Chapter 20: The Slumbering Akira Karasawa, Though Not Entirely Asleep

Karasawa bowed his head, his brown hair falling smoothly to completely obscure his face, leaving those standing before him unable to discern his expression.

Sonoko Suzuki tugged on Ran Mouri, who had walked over upon noticing the commotion, and whispered excitedly in a hushed tone, "Is he imitating your father? You know, the 'Sleeping Kogoro'? Look at Karasawa-kun, he has such an aura... 'Sleeping Akiara Karasawa'... how cool!"

"Sonoko..." Ran reached out and grabbed Sonoko’s hand, which was reaching for her phone to take a photo, restraining her restless, fangirl friend.

Crouched behind Karasawa, Conan began to recount the suspicious points of the case.

"To mimic the scene from the painting 'Divine Punishment,' the killer specifically murdered the victim in front of it and moved other exhibits away from that spot beforehand. Combined with the fact that the killer remained dressed in the exhibition armor throughout the surveillance footage, these are the reasons everyone concluded the murderer was familiar with the art gallery and was a member of the staff."

"But if the killer was so familiar with the scene, why choose to commit the crime within the range of the surveillance cameras? He worked here; he had plenty of opportunities to act in a blind spot or temporarily cover the corresponding camera."

Inspector Megure stroked his chin, attempting to answer, "Is it because the killer felt that since he was wearing the armor, it didn't matter if he was exposed on camera?"

"I believe it was to confirm that the paper in the hands of the victim, Mr. Manka, was his suicide note. In other words, this footage was intentionally left by the killer. Inspector Megure, could you please examine this note against the light? Are there many strange scratches over the characters for 'Kubota'?"

Following his suggestion, Inspector Megure picked up the evidence bag to inspect it, nodding, "Indeed, there are many horizontal scratches on the writing... Could it be!"

"Yes, this is likely the true handwriting left by the victim before he died. He wasn't writing a name at that moment; he was holding the pen and trying to cross that name out!"

Inspector Megure took out another evidence bag and looked at the ballpoint pen inside. "But this pen we found matches the line thickness and ink color. Although we haven't done a comparative analysis yet, our preliminary judgment is that this is the pen that wrote the note."

"Indeed, it is highly probable that this pen wrote those lines."

"But you just said..."

"But it wasn't the pen the victim grabbed last. What the victim picked up was a pen that wouldn't write!" Conan poked his head out slightly to observe the positions of the people in the room before shrinking back to continue, "When I found the pen, its tip was retracted. It’s unlikely the victim would have specifically retracted the tip after dropping it. In the footage, the killer never touched the pen until he left. After that, it was just us entering the room, and the art gallery staff were only gathered in the inner hall after the police arrived."

"In other words, the killer only swapped the pen on the floor during the chaos after the police arrived. That means... the pen that couldn't write is still on his person!"

Conan reached his small hand out through the gap in the ladder, intending to support Karasawa’s right hand and point toward the long-bearded old man—the director of this place, Director Ochiai.

However, he reached out only to touch empty air.

Conan was stunned, his heart skipping a beat. He looked up, only to see Karasawa, who should have been in a deep sleep, holding onto the side of the ladder and starting to stand up.

How did he wake up so fast?! Oh no!

Conan reflexively moved away from the ladder and hid behind a display case; otherwise, once Karasawa stood up, Conan, who had been hiding behind him, would be fully exposed.

However, Karasawa asked no questions and showed no confusion. He walked straight toward Director Ochiai.

He reached out and, using a handkerchief, pulled a pen exactly like the one in the evidence bag from Director Ochiai’s suit pocket.

"He didn't even have time to click the tip out; the killer must have been in a great hurry at the time, probably unable to wipe the pen clean." Karasawa smoothly continued Conan’s reasoning, "Tell me, do you think I might find Mr. Manka's fingerprints on this pen?"

Everyone in the room looked at Director Ochiai, their faces filled with shock.

Everyone except Conan, whose shocked expression was directed at Karasawa.

"...You are absolutely correct, child." Director Ochiai leaned on his cane, his demeanor melancholic yet relieved.

