Solving cases with Detective Conan's science? No, I'm a cultivator!

Upon hearing Kitagawa Taki say that, Kogoro Mouri jumped up and ran outside.

Kogoro Mouri peeked out from the doorway, saying, "So, this is a locked-room murder."

“That’s right.” Kitagawa Taki walked out of the room and looked at the twin maids hugging each other. “Honami-san and Minaho-san, please go and call the rest of you over!”

"Yes," Honomi Shimokasa replied, then pulled Miho Shimokasa away.

Kogoro Mouri asked curiously, "Brother Kitagawa, do you think it was someone from the villa who did it?"

Kitagawa Taki smiled slightly. "I think I know who the murderer is."

"What?" Kogoro Mouri was shocked. He had no clue whatsoever, yet Taki Kitagawa already knew who the culprit was.

Katagiri Masaki, standing to the side, also looked at Kitagawa Taki with surprise.

Katagiri Masaki knows that Mouri Kogoro is a famous detective, but isn't this Kitagawa-san an exorcist?

Kogoro Mori asked urgently, "Brother Kitagawa, who is the murderer?"

Kitagawa Taki kept everyone in suspense, saying, "Let's talk about it once everyone arrives."

Not long after, the two returned to the scene with the remaining people, except for Aikawa Touya.

Honami Shimokasa said anxiously, "Mr. Kitagawa, Mr. Aikawa's door is also locked, and there's no response when we call for help!"

"Ok?"

A bad feeling arose in everyone's heart.

The group followed two maids to Aikawa Touya's room on the first floor of the east side.

Kitagawa Taki burst through the door, turned on the light, and saw Aikawa Touya lying on the bed with a ferocious expression, his right hand clutching his chest.

Kogoro Mouri stepped forward to check, then shook his head. "He's dead."

The two murders in quick succession sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

Kogoro Mouri speculated, "It seems that Mr. Aikawa died of a heart attack. We'll have to wait for the police to arrive to find out the specifics."

……

Not long after, Inspector Megure arrived at the scene.

After understanding some basic information, Inspector Megure analyzed, "The victim must have opened the door himself before the perpetrator entered the room!"

“Not necessarily,” Kogoro Mouri interrupted. “Inspector, Ms. Su Fang has been suffering from insomnia lately and has a habit of taking sleeping pills.”

Takagi Wataru understood: "I see, no wonder there were no signs of struggle on the part of the victim."

Inspector Megure stroked his chin, pondering, "Since the victim had taken sleeping pills and locked the door, how did the perpetrator get in?"

Kogoro Mouri had a sudden inspiration: "I know, Inspector!"

Inspector Megure asked expectantly, "Really?"

Kogoro Mouri said, "The culprit must have arranged to meet Ms. Su Fang beforehand, took the opportunity to drug her with sleeping pills, and then moved her to the bed to kill her."

Upon hearing this, Takagi Wataru asked the crucial question: "Detective Mouri, how did the culprit lock the door?"

If it's just about locking the door from the inside, it's not difficult to do using a fishing line or something similar.

The key is the other large padlock; there's no other way to lock it except from the top of the room.

When Kogoro Mouri was asked that question, he immediately wilted.

Chapter 148 Guess?

"If they don't come in through this door, where else could the murderer have come in?" Inspector Megure surveyed the entire room.

There was another door in the room leading to another bedroom, but it had been sealed off several years ago, and no signs of forced entry were found.

There was a row of grid-like panels above the door, and there were no signs of them being removed. The gaps between the panels were only a few centimeters, so small that you couldn't even stick your hand out.

Suddenly, the voice of a forensic officer interrupted Inspector Megure's thoughts.

"Inspector, the murder weapon is a bit strange; there's a lot of blood on the hilt."

Detective Tommy, who was in charge of the autopsy and trace search, showed the murder weapon, which was in an evidence bag, to Inspector Megure.

Inspector Megure pondered, "This is indeed unusual. If you were holding the knife by the hilt, there wouldn't be so much blood."

At that moment, a policeman ran in from outside the room.

"Inspector, we have searched the surrounding area, but we did not find any traces of anyone entering or leaving the snow."

Takagi Wataru said, "So, the murderer is someone from the villa."

Kogoro Mouri slapped his forehead: "Ah, right, Kitagawa said he knows who the murderer is!"

