No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

"Mr. Koichi Shinoo, since you've come to this company dinner, you shouldn't have brought your hatred with you. If you really hate your superior that much, why would you use such a shady method as poison?"

Kitahara Masaki placed his right hand behind his back and made a gesture to Vermouth. Upon seeing this, Vermouth immediately took two steps forward and demanded:

"Koichi Shinobu! Stop being so stubborn! If you don't turn yourself in, you'll face a sentence of over thirty years in court! The waiter you identified witnessed the entire crime. With such a complete chain of evidence, you have absolutely no chance of winning in court!"

The barrage of questions from the two men made Shinobu Takashi's legs go weak, but after slamming the door to the private room, he retorted with a fierce but ultimately weak voice:

"Impossible! I've never done anything like that. That waiter must be lying! And where's the evidence? Where's the evidence?!"

Indeed, as he said, the waiter only saw his plate of sushi leave and did not witness the moment he poisoned it. Moreover, after he poisoned it, he wiped the container clean and threw it into the restroom.

In reality, given the modus operandi, although it was certain that he was the murderer, Kitahara Masaki was too lazy to look for evidence, which is why he had Vermouth cooperate with him to put on this act.

"There is physical evidence, of course, and we may even obtain more later. For example, the source of the cyanide should have been stolen from your company. Do you think your company would side with an employee who murders his superior?"

That unscrupulous company... if they're trying to kick me out, they'll probably suddenly produce a whole bunch of evidence that's bad for me.

Upon thinking of this, Koichi Shinoo knelt down. He was about to recount his past suffering when he was interrupted by Masaki Kitahara.

However, Kitahara Masaki still handed him a business card, which was naturally Eri Kisaki's business card.

"Since you want to plead guilty, don't regret it later. Communicate well with your lawyer and teach that bastard company a lesson one last time!"

After patting the prisoner on the shoulder, Kitahara Masaki handed the rest of the statement to the others.

"Inspector Megure, I've already paid for the meal, and the case is closed, so my girlfriend and I are heading home now."

Inspector Megure smiled, gave Kitahara Masaki a knowing look, and then let him go.

On her way home, Vermouth seemed to be savoring the experience she had just had. It felt really good to pretend to be a police officer and solve a case. Watching the criminals being overwhelmed by her presence was much easier than the usual intelligence gathering.

"Masaki, is this what life is like for a Japanese police officer?"

"Not really, this is the first time I've encountered such an unexpected situation."

"Oh, I see. Looks like I've collected another 'first time' of a real tree."

Kitahara Masaki was rendered speechless by this shrewish woman's eloquence. That's when I started talking about the hardships of undercover life; why did the topic suddenly veer off to this point?

"In short, police investigations aren't as interesting as you think. You probably have other tasks to do."

"No, now that I'm in Japan, I want to stay for a while. I'll do filming later when I'm interested. Anyway, I'm Inspector Lande now!"

Ah, so they stayed behind again, talking to themselves like this.

Chapter 43 The Princess Who Loved Poisoned Apples

Back home, Kitahara Masaki suddenly remembered that Vermouth had come to help him resolve his identity issue.

"Vermouth, why is the Japanese Public Security Bureau paying attention to me?"

"It's all because you were in such a hurry that you ended up smuggling yourself over ahead of time."

"But didn't you then disguise yourself as me and go through the normal immigration route?"

"That's right, but the low-level staff member who helped you with the smuggling permits was caught by the FBI, which is why they revealed your story."

Kitahara Masaki didn't care at all, after all, this junior member only knew his code name and part of his mission, and he couldn't find him based on that alone.

"Well, it's because of a lack of information that Japan mobilized the Public Security Bureau. And it's because of your recent rise to fame due to that 'Blazing Eagle' video that they took notice of you."

As expected, people are afraid of becoming famous, just like pigs are afraid of getting fat. Amuro Tooru noticed all of this. No wonder he's a Detective Conan fan. He's so babyish. That flying kick almost ripped my vest open.

"Speaking of which, you did look good in that video, with blood on half of your face and that final scream. You did a really good job with the emotional aspect."

