No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

"I'm fine, Kitahara-nii, you should go quickly."

After Kitahara Masaki returned to the crime scene, Inspector Megure said with a happy expression:

"Brother Kitahara, how's Conan? We've found the culprit too. We can take him to the hospital in a police car later."

Kitahara Masaki clenched his fist, silently chanting, 'I'm still an undercover agent, I'm still an undercover agent, I'm still an undercover agent,' then forced an ugly smile and said:

"Haha, Inspector Megure, what did you mean by the locked room you just mentioned?"

"Oh! Officer Kitahara, I'll demonstrate it for you now."

Thinking he'd gotten there first, Hattori Heiji grabbed a fishing line he'd found somewhere, tied the end of a thin needle to it, and secured one end of the line to a keychain with tape. He then slipped the needle-tethered end of the fishing line through the inside of his trouser pocket, and, holding both ends, walked out of the study, locked the door, and then forcefully pulled on the line. The key returned to his pocket on its own. Finally, a quick pull released the line from the tape, and after putting the line away, the secret room was complete.

Kitahara Masaki listened speechlessly to this long, elaborate explanation of the locked-room mystery, and said:

"So there were traces of poison on the fishing line? Just because it's a fishing line with nothing on it doesn't mean he's the culprit?"

Kitahara Masaki originally thought that a body search would be enough to find the decisive evidence, but this fake criminal interfered and claimed to be the criminal. What's even more outrageous is that all the police believed him, completely disregarding whether the evidence was conclusive, the motive was clear, or the logic was sound.

The brain-degrading buff in this world is truly terrifying. Infiltrating a group of police officers who have been cursed is incredibly stressful. Hopefully, Lao Qin will provide more funding if the opportunity arises.

"The time of death was no more than half an hour ago, and the only person who could have committed the crime during that time was this old gentleman! The housekeeper was chatting with the neighbors, and the victim's son and his girlfriend also came to the victim's door, but only for a minute or two, which was not enough time to commit the crime, so..."

"Have you forgotten someone?"

"Forgot someone? You mean... the deceased's wife!"

"That's right. Why couldn't she kill someone in front of you? Strong poison can suffocate someone to death in a very short time. She was just exploiting your subconscious belief that it's impossible for someone to kill someone in front of a detective."

Kitahara Masaki pointed at Takagi and instructed:

"Go check the keychain in her bag."

With just one sentence, she shattered the prisoner's illusions, and then she knelt on the ground and began to recount the family's past.

Under Masaki Kitahara's calm gaze, Inspector Megure scratched his head, realizing that he had once again become a clumsy policeman being outmaneuvered by the criminals and detectives.

Chapter 22 I've already moved the Civil Affairs Bureau here.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. Because I was tricked by the murderer's trick, Inspector Megure almost arrested the wrong person."

After finding real evidence on the murderer, and forensic investigators detecting poison on her keychain where she kept the poisoned needle, the case was finally closed with both witness testimony and physical evidence, without having to work overtime.

"Haha, it's alright, our Metropolitan Police Department's ace detectives can always find the real criminals."

Kitahara Masaki was already under general anesthesia. Watching Hattori Heiji and Inspector Megure work together, the exhilarating feeling of crushing humans and machines that came with solving the case immediately vanished.

But the most important thing now is that kid; I guess his transformation time is almost over.

Kitahara Masaki waved his hand, signaling Takagi and the others to take the prisoner back to the station, and then go back to that room to see the magical Drug A lab rats.

However, the doorknob of that room was broken. After seeing the strange doorknob, Kitahara Masaki carefully pushed the door open.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Ran hugging Shinichi Kudo from behind like a koala. Kitahara Masaki, who had been keeping a calm demeanor, immediately lost his composure. "Are young people these days so wild? I've only been gone for a short time."

"Haha, the weather is nice today. Oops, I accidentally went into the wrong room. Hahaha, you guys continue, continue."

Bang.

As soon as Kitahara Masaki closed the door, Ran and Kudo rushed out and pulled him inside.

"Kitahara-nii, please help me explain!"

"Mr. Kitahara, did you know Shinichi was here all along?"

The two young people were chattering like birds, driving Kitahara Masaki crazy.

"Stop! All of you, stop! Explain yourself clearly what happened!"

Once they calmed down a bit, the two began to explain themselves, one after the other.

During the time Kitahara Masaki was away, Ran was worried about Conan and wanted to go into his room to check on him.

"I originally wanted to see Conan, but it turns out Shinichi is here instead."

"I've already taken that kid to the hospital."

It seems that at that time, Conan had been restored to Shinichi Kudo's appearance by Lao Baigan, and he was afraid that if he made a sound, he would give away his secret, so he didn't dare to speak and was afraid that Ran would discover his true identity.

At this point, Kitahara Masaki subtly pointed to the voice-changing bow tie on Kudo Shinichi's collar.

Knowing what Kitahara Masaki wanted to say, Kudo nodded with a wry smile.

Ran was right outside the door, almost making this usually quick-witted detective forget about his high-tech gadgets. He should have quickly detected Conan's voice, but his violent coughing alerted the detective.

Kitahara Masaki looked at the broken doorknob and couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. Karate is the most terrifying martial art in the Detective Conan world, and today he's witnessed it firsthand.

