"We will be your witnesses."

"He almost injected me with the needle," Yamanami Keisuke thought to himself.

But after touching his face, which had just been punched, he didn't dare to refute.

“But Mr. Nagakura wasn’t the mastermind behind this, was he?” Kindaichi immediately raised an objection.

"Wasn't it Takato who designed this kidnapping and orchestrated everything for Mr. Nagakura's murder?"

"Mr. Nagakura, if you tell the police the truth, they should be able to..."

Nagakura Shinpachi, who was still somewhat slow to react, had a flicker in his eyes when he heard Takato's name.

"You mean, the gentleman who expressed sympathy for me and promised to help me get revenge..."

"No, you've been fooled!" Kindaichi shouted. "He's not that kind!"

“That person is a wanted murderer, ‘Hell’s Puppet Master’ Takato Yoichi, a man full of malice.”

"He likes to incite others to commit crimes; he doesn't do it himself, he just provides the plans for committing crimes."

"In his eyes, those who carried out the plan were merely puppets he manipulated. Once the crime failed, he would kill the 'puppet' without hesitation..."

"You mean he'll kill me too?" Nagakura Shinpachi asked calmly, looking up at the raindrops sliding down from the eaves.

"That would be better..."

"I don't even know what the point of living is for someone who couldn't avenge Kanna..."

Kindaichi was speechless for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

He was a boy with a simple sense of justice, believing that life is precious and murder is a sin.

Therefore, when facing an avenger like Nagakura, they often lack powerful words.

He wanted to encourage people to live well, but how could someone like Nagakura, who was utterly despondent, survive in a world where he had lost his loved ones?

He didn't know.

Yoruichi Toyama gently patted Nagakura on the shoulder.

No offense intended, but may I ask a question?

With Nagakura seemingly nodding subconsciously, he continued to ask:

“Although Gao Yuan planned this operation for you, you received news yesterday, right? Before nightfall, the police found my sister, alone and safe.”

“If the hostages are rescued, the kidnappers will have no leverage to demand a ransom, and in that situation, they will have no choice but to run away—Gao Yuan should have told you these things, right?”

As Nagakura Shinpachi listened, an expression gradually appeared on his face.

He looked at Yoruichi Toyama with a hint of disbelief: "How do you know? Because of this, I don't believe that Mr. Takato, as you say, is someone who only enjoys designing crimes..."

“I didn’t say that.” Yoruichi Toyama smiled. “I think it’s less about him taking pleasure in crime and more about him having a weak moral compass, so he likes to seek out more exciting stages.”

"However, it is not that they are inhumane."

“In Mr. Nagakura’s case, Takato would probably sympathize with him and therefore let you do as you see fit.”

"He informed you about the hostages being rescued in the same way. Logically, the plan should have been stopped, but if that were the case, you would have lost the opportunity to avenge Ms. Kanna."

"So he probably also asked you if you wanted to continue with this plan, right?"

Nagakura nodded quickly this time.

"Yes. Mr. Gao Yuan also said that although the little girl has been rescued, the police are still strictly controlling the news, as if they intend to take this opportunity to arrest the kidnappers in one fell swoop. Therefore, the ransom handover operation will still take place the next day."

"Since my goal is simply to kill that scumbag Shannan, I can proceed according to the original plan. I also have a perfect alibi, so the police won't suspect me."

"At that time, Shannan will be considered an accomplice of the kidnappers, trying to gamble on extorting ransom, but was killed due to infighting."

“This should be a flawless plan, so I can proceed as I please, but he won’t object if I choose to cancel.”

"Then he still took advantage of your psychology!" Kindaichi couldn't help but interject again, "Because Mr. Nagakura is so eager to avenge Ms. Kanna, he'll definitely carry out his plan..."

“Even though you say that,” Nagakura Shinpachi turned to look at the indignant boy, a sad smile on his face, “it was I who decided to act, to become a murderer!”