No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

"Is today the anniversary of Miss Nishiwa's death?"

"Huh? Nishiwa's death anniversary was yesterday."

That's about right! So, what that person wanted to do was actually—

After deducing the truth, Conan felt a chill and thought to himself how lucky he was, otherwise that guy would have really succeeded!

Curaçao and Vermouth watched the child silently, hoping that their prompting would help him see the truth.

Chapter 322 The Invisible Man's Crime

"I think Uncle Takashi is planning something."

What?!

"What is it?"

"Uncle Tachibana brings his own tent and sleeps in the garage. He brings his own slippers, plates, chopsticks, and cups. He always wears gloves, a hat, and a mask. He doesn't use the bathroom and puts all his trash in garbage bags... Mr. Tachibana, are you planning to become 'invisible'?"

After Conan's reminder, the others finally came to their senses and realized that Tachibana Takashi was indeed extremely germaphobic, which was very abnormal.

"Actually, I find it very strange. Mr. Tachibana has been hiding the case about Ms. Nishiwa for five whole years, so why would he confess so easily now? I think he wanted to put sleeping pills in the curry, and after everyone was drugged, he would throw a broken oleander into the fireplace to burn it. We would die unconscious, and when the police came to search the villa—there were nine bodies in total, with no external injuries. There were nine pairs of slippers, nine sets of dishes and utensils, nine beds, and even nine sets of luggage. There wouldn't be any of Mr. Tachibana's fingerprints here, and probably not many hairs either. Yesterday at the deduction contest, I saw a detailed map in your tent, so you must have sneaked away without being caught on camera. In short, you plan to recreate the case from five years ago and kill everyone!"

After hearing Conan's deduction, both police officers were in a state of confusion, as it was simply too unbelievable.

"No—this is outrageous! Do they think we police officers are useless? Everything leaves a trace; that's an ironclad rule!"

"But will the police really investigate thoroughly? Mr. Tenta was among the dead, even before the police suspected Tachibana's existence!"

Vermouth, who was familiar with the police, immediately said:

“This is Hokkaido, not Tokyo. Whether they can even perform an autopsy is a question. Yesterday was Miss Nishiwa’s death anniversary, and everyone died from oleander gas. Naturally, the police assume that Mr. Tenta committed the crime as a suicide pact. After all, what the police need is not the truth, but a plausible story.”

Curaçao had just told her about Mr. Tachibana touching his nose; the third time was about whether the second-floor window was closed, meaning Mr. Tachibana had blocked the chimney; and the fourth time was about how manipulating those stalkers was the only thing he could do.

All of this indicates that he has already begun his plan, and he was probably just about to pour sleeping pills into the curry. As for why he was in such a hurry, it was naturally because of the sudden power outage. If a plumber came, he would naturally discover his presence, so he hurriedly began to carry out his plan.

Conan sighed and said:

"But Mr. Tachibana is now a murderer! He touched his nose four times in total, the second time being the 'invisible man' story he told during the warm-up story before the mystery contest! In other words, the perpetrator wasn't some invisible man, but you! Mr. Tachibana, that story was actually your own confession, your own rehearsal!"

Conan took out his phone and showed everyone the news report—multiple men and women committed suicide after inhaling the toxic fumes of oleander. It happened in Hokkaido, too.

Everyone was stunned by Tachibana Taka's audacity. He actually planned to recreate the case to commit the crime, and even disguised the case as a suicide. This was a plan that only a madman would come up with!

"Kid, who exactly are you?"

"Edogawa Conan is a detective! No one died in this case!"

The two police officers quickly made a phone call, asking headquarters to come and provide backup. Even the middle-aged man, Okuji, felt fear towards such a terrifying criminal.

However, the homeowner, Ying, lost control of her emotions and shouted:

"Tachibana Takashi! What have you done! You killed people and tried to kill us too! How could you do such a thing!"

"What do you know! You're a rich kid, someone who can buy a villa anytime, how could you possibly understand my pain! Every day is the same, and every time I come home, all I see are my parents lying in bed! What do you know!"

Tachibana Takashi braced himself on the table; he had no chance left.

"And then there's Tianda, doing the job he wants, doing what he loves every day, and having such a beautiful girlfriend! Why! Why! Why was I so unlucky in society when I was better than you guys in high school and had such a wonderful life? Yes, I am a murderer, you can curse me all you want, I am just an unfortunate murderer!"

