Conan: The Phantom Heart Thief

Following Conan to the scene were officers from the First Investigation Division, along with the frantic Mouri father and daughter who had been searching for their missing child.

"Conan!" Ran Mouri yanked the boy to her front, examining him carefully. After confirming that he was unharmed, she let out a long breath of relief and shouted angrily, "You're running around again! I turn my back for one second and you're gone—I was scared to death!"

"Sister Ran… let go… let go…" Conan, dizzy from being shaken, struggled to break free from her grip.

"You little brat!" Mouri Kogoro thumped him hard on the head. "Why were you running around and not answering your phone?! What were you doing?!"

"Uh, Mr. Mouri..." Takagi Wataru, a bit flustered, tried to explain on Conan's behalf. "This kid actually helped us a lot. He called the police and contacted Inspector Megure. The stolen 1 billion yen in cash from the robbery case was found in the hotel, and he provided us with the key clues and room key. He's amazing!"

"Yes!" Conan nodded rapidly, seizing the opportunity to shift blame, and pointed at Takagi Wataru. "It was Shinichi-nii! Shinichi-nii called me!"

Ah, the classic scene unfolded.

Kazawa, watching from the side as the kid smoothly passed the blame onto him, shook his head slightly and cleared his throat, pulling everyone back on track. "Sorry, did you just say 1 billion yen in cash? Is this related to the previous bank robbery?"

"Yes," Takagi answered, now directing his explanation toward another detective. He quickly summarized the situation—Kenzo Hirota's murder, Akemi Hirota's disappearance, and the stolen money she had left at the hotel front desk. "…We searched the room she stayed in. It mentioned this port as a meeting place. We suspected she had accomplices or was planning to flee, so we rushed here, and halfway through we received the incident report."

"Hmm… there was indeed another person at the scene besides this woman," Goro Akechi said, nodding.

"Oh? Brother Akechi, how did you come to that conclusion?" Inspector Megure, panting from running, arrived just in time to catch the comment. His eyes lit up like he had found gold after a long overtime shift.

"Let's start here." Ignoring the officers taping off the scene, Goro Akechi stepped into the crime scene and pointed at marker No. 1. "This is where I found the sunglasses. Let's assume this woman is the Hirota Masami you're looking for. She was attacked here. The sharp weapon wound is over here," he pointed to several blood spatters on the container wall with gloved fingers, "causing her first external injury. She didn't leave right away but stood here for several seconds. Here," he pointed at faint circular blood spots on the ground, "we see static blood drops."

"Over there are more bloodstains. She probably spoke with the attacker, then suddenly turned and started to run."

Before their stunned eyes, Akechi covered his right arm with his left, mimicking Hirota Masami's possible movement, took several steps back, then abruptly turned and ran into the container aisle.

"This is where I found the gun. She had another close encounter with the attacker and was shot by a sniper, sustaining a penetrating wound. Her bleeding increased significantly, and blood splattered all over the wall here." He pointed to the blood-covered numbers on the container. "Then she was dragged forward, probably unconscious. Her shoes and clothes were found here. She was dumped into the water. The attacker's traces end here. I suspect he jumped into the water as well."

Megure blinked for a moment before exclaiming, "Incredible deduction—as if you saw it happen! Amazing, Akechi!"

Certainly, skilled detectives or forensic analysts might reach the same conclusion through trace evidence.

But Kazawa wasn't just anyone.

The reason he could recreate the scene with such precision… was because he had actually witnessed the whole thing.

Kazawa, who had orchestrated everything, calmly pressed his lips together and smiled modestly. "Just some basic blood pattern analysis and scene reconstruction. Nothing remarkable. Better to let the forensic team conduct a thorough trace examination—my testimony alone probably won't satisfy the prosecutor."

"Right, we'll need to wait until we find the culprit." Megure, who had just been dazzled by Akechi, sobered up a bit. "Kudo once said there were deeper forces behind this case—it wasn't just about money. Looks like Kudo was spot on, even without being here in person."

"So, Miss Yami really was lying..." Ran Mouri murmured, stunned. "She looked so happy when she said she found her father… I was happy for her, too..."

