The Black Organization's spy, Iris, was disguised with Vermouth's help, so no one suspected a thing. Vermouth's skills really were flawless.
Why suspect Conan? Because Iris overheard idle talk among the police. Any case Detective Mouri handled, Conan was always there. Once or twice was coincidence. More than that couldn't be luck. It seemed every officer had been guided by Conan's hints, whether intentional or not.
So Iris dug deeper. He compared fingerprints and discovered Conan's matched Kudo Shinichi's at 98%. Which meant Conan was Kudo Shinichi. Hard to believe, but fingerprints don't lie.
The Kudo Shinichi Gin had supposedly killed hadn't just survived—he had turned into a child and was still investigating everywhere. This was Gin's biggest mistake, and Iris's best chance to bring him down.
Yes, the Organization had plenty of internal rivalries. Many members were hostile toward Gin. He was often the one sent to execute traitors—like Haibara's sister, and like Iris's own mentor.
That's why Iris wouldn't hand this vital intel to Gin. He wanted to deliver it directly to the Boss, to topple Gin.
Organization members were still human. They had emotions. Some bonds were close, not just betrayal and scheming. Iris treasured the kindness and guidance his mentor gave him, like a father and elder brother. But Gin killed him. So Iris's heart was set on destroying Gin.
But really, Iris was foolish. Gin was just the Boss's attack dog. Everything he did was on orders. Even if Iris dragged Conan before the Boss, Gin wouldn't fall. Conan's case was special—who could've guessed he'd shrink back into a kid? In the end, it was Iris who would die.
Another reason Iris was doomed: Conan's protagonist halo. Anyone who discovered Conan's secret and didn't keep it… was fated to die.
Meanwhile, the serial killer's face had finally surfaced. The murderer was the victim's own older brother. But he'd found a scapegoat—the victim's boyfriend.
The boyfriend had stupidly agreed to the brother's plan. Now that most of the murders were done, he knew it was his turn to take the blame. Before the end, he wanted to take one last trip with his girlfriend—to her favorite spot, Tokyo Tower.
One last view. One last night. To take the blame, he planned to swallow poison there and leave behind a suicide note.
But Conan had already seen through everything. He wouldn't let the murderer succeed. The killer had planted all the evidence to point at the scapegoat, but small details gave him away.
The killer was a compulsive, meticulous Virgo. The framed boyfriend was a sloppy, carefree guy.
The meticulous killer had arranged the victims into the shape of the Big Dipper, the seven-star constellation his sister loved. Seven bodies for seven stars.
Even the positions of the bodies on the map matched the points of the constellation. Pure obsessive-compulsion. Which is why the killer had to be the victim's older brother, the accountant. Only he was strict, rigid, and by-the-book. That's how Conan confirmed it.
Still, Conan's reasoning could feel biased. Did being a Virgo automatically make someone suspicious? Were all people with OCD killers? The logic was skewed, the "evidence" flimsy. But Conan was sure: the killer was the obsessive Virgo brother.
For now, though, the priority was stopping the boyfriend from doing something stupid. So Conan rushed to Tokyo Tower.
After the gates closed, Tokyo Tower was quiet, bathed only in moonlight as it looked down on the neon glow of the city. The boyfriend let the view sink into his eyes. He and his girlfriend had often come here while she was alive, but now it was only him, alone and hollow. To enjoy such beauty alone was painful. Before long, tears ran down his face.
He was calm. To die here felt like a blessing. The poison was already prepared. Once he drank it, he could reunite with his girlfriend, and also protect her brother.
"Stop! Don't do anything foolish!" At the critical moment, Conan arrived.
Finally on time, Conan breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't do something stupid." He knew the man was only tricked by the real killer.
So Conan laid out the murderer's plan. He told him the truth of the hotel fire. After the elevator overloaded, it was the victim herself who had stepped out, which was why she died. It wasn't like the murderer claimed, that the survivors pushed her out. That was all a lie.
The killer had only blamed the survivors for his sister's death. He had schemed to kill all of them, and now he wanted to frame the victim's boyfriend too.
"…" The boyfriend's mouth fell open. He never thought his girlfriend's brother would try to harm him.
"I was only avenging my sister! She was so kind!"
"Who's there?"
It was the victim's older brother. "I was worried Detective Mouri might dig out the truth, so I followed along. Didn't expect you, brat, to have actually figured it all out." He had been tailing Conan.
"Of course. The writing on your business card was too neat. That showed you were a meticulous man—completely unlike Mr. Mizutani."
"Brat, just who are you?"
"Edogawa Conan. A detective!" Conan snapped. "You knew what really happened that day, but you still couldn't accept it. Your sister sacrificed herself, she wasn't betrayed."
"Yes, yes, that's how kind she was. But does kindness mean she should die? Where's the justice in that? While the other 7 lived on shamelessly. Every year, on my sister's memorial day, they sent wreaths. Did they think that could make up for her lost life? Those people, those parasites who lived by feeding on my sister's sacrifice—they didn't deserve to live. I'll kill them one by one!" The obsessive Virgo killer roared.
Conan had no words to answer that grief. But no matter what, murder couldn't be excused. "You're right, your sister died in place of 7 people. But what you're doing now—framing Mr. Mizutani—makes you worse than those survivors. If you've got guts, turn yourself in. A coward who clings to life and still needs someone else to take the blame? Hard to believe you're Ms. Nanako's brother. The two of you are from completely different worlds."
"Nani?!" The brother staggered at the blow.
"Mr. Mizutani, look at his true face. Are you still willing to take the blame for him? It's not worth it! Don't tarnish Ms. Nanako's noble choice."
Mizutani looked between them. At last, he silently set the poisoned drink back on the table. "I won't die. I can't let Nanako's sacrifice be meaningless."
"…" Grinding his teeth, the obsessive killer shook with fury. His carefully crafted plan was ruined. Rage clouded his mind. He pulled out a knife. "Brat, since Detective Mouri didn't show, you'll take his place. Blame that irresponsible so-called great detective. Die!"
The knife plunged straight down toward Conan's head.