Chapter 136: Former Sniper Partners...

Just as Nekono Ikuya was secretly puzzled by Morofushi Kagemitsu's whereabouts, the gallery's detective drama reached its climax.

Sera Makoto clearly and logically explained the murderer's method to everyone. In fact, the entire crime process had gradually become clear during her private discussion with Conan earlier; she was simply explaining it to everyone at this moment.

Conan and Amuro Tooru provide timely support, occasionally asking pointed questions to put pressure on the culprit and expose his crime of poisoning with ice and trying to frame Matsumoto Kenichi.

Faced with the gradually revealed evidence and the detective's sharp questioning, Naoto Takahashi turned pale and finally stopped denying it, tearfully confessing his crime.

The mask of composure on his face shattered completely. He staggered backward, leaning against the cold wall, covering his face with his hands, and let out a suppressed and painful sob: "It was him... Matsuo forced me to do this!"

He abruptly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot behind his glasses, his voice hoarse and agitated: "That batch of parts... the kickback... I just wanted to improve my life a little, who knew that batch of goods had quality issues. If something goes wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable. I begged him to be lenient, I was even willing to give back all the money and compensate him, but he refused! He said it was a matter of principle, that he would not only report it but also ruin my reputation and make it impossible for me to ever stand in the industry again!"

"He speaks so righteously, but he himself has done plenty of things like passing off inferior goods as superior ones in the past. Haha, I know he's trying to take this opportunity to pin it all on me."

He was breathing heavily, his face a mixture of resentment and despair: "I still have a mortgage, my child just started private elementary school, and my wife isn't in good health. I can't lose everything! I can't! So, so when I found out he was coming here, I..."

Naoto Takahashi explained his 'unavoidable circumstances'.

Kenichi Matsumoto let out a long sigh of relief, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. He glanced with lingering fear at the treacherous object that had somehow been placed in his pocket.

If only I had kept my mouth shut and my curiosity in check, instead of prying into other people's secrets and offending them unnecessarily, I would have almost been framed.

He looked at the cane lying in the corner, his brows furrowed and his face full of confusion. Could it be that Matsuo's death really had nothing to do with his strange behavior before?

This scene was captured by Conan.

He immediately seized the opportunity, ran over, tugged at Matsumoto Kenichi's sleeve, and looked up at him with the curious tone of a child, asking, "Uncle Matsumoto, you've been staring at that cane for a while now, that's so strange! Is there anything special about that cane?"

Kenichi Matsumoto looked down and saw it was the little boy who had spoken up for him earlier. He hesitated for a moment, then decided not to hide it. He crouched down and lowered his voice to Conan, saying, "Little boy, thank you for speaking up for me earlier. Actually, I was thinking about something else."

"About an hour ago, I saw Matsuo go to the end of the corridor alone. I felt he was acting suspiciously, so I couldn't help but take a second look."

He pointed to a direction on the side of the main exhibition hall, "and then I saw him meet up with a man in a gray trench coat. They moved very quickly, as if they were just passing by, but I could see clearly that they had swapped their canes. Exactly the same canes!"

He scratched his head, finding it somewhat unbelievable himself: "I thought I was seeing things, but Matsuo has been acting very mysteriously lately. Strange, why are they changing their canes?"

Swap canes? The exact same one!

The young detective frowned deeply, fragments of information swirling in his mind, yet he couldn't piece them together into a complete picture for the time being.

Just as Conan was lost in thought, trying to sort things out, a gentle voice sounded behind him: "Conan, what are you doing here?"

Conan turned around and saw that Akashi Teru had returned at some point and was standing not far behind him, holding several bottles of water. His expression was normal, with his usual gentle smile on his lips, as if he had really only left for a short while to buy something.

"Here you go, the water you wanted." Morofushi Kagemitsu handed the water to Conan.

"What do you mean, 'I want water'?" Conan asked, his face darkening as he took the water.

"Thank you, Akashi-nii-san." The cunning adult.

After handing the water to Conan, Morofushi Hiromitsu naturally distributed the remaining water to Ran Mouri and the others, including Nekono Ikuya and Amuro Tooru: "Sorry, the vending machine was a bit far away."

"Thank you." Nekono Ikuya took the water, her emerald eyes seemingly unintentionally sweeping over Morofushi Kagemitsu, especially his sleeves.

Hmm, it feels like Jingguang just got into a fight?

And you were happy after playing?

Nekono Ikuya blinked in confusion.

It wasn't an illusion. Although Morofushi Kagemitsu appeared normal and gentle at the moment, based on Nekono Ikuya's understanding of him, she could still detect some subtle abnormalities.

That's right, Jingguang went to fight!

He was about to press for details with his eyes when he caught a glimpse of another figure quietly returning to the vicinity of the rest area.

Subaru Okiya.

As if sensing Nekono Ikuya's gaze, Okiya Subaru turned his head and smiled at him, looking quite pleased with himself.

Nekono Ikuya noticed that he also had signs of fighting on his body.

Nekono Ikuya: "?"

Rei Furuya silently took a step forward, seemingly unintentionally blocking Subaru Okiya's gaze.

He smiled kindly at Subaru Okiya.

Naoto Takahashi was handcuffed and taken away, along with relevant personnel and evidence. Just as Date Wataru was about to pack up and leave, he was left bewildered.