"She was probably happy because she reconnected with her escaping accomplice. A criminal capable of stealing a billion with a gun wouldn't hesitate to cut loose ends—and that's why a detective was needed to hunt them down." Akechi cut in coldly, ignoring Conan and Ran's disapproving looks. "Please continue searching the scene. Try to recover the sniper bullet. Japan isn't like the U.S.—guns are rare, and the bullet is critical evidence. Try to recover Hirota Masami's body, though I suspect the culprit took it with them. In addition to the one who attacked her directly with a sharp weapon, there was at least one sniper who delivered a fatal shot. That's something to pay attention to."

Conan, who had just started to warm up to Goro Akechi, frowned and clenched his fists.

He didn't like how Goro Akechi talked about Hirota Masami, as if her death were a foregone conclusion.

The tone was professional and analytical, sure—but to Conan, it felt indifferent to life and death.

Ran Mouri also felt uncomfortable.

She could still see Hirota Masami's warm and lively smile. Hearing Akechi talk so bluntly about "the corpse" and "injuries" made her chest tighten with anger.

Takagi, who was dutifully taking notes, was interrupted by a phone call. He apologized, answered it—and immediately cried out in shock:

"What?! Hirota Akira is dead?!" Takagi repeated, wide-eyed. "He was shot in the interrogation room?!"

Conan's heart skipped a beat.

Joker's emails. The organization's shadows. Kenzo Hirota hanging in his room. Akemi Hirota in danger. Now even Akira Hirota, under police custody…

"Looks like this is turning into a major case," Akechi Goro raised an eyebrow. "No one broke into the station, but someone still died in the interrogation room. That's serious."

To Conan, who understood the deeper implications, that casual sigh carried a whole different weight.

Thoughts spun rapidly in his mind.

"I'm a juvenile delinquent."

"Watch Hirota Akira's safety."

"My parole officer is investigating my case too..."

Were there members of the organization embedded within the police? Was Kazawa's case connected to them after all?

Kazawa glanced at Conan, whose eyes flickered as he spiraled into deduction mode, and gave a faint, knowing smile.

It's about time. Xingchuan and Akemi should be home by now, right?

"Here we are." The red Porsche screeched to a stop in the garage. Hoshikawa Teru unbuckled his seatbelt stiffly and spoke to Akemi in the back seat.

To be honest, even though Kazawa had given Akemi a rough explanation, they had been in a rush. Faking her death at the dock had taken most of their time, and there had been little chance to explain things like the Phantom Thief persona, the cognitive world, the organization, and Kumail.

And Hoshikawa Teru was… uncomfortable.

According to Kazawa, Miyano Akemi was actually his boss's cousin.

Hoshikawa Teru, a low-ranking member of the organization for 8 years, had in fact seen Miyano Akemi before. What Kazawa had told Gin wasn't entirely made up.

He had been lower in rank than her. And now, trying to explain the tangled mess of his life, Kazawa's identity, and the cognitive world... well, the socially awkward Hoshikawa Teru was panicking internally.

He had buckled his seatbelt the moment he got in. Obeyed every traffic rule. Didn't dare speed even once in the unpopulated cognitive world. Now, they were finally at his residence.

...Pretty pathetic when you think about it.

Miyano Akemi, dazed and silent, opened the door and stepped out.

As the car entered the spacious villa garage, soft lights flicked on, illuminating the sleek sports car and the two figures standing beside it.

The terrain of the cognitive world was unlike the real one. With all the strange shifts and gaps—like the paths in the Metaverse—even driving safely left her carsick.

"Thank you." Miyano Akemi took a deep breath and adjusted her disheveled clothes.

She'd left the bloody ones behind at the dock for Kazawa to use. Now she was wearing a full set of men's clothing he had given her. It was loose, and the belt had been pulled to its tightest just to stay on.

She tried smoothing her long hair. The blood had matted the ends together, and her fingers couldn't untangle it. She gave up after two tries.

"This is so embarrassing." Akemi gave a weak, self-deprecating smile.

Being so disoriented… being forced into such desperate straits… even her kid brother had to risk everything for her…

She looked at Xingchuan Hui, who was nervously adjusting his black-rimmed glasses, and asked, "The lighting's better now. I can see clearly—you really are with the organization, aren't you? Have we met before? Maybe at a base or training facility?"

The difference between "Akechi Goro" and Hoshikawa Teru was so vast that even if they had the same face, it was hard to connect the two.

But now, looking at the incredibly reserved Hoshikawa Teru, Miyano Akemi finally matched the memory.

It was time.

Xingchuan Hui closed his eyes, sighed inwardly, and admitted, "We met… in a pharmaceutical company's lab."