Everyone was shocked by his words and felt regret and resentment towards this depraved man, except for Vermouth.

Vermouth wagged her finger, declaring to him:

"At first, you just wanted to help others, but unfortunately, you got caught up in crime. Your hiding place was exposed unintentionally, but in the end, it was the stalker who killed that woman, not you. The reason you've become like this isn't because of the hardships in your life, but because you didn't speak up. If you had spoken up, I think the other two gentlemen would have been willing to listen to your pain, but unfortunately, it's too late now. Also, yesterday when you reprimanded Mr. Ying for his game, you didn't touch your nose then; your concern and anger for your friend were genuine. Please recall those feelings. If you really can't bear it anymore, please recall that feeling to keep going."

Tachibana Takashi burst into tears over Vermouth's sincere words and actions. He may have indeed thought about killing everyone here, but he also cherished his friendship with his friends.

People are complex. If we could define them simply by labeling them, things would be much easier. But in reality, no matter how many labels we use, over time, there will always be things that those labels don't mention.

Just as Takashi's anger dissipated and turned into sadness, police backup arrived. Vermouth and Curaçao took advantage of everyone's inattention and drove away, ending their short trip.

However, since we've come all the way to Hokkaido, we should naturally spend a few more days enjoying the snow scenery.

Why is your sister comforting that murderer?

"Little sister, do you think that person is mentally unstable?"

"......abnormal."

“That’s right. If we don’t keep him calm, who knows what else this guy might do? We should try to distract him with positive words, and once the police backup arrives, everything will be fine.”

After hearing this answer, Curaçao remained silent for a long while before saying:

"My sister is so mean."

"Haha, I am a bad woman."

Chapter 323 The Arrogant High-pitched Queen

While Vermouth and her friends were enjoying their trip to Hokkaido, Kitahara Masaki was dealing with a recent bombing at the Domoto Music Academy that resulted in the deaths of two men and serious injuries to one woman.

Unfortunately, the music academy had neither security guards nor surveillance cameras, and in Beika, even a dog could get a bomb, so the investigation could only begin with interpersonal relationships. Then, through the cell phone records of the seriously injured woman, they found a text message she had sent to a woman named Akiba Reiko before the explosion.

And this Akiba Reiko happens to be the target Kitahara Masaki wants to get close to. If she can help Kitahara Masaki complete the de-brainwashing process, then it will make the BOSS's die-hard loyalists start to resist the BOSS's orders, especially those assassins who kill for profit. They will definitely hesitate to obey the BOSS's orders after weighing the pros and cons. Rather, people like Gin are just a minority.

Having a legitimate reason, Kitahara Masaki naturally went with the First Investigation Division to find the renowned soprano singer, who was currently rehearsing for her concert a few days later.

That concert hall looks like a hall reserved for the wealthy. It truly lives up to its reputation as an art form that costs money. I wonder how much that pipe organ on the wall alone must have cost.

To his dismay, Conan and his friends were here again, and judging from the way those kids looked, they seemed more interested in the soprano singer.

At this moment, a rehearsal was taking place in the concert hall. Domoto Ichiki was playing the organ, with his personal tuner, Shoko, and his son sitting below. On the stage stood his two female students, one a soprano and the other a violinist.

Meanwhile, Akiba Reiko, the person the police were going to question, sat alone to the side, looking at the rehearsal details, completely out of place with the others.

Before Kitahara Masaki could even ask him any questions, the group of kids were already standing in front of him, demanding to hear about the case as well. Kitahara Masaki squatted down, took out some snacks from his pocket to gag the three kids, and then finally stood in front of Akiba Reiko.

However, Kitahara Masaki didn't ask any questions. He simply sat down next to Akiba Reiko and silently listened to Domoto Kazuki's organ performance. According to investigations, this concert hall was built with Domoto Kazuki's own funds, and a grand opening concert would be held in a few days. The enormous organ on it was even once played by Bach.

But to Kitahara Masaki, these musicians all had incredibly strong hearts. Yesterday, someone from Domoto Kazuki's music academy was killed in an explosion, and today they can still be chatting and laughing. They must have some mental issues.

"Officer, is there anything I can help you with?"

Reiko Akiba, who was sitting to the side, finally couldn't help but ask.

"You should know about the bombing that happened at the Domoto Music Academy yesterday, right?"

"I know."

Do you think musicians would disregard human lives in order to create better music?

