"If you're willing, confess to Inspector Megure soon," Tsuneo said, relaying the detective's suggestion.
To clear Miss Koguang, the culprit and police needed to lie together.
Megure had agreed; it was up to Mrs. Shinichi now.
Simply put, if she claimed she'd drugged Mr. Shinichi before the blackout, making him already dead, no one would dig deeper.
"I'll follow your advice. I haven't lost all sense," Mrs. Shinichi said with a faint smile, nodding.
"Thanks." Tsuneo stepped out, nodding to Megure outside, signaling it was done.
Orange-fat Megure entered to discuss details with her.
Though the outcome was the same, rewriting the story wasn't trivial.
"Dr. Shinichi, you heard?" Tsuneo asked the young man by the door.
This private talk took too long, didn't it?
"Yes," Dr. Shinichi said, leaning against the wall, expression complex.
"Detectives are cold creatures, huh?" Tsuneo chuckled.
From his behavior, Dr. Shinichi didn't seem obsessed with the truth.
"No, quite the opposite," Dr. Shinichi shook his head, sighed, and left.
Mrs. Shinichi's confession went smoothly. Tsuneo held back Uncle Mouri, who wanted to interject with doubts.
As the police took her away and Koguang helped the grandmother upstairs, Tsuneo let go.
"Why'd you stop me?" Mouri asked, confused.
The blackout triggered the breaker, and you, a repairman, said so, right?
Plus, Koguang's suspicion wasn't fully cleared.
"Let Conan explain at home. He knows the details," Tsuneo said, patting Mouri's shoulder to calm him.
"Mr. Mouri, sorry for what I said," Dr. Shinichi apologized.
Saying Mouri was just intrigued by the accident was wrong…
"It's fine…" Mouri scratched his head, still dazed.
He was used to this.
"Wait, Dr. Shinichi," Ran called, embarrassed.
"I know it's bad timing, but if you don't mind…"
Conan's heart skipped, eyes wide.
What are you doing?!
Tsuneo shook his head, exasperated.
Scared, kid? Just confess.
Though you'd probably get strangled.
All those baths together, watching her change…
"Can I borrow your hand-knit sweater for a few days? Please!" Ran asked.
"Sweater…" Conan blinked, stunned.
Was she staring at him all day for that?
"Uh… sure," Dr. Shinichi nodded, handing over the sweater.
At the hospital entrance:
"Ran, don't forget training at 4:30 AM!" Tsuneo waved to her holding the green sweater, driving home.
"So weird," Mouri muttered, getting into his rental car.
Young people's thoughts were hard to grasp.
No case solved, no dinner, just tea all afternoon.
"Hey!" Mouri shouted at Ran and Conan, still chatting. "You two coming home?"
"Coming!"
Next morning, 4:30 AM, dawn barely breaking.
Tsuneo jogged to the nearby park after waking.
"I knew it…"
He saw two figures in tracksuits, one big, one small.
"Can't even open your eyes, and you're out here?" Tsuneo slapped Conan's cheeks, loud smacks echoing.
"I'm practicing soccer, okay!" Conan hugged his ball, kicking it against a tree.
"Brother Tsuneo, I'm warmed up!" Ran said, eyes serious.
"Good!"
"Training starts!"
Tsuneo grinned, took a deep breath, and began!
Ten minutes later, Tsuneo pounded a tree, asking Ran, "So you've been learning to knit at Lawyer Fei's?"
"Yeah, I go after school," Ran said, sheepish.
She'd ruined several sweaters.
Even her mom, teaching her, made two finished ones…
Dr. Shinichi's green sweater had a nice pattern to copy.
She'd finish tonight!
"Been a while since I saw Lawyer Fei," Tsuneo said, shuddering at her cooking.
Last time, Ran dragged him to Fei's to fix something.
It was dinnertime, and Fei insisted on cooking. Tsuneo, skeptical, stayed with Ran at the table.
A terrifying memory…
Like a beautiful witch serving a concoction of dangerous potions from the kitchen…
"Ugh," Ran sighed, thinking of her parents.
Her mom told her to "dispose" of two sweaters she'd knit.
They were sized for her dad, and their destination was obvious.
"Those two are stubborn," Tsuneo said, chuckling at Ran's story.
"Any ideas, Brother Tsuneo?" Ran asked.
"Knock them out and toss them together," Tsuneo said casually.
"Huh?" Ran was shocked by the blunt solution.
"Would they stay together after waking?" Conan laughed, exasperated.
"Knock them out again!" Tsuneo said, slamming an elbow into the tree.
Bang! The tree shook.
Ran: …
Conan: …
(Chapter End)
------------------------------
🌟 Hi everyone! 🌟
If you love my work and want to support me on this creative journey, you can support me here: [patreon.com/DaoistRoeoNQ] 💖
By joining, you will get access to exclusive content, behind-the-scenes updates, and some special perks that I have prepared just for you. Every support really means a lot and helps me strive every day! 🙏✨