245

At that moment, a woman with short, parted hair pushed open the office door, breaking the strange tension in the room. She waved at Yoshiki Shinde and said, "Miss Sugita wants you to come to her place for a consultation."

"Ugh, here we go again…" Yoshiki Shinde muttered.

He stood up, pretending to grumble as he headed out the door. "She's such a headache of a patient. It's just a stomach ulcer, nothing crazy!"

"A patient?" 

The door clicked shut behind him, and the short-haired woman clicked her tongue, muttering under her breath, "Yeah, right. Sounds nice when you put it that way, but she's obviously just his little mistress…"

"Huh?" 

Her words caught the attention of the others, who all turned to look at her.

"Oh, oops! Sorry about that!" 

The woman spun around, noticing their stares, and flashed a quick smile. "My husband will be back in a bit. Just hang tight for a sec, okay?"

…

"Man, I'm really sorry about that, Fujino-senpai," Ran said, trailing behind Fujino in the Shinde family's hallway. Her cheeks were still a little flushed. "I can't believe my dad said something like that. I hope he didn't cause you any trouble…"

"No big deal," Fujino chuckled lightly. "Your old man just panicked for a second, that's all. Besides, I take it as a compliment—he trusts me, right?"

Ran smiled, relieved. "As long as you're not upset, that's what matters…"

Meanwhile, Conan trailed behind them, glaring at Fujino with his signature dead-fish eyes. *Seriously?!* 

He couldn't shake the feeling that a familiar green glow was flickering above his head again. *Ugh, this guy Fujino…* Conan's blood pressure started creeping up just thinking about it.

…

The group reached a hallway intersection. Ran paused, glancing left and right, her directionally challenged brain spinning. "Wow, Dr. Shinde's house is huge… Where's the bathroom again?"

"His wife mentioned it's next to the emergency room," Fujino said, thinking it over. "If I remember right, you go straight from the consultation room, turn left, then right…"

He started heading right. As he rounded the corner, a shadowy figure suddenly darted out in front of him. Fujino didn't budge, but the other guy? Total crash-and-burn.

*Thud!* 

Papers went flying everywhere with a muffled bang.

Fujino looked down and saw Tomoaki Shinde sprawled on the floor. Green sweater, white lab coat, glasses… and, huh, the right lens looked cracked.

"Whoa, my bad!" Tomoaki scrambled to his feet, brushing himself off. "I was lost in thought and didn't see you there." He glanced up, then blinked in surprise. "Fujino?"

Ran tilted her head, looking between them. "Fujino-senpai, do you two know each other?"

"Not really," Fujino said, glancing at Tomoaki before turning to Ran. "He's a school doctor now, I think, and coaches the basketball team on the side. We crossed paths once at the infirmary."

He paused, then looked back at Tomoaki. "Wait, what's your name again?"

Tomoaki gave a half-amused, half-exasperated sigh. "Geez, Fujino, you sure forget the little people fast… I'm Tomoaki Shinde, the doctor's son. I'm helping out with some work around here for now." 

He crouched down to pick up the scattered files, standing up as he went on. "Like Fujino said, I coach basketball at Teitan High and fill in as the school doctor. But next month, I'm off to work at a hospital in Aomori."

He hesitated, his eyes flickering toward Fujino with a hint of… fear? Something else? "I know *you* pretty well, though. Ms. Hiratsuka's always… uh, mentioning you."

Fujino raised an eyebrow, nodding at Tomoaki's cracked glasses. "What happened to your glasses?"

Tomoaki froze. "…"

His face darkened for a split second. Did he really need to explain? But thinking of a certain iron-fisted teacher, he forced a weak smile. "Oh, uh… I tripped down some stairs a couple days ago. Clumsy me, haha."

"Better watch your step then," Fujino said with a knowing nod.

