Miwako Sato's eyes flickered. Seeing Higashida's emotional expression, she seemed to remember something.
Higashida continued, "Everything I said is true. If you just check my room, you'll find the letter and plane ticket my daughter sent."
At this moment, Ayumi Yoshida's cute, childish voice chimed in.
"This uncle isn't a bad person. When he put me down earlier, he apologized. Bad people don't apologize."
Takagi smiled bitterly. "Bad people might apologize too."
"No..."
Sato glanced at Yuu Hoshimiya, who nodded slightly.
Higashida was telling the truth. Yuu had confirmed this not only through his past life memories but also through his own observation just now.
So, Sato turned to Higashida and asked, "What time is the flight tomorrow?"
"12:30 PM, from Narita Airport."
"I see. Officer Takagi, listen carefully. You must find the real killer before 12:00 PM tomorrow. Until then, Consultant Hoshimiya and I will keep a strict watch on this suspect here."
Ai Haibara rolled her eyes at the boastful policewoman. Strict watch? You cuffed the wrong person!
Ai walked up to Yuu, blinking her big eyes and looking at his wrist with concern.
"Does it hurt?"
"Not at all, Ai-chan. Don't worry." Yuu patted Ai's head, smiling.
If Yuu wanted to break free, destroying the handcuffs or the pipe would be child's play.
But the time wasn't right yet.
Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya and Genta Kojima watched in surprise. They had never seen Ai make such an expression; she was usually indifferent to everything. Why was she acting like this today?
Ayumi pursed her lips, seemingly wanting to step forward too.
Yuu continued, "Ai-chan, it's too cramped in here. You should go out first."
The fake loli shook her head, staring at the handcuffs. "I'll go find someone with pliers and rescue you from this woman right now."
Sato reacted strongly to this.
"Absolutely not! You can't destroy these handcuffs!"
The handcuffs were clearly old, the metal slightly yellowed. Yuu guessed these were the most important memento left by Sato's father.
"Ai-chan, no need to find anyone. I'll just wait for the key."
Ai looked at their hands, which were very close together, frowned, but said nothing more.
Takagi nodded as well.
"Officer Sato, how about I go back to headquarters to get the key, transport him there, and then we investigate the case together?"
"No, Officer Takagi. If you go back and get caught, Inspector Megure will scold you and make you write a report. You'll definitely miss Mr. Higashida's flight. So, to save time, you have to investigate alone this time. Don't let anyone at headquarters find out."
"After all, before sending a suspect to the prosecutor's office, we police have the right to release an innocent suspect."
Sato commanded logically, fully returning to her capable policewoman persona.
"But how can I overturn this case by myself?"
Sato laughed. "Who said you're alone? Look behind you. These kids have helped solve many cases before. See, they're ready to go!"
The Detective Boys all wore triumphant smiles.
Yuu spoke up: "Officer Takagi, take Conan with you. That kid is very smart and often notices things others miss. He might be able to help you."
Relying on the foolish rookie Takagi was definitely a no-go. Yuu's goal from the start was to freeload off Conan.
Conan was happy to oblige; he had been itching to solve this mystery.
"Yes, yes! Officer Takagi, we can definitely help!"
The children echoed Yuu's words, looking full of fighting spirit.
Seeing this, Takagi could only smile bitterly and lead the group of children out.
Seriously, who brings a bunch of kids to solve a case?
Although Ai wasn't very interested in solving the case and wanted to stay with Yuu, she couldn't resist the pleading of the other three children and eventually went along.
Watching them disappear, Yuu unbuckled his belt.
Sato panicked instantly. "Yuu-kun, what are you doing? Are you going to use the bathroom?"
Yuu rolled his eyes at Sato, then pulled out his belt and tied Higashida up.
Higashida hurriedly said, "Consultant Hoshimiya, I won't run again."
"I don't care if you run or not. After all the trouble you caused today, behave yourself. Besides, I don't want to watch you all the time. It's safer to tie you up. If you run, this Officer Sato next to me will be in trouble."
As he spoke, Yuu tied Higashida's hands to the handle of the broken door.
Tied up, Higashida could only sit in front of the toilet, leaning against the stall wall, looking dejected.
He had indeed thought about sneaking away after Takagi left. After all, a policeman taking a bunch of kids to overturn a case didn't seem reliable at all.
Sato was observing Higashida when she suddenly felt a finger sliding gently on the back of her hand.
She realized immediately it was Yuu's hand.
Sato dared not react too obviously; it wouldn't be good if Higashida saw. However, she didn't pull away either.
Yuu smiled smugly, playing with Sato's delicate hand.
Although she often practiced shooting, she had no calluses. Her hand was well-maintained, smooth and fair, soft and warm like jade to the touch.
Quietly, a blush rose on Sato's face. Her purple eyes glanced at Yuu as she whispered, "Yuu-kun!"
Yuu pretended not to hear. Holding Sato's hand was his main purpose for getting involved in this mess, and he wasn't letting go.
Helpless, Sato let him be.
Meanwhile, Takagi, leading the group of children out of the Beika Art Museum, had comforted himself.
He thought with determination: Officer Sato, just wait! I will find the real killer and save you!
Thinking of capturing the killer, rescuing Sato, earning her admiration, and then asking her out, a smile involuntarily spread across Takagi's face.
Conan looked at the guy and felt a headache coming on. Is this officer really reliable?
But reliable or not, he was the only one leading the team now.
Soon, Takagi brought the Detective Boys to the izakaya, wearing a hat to disguise himself.
