Kogoro Mouri chuckled awkwardly, cornered by a furious Ran, who advanced step by step.
He glanced at Yoko Okino, clearly flustered from being scolded by his daughter.
His eyes seemed to say: Let's just wait for that Eitan-sensei to get here.
Yoko gave a gentle nod of agreement.
When Eitan arrived at Yoko Okino's apartment complex, several Police cars were already parked below.
He went straight up to the twenty-fifth floor via elevator.
The hallway was crowded with people. Since the body had been found in Yoko's living room, the Police had asked everyone to step outside while they investigated.
"Nice to meet you, Uncle Mouri."
"And you are?"
"My name is Eitan. I'm Aunt Eri's cousin's son."
"Oh! So you're Eri's nephew!"
Kogoro Mouri's confusion vanished instantly. He stepped forward, patted Eitan on the shoulder, and grinned. "No wonder you're so handsome!"
"You flatter me," Eitan replied with a polite smile.
Ran, standing gracefully nearby, gave a soft greeting, "Good evening, Oni-san… cousin."
"Good evening," Eitan replied warmly. Seeing Ran's slight discomfort, he added, "No need to be so formal. Just call me what you like."
"And these children?" Eitan glanced at the group of elementary schoolers nearby.
"Oh, just a bunch of brats who snuck in when we weren't looking," Mouri said, waving his hand. "This one's Conan—he's staying with us for a while."
He patted Conan's head, earning a look of irritation from the boy.
Genta and Mitsuhiko grumbled softly.
"What's the big deal?"
"We just wanted to see what an idol's house looks like."
"Right, Ayumi?"
…
But Ayumi Yoshida, now staring blankly at Eitan, whispered in awe: "What a handsome onii-chan…
Ignoring the kids for now, Eitan walked over to Yoko and her manager, Yamagishi Sakae.
"Sensei…"
"Mm. What's the current situation?"
"I'm not sure," Yoko replied, shaking her head. "We just got home and found someone lying in a pool of blood. Mr. Mouri told us to call the Police, and we've been waiting since."
"Understood. Does the deceased have any relation to you, Yoko-san?"
"I—"
"That person has absolutely nothing to do with Yoko!" Yamagishi interrupted quickly, cutting her off. He turned to her with a tense smile. "Right, Yoko?"
Yoko frowned, clearly trying to remember. "I don't think I know him," she said after a moment.
"You really don't?"
At that moment, Inspector Megure stepped out of the apartment.
Though heavyset, his stern tone carried the weight of authority.
He fixed Yoko with a serious look. "According to what you just said, the apartment was locked from the inside when you arrived, correct? That would make this a locked-room murder. And the person most likely to be involved… is the apartment's owner."
"W-What?" Yoko's eyes widened in shock. "I would never—!"
"Exactly!" Mouri jumped in, already indignant. "Inspector, how could the culprit be someone as lovely as Yoko-san?!"
Inspector Megure's brow twitched.
"Locked room or not, we can't draw conclusions yet," Eitan said calmly. "It's just a standard lock—easily opened with a spare key."
Yoko's shoulders visibly relaxed at his words.
"Oh! Eitan-kun!" Megure's face lit up. He clearly remembered Eitan from the last case.
"Does Yoko-san have a spare key?" Eitan asked.
"Yes," Yamagishi replied. "I keep one."
"I see. Then the culprit must be Yamagishi!" Mouri shouted, pointing dramatically.
Yamagishi blinked, bewildered. "Wait, what?!"
Without missing a beat, Mouri charged forward and grabbed him by the collar. "You snake! I bet you weren't satisfied just being her manager. You probably confessed, got rejected, then plotted revenge and tried to frame her—!"
"P-Please stop jumping to conclusions!" Yamagishi cried. "Yes, I had a spare key… but I lost it a few days ago! I think it went missing in the staff lounge at the TV station!"