Tomoaki: "…"

"BASKETBALL COACH?!" Conan's face darkened nearby. *Wait a sec… Is that why Ran's been going to those late karate practices? To see *this* guy?! No way…*

*Crash!* 

A noise came from behind them. Fujino turned to see a short-haired girl in an apron, holding flowers, accidentally knocking over a vase. Shards scattered across the floor.

"Oh, come on!" Yoshiki Shinde stormed over, fuming at the girl. "How many things are you gonna break before you're done?! You *volunteered* to help out here—did you just come to mess everything up?!"

"I'm so sorry!" The girl bowed her head quickly.

But Yoshiki wasn't having it. "If you break one more thing, you're out of here!"

"Alright, Dad, chill!" Tomoaki stepped in, trying to smooth things over. "Everyone messes up sometimes, right?"

From Tomoaki, they learned the girl's name was Hikaru Homoto, one of his former patients. She'd heard they needed a maid and decided to stick around to help.

After Uncle Mouri finished his appointment, the group planned to head out. But just as they were leaving, Yoshiki casually asked if Kogoro Mouri was *the* famous Detective Mouri. When he found out Kogoro was indeed *that* Mouri—and that Fujino, tagging along, was the renowned Detective Fujino—he insisted they stay.

Fast forward to evening, with the sun dipping low. Kogoro sat at the dinner table, marveling, "So, Tomoaki's the top grad from Tokyo University's medical school? Impressive stuff!"

"Wow, that's amazing!" Ran chimed in, her eyes lingering on Tomoaki.

Tomoaki, meanwhile, kept sneaking glances at Fujino.

"Hey, Fujino," Tomoaki said suddenly, his tone heavy, almost pleading. "I'm leaving soon. This month… could you maybe take fewer days off?"

"Days off?" Fujino rubbed his chin, thinking. 

Every time he skipped school, Ms. Hiratsuka probably dragged this poor guy into a "life lesson" chat… and that cracked lens? Yeah, probably her handiwork.

Fujino smirked. "I'll try, but if a case comes up, I can't exactly say no."

"…" 

*So that's a no, huh?* Tomoaki silently sulked, picking at his food like a kicked puppy.

Conan, off to the side, was laser-focused on Tomoaki—this Tokyo U grad with his innocent little pretty-boy face. He'd noticed Ran staring at him all night. *Could it be…?!* 

His paranoia kicked into overdrive. "Ran-neechan!" he called out, testing her.

No response. He tried again. Nothing.

Conan's heart sank. *It's official. She's been coming home late to see this guy!* First Fujino, now this jerk—his imaginary green glow flickered like a broken lightbulb. 😤

Fujino caught Conan's weird vibe but brushed it off. This time, Conan was way off base. Ran wasn't smitten—she was just fixated on Tomoaki's green sweater. No spoilers needed; Fujino could tell from her line of sight.

(End of chapter)

**Chapter 245 - Megure Juuzou: Yep, Suicide. Case Closed!**

"Something up?" Fujino asked, noticing Conan's sulking.

"Ahaha…" Conan forced a laugh, hiding his bitterness. "Just worried about my homework, that's all."

Fujino shrugged. "Want me to drop you off later?"

"No way!" Conan waved his hands, putting on his cutesy kid act. "Actually, I just remembered—tomorrow's Sunday! No rush on the homework, hehe…"

He thought it over. If Uncle Mouri stayed the night, Ran probably would too. He glanced at the pretty-boy, then at Fujino. 

If he wasn't around, fine. But if *Fujino* wasn't here either? Disaster waiting to happen! Sure, Fujino could be a bit of a jerk, but he was solid. This smiley little white-collar guy? Conan wasn't so sure.

"Uh…" 

Fujino watched Conan in front of him, putting on an Oscar-worthy performance, and still felt a bit uneasy about it. 😅

He paused for a sec, then pulled out his phone to check the time.

It was Saturday.

Oh no, now he felt *even more* uneasy.