Just as Akashi Teru and Okiya Subaru had fought, before they could even figure out what was going on, they saw Okiya Subaru suddenly smile at Okiya-san. Amuro Tooru instantly looked back at Conan: "?"

It seems like I missed a great show.

...

The hustle and bustle outside the gallery gradually subsided, and the cool evening breeze swept away the last trace of warmth left by the daytime sunlight, bringing this eventful art journey to a hasty end.

The red and blue police lights had long since disappeared at the end of the street, the crowd dispersed, and Nekono Ikuya and Amuro Tooru bid farewell to everyone and left the art exhibition.

Outside the art exhibition, Amuro Tooru gentlemanly opened the car door for Nekono Ikumi, his movements fluid and composed, as if the case and undercurrents he had just experienced in the lounge were merely insignificant interludes.

Nekono Yuuya nodded slightly, lifted the hem of her light, misty blue chiffon skirt, and gracefully sat down in the passenger seat. The soft fabric spread out on the seat like flowing clouds, creating a hazy blue hue.

The car door closed smoothly behind him, shutting out the outside noise. Amuro Tooru walked around to the driver's seat and started the engine. The white Mazda RX-7 smoothly glided into the traffic.

Through the half-lowered car window, Nekono Ikumi's emerald green eyes casually glanced towards the gallery entrance. The crowd was dispersing, and Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki were discussing dinner locations with a somewhat reluctant Sera Masumi. Subaru Okiya was nowhere to be seen, having probably already quietly left.

Then, his gaze caught a familiar little figure—Conan Edogawa.

The child seemed to be in a hurry, walking briskly without looking where he was going, so he failed to notice the young man who was also walking quickly out from the side.

"Bang!"

The small figure collided solidly with the other person's waist and abdomen.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Conan staggered for a moment, then quickly regained his balance, bowed his head, and apologized loudly in a particularly clear voice.

The man seemed eager to leave, only giving a vague reply. He didn't even look down at the child who had bumped into him before walking quickly away and soon blending into the crowd on the street.

Nekono Ikuya's eyebrows twitched with interest.

Intentional?

Based on his understanding of the young detective, the probability of such an accident happening was extremely low.

Conan was clearly focused on this person; could it be that another case has occurred?

Due to the angle, Nekono Ikuya couldn't clearly see the young man's face or the cane in his hand that was the same as the evidence taken away by the police.

"What happened to Jing today? I think he and Okiya seemed to have fought?" Furuya Rei's voice came from the driver's seat, his tone tinged with curiosity.

Nekono Ikumi turned her gaze away from the car window, chuckled softly, and said with a hint of mischievous anticipation, "They did fight, and they seemed to be having a lot of fun. He said a word to me..."

He paused deliberately, his emerald green cat eyes gleaming with a cunning light as he looked at Rei Furuya: "Akai."

Rei Furuya tightened his grip on the steering wheel for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in his purplish-gray eyes, then as if he had figured something out, all the details and doubts instantly connected.

“Subaru Okiya is Shuichi Akai,” Rei Furuya realized suddenly. “He’s not dead.”

Rei Furuya was somewhat surprised. The probing of Subaru Okiya was mainly done by Ikuya Nekono and Kagemitsu Morofushi. Ikuya Nekono wasn't familiar with Rei, so he only found out now.

No, he didn't have much of a problem with Shuichi Akai. The reason he was targeted by the organization before was because Rei Furuya thought that Rai was a real member of the organization.

Later, I learned that Rye was an FBI undercover agent, and that he had fled back to the United States. Just recently, when I learned of the FBI's illegal entry, before I could feel any more animosity towards Hideki Akai, I received news of his death.

After all, respect for the dead is paramount, and he died fighting against the organization, so Rei Furuya even felt a little sorry for him.

Oh, of course he knew that Kir was a CIA agent, but precisely because she was a CIA agent, given the irreconcilable relationship between the CIA and the FBI, Furuya Rei thought that Akai Shuichi had been happily sacrificed by Kir.

“Hmm.” Nekono Ikuya nodded, her fingertips lightly tracing the edge of the armrest. “Kagemitsu must have confirmed something, which made him feel the need to test it directly. So… he used the most direct method.”

“This kind of behavior is very rare for Kagemitsu,” Nekono Ikuya remarked.

“Kei really is…” Furuya Rei shook his head with a helpless smile. “Back in the organization, he and Rai often sparred, and they always had a good relationship. After learning Rai’s true identity, Kei’s feelings toward him were actually quite complicated.”

In short, the favorability rating has increased.

Because Morofushi Hiromitsu remembered that his identity had been exposed, and Rai hesitated to speak, it seemed that Akai Shuichi wanted to help him escape.

Rei Furuya said, "So I'm not surprised that Kei greeted me like an old colleague. For the two of them, nothing confirms each other's identities more than a fight. Kei seems quite happy today." This was after learning that Akai was not dead.

When both sides had their own suspicions, that fight was probably more of a tacit exchange and confirmation... former sniper partners.

Nekono Ikuya imagined the scene and couldn't help but laugh out loud, her blue eyes curving into crescents: "It really is simple, brutal, and effective."

"And you? How do you feel now that you know Subaru Okiya is Shuichi Akai?" Ikuya Nekono tilted her head and looked at Rei Furuya.