A Genius In The World Of Conan

Chapter 1: Am I a Murderer?

Ding

Like a dewdrop falling into a calm lake, a crisp mechanical sound rippled through Kousuke Akikawa's mind, stirring a faint wave across his consciousness.

As he gradually regained awareness from unconsciousness, the first sensation to flood Kousuke's mind was a splitting headache, akin to the aftermath of a night of heavy drinking.

His body felt as if it had been filled with molten lead, rendering it unbearably heavy.

The metallic taste of iron spread across his mouth. Kousuke recognized this flavor immediately—it was the distinct tang of hemoglobin from blood.

The dizzying whirl of images before him gradually stabilized.

The next moment—

The scene before his eyes made Kousuke’s eyes widen in shock.

A locked and enclosed van.

A windshield riddled with spiderweb-like cracks, obscuring any view of the outside.

And the source of the oppressive weight on his body—a woman collapsed on top of him.

Kousuke tried to push the woman off him.

As he moved his fingers slightly, he felt a hard, sticky sensation.

Only then did Kousuke realize that he seemed to be holding onto something.

Using all his strength, he managed to push the woman off himself and onto the passenger seat to his right. It was only then that he got a clear look at her condition.

The woman beside him was in a horrifying state—

Her neck, chest, and abdomen were riddled with stab wounds.

Her beige T-shirt was thoroughly soaked with blood, which, under the dim light, looked like a grotesque and sinister painting.

The hard sensation Kousuke had felt earlier came from the knife hilt embedded in the woman's abdomen, while the sticky sensation was, without a doubt, her blood.

It was clear the woman had been stabbed to death.

Recalling how she had been draped over him when he woke up, and the fact that his hand was still gripping the knife plunged into her abdomen even after regaining consciousness, Kousuke's heart began to race.

Though Kousuke had encountered death many times before, the scene before him—while jarring—paled in comparison to the sheer disorientation of finding himself in an entirely unfamiliar situation.

‘Where is this?’

‘Who is this woman?’

‘Why am I still alive?’

Kousuke couldn’t understand why he, who should have been dead, was now here.
Nor did he have any memory of killing the woman before him.

Woo-woo—

Suddenly—

The sound of a police siren blaring in the distance jolted Kousuke from his thoughts.

It dawned on him immediately:

‘No matter how unfamiliar this scene is to me, if anyone else were to see it, they’d undoubtedly think I was the one who killed this woman…’

As this thought raced through his mind, a translucent blue font accompanied by a mechanical voice suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Choice System Bound]

[Newcomer Gift Pack: Japanese (S) (Native Level)]

[The system will issue rewards based on the choices made by the host.]

[Faced with a locked van, a woman stabbed to death, and the approaching police sirens, what will you do as the suspected murderer?]

1. Do nothing and wait for the police to arrive. Confess to the crime and admit that you killed the woman.
Reward: Recovery Card x1 (heals the host’s injuries)

2. Do nothing and wait for the police to arrive, but firmly deny killing the woman.
Reward: Trait Card x1 (permanently grants a random trait from a character)

3. Run away immediately.
Reward: Physique +3

4. Cover up all evidence of your involvement before the police arrive to evade suspicion.
Reward: Skill Card x1 (permanently grants a random skill from a character)

The throbbing headache and dizziness from earlier still lingered in Kousuke's head.

Though his ability to think had been severely impaired, the sudden appearance of the translucent blue font and the mechanical voice confirmed his suspicion.

‘So it’s true... I’ve transmigrated into another world.’

‘The newbie gift includes Japanese, which means... this must be Japan?’

Though Kousuke Akikawa still had many doubts about the so-called system, this clearly wasn’t the time to leisurely study the benefits of being a transmigrator. He didn’t know how much longer he could remain conscious.

‘At first glance, there are four choices, but Option 3 is completely unrealistic. With this frail body, there’s no way I could escape…’

Even pushing the woman off him and back into the driver’s seat had taken a tremendous amount of effort.

Kousuke had no doubt that attempting any vigorous movement in this state would cause his feeble body to collapse like a house of cards.

Escape was ruled out. As for the two options to stay and wait...

Kousuke didn’t possess the original host’s memories before transmigration.

Even if he did, he had no interest in taking responsibility for crimes the original host had committed.

‘Denying it also carries a huge risk since, as things stand, it’s highly likely that the original host killed this woman…’

‘That leaves only one option.’

Resolving himself, Kousuke turned back to the woman slumped in the driver’s seat beside him.

—

"The first case occurred on August 2nd. A note with a number was found beside the victim."

"The second case took place a week later, on August 9th, with another numbered note left at the scene."

Inside a residential home near a national highway in Tokyo, a girl with short black wavy hair stood before a man pinned to the floor by two detectives in uniform. She was smiling as she spoke.

Beside her stood a boy in a red bow tie and oversized round glasses.

"The third case happened a week ago. Once again, a note with a number was left beside the victim. That’s when I confirmed it—this is a premeditated serial murder."

"After investigating the victims’ information, I found that they had no connection to each other."

"That means the notes left at the scenes were a deliberate ploy by you and your accomplices to disguise unrelated murders as the work of a single serial killer!"

"Once I realized this, the meaning of the numbers became clear. Subtract the number from the date, and you get the location of the next crime."

"Y-you— who are you?"

The man on the floor struggled to lift his head, staring in shock at the androgynous and strikingly handsome high schooler in front of him.

"I’m Sera Masumi, a detective."

Sera Masumi turned to glance at the boy beside her, the corners of her lips curling into a smug grin.

"..."

Conan’s mouth hung open in speechless disbelief as he stared at the tomboy who had not only stolen the spotlight but also his usual line. In the end, he swallowed his urge to retort.

"Thank you, Sera-san."

"We couldn’t have solved this without you."

The two detectives in the room expressed their gratitude to Sera Masumi.

"No problem. As for the culprit behind the first three cases, you can just ask him…"

Sera Masumi directed her instructions to the detectives. Meanwhile, Conan gazed out the window at the highway opposite the apartment, partially obscured by soundproof barriers.

During the arrest, a traffic accident had occurred on that highway.

Though it was likely just a simple car crash, Conan couldn’t shake a sense of unease.

After all, the timing of the accident coincided too perfectly with the conclusion of the serial murder case.

"Hey, kid, let’s go."

After giving directions about the follow-up investigation, Sera Masumi lightly kicked the dazed Conan, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Conan nodded and followed her to leave.

"This is Sato speaking. Yes, a car accident occurred just now on the national highway across from the apartment I’m in—"

Detective Sato Miwako’s voice echoed in the room.

But then—

In the next instant—

Her sudden, raised voice made the two detectives stop dead in their tracks.

"What?! What did you say?! I’ll be there immediately!"