Chapter 18: It Must Have Been Zheng Yi!

"Miss Reika?"

"Miss Reika?"

The group did not find Miss Reika, but they did find Nikaido, who had drowned. Kogoro Mouri immediately called the police. After reporting the incident, the group, especially Yotsui, proved unable to sit still. After all, she was his only daughter. The group began searching for Reika once more.

Ran suddenly remarked, "Masakazu-san and his secretary seem to still be sleeping in the villa. They might also be in danger."

"I'll go wake them up," Conan said.

He trotted over to Masakazu's door and knocked loudly.

*Click.*

The bedroom door opened, and a dark gun barrel was pressed against Conan's forehead. Conan took a step back, his legs trembling slightly. The sensation made him feel as if he were back at the amusement park that afternoon.

"I said let me rest, or I’ll burn this villa down," Masakazu said in a low voice.

"I... I..." Conan stammered.

Masakazu wore an inscrutable smile.

*Bang!*

"Ah!"

Conan sat down hard on the floor, only realizing a moment later that the gunshot sound had come from Masakazu’s own mouth.

*Sss-sss.*

A jet of water sprayed from the gun in Masakazu’s hand, soaking Conan right in the crotch.

"You’re quite the coward, kid. You’ve already wet your pants," Masakazu teased.

"I did not!" Conan retorted, flushed with anger and embarrassment. *That was the water you just sprayed!*

Conan tried to compose himself. "There’s been a murder in the villa. You should be careful. It’s best to stay with the others, or you might be in danger."

Masakazu twirled the toy gun and said indifferently, "I have a gun. What do I have to fear?"

*Piu!*

Masakazu aimed at Conan and mimicked firing. Conan’s eye twitched. *A gun that only makes people wet their pants is no threat to anyone.*

"This is dangerous. I advise you to—"

"Advise me what? Not to wet my pants?" Masakazu laughed.

Damn it! Conan gritted his teeth. What a malicious guy.

Masakazu shooed Conan away. He hoped the killer wouldn’t come looking for him; otherwise, he would be forced to act in self-defense. After all, his real handgun was always fully loaded.

Masakazu went back to sleep, but after a long wait, neither the killer nor any "delivering warmth" young lady showed up. All he got was the arrival of Inspector Megure.

"Masakazu-san, there have been two heinous murders in this villa. Please come downstairs and cooperate with our investigation," Inspector Megure said sternly.

"Understood."

Masakazu put on his clothes and headed downstairs, feeling somewhat impatient. When he arrived, he found everyone waiting for him.

"More dead people? This really makes it impossible to get a good night's sleep," Masakazu yawned, sitting on the sofa and acting as if no one else was there.

"I suspect the killer is Sumitomo Masakazu!" Kogoro Mouri fired the first shot, aiming directly at him.

Masakazu took a sip of tea, not even bothering to offer a defense. "This tea is quite good." He set the cup down, crossed his legs, and leaned back on the sofa to watch the show.

Kogoro Mouri began his "super" deduction. "Mr. Yotsui owes Masakazu a sum of money, so he has plenty of reason to kill Miss Reika! Furthermore, he stayed in his room the whole time, giving him ample opportunity. I even had Conan go call him once; despite knowing there was a murderer in the villa, he refused to come out. He must have been destroying evidence!"

Masakazu looked at Mouri. "Mouri-san, words require evidence. If you have none, I will hire attorney Eri Kisaki to sue you for slander."

"You!" Kogoro was furious. *Hiring my own wife to sue me? How arrogant!*

Yotsui was even more enraged. He rushed over, grabbed Masakazu by the collar, and shouted, "It was you, wasn't it? It had to be you!"

"Though it’s painful to lose your only daughter, you still have your debts to keep you company. You aren't alone, so there's no need to be so heartbroken," Masakazu comforted him. He didn't mind the rudeness and offered his "sincere" sympathy. He felt he was being quite the gentleman.

"You said that not paying debts brings retribution! It must have been you who killed Reika! It was you!" Yotsui gripped him tightly.

"Mr. Yotsui, please calm down," Mouri and Inspector Megure said, pulling him away.

Inspector Megure added, "We haven't determined the true culprit yet. Even if we do, the police will enforce the law strictly. Masakazu-san has no connection to the victim, Nikaido, so the probability of him being the killer is very low."

"Exactly, Mr. Yotsui, please calm down," Mouri echoed.

Yotsui regained some of his composure, but seeing Masakazu’s unbothered expression made his emotions flare up again. "You police are just too afraid to offend the Sumitomo financial group! Even if he were the killer, you’d cover for him!"

"Preliminary examination: the victim died by suicide," the same medical examiner as before stated, following immediately after Yotsui's accusation.

Inspector Megure’s face darkened, Kogoro’s brain practically exploded, and Yotsui turned pale.

Masakazu took a sip of tea. He hadn't killed anyone, so why were these people so determined to paint him as the mastermind? It made no sense.

"Since the medical examiner has ruled it a suicide, can we leave now?" Masakazu asked. It didn't really matter to him; he never cared about the misunderstandings of irrelevant people.

"No!" Kogoro glared at him in anger. It was too arrogant. He had been a policeman and a detective, but he had never seen a moment this dark. The police examiner was calling a clear homicide a suicide—no morals, no responsibility, no bottom line.

"How can a medical examiner who talks nonsense like you still be in the police force?" Mouri shouted at the examiner.

The examiner pushed up his glasses, implying everything without saying a word. As a medical examiner lacking professional skills, the only reason he held such a position was because he knew how to "speak" the right way.

Akemi Miyano stared intently at Masakazu with her deep, dark eyes. Could this man really be the one who killed Yotsui's daughter? Was it just to teach Yotsui a lesson for not paying his debts? That would be too cruel.

Akemi gritted her teeth. Thinking that her sister might be in the hands of someone this heartless, she couldn't bear to imagine what her sister was going through.

"I will definitely catch you in the act!" Kogoro glared fiercely at Masakazu. Then, in one swift motion, he performed a flamboyant dance step and sat right down next to Masakazu.