"Proof? Just your word isn't enough—"
"I can vouch for him, too," Yoko cut in. "Yamagishi told me about losing it earlier this week. He's not lying."
Seeing her sincere, worried expression, Mouri coughed awkwardly and let go.
"Well… if Yoko-san says so…"
(You shouldn't just believe her because she's cute, Conan thought with a twitching brow.)
He glanced at Eitan.
Unlike the adults, Eitan was quietly watching the situation unfold, his smile calm and unreadable.
Let's see who's better at solving this case, Conan thought, feeling a surge of competitiveness.
He hadn't seen the TV broadcast of Eitan's previous deduction, but he'd read all about it in the papers. Solving a case from just a glance at the scene? Not impossible—but it would take sharp instincts and a flash of insight.
Perhaps that had been Eitan's situation at the time.
But to achieve something like that… it was enough to prove he was a capable Detective.
To Conan, encountering a rival of that level was rare—and exhilarating.
His heart stirred with competitive anticipation.
"How's the Police investigation going?" Eitan asked casually.
"Mm, pretty much finished. Would you like to take a look, Eitan-kun?" Inspector Megure offered.
"Alright."
Eitan hadn't expected the invitation.
Then again, in this world, it seemed the Police were quite used to having cases solved with help from a Detective.
"Ahem, then I'll lend a hand too, Inspector," Mouri added, stepping forward proudly.
Megure waved him through without much enthusiasm.
Yoko Okino's apartment didn't carry many feminine touches.
From the decor to the furniture, it looked like a typical high-end modern unit—tasteful, yet generic.
The body had already been removed.
What remained in the living room was a stark white outline and a pool of blood, oxidizing into a dark, dried stain.
To preserve the scene, none of the furnishings had been moved.
"But it's really hot in here..." Megure muttered, tugging at his collar.
He'd only been inside a few minutes and was already sweating under his hat.
"That's strange," Yoko replied, shaking her head. "I usually don't set the thermostat that high. In fact, I remember turning the AC off before I left today."
"Odd," Megure frowned. "I doubt the deceased turned it up himself."
"Inspector, these are the trace photos from the scene."
A young officer handed over a folder of freshly printed shots.
Megure took them, gave them a once-over, then turned to Eitan. "Want to take a look?"
"Sure."
Eitan accepted the photos. Mouri leaned over, stroking his chin, trying to look thoughtful.
Meanwhile, Conan was already prowling the room in silence.
He'd reviewed everything the Police documented before they even arrived—there was no need to look at the same evidence twice.
Instead, he focused on overlooked details.
As he crouched near the sofa, something caught his eye.
A woman's earring—wedged in the cushion gap.
Got it.
Conan stood up, ready to report it—
But Eitan's voice cut in before he could speak.
"Excuse me, was there a water stain here before?"
"Yes, right around this spot," the officer replied, crouching by the outline and pointing.
Eitan approached and examined the area closely.
Next to it, embedded in the wood, was a faint indentation.
He nodded.
"And this stool by the body—has it been moved?"
"No. We only removed the corpse. Everything else remains untouched."
"I see... Then it's possible this was suicide."
"Huh?"
Everyone froze.
Suicide?
Mouri was the first to speak. "The cause of death was a knife wound to the back. How could that possibly be suicide?"
His tone was calm, not critical—almost like he was gently correcting a junior colleague.
After all, in his mind, Eitan was family… and someone who'd already proven himself.
"I'll explain what I've deduced so far," Eitan said evenly.
"First, the large water stain photographed near the body."
He held up a photo, clearly showing the dark wet mark on the floor.
"Now, combine that with how unusually hot it is in the room. If we trace back the water's form before evaporation… it could have been ice."
"Ice?!" several voices echoed.
"Yes. And now—this indentation beside the stain."
He held up another photo, pointing at the shallow mark in the floor.
"Suppose the handle of a kitchen knife made that. The deceased could have wedged the knife handle into that groove, then secured the blade upright using a block of ice."
The room fell silent.
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