"I was actually trying to ask for your professional opinion on Councilman Ooki," Inspector Megure said, his expression shifting into one of weary exasperation.
As for how you choose to 'persuade' people... that's none of my business, he thought silently.
"It's not hard to guess," Tsuneo replied, offering a blunt, level-headed assessment. "A guy like that is bound to have a closet full of skeletons. Even if he hadn't been murdered, he wouldn't have lasted much longer in that seat anyway."
It was a fair point. A middle-aged, balding man who spent his afternoons stinking of alcohol and had the audacity to flirt with a female CEO under the watchful eyes of a crowd—there was no telling what else he was capable of behind closed doors.
"..."
The room fell into a brief, heavy silence.
"Inspector Megure, have you discovered a possible motive yet?" Professor Agasa asked, breaking the tension.
"It's still under investigation," Megure said, shaking his head slightly. "Although Ooki was only a city councilman, he reportedly wielded more practical power than the Mayor himself."
"To give you an example of that power," Officer Shiratori added, stepping forward, "look at the Twin Tower Skyscrapers. He managed to forcibly amend and pass a municipal ordinance that originally prohibited the construction of high-rise buildings in that area."
"Oh, so that's why!" Ayumi nodded her small head in realization. "When we were in the observation elevator yesterday, there were almost no other tall buildings outside the glass."
"I see now. That's why Miss Tokiwa couldn't refuse him," Ran added softly. She finally understood why Mio Tokiwa had looked so troubled before eventually agreeing to let the Councilman stay in the hotel before its grand opening.
It wasn't just a "small favor" he had done for her; he had moved mountains.
"Strictly speaking, in terms of opportunity, Mio Tokiwa has the strongest motive," Inspector Megure analyzed.
She had arranged for Ooki to stay on the sixty-seventh floor, while she herself resided on the sixty-eighth. As for the motive, they couldn't rule out the possibility that Ooki had been pressuring her into something she couldn't accept, causing her resentment to boil over into violence.
"I find that hard to believe..." Kogoro Mouri muttered, his brow furrowed.
He didn't want to believe his junior from university was capable of such a thing.
"But speaking of that broken sake cup," Sonoko chimed in, looking at the photograph of the elderly man, Hosui Kisaragi. "Don't Japanese-style painters use small dishes like that when they work?"
Kisaragi was a master painter, famous for his depictions of Mount Fuji.
"My dad's hobby is Japanese painting, too," Sonoko continued. "That little sake cup looks a lot like the small mortars used for grinding pigments into powder."
Hearing this, Inspector Megure looked down at the shattered cup inside the evidence bag. The connection seemed plausible.
"If we only look at the cup as a clue, then the secretary, Miss Sawaguchi, and the architect, Mr. Kazama, don't seem to have any connection to it at all, do they?" Shiratori mused, his hand on his chin.
"Officer Shiratori, is Mr. Kazama really a student of Teiji Moriya?" Conan asked, his voice sharp with concern.
He had to be sure. He didn't want Hidehiko Kazama suddenly showing up with a suitcase full of explosives at the end of all this.
"Yes, that's confirmed," Shiratori nodded. "However, unlike Teiji Moriya, who was the 'artistic' type of architect, Kazama comes from a technical engineering background. He doesn't share his mentor's obsessive aesthetic standards."
"A sake cup..."
Conan's mind didn't stop there. He was already drawing parallels to a certain duo in black.
The briefing ended shortly after. As soon as they stepped out of the Metropolitan Police Department, the three younger children—the Detective Boys—scurried off and vanished into the crowd.
"Where are they going?" Tsuneo asked, having entertained the idea of grabbing lunch with the group.
"The Three Musketeers are going on a 'mission' again," Conan sighed, rubbing his temples in resignation.
He had noticed them whispering earlier about going to the station. In the end, it seemed he would have to be the one to keep an eye on them.
"Good luck with that, Great Detective," Ai Haibara said dryly. She gave him a mock salute of sympathy before turning to get into the car.
"Good luck..."
Tsuneo prepared to take his leave as well. He had received word that Gin might be making a move, and he needed to look into it.
"..."
Conan let out a long, weary sigh and started walking toward Beika Station.
Fine, fine. Time to go babysit...
A short while later, Conan cornered the three runaways at the station just as they were trying to sneak off for their private investigation.
"Co... Conan?!"
"What are you doing here?!" The three kids jumped, startled by his sudden appearance.
"You guys were being way too obvious," Conan said, his voice flat.
The idea of three children trying to investigate murder suspects without an adult was dangerously reckless. In the end, all four of them boarded the train together.
"I'll let it slide this time, but absolutely no more acting on your own! Understood?" Conan lectured as the train rattled along the tracks.
"We know, we know!"
Surprisingly, the trio didn't seem annoyed. With Conan around, they actually felt a renewed sense of confidence.
"Today, we're visiting Mr. Kazama and Mr. Kisaragi. Then, tomorrow, we have an appointment at Mr. Hara's house," Ayumi announced, checking her notes.
"Mr. Kazama's home is in Setagaya, but he has a studio in Ashidano, which is just one stop before Nishitamashi Station. He's staying there until the Twin Towers open," Mitsuhiko explained.
"Mr. Kisaragi lives alone. He built a combination house and studio in Ashidano three years ago," Genta added with a nod.
Since both suspects were in Ashidano, they could visit both in a single day.
"Oh?"
Conan looked at them, genuinely impressed. Their intelligence gathering was actually quite solid this time.
Ashidano Station.
Mr. Kazama's apartment wasn't hard to find; it was just a short walk from the station.
"Oh, it's you kids," Hidehiko Kazama said as he opened the door. Finding four children on his doorstep didn't seem to bother him. He didn't turn them away; instead, he invited them in and poured them glasses of juice.
"Is this CAD? Do you do all your designs on a computer now?" Conan asked, standing by the monitor.
"You're quite knowledgeable," Kazama chuckled. "Almost no one uses a drafting board these days. The era of purely handmade blueprints is over."
He leaned back slightly. "So, you didn't just come here to look at my computer. Is there something you wanted to ask?"
"Mitsuhiko, go on, ask him!" Genta whispered, nudging his friend. Didn't you write the questions in your notebook?
"Ahem! Well, actually, Mr. Kazama, we wanted to say..." Mitsuhiko's nerves got the better of him. He pivoted awkwardly, offering a panicked compliment instead. "This apartment is really great! The air is so fresh, and you have a perfect view of Mount Fuji!"
"..."
The transition was so jarring that Conan and Genta nearly face-planted onto the floor.
"We are the Junior Detective League, and we're here to investigate the murder of Mr. Ooki!" Ayumi declared, sitting upright on the sofa and speaking with sudden courage.
"That's right! Even if that Mr. Ooki was a really unlikable guy!" Genta added, crossing his arms and nodding.
"You kids certainly are brave," Kazama said, a look of genuine surprise crossing his face. He nodded slowly, giving the little detectives permission to proceed.
"In that case... regarding the late Mr. Ooki, what was your personal opinion of him?" Mitsuhiko read out the first question they had prepared.
"Straight to the point, I see. Hmm... I'd say he was a lecherous, middle-aged man. However, thanks to the municipal ordinance he amended, I got this job. From a professional standpoint, I'm quite grateful to him."
"Did you ever have any disputes with Mr. Ooki during the design or construction phases?" Mitsuhiko followed up with the second question.
"With Mr. Ooki? No," Kazama shook his head.
"Does that mean," Conan intervened, his sharp eyes catching the nuance, "that you had 'unpleasant' interactions with someone else?"
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