Hattori's expression darkened the moment he stepped inside.
His sharp eyes immediately locked onto Kazuha, who was holding a little boy so close to her!
Even to a child, Hattori still felt an overwhelming sense of jealousy seeing it.
Especially because of this brat—where were his tiny hands even placed?!
That spot…!
That was reserved for Kazuha's future children!
Instantly, Hattori's blood pressure spiked.
At that moment, he finally understood what Conan had felt before.
Complete and utter displeasure.
But unlike Heiji, Kazuha remained oblivious to any tension in the air.
Instead, she beamed excitedly at him.
"Heiji! Akashi knows who the real culprit is!" she said, practically bouncing in place.
Hattori's eyes narrowed at the statement.
However, he quickly concealed his reaction and casually covered up the fishing line he had just discovered.
Then, he sighed and said,
"Kazuha, you're way too naive."
"You really believe what a kid says? You have no idea what that even means."
"Why don't you put him down already? I just cracked the secret room mystery."
"Come with me to the study—I'll show you the answer."
Kazuha hesitated.
She was reluctant to let go of Akashi.
After all, it wasn't every day she got the rare chance to hold this adorable little boy!
And what's more…
He actually seemed so close to her!
Just as she was debating, Akashi—still nestled in her arms—let out a mocking sneer.
"Charcoal-head detective," he said slowly, tilting his head, "you must've thought the trick involved using fishing line to pull the key from the door crack, right?"
His eyes gleamed with undisguised ridicule.
"??"
"There's no way someone could actually be stupid enough to fall for that!"
The words were infuriating.
Hattori froze for a split second, then veins began twitching violently on his forehead.
"…C-Charcoal head?!"
That damn brat!
Pfft—Hahahaha!
Before he could react, Kazuha burst into laughter.
But the moment she saw Heiji charging forward, she instinctively shielded Akashi and sidestepped away.
"Heiji, don't act like this!" she scolded, still giggling.
"If you keep this up, I'll tell your mother!"
At her threat, Hattori froze.
His face turned red—but because of his naturally dark complexion, it wasn't noticeable.
Instead, he gritted his teeth and turned his fiery gaze toward Akashi.
"Oi, brat," he growled, trying to keep his cool.
"Explain yourself."
"What's this 'fishing line pulling the key' trick you're talking about?"
"And what do you mean by 'misled'?"
His voice wavered slightly as he spoke.
After all, this was a locked-room mystery he had spent so much time piecing together.
Even Kudo, the so-called genius detective from Kanto, hadn't solved it yet!
And now—
Now a kid, barely seven or eight years old, had completely called him out?
Unbelievable.
Akashi barely spared him a glance.
Instead, he casually wrapped his small hands around Kazuha's neck and leaned his head against her shoulder.
A simple movement—
Yet it inflicted critical damage on Hattori.
His blood pressure skyrocketed again.
But Akashi finally spoke.
"Still pretending to be clueless?" he snorted.
"The method you were thinking of was this—"
"Pass the fishing line through the key and into the deceased's pocket."
"Then, use a poisoned needle to kill the victim."
"After that, shut the door, pull the key outside with the fishing line, and then transfer it back into the deceased's pocket, making it seem like the room was locked from the inside."
"Sounds clever, right?"
"But too bad—"
"This trick would've never worked."
Hattori's pupils shrunk.
Akashi smirked.
"The reason?"
"The victim's pocket was double-layered."
"The key was inside the innermost compartment of that double-layered pocket."
"When the deceased was sitting down, the fabric was wrinkled and obstructed."
"With just a simple fishing line, there's no possible way to maneuver the key into the deepest part of the pocket."
"In other words—"
"Your theory is completely unrealistic."
"And besides…"
"Don't think that just because you found a fishing line, you've found real evidence."
"If you search other rooms, you'll probably find plenty more lying around."
"You were completely led astray."
Silence.
A chilling silence descended upon the room.
Hattori's expression stiffened.
His face remained dark as ever, but his lips—the only visible feature that could betray his emotions—turned pale.
He couldn't believe it.
The theory he had spent so much time formulating—
Completely shredded apart.
By a seven-year-old brat!
This kid…
This kid…!
He was too smart!
How?!
He hadn't even examined the crime scene up close.
He hadn't even seen the victim's body.
And yet—
How did he know all of this?!
Hattori felt a chill creep down his spine.
Hattori stared at Akashi, a strange sensation creeping over him—something eerily close to fear.
Even if he didn't want to admit it, he had to face the truth.
