How to Survive With a Death-Flag Character Setting in Detective Conan - Chapter 16

The words of “Suzuki Sonoko” stunned everyone, and they immediately began recalling the previous conversation.

Shiratori Ninzaburo reacted quickly, his sharp gaze locking onto one person as he declared, “The culprit is you! Arisumi Hiyomi-san!”

Swish— Everyone’s eyes turned to Arisumi Hiyomi.

Her expression shifted slightly, then she snapped harshly, “What nonsense are you spouting! How could I be the culprit?! Be careful, or I’ll sue you for slander!”

Her righteous tone did indeed intimidate quite a few people, and some even spoke up in her defense, “Arisumi and Hoshimoto are best friends. There’s no way she would harm her!”

Shiratori Ninzaburo remained unmoved, speaking calmly, “Just now, the police never revealed exactly why Hoshimoto-san fell unconscious.”

Arisumi Hiyomi retorted, “Didn’t you say it was a drug?”

“Suzuki Sonoko” smiled faintly, “Yes, we only said it was a drug.”

At those words, Arisumi Hiyomi finally realized, and her expression became flustered.

Shiratori Ninzaburo’s voice turned grave, “Then, Arisumi-san, how did you know that Hoshimoto Kana collapsed because she had taken ‘obedient water’?”

Those who had defended her all fell silent, staring at her in disbelief.

“I-I just heard about such things before, so I spoke without thinking. Aren’t all drugs more or less the same?” Although Arisumi Hiyomi felt guilty, her voice only grew louder. “Do you have evidence? You can’t decide I’m the culprit just based on that one sentence!”

“Suzuki Sonoko”: “Evidence? Of course, we have it.”

Edogawa Conan crawled out from under the table. He went around to Nagao Shu’s side, looked up and asked, “Hey, onii-san, where did you guys change into your swimsuits?”

Nagao Shu froze, pointed in a direction and said, “There are changing rooms over there.”

“Your bag was left there, too, right?” Edogawa Conan asked.

Nagao Shu nodded, “There are lockers inside, with electronic locks.”

“There are cameras in the corridor in front of the changing rooms,” Shiratori Ninzaburo immediately said. “Arisumi Hiyomi put the drug into your bag. It must have been recorded!”

Arisumi Hiyomi clasped her hands together and lifted her chin. “Then go check!”

“You probably won’t find anything.” Edogawa Conan turned and, using Sonoko’s voice, said, “The camera angle is a bit off. You cannot tell which changing room a person entered. If you check, you will probably only see Arisumi-san entering and leaving the changing room multiple times. That does not count as evidence.”

A smile slowly curled on Arisumi Hiyomi’s mouth.

But the next second, “Suzuki Sonoko” said, “However, the lockers have electronic locks. To open them, you must remove the wristband from Nagao-san’s hand.”

Nagao Shu raised his hand and said, “I shared a locker with someone. The wristband is with him.”

That person’s face went pale as he spoke, “I-I dropped the wristband once while swimming. At first I didn’t notice, until someone else stepped on it, fished it up, and gave it back to me…”

Sweat began to bead on Arisumi Hiyomi’s forehead.

“Suzuki Sonoko” continued, “Arisumi-san used that time to put the drug into Nagao-san’s bag. The electronic wristband was soaked. The fingerprints on it may have been washed away, but…” Edogawa Conan paused, “These lockers are not spring-open. You have to pull the latch to open them. If the forensic officers take samples and compare them, they will know whether Arisumi-san’s fingerprints are on them.”

Arisumi Hiyomi was already panicking. She was about to argue back when she heard Kaneda Hajime say, “There’s no need to go to all that trouble.” He waved his phone. “I already had some classmates check the chemistry laboratory borrowing records. Your name is on them. So tell me, Arisumi kouhai, why would someone from the Economics and Management Department need to borrow a chemistry laboratory?

“Furthermore, the consumables in the laboratory are checked regularly by the administrator, even if you don’t report them. And as it happens, the room you borrowed hasn’t been used by anyone else recently. Once we see what items are missing after you used them, it won’t be hard to figure out what kind of experiment you conducted.”

“And another thing, you probably don’t know this, but some substances can’t simply be washed away with water.”

Kaneda Hajime fixed his gaze on her with a faint smile. “Do you still have anything you want to argue?”

Under Kaneda Hajime’s stare, Arisumi Hiyomi’s head dropped lower and lower. Her hands clutched tightly at her pants, and her whole body trembled slightly.

Shiratori Ninzaburo’s voice asked solemnly, “Does this mean you’re confessing?”

But then Arisumi Hiyomi slowly shook her head. She slipped her hand into her pocket, suddenly pulling out a switchblade, and lunged straight at Higashino Hiromu.

Everyone: !!!

Higashino Hiromu: !!!

Higashino Hiromu reacted with astonishing speed. He fell back onto the ground, but his hands clamped tightly on the blade, stopping it from moving another inch.

【 100% Barehanded Blade Catch 】!

Hatori Yuiichi immediately seized the switchblade, twisting Arisumi Hiyomi’s arm behind her back in a single motion. She cried out in pain, and Shiratori Ninzaburo quickly snapped handcuffs onto her wrists.

Higashino Hiromu sat on the ground, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat.

Just now, the tip of the blade had stopped barely a centimeter from his eye! He had almost lost his sight!

Hatori Yuiichi grabbed his arm and helped him up, asking worriedly, “Are you alright? Did you get hurt?”

Higashino Hiromu shook his head. “No. Just… my legs feel weak.” Gripping Hatori Yuiichi’s arm, he leaned half his weight against him. “Let me lean on you for a bit.”

Hatori Yuiichi instantly straightened his posture, making himself as solid as a wall.