"Actually, I wanted to leave, but Xiaolan wouldn't let me."

When Ran saw Shinichi Kudo, and then remembered Conan's voice in the room earlier, she insisted that Shinichi Kudo explain himself.

"Go? Where else do you want to go? Tell me right now, what is your relationship with Conan, and where did you go?"

For Xiaolan, it was really infuriating that this reasoning fanatic finally agreed to meet her, only to appear so reluctant.

Kitahara Masaki rubbed his face. This turn of events was indeed unexpected, but it was also quite interesting.

"Actually, Kudo is investigating a very dangerous case recently, so he doesn't want you to get into danger because of getting too close to you."

Kitahara Masaki explained that he knew that once the two of them confirmed their relationship, Ran would naturally not feel as insecure as she does now.

"But……"

"Yes, Xiaolan. Haven't I been calling you?"

Seeing that Ran's attitude was softening, Kitahara Masaki realized that now was the opportunity to complete his apprentice Cupid achievement. He immediately winked at Kudo, urging him to press his advantage.

However, Kitahara Masaki overestimated Kudo Shinichi's emotional intelligence. This straight-laced man, whom his childhood friend called a mystery fanatic, blinked in bewilderment, unsure of what to say.

"Sigh—Kudo has always cared about you, and sometimes he would ask me to check on you, so Ran, please forgive him."

“I…I…Yes! I missed you a lot when Kitahara and I were investigating the case.”

Although Kudo spoke softer and softer, Ran could hear him clearly. Their faces quickly turned as red as ripe apples, making Kitahara Masaki, who was already in his twenties, feel very dazzling.

Wow, that's dazzling. Is this the aura of a sixteen-year-old high school student?

“When you are too shy to have a conversation, I have to tell you something, especially Kudo.”

"Brother Kitahara, what is it?"

Hearing Kitahara Masaki's serious tone, Kudo Shinichi thought he was going to tell Ran that he was actually Conan, and he felt that it was too late to hide it anymore.

"Kudo, you're not the kind of guy who likes to play with girls' feelings, are you?"

"What! Of course not!"

"Okay, I understand. So how long do you two intend to maintain this relationship? Being in a state of being more than friends but not quite lovers isn't a good thing. As the guy, shouldn't you say something to Xiaolan?"

This rapid turn of events made Shinichi Kudo jump for joy. He, who could usually deduce criminals, was now acting like a real brat.

But Kitahara Masaki wouldn't give him any more time to think. And the time was indeed running out.

"Kudo, if you have nothing to say, we should go now."

Kitahara Masaki pointed to his watch, telling him that it was almost time to transform.

"Xiao Lan, there's something I want to tell you."

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Masaki wisely left the room.

The relationship between the two was actually separated by only a thin veil, just waiting for one of them to pierce it. Kitahara Masaki soon saw Kudo Shinichi come out of the room and quickly went to help him leave.

The apprentice Cupid achievement is already halfway complete. Most importantly, Ran won't think about the illogical things involved anymore, such as why Conan went into the room and then only Shinichi Kudo was left.

"How about it?"

Those three simple words made Shinichi Kudo blush again—or rather, Conan blush. Just as they got into the car, Shinichi Kudo, now in his transformation experience, reverted to Conan.

"Thank you, Kitahara-nii."

"No need. You can decide when you want to reveal your identity as Conan."

Even after experiencing the pain of shrinking again, he still smiled happily.

It's so good to be young.

Looking at the setting sun in the sky, Kitahara Masaki sighed inwardly.

Chapter 23 Hattori Heiji's Apprenticeship

"Kitahara-nii, I'm here again. Can I come with you when you're investigating cases?"

Looking at the shrewd Osaka detective in front of him, Kitahara Masaki sighed helplessly. Why were all these high school detectives so fond of solving cases? He had a beautiful childhood friend and a wealthy family background, so why didn't he enjoy life?

“Alright. But if you want to investigate the case with me, you can only participate as a trainee officer, which means you must follow my instructions.”

Ultimately, this isn't exactly legal, but it actually makes it easier to keep an eye on him.

"Brother Kitahara! We have a case! There's been an explosion at a golf course on the outskirts of the city!"

Oh dear, Kitahara Maki originally wanted to take Hattori Heiji on a patrol in the city in a police car, but now this case has happened.

"The frequency of cases in Beika Town is gradually increasing. Many people commit murder over trivial matters, so the working hours are very long every day. You'd better be mentally prepared."

"No problem, Inspector Kitahara!"

Because it was a bombing, the Metropolitan Police Department dispatched officers quickly. Upon arriving at the scene, they found Mori and his group, even though it was 7:00 AM.

"Why are you all out here so early to cause trouble—oh wait, I mean, to have fun?"

Hey, I heard you.

Conan looked at Kitahara Masaki, who had deliberately spoken his mind, with a speechless expression, and then replied:

"The TV station invited my uncle to the charity golf tournament that day, and it was Yoko Okino who recommended him to go, so my uncle came here to cram at the last minute."

Hattori Heiji was getting impatient, pacing back and forth. Just as he was about to speak, Kitahara Masaki spoke first:

"Hattori, are you in a hurry?"

"Kitahara-kun, the evidence might change over time."

"So you think solving cases is our top priority as police officers?"