Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

But by then, Mr. Ishikuri had been dead for a long time, and even the bloodstains on the ground had almost dried.

The interior was also sealed off at the time; not only were the doors locked, but the windows were also locked.

But the next second, he looked at Conan suspiciously, "Hey kid, did you really go to check immediately after hearing the noise? The body was clearly lying in front of the door, blocking it. What kind of murder is this?!"

At this point, Kogoro Mouri glanced down at Conan with narrowed eyes, "This kid just had a concussion, he's become dazed, can we really believe what he says?"

"Besides, how could a smart criminal who can create locked rooms possibly resort to such an easily detectable trick?"

Kogoro Mouri's words made Inspector Yokomizo think.

He felt that Conan's analysis was correct, but Mr. Mori's words also made sense.

If this were truly a locked-room murder, the perpetrator would have employed a more complex and covert method of killing.

This method of using a "vase to kill" is far too rudimentary for a "high-IQ criminal" capable of creating a locked room.

Just then, Amuro Tooru suddenly held up two fingers. "I think there might have been two unexpected events when the culprit committed the crime. The first unexpected event was that the culprit didn't see Conan sleeping in bed wrapped in a blanket."

"The second surprise was that the prisoner didn't expect me to be able to open the locked door."

“If those two accidents hadn’t happened, we would have climbed over the balcony next door. Since the windows were locked, we would have given up on going inside after seeing the victim lying on the ground and called the police immediately.”

"Because of the hot weather, when the police arrived after receiving the report and broke the window to enter the room, they wouldn't have found it strange that the victim's blood had all dried."

“Even if everyone had broken through the window instead of waiting for the police, they certainly wouldn’t have cared about the bloodstains; they would have checked on Mr. Ishikuri first.”

After listening to Amuro Tooru's analysis, everyone present lowered their heads and began to think.

Conan also looked at Amuro Tooru in surprise, and lowered his head slightly.

He believed that Amuro Tooru was absolutely right, and that if those two unexpected events had not occurred, the situation would most likely have been as he described.

Even if the police arrive, they will only assume that Mr. Ishikuri was accidentally hit by a vase on the shelf and died from massive bleeding before he could be rescued.

Just as Conan was pondering, Amuro Tooru walked up to him, leaned down, and said with a smile, "Conan, you've done a great job this time!"

Seeing this, Conan smiled, feigning embarrassment.

But deep down, he had a slight suspicion about Amuro Tooru, this 'detective enthusiast' who had only recently appeared around him and Kogoro Mouri.

After all, why would someone with such reasoning ability, mastery of many strange skills, and even knowledge of the general order and logic of police investigations want to become Uncle Mori's apprentice?

Is it really just out of awe and admiration for the widely known name of 'Detective Kogoro Mouri'?

Just as Conan was beginning to suspect Amuro Tooru, Inspector Yokomizo quietly leaned close to Kogoro Mouri's ear and whispered, "Speaking of which, who exactly is he?"

Kogoro Mouri narrowed his eyes. "He is my number one disciple, detective Tooru Amuro."

This answer clearly shocked Inspector Yokomizo, his voice filled with astonishment, "What! Boss, top disciple?!"

The sound was so loud that not only Conan and Amuro Tooru, who were not far away, could hear it clearly, but even Tatsuno and the others who had just walked up the stairs could hear it clearly.

"Yes, because he was so moved by my famous reasoning that he specifically asked me to be his apprentice," Kogoro Mouri explained proudly.

Yokomizo Kansai approached Kogoro again, unwilling to give up, and said, "Um, Mr. Mori... although it was my own idea, I've always considered myself your number one disciple..."

Upon hearing Inspector Yokomizo's words, Kogoro Mouri blinked awkwardly, "Is...is that so...?"

Seeing that Kogoro Mouri and Inspector Yokomizo seemed to be talking about something completely unrelated to the case, Amuro Tooru immediately stepped forward and said, "In short, why don't you two just ask the victim's three friends? After all, we only met the victim today, so it's hard for us to have a motive for murder."

Amuro Tooru's words made Conan temporarily stop thinking about his 'motives for becoming an apprentice' and follow Amuro Tooru's gaze to look at the victim's university classmate.

In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on 'Momozono Kotone', 'Umejima Machi', and 'Takanashi Noboru'.

Noticing the gazes of the crowd, the three of them immediately wavered:

"why is it like this…"

"Do you really think the culprit is among the three of us?"

"..."

Conan looked at the three people with tense expressions, his gaze serious.

Just as Amuro Tooru said, the real culprit must be one of these three.

The only problem is the locked room; how did the perpetrator manage to leave the room after committing the murder?

