**Chapter 69: Conan: The Pain Returns!**
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"Hey, you're here, Fujino!"
Inside the café, Mouri Jūzō greeted Fujino warmly upon his arrival at the crime scene. From the moment he saw Fujino, he knew that the resolution to the case was near.
Standing aside and analyzing the case, Conan also looked up. He immediately noticed Fujino and Ran walking into the café.
Why is Fujino with Ran? She said she was here to see me. Could it be…?
A frown appeared on Conan's face. He suddenly felt an old sense of crisis surging up, as if a green light had exploded on top of his head. Realizing this, Conan's gaze towards Fujino grew slightly menacing. It's impossible to hide the look of wanting to kick someone.
"Ran! You're back with the cake!"
Suppressing his urge to kick Fujino, Conan forced a childish smile and walked slowly towards Ran. "By the way, is the person you wanted to meet Fujino?"
"Huh?"
Ran tilted her head slightly and explained with a light laugh, "No, I just happened to run into Fujino-senpai."
If it's not Fujino, then who else could it be?
Conan wondered inwardly.
"Mom! You're not hurt, are you?"
As Conan's mind raced, Ran's shout broke his train of thought.
"Mom?"
He looked up, following the direction Ran was shouting towards, and saw a woman in glasses and a deep purple professional outfit. It was the beautiful lawyer he had seen earlier!
"Ran, why did you come in?"
Eri Kisaki approached, looking puzzled as she gazed at Ran who had entered the crime scene. "Wasn't the entrance blocked off?"
"It was Fujino-senpai."
Ran smiled lightly and glanced at Fujino, who was following Mouri Jūzō into the crime scene. "He's a detective and spoke to the officers at the entrance, so I followed him in."
"I see!"
Eri Kisaki looked towards Fujino, who was wearing a black vest, and frowned. Another detective…
It seems like I encounter these young detectives everywhere.
At this moment, Conan was completely bewildered. Did he misjudge Fujino again?
Recovering from his shock, Conan turned his gaze back to Eri Kisaki. Even though he hadn't seen her for a long time, her appearance hadn't changed much. He could confirm that she was indeed Ran's mother, Eri Kisaki.
Watching Eri Kisaki, Conan swallowed hard. At the same time, his small body, no taller than Ran's legs, trembled uncontrollably. Memories from ten years ago began to flood back, causing him pain.
Damn it, my head is starting to hurt again!
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Meanwhile, Fujino had already entered the crime scene with Mouri Jūzō.
The crime occurred in a single toilet stall. The layout of the stall was like any other toilet, but there was an open window above the toilet…
Why is there a window in a toilet stall? Is it meant for some kind of pervert?
Fujino silently complained.
"The victim's name is Himeya Yayoi, twenty-four years old, and she worked as a freelancer."
Upon entering the scene, Mouri Jūzō first introduced the victim and then took out a photo. "The victim's state at death was just like this photo—her body was pressed against the toilet door, lying on the floor."
In the photo, the woman is lying in the restroom stall, sideways in front of the toilet door, with blood flowing from a stab wound on her chest.
Fujino studied the photo and stroked his chin. After a moment's thought, he continued to ask Mouri Jūzō, "What was the cause of death?"
"She was stabbed in the chest by the murderer and bled to death,"
Mouri Jūzō said, frowning. He then handed a bloody knife, sealed in an evidence bag, to Fujino.
Through the evidence bag, Fujino could clearly see the bloodstains on the knife. The bloodstains, which were gradually drying, covered the blade and handle. However, the area around the blade's base was unusually clean.
If Fujino remembered correctly, this should be the breakthrough in the case.
"Officer!"
At this moment, an evidence technician shouted from a distance, "We found a strangulation mark on the victim's neck!"
Mouri Jūzō immediately went over to inspect the mark on the victim's neck and began his deduction, "I think the murderer must have strangled her first to prevent her from seeing his face, and then cruelly killed her with the weapon."
As he spoke, Mouri Jūzō slowly stood up and glanced around at the open windows in the restroom stalls, the empty wallet scattered on the floor, and speculated, "It seems he originally only wanted to steal Miss Himeya's money, but after being seen, he decided to kill her."
"He threw the weapon and the emptied wallet on the ground and used Miss Himeya's body to block the restroom door."
"So the murderer was actually waiting for his prey in the restroom. After killing Miss Himeya, he gathered all the money and escaped through the window."
"But in his haste, he didn't notice that the weapon used was left at the crime scene."
After finishing his deduction, Mouri Jūzō confidently turned to Fujino and asked, "Did I get it right, Fujino-kun?"
It seemed like he was looking for validation.
"I don't think it's like that,"
Fujino replied with a slight smile, pointing to the window in the restroom stall. "Given the amount of blood loss, the murderer's hands would have surely been covered in blood in such a small space."
"Even if he was wearing gloves and didn't get any blood on them, he should have stepped in some blood. But the condition of the window is too clean, isn't it?"
"That could be because he cleaned it up."
Mouri Jūzō looked a bit puzzled.
"That's impossible,"
Fujino shook his head, "Since he was in a panicked state, he wouldn't have had time to clean up the blood. If he had been calm enough to clean up the blood, then the murder weapon wouldn't have been left at the scene."
"So what's going on…"
Mouri Jūzō muttered to himself, noticing Fujino's confident expression and being momentarily stunned.
That confident look seems familiar!
"Could it be that Fujino-kun already knows the method of the crime?!"
Seeing Fujino's confident demeanor, Mouri Jūzō asked in surprise.
"Yes."
Fujino nodded, "If I'm correct, we just need to investigate who entered the restroom after Miss Himeya did to identify the suspect."
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**(End of Chapter)**