Chapter 10: How Can I, the Great Detective Kogoro Mouri, Become a Magical Girl?!
"Wh-What the? A talking... rabbit?"
"I am not a rabbit," the creature stated calmly. "I am Kyubey. And I can help you."
Kogoro Mouri blinked, trying to figure out if he was dreaming. "Help me? What do you mean?" He took a cautious step forward, sizing up the strange animal.
"I can grant you the ability to see the truth of any case," Kyubey's tail swished gently. "All you must do is make a wish and form a contract with me."
Kogoro's eyebrows shot up, his expression turning skeptical. "What are you, really? Is this some kind of prank?"
He reached out to grab Kyubey, expecting to find a high-tech toy. Kyubey didn't move, allowing Kogoro to pick it up. He fumbled with the creature, searching for a speaker grill or a battery compartment.
"Hey, this thing feels pretty real. What is it, some new kind of plushie?" He turned it over and over, finding no seams, no buttons, no sign of any mechanical parts.
He let go, placing Kyubey back on the sink, his tone becoming casual. "So, what's your wish? What do you want?"
"A wish?" Kogoro scoffed. "If you can really help me, then help me figure out this case. And hey, if you can make me a great detective who can see through any clue at a glance and get me a case of that limited-edition whiskey I've been wanting, that wouldn't be so bad either."
A red light glinted in Kyubey's eyes. "That is an excellent wish. Make a contract with me, and become a Magical Girl!"
Kogoro chuckled, assuming it was all just part of an elaborate joke. "Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll sign, I agree, whatever. Now are you gonna tell me who put you here?" He agreed without a second thought, not taking any of it seriously.
"Very well," Kyubey's voice was flat. "The contract is sealed."
[Non-Human Beings Chat Group]
Tom Cat: [Tom_Snickering_behind_Paw.jpeg]
SpongeBob SquarePants: Oh, tartar sauce! He actually agreed! I can't wait to see what he looks like as a magical girl!
Before Kogoro could even process what had happened, an intense white light erupted from Kyubey, instantly flooding the entire restroom. He felt a strange energy surge through his body.
"Wh-What's happening?!" he yelled, but his voice was drowned out by the light.
He felt something being pulled from his chest, coalescing into a shimmering, amber-brown gemstone. It was his soul, his very essence, given physical form.
When the light faded, Kogoro Mouri was still standing there, but his appearance had been completely transformed. He was now wearing a dramatic red-and-black magical girl outfit, complete with a frilly skirt, a large bow, and an ornate hair clip. The amber-brown Soul Gem hung from his chest, and he was holding a matching magic wand.
Most horrifyingly, the short skirt exposed his hairy, muscular legs for all the world to see.
Kogoro stared at his reflection in the mirror, his face draining of all color.
"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL IS THIS?!" he shrieked, his voice cracking into an octave he hadn't hit since puberty.
"This is your magical girl uniform," Kyubey explained calmly, its internal system pinging with a satisfying notification.
[Contract with a primary character from the Detective Conan world has been established. 2500 units of Contract Energy harvested.]
"Now," Kyubey continued, "you should try to find the truth of the case."
Kogoro grabbed frantically at the frills of his skirt. "Change me back! Now! This instant!"
"To return to your original form, you need only will it."
Kogoro squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating with every fiber of his being. A flash of light, and he was back in his familiar suit. He opened his eyes and let out a massive sigh of relief, patting himself down to be sure.
"What... what was that?" he asked cautiously, terrified the ridiculous outfit might reappear.
"That was your magical girl form."
Kogoro's expression morphed from fear to a mixture of profound embarrassment and rage. "Are you kidding me?! I'm a man! How can I be a magical girl?!"
[Non-Human Beings Chat Group]
Tom Cat: [Cat_Jaw_Dropped.jpeg], A_Grown_Man_became_a_Magical_Girl.jpeg
SpongeBob SquarePants: Wowee! Mr. Mouri has magic powers now! That's so neat! I wish I had a pretty magic outfit! Although... um... he didn't seem to like the skirt very much...
