Chapter 135 The Class Monitor is Shocked
Three seconds later, Nekono Ikuya retrieved a storage chip from the hollow handle of his staff and silently returned to the group.
He glanced thoughtfully at Conan.
I have a feeling this chip wasn't meant for him; was it snatched away?
Just then, Amuro Tooru appeared at the door of the lounge.
"What happened?" He strode over, his purplish-grey eyes quickly scanning the scene, pausing when they passed over Nekono Ikuya, a perfectly measured look of surprise and concern on his face. "I just finished a call, and then I heard a lot of noise over here..."
He naturally stood next to Nekono Sakura, using his body to shield her from some of the disturbances, his arm slightly raised in a protective gesture.
Sakura shook her head slightly, her voice softer than usual: "Someone died, it seems to be from poisoning."
What happened is still unknown.
His gaze seemed to casually sweep over the cane in the corner, then slyly looked at Amuro Tooru.
Nekono Ikuya hinted: He got the item.
Amuro Tooru's name is a pun on "Well done."
But how do people die?
Amuro Tooru frowned, his gaze falling on the coffee cup on the ground and the deceased's pink face: "Cyanide?" How come it's cyanide again?
“Probably.” Nekono Ikuya nodded. Cyanide is really rampant; it’s a must-have for everyone in Beika Town.
The young detective is examining the scene closely, not missing a single detail.
He also noticed the cane in the corner, found it a bit strange, and ran over to take a closer look. It had a brass handle, dark wood, a very common style, and no obvious bloodstains or other marks on it.
He tried to imagine how the deceased might have knocked it over when it fell, and how it rolled away from the deceased; the position seemed reasonable.
Having found nothing unusual, Conan's attention was drawn to something else.
There is a pot of coffee on the table and four coffee cups, all of which have been used, yet only one person was poisoned. Could the poison have been put in a specific cup?
Just then, footsteps and voices came from outside the lounge, and two men walked in.
One was dressed in a dark blue suit and gold-rimmed glasses, looking refined and scholarly; the other was slightly overweight, wearing a casual jacket and carrying a bag.
"Riku? Asami? We're back from buying souvenirs, look at this..." The slightly chubby man stopped mid-sentence when he suddenly saw Matsuo Riku slumped on the sofa and the crowd around them. His voice trailed off, and his face turned deathly pale. "W-what happened?!"
The man in the dark blue suit was also stunned, then quickly stepped forward, seemingly wanting to check on his companion's condition, but was stopped by Sera Masumi:
"Please do not approach. Protect the crime scene. We have already called the police."
"I'm his friend! Let me see him!" The other person seemed quite excited. Everyone's attention was drawn to him.
Only Conan noticed that after the initial shock, the slightly overweight man's gaze didn't linger on his dead companion, but instead eagerly scanned the scene, finally settling on—
On the dark wooden cane lying alone in the corner.
His eyes instantly became even more panicked, and he even subconsciously took half a step forward, but then forcibly restrained himself. However, those subtle body language did not escape Conan's eyes.
That's strange. Why are you so concerned about the walking stick?
Soon, the sound of sirens grew louder as police officers rushed in and brought the scene under control.
It was the same familiar group of officers from the First Investigation Division. Leading the way was Inspector Megure, followed closely by Takagi and Sato. Of course, they were also accompanied by a tall, cheerful officer whom Conan found very reliable—Kuwatari Date!
Oh, it's the class monitor.
Nekono Ikuya and Furuya Rei's hearts skipped a beat at the same time, and their eyes met for a fleeting moment.
Nekono Ikuya glanced subconsciously at her elegant, flowing misty blue chiffon dress, as did Furuya Rei.
Nekono Ikumi & Furuya Rei: "..."
There's a subtle sense of shame about being caught in a strange act by someone you know.
Officer Ida, with a serious expression, directed the investigation of the scene, his gaze habitually sweeping over the people present.
