He's in Detective Conan, and he's the mastermind behind everything.

Three minutes later, Shinichi Kudo rushed into the nurses' station on the first floor, followed by a group of police officers with solemn expressions.

"Where is the deceased?!" he asked urgently.

The nurse on duty quickly led them to the ward where the incident occurred. When the police arrived, the doctors who were already waiting at the scene rushed forward to greet them. But before they could speak, Shinichi Kudo asked a series of questions.

The deceased's name was Gao Yuanyi, but that's not important.

The important thing is his other identity: the person who was knocked unconscious by Kogoro Mouri's over-the-shoulder throw in the Ginza underground shopping mall.

He didn't know when he woke up, but after the nurses finished their rounds, between 11:00 and 11:30 p.m., he stabbed himself in the heart with a fruit knife and committed suicide.

A nurse dropping a pen during rounds, retracing her steps, discovered the body, and called the police.

"Wait a moment!"

Shinichi Kudo noticed a key point: "Who told Attorney Kisaki about this?"

The medical staff in the hospital looked at each other, then shook their heads, all saying that there was absolutely no such thing.

In addition...

"Does 'Attorney Ki' refer to Princess Eri Kisaki? Is she also involved in this matter?"

A young male doctor's eyes were filled with excitement.

"..."

Shinichi Kudo was speechless for a few seconds, then shook his head. It seemed these people really wouldn't know about this. So, there was only one possibility that Attorney Kisaki knew the news immediately, even before the police.

"Inspector Megure, check the deceased's phone."

Megure immediately arranged for someone to do so, and sure enough, the first number in the deceased's phone call log was Eri Kisaki's number.

The answer is obvious: before committing suicide, the deceased called Eri Kisaki and said something provocative to her.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Eri Kisaki fainted, her last words being:

"Don't be impulsive! Kogoro didn't do it on purpose!"

Eri's assistant, Midori Kuriyama, who was working overtime with her, immediately called an ambulance. Recalling that sentence, she felt that something might be wrong and quickly called the police.

Less than ten minutes after the police learned of the incident, Shinjuku Hospital also received a report that the deceased had been discovered.

After a brief examination, Inspector Megure looked at the corpse on the hospital bed with a grave expression.

"This will allow us to roughly pinpoint the time of the incident, to around 11:15 PM, after the phone call ended. Kudo, I'll go and thoroughly review the tentative list of suspects right now. We're sure we'll find the culprit!"

Inspector Megure turned to leave, but stopped a second later when Shinichi Kudo sighed softly.

"He really did commit suicide."

Force, direction, angle, death reaction, no signs of struggle... In Shinichi Kudo's analysis, countless details clearly demonstrate that no second person was involved in Takahara Yoshi's death.

Shortly afterward, the results of Gao Yuanyi's blood sample test came back, confirming that he had not been under any degree of anesthesia before his death.

"What...what exactly is going on..."

With all the evidence clear, Inspector Megure had no choice but to accept the fact that Takahara Yoshi had committed suicide, muttering in disbelief.

They are now basically convinced that there is a mastermind behind this series of events, but how did he manage to make someone willingly commit suicide?

Suicide squads and stuff...

This isn't the Edo period anymore!

Shinichi Kudo pondered, "Judging from the fact that he borrowed that high-interest loan that he can't repay, Yoshito Takahara already has a certain tendency to be misanthropic. If we can help him achieve some wish that he absolutely cannot fulfill, it's not impossible for him to commit suicide."

The key now is to find out what happened, and it's highly likely that it just happened tonight.

"Tonight... tonight?!"

Megure muttered to himself for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "Could it be the yakuza infighting at the Watanuki Credit Co., Ltd.? A lot of people died there, and maybe Takahara Yoshi's enemies were among them. The person behind it helped him take revenge, so he committed suicide!"

Shinichi Kudo pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

"Because it involves loan sharking, we also searched the area and asked about the details. They said it was a conflict between a new gang and the Muddy Waters Association. Even though the computer data has been destroyed, the amount involved is estimated to be at least one billion yen."

Even if Kiyoko Yukimatsu received a full payout from her insurance policy, it would only amount to 500 million yen. If she had the means to do that, why would she bother with all this trouble?

Miwako Sato countered, "What if she wants both?"

"It's no longer possible."

Shinichi Kudo's expression turned grave: "Actually, this is what I've been most puzzled by. What exactly is her purpose in involving Uncle Mori and Attorney Kisaki?"

Even if she successfully obtains the insurance money, we've already set our sights on it. How will she get her hands on it and use it legitimately?

A silence fell over the ward; no one could answer these questions.

Buzz buzz! ! !

Inspector Megure's phone suddenly rang. He glanced at it and quickly answered. Ran's voice came through the receiver.