Kyubey tilted its head, its expression unchanging. "Gender is irrelevant. What matters is that you now have the power."
Kogoro leaned against the wall, his entire worldview crumbling around him. "This is absurd..." he muttered, but he couldn't deny what had just happened.
Kyubey leaped lightly onto his shoulder. "Try it. You wished for the power to see through this case, did you not? Without relying on your so-called 'sleep'."
Kogoro hesitated, glancing at the restroom door to make sure it was locked. "This is completely insane..." he thought. "But... if it lets me actually solve a case on my own... without that weird sleeping thing..."
The internal struggle was fierce. The desire to be a true detective, to prove his own worth—not as "Sleeping Kogoro," but as himself—was a powerful motivator.
He took a deep breath. "Just once. I'll try it just once..."
He focused his mind, and the transformation happened instantly. The moment it did, the details of the case flooded his mind with perfect, crystal clarity.
"The dagger... it's a replica, made from a special high-tech material! The water stains by the body are from the material partially dissolving! The residue in the fireplace are melt marks! The curtains were drawn to control the room's temperature and slow the process... It was Reiko Fujiwara! She used her medical knowledge to create the material and used the dead man's own key card to return to the scene and dispose of the evidence!"
Every clue clicked into place, forming an unbreakable chain of logic.
Kogoro hastily changed back and burst out of the restroom. "I know who did it!"
Inspector Megure stared at him, surprised. "Mouri-kun? You found something?"
Kogoro took a deep breath, his voice steady and confident. "The key is the murder weapon! It's not the heirloom; it's a replica made from a special synthetic material that dissolves in high temperatures. That explains the water stains, the residue in the fireplace, and why the curtains were drawn. Reiko Fujiwara used her knowledge from medical school to create it, then used the victim's key card to come back and dispose of it. The proof will be at her house—the materials to make the dagger, the mold, and the tampered security records!"
The room was silent, everyone stunned by the flawless and detailed deduction. Conan's jaw was on the floor.
Inspector Megure's face broke into a look of pure admiration. "Mouri-kun... that's incredible! How did you figure it all out?"
Kogoro cleared his throat, a smug grin spreading across his face. "Ahem, it was a simple matter of connecting the clues! The forensics lab can confirm the rest."
A few hours later, an ecstatic phone call came from Inspector Megure. "Mouri-kun, you were right! The dagger was a special composite! We found the materials, the mold, and the evidence of tampering at her house! She confessed to everything! You're amazing, Mouri-kun!"
"It was nothing! A piece of cake for a detective of my caliber! HAHAHAHA!" Kogoro roared with laughter, sticking his tongue out in triumph. He was high on the feeling—the pure, undiluted thrill of solving a case while completely conscious.
Conan was utterly flabbergasted. How is this possible? There's no way Uncle Kogoro could have figured that out on his own... something isn't right...
He watched Kogoro's every move, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "That was an amazing deduction, Uncle Kogoro!"
"AHAHAHA! Of course it was! I'm the Great Detective Kogoro Mouri, after all!"
Something is definitely wrong...
Later, Kogoro returned to the restroom and looked at his reflection, a complex smile on his face. His fingertips brushed against his chest, where he could feel the faint presence of the hidden amber Soul Gem. It seemed this "Eye of Truth" ability he'd gotten was incredibly powerful... and while the outfit was humiliating, if it meant he could be a true detective...
He straightened his tie and took a deep breath. "This stays a secret," he told himself. "Absolutely secret." He would keep this secret weapon for when he truly needed it.
As he walked out, he saw a package by the door addressed to him. He opened it curiously and was shocked to find a full case of the exact limited-edition whiskey he had wished for. There was no sender information.
Just then, Conan walked in. "Uncle Kogoro, are we heading home? And when did you buy all that?"
"Ah, this? It was a gift. Let's get going."
He picked up the box and walked out with Conan, but the memory of the frilly magical girl skirt made him shudder.
"I really hope no one ever sees me like that..."