Then, as he passed by Amuro Tooru, with his blond hair, dark skin, gentlemanly good looks, and slightly turned to protect his female companion, and Nekono Sakuratori, with her cascading black hair, bright blue eyes, and slightly furrowed brows, he paused for a very brief moment.
His lips twitched almost imperceptibly as he recognized the gender-swapped version of Yumi, whose appearance hadn't changed much.
The class president's shock: No way? Not again?! And this time it's crossdressing?! Furuya, you're really something else!
Ida Wataru was internally ranting, but his years of experience as a detective allowed him to quickly control his expression. However, the look he gave Amuro Tooru and Nekono Ikuya couldn't help but carry a mixed meaning of "You two really know how to have fun."
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the deceased, Matsuo Rihisa, came to the exhibition with his female companion, Yamada Asami, and two friends, Matsumoto Kenichi and Takahashi Naoto.
The slightly overweight man in the casual jacket is Kenichi Matsumoto. The man with the refined and scholarly appearance, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, is Naoto Takahashi.
After sitting in the lounge for a while, Kenichi Matsumoto and Naoto Takahashi went to the souvenir shop to buy souvenirs, leaving Rihisa Matsuo and Asami Yamada to continue resting in the lounge.
Yamada Asami went to the restroom at one point, and Matsumoto Kenichi and Takahashi Naoto weren't together the whole time either.
Under police questioning, a chain of suspicion quickly formed and became tense.
Asami Yamada sobbed, her finger trembling as she pointed at Kenichi Matsumoto: "It must be Mr. Matsumoto! Before... before, Matsuo accidentally discovered that Mr. Matsumoto seemed to be asking about things he shouldn't be asking about, and he even secretly went through Matsuo's briefcase!"
"Matsuo was very angry and warned him! Is Mr. Matsumoto afraid that Matsuo will find out more?!"
Kenichi Matsumoto, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, retorted excitedly, "Nonsense! I was just... just curious about what he's been up to all this time! What's wrong with looking at his briefcase? We're friends!"
"But you, Ms. Asami! Has Matsuo finally had enough of your paranoia and excessive control? He's argued with you several times recently, hasn't he? Just now, it was just you and Matsuo together, so you had plenty of time to commit the crime!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Yamada Asami exclaimed in shock and anger. "I have no reason to kill Rihisa! We're getting married soon!"
“Who knows? Maybe it’s love turning into hate,” Matsumoto Kenichi persisted.
Naoto Takahashi adjusted his glasses, his tone calm yet subtly sharp: "Please calm down, both of you. Arguing now will not help. However..."
He changed the subject, his gaze thoughtfully fixed on Kenichi Matsumoto. "I recall that at the souvenir shop, Mr. Matsumoto, you seemed to have left for a while to answer a phone call, and when you came back, you seemed a little flustered."
These words were full of implications, and Matsumoto Ken's face turned bright red: "Takahashi! What do you mean! I just went to answer a work call!"
"But you, don't pretend nothing's wrong! You signed the purchase order for that batch of problematic imported parts that Matsuo's been investigating recently, right? I heard the supplier gave you a lot of kickbacks. Has Matsuo caught you red-handed?"
The three exchanged heated words, revealing each other's shortcomings, and their motives all seemed quite valid.
Inspector Megure was driven crazy by the noise.
Naoto Takahashi seemed to have tired of arguing. Suddenly, he turned to Inspector Megure and said sincerely, "Officer, I think the culprit is among us! In order to prove our innocence and to find the real culprit as soon as possible, I suggest we conduct an immediate body search, starting with the few of us who are most likely to be the killer!"
As he spoke, he glanced meaningfully at Kenichi Matsumoto and Asami Yamada.
Matsumoto Kenichi and Yamada Asami's expressions changed: "Mr. Takahashi, what do you mean by this?"
"What I mean is, if someone has a guilty conscience, they won't dare to search them! Search me first." Naoto Takahashi looked like he had nothing to hide.
But Conan noticed that when he asked to be searched, his eyes quickly swept over Kenichi Matsumoto.
Nekono Ikuya felt that he had a big problem.
