"Wonderful, Ms. Okino Yoko, your suspicion has been cleared."
The happiest person after Yoko Okino's name was cleared was not Yoko herself, but Mouri Kogoro, who joyfully grabbed her hand and shook it repeatedly. Yoko could only smile helplessly.
At that moment, her manager quickly stepped forward, pulling Kogoro away. While pulling, he complained: "Do you realize who's at fault for Yoko becoming a suspect?"
Kogoro, pulled aside, scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh. "Ah, I didn't know yokai really existed in this world. Sorry, sorry, it's my fault, my fault."
In truth, not only Kogoro but even Yoko herself hadn't expected this. So she didn't blame him, sighing: "Let's leave it at that, Mr. Mouri. Thank you for your concern. Having a fan like you makes me happy."
As a seasoned star in the entertainment industry, she could tell Kogoro was a devoted fan. When he accused her of murder, he was genuinely distressed. Though he nearly wronged her, it was understandable. Such fans shouldn't be blamed too harshly, but rather cherished.
Kogoro had expected Yoko to resent him, but seeing her defend him instead, he was deeply moved. "Ms. Yoko, I'll be your fan for life."
Even Mouri Ran thought Yoko was beautiful and kind—a truly admirable idol. "Ms. Yoko, thank you. You're such a good person." She bowed deeply to Yoko, embodying the Japanese spirit of courtesy.
"Ms. Mouri, you're too kind." Yoko smiled warmly, comforting Ran and brushing off the matter.
Then she approached Kael, thanking him sincerely. "Mr. Kael, thank you. Without you, I couldn't have cleared my name so quickly. I wonder if you're free tonight—I'd like to invite you to dinner as thanks."
"That won't be necessary." Kael refused without hesitation. He had two girls at home cultivating, and he couldn't leave them unattended to dine with Yoko. There was no need.
Yoko hadn't expected his refusal and was momentarily stunned. Kogoro, however, jumped up angrily: "You lucky bastard, how dare you refuse Miss Yoko's invitation! That's outrageous!"
Ran rolled her eyes, pressing her palm against his head and forcing him to bow. "That's disgraceful, Dad. Apologize."
A daughter forcing her father to bow—truly a reversal of roles.
Inspector Megure said: "Since the truth is clear, we have no further business here. We'll leave this to you, Ms. Isayama."
Mei nodded.
Megure glanced at Kogoro. "I'll be going, old friend."
Kogoro freed himself from Ran's grip, straightened his clothes, and coughed. "Then we'll leave too."
But Mei shook her head. "It's best you don't leave yet. I have something to remind you of."
Megure said: "In that case, old friend, you'd better cooperate. Let's go."
He left with Takagi and Sato.
Kogoro watched them disappear, then turned to Mei. "Ms. Isayama, why did you keep us?"
Mei pulled out several documents, handing them to everyone except Kael. "Here is a confidentiality agreement. Please sign it."
"Confidentiality agreement?"
Kogoro glanced at the document—it warned everyone to forget what had happened and never mention it publicly. Otherwise, if disaster resulted, the Countermeasures Office for Supernatural Disasters would pursue legal responsibility without mercy.
Kogoro frowned, puzzled why such an agreement was necessary. Conan, however, sensed something and feigned innocence. "Ms. Isayama, why must we sign this? Would talking about it cause disaster?"
Ran was shocked, staring at Mei. "Is that true?"
Mei looked approvingly at Conan, smiling. "Smart child. Yes, this must not be spoken of. Yokai are special beings. Human fear or reverence is delicious food for them. They grow stronger by consuming it. Some are even born from human fear. That's why there are so many ghost stories—they empower yokai. Some dead yokai can even revive through such tales.
So in modern times, the government sealed knowledge of yokai, making people believe they don't exist. Thus, the once-common Night Parade of One Hundred Demons has nearly vanished today. Yokai have grown weaker.
That's why you must sign this agreement—to prevent public discussion, avoid fear, and stop yokai from growing stronger."
Kogoro clapped his hands. "I understand now."
Then he pointed at Kael. "But why doesn't he need to sign?"
Mei replied: "Because this young man belongs to our world. He doesn't need to sign."
Kogoro: …
Ah, he had nearly forgotten Kael was from that side. Ran covered her face in embarrassment—sometimes having a father like hers was mortifying.
In the end, everyone except Kael signed the confidentiality agreement, including Mai. Mei collected the documents, then made a call to have the corpse taken away.
"Mr. Kael, may we talk?"