Arisumi Hiyomi continued to struggle violently. Shiratori Ninzaburo could not restrain her alone, so he called several police officers over to pin her down.

Pushed to the floor, Arisumi Hiyomi screamed furiously in Higashino Hiromu’s direction, “It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t refused to go outdoors, I wouldn’t have carried out this plan! If you hadn’t saved her, my plan would have succeeded! I wouldn’t have been caught!”

Higashino Hiromu pointed at himself in disbelief. “You commit murder and still blame me for not cooperating?”

Kaneda Hajime crouched down in front of Arisumi Hiyomi, lifting her chin and staring into her eyes. His voice was heavy. “Even without Higashino Hiromu, Hoshimoto Kana would not have died. As soon as she sank, I would have discovered it. Even if I were a little late, she wouldn’t have drowned. And you underestimated the investigation. Once the police began to look into it, they would inevitably uncover the conflict between you and Hoshimoto, focus their attention on you, and then discover your laboratory borrowing records. So you see, no matter what, you were destined to be caught.”

“The moment you raised your hand against her, your future was already over.”

Arisumi Hiyomi’s lips trembled as she spat her words in hatred. “Why? She was the one who deserved to die! She had everything, so why did she have to steal my guaranteed admission to graduate school?! She didn’t even want it, and she gave it away to that nightclub guy! Wasn’t I her friend? Why take away my chance?!”

Kaneda Hajime raised an eyebrow. “You’re talking about the Economics and Management Department’s quota?” He released her chin and stood up. “No one stole your guaranteed admission. You simply didn’t qualify. Hoshimoto never applied, and because of her family situation, she wasn’t going to continue her studies anyway. Nagao earned his spot with his own strength. Everything you imagined was just your own delusion. You’re not nearly as exceptional as you think you are.”

Hearing those words, Arisumi Hiyomi felt as though her head had been struck hard, leaving it completely blank. She murmured to herself, “I’m not qualified? I didn’t meet the standard?”

Before the police escorted her away, Nagao Shu spoke up. “Actually, I applied to be an exchange student abroad. The money I borrowed from Hoshimoto was to cover my tuition fees overseas. That means the guaranteed admission slot would have been left vacant. By order of ranking, that spot should have gone to you.”

Arisumi Hiyomi’s steps faltered. She looked utterly broken as she muttered, “Then what was all of this for…”

The case was resolved smoothly, but it left behind only sighs of regret.

Mouri Ran leaned against Suzuki Sonoko in dejection and whispered, “What kind of friendship is this supposed to be?”

Beside them, Higashino Hiromu’s legs had finally steadied. Straightening his back, he stretched and said, “This isn’t friendship at all. Killing someone over uncertain information, what kind of friend would do that?”

Just then, Suzuki Sonoko awoke from her forced slumber. Looking around in confusion, she asked Mouri Ran, “What happened?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a flood of compliments rained down on her.

“Sonoko-san, you were absolutely amazing just now!”

“Your impression of ‘Sleeping Kogoro’ was perfect!”

“It’s like you inherited Mouri Kogoro’s detective skills!”

“You really deserve the title of Queen of Reasoning!”

Though completely bewildered, Suzuki Sonoko accepted the praise without hesitation. Smiling proudly, she declared, “Hahaha! You’re right! No criminal can escape my sharp eyes!”

Edogawa Conan, with dead-fish eyes, thought to himself, Sure, as long as you’re happy.

It was already getting late. Although Hoshimoto had booked a room here, Higashino Hiromu and the others were preparing to head home.

Fortunately, Matsuzaki Toru had a car, and the four of them could fit comfortably.

Higashino Hiromu turned to Hatori Yuiichi and asked, “You’re sure you don’t need a ride?”

Hatori Yuiichi smiled. “No need. I live nearby. It’s just a short walk.”

Higashino Hiromu sighed. “We called you over for the gathering, but you barely got to eat anything… Aren’t you hungry? How about I treat you to some late-night snacks?”

Hatori Yuiichi quickly shook his head. “No need. I ate a little before I came. I’m not hungry.”

“Alright then. We’ll head out first.” Higashino Hiromu opened the car door, then looked back to add, “Send me a message when you get home.”

Hatori Yuiichi nodded with a smile.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Adachi Shizuku couldn’t resist mimicking him and then teased, “What, do you take him for some delicate girl? Even needs to report he’s safe?”

Higashino Hiromu replied, “As the club president, I have to look after new members. It’s not like I only tell him that.”

Adachi Shizuku turned his head, giving him a complicated look. “So you tell all the newcomers to message you when they get home?”

Higashino Hiromu nodded. “Of course!”

Adachi Shizuku gave him a thumbs-up. “Nice.”

Edogawa Conan had been staring in the direction of Higashino Hiromu the entire time. Seeing that Hatori Yuiichi didn’t leave with them, he felt even more puzzled.

So they really weren’t a couple!

But Higashino Hiromu, leaning on him earlier, had looked so natural!

Edogawa Conan still remembered Higashino Hiromu’s coming-out declaration. Hatori Yuiichi seemed to fit exactly the type he liked.

Still, just because it wasn’t now didn’t mean it couldn’t be in the future.

He was lost in thought as he walked and accidentally bumped into a woman.

“Auntie, sorry!” Edogawa Conan quickly apologized.

The woman wasn’t angry at all. Smiling, she reminded him, “Little boy, don’t walk while daydreaming. It’s too dangerous.”

Edogawa Conan nodded obediently. “Mm-hm!”

At that moment, the Suzuki family’s car pulled up. Edogawa Conan waved at the woman before hurrying over to climb into the back seat.

As the car started, he happened to glimpse Hatori Yuiichi walking back into the hotel.

Edogawa Conan thought to himself, Just how many rooms did Hoshimoto ojou-sama book to fit all these people?