The officers who had been surrounding Kubota all turned and walked toward him. Inspector Megure frowned as he took the pen Karasawa handed over and drew on a notepad. Just as Karasawa had deduced, nothing was written.

That paper was not the victim's suicide note, but a setup written with Kubota's name in advance to frame him!

"May I ask where you were at the time of the crime? Do you have an alibi?" Though he asked this, Inspector Megure was already signaling his subordinates to prepare the handcuffs.

"I was wearing this knight's armor, standing here, waiting for Mr. Manka to keep his appointment." With his scheme exposed, Director Ochiai offered no excuses. He simply clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the massive painting, "Divine Punishment." "Waiting to pierce this devil here, just like in this painting."

"To complete this creation, I practiced for a long time, including the route, the angle of the cameras, and Mr. Manka's likely reactions; I considered them all."

"So the rumor of the armor walking around was you practicing the murder." Inspector Megure realized.

Though he was mentally prepared, seeing the killer stand there and spill everything like beans, Karasawa still felt deeply puzzled.

The killers in your "Conan" world are a bit too honorable, aren't they?

Still, he had to play along. Karasawa asked in a supportive tone, "Because he was going to close this gallery and turn it into a restaurant, right? And you chose to frame Kubota because he had been secretly selling off the exhibits and showed no respect for art?"

"Exactly. From the day this gallery was built, I have been its director. Each exhibit is like one of my own children; I could not tolerate them." Director Ochiai looked around at everything with a nostalgic, burning gaze.

"Unfortunately, you are no righteous knight slaying a demon; you are merely a vicious murderer. You are under arrest." Inspector Megure frowned and waved his hand, and two officers stepped forward to handcuff Director Ochiai.

"The knight who slays the demon is himself stained by blood, mired in the mud—that is the true meaning of 'Divine Punishment.'" Director Ochiai did not resist, merely meeting Karasawa's calm gaze. "That is why all my plans fell into the eyes of you children. This is the punishment I deserve."

Karasawa knew perfectly well that the old man was saying the case was solved by him and Conan together. Unfortunately, besides himself and Conan, no one would notice the word "you."

Thinking of this, Karasawa glanced back at Conan, who was frozen in the corner, not knowing where to put his hands or feet.

Conan was sweating more than Kubota, who had been framed.

Looking at it this way, Karasawa must have identified the killer as Director Ochiai just like he had. The step he took when he was "stung" must have been an attempt to point out the truth...

If he had known, he wouldn't have used the anesthetic needle. It's over; if Karasawa mentions what just happened, Ran will definitely...

But after that one glance, Karasawa ignored the paralyzed Conan and walked to Inspector Megure’s side. "The methods used in this case are complex, the scene was shocking, and it involves recent rumors of ghosts. It will certainly be widely reported. Could I please ask you to omit my name and not reveal it to the reporters?"

"Why?" Inspector Megure looked surprised. "Your name is Karasawa, right? Karasawa-kun, your deduction was brilliant. After this case hits the papers, everyone will only admire your talent. You are well-suited for the role of a detective. We should formally thank you for your assistance to the police this time; we will make that clear to the reporters."

With Kudo-kun suddenly gone, it wasn't easy to find a new "external brain," and this new one seemed to want to run away. He had to persuade him.

Karasawa looked troubled, leaned close to Inspector Megure’s ear, and whispered a few words.

Inspector Megure’s expression shifted from confusion to shock. He looked Karasawa up and down several times before patting him on the shoulder with pity. "I see. Very well, I respect your wishes. I will instruct everyone not to reveal your name."

Even though he was on the verge of having his identity exposed, Conan couldn't help but wonder what Karasawa had just whispered to Inspector Megure. He wanted to hear it, too.

However, seeing Karasawa squinting and walking toward him step by step, Conan ignored his curiosity and reflexively retreated, backing up until he was pinned against the wall, limbs weak like a frog nailed to a dissection table.

He felt just like the victim who had been carried away, as if he were about to be pinned to the spot by a sword.