"Mouri-kun? Mouri-kun?"
'Huh... Why does that sound like Inspector Megure? Am I dreaming? It should still be nighttime...
Besides, the officers coming to Moon Shadow Island wouldn't be from the MPD. Got it. This has to be a dream.'
Squatting down beside him, Megure looked at the half-asleep Kogoro with a helpless expression. He was beginning to wonder whether the Sleeping Kogoro reputation was actually legitimate.
'How in the world can someone sleep this soundly in the same room as a corpse?'
"Hey, Mouri-kun. It's already noon. Are you planning to sleep all day?"
Only then did Kogoro realize he wasn't dreaming. He climbed to his feet, rubbed his messy hair, and looked around blankly.
"Inspector Megure? What are you doing here?"
"What is wrong with you? You're still not awake?"
Megure sighed before pointing toward the forensic investigators already processing the scene.
"I heard you'd gotten wrapped up in another case, so I came to lend you a hand."
"Oh, right! Inspector Megure, there's something I need to give you!"
"If you're talking about the sheet music, Wada-kun already handed it over."
Megure pointed toward Ritsu, who had wrapped himself completely inside a blanket.
"He also explained the details of the case to me. Honestly... in the end, he was the only one who actually stayed awake all night."
"By the way, who is he? His deductive reasoning is pretty impressive."
Kogoro scratched the tip of his nose with an awkward laugh. "He's a tourist who admires me. I guess he's been studying my methods! Hahaha!"
Megure narrowed his eyes. His face clearly read,
"I don't believe a word of that."
After all, he'd watched Kogoro graduate from the police academy and become an utterly unreliable detective.
He still vividly remembered the time Kogoro single-handedly led the entire investigative team into a dead end and nearly prevented the case from being solved.
Someone admiring Kogoro Mouri?
'Not even a dog would believe that.'
Still, this wasn't the time to argue over that. Megure handed him a warm towel.
"Hurry up and wash your face. We're about to begin taking statements here at the community center. Come give us a hand."
"Yes, Inspector Megure!"
...
It wasn't until nearly evening that Ritsu finally crawled out from beneath his warm blanket. Even he hadn't expected to fall asleep under those circumstances.
'That's... surprisingly impressive.'
He took out his phone, switched to selfie mode, and confirmed that the colored contact lenses he was wearing were still in place.
Just to be safe, he immediately replaced them with a fresh pair from his shoulder bag.
Turning his head toward where Kawashima's body had already been removed by the police, he muttered quietly,
"Could sleeping beside a corpse actually cure insomnia? Heh... If I told Vermouth that, she'd probably hang up on me immediately."
Leaving the crime scene behind, he headed toward the area where witnesses were giving their statements.
His eyes landed on Conan, who was yawning nonstop.
'Come to think of it... When I went back inside last night, he still wasn't asleep. Looks like he stayed awake because he didn't trust me to handle things properly.
No wonder he's sleep-deprived.'
"Good morning, Wada-san."
"Morning to both of you."
Ritsu deliberately looked around in surprise.
"Hm? Has Dr. Narumi already gone back?"
Ran shook her head and pointed toward the restroom.
"Dr. Narumi's gone to freshen up. Oh, right. I have a disposable towel and toothbrush here. Wada-san, you can use them."
"That would be a huge help. Thank you."
'It's almost time for him to carry out the next step of his plan. I can't let the killer out of my sight.'
If someone killed only one person before surrendering, the sentence would be relatively short. With good behavior, there was even a chance of early release.
That was exactly why Ritsu didn't want him to continue making mistakes.
He deserved to let go of the past and live the rest of his life.
'Unlike me... Still trapped by the past... Still carrying its weight forward.'
...
Ritsu pushed open the door to the women's restroom.
Inside, Narumi was brushing her teeth.
Upon seeing him enter, she froze for a second. She even turned around to check whether she'd accidentally walked into the men's restroom.
"I came into the women's restroom on purpose. Just like you."
Narumi naturally had no intention of admitting anything.
She laughed awkwardly.
"Wada-san... what are you talking about? And... isn't it inappropriate for you to be in the women's restroom?"
"Your voice imitation is excellent."
Ritsu calmly locked the door behind him before walking forward. Stopping three steps away, he smiled,
"The problem is that your disguise techniques aren't nearly as good. That's why you've kept your neck covered all these years, isn't it?"
"You have no way of hiding your Adam's apple."
Terror instantly appeared on Narumi's face. Instinctively, he stepped backward and covered his neck.
That reaction alone was an admission.
'Who is he...? How did he see through me so easily?!'
"You used your position as a doctor to blur the estimated time of death."
Ritsu leaned casually against the sink, deliberately lowering himself so that he stood roughly at Narumi's eye level.
"The forensic examiner has already taken Kawashima's body away. That means you're the only one left who can examine future victims."
"So... Planning to repeat the same trick?"
"..."
Narumi lowered his head, unable to meet Ritsu's eyes. His fists clenched tightly.
He didn't know what to say.
He had sent the invitation to Kogoro hoping the detective would uncover what Kawashima and the others had done before he was forced to act himself.
But reality had proven otherwise. Kogoro hadn't realized anything.
"You loved your father. You also love the piano."
Ritsu looked straight at him.
"Are you really going to keep using Moonlight Sonata to carry out a string of murders?"
"But there's no turning back anymore, is there?!"
Narumi suddenly shouted.
"They've never acknowledged what they did! Moon Shadow Island only became the rotten place it is today because of them!"
Ritsu quickly raised a hand.
"Keep your voice down. Are you trying to attract everyone over here?"
He sighed helplessly.
"I'm telling you all this because I want you to stop. When the show is over, turn yourself in to Inspector Megure."
"The show?"
Narumi frowned in confusion.
"What do you mean? What are you planning to do?"
Ritsu shrugged with a faint smile.
"Think of it as a gift. A gift for you and for Moon Shadow Island."
"I already know about Kawashima and the others using the piano to smuggle heroin and I have conclusive evidence."
Narumi stared at the unfamiliar, dark-skinned man in complete disbelief.
He was certain he'd never met Shinichi Wada before nor had he ever seen him anywhere on Moon Shadow Island.
'So how does he know all this? Why does he understand the whole story even better than I do...?
How could he even possess decisive evidence?'
"...Who... Who are you?"
"Me?"
Ritsu smiled.
"Just an ordinary good Samaritan."
"...Huh?"
Narumi gave him a deadpan stare, his face filled with disbelief.
Still...
Whatever this mysterious Wada's true identity was... He had come to help.
He had stopped Narumi from committing even more irreversible mistakes.
"When it's all over, turn yourself in. I've got somewhere else to be."
As Ritsu turned to leave, Narumi called out behind him.
"Thank you... Wada-san... No, I suppose I should call you..."
"...the unnamed good Samaritan?"
"Shinichi Wada... And the face you're wearing right now... Those are fake too, aren't they?"
'Sharp.'
Ritsu offered no reply.
He simply opened the restroom door, walked straight into the men's restroom next door, and calmly washed up.
'Even when making my escape, I've still got to keep up appearances.'
Looking into the mirror, he gazed at the unfamiliar face reflected back at him.
A quiet sigh escaped his lips.
He turned off the faucet and walked out.
Now...
It was time to deliver this grand "gift" to the Metropolitan Police Department.
----
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