BWDC:SDDK Chapter 33: Batman, Take This! This Is Your Greatest Weakness!
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.
Accompanied by the wail of sirens, the police cars from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department appeared outside the window at just the right moment.
While coming up the stairs earlier, Ren Ichimonji hadn't just been chatting with the two officers beside him.
He had used his phone to send a "Bat-Signal" to Inspector Megure, forcing the Inspector to crawl out of bed in the middle of the night and lead a team to the Nagamitsu villa to see exactly what was happening.
Watching the scene below as Inspector Megure engaged with the officers from the Osaka Police Department before leading his men upstairs, Conan whispered,
"Ren, did you know the truth from the very beginning?"
"...And how did you get Nagamitsu Hideomi's suicide note?"
Setting aside whether Ren really was Batman or not, even the real Batman couldn't pull an answer out of thin air.
Conan prided himself on his deductive and observational skills, which he considered top-tier among detectives. Yet, despite arriving at the scene and learning the facts at the same time as Ren, Ren had somehow secured the key piece of evidence and solved the case a step ahead of him.
It was, frankly, a bit ridiculous.
In response, Ren took a sip of his coffee.
The next moment, those familiar words escaped his lips:
"Because... I'm Batman!"
Conan: ?
Can you stop just standing there with your coffee cup? Every time I ask you what's going on, you just say it's because you're Batman?
Does being Batman mean you can do whatever you want?!
If Ren knew what Conan was thinking, he would have answered him quite seriously:
"Yes, sir. Batman can indeed do whatever he wants."
The main reason was that it was a bit awkward to tell Conan he had found an opportunity to pick Nagamitsu Hideomi's lock before the birthday party started.
Better to just treat it as another one of Batman's mysterious and wonderful little secrets!
Tap-tap, tap-tap, tap-tap.
As Inspector Megure reached the top of the stairs, he looked up and saw Ren Ichimonji, standing out as usual with his coffee cup in hand.
Even though Ren was the one who had reported the crime this time, seeing him at yet another crime scene made the Inspector inwardly complain. Why was this guy at a crime scene two days in a row?
Was he planning to keep this up for a full month, hit a "Reported Crime Grand Slam," and then claim a perfect attendance award?
Shaking his head to clear those stray thoughts, Inspector Megure turned serious and proceeded according to official protocol.
"I've already been briefed by the Osaka officers."
"This Ms. Hyuga is one of the suspects in this case, isn't she? In that case, Ms. Hyuga, and Mr. Nagamitsu, please come with me so we can locate Mr. Nagamitsu Hideomi's body."
"After that, I'll have to ask both of you to accompany me to the Metropolitan Police Department to provide further statements on the case."
Hearing this, Nagamitsu Mitsuaki lowered his head in frustration.
He didn't know how Ren had gotten his hands on Hideomi's suicide note. His plan to frame someone else had failed completely, but... his specialized "Anti-Batman" trump card might still work.
To avoid taking another beating, he would launch his most terrifying and severe attack on Batman just before he was hauled away!
Following Nagamitsu Mitsuaki's directions, the officers from the Metropolitan Police Department successfully recovered Hideomi's body from the pond.
Right next to the pond was the empty patch of land where Mouri Kogoro had passed by earlier, the spot where Musashi Nosuke had mentioned planting a tree.
At the time, Mouri Kogoro had even joked that the pit was big enough to bury him in.
As it turned out, according to Mitsuaki's confession, they really had buried Hideomi's body in that tree pit for a period of time. It was originally intended as part of Mitsuaki's plan to mislead the police after faking his own death.
But now, it was useless.
Because Nagamitsu Mitsuaki had been caught.
With the evidence, the suspects, and the motive all laid out, the officers of the Criminal Investigation Bureau finally demonstrated their expected level of efficiency. They completed the entire investigative process within thirty minutes, and in the blink of an eye, it was time to wrap things up.