"Start with you?" After Naoto Takahashi said this, Kenichi Matsumoto and Asami Yamada had no objections.
Matsumoto Ken glanced at his cane subconsciously, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him.
He had previously inadvertently witnessed Matsuo Rihisa quickly exchanging canes with a stranger, which he found strange at the time.
Considering this suspicious point and Matsuo Rihisa's previous mysterious behavior, he began to suspect that the murderer might not be among the three of them.
He suddenly spoke up: "Why are you only searching us? The murderer could be someone else besides us! There were other people here just now!"
His gaze swept over Amuro Tooru, Sera Masumi, and even Conan—he focused on the boys.
Nekono Ikya & Sera Masumi: "?"
Conan, still a child: "??"
He felt everyone was suspicious: "If we're going to search, let's all search together! Nobody's getting away!"
Nekono Ikuya felt that he also had a significant problem.
"Search everyone?" Inspector Megure hesitated; this involved too many people and required caution.
Everyone felt that Matsumoto Kenichi's behavior of randomly accusing innocent people was quite excessive, and they all cast unfriendly and suspicious glances at him.
Could it be that someone was right?
Nekono Ikuya remarked, "This person is really good at dealing with people."
Amuro Tooru's pupils contracted slightly. A body search? He was carrying a gun!
As a bourbon, he habitually carried a weapon just in case, especially today when he had a mission. With the police present, if he were found in possession of a weapon, although he could explain it away by claiming to be a detective and having a gun license, it still wouldn't be enough…
Although the possibility of actually searching everyone was slim, Amuro Tooru, who was used to preparing for the worst, glanced at the class president.
Almost simultaneously, he felt Nekono Ikuya gently touch his lower back beside him.
In an instant, he noticed that the sensation of the pistol at his lower back had disappeared.
Rei Furuya tilted his head slightly and met those emerald green cat eyes, while Ikuya Nekono smiled at him.
He had been silently observing Furuya Rei, and Date Wataru, who had just been looked at by his gaze: ...
Hello? Do you think I only did this to get your attention for your public displays of affection?
Damn it!
Just as Natalie was visiting her family, Ida Kou sadly looked away, feeling only emptiness, loneliness, and coldness.
It was impossible to search everyone, so the officers searched the three suspects first.
The body search was quick, and the police found what they were looking for on the three main suspects: Kenichi Matsumoto had a small transparent plastic bag containing white powder residue in his jacket pocket, which turned out to be cyanide!
"No! This isn't mine! It's a frame-up! It's absolutely a frame-up!" Matsumoto Kenichi was struck dumb, finally realizing what had happened.
He suddenly pointed at Naoto Takahashi: "It was you! It must have been you! You were with me just now! You must have put that thing in my pocket!"
Naoto Takahashi looked shocked and disappointed: "Mr. Matsumoto, the evidence is conclusive, how could you still turn around and accuse me? I know you're under a lot of pressure, but to do something like this... sigh."
Seeing that Matsumoto Ken was unable to defend himself and was about to lose control of his emotions, Conan's brows furrowed even more tightly.
No, if he were the real culprit and the poison was in his pocket, he should have been more resistant to the suggestion of a body search, not so compliant.
Sera Masumi shared the same doubts, and the two exchanged a glance.
Amuro Tooru tilted his head to observe Sera Masumi and Edogawa Conan's actions.
Conan noticed a small, inconspicuous damp spot on Takahashi Naoto's sleeve when he raised his hand.
Matsuo Rihisa did not refill his coffee, and the others also had alibis to varying degrees.
The four cups were exactly the same. How could the murderer be sure that Matsuo Rihisa was the one who drank the poisoned coffee?
Conan had a flash of inspiration: ice cubes! Of the four, only Matsuo Rihisa's coffee had ice cubes!
He whispered a few words to Sera Masumi, whose eyes lit up and she immediately raised her hand: "Inspector Megure! Please take a close look at Mr. Takahashi's thermos..."
Nekono Ikuya no longer paid attention to the case; he now had only one question: where did Morofushi Kagemitsu go?
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