Morning light filtered through the windows of Mouri Detective Agency.
Inside the office, Kogoro Mouri sat lazily at his desk reading a newspaper.
Beside him, Ran Mori cleaned the office.
On the couch sat a small boy pretending to read a children's magazine.
But his mind was working far harder than it appeared.
Conan Edogawa was investigating someone.
Haruki Akizawa.
Conan flipped a page of the magazine while thinking carefully.
"Three cases…"
"Three times he appeared exactly when something happened."
Coincidence?
Maybe.
But Conan Kudo didn't believe in convenient coincidences.
Ran looked over.
"Conan?"
"Hm?"
"You've been quiet this morning."
Conan smiled innocently.
"Oh… just thinking."
Ran laughed.
"You sound like Shinichi when you say that."
Conan froze for half a second.
Then laughed nervously.
"Really?"
Ran nodded.
"He always gets that look when he's solving something."
Conan turned back to his magazine.
But his mind continued calculating.
"Step one… background check."
Later that afternoon.
Inside the public library of Beika City.
Haruki Akizawa sat quietly at a computer terminal.
He typed slowly.
Not searching random topics.
Checking something specific.
His own identity.
A necessary precaution.
After transmigrating into this world, the system had created a perfectly valid identity.
But Haruki still verified everything regularly.
Residence registration.
University records.
Tax information.
All legitimate.
All consistent.
Impossible to trace further back than three years.
That was intentional.
Then—
He felt it.
A gaze.
Haruki didn't turn.
Danger Prediction activated subtly.
Someone nearby was observing him.
Haruki clicked another tab casually.
Reflection on the computer screen.
Behind him—
A small figure standing between two bookshelves.
Glasses.
Blue jacket.
Conan.
Haruki almost smiled.
"So the detective finally started investigating."
He closed the browser and stood up.
Then walked straight toward the bookshelf.
Conan pretended to browse books.
But Haruki stopped beside him.
"You'll find better mystery books in aisle three."
Conan looked up.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You knew I was here?"
Haruki adjusted his glasses calmly.
"You weren't hiding very well."
Conan folded his arms.
"You're interesting."
Haruki raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Conan spoke bluntly.
"You show up around crimes a lot."
Haruki answered without hesitation.
"So do you."
Conan froze.
Then smirked.
"Touche."
There was a brief silence.
Two minds measuring each other.
Then Conan spoke again.
"You don't feel like an ordinary person."
Haruki shrugged.
"And you do?"
Conan stared.
That answer confirmed something.
Haruki wasn't fooled by his child act.
Not entirely.
Before Conan could respond—
DING
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
Mission Generated
Mission: Library Murder Case
Objective:
Solve the upcoming homicide.
Location:
Beika Public Library
Reward:
Skill Fragment
Crime Scene Reconstruction (2/3)
Bonus Reward:
Evidence Highlight (Passive Skill)
Haruki's eyes moved slightly.
A murder case.
Here.
Soon.
Right on schedule.
Which meant—
Canon event approaching.
The famous library case.
One of the early disturbing crimes in the series.
Haruki's mind recalled the details.
Hidden body.
Elevator.
Library director.
Before he could think further—
A loud scream echoed across the building.
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
The entire library froze.
Conan's eyes widened instantly.
"It started."
People rushed toward the back hallway.
Haruki and Conan followed.
Inside the corridor—
A librarian stood trembling near a storage room.
"The director…!"
Inside the room—
The body of the library director lay on the floor.
Dead.
A bookcase had been pushed aside.
And something strange caught Conan's eye.
The floor marks.
Scratches.
Like something heavy had been dragged.
Haruki noticed the same thing.
At the same time.
Two detectives.
Two silent observations.
The police arrived shortly after.
Among them—
Inspector Megure.
Megure sighed heavily.
"A murder inside a library…"
Then he noticed Conan.
"You again?"
Conan laughed awkwardly.
"Hehe… coincidence."
Megure looked over the scene.
"The victim is the library director."
A young librarian spoke nervously.
"He was arguing with someone earlier today."
Megure asked.
"Who?"
The librarian pointed toward a tall man.
The assistant director.
The man wiped sweat from his forehead.
"It wasn't serious!"
Haruki quietly watched the man.
Micro Expression Analysis activated.
His smile was forced.
Eyes moving rapidly.
Fear.
But not the fear of being accused.
The fear of something else.
Conan knelt near the floor scratches.
Something heavy had definitely been moved.
But where?
Haruki looked toward the elevator.
A memory flashed.
Canon scene.
The body hidden above the elevator ceiling.
Brilliant and disturbing.
Haruki walked toward the elevator casually.
Observation Boost activated.
Small droplets of blood near the elevator frame.
Barely visible.
Haruki pressed the elevator button.
The doors opened slowly.
Conan noticed something too.
Both stepped inside.
Haruki looked up.
Above the elevator ceiling panel.
A faint red stain.
Conan followed his gaze.
Then realized.
"The body…"
But before Conan could say anything—
Haruki stepped out of the elevator.
Letting Conan discover it himself.
Conan stared upward.
Then smiled slightly.
"You saw it first… didn't you?"
Moments later—
Conan triggered the famous trick.
Using Kogoro's voice through the bow-tie.
The truth was revealed.
The assistant director had murdered the library director and hidden the body above the elevator to move it between floors.
Police arrested him.
Megure sighed again.
"Another ridiculous crime."
But Conan looked toward the library entrance.
Haruki Akizawa was already leaving.
Conan muttered quietly.
"You're really good."
Outside the library.
Haruki checked the system.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
Mission Completed
Mission: Library Murder Case
Reward Acquired:
Crime Scene Reconstruction (3/3)
Skill Unlocked:
Crime Scene Reconstruction (Lv1)
Bonus Skill:
Evidence Highlight (Passive)
A new screen appeared.
[ SKILL UNLOCKED ]
Crime Scene Reconstruction (Lv1)
Ability:
Mentally reconstruct past movements at a crime scene.
Effects:
• Visualize possible movement patterns
• Rebuild timeline of events
• Identify hidden inconsistencies
Limitations:
• Requires physical evidence
• Accuracy improves with experience
[ PASSIVE SKILL ]
Evidence Highlight
Ability:
Important clues become easier to notice.
Subtle visual emphasis when observing crime scenes.
Haruki closed the interface.
His abilities were evolving steadily.
Exactly as planned.
But across the street—
Inside another parked black car—
Two figures continued watching.
Gin lowered his binoculars.
Vodka frowned.
"He solved it again."
Gin lit another cigarette slowly.
Smoke drifted through the car.
"Yes."
Vodka asked nervously.
"Should we eliminate him?"
Gin stared toward the library entrance.
Haruki walked calmly down the street.
Gin exhaled smoke.
"No."
"Not yet."
A faint smile appeared on Gin's face.
"I want to see how far he can go."
Meanwhile—
Inside the library—
Conan stood alone near the elevator.
Thinking deeply.
"Haruki Akizawa…"
"Who are you really?"
The young detective had now decided something important.
He would keep watching Haruki closely.
Because something about him felt dangerously similar.
A mind like Shinichi Kudo's.
End of Chapter 12