Chapter 484
The novelist was kicked against the wall by Sera Masumi, his face turning red from the impact. He groaned on the ground for more than ten seconds before he could barely stand up, leaning against the wall.
"You...you..."
He wanted to make some excuse for himself, just like every murderer who has been exposed.
The problem is, at least other people are investigated eventually, but he was caught red-handed!
How can you explain this?!
He said he needed to use the restroom, but unexpectedly there was someone inside. In his nervousness, he touched a rope to protect himself, but his foot slipped and he ended up tying it around his assistant's neck.
Even someone who writes novels knows that such an outrageous plot is impossible!
After all, didn't these people just pass by his room not long ago?! Why are they suddenly coming back to disrupt his plans?!
Even if I needed an autograph, couldn't I have just asked for it earlier?!
Are you sick?! Are you out of your mind?!
The novelist suffered a major mental breakdown.
Although he didn't think his plan was perfect, he never expected it to be interrupted by such an accident, and he was completely devastated.
Ran Mouri had already mastered the art of making emergency calls.
The novelist stammered for a while, then met the shocked looks of the editors who had rushed over after hearing the commotion, and dejectedly gave up trying to explain.
He sighed deeply and leaned against the wall: "Fine, call the police and have me arrested."
One editor was completely baffled: "Teacher! Why?!"
Another editor seemed quite experienced with this: "Could it be that the teacher's new work after his return involved a ghostwriter who was recently threatened, so he's planning to kill her to cover it up?"
Bo Yezaki exclaimed, "Your line of thinking is just too smooth."
“There’s nothing I can do. Two of the teachers I was in charge of got in this way.” The editor closed his eyes in anguish. “Am I cursed? This is the third one already…”
At this moment, the assistant, who had finally recovered from the near-strangulation, pulled the yukata that Suzuki Sonoko had found closer and explained in a hoarse voice.
"No... I volunteered to give the idea to the teacher to write."
"……What?"
The first to question it was surprisingly the novelist. His expression was full of confusion and bewilderment: "The plot of this book is indeed written by you, but the plot idea comes from a letter from a reader named Jun Ota a long time ago. You're actually saying the plot idea is yours?"
Sera Masumi sighed: "So you didn't know? I thought it was obvious."
"What? What should I know?!"
The novelist's eyes darted uneasily across the faces of the others, wondering why these outsiders seemed to know more than he did.
Even the way that elementary school student looked at him made him seem like an idiot who didn't understand common sense!
As a detective, Sera Masumi couldn't resist the urge to explain, so she revealed the mystery without hesitation: "Your assistant is named Minazuki Chiaki, which should be Ota Jun, because the way this pseudonym is used is exactly the same as the encryption method used in the text for 'telephone, the sea and me'."
Ran Mouri looked bewildered: "How are they the same?"
Sera Masumi remembered that the code seemed to have been revealed by Usaku Saiki first, so she glanced at Usaku Saiki before giving a formal explanation.
Usaku Saiki never liked to explain, so he stood with his arms crossed by the door, giving Sera Masumi a look that said, "You continue."
"The English abbreviation for telephone is 'tel,' the ocean is 'sea,' and I am 'I.' Reading it backwards, it sounds like the Japanese 'I love you.'"
I sea tel=爱している（ai si te ru）
Conan Edogawa chimed in, "Similarly, Minazuki is June, which is JUNE in English, and Chiaki's Autumn is Autumn, which, when reversed, sounds like Otajun..."
Sera Masumi complained, "Because the female lead in the novel is named Ota Jun, I thought it was some kind of fun between you two. I didn't expect you didn't even know that?"
The novelist was completely stunned: "No... I didn't know! We're not in that kind of relationship! No matter how I confessed to her, she rejected me, but she helped me so wholeheartedly, saying that we'd find out when the story was finished, and she absolutely refused to tell me what that code meant... I thought she was trying to blackmail me for greater benefits. Recently, the newspaper published a photo of us together, and I thought she did it... The more I think about it, the more scared I get, so that's why..."
"I think you're out of your mind."
Bo Yezaki finally spoke up to summarize: "She simply respects and admires you because you were the author she admired when she was a child. You also said that the story was from many years ago. To be able to collaborate with her idol to write about her childhood fantasies after she grew up should have been a very happy thing for her. But your conspiracy theory almost led to a murder case..."
Assistant Minazuki Chiaki silently shed tears: "...Because once the ending's code is revealed, it's completely encrypted with my pseudonym, and the teacher will know I'm that person. I wanted to keep it a surprise, which is why I kept the ending a secret... I never expected the teacher to actually..."
From her eyes, everyone could see the despair and grief of her idol's shattered.
Most people would have already gone up to comfort her by now.
Ran Mouri is also planning to do the same.
As a result, Usoppō Saiki made an "uh" sound and began to speak.
"You're only now feeling disappointed in him? He made you write for him, a completely unethical act, and you're not disappointed? He confessed his feelings to you, a morally questionable act, and you're not disappointed? He was the one who fell for you, but you ended up being branded as a homewrecker and getting all vilified, and you're still not disappointed... He has no professional skills, no character, and no sense of responsibility. What is there left for you to like about him? Do you have to kill you before you're disappointed? I know you have a childhood bias towards your idols, but can't you have higher standards? At least don't tolerate scumbags!"
