"The only ones who had the opportunity and motive to do this were the few of you who approached Ms. Toda when she was drowning."
"But how did the attacker know Ms. Toda would drown?"
Just then, Conan looked up and asked Fujino,
"If Ms. Toda hadn't drowned, then this method wouldn't have worked, right?"
"That's true."
Fujino nodded.
If Toda Kiwako hadn't gone diving and subsequently drowned, this method wouldn't have been viable.
But based on the existing evidence, it was clear the incident unfolded exactly as he suspected...
If Toda Kiwako's drowning was accidental, this case would have a logical loophole.
"But what if Ms. Toda wasn't really drowning?"
Suddenly, Fujino recalled what Ai Haibara had said earlier.
He searched his memories, and the image of Mouri-san looking for the ring flashed before his eyes.
Saying this, Fujino turned to Matsuzaki Masahiko. "If I'm not mistaken, Ms. Toda pretended to drown precisely to test you, Mr. Matsuzaki."
"Kiwako... she was testing me?"
Matsuzaki Masahiko paused, stunned. "But we're getting married next week. Why would she do that?"
Saying this, Fujino suddenly stroked his chin. "This must be the so-called test between lovers."
"Just like how Mom deliberately lost her ring to test Dad!"
Just then, Ran had a sudden realization. "No wonder Ms. Toda said 'That's good' earlier when she learned Mr. Matsuzaki was the first to rush over to save her."
"I only thought of this because I saw Mouri-san looking for the ring on the beach earlier."
Fujino mentioned.
"Dad really went looking for the ring on the beach?"
Ran looked towards Fujino upon hearing this, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"Mhm, I happened to find it then and gave it to Mouri-san."
Saying this, Fujino steered the conversation back. "If it was to test Mr. Matsuzaki, then someone must have alerted everyone that she was drowning."
He looked up at Matsuzaki Harumi. "Naturally, that person must be someone extremely close to her, with a reasonably good relationship. And for this kind of thing, most girls would choose a friend of the same gender to cooperate."
"Ms. Matsuzaki, the person who cooperated with her must have been you, right?"
"You were the one cooperating with her, so you must have known she would 'drown' today. If you knew this, then you had ample time to prepare the sea snake beforehand... and then commit the act when you approached Ms. Toda."
"What are you talking about..."
Matsuzaki Harumi opened her mouth. "Kiwako wouldn't play such a joke."
"Whether she would or not, we'll know once Ms. Toda wakes up and we ask her... Of course, it's also possible she might never wake up."
Fujino glanced at the bulging area of Matsuzaki Harumi's orange cover-up. "Regardless of whether Ms. Toda wakes up, Ms. Matsuzaki, could you show us what's in your waist pouch?"
"No one else here has a container capable of holding a sea snake. Only your waist pouch could have possibly held the prepared sea snake, allowing you to release it and have it bite Ms. Toda when you got close."
"If we're lucky, we might even find the tape used to secure the sea snake. After all, sea snakes are very agile; just taping the head likely wouldn't be enough to hold it. Not much time has passed since you came ashore, and you wouldn't have had time to dispose of the tape."
Fujino's words struck Matsuzaki Harumi's heart like a hammer.
She looked dazedly at Fujino, then at her waist pouch.
Biting her lip lightly, she suddenly felt at a loss.
After a moment, she sighed as if resigned. "Yes, I was the one who used the sea snake to bite Kiwako."
"Harumi... why would you do this?"
Matsuzaki Masahiko looked pained. He never expected his own sister would want to kill his fiancée.
"I just couldn't stand her smug look!"
Matsuzaki Harumi suddenly shouted. "Talking about conducting some 'test of love' before marriage! Knowing full well my feelings for Masahiko-nii, she still dragged me into it to mock me!"
"How could I possibly let a woman like her have Masahiko-nii!"
"Ms. Harumi, you actually like..."
Ran looked at Matsuzaki Harumi in astonishment. "Aren't you siblings?"
"No... My mother remarried into the Matsuzaki family."
Matsuzaki Harumi shook her head. "Although he's a bit weak, Masahiko-nii is very gentle. Growing up without many boys around, I unknowingly fell for him..."
Fujino also looked at Matsuzaki Harumi.
Gentle but unreliable protagonist has a stepsister. Stepsister and childhood friend are best friends, but stepsister falls for brother. Stepsister plots to kill brother's childhood friend/fiancée out of love.
Good grief, what kind of family melodrama is this?
But this kind of German orthopedics-esque family love triangle plot was indeed stimulating and very Conan-like.
If only he had some melon seeds.
Thinking this, he sighed softly, silently picked up the iced tea nearby, and started watching the culprit's post-capture remorse scene unfold.
"Harumi, how could you..."
Matsuzaki Masahiko looked at Matsuzaki Harumi, his expression turning strange.
"I'm truly sorry, Masahiko-nii."
Matsuzaki Harumi bowed slightly towards Matsuzaki Masahiko. "Although I knew doing this was wrong, every time I heard Kiwako talk about your childhood together, I would get so angry, so upset... I felt like she was saying I didn't understand you at all... I felt really awful then. I really like you, Masahiko-nii... But I ended up doing something that made you so sad..."
"Harumi, don't say anymore."
Matsuzaki Masahiko didn't know what else to say, only walking over and patting her shoulder. "You'll always be my sister."
On one side, his stepsister; on the other, his fiancée... too difficult.
Tears of regret streamed down Matsuzaki Harumi's face. "In the end, this was just my own wishful thinking. And I even made you so upset, Masahiko-nii... I really am a fool."
And so, the farce quickly ended with the truth revealed.
Toda Kiwako didn't die. With Fujino, the gynecological... medical sage, present, she was immediately lively and jumping after being sent to the hospital and receiving the antivenom.
After regaining consciousness and learning that Matsuzaki Harumi was responsible for her condition, and about everything else...
Of course, she chose to forgive her.
With Toda Kiwako's forgiveness, Matsuzaki Harumi wasn't sent to the police station either.
How their relationships would fare afterward, Fujino couldn't know for now.
Probably quite delicate?
As for Ran's plan to reconcile Mouri-san and Eri Kisaki...
Although returning the ring went smoothly, after that, Mouri-san was targeted by girls on the beach again, reverting to his lecherous uncle persona.
Eri Kisaki, witnessing this, didn't say much.
She simply drove away.
Fujino refused to comment.
Truly worthy of being Mouri-san.