"Mr. Nagamitsu, Ms. Hyuga, please get in the car. It's time to head back to the station," Inspector Megure said, standing by the police cruiser.
Takagi Wataru helped the still-distraught Hyuga Sachi into a car, while another officer supported Mitsuaki—who could barely walk straight—on either side to lead him to a different vehicle.
This was mainly because Sachi had already shown intent to kill Mitsuaki.
Although Mitsuaki was virtually guaranteed the gallows for the dozens of lives on his hands, there was always the risk that Sachi might try to finish him off herself.
Rather than risking Sachi's future by putting them in the same car, it was better to keep them separate.
The people inside the Nagamitsu villa began to filter out as well.
Even Nagamitsu Dozo, despite his mobility issues, couldn't stay away. Leaning on Musashi Nosuke, he came outside to watch Sachi being taken away, his heart full of worry.
He was going to hire the best lawyer for her. He'd get that guy from next door, Komikado Kensuke—ideally for a full acquittal!
Ren, coffee in hand, stood at the front of the crowd with Mouri Kogoro and the others.
He looked as relaxed and calm as ever, as if the entire affair wasn't worth mentioning.
However, just as Mouri Kogoro was about to complain about Ren stealing his thunder to lighten the mood, Mitsuaki—who was about to board the police car—suddenly spun around and glared at Ren!
With that single turn, both Conan and Hattori Heiji felt a surge of unease.
Mitsuaki gnashed his teeth and shouted in a slur,
"Batman, I have a riddle for you!"
Ren: ?
You want to be a Riddler too? But that job is competitive; maybe you should try competing with Kaito Kid in your next life.
But Hattori Heiji already knew what Mitsuaki was about to say.
His face paled as he shouted, "Wait! Don't say it!"
Mitsuaki raised his handcuffed hands, pointed at Ren, and yelled,
"What walks into a dark alley on six legs and comes out on two?"
Suddenly, Conan realized it too.
Though he wasn't very familiar with superhero comics, he had definitely heard of a riddle this famous. His hand immediately moved toward the button on his Power-Kick Shoes.
"Is the answer a bowling ball?" Mitsuaki yelled, his speech getting faster.
"Stop it!"
Officer Takagi rushed out of the police car toward Mitsuaki, trying to stop him from continuing.
However, Mitsuaki had already spat out the answer that Batman could absolutely never tolerate:
"Wrong! It's the Waynes!"
Takagi grabbed Mitsuaki by the collar, but it was too late.
The man didn't seem satisfied yet and rushed to add,
"It's because Batman watched that Zorro movie and wanted to experience going into a dark alley! That's why he made his parents take him in there! That's why the murder happened!"
"The one who killed the Waynes was never anyone else—it was always Batman himself!"
Instantly, the entire area fell into a dead silence, broken only by Mitsuaki's triumphant, spiteful laughter.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
However, Mitsuaki's laughter eventually died down.
Because there was one other person on the field laughing.
It was Ren himself.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Hattori Heiji and Conan watched Ren nervously, terrified that he would lose control and kill Mitsuaki right then and there.
Even Mitsuaki grew frightened, which is why his laughter had stopped.
Seeing that Mitsuaki was no longer laughing, Ren regained his composure. He took a sip of his coffee and said,
"Finished laughing? Then get going."
Officer Takagi and Inspector Megure hurriedly dragged the suspect away to escape the scene.
Given the combat prowess Ren had displayed at the Touto Bank branch, he really could have killed a suspect in police custody right in front of them. If that happened, things would be truly impossible to settle!
"Are... are you okay?"
Hattori Heiji asked with genuine concern.
"I remember that's supposed to be Batman's greatest weakness!"
Ren: ?
Why is it only at times like this that you guys actually think I'm Batman?
Are you crazy? Does Batman have to be Bruce Wayne? Does he have to have that specific weakness?
Besides, Bruce Wayne himself is almost desensitized to that stuff by now. Using that trick against Batman... isn't that a bit behind the times?
End of Chapter
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