Chapter 276: Couldn’t Help But Spill It All

"So, you're saying the culprit in this case is that Mihua Batman guy?" 

Megure Jusan was starting to feel like this jerk was getting more and more out of control. 

Back in the day, it wasn't so bad. The guy would leave them half-crippled, and Megure could still do his job—find some evidence and let the courts handle the rest. 

But now? Now it's a total mess. 

The higher-ups at the Metropolitan Police Department absolutely despised this Mihua Batman. His vigilante antics were seriously embarrassing what little dignity the police still had left. 

Every case tied to him was now under intense scrutiny, personally overseen by the top brass. 

Coming out to work overtime in the middle of the night was already bad enough. 

And now, he'd have to go back and face the wrath of those police bigwigs… 

"Sigh!" 

Megure Jusan let out a heavy sigh, glanced at Suou Honko's body, then turned to the group gathered around. "So, does anyone here know anything about the contents of this warning letter?" 

Sure, stuff like charity fraud wasn't exactly in his wheelhouse. 

But since this involved a hit-and-run and a murder frame-up, he couldn't just ignore it. 

Even if the killer was already dead, he still had to go through the motions and ask some questions. 

If he could dig up something useful, even without catching Batman, nailing down the corpse of a murderer who'd been on the run for over twenty years and killed two people would at least give him something to show for it back at the station. 

"That's all nonsense!" 

Inada Kazuyo, Suou's assistant, was the first to jump in. "Teacher Suou has been dedicated to charity work for fifteen years! There's no way she'd do something like that. It's all lies—pure slander from that murderer!" 

"Uh… ma'am, please calm down a bit," Megure Jusan said, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead as Inada's reaction turned heated. "Look, that guy's definitely a murderer, no question. But so far, it seems like the people he's killed were all ones who slipped through the law's cracks. We still need to investigate to figure out what's really going on." 

"It's all true!" 

Out of nowhere, Aokawa Fuyuya spoke up. "That rotten old hag's been pocketing charity money for fifteen years!" 

"Fuyuya, what are you even talking about?!" 

Inada Kazuyo flinched, clearly rattled, then whirled on Aokawa with a righteous glare. "Teacher Suou just passed away, and you're already forgetting all those years she took care of you?!" 

"Took care of me? Shut up! You were in on it too!" 

Aokawa snapped back, then kept going. "Like the letter says, that jerk framed my mom for the traffic accident that killed Mrs. Katagiri—after running her over himself! Then he murdered my mom and staged it to look like a suicide!" 

"Huh?!" 

Megure Jusan turned to Aokawa, wide-eyed. 

Whoa, hold on. He'd thought he wouldn't get any solid leads here. 

Did this guy just crack the case wide open? 

Katagiri Masaki looked stunned too. "Wait… the one who ran over my wife was Suou Honko?!" 

"Uh…?" 

Megure Jusan blinked, totally thrown off. 

The victim's family was still here too? 

"Yeah, I only found out about it two months ago," Aokawa said with a nod. "I was going through my mom's stuff, and a letter fell out of her diary. It had the whole truth written in it…" 

"Oh, I see…" 

Megure Jusan snapped out of it and turned to Aokawa and Inada. "Well, in that case, I'll need you both to come back with us for questioning." 

"Since it's all out in the open now, I guess there's no point hiding it," Aokawa said, sounding relieved. He held out his hands toward Megure. "Let's go." 

Megure froze mid-reach for his handcuffs. "…?" 

Wait, was this guy actually asking to be cuffed? 

Something felt off here. 

Fujino stared at Aokawa, speechless. 

Dude, you didn't kill anyone. 

Why are you acting so smooth about this? 

Are all you Mihua folks so used to this that you've already rehearsed what to say when you get caught? 

This is ridiculous… 

The air at the scene turned awkward real fast. 

"Ahem." 

Fujino coughed lightly to break the tension. "Mr. Aokawa, Mihua Batman's the one who did the killing. Inspector Megure just wants you to come back to talk more about that murder case from twenty years ago, that's all." 

Megure awkwardly tucked his hands behind his back and nodded. "Exactly." 

"Oh?" 

Aokawa blinked, suddenly confused. 

Uh… right, he didn't actually kill anyone. 

