate, the reason was obvious:

At that time, Kousuke had been desperate to keep the conversation going, fearing that refusing food would upset Nakajima.

Thus, he had hidden his inability to eat and forced himself to consume excessive amounts.

While Nakajima’s actions could be considered a mistake due to his ignorance of Kousuke’s liver condition, the earlier scene of him pressuring Kousuke to confess in the hospital room had been witnessed by others.

Now, no one would believe his explanation.

Everyone would think—

It must have been Nakajima who forced Kousuke to eat too much.

Realizing the full situation, Nakajima Takuto felt a surge of anger erupt in his chest, so intense he wished he could punch that grown man with the mind of a child.

‘If you couldn’t eat, if you have liver failure, why didn’t you say anything?!’

‘Why did you force yourself to eat, only to throw it up?!’

‘How could anyone be this stupid?!’

Nakajima cursed Akikawa Kousuke in his mind.

When he snapped back to reality, he noticed that, aside from the young nurse, everyone in the room was glaring at him with anger.

For Nakajima, the glares from others were bearable, but the seething look from Sato Miwako sent chills down his spine.

Sensing the tension, the young nurse quickly left the room.

Sato Miwako slammed her palm onto the table, the sound reverberating through the cramped room with a sharp bang.

"Nakajima Takuto! Don’t you, as a detective, understand that investigations require evidence?!"

Using his full name, Sato’s tone clearly showed she was at the peak of her fury.

"It’s been less than 24 hours since the incident, and the precinct’s investigation has just begun. Yet, you acted on mere speculation and coerced a confession from a suspect!"

"Is getting credit for solving the case more important to you than uncovering the truth?!"

"If Akikawa Kousuke, as frail as he is, isn’t the perpetrator, but you forced him to confess, would you still claim credit, ignoring the harm you’ve done?"

"N-No! I’d never do such a thing!" Nakajima hastily denied.

However, Sato’s expression showed no sign of belief.

"Tell me, what else are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

Frightened by Sato’s fiery demeanor, Nakajima’s face turned pale as he quickly defended himself.

"Fine. But if I discover you’ve hidden anything else or acted improperly, you won’t need to be a detective anymore."

"No, Officer Sato, please! I’m sorry, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have acted so recklessly!"

Hearing Sato’s warning, Nakajima immediately apologized repeatedly.

"You won’t be involved in this case anymore. Report back to Officer Toda about everything that’s happened," Sato concluded, though she still offered Nakajima a chance.

If she were to report this herself, Nakajima’s career as a detective would almost certainly be over.

"Understood!"

Feeling as if he had been granted a reprieve, Nakajima bowed deeply and left the room.

Even after leaving the hospital, Nakajima realized his hands were still trembling uncontrollably.

Inside the right pocket of his jacket, his shaking hand gripped tightly around the recording pen he had used in Akikawa Kousuke’s hospital room.

Earlier, upon learning that Kousuke stood to receive over 100 million yen in compensation due to Ryoko’s death, Nakajima had planned to submit the recording pen as evidence.

The pen contained clear recordings of Kousuke lying and fabricating a story about a third person on a motorcycle who had attacked his mother.

It also captured Kousuke, upon hearing that no fingerprints other than his own were found on the dagger, hastily adding the detail about the supposed killer wearing gloves.

However, the recording didn’t just incriminate Kousuke.

It also included evidence of Nakajima angrily berating Kousuke for playing him and coercing a confession.

More damningly, it recorded Nakajima leaking confidential information: that no other fingerprints had been found on the weapon.

Just earlier, Nakajima had believed that even if he faced punishment, forcing Kousuke to confess would allow him to redeem himself.

But after facing Sato’s wrath, Nakajima completely abandoned that idea.

‘How could I hand this over now? If Officer Sato or Officer Toda found out, my career as a detective would be over!’

Nakajima shuddered at the thought.

He knew that by reflexively denying Sato’s questions earlier, he had forfeited any chance of submitting the recording.

‘I don’t care anymore. They can figure it out themselves.’ Nakajima thought to himself as he pulled out the recording pen and deleted the recording that could jeopardize his career.