Keisuke Kumiko's words were filled with sarcasm as always.
And as real as ever.
It's a pity that if Conan could hear this, he wouldn't be Conan anymore.
Conan simply waved his hand furiously.
"You don't need to tell me that, because I've always believed that kindness resides in people's hearts. Killing is always wrong. If we manage to persuade them with reason, we can surely awaken their goodness and make them stop killing."
"Kindness?"
Keisuke Kumiko sneered. "Do you really think your so-called 'reasonable persuasion' will work on someone who has made revenge their life's goal and wants to be buried in a sea of fire after killing all their enemies?"
"Of course it works! You only think it's useless because people like you never truly understand others' hearts!"
Conan said stubbornly, wearing an expression that seemed to say, "You failed because you didn't convince them not to kill."
"Doraemon, you said this medicine has no side effects."
Keisuke Kumiko turned his head and looked at Ai, who was beside him.
"Look, this kid has been taking medicine all the time, and now his brain is damaged. He's mentally disturbed and spouts nonsense all day."
Ai rolled her eyes. "I only said that the original APTX4869 had no side effects. For now, I'm fine. Maybe Kudo's case is special because he's been taking the unfinished antidote."
"No wonder he looks like he has a big head and a small body. His brain is probably full of water."
"Don't say that. he's a victim, after all."
"Ah, poor little boy!"
"…"
Conan's face turned pale as he watched the two people in front of him chatting and slandering him.
Suddenly, he realized something and glared fiercely at Ai.
"Did you tell him that I'm shrinking?"
"Well, I've already said everything, but considering this person's tendency to argue with kids, it really doesn't matter whether I say it or not."
Haibara Ai replied, not forgetting to mock her supposed ally.
Keisuke Kumiko shrugged.
"You're not going to tell anyone out there, are you?"
Conan looked into Keisuke Kumiko's eyes.
"You're overthinking, kid." Keisuke Kumiko said indifferently. "Your little secret doesn't interest me at all. Besides, exposing it to embarrass you isn't as fun as embarrassing you in person!"
"Damn bastard..."
Conan gritted his teeth, knowing that Keisuke Kumiko was mocking him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Kudo, the antidote formula I gave you is only a semi-finished product."
At that moment, Haibara Ai spoke seriously.
"I'd advise you to take fewer unfinished products, or the consequences will be unimaginable."
Conan looked at her.
"I understand. I'll remember."
Of course, only God knows whether he actually will or not.
Their values were too different, and there was no point in arguing.
Conan had no intention of talking further with Keisuke Kumiko and the others. He turned around and walked toward Asai Narumi's hospital room, flowers in hand.
Judging by his demeanor, he was probably doing the same thing as always—trying to persuade the suspect to confess and make amends. This kind of behavior seemed like a sickness.
However, in this case, the person involved claimed she hadn't committed the crime. Moreover, when Keisuke Kumiko went to see Asou Seiji earlier, he had the mindset that Conan's verbal assault would definitely fail.
"By the way, didn't you just tell me this case wasn't a homicide?"
Haibara Ai recalled their earlier conversation and couldn't help but ask again.
"What's your reasoning? If the victim committed suicide, that would be outrageous."
Keisuke Kumiko turned to look at her.
"To you, is suicide the only alternative to homicide? Have you been around these detectives so long that your thinking is as rigid as theirs?"
"That doesn't mean it's any better to joke around with you."
Haibara Ai curled her lips.
She thought for a moment and said, "Are you saying that the deaths of the three victims were accidents beyond their control?"
"Well, this is just my personal assumption."
Keisuke Kumiko nodded.
Narumi Asai had just said that she went to see the former village chief, Kameyama Isamu, three years ago, and he died right in front of her. The cause of death was a heart attack, something beyond his control.
Haibara Ai immediately understood. "So, you're assuming that the deaths of these three people three years later were caused by the same or similar reasons?"
She frowned. "This is ridiculous. All four of them just happened to die by accident?"
"Not necessarily for the same reason, but they should be somewhat connected."
"How do you conclude that there's a connection between them?"
"Have you ever studied philosophical concepts? Nothing in this world exists in complete isolation. Everything is universally connected in some way. The connection between anything forms a framework."
Keisuke Kumiko looked at her.
"Just like the potion you developed—it ties everyone's fate together."
"That was so abstract…"
Haibara Ai closed her eyes.
As a graduate student in physical and chemical engineering and a pharmaceutical developer,
she honestly found it difficult at times to understand the mindset of people like Keisuke Kumiko, who had studied the humanities.
"Let's put it simply." Keisuke Kumiko snapped his fingers. "According to Masanobu's information, the deceased were drug traffickers. That's the connection between them. This could be a clue."
"I see."
Now Haibara Ai understood.
Keisuke Kumiko was likely thinking that since these people had smuggled drugs, they were probably also drug users.
The long-term consequences of drug abuse are severe. The biggest issue is that it destroys the body's immune function and causes irreversible damage to vital organs, leading to a series of complications—kidney failure, hepatitis, arrhythmia, heart dysfunction, cerebral hypoxia, etc.—and in some cases, even sudden death without warning.
According to Asou Seiji's description, the scenes where these people died seemed like they had taken some kind of chemical drug.
Thus, Keisuke Kumiko speculated that the cause of these deaths might be related to drug abuse.
"In short, we still need to investigate the details."
Keisuke Kumiko turned around and left the hospital.
This case was somewhat complex. First, they needed to conduct an on-site investigation.
…
The next day, Keisuke Kumiko bought a boat ticket to Moon Island and set off once again for the island he had previously visited.
The island's scenery was as beautiful as ever.
The crystal-clear sea, white sandy beaches, steep mountains, lush forests, and fresh air made it an ideal vacation spot.
However, at a glance, a large crowd could be seen gathered at the village entrance, noisy and restless, shattering the tranquility.
Haibara Ai looked from a distance.
"These people seem to be marching in the streets."
"Well, let's go take a look."
(End of Chapter)