"Of course I don't think so!"

Kitahara Masaki turned to look at her, his sharp gaze causing Akiba Reiko to initially look away, but then meet his gaze relentlessly.

"But I think that's what Mr. Domoto, who's still playing up there, and those musicians who are still immersed in the music down there think. That violinist is a replacement that Mr. Domoto picked out from among his students to replace Kawabe Kanade, the violinist who was seriously injured in the bombing yesterday. Look at how she's trembling; she must be terrified inside, after all, her predecessor was badly injured in the bombing."

Reiko Akiba remained silent. At this stage, cancelling the concert was the best solution. If the murderer's purpose was to prevent the concert from taking place, or to take revenge on Ichiki Domoto, then those who performed with him would be in considerable danger.

"How is Miss Riverside doing now?"

"Although he is out of danger, he will definitely not be able to continue performing for the rest of his life. For a musician, this is probably the most unacceptable thing."

The kids were invited by Sonoko, and they didn't know the situation and might have thought the case was an isolated incident. However, the police had already notified Domoto Kazuki that it was best to cancel the concert because the perpetrator was likely to continue committing crimes. But now it seems that the police's advice has been completely ignored.

He was willing to risk his life with a bunch of people just for a concert that could be delayed by six months.

"Sigh—so what do the police want me to confirm? If it's something I know, I'll tell you without reservation."

“Great, we’ve now discovered that Kawabe Kanade sent you a text message some time before the incident. We also found a section of flute body at the scene.”

Afterwards, Akiba Reiko told everything she knew, but the information she received had nothing to do with the case. The text message was about the riverbank complaining that the other two were not good enough, and the reason why the piccolo touched her was because her deceased fiancé was also a flutist.

“Officer Kitahara, thank you for your frankness. I will also suggest to Mr. Domoto that the concert be postponed.”

It seems that this seemingly aloof female musician is quite sensible, completely different from the group above who are still chatting and laughing.

————————————————————

Someone has poisoned your water bottle!?

"Yes, it just so happens that a boy named Genta secretly drank my tea, and we've taken him to the hospital now."

Only one day had passed since their meeting at the concert hall, and just as Kitahara Masaki was about to make an appearance to gather information, Akiba Reiko suddenly called and told him something.

"I'm coming over now. Would it be convenient for you to tell me about your schedule for today?"

"This morning I went to Domoto Academy and borrowed a classroom to practice singing by myself. This afternoon I went to Teitan Elementary School to teach those kids to sing."

"So the culprit must have secretly drugged you while you weren't in the classroom. Cough cough, and Miss Akiba, why did you go to Domoto Academy to practice singing? There was just a bombing."

"I planned to tell Mr. Domoto in the morning that I wanted to postpone the concert, and I saw a lot of police officers at the school gate, so I felt safe."

No! The more police there are, the easier it is to infiltrate! The sheer number of police officers in Japan actually makes it easier for anyone with a brain to commit a crime.

Kitahara Masaki arrived at the hospital quickly and found Genta speechless and Akiba Reiko deep in thought, holding a water bottle. Ran, seeing Kitahara Masaki arrive, said to him...

“Mr. Kitahara, Genta’s throat is very inflamed, but it will be fully healed in a week.”

"Well, thankfully, what if the culprit had used a deadly poison..."

Genta was startled by Kitahara Masaki's words, probably imagining what it would be like for him to kick the bucket, and then obediently apologized to Akiba Reiko.

"I'll take you home. After all, I need to explain to your parents how you could take other people's things to drink without permission!"

Ah—Akiba Reiko was just worried about Genta a moment ago. It seems that this person known as the Queen of High Notes is also a tsundere.

Chapter 324 The Dump Trucks Are Very Busy

A drug that could render someone speechless for days was poured into the water bottle, and the inauguration concert of the concert hall was to be held in three days, meaning that someone did not want Akiba Reiko to attend the concert.

However, unlike the previous explosions, being blown to a crisp and only unable to speak for a few days is much better than being charred. Could it be that the murderer is related to this female singer?

Are you suggesting another stalker-like pervert? Or perhaps someone like Teiji Moriya with ulterior motives?

Kitahara Masaki simply couldn't understand why these criminals in the Detective Conan world would commit such pointless crimes.

As the group walked along the road, Akiba Reiko seemed lost in thought, looking preoccupied.

ka ka ka-