Inspector Megure was startled. "What? Such an important matter, why are you only telling me now, Mori-kun?"

Kogoro Mouri scratched his head awkwardly, "Uh... I forgot..."

Inspector Megure rolled his eyes and asked, "Where is Kitagawa, buddy?"

Takagi Wataru replied, "Mr. Kitagawa should still be on the first floor."

……

The first floor on the east side.

In Aikawa Touya's room.

Seeing Kitagawa Taki pacing back and forth in the house, Koizumi Akako asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

While searching with his divine sense, Kitagawa Taki replied, "Looking for evidence."

"Evidence? Could it be that Su Fanghongzi was killed by him?"

Koizumi Akako looked at Aikawa Touya on the bed.

Kitagawa Taki said, "That's right. Last night at the dinner table, although Aikawa Touya was smiling, he was actually clenching his fists. I feel that his mother's death is probably related to Su Fang Hongzi."

Koizumi Akako understood. "Revenge? Then his death wasn't an accident, but rather the result of those masks."

"found it."

Kitagawa Taki found a long elastic band in the inner pocket of Aikawa Touya's clothes, with bloodstains on one end.

Next, Kitagawa Taki found a letter in Aikawa Touya's suitcase.

Koizumi Akako exclaimed in surprise, "W-what kind of magic is this?"

Despite not having done anything, Kitagawa Taki precisely found two pieces of evidence.

"Guess?" Kitagawa Taki took out the letter.

"Hmph!" Koizumi Akako crossed her arms.

Kitagawa Taki quickly skimmed through the letter's contents. It turned out to be a letter left by Aikawa Touya's mother, revealing the truth of what happened back then—

It wasn't Lan Chuan Dongya's mother who hit the person, but Su Fang Hongzi, and Su Fang Hongzi even pinned the blame on Lan Chuan Dongya's mother.

In the end, Su Fang Hongzi killed Lan Chuan Dongya's mother and faked it as suicide.

The day of the car accident was October 31st, which happened to be Aikawa Touya's birthday. His mother was with him the whole time and had an alibi.

I don't know how the police investigated back then.

After reading the letter, Kitagawa Taki handed it to Koizumi Akako.

After reading it, Koizumi Akako sighed, "You can know a person's face but not their heart. How much of Su Fang Akako's so-called charity is genuine?"

"It's a pity about Aikawa Touya. If he hadn't used those masks, things wouldn't have ended this way."

Kitagawa Taki, however, didn't have that many feelings.

"You came here just to see those masks?"

Koizumi Akako shook her head and said, "I originally wanted to take those masks off, but unfortunately they're definitely going to be taken away by the police now."

Kitagawa Taki laughed and said, "Oh? I can help you get those masks."

Koizumi Akako was pleasantly surprised. "Really?"

Kitagawa Taki countered, "Of course, but what benefits can you offer me?"

Koizumi Akako smiled slyly, "I can have those twin maids work at my villa."

Kitagawa Taki raised an eyebrow. He was indeed somewhat interested in the two maids, but he didn't expect Koizumi Akako to see through him.

After a moment's thought, Kitagawa Taki agreed, "Okay."

After all, it's really not very convenient to be in the firm.

Koizumi Akako winked at Kitagawa Taki, "Then don't forget to come to my house next time!"

Kitagawa Taki felt like he'd been tricked by Koizumi Akako.

Skipping over that topic, Kitagawa Taki asked, "By the way, what do you need these masks for?"

"you guess?"

"Uh……"

Oh no, they've used their own methods against me.

Just then, Inspector Megure and the others arrived at the room.

As soon as he entered, Inspector Megure couldn't wait to ask, "Brother Kitagawa, I heard you know who the murderer is?"

“He’s the murderer.” Kitagawa Taki pointed to Aikawa Touya on the bed.

"What??"

"But Mr. Lan Chuan is dead..."

Inspector Megure first questioned, then realized what he meant, "Brother Kitagawa, you mean he killed Suho Akako first, and then died unexpectedly?"

Kitagawa Taki nodded and said, "These two things are evidence."

With that, Kitagawa Taki handed the elastic band and letter to Inspector Megure.

Kogoro Mouri also came over to look at the letter.

After reading it, the two understood: "Mr. Lan Chuan killed Su Fang Hongzi to avenge his mother."