The vibe just felt so right that he couldn't help but confess everything on the spot… 

Kinda embarrassing now. 

--- 

Mihua Batman had slipped away, so the case naturally hit a dead end for now. 

But Suou Honko's situation was getting clearer by the minute. 

Megure Jusan hadn't come out here for nothing. He headed back with a body and two witnesses in tow. 

Even though a murder had gone down, it was already dark, so everyone had to crash at the mansion for the night. They only headed home the next morning when daylight broke. 

Before leaving, Fujino handed out a few business cards to everyone. 

These were big shots from all walks of life, after all. A couple of cards might just land him a client needing a detective someday. 

And if he could stumble into a murder case or two, even better—that's where the real money was. 

--- 

A few days passed in a flash. 

Over that time, Fujino took on a couple of "find someone" jobs, pocketing ninety thousand yen. 

Not bad, but he'd much rather handle infidelity cases. 

Catching cheaters? That's where Fujino shines. 

Thing is, as his reputation grew, fewer people seemed to come to him for that kind of work. 

Guess cheating's not something folks want to advertise. 

One simple day after school, Fujino tagged along with Sonoko and Ran, who'd just finished rehearsal, to Mihua General Hospital. They were there to visit Conan, who'd finally gotten out of bed. 

"The bullet didn't hit any vital organs, and his recovery's been surprisingly good. He should be out of here in two or three days," the attending doctor, decked out in a white coat, explained in the hospital lounge. "But after surgery, his immune system's a bit weak. Could lead to something like an upper respiratory infection." 

"Upper respiratory infection?" Ran tilted her head, puzzled by the medical jargon. 

"It's just inflammation in the nose or throat," Fujino chimed in, recalling some basic medical knowledge. "Basically a cold, like bird flu or something. Nothing major." 

"Spot on," the doctor said with a nod, then glanced at Fujino with a hint of admiration. "Honestly, when I first saw this kid come in, I was shocked. I thought some top-tier surgeon had handled the emergency. Didn't expect Detective Fujino to have such solid medical know-how. You really surprised me." 

"Oh, it's nothing. Just stuff I picked up on my own," Fujino said with a sheepish laugh, brushing it off. 

Normally, doctors stick to their own specialties. 

Someone like him, with skills across the board? That's rare—expert-level stuff. 

Fooling Ran and Sonoko with some grandpa wisdom was one thing. 

But a real doctor? 

Not so easy to bluff. 

"Oh, I get it now…" 

Ran glanced back at Conan, who was surrounded by the kids, sitting in a wheelchair, gaming away while coughing every now and then. 

"That little brat," Sonoko muttered, turning her head with a scowl. "Ran's been all worried and distracted because of him, and he's just sitting there playing games…" 

She marched over, snatched the console from Conan's hands, and declared, "Alright, visiting hours are over! It's getting late, so you little punks better head home!" 

"Huh?!" 

The kids groaned in disappointment. 

"Okay, it is pretty late. You can come back tomorrow," Fujino said, signing something for the doctor before walking over. He waved to Ran and Sonoko, who were pushing Conan's wheelchair. "I'll take these kids home. Can you two look after Conan?" 

"No problem," Ran said with a smile and a little wave. 

"Sweet!" 

"Fujino-nii, can you treat us to some drinks?" 

Fujino: "…" 

So all that excitement was just to mooch free drinks off him, huh? 

"By the way, Fujino-nii, where's Haihara?" Mitsuhiko piped up suddenly. 

"We haven't seen Ai-chan at school today or yesterday. Is she sick?" Ayumi asked, her tone tinged with worry. 

"Nah, Ai's just visiting some relatives. She'll be back in a few days," Fujino replied after a moment's thought. 

About two days ago, Haihara Ai had said she was heading to a relative's place and took off. 

Fujino, being the spoiler-savvy guy he was, knew that was just an excuse. 

In reality, she was probably working on the APTX antidote and, having heard Conan's identity got busted, might be planning to impersonate him for a day or two. 

Still, disappearing a few days early for that seemed weird. 

Fujino couldn't quite figure it out but decided not to dwell on it. 

She'd come back eventually anyway. 

--- 

Night fell, and cicadas chirped outside the window. 

Conan lay in bed, wrestling with whether he should tell Ran he was really Kudo Shinichi. 