Time in the Conan universe was acting normal for once—like, what the heck?! 😱

…

Tonight's dinner at the Niide household was a classic Japanese-style meal.

The one cooking was the maid, Homoto Hikari, who'd accidentally broken a flowerpot earlier.

Helping her out was that short-haired woman, Niide Yoko, whom they'd seen before.

"Dr. Yoshiki sure is taking his sweet time…" 

Mouri Kogoro was starving. He glanced at his watch, his tone dripping with complaint. "His office hours are already over, so why isn't he here for dinner yet?"

The food was all set on the table, but the bowls and chopsticks were still upside down.

Neon's dining culture is kinda weird—nobody can start eating until the head of the house, Niide Yoshiki, gets back.

"That guy's always been like that," an old white-haired lady grumbled as she shuffled into the kitchen. "He loves jumping in the bath before dinner, dirtying up a perfectly clean tub before anyone else can use it."

"Grandma… why do you always have to say stuff like that?" Niide Tomoaki turned to her, looking a little exasperated.

"He gets to bathe first, huh?" Mouri Kogoro mused. "Guess that's the perk of being the head of the house…"

"Head of the house? Him?!" The old lady cut Mouri off, her voice thick with disdain. "If Chiaki hadn't insisted on marrying him, he'd never have set foot in this family. After Chiaki died, he just took over the Niide household… Talk about shameless! A son-in-law who married in, and he still had the guts to remarry!"

"Grandma!" Niide Tomoaki sighed, giving her a pleading look. "Don't say it like that."

"You keep defending him," the old lady huffed, her tone turning wistful. She started to walk away, muttering under her breath, "At the end of the day, you're the only one in this house who's actually related to me by blood, my dear grandson. Now even you're leaving… How's an old widow like me supposed to get by?"

The old lady's name was Niide Mi, Tomoaki's grandma on his mom's side.

Since Niide Yoshiki had married into the family, that's why he called her "Grandma."

Older folks tend to care a lot about blood ties—no matter what country you're in, it's the same deal.

Niide Yoshiki was an outsider who'd married in, and Niide Yoko was the woman he married after his first wife, Chiaki, passed away—another outsider.

The only true Niide left was Tomoaki, the family's lone heir.

In a way, it was like outsiders had taken over the family estate. No wonder the old lady couldn't stand Yoshiki.

That's why Fujino wasn't a fan of this whole "marrying in" thing either.

As for this Chiaki that Niide Mi mentioned…

From what Fujino could recall, she was Niide Yoshiki's late first wife, Niide Chiaki.

And Niide Yoko? She married Yoshiki after Chiaki's death.

Oh, and get this—Chiaki and Yoko used to be super close friends.

Talk about a messy circle! 😬

"Don't take it to heart, guys," Niide Tomoaki said as he slid the kitchen door shut, flashing an awkward smile. "My grandma's just upset because a few days ago, my dad turned the bathroom into a Western-style one. When it was being remodeled, she was fuming, like, 'They've even changed the bathroom—next thing you know, they'll turn this place into a church!'"

Right as Tomoaki sat down and Homoto Hikari brought out some hot tea, the kitchen lights suddenly went *click* and shut off.

"A power outage?" Ran glanced up at the now-dark bulb.

"Looks like it's just here, though…" Conan hopped off his chair and climbed up to the window, peering out. "The lights are still on next door!"

"Probably some kind of circuit issue," Fujino said, glancing outside with a squint, activating his eagle-eye vision.

"I think there's a flashlight in that cabinet over there…" Tomoaki fumbled around in the dim light filtering through the window, searching for it.

*Crash!*

A sharp sound rang out.

Fujino turned and saw Homoto Hikari accidentally drop a teacup, shattering it. Panicking, she froze for a second, remembering what Niide Yoshiki had snapped at her before: "If you break one more thing, you're out of here!" Flustered, she quickly scooped up the scalding cup and hid it against her chest. Her face scrunched up from the heat, but she bit her lip and didn't make a sound.