Vermouth cupped Kitahara Masaki's handsome face in her hands and rubbed it incessantly, as if she were treating his cheeks like dough.

"After I eliminated that traitor, I went to Gaul. After watching a fashion show, I suddenly discovered that the manager there was making deals between the models and the customers. One of the customers happened to be a high-ranking official in Gaul. So at that moment, I imitated your assassination style and used a large-caliber sniper rifle to blow open his skull."

So that's how it is. They used assassination to claim that Yawenyi had long been destroyed, not to mention that this was done after the traitor was dealt with.

"I'll take you to see Tokyo Tower later."

"Oh, when did you become so romantic?"

Wasn't that date in New York romantic enough?

"Girls generally prefer roses to guns."

Kitahara Masaki shrugged, indicating that you are a witch, not a girl.

After understanding the situation, Kitahara Masaki found that things were indeed as he had expected. This small mistake had indeed caused a problem, but it had now been resolved.

Putting the police and the blond, dark-skinned man out of his mind, Kitahara Masaki began to think about today's case—the stalker case, not the poisoning murder case.

The most crucial evidence in this case is now in Kitahara Masaki's hands, and he knows very well that because the photo was just taken today, only he and the dead stalker have seen it.

Thinking of this, Kitahara Masaki gave a thumbs up to his colleagues who hadn't noticed the stolen lighter, because their negligence meant that only Kitahara Masaki now held the key to solving the case.

So—is there any possibility of exonerating Ms. Nishitani?

At this stage, based on the evidence currently available to the police, it is certainly not possible to convict her. However, besides this photo, there is another piece of evidence that can keep her in jail: the deceased's sports bag. As long as Ms. Nishitani still has that bag, and the police keep an eye on her, she will basically be forced to leave, because she will eventually have to get rid of it.

"Vermouth, do you find solving cases interesting?"

"Hmm, not bad. It's definitely a novel experience compared to acting."

"Then—what about helping others get off the hook?"

Hearing such words from a police officer who should have been upholding fairness and justice, Vermouth leaned closer and asked:

"Fickle and fickle, Masaki... are you a scumbag?"

"My life is spotless. In short, during my undercover work, I became a Japanese police officer only to help the organization gather intelligence, not to actually become a police officer."

Kitahara Masaki's investigative methods are similar to those of Sherlock Holmes; while ensuring his own safety and personal security, he prioritizes his moral principles.

When the law fails to bring justice to the parties involved, private revenge becomes justified and even noble from that moment on.

This was Holmes's idea, but for Kitahara Masaki, revenge was merely for peace of mind, not a noble act. The most important thing was the people he helped through such actions. Kitahara Masaki would always have evidence of their crimes, and if he wanted, these people would still go to prison.

“My knight, your thoughts are dangerous, and beneath those dangerous thoughts lies an even greater ambition.”

"So, are you willing to help me? Once you're on that galloping white horse, there's no going back. Do you need some time to think it over, my princess?"

"Heh, let me see just how far your ambitions can go."

------------

"Brother Kitahara! We were busy taking statements until two or three in the morning last night."

"Thank you all for your hard work! Let's have lunch at that cafeteria, it's on me!"

The cafeteria that Kitahara Masaki was referring to was not the cafeteria inside the Metropolitan Police Department, but a cafeteria specifically for office workers, located not far away. This restaurant was even featured on the TV show "The Solitary Gourmet".

As for treating everyone in the First Investigation Division to a meal, that's nothing. Unlike Vermouth, he doesn't have to spend money on things like disguises and cosmetics. With the system's tools, he used his spare time in the United States to install many listening devices in the offices of large companies. After filtering information through experience, he found out the real inside information and finally made a fortune in the stock market with his already considerable capital.

Furthermore, given the identity the organization had given him—that of a rich second-generation heir—Kitahara Masaki was never stingy when it came to treating people to meals. After all, he could delegate tedious paperwork to others, and the meal expenses could be reimbursed; why not?

"Brother Kitahara, how far has the investigation progressed regarding the poisoning case involving the stalker from yesterday?"