He hadn't lost to Kudo from Kanto—he had been utterly defeated by an elementary school kid.
The realization stung.
Still, Heiji swallowed his pride and asked,
"Then… do you know who the real murderer is?"
But Akashi didn't even spare him a glance.
He acted as if Heiji's words didn't exist.
Instead, it was Kazuha who quickly spoke up, recounting Akashi's deductions.
She hesitated, then said,
"Heiji… according to Akashi, the victim, Isao Tsujimura, was a disgusting man—he… he wanted to commit incest."
"He planned to assault his own daughter-in-law."
"That's why Akashi doesn't want to help expose the truth!"
Hattori's eyes widened.
Shocked didn't even begin to cover it.
"Wait, no way—he wanted to…?"
"But he's a diplomat!" Heiji blurted, his voice laced with disbelief. "Doesn't he care about his reputation?"
Akashi snorted, his expression filled with contempt.
"Because he's a diplomat," he said, "he was desperate to keep all of his scandals buried."
"If you don't believe me, go check Isao Tsujimura's bedroom."
"You'll find old photographs of his wife, Mrs. Tsujimura, from when she was young."
"And when you do—"
"You'll finally understand."
Hattori didn't hesitate—he immediately turned on his heel and stormed toward the bedroom.
Kazuha followed close behind, still holding the succubus-like shota in her arms.
Meanwhile, back in the guest room—
Conan, who was lying on the bed drenched in sweat, couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"Damn it…"
"Can't you just explain the entire mystery at once?! What are you, the Riddler?"
But before he could think any further—
A sharp pain tore through his body.
His breath hitched.
And then—
His body began to change.
Kudo Shinichi was now online.
Inside the Tsujimura family's bedroom, both Hattori and Kazuha stood frozen in place.
Their eyes were locked onto an old framed photograph of the young Tsujimura couple.
Their breath caught in their throats.
Because—
When Kimie Tsujimura was young, she looked exactly like her daughter-in-law, Yukina Katsuragi.
A cold shiver ran down their spines.
Could it be…
Was there a blood relation between them?
Anyone who saw the photo would immediately come to the same, horrifying conclusion.
Akashi, still lazily draped over Kazuha's shoulder, merely smirked.
As expected.
Yes—
Kimie Tsujimura and Yukina Katsuragi were actually mother and daughter.
And Kimie Tsujimura…
She wasn't originally Isao Tsujimura's wife.
She was kidnapped by him.
Once upon a time, Kimie Tsujimura had been the beloved wife of Kenichi Yamashiro, a respected diplomat.
Together, they had a daughter.
But one day—
Isao Tsujimura, consumed by lust and ambition, plotted against Kenichi Yamashiro.
He framed him for a crime he didn't commit.
Kenichi was thrown into prison, where he eventually died an unjust death.
And Kimie Tsujimura?
With no one left to protect her, she was forcefully taken by Isao Tsujimura.
A perfect replacement for his deceased wife.
He kept her hidden, locked her away, and claimed her as his own.
Years passed.
Kimie Tsujimura grew older, and her beauty faded.
But then—
One day, Isao Tsujimura discovered something shocking.
At a school board meeting, he came across a young woman named Yukina Katsuragi—
A girl who looked identical to Kimie Tsujimura in her youth.
His obsession reignited.
He dug into her past and soon learned the truth:
Yukina Katsuragi wasn't just a random girl.
She was the daughter of Kenichi Yamashiro and Kimie Tsujimura Tsujimura.
His former enemy's daughter.
She had been adopted into another family, her name changed, her past erased.
And now—
Now she was within his grasp.
So he orchestrated a plan.
He arranged for her to marry into his family.
A twisted, perverse act of possession.
Not only did he want to defile his former enemy's wife, but he also wanted to do the same to his enemy's daughter.
It was disgusting.
It was monstrous.
And Kimie saw through it all.
She had endured humiliation for decades.
But this—
This was the final straw.
To protect her daughter, she took action.
She killed Isao Tsujimura.
And then—
To keep their true identities hidden, she deliberately treated Yukina coldly in public.
She needed to protect her, even if it meant acting cruelly.
She was a tragic, yet respectable mother.
And Akashi understood this better than anyone.
That's why he refused to expose the truth.
Even if it meant losing a few Yin energy, it didn't matter.
Besides—
He was simply waiting for the right opportunity.
The perfect chance to deal with Isao Tsujimura's resentful spirit.
To torture this bastard evil spirit well.
It was a pity, though.
Ever since he got stuck being carried around by beautiful girls—
He hadn't had the chance to act.
What a waste.