Chapter 171: One of Two
Takano Hideki's voice dripped with a cloying affection as he gazed at Natsume. "My beautiful angel, I must tell you that my heart has fallen completely for you. You are the most wonderful accident to have ever happened in my life." He held out a small, velvet-wrapped box. "Take this, and agree to be my girlfriend. I promise you, among all the women in the world, you will be the one I love the most. Don't worry, I will treat you well and give you a great deal of money. You can tell me whatever you want; you won't have to put yourself out there as a detective, working so hard for a living anymore. I can support you…"
Paimon couldn't help but materialize beside her. [Traveler, this is the first time I've seen someone confess to you. But for some reason, everything he's saying sounds really annoying. That's strange, shouldn't a confession make someone happy? Yesterday, I saw Ran was pretty happy when someone confessed to her.]
Paimon's voice was tinged with genuine confusion.
Natsume's hands tightened into fists at her sides, a physical effort to suppress the wave of irritation his words had stirred. 'Heh,' she thought dryly, 'that's because some people have a gift for making everything they say sound infuriating.'
She could tell from the look in Takano's eyes that, despite his narcissism, he sincerely believed he was doing her a favor. It was a unique talent, really, to turn a confession into a string of insults. If he kept talking, Natsume worried she might be forced to physically make him shut up.
Beside her, Conan and Ran had also bristled at his words, but their anger quickly shifted to caution. Seeing the cold, tight smile slowly spreading across Natsume's face, they exchanged a worried glance, concerned she might lose control and actually strike the man. After all, a blow from her could very well be fatal.
Suddenly, a flicker of movement in her peripheral vision caught Natsume's attention. Without a second thought, she shot her leg out in a powerful, precise kick, striking Takano Hideki squarely in the chest.
Aether, who had also sensed the impending danger, simultaneously moved to shield her.
Conan's first thought was that she had finally snapped. But he realized his mistake an instant later.
Crash!
Under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, a towering Christmas tree, set up as a bizarrely out-of-season decoration, toppled over, smashing into the exact spot where Takano had been standing just a moment before.
If not for Natsume's kick, he would have been crushed beneath its weight, leaving him either dead or permanently disabled.
Speaking of which, Conan mused, why is there a Christmas tree here? It's still months until December.
Seeing the wreckage, Ran and Sonoko rushed to Takano Hideki's side to help him up.
"Mr. Takano, are you okay?"
"I… I'm fine… Ah, that hurts! No, maybe I'm not entirely okay…" Takano tried to sound tough, but the spot on his chest where Natsume's foot had connected throbbed with a deep, sharp pain. He had no choice but to admit it.
But he also knew he couldn't blame Natsume; she had just saved his life. This was the second time now. The conviction that fate had brought them together solidified in his mind.
When Takano looked up at Natsume, his eyes shining with deep gratitude, a chill ran down her spine, and goosebumps prickled her arms.
'Did my kick scramble his brains?' she wondered. Although she had, in a fit of pique, put a little extra force into it, she was certain his head hadn't hit the ground. His mind should be fine.
Seeing the man's adoring expression, the faint smile on Aether's face finally cracked. He shifted his position slightly, his body smoothly interposing itself to block Takano's line of sight to his sister.
It wasn't long before the police arrived on the scene.
"Ran, Conan, and Natsume… we meet again," Inspector Megure said, his eyes half-lidded in weary resignation.
A police officer standing behind the inspector offered a familiar greeting to the group.
"Miss Natsume, we finally meet somewhere that isn't a bombing site." Matsuda Jinpei took off his sunglasses, tucking them neatly into his breast pocket before giving Natsume a playful wink. His gaze then shifted to the man standing beside her. "And who is this? A new friend of yours?"
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Matsuda felt the man's build was uncannily familiar. If not for the different face, he would have sworn it was the same person who had saved him all that time ago. Aside from the face, certain characteristics were just too similar. Was it really just a coincidence? A seed of skepticism was planted in Matsuda's mind.
"So, it's Mr. Morikawa," Matsuda said after Natsume's introduction, extending a hand. "A pleasure."
As they shook hands, he pressed, "Mr. Morikawa, you look a bit familiar. Have we met before?"
"I doubt it. I only recently returned from abroad," Aether replied, his expression unruffled by the question, which sounded suspiciously like a pick-up line. He paused as if giving it genuine thought before shaking his head. "If I had met Officer Matsuda, I'm sure I would remember it."
"Is that so? Then I must have remembered wrong." Matsuda seemed to accept the answer, though a flicker of doubt remained in his eyes. Without another word, he turned and walked toward Inspector Megure to begin the investigation. Meanwhile, Conan had already scurried past him, eagerly tailing the inspector.
"That officer is quite sharp," Aether remarked, his voice a low murmur meant only for Natsume.
"Do you regret saving him back then?" Natsume asked, her eyes on Matsuda's back as he began his work with professional seriousness. She was curious what was going through her brother's mind.
Aether didn't answer directly. Instead, he countered, "Were you happy when you saw he was still alive?"
"A little, I guess," she admitted. "It felt like making up for a past regret." While her primary emotions at the time had been confusion and shock at the deviation from the original plot, she couldn't deny the spark of happiness she'd felt knowing Matsuda Jinpei had survived.
A gentle smile touched Aether's lips. "Then I don't regret it."
"So, we have four suspects this time," Inspector Megure announced, his tone laced with uncertainty. He couldn't shake the feeling that the number was wrong. In his experience, shouldn't there be three?
The four suspects were:
Nakamura Masato, Takano Hideki's sycophantic follower. He was responsible for arranging the confession venue, which included determining the tree's position and decorating it.
Inoue Jin, a friend of Takano Hideki's, invited to witness the confession. He had been near the tree and admitted to accidentally knocking off an ornament, lingering for a moment to fix it.
Kaeya, a new acquaintance of Takano's who had taken the initiative to attend the event. He claimed he was standing by the tree to admire it because the child he'd brought along was fascinated by its shape.
Shuichi Akai, a temporary worker at the hotel for the day. His assigned task had been to move the Christmas tree to its designated position.
"I mean, really, it's just a confession. Why go through all this trouble?" Inspector Megure grumbled after hearing the initial testimonies.
Conan's mouth twitched as he stared at the last suspect on the list. 'Mr. Akai, is this what you meant yesterday when you told me not to worry? You came to the scene yourself.'
But he was sure Akai wasn't alone; other agents had to be monitoring the area.
He was already surprised to see Kaeya listed as a suspect, but he never expected Mr. Akai to be one as well.
'This is perfect,' Conan thought, his mind already racing. 'Two of the four suspects can be ruled out immediately. Mr. Akai would never do something like this, and Kaeya has no reason to. That leaves a choice between the other two.'
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