“My mother woke up and she has something to say to the police.”

Chapter 36 Eri Kisaki's Pain and Conflict

"Because of your existence."

"Because of your husband's existence."

"My last hope in life has been destroyed, and I no longer have the courage to live."

"Farewell, this vile world."

"I won't be coming again next time."

These were the last words left by Takahara Yoshi after he dialed Eri's number.

The impact of these words on Eri's mind was unimaginable. When she clearly heard the faint sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh, her mind went completely blank.

When she regained consciousness, all she saw was a pale white ceiling in the hospital ward.

That pale skin, how piercingly cold it was!

Fortunately, there was still a sliver of warmth in my hand.

When Eri's empty gaze was drawn by that sliver of warmth and she saw her daughter sleeping soundly on the hospital bed, a tear involuntarily welled up in her eye.

"I'm sorry, Xiaolan."

For some reason, she murmured softly.

Recently, because of family matters... no, it's been ten years since then. Because of family matters, this child has been very tired. Where exactly have she and Kogoro Mouri placed Ran all these years?

Eri Kisaki's eyes were full of pity. She slightly raised her upper body, wanting to use her other hand to touch her daughter's head.

But as soon as she made a slight movement, Xiaolan immediately opened her sleepy eyes. When she saw that the movement came from her, her eyes quickly cleared, and she smiled gently, got up and hugged her.

"Mom, don't be afraid. No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you."

Her eyes trembled slightly, and Eri Kisaki was speechless.

What exactly did she give up ten years ago?

Her hand, which had been suspended in mid-air, did not fall for a long time. When Eri's stiff body finally softened and she wanted to stroke her daughter's hair properly, she finally did.

Xiao Lan gently pushed her away.

"I'm sorry, I was being childish. I knew Mom was in a hurry to call the police, but I still took up her time." Xiaolan apologized as she took out her rose-red smartphone and dialed Megure's number.

“My mother woke up and she has something to say to the police.”

After saying this, Xiaolan handed the phone to her mother, turned around and walked towards the door, waving and smiling lightly.

"I'm going to the bathroom."

Since everyone wants to keep it from her, she might as well be more sensible and avoid it herself.

Watching her daughter's departing figure, Eri opened her mouth, but ultimately remained silent. After hesitating for a few seconds, she got up from the bed, walked to the door of the ward, and made sure Ran wasn't eavesdropping.

I'm sorry, Xiaolan.

But knowing about such adult matters will only cause you unnecessary sadness; your parents are just worried about you.

When Inspector Megure's inquiry came from the other end of the phone, Eri Kisaki walked back to the bedside and sat down, only then noticing an exquisite flower basket on the bedside table.

The basket was overflowing with pale blue baby's breath, arching over several elegant lilies, their delicate petals swaying gently in the breeze, still bearing a few dewdrops that had condensed in the night.

Eri Kisaki gently stroked the vines of the flower basket with her fingertips, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes.

Xiao Lan has really grown up.

"Aunt Yingli?"

Shinichi Kudo's question came from the other end of the phone. Eri withdrew her hand, her eyes quickly calming down, and calmly recounted what had happened.

Upon hearing Takahara Yoshi's last words, Inspector Megure sighed softly. Now it was absolutely certain that he had committed suicide, but what was his motive?

"Kudo family, do you still think this wasn't an accident?" Eri Kisaki asked coldly after recounting what had happened.

“Aunt Eri, you saw those two words in Beika Central Park too,” Shinichi Kudo replied calmly.

"What does a cigarette case with no owner's fingerprints and a faded kite that has been abandoned for who knows how long prove? You pieced together those two words yourself; who knows what their original meaning was?"

Shinichi Kudo was silent for a few seconds. "Aunt Eri said it was just a coincidence. Do you believe that yourself?"

Eri Kisaki gritted her teeth: "Fine! Do you have any other evidence? Don't just rely on guesses."

Shinichi Kudo was speechless.

"Since there is no other evidence so far, let me ask you, Kudo family, if there really is a mastermind behind this, why would he leave behind those words that mock the police?"

You say his purpose was to commit insurance fraud, but given how things have developed, with so much attention focused on the 500 million yen, isn't that contrary to his intentions?

The reason for this is simply that he left behind something that could barely be considered evidence.

Without that, I don't know if you could have stuck to your beliefs, or if the police would have continued their investigation without closing the case. But either way, that kind of situation would have been advantageous to the mastermind, wouldn't it?

Don't tell me it's because of the arrogance of a criminal. You said it yourself, he's meticulous and his plans are ingenious; he would never act impulsively for no reason!

After Eri Kisaki finished her long speech, both hospital wards fell silent.

These are questions that Shinichi Kudo cannot answer.