He'd already picked up on it—his cover was blown. 

After some thought, he decided he'd spill the beans to Ran… 

That way, he wouldn't have to worry about Fujino stealing her away. 

Yeah, he couldn't help but want to come clean too. 

*Click.* 

A faint metallic sound snapped him out of it. 

Conan turned his head and froze—a dark gun barrel was pointed right at him. 

And the one holding it? Haihara Ai. 

"Sorry, but I guess I just don't fit in with you guys after all," she said, her cool expression laced with a hint of menace. 

"Haihara… what are you doing?" 

Conan blinked, rubbed his eyes, and stared, barely believing what he was seeing. 

It'd only been a few days. How'd this fake little girl go from chill to ready to off him? 

"You still don't get it? Back at the Beika Hotel, my cover was already blown," Haihara said with a cold smirk. "A few days ago, another member of the Organization tracked me down. I thought they'd take me out right then and there, but instead, they let me off—on the condition I go back and keep working on the shrinking drug." 

Conan's face darkened. "So you're gonna kill me because I know about the Organization?!" 

"Exactly. That's their deal. Plus, your parents and Dr. Agasa are next on the list," Haihara said, her expression unchanged. She shook her head. "I don't really want to do this… but they're holding Fujino and Miyano Akemi over my head. If I take you out cleanly, they'll consider letting Fujino join the Organization with me. They've got their eye on his skills too." 

Conan broke out in a cold sweat. 

Haihara looked way too convincing. 

And he had every reason to believe she'd kill him for Fujino's sake. 

Damn it, was this the end? 

He wanted to cry but felt too powerless to even manage that. 

To think Fujino had gotten nabbed by those guys too… 

*Pshh.* 

A sound rang out. 

But no bullet came from the barrel—just a stream of water. 

"A squirt gun?!" 

Conan blinked, dumbfounded again. 

"So, what would you do if it came to that?" Haihara asked, setting the toy gun down, her tone flat. "If they found my hiding spot and threatened Fujino's life… I might actually go through with it." 

She tucked the squirt gun away and shook her head. "But that's unlikely. If it ever came to that, the Organization wouldn't hesitate to wipe out everyone around me. No exceptions." 

Conan wiped the sweat from his brow and groaned. "So what was that little performance for?" 

"Just giving you a heads-up, that's all," Haihara said, turning to him. "Someone like you, driven by emotions? You've probably already told her your real identity by now, huh?" 

"Huh?" Conan froze. "How did you—" 

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Haihara scoffed lightly. "The girl across the street's probably figured it out too. Just look at your face—she's waiting for you to come clean, isn't she?" 

"But once you say it, there's no taking it back…" Haihara's eyes narrowed, almost like she was talking to herself too. "Sure, telling her would make things easier. But it'd also drag her right into this mess. If you keep up the act, you can brush it off as 'going home' if you disappear one day. But if you spill it and she finds out, she'll dig into the Organization herself." 

"…" 

Conan fell silent, lost in thought. 

"There's actually a way around it, though," Haihara said, shifting gears. "A while back, based on what you said about Baijiu counteracting the poison, I managed to whip up an antidote…" 

"What?!" Conan's eyes lit up, and he grinned. "So I can turn back?!" 

"Are you an idiot?" Haihara shot him a deadpan look. "It's still experimental. No guarantee it'll fully work. You're dreaming too big." 

"Oh…" Conan deflated instantly. 

"But don't look so down about it," she went on. "It's just a few key tests away from being confirmed. Should be ready before the school festival." 

"Key tests?" Conan tilted his head, then clasped his hands together and bowed slightly. "Please, I'm counting on you!" 

"Ugh, seriously…" Haihara sighed. 

Truth was, she'd already finished the antidote. 

Those "key tests"? That meant experimenting—on a live subject. 

She couldn't be sure it'd actually work. 

For safety, you'd normally use lab rats. 

But with no rats around, she'd have to be her own guinea pig. 

If it failed, well, fine. She could just say she died in an accident while visiting relatives… 

Like she'd said, if the Organization ever found her, everyone was toast. 

Dying early would be better than dragging everyone down with her later. 

Funny how she'd let herself fantasize lately, deluding herself into thinking she was just a normal girl… 

(End of Chapter)