Of course, this didn't mean that Oyakodon were inherently shameful.
The issue was—at the very least—it had to be mutual consent!
But this?
This was nothing short of a forced marriage through murder!
Using his own son to marry a woman just so he could claim her for himself later?
Then forcing his daughter-in-law into submission?
Absolutely disgusting.
Even killing him and scattering his ashes wouldn't be enough punishment.
Hattori stared at the photograph in his hands, his expression dark.
He turned toward Akashi and couldn't help but ask,
"The two of them…?"
Akashi's voice was calm as he answered,
"It's exactly what you're thinking. They're mother and daughter."
Hiss—!!!
Hattori sucked in a sharp breath.
If they were really mother and daughter—
Then this was far worse than he initially thought.
A father and son planning to marry a mother and daughter?
That was beyond outrageous!
The young lady beside them spoke up, her voice tinged with concern.
"Miss Yukina had absolutely no idea about any of this. She never knew she was related to Mrs. Tsujimura."
"If this truth gets out, the mental damage to Miss Yukina would be unimaginable."
"It could destroy her marriage. Worse, she might lose all hope in life—to the point of… suicide."
Her voice trailed off ominously.
Akashi, with his usual sharpness, smirked.
His words dripped with sarcasm.
"See? This is moral blackmail at its finest."
"And for a high school detective—one who thinks he's all about passion and justice but is actually just a naive virgin—"
"This kind of rhetoric works every time."
Gasp!
Hattori inhaled sharply again.
His head was spinning from all this information.
"Then… do you think Mrs. Tsujimura did it?" he asked.
After all, as Yukina's mother, she had the greatest motive to kill Isao Tsujimura.
But Akashi only smiled mysteriously.
"Not necessarily."
"Maybe someone who couldn't bear the oppressive patriarchy did it—to protect his beloved future wife—Takayoshi Tsujimura."
"Or maybe it was the old man, Toshimitsu Tsujimura, who believed in cleansing his family's reputation and took matters into his own hands."
"Perhaps even Butler Koike, who could no longer stand the disgusting behavior of the Tsujimura household, suddenly decided to act."
"Or who knows? Maybe it was this guy's political enemy…"
"Or a random burglar who happened to stumble in."
"It could be anyone."
"But no matter who poisoned Isao Tsujimura—"
"They were doing the world a favor."
"Justice was served."
"Honestly, if someone out there is still trying to seek justice for that pig—"
"I have to wonder… what kind of person are they?"
"..."
Hattori felt himself getting pushed back, overwhelmed by the sheer force of Akashi's words.
Personal attack!
This was definitely a personal attack!
"Alright, alright! Enough! Stop scolding me!"
Heiji felt frustrated—but at the same time, a lingering sense of guilt gnawed at him.
Because the truth was—
At first, he really didn't know what kind of person Isao Tsujimura was.
Now, though…
He couldn't deny it.
He was beginning to feel like this entire case wasn't even worth solving.
Maybe… maybe some truths were better left buried.
Once the truth saw the light of day, it would only make the good suffer—while the evil laughed.
And today, Akashi had taught him that lesson.
On the sidelines, Kazuha had been quietly listening to their exchange.
She finally spoke up, her voice firm.
"Heiji, I think that Akashi is right!"
"This guy deserved to die. There's no need to investigate further."
Women were far more emotional about these things.
And right now—
Kazuha had just become a die-hard fan of the little succubus detective.
She was 100% on Akashi's side.
"Don't waste time on scum like him!" she added, cheering for Akashi.
Hattori stared at her, feeling his resolve waver.
If even Kazuha was saying this…
Then maybe—
Maybe it really didn't matter.
After all—
This was a case from the Kanto side.
Not his jurisdiction.
And if the people from Kanto didn't want to dig any deeper—
Why should he?
With that thought, Hattori let out a breath.
He allowed himself to relax.
It wasn't his problem.
Not anymore.
The three of them put down the photo frames, turned, and made their way back to the study.
But as soon as they stepped inside, they immediately sensed that the atmosphere had shifted.
