Okino Yoko's apartment lacked distinct feminine touches.
From decor to furnishings, it was a standard high-end apartment of the era—sleek but unremarkable.
The body in the living room had been removed.
A white chalk outline and darkening, oxidized bloodstains remained, with the room's disarray preserved to protect the scene.
"This place is stifling, though. Do you always keep it this hot, Yoko-san?"
Megure Juzo tugged at his collar for air.
Just minutes inside, sweat beaded under his hat.
Yoko shook her head, puzzled. "No, I don't set it this high. And I'm sure I turned off the AC before leaving today."
"That's odd. The victim wouldn't have cranked it up himself, would he?"
"Megure-keibu, here are the trace photos from the scene."
An officer handed over freshly printed photos. Megure skimmed them, then turned to Hayato. "Want a look, Masaki-kun?"
"Sure."
Hayato took the photos.
Mouri Kogoro leaned in, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Conan, meanwhile, slunk around the living room, hunting for missed clues.
He'd already studied the scene's traces before the police arrived, so the photos weren't necessary.
This time, he had the upper hand…
Or so he thought, until he crawled by the sofa and spotted a woman's earring in the gap underneath.
Got something!
Conan scrambled up, ready to alert the police, when Hayato's voice cut through, holding the photos.
"This spot—there was a water stain here, right?"
"Yes, around here." The officer documenting the scene crouched near the chalk outline, pointing to a nearby area.
Hayato approached, inspecting closely. Noticing a clear dent in the wooden floor nearby, he nodded.
"Alright. And this stool by the body—it hasn't been moved, correct?"
"Right. We only removed the body; nothing else was touched."
"Got it. Then the cause of death could be suicide."
"Huh?"
The sudden claim stunned everyone, wondering if they'd misheard.
Mouri Kogoro reacted first. "Hold on—the victim died from a knife wound in the back. How could that be suicide?"
His tone was calm, not smug, as if gently correcting Hayato—after all, this was Eri's nephew, who'd recommended Mouri to Yoko. Practically family.
"Just sharing my thoughts."
Hayato held up a photo showing a prominent water stain near the body, still sizable when captured.
"Given the room's high heat from the AC, let's trace back. The evaporated water might've started as ice."
"Ice?!"
"Exactly. Now, this dent in the floor by the water stain."
He flipped to another photo, pointing at the dent. "Let's say it was made by the handle of a kitchen knife. The victim, before dying, used this dent and ice to prop the knife upright, blade pointing up—"
As Hayato spoke, a jolt of clarity flashed through Conan's mind, revealing the suicide method.
But how's he so fast?!
Conan gaped at Hayato, mouth slightly open.
"Then there's this stool by the body. In this messy room, it's the only thing perfectly placed. That's because the victim, to kill himself, set up the ice and knife, stood on the stool, and drove his back onto the blade with force."
"He wouldn't have died instantly."
"So he had strength left to roll over, facing up, to stage it as a murder."
Hayato's deduction left the room dumbfounded.
Except for Conan, most found it far-fetched, yet the evidence made refuting it tricky.
Finally, Ran voiced her biggest doubt. "But why would someone use suicide to frame Yoko-san?"
"That, I don't know."
Hayato's reply was soft.
His strikingly refined features curved into a smile, almost habitual. "I tend to aim first, then draw the target. For solving cases, I figure out the method first—motive comes later. I don't even know the victim's name yet."
"…"
The group exchanged glances.
After a pause, Yoko spoke up. "His name was Fujie Akiyoshi."
"Yoko-san?!"
Yamagishi Eiichi paled.
Megure frowned instantly. "Didn't you say you didn't know him?"
"…"
Yoko lowered her head.
But she soon confessed: Fujie Akiyoshi was her boyfriend from her school days. She'd recognized him the moment she saw the body.
Hayato's sole thought: As expected of an actress—her initial act of ignorance was flawless.
"So, Fujie Akiyoshi, rejected when he asked to rekindle things with Yoko-san, killed himself in anger to frame her?"
Mouri Kogoro ventured.
Surprisingly, Yoko shook her head. "No, he didn't ask to get back together. This was the first time I'd seen him."
"Huh?"
"Hey, Mouri-san, I found a weird earring under the sofa."
Conan produced the earring. Yoko instantly recognized it as belonging to Ikezawa Yuko, an idol who debuted alongside her.
The police promptly summoned Ikezawa.
When a haughty Ikezawa Yuko arrived, the case snapped into focus.
Yamagishi's missing spare key had been stolen by Ikezawa. Jealous of Yoko's rising bookings, she'd sneaked into Yoko's apartment repeatedly, digging for dirt.
That day, Yoko's old boyfriend showed up, hoping to reconnect. Mistaking Ikezawa's figure for Yoko's, he embraced her. Ikezawa broke free and fled, spurring his bitter decision to stage a suicidal frame-job.
Then Yamagishi confessed:
"Actually… Fujie Akiyoshi broke up with you back then because I asked him to."
"What?" Yoko stared, stunned.
"Your idol career was taking off. A public relationship would've ruined you. So I went to him, pleading 'for Yoko's future,' and convinced him to leave you."
"…"
Yoko fixed her gaze on her agent.
"How could you…"
Ran, ever empathetic, felt a pang of sorrow, picturing Fujie's side—a tragedy of lies, misunderstandings, and cruel chance.
Mouri Kogoro scoffed.
"Hmph, sounds noble, but if he left for Yoko-san's future back then, why crawl back now at her peak? And when rejected, he pulled this extreme stunt."
A scandal or murder rap could crush a rising idol.
"Dad…!"
Ran thought her father's take was harsh but struggled to argue back.
Conan turned to Hayato. "What do you think, Hayato-nii?"
"Me?"
Hayato, scribbling on a notepad, paused, caught off guard, but smiled. "I don't see the need to judge or glorify the dead."
Likewise.
He sought no aesthetics in death.
***
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