### Chapter 53: Tanaka’s Eating... History

"Officer, his younger brother has returned!" 

While Fujino and Inspector Muro were searching a room, a uniformed officer arrived with an elegant man.

The man's appearance was identical to the one they had seen earlier.

"Hello, officers. I'm Tanaka Tomohisa, currently working at a securities company…"

"Tanaka Tomohisa."

Fujino looked at the man in surprise. Tanaka Tomohisa… Tanaka Eats… History?

What a strange name.

In Fujino's astonished gaze, the man greeted them first. Then, he looked around at the officers conducting the search and asked, "What exactly happened at my house to warrant such a thorough search?"

"Mr. Tanaka, we received a report that a body was found in your house," Inspector Muro explained.

"A body?"

Tanaka Tomohisa looked surprised. "This house only has my brother and me. How could there be another person's body?"

Before he could finish, a shout came from upstairs: "Hey! It's so noisy! Can't you all be quieter?!"

"I'm really sorry, big brother!" Tanaka Tomohisa yelled back up.

He then scratched his head and apologized to the officers. "I'm really sorry. My brother has a terrible temper. Even the slightest noise angers him. Please try to keep it down while you investigate."

"Understood."

Inspector Muro nodded and then asked, "By the way, what does your brother do? Why is he so irritable?"

"He's a freelance writer and spends his days at home writing poetry and such."

Inspector Muro nodded, understanding why the man's temper might be so bad. A freelance writer sounds good, but in reality, it often means someone struggling financially while chasing a literary dream.

"We've searched the attic and the floor below. Now, we're going to check your brother's room," Inspector Muro announced.

The police had searched for a long time but hadn't found the body Conan and the others had seen. Finally, Inspector Muro's gaze focused on Tanaka Tomohisa's brother's room, which had not been searched yet.

"Brother!"

The group arrived at Tanaka Tomohisa's brother's room door. Tanaka Tomohisa knocked but got no response. He then opened the door.

After entering the room briefly, he quietly told the group outside, "Hurry up and come in. He's already asleep."

"Asleep?"

Fujino, Inspector Muro, and a police officer entered the room. The layout was simple: there was a row of cabinets near the door, a large TV with a floor lamp beside it, a single chair in front of the TV, and a telephone on a table beside the chair.

The man who had been shouting earlier was now seated in the chair in front of the TV, 'asleep.'

Fujino frowned as he looked at the man sitting in front of the TV. After a moment of thought, he walked over to the man and said to Tanaka Tomohisa meaningfully, "Mr. Tanaka, you and your brother really do look alike."

"Yes, people have always said that my brother and I look alike."

Tanaka Tomohisa maintained his composure, but sweat was forming on his forehead. He quickly moved closer to Fujino. "Please, keep your distance from my brother. He has a heart condition, and he gets very angry if he's disturbed while sleeping…"

"Is that so?"

Fujino patted the man on the shoulder. At that moment, the man's body swayed, and his head fell forward. He collapsed onto the floor.

"…"

Tanaka Tomohisa quickly rushed forward, coming to his brother's side.

"Brother! What happened?!"

He picked up his brother's body and shook it violently. "Wake up! Wake up!"

"I'll check!"

Inspector Muro quickly approached and checked the man's pulse. He then shook his head regretfully. "Sorry, Mr. Tanaka. Your brother is already dead."

"How could this happen?!"

Tanaka Tomohisa sat down in disbelief. "How could my brother…"

He then turned to Fujino, his face full of anger. "It must be you! You must have disturbed my brother while he was sleeping, causing him to suddenly die!"

"That's not the case."

Inspector Muro frowned, examining the body. "If he had just died, there should still be some residual body heat. Also, considering the rigor mortis, he must have been dead for some time."

Despite Inspector Muro's weak deductive skills, he had enough basic knowledge from years of experience as a police officer.

"How could this happen?"

Tanaka Tomohisa began to cry and clutch his head. "Could it be that my brother had a heart attack and died just now?"

"If it was a heart attack, the pale complexion would be a characteristic sign," Inspector Muro sighed, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

"Not at all."

At this moment, Fujino pulled open the curtains, drawing everyone's attention to him. "The victim didn't die from a heart attack; he was drowned!"

"Oh?"

Inspector Muro was surprised. "Has Fujino already figured out the truth?"

"If I'm correct, the killer should be the victim's younger brother, Tanaka Tomohisa!"

"No way!"

Tanaka Tomohisa protested. "My brother was still talking just a moment ago, and I was with you all the time."

He turned to Inspector Muro. "Isn't that right, officer?"

"Indeed," Inspector Muro nodded. "Fujino, are you sure? You should have heard the shout from the brother earlier."

"I did hear it, but…"

Fujino smiled and took out his phone, pressing the call button. 

"Hello! It's so noisy! Can't you be quieter?!"

The voice of the man came again, but this time it was coming from the phone on the table.

"If I'm not mistaken, the body Conan and the others saw earlier was actually Tanaka Tomohisa's brother!"

*End of Chapter*