The originally somber atmosphere gradually stiffened as Usaku Saiki spoke.
Bo Yezaki exclaimed in anguish: "Look at him! He's just a greasy middle-aged man now! He's even lost so much hair that he's shaved his head... Speaking of which, when a bald man washes his hair, does he use shampoo or shower gel?"
Humor is the best tool for deconstructing authority and enhancing aesthetic filters.
Upon hearing this final, thought-provoking question, Chiaki Minazuki's expression gradually became strange. She even glanced at the bottles and jars in the bathroom: "Teacher, it should be shower gel, right? The shampoo looks unopened..."
Bo Yezaki frowned: "You still call him 'teacher'? You're not still thinking of forgiving him, are you? Your filter is a bit too thick!"
Mizuki Chiaki gave a bitter smile: "No, I won't forgive... After what you said, I don't even know why I was so tolerant before..."
Usakabe Saiki's expression softened: "It's okay. You just felt that being able to collaborate with your childhood idol to improve your childhood work was like a gift from fate, so you brainwashed yourself. Now that you see through it, it's good. When the police come, you can handle it yourselves. We won't stay here."
Minazuki Chiaki nodded obediently, seemingly having emerged from the shadow of near death. It was clear that her earlier comical question had successfully stabilized her mindset: "Of course, I've already troubled everyone this time. Please leave your contact information; I want to thank you all after everything is over..."
After Ran Mouri and she exchanged email addresses, they finally left the cramped bathroom.
Sera Masumi glanced at the dining table in the living room and suddenly asked the still bewildered editors, "It seems he called you here to prove your alibi, so you just came to eat?"
One editor shook his head: "No, the teacher said we should have a competition to see who can eat the most, and whoever does that will submit their manuscript first."
Sonoko Suzuki exclaimed in surprise, "Usui-san actually guessed it right!"
Bo Yezaki said modestly, "It's nothing, just a very basic way to torment people, very easy to come up with."
Shiliang Zhenjun: "…………"
Okay, okay, I know you know a lot of sophisticated ways to torture people... Are you really okay talking about this in front of so many ordinary people?!
If others can't understand it, surely Conan can too...
Thinking this, Sera Masumi, who was hoping that Conan Edogawa would see through Usui Saiki's true colors, looked at Conan Edogawa, only to find that Conan Edogawa was squinting and making sarcastic remarks.
"I think chatting with Brother Bo Ye is a very sophisticated way to torture people."
Shiliang Zhenjun: "…………"
This is hopeless! Why does Conan's thinking become so bizarre whenever he's involved with Usui Saiki?!
The editor asked curiously, "Speaking of which, I also have a question for you... Why did you suddenly turn back? Did you figure out that the teacher was going to kill someone? How did you figure that out?"
Conan Edogawa then naturally explained for Usui Saiki: "Because Usui-nii discovered that the novel was ghostwritten, he suspected that inviting you to dinner was to create an alibi. In that case, it would be easy to guess that the teacher might want to kill someone, right?"
Sonoko Suzuki's lips twitched: "Wait, this transition word... 'because' it was discovered that someone had written it by proxy, 'therefore' it was suspected that an alibi was being fabricated..."
Bo Yezaki pointed his chin at the editor who had just been self-doubting himself as a jinx: "Ask them how many novelists in their literary world have gotten into trouble because of ghostwriting."
The editor paused for a moment: "There are many, so when I heard that transition word, I didn't feel anything was wrong..."
Sonoko Suzuki: "...Okay! Fine, I guess I'm the one who's acting weird! Your thinking is really bizarre!"
Sera Masumi felt like she was being generalized.
First of all, this line of thinking is perfectly normal. Secondly, in fact, she hadn't thought of this direction before Bo Ye Saiki forced her way into the bathroom; it was just that she could deduce it by working backward...
Sera Masumi felt that it must be because Usui Saiki, a member of the organization, had a dark mind and assumed the worst of people, which was why he was able to realize immediately that the novelist was going to kill someone! It was normal for a law-abiding citizen like her to be a step behind!
However, as my mother said, it's now confirmed that Potts is very good at judging people.
Just by passing by, he could tell the other party was planning to kill someone... Come to think of it, recalling Usaku Saiki's previous reaction, wasn't it because Ran didn't say she wanted to see the ending that Usaku Saiki actually didn't intend to meddle?
If you're even a step too late, you'll die!
On the other hand, considering that this whole ordeal was just to make Ran want to see the ending, it's surprising that Usaku Saiki is actually quite soft-hearted...?
With a belly full of worries, Sera Masumi finally led everyone to the door of her room once again.
This time, nothing unexpected happened, and everyone went into her room.
Mary Akai, who was peeking through a door, felt her heart sink the moment she saw the silver-haired youth enter, and unconsciously held her breath.
Wait a minute?! Isn't this the person who gave her clothes after she shrunk and climbed ashore?!
He's Potts?!
At that moment, she wondered if the world she was in was a horror movie.
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