The room, which had been filled with investigative energy just moments ago, now felt heavy and grim.
All the officers from the Metropolitan Police Department looked visibly shaken, their faces clouded with depression.
But the one most affected was Inspector Megure.
His eyes were red.
Hattori frowned, clearly confused.
"Inspector Megure… what's wrong?"
Megure hastily wiped his eyes, clearing his throat.
"Nothing, nothing… Just some unexpected news. Let's—let's focus on the case."
But before Heiji could press further, Kogoro let out a deep sigh and spoke in an unusually dull tone.
"Hey, Osaka boy," he muttered. "The Kudo Shinichi you were looking for…"
"...He's dead."
With that, Kogoro lifted his phone, showing the screen to Heiji.
The moment those words left his mouth, a heavy silence filled the study.
Hattori froze.
Even Akashi, usually unfazed, looked genuinely taken aback.
Kudo Shinichi is… dead?
Just like that?
We were literally talking about him a few minutes ago.
Did that hard working bastard Gin already take action?!
Without thinking, Hattori lunged forward, snatching Kogoro's phone from his hands.
His eyes darted to the screen, where a live TV news broadcast was playing.
The news anchor's voice rang through the room:
"A floating corpse was discovered today in the Biwa River. Due to heavy decomposition, identification was initially difficult. However, from the personal belongings found on the body, authorities believe the deceased is none other than missing high school detective Kudo Shinichi."
"Kudo Shinichi, known as the Savior of the Metropolitan Police Department, has been tragically murdered. The police are currently investigating the scene and working to maintain order."
The camera then cut to a female news anchor with piercing cat-like eyes, her bangs framing her solemn expression as she continued reporting.
But Heiji barely heard the rest.
His mind was spinning.
Kudo from Kanto.
Hattori from Kansai.
For the longest time, Heiji had treated Kudo as his ultimate rival—a detective who stood at his level.
And now…
The great Kudo Shinichi was suddenly dead in the waters of Biwa?!
Just like that?
That's ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous!
Akashi, however, saw through the deception instantly.
"This is fake news."
How could it be anything else?
Conan was literally lying downstairs just moments ago.
There's no way he could have suddenly grown back into Kudo Shinichi, died, and decomposed into a floating corpse in just a few minutes.
Not to mention—Yukiko had been keeping a close eye on him since last night.
So, there was only one possible explanation.
This had to be the work of Yūsaku.
The man must have been shaken by the organization's attack earlier and decided to release false news about his son's death.
It was a smart move.
Even if the news was fake, it packed a serious punch.
And the first person to feel its full force was—Inspector Megure.
He was practically trembling.
This portly Inspector had spent his career carefully climbing the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Department.
He had never been the most brilliant detective, but he knew how to play the game—how to cozy up to the right people and ride the coattails of geniuses.
Kudo Shinichi was one of those pillars of success.
And now?
Now Kudo Shinichi is gone.
One pillar down.
And Kogoro—Megure's other key asset—was still shaky at best.
No wonder Megure had shed actual tears.
Meanwhile, Kogoro scratched his head, looking troubled.
How the hell was he supposed to tell his daughter this kind of news?!
The weight of it all sucked the energy from the room.
The case they had been working on?
Completely forgotten.
The members of the Tsujimura family stood there, staring blankly, utterly clueless about what was going on.
Outside the villa—
Far from the chaos of the study, Ran had finally managed to track down a doctor.
With urgent footsteps, she led him straight toward the bedroom where Conan was supposed to be.
She pushed the door open.
But—
The room was empty.
The bed was still messy, the sheets damp with sweat.
But the boy was gone.
Ran's heart sank.
Her brows furrowed in deep confusion.
"Where… is he?"
She turned toward the doctor, but he was just as bewildered.
Hadn't she just left the room for a short while?
Where could Conan have gone?
At the same time—
Outside the study, in the dimly lit corridor—
A young man stood there.
His expression? Smug.
His mood? Euphoric.
His identity?
The newly transformed Kudo Shinichi.