No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

After the case was hastily closed, Kitahara Masaki was woken up early the next morning by a phone call from Inspector Megure. He shouted:

"Brother Kitahara, this is serious!"

"Every time it's something extraordinary, but this time it's truly extraordinary?"

"Ahem, I know you're not interested in cases of stalker poisoning, but we have to solve this case as quickly as possible! Because the victim is from the Suzuki Group..."

What?! Someone in Sonoko's family has been murdered!

"But he's the chairman of the Tomizawa Group, the in-laws of the Suzuki Group!"

Oh, that startled me. It turns out it was sent to someone from another zaibatsu (financial conglomerate). But the Tomizawa Group... I remember that...

"The Tomizawa Group is a large conglomerate that is no less powerful than the Suzuki Group in terms of scale and financial resources! The fact that its leader has been murdered means that if we don't solve the case as soon as possible, it may even affect the Japanese economy."

After hanging up the phone, Kitahara Masaki called Vermouth and told her not to come today. Because of the deceased's identity, the police would probably show up, and at this stage, she couldn't be allowed to have contact with Amuro Tooru.

To be honest, although the brewery has been infiltrated by intelligence agencies from various countries, the most crucial people in the organization have not yet appeared, and they haven't even been able to compile a decent file. So, judging from the results, the so-called infiltration is nothing but a joke. Karasuma Renya does have superb methods; he dares to let intelligence agents infiltrate at will. But getting these capable people to work for him is a real problem for Kitahara Masaki. Even if Kitahara Masaki knows the details of someone like Amuro Tooru who has a dual identity, he can't do anything to him. On the contrary, if Amuro discovers anything, the Public Security Bureau and the organization will become suspicious of him.

Ugh, it looks like I've sold out the organization and run away!

Upon arriving at the scene, Kitahara Masaki discovered that the crime scene was not a narrow apartment or a dark alley, but rather a beach where wealthy villas were clustered. On this resort beach, the Suzuki and Tomizawa villas were right next to each other, indicating that the two families indeed had an extremely close relationship.

The neighborhoods where the wealthy live are truly different. Normally, you could just climb two flights of stairs to get there, but in this wealthy neighborhood, you have to go through two layers of security to get in, and you even have to drive for a while to reach your destination.

Upon seeing Kitahara Masaki arrive, Inspector Megure immediately took him to the scene, only to discover that the three suspects were triplets who looked almost identical!

It seems to be a three-choice question, but as expected of the world of Detective Conan, these triplets look so alike.

"These are the eldest son of the Tomizawa family, Tomizawa Taichi, the second son, Tomizawa Tatsuji, and the third son, Tomizawa Yuzo."

Uh, can you put a little more effort into naming them, you old scoundrel Aoyama? If you can't come up with names, wouldn't it be better to just call them Number One, Number Two, and Number Three? Looking at these three guys who look exactly like they were cut from the same mold, Kitahara Masaki couldn't help but laugh.

However, when he turned around and saw Conan, he stopped laughing.

"It's you again, kid."

"Oh, this time the murderer was caught red-handed during the crime, and Conan was one of the witnesses."

After Inspector Megure's explanation, Kitahara Masaki understood what had happened: Last night, the deceased, Chairman Tomizawa, was watching baseball at Suzuki's villa. After he returned to his villa, the power suddenly went out. At that moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the view outside the window, revealing a masked man who had smashed Chairman Tomizawa to death with a stone. Judging from the eyes and nose seen, the perpetrator was likely one of the triplets.

That's incredibly filial of them.

This case is one that could be included in the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars.

Chapter 45 He just didn't want to inherit billions of dollars in assets, what did he do wrong?

Has the alibi been confirmed?

Inspector Megure nodded. The eldest son had an alibi with a recorded landline phone call, while the second son was in Okinawa yesterday and had just arrived here after getting off the plane today. The only one without an alibi was the third son.

The third son, Tomizawa Yuzo, is the one who is going to marry Sonoko's older sister, Suzuki Ayako. So according to the laws of detective fiction, this person who is about to join the red team should not be the murderer. Rather, the two who have alibis are more suspicious.

"Find someone to check yesterday's flight information. Also, take me to listen to that phone recording."