Even if the prisoner has a spare key to the room, the door cannot be opened as long as Mr. Ishikuri's body is blocking the doorway.

Conversely, even if the culprit was able to leave the room, how did she manage to leave Mr. Ishikuri's body there?

Lost in thought, Conan didn't notice that Amuro Tooru was looking at him.

and…

That gaze was very similar to the one Conan used to look at Amuro Tooru—full of doubt and thought, not at all like someone looking at an elementary school student.

……

Soon after, the group arrived at the restaurant.

Kogoro Mouri and Inspector Yokomizo began questioning and investigating Momozono, Kotone, and the other two in turn.

"Ms. Momozono Kotone, I heard that you once went to Mr. Ishikuri's room, is that right?" Inspector Yokomizo asked, looking at Momozono Kotone sitting opposite him.

"Yes, I went to his room once, but I just wanted to ask him if he wanted some cold noodles. He told me he'd just have the leftover ice cream cake from last night..."

"And then what did you do after that?"

"After having lunch with everyone in the kitchen, I went to take a shower."

"By the way, when did Mr. Ishikuri's spare key go missing?"

"It must have been last night. I remember putting the spare key in the drawer of the table."

"..."

The investigation and questioning of the three people concluded shortly thereafter.

Although the three of them spent most of their time with others, they each spent a small portion of their time alone and none of them had a definite alibi.

Furthermore, it appears that all three of them visited the victim, Mr. Ishikuri.

Chapter 393 Amuro Tooru's Suspicion

Although we have spoken with the victim's three classmates, we have not received any direct clues.

The mystery of the locked room remains unsolved, and the case is temporarily shrouded in mystery.

However, the group also obtained an important piece of information.

—They also came here in winter.

At that time, one of their club members, 'Mr. Uryu', passed away.

It appears to have been buried in snow behind the cabin next to where they were skiing.

There was about 2 meters of snow piled up behind that wooden house.

Saburo Ishikuri joked at the time, "With snow piled up this high, you wouldn't die even if you jumped from the second floor."

Their partner, Guasheng, believed it and jumped from the second floor.

Yesterday was Guasheng's birthday, so they decided to get together to commemorate and celebrate it.

The reason why Noboru Takanashi and Saburo Ishikuri argued before was because of this matter.

-

Although no specific clues about the case were obtained from the three individuals, the revelation of this incident revealed the perpetrator's motive for murder.

The culprit must have killed Mr. Ishikuri to avenge Uryu.

While Inspector Yokomizo and others were questioning the victim, his subordinates continued searching for the spare key to the victim's room.

But the police officers had already searched the entire villa and still couldn't find it.

At Kogoro Mouri's suggestion, the officers went to search through the trash they had thrown out earlier.

Conan lowered his head and carefully recalled the previous conversation between the three 'suspects,' trying to find useful clues.

Some time later, Officer Yokomizo's men returned to the restaurant.

They have searched through the trash but have not found the key.

Just to be on the safe side, they even checked everyone's tennis rackets, but didn't find the key in any of them.

Upon hearing this news, even Conan showed a hint of worry.

Currently, it seems that the only key to opening and locking Mr. Ishikuri's room is on him.

Before the police arrived, no one other than him had approached Mr. Ishikuri's body, so it was impossible for him to have put the key in his pocket.

If the mystery of this locked room cannot be solved, even if he now knows the culprit's method of murder, it will be of no use.

Just as Conan was at a loss, Inspector Yokomizo's subordinate suddenly spoke up: "By the way, there's something strange! According to the forensic report, the tennis racket's net string, which was placed under the body, is twisted in several places."

"The network cable is twisted? Why?" Officer Yokomizo frowned.

"Well...right, after comparison, the shape of the bronze vase with blood on it is exactly the same as the wound on the corpse's head. Also, for some reason, the vase seems to have contained some water."

Upon hearing this, Officer Yokomizo's brows furrowed even more.

This series of 'unsolved mysteries' lingered in his mind, causing him great distress.

Conan, who was standing nearby, suddenly widened his eyes upon hearing this, as if he had realized something.

Under the watchful eye of Inspector Yokomizo, his subordinate relayed the time of death determined by the forensic team.

Just then, Conan quietly called Ryūno outside.

Amuro Tooru happened to witness this scene.

"Takeda, I know the culprit's method! As long as we find the spare key to that room, this case will be closed!"

“I know where the key is,” Longye said with a light laugh.

"What! Where?!"

"It's in the sports drink bottle."

"Sports drinks... I see!!!"

After listening to Ryūno's explanation, Conan suddenly realized and clenched his fist.

The next second, Conan glanced at the restaurant and saw Kogoro Mouri sitting in a chair.