Kitahara Masaki pretended to ponder for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"Not yet. There are no eyewitness reports among the surrounding residents, and the surveillance cameras installed at the convenience store near the vending machine did not capture anything. The deceased's personal belongings and family items are mostly photos of Ms. Nishiya taken without her consent. It can be said that the search at this stage has not yielded any valuable clues."

"Hmm...so where should we search next?"

"It's simple, just wait."

"wait?"

"If it's a personal grudge against a stalker, then there shouldn't be any more poisoning incidents. But if it's a random poisoning incident, then it will definitely happen again."

Because it was determined that this was not a random poisoning case, Kitahara Masaki was not worried that it would happen again; he guessed that if it did happen again, it would be a different case altogether.

"Furthermore, if it were a personal vendetta, then Ms. Nishitani would be a prime suspect. However, based on the current evidence, there is nothing that would be detrimental to her. Therefore, the culprit might be another enemy of the stalker."

No, it should be said that there is no evidence left. The source of the poison, the victim's handbag, and the secretly taken photos have all been disposed of by Kitahara Masaki. Of course, not destroyed, but hidden in a safe place. At the same time, Kitahara Masaki has entrusted Vermouth with how to obtain a new identity for her and what she should do for us.

Kitahara Masaki knew that a new case was likely coming soon.

After all, this case is over.

Chapter 44 Gan, Wen, Cui!

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Nishitani Rinka."

"Who...who are you people?"

In the early hours of the morning, Rinka Nishitani looked at the two people in front of her in horror. These two people had silently broken into her home. Had they really unlocked the door she had locked to protect herself from stalkers?

"Before you keep asking these pointless questions, take a good look at this photo."

The photo shows Rinka Nishitani placing a bottle of beverage on the roadside, and that beverage is exactly the same as the one the deceased drank.

"This photo clearly shows that you are the murderer who poisoned the stalker."

Seeing that she remained silent, Kitahara Masaki continued:

“Your crime process should be like this: First, prepare a bottle of beverage laced with poison. Then, when you pass by a vending machine, buy another bottle of the same brand of beverage. Drink part of it in front of the stalker. Finally, take out the poisoned bottle and place it on the roadside, making the stalker think that it is the bottle you just drank.”

At this point, Kitahara Masaki paused, looking at Nishitani Rinka, whose body was trembling, and couldn't help but think that it was indeed a good thing that such a disgusting guy as the stalker was dead.

"Then, being a pervert, the stalker will naturally pick up the drink you left behind and drink it like a schoolboy, fantasizing about indirect kissing and such. To be honest, the plan is indeed good, but you made quite a few mistakes. First, the photos taken when you were secretly filmed showed the drink in your hand with a sticker on it. You should know that those drinks were completely replaced with the sticker-free version three days ago, which means that the drink you left behind was the one the stalker drank. Second, you took his bag. If the police were tailing you, you'd be caught red-handed now."

Looking at the photo that was taken without her consent, and the handbag she was holding, Rinka Nishitani knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

"Why, why am I always the one being punished? It's all that stalker's fault!"

Realizing there was no point in hiding it any longer, Nishitani Rinka began to recount the stalker's actions. After she reported the incident, the stalker behaved himself for a while, but soon resumed following her. He even pushed her down the stairs once as punishment for her reporting the incident.

Kitahara Masaki opened the stalker's bag, and inside were a dagger, rope, transparent tape, and other items. It seemed that the stalker's mental illness had reached a critical stage, so in that case, his death would be the best treatment for him.

Vermouth had been watching from the sidelines. After figuring out how things had unfolded, she felt great pity for the girl. After all, no normal person could accept such a twisted relationship.

How do you plan to help her?

"It's very simple. Dispose of all the evidence that can prove she is the criminal, and then she will be handed over to you. Consider her part of your intelligence team in Japan."

"Hmm, this girl is indeed a gem. If she won't affect your undercover mission, then leave her to me."

Knowing she couldn't resist, Nishitani Rinka was taken away by Vermouth. After processing the evidence, Kitahara Masaki fabricated many other clues, making the number of suspects who could have killed the stalker exceed dozens. Soon, the Metropolitan Police Department also shelved the case. After all, wasting time on a stalker made many police officers lose their motivation, so everyone silently put the stalker's death file away and began investigating new cases.

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