"Excuse me, are you Inspector Kitahara? I've seen you solve cases on TV, but isn't the culprit this time obviously my third brother? He's the only one without an alibi."

"Oh, is that so? Could you please tell me what you said in the phone recording you left for your father?"

"Well, it's the result of last night's baseball game. If I didn't watch that game, how could I possibly know the result? So my alibi proves that I can't be the murderer."

Kitahara Masaki scoffed at Tomizawa Taichi's words.

According to the evidence that Inspector Megure and his team just found, the phone recording was made at 11:34 p.m., while Conan and his team witnessed Chairman Tomizawa being murdered at 11:30 p.m.

However, this doesn't prove anything, because phone recordings can be manipulated by the caller to change the time. So, the time recorded on the phone doesn't represent the actual time, just like how many people set their watches five minutes fast.

"Wait, tell me about the scene again."

Inspector Megure called Ran, Sonoko, Sonoko's sister, and Conan. The four of them were eyewitnesses, and they recounted the events of the case one by one.

"There was a power outage at that time. We only saw someone lift a stone and hit another person because of the thunder and lightning outside."

"I just glanced at the time before the power went out, and the clock in the villa showed it was close to 11:30."

"By the time we chased after him, the murderer had already escaped, but because of the flash of light, we could see very clearly that he was wearing a mask and a hat, but his eyes and nose were exposed."

"I don't know why, but he took the deceased's watch."

After listening to the testimonies of the eyewitnesses, Kitahara Masaki confidently stated:

"I already know who the murderer is."

Who is it!?

"Heh, this murderer thought his alibi was brilliant, but his alibi has become the very fact that proves he is the murderer!"

Kitahara Masaki raised his hand and pointed to Tomizawa Taichi, the eldest son of the Tomizawa family.

"You are the murderer, Tomizawa Taichi!"

The murderer, who had been caught in the act, took two steps back when he saw the menacing police officers around him. Realizing he was merely a suspect, he immediately shouted:

"What evidence do you have, Inspector Kitahara? It's not a wise choice to slander me."

Kitahara Masaki looked at this self-righteous fool, shook his head, and continued:

“There was a power outage around 11:30 last night, so how could your phone recording have been recorded? That doesn’t make sense. The landline in the villa couldn’t have recorded your conversation during a power outage. So there’s only one possibility: you first tampered with the landline’s time, then ambushed him on the only road leading to your villa, and after he finished watching the baseball game that evening, you, wearing a mask, used a rock to brutally kill him!”

Having been completely right, Tomizawa Taichi forced himself to speak with difficulty:

"No, that's impossible. How would I know when Father would finish watching the game and return to the villa? It's not impossible that he might be staying at the Suzuki family's villa!"

Oh.

Kitahara Masaki chuckled and turned to ask:

"Gentlemen, was your father's watch a gift from your eldest brother?"

"Ah."

"Yes. It was a birthday gift from my eldest brother to Father."

After hearing the accurate answer, Kitahara Masaki said:

"And the reason you took the watch is even simpler: it's because you installed a listening device in it! That way, you could naturally track your father's movements."

"No, someone must be framing me!"

"Framed you? You must be mistaken. Landline call recordings can only be deleted, not the time can be changed after recording. You can only change the time and then record again. So it's obvious that only you could do that. No one else could have changed the time, because how would they know when you would leave a message? So this power outage is your punishment for patricide, turning your alibi into irrefutable evidence that you are the murderer!"

Under Kitahara Masaki's relentless questioning, the rich second-generation finally succumbed to the pressure and, like the previous prisoners, knelt down and revealed his motive for murder.

"Only in this way can I continue to write as a writer! Do you know? In order to force me to go home and inherit the family business, my father actually put pressure on the publishing house, making it impossible for my works to be published. And I had run out of money, so I had no choice but to resort to this."

"Alright, Mr. Tomizawa, let's go back to the station together."

Inspector Megure finally uttered a line at the very end, and his practiced handcuffing of the person was still the best he could do.

"Sigh, I never thought my alibi would become evidence because of a power outage. It seems reality is much stranger than fiction. Inspector Kitahara, your crime-solving skills are truly legendary!"

Hearing such an idiot praise him, Kitahara Masaki felt no joy at all. However, seeing the guy's regretful expression, Kitahara Masaki suddenly chuckled softly for some reason.