Hikari only stuck around here because of Tomoaki.

Otherwise, who'd put up with an old grump like Niide Yoshiki barking orders all day for peanuts? 🤦‍♀️

"Got it!" Tomoaki finally found the flashlight and flicked it on, casting a faint glow around the room.

Hikari jumped up, still clutching the cup, and hurried over to Tomoaki. She nervously suggested taking the flashlight to check the main breaker and bolted out of the kitchen.

Fujino: "…"

Is this what they call a lovesick fool?

She'd rather hurt herself than leave this place… 😳

Rain started pouring outside, and the faint moonlight from the window got swallowed up by dark clouds.

The kitchen plunged into total darkness.

With his eagle-eye vision, Fujino noticed that Niide Yoko, who'd been standing by the door, was suddenly gone…

Probably off to carry out her murder plan.

From what he remembered, Yoko and Chiaki were besties. Before Chiaki died in that car accident, she'd called Yoko once.

—She'd asked her to look after her son, Tomoaki, and make sure he didn't turn out like his creepy dad.

Fujino didn't dare guess too much about that call.

All he knew was that later that night, Chiaki died in a drunken car crash.

Why? Because she'd seen through Niide Yoshiki's true colors—a sleazy, woman-obsessed freak.

This was Yoko's way of avenging her best friend and sticking it to that cheating creep.

So Fujino wasn't about to stop her murder plan.

While Fujino was lost in thought, Ran took advantage of the darkness and started creeping toward Tomoaki.

She swallowed hard, eyeing the sweater he was wearing.

Fujino caught on and figured out what she was up to.

But seriously, Ran, this is *way* too wild…

He quietly pulled a glow stick from his pocket.

*Snap!*

With a crisp sound, the glow stick lit up, bathing the dark kitchen in a warm light.

Ran froze mid-step, abandoning her plan to "accidentally" mistake him for someone else and feel his sweater.

A moment later, the kitchen lights flickered back on.

Fujino tucked the glow stick away.

Niide Yoko reappeared at the door, back to chatting on her phone.

Niide Mi came downstairs after the commotion.

Hikari returned to the kitchen entrance too.

Since Niide Yoshiki had a heart condition, a worried Tomoaki sent Hikari to check on him. And since Yoko didn't want Hikari getting blamed for a murder, she tagged along.

"Ahh!"

A scream rang out, right on cue.

…

In the bathroom—

Niide Yoshiki was slumped naked against the steaming tub. His right arm dangled over the edge, half his head submerged, nose underwater.

A cord stretched from a nearby outlet, ending in a razor buzzing in the water, connected by an extension.

Above him hung a fog-free mirror.

"Dad! Dad!" Tomoaki shouted, rushing forward.

"You trying to die?!" Fujino yanked him back.

"Huh?" Tomoaki spun around, confused.

"Mr. Yoshiki might've been electrocuted," Fujino said, pointing at the razor in the tub and the cord in the water. He stepped over and unplugged it. "If you'd gone in, you'd get zapped too."

"Oh… oh!" Tomoaki nodded quickly, then pulled Yoshiki out of the tub.

"I'll start CPR—Mom, grab the epinephrine!" Tomoaki called to Yoko while pressing on Yoshiki's chest.

Fujino glanced at Yoshiki with his eagle-eye.

No signs of life.

Dead as a doornail.

Not even adrenaline could save him now.

…

The rain kept pouring.

Niide Yoshiki was rushed to a nearby hospital but didn't make it.

Officers Megure Juzo and Takagi showed up at the scene.

"Fujino, Mouri, what exactly happened when you found the body?" Megure asked, leaning against the tub with a tired sigh.

He'd already gone home, eaten dinner, and was ready to chill with some TV before bed.

Then one phone call dragged him back to work. 🙄

Why do these two always end up at murder scenes…?