"Katsuhiko Minagawa breathed his last just now."
"The cause of death appears to be poisoning—likely a drug administered recently."
"Ms. Watanabe Haomei, you said he collapsed shortly after you gave him your chocolate, correct?"
Katsuhiko Minagawa was dead.
The scream earlier had come from Watanabe Haomei, who had been standing beside him in the yard when he suddenly clutched his throat and collapsed.
The police had arrived swiftly.
After gathering initial statements and transporting the body, Inspector Megure wasted no time beginning his investigation. Everyone had been called into the living room.
"...Yes," Haomei nodded, sobbing. "I did give Katsuhiko some chocolate..."
She sat on the couch, her shoulders trembling.
She explained that she had followed him outside after his coffee break, trying to comfort him. She offered him the chocolate she'd made by hand—but after only a few bites, he'd collapsed.
Inspector Megure rubbed his chin, eyeing her suspiciously.
The timing and the victim's last known actions all pointed to Haomei. But her grief seemed genuine, and that gave Megure pause.
Across the room, Edogawa Conan was deep in thought.
Sure, Haomei was suspicious… but something didn't sit right. There were too many other questionable people in the house. Too many possibilities.
For once, he and Hayashi Yoshiki were standing on even ground—
But then—
"Inspector, can you have the coffee and cakes tested?"
Conan looked up, startled.
It was Hayashi Yoshiki.
Megure turned instantly. "You noticed something, Yoshiki-san?"
"I wouldn't say I've found anything conclusive. But the coffee had a subtly strange taste to it," Yoshiki said calmly.
"Strange?"
"I didn't notice anything...""Yeah, I thought it was fine.""He's probably just being dramatic to get attention."
Several partygoers exchanged glances, confused. Wakamatsu Toshihide even let out a derisive scoff.
Yoshiki ignored them.
Instead, he looked up from his notebook and turned his gaze toward Minagawa's mother, who had suddenly tensed up.
Then he shifted his attention to Ajin, the little boy still rubbing his cheek.
"Ajin, does your tooth still hurt?"
"...Yeah..." The child nodded, covering his cheek.
"Your mother must be very strict about sweets while you're dealing with cavities, huh?"
"Yes," she answered quickly. "Too many sweets would make it worse."
"But when you were caught drinking coffee, she immediately fed you cake," Yoshiki continued.
The woman stiffened.
"And just now, when I said I didn't like sweets and might try the cake later, you still urged me to taste it. Repeatedly."
She opened her mouth—but said nothing.
"You see, most people don't usually insist when I say no," Yoshiki said gently. "But your persistence… made me curious."
"I… I just spent a lot of time making it."
"Yes, and it's very good cake. The flavor was well-balanced." He paused, then added, "But I wonder… was that insistence actually a subtle attempt to ensure everyone—except Katsuhiko—ate it?"
The room fell deathly silent.
The woman clutched her sleeves tightly, suddenly pale.
Inspector Megure stepped forward, his voice sharp now. "Are you saying the coffee was poisoned—and the cake might contain the antidote?"
"It's only a theory," Yoshiki replied. "But it fits the timing."
"What nonsense!" someone shouted.
"No harm checking. Collect the evidence!" Megure barked.
The woman couldn't stop them—she had no excuses left. She simply sat there, frozen, as the officers gathered cups and plates for testing.
Her eyes flickered with fear.
Conan stared in stunned silence.
That was it?
No elaborate chase, no dramatic revelation?
Just like that, Hayashi Yoshiki had calmly unraveled the crime. No posturing, no monologues—just cold, clinical insight.
Unbelievable.
Which detective even solves cases like this!?
I didn't even get to DO anything!
He looked over at Yoshiki, who was quietly sketching something in his notebook, completely unfazed.
Conan gritted his teeth, already scheming desperately to come up with some alternate theory that could salvage his pride.
But a short while later, the test results came back—and confirmed Yoshiki's deduction.
The coffee was poisoned.
Confronted with the truth, Minagawa's mother finally broke.
She collapsed to her knees, weeping.
"I didn't mean to—but I had no choice…!"
The handcuffs glinted as Inspector Megure stepped forward.
The woman's confession spilled out between sobs:
Katsuhiko Minagawa had not been her biological child.
He was the son of her late brother-in-law. After a tragic car accident seven years ago, she adopted him. But now, with her husband's business nearing bankruptcy, she had begun coveting the inheritance left behind by Katsuhiko's parents.
And so, she had devised the perfect crime.
With the case closed, Ran and Sonoko rose with quiet unease, preparing to leave.
Yoshiki gave them a reassuring smile and said he needed to use the restroom before heading out.
As he stepped into the hallway, he spotted Wakamatsu Toshihide loitering nearby.
"I heard what you said earlier, Mr. Wakamatsu."
"Huh?"
Wakamatsu turned, clearly irritated. When he saw Yoshiki, he scoffed. "So what?"
"Nothing really," Yoshiki said, smile unwavering. "But for someone who calls others a 'coward' so confidently, I assume you're the kind of man who never backs down in the face of danger. I'm looking forward to your performance."
He spoke with the same calm, almost gentle tone as always.
But that smile… that handsome, too-perfect smile… didn't reach his eyes.
There was no warmth in those black irises.
"...What?" Wakamatsu blinked, utterly confused by the cryptic remark.
He spat to the side.
Yoshiki didn't react. He simply turned, pulled out his phone, and quietly deleted the text message Gin had sent him earlier.