He had clearly reprimanded Hattori Heiji for his poor facial expression control, but now he himself couldn't hold back.

Police officers, witnesses, and suspects were all gathered in the villa's large living room. They had thought the case was closed with Kitahara Masaki's deductions, but then he suddenly laughed.

Ha ha ha ha! ! !

Hahahaha!!!

Kitahara Masaki's laughter grew louder and louder, showing no sign of stopping. Inspector Megure, thinking there had been some new discovery in the case, quickly asked:

"Brother Kitahara, is there something else you haven't said?"

"Yes, there are still things I haven't said. Don't you all think this criminal is utterly ridiculous? He killed his father just because he wanted him to inherit billions? What kind of nonsense is that? You even have the nerve to say that reality is more bizarre than fiction. You don't even realize that you're the most bizarre one. Even after being caught, you showed no remorse, being so cruel to your own father. Honestly, after the initial deduction, I thought you were just a laughable criminal, but now I realize I was completely wrong. You're a beast! No, even beasts know the deep love of a parent for their child, and you're even worse than a beast!!!"

Chapter 46 BOSS, you wait for me! (Thud)

Kitahara Masaki has always judged people by his own moral standards, and this rich second-generation is the most disgusting guy he has ever met. Even that stalker is a step above him.

After Kitahara Masaki berated Tomizawa Taichi, everyone present froze in place. After all, the Japanese are known for their ridiculous manners and always try not to cause trouble for others. This was the first time they had ever seen someone like Kitahara Masaki so bluntly belittle someone. So for a moment, no one dared to say a word. Most importantly, everyone felt that the murderer had gone too far, not only killing his own father but also trying to shift the blame onto his younger brother.

“Brother Kitahara, stop talking. Even if Tomizawa Taichi is a murderer, he is still a member of the Tomizawa family. Don’t let this scum ruin your future.”

Inspector Megure was the first to react. He pulled Kitahara Masaki aside and said in a low voice.

“Officer Kitahara, since you have such a strong sense of justice, I believe we will meet again, I…”

"Shut up. You'll be spending the rest of your life in prison. All I can say is that what you've done disgusts me. Get this disgusting guy out of here."

Kitahara Masaki waved to Inspector Megure. There were some things he had to say, and if he just watched this guy continue to be arrogant, Kitahara Masaki would not be able to get over it.

So, to clear my mind, I'll put on Napoleon's clothes and take care of him later.

After this incident, everyone's gaze towards Kitahara Masaki shifted from admiration to awe. To relentlessly berate the son of a conglomerate could be seen as a display of fearlessness, but only towards Kitahara Masaki, because at that moment, his role in the Metropolitan Police Department was irreplaceable. If anyone else had done the same, they would probably have received transfer orders that very night.

Kitahara Masaki was aware of all this, but he didn't care at all. The BOSS's orders were only to infiltrate the Metropolitan Police Department, not to become famous. Even if he was sidelined, it wouldn't be a big deal.

In short, Kitahara Masaki felt half-relieved after giving this filial son a good scolding.

"Wow, Kitahara-nii is amazing."

"Yeah, Officer Kitahara, you were so cool just now."

Having lived two lives, Kitahara Masaki was no longer easily flattered by the two young girls. However, he could now make contact with Suzuki Sonoko to further his connections with the Suzuki Group.

"It was just a spontaneous statement, and I don't think I can convince that kind of person with reason."

Kitahara Masaki waved his hand, as if he were wiping away something dirty.

"Let's not talk about these unpleasant things. By the way, I heard that the Suzuki Group and the Tomizawa Group are related by marriage. I wonder if that will have any impact?"

"Oh! Right, sister, what about your wedding?"

Although it was supposed to be Ayako Suzuki and Yuzo Tomizawa getting married, the fact that the murderer turned out to be her brother is a huge scandal for a wealthy family.

“I will discuss it with my parents, so don’t worry, Sonoko. Also, Officer Kitahara, thank you for your concern. Your quick resolution of the case has prevented my fiancé from being suspected by outsiders. I am truly grateful to you.”

"Don't mention it, it's my responsibility anyway."

After chatting for a while, the police, having solved the case, naturally had to leave.

Because of the murder, Ran and the others went with Kitahara Masaki.