Stay away from Conan.

"Since you claim to be so incredibly powerful, then... I agree to your demands..."

Seemingly a little anxious, but still trying to maintain a calm tone, Kazato Kyosuke said this to the person on the other end of the phone.

Upon hearing that Kyosuke Kazato had contacted him, the person on the other end of the line let out a sneer, which clearly displeased Kyosuke, who already harbored some resentment about the matter. However, what the person on the other end said next immediately made Kyosuke's expression turn serious—

"This is a wise choice for you. And even if you don't contact us, I'm planning to tell you something—"

"You used to work at the Tokyo University Hospital, right? Just today, two police officers went there and asked someone specifically about your situation before and after leaving the hospital seven years ago, as well as some things about your colleague, Yasushi Nino."

"You should know what this means, right?"

The man's voice on the other end of the phone, with its somewhat arrogant tone, disgusted Kazato Kyosuke, but he had to admit that what the other man said did startle him.

Seven years ago, at Toto University Hospital? And the inquiry was about something related to Yasushi Nino?
These details, taken together, meant all too well to Kyosuke Kazato, especially since the police were investigating these matters so specifically at this time. If his past hadn't been exposed, there was no reason why they would have had the opportunity to find out about it.

After all, back then, the incident seven years ago was just the Yasushi Nino case, and the police didn't even bother to investigate it. But now, because of the series of shootings, the police have already arrested Tomonari, yet they're suddenly investigating something from seven years ago... This...

Inevitably, combined with Officer Shiratori's visit to him for a medical check-up today, Kazato Kyosuke realized that his time was probably running out.

In that case——

"What do you want?"

With a hint of resentment in his eyes, Kyosuke Kazato knew he couldn't wait any longer, so he bluntly asked the other party how these guys, who had suddenly approached him and somehow obtained evidence of his crimes, would help him.

Kyosuke Kazato had no choice at this point, because no matter what, he still didn't know how those people had managed to escape yesterday, or even how the police had finally caught a different suspect.

At this point, all that could be heard was the smug man on the other end of the phone saying:
"It's simple. Just take out the handgun you used to commit the crime and use it to testify against the man who was arrested yesterday. Once the evidence against that man is established, the police will have no reason to keep arresting other people."

Upon hearing this, Kyosuke Kazato hesitated noticeably and said with a hint of reluctance:
"But...you should know that there's still one thing I haven't done yet!"

"You're not planning to kill the other cop too, are you? Given the current situation, it's already the best outcome that you've escaped unscathed. Don't be ungrateful! You know, if you use that gun to commit another crime, it means yesterday's entire operation was a failure. Not only will you be immediately investigated, but you also know that this would only cause us more trouble—"

"Don't think that the matter is over just because you were arrested and tried by the police. If you keep causing us trouble, do you really think you'll ever get arrested by the police?"

Thus, all he heard on the other end of the phone was a blatant and direct threat, which made Kazato Kyosuke curse inwardly. He knew that those guys were definitely not good people, and he didn't know why he had suddenly been targeted by such a group of people.

"Don't worry, you still have value. As a psychologist and a former surgeon, we value your talent. As long as you don't cause trouble, we will offer you even more generous rewards. It's not just about covering up your crimes; if you want to advance further in the medical field, it will be a piece of cake!"

"Think it over carefully. Get your handgun ready as soon as possible; we'll send someone to collect it." After saying this threatening yet tempting statement, the person on the other end of the phone hung up.

As the call ended, Kyosuke Kazato's hand holding the phone trembled slightly, and his face was very pale. He seemed to want to smash the phone to vent his emotions, but he tried to remain calm and did not do so. He simply slumped into his seat, calmly thought for a while, and then got up, looking slightly tired. As if he had already thought about what to do next, he got up and prepared to leave.

And so, as he was about to leave the counseling room, a young female cleaning lady happened to pass by. Seeing that he was already dressed and taking his belongings, she realized that he seemed to be preparing to leave, and so she politely inquired:
"Dr. Kazato, are you leaving already?"

A bit taken aback by the sudden question, Kazato Kyosuke was startled, but he quickly calmed down and casually nodded to indicate that he was indeed leaving. The cleaning staff then walked naturally toward the counseling room, as if this was the usual routine, with someone coming to clean the counseling room every day.

Kyosuke Kazato didn't think much of it, only glancing at the cleaner's name tag, which showed the name of the cleaning company outsourced to the hospital and the cleaner's name.

Modobel.

Such a rare surname.

Subconsciously, Kyosuke Kazato thought to himself, but he didn't have time to pay any more attention to the other person and prepared to leave immediately to do what he needed to do.

The cleaning staff, upon entering the counseling room, began sweeping the floor as usual. Then, as they passed the tables and chairs, they casually took a small device from under Kyosuke Kazato's chair, put it in their pocket, and were about to continue cleaning—

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Kyosuke Kazato rushed back to the counseling room:

"What's wrong, Dr. Kazato?"

The cleaning staff member smiled faintly and asked the other person a question in return.

In response, Kyosuke Kazato, somewhat wary, asked in return:
"Isn't it time for the daily cleaning yet?"

"That's right, but... weren't you just leaving? You thought you could stop by and do some cleaning, is there a problem?"

The cleaning staff asked, looking slightly puzzled.

Upon being asked this question, Kazato Kyosuke looked at the other person with a somewhat serious expression. Looking at the other person's calm face, he tried to read something from the other person's face using his knowledge as a psychologist, but he couldn't glean any information at all.

Then, after some thought, Kyosuke Kazato asked solemnly:

"Are you one of their people?" (End of Chapter)