Haibara had been waiting for the right moment to ask Akashi what was really going on.
Was he truly a member of the Organization?
But for now, the hungry young succubus shota—Akashi—had begun indulging himself without restraint.
Though he hadn't fully unleashed his Lv2 『Rapid Fire Shot』skill earlier, he'd already used up quite a bit of energy. And when something's been consumed, it naturally needs to be replenished!
Luckily, there was plenty of seafood on the beach.
Huge lobsters, fat oysters, giant scallops… all excellent sources of nourishment.
The little Shota wasn't picky and welcomed all that came his way. The feast became a full-blown storm of consumption.
Eri and Ran, meanwhile, sat beside him patiently peeling lobster and crab shells. The mother and daughter duo seemed to be enjoying themselves, happily serving the voracious young lady.
It was Ran who brought up the sea snake incident that had occurred not long ago.
Only then did Akashi realize that a near-fatal event had taken place while he was busy rushing about.
Still, he didn't seem all that concerned.
In his eyes, no one had died, and no Yin energy had been generated. Without profit, the little succubus had no reason to care.
After Ran explained what had happened, she turned to Akashi and asked,
"So, Akashi… after listening to the report, did you figure anything out?"
Akashi, still chewing on a mouthful of lobster meat, replied casually,
"It's pretty straightforward. If this was man-made, then the most likely culprit is Harumi Matsuzaki."
Ran's eyes widened in surprise. "Why do you say that?"
Akashi calmly began explaining.
"None of the other men had bags. Even if someone had caught the sea snake earlier, where could they have hidden it? Definitely not in their swim trunks."
He gave her a look and added,
"I don't think any guy would be insane enough to do that."
"That leaves Harumi Matsuzaki, the only one with a bag."
"She had the opportunity—she could've caught the sea snake yesterday during diving practice and taped it inside her bag."
"While everyone else was distracted rescuing Kiwako Toda in the water, she could've discreetly released the sea snake and let it bite her."
Akashi continued his deduction with absolute clarity.
"It's just a process of elimination."
"Hiroshi Itou might have a dangerous way of saving people, but he clearly didn't plan to kill anyone—if he wanted that, why go through the effort of helping?"
"Masahiko Matsuzaki didn't even go near deep water, so he didn't have the means to carry or unleash a venomous snake."
"Kunio Kawazu was drinking with Uncle Mōri. Would someone about to commit murder really get drunk beforehand?"
"Besides, there's a chance Kawazu actually likes Kiwako Toda too. If anything, he might be jealous of Masahiko Matsuzaki."
"Even if your childhood sweetheart ends up marrying someone else, it's still more likely you'd lash out at the rival, not the person you love."
Akashi shrugged.
"So, once you eliminate all the unlikely suspects, the only person left with both motive and means… is Harumi Matsuzaki."
With that said, the little Shota took a sip of ice-cold lemon juice.
Refreshing.
The three women around him were stunned.
Eri was especially moved.
Was Akashi always this sharp?
He hadn't even seen the scene firsthand, yet his deduction was spot-on.
Amazing.
Her gaze toward Akashi was filled with pride and affection. She couldn't help but pull him into a tight embrace.
"Akashi, you're amazing!"
Akashi blinked, startled.
Seriously? I'm just trying to eat here, and suddenly I'm being hugged? What happened to personal space?
Ran, meanwhile, immediately got up to call her father and relay Akashi's reasoning.
Little Loli Haibara also stared at Akashi in disbelief.
Since when did this guy get so sharp?
But seeing the pleased look on his face, her expression soured slightly.
She narrowed her blue eyes, trying to glare him into submission.
Behave yourself, damn it!
Of course, the little Shota didn't even notice Haibara's gaze.
He tried to wiggle free from Eri's arms but couldn't escape no matter what. He could only surrender to being smothered.
To Akashi, this incident was just a minor blip.
After giving his deduction, he dropped the matter entirely.
Meanwhile, at the hospital—
Kogoro's eyes lit up after receiving a call from Ran.
As soon as he hung up, he rushed outside the ICU and addressed the members of the diving club:
"I'm afraid this venomous snake incident wasn't an accident, but deliberate."
He turned to face her.
"Miss Harumi… why did you do it?"
Kogoro, looking uncharacteristically serious, repeated the logic he had just been told.
Conan stood frozen, completely dumbfounded.
Wait a minute—those were my deductions!
When did this old man suddenly get smart?!
He didn't even notice Kogoro sneaking off to answer a phone call earlier!
Harumi Matsuzaki bit her lip, visibly flustered as Kogoro calmly eliminated the other suspects and cornered her as the prime culprit.
"Do you have any proof, Detective Mōri? What evidence supports your claim?"
That one question immediately stumped Kogoro.
Damn… Ran didn't mention anything about evidence when she relayed the deduction!
He almost reached for his phone again to follow up—when suddenly, Conan stepped forward, smirking confidently.
"Miss Harumi has a satchel, doesn't she?"
"If what my uncle said is true, and you caught the sea snake yesterday and stored it in that bag, then that satchel should still contain traces—scales, venom residue, even snake fragments."
"..."
Harumi Matsuzaki went silent.
Her expression said everything.
The three men next to her picked up on it right away.
Masahiko Matsuzaki couldn't help but ask:
"Why… Harumi? Why would you try to kill Kiwako?"
Harumi 's face twisted with hatred.
"Why?! You really don't know!?"
"You know I love you! So why are you marrying another woman?!"
"!!!"
Gasps spread through the room.
Wait. Aren't those two… siblings?!
Masahiko Matsuzaki was stunned.
"But we're brother and sister!"
Harumi stepped forward, her voice cold.
"We're not related by blood. We're from a blended family. So what does it matter?"
Her intensity forced Masahiko to take a step back, speechless.
Just then, the door to the ICU opened.
A doctor stepped out, interrupting the scene.
"Fortunately, the patient was brought in on time, and the antivenom used was effective. After the transfusion, she's no longer in danger."
"With proper care, she'll make a full recovery."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that Kiwako was safe.
Kogoro, ever the former police officer, straightened up and declared,
"Regardless, using a sea snake as a murder weapon is a serious crime. We'll need to report this to the authorities."
And with that, he called the police.
Back on the beach—
Akashi was now applying sunscreen to Ran.
After all, fairness was everything.
Eri and Haibara both had their turn, so how could Ran be left out?
The little succubus had a strong sense of justice!
His small hands started at Ran's calves and worked their way upward, the motions smooth and natural.
Ran was wearing a black-and-white panda-themed bikini today. She only took off her coat once she lay down and asked Akashi for help applying sunscreen.
The swimsuit, with its cute pattern and flattering cut…
Let's just say, this job was anything but punishment for Akashi.