Conan asked the landlady about that night.
The landlady said, "Mr. Higashida was drunk that night and kept saying he would teach that woman a lesson. I didn't expect something like that to happen later."
Ai pressed, "Did he go back alone?"
The landlady shook her head and whispered, "No, he left with Mr. Kitagawa over there."
She gestured toward a customer reading a newspaper.
Mr. Kitagawa had a small mustache and was smoking while reading.
Takagi whispered to Conan, "That's the first witness at the crime scene. He works at the same company as Higashida and Miss Muranishi. Since neither of them came to work the next day, he asked the apartment manager to open the door and discovered the body."
Hearing this, Conan remained expressionless and continued to ask the landlady about other details.
Just then, Mr. Kitagawa put out his cigarette, put down the newspaper, left money on the table, and walked out of the izakaya.
"Boss, money's on the table."
Seeing this, Takagi chased after him with his notebook.
"Mr. Kitagawa, do you have a moment? Can I ask you a few questions?"
Kitagawa kept his eyes down, avoiding eye contact with Takagi, looking impatient.
"I've said everything I had to say at headquarters. One of my colleagues is dead, and another is arrested. I'm in a bad mood, so please don't disturb me."
With that, he walked away. Conan and Ai both sensed something was off.
In the men's restroom on the eighth floor of the Beika Art Museum, Yuu and Sato sat next to the toilet, fingers interlaced.
Fortunately, this restroom hadn't been used in a long time, but cleaners cleaned it daily, so it was spotless and odorless.
Hygiene in Japanese public places was excellent; exaggerating slightly, one could say the toilets were clean enough to eat off of.
Higashida sat with his back to them, head lowered, looking worried.
Yuu gently rubbed the back of Sato's hand with his thumb. "Sister Miwako, I wanted to take you out for dinner, but it looks like that plan is ruined again."
He started a conversation to pass the time and to secure a private dinner date with Sato.
Turning to look at the beautiful officer, he saw her face flushed red, brows furrowed, and purple eyes misty. She occasionally clamped her long legs together.
Yuu was surprised. Is Sato the sensitive type too?
But observing further, he saw her endure something with an anxious look, and he understood.
She needed to use the restroom...
A classic trope, but reasonable, since they had been here for almost two hours.
Due to physiological differences, women generally couldn't hold it as long as men.
Seeing Higashida in the way, Yuu stood up and delivered a precise chop to his neck.
Higashida fainted instantly. Feeling it wasn't safe enough, Yuu secretly added a mental magic spell.
Now there was absolutely no worry; Higashida wouldn't wake up for at least ten hours.
If needed, Yuu could wake him up early with magic, so it wouldn't cause extra trouble.
Finally, he pushed hard, shoving Higashida and the door panel out of the stall.
Sato exclaimed, "Yuu-kun, what are you doing?"
"Nothing. I just knocked him out. I didn't hurt him. Just in case he hears any strange sounds or smells any weird odors later."
Yuu smiled. "Besides, I feel more at ease with him unconscious."
The beautiful officer looked confused, not understanding what Yuu meant.
"Also, I felt Mr. Higashida was disturbing our time alone, so I took the liberty. Sister Miwako, you don't mind, right?"
Yuu lifted Sato's left hand and kissed it.
A blush rose on Sato's face again.
"Sister Miwako, why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?"
Smiling, Yuu placed his right hand directly on Sato's melon-seed face.
With just light makeup, this small face was breathtakingly beautiful. Truly the Flower of the MPD.
The cool policewoman's face grew even redder, heat radiating from her cheeks.
"Wow, it is a bit hot. Your eyes are misty too. Sister Miwako, you look uncomfortable!"
Yuu teased the Flower of the MPD relentlessly, feeling delighted.
He put on a deductive act.
"Let me deduce. Brows furrowed, one hand pressing on your lower abdomen, legs clamping together occasionally... If I'm not mistaken, Sister Miwako, you need to use the restroom."
Sato immediately recalled Yuu's comment about "strange sounds and weird odors" after knocking Higashida out.
She realized what he meant, and her shame exploded. Her face turned purple with embarrassment, and she rolled her eyes at Yuu.
"You guy! You're not this proactive when solving cases, but you're so enthusiastic about deducing this!"
Yuu laughed silently. "The case is simple; it doesn't need deduction. Besides, compared to you, Sister Miwako, the case isn't important at all."
His gentle, magnetic voice instantly plucked at Sato's heartstrings. However, hearing about the case, she tried to calm down and asked quickly.
"The case is simple? How so?"
"If what this guy says is true and he didn't commit the locked-room murder, then with his fingerprints on the doorknob, lock, and weapon, the only possibility is a frame-up. And the person most likely to frame him is the one who went drinking with him that night."
"Once the target is locked, finding clues to overturn the case is simple. After all, very few people in this world can commit a perfect crime."
Yuu, already handsome, reached a new height of charm while deducing, instantly capturing Sato's attention.
Combined with her curiosity about the case, the entranced policewoman forgot her urge to pee for a moment.
She said, "Yuu-kun, you mean Mr. Kitagawa, who drank with Higashida that night, is the most suspicious!"
"I haven't met Mr. Kitagawa, but if I were investigating, I'd start there." Yuu shook his head.
"No, I have to tell Officer Takagi."
Sato hurriedly took out her phone. "Darn, battery's dead! Yuu-kun, lend me yours."
"Uh, I drove here today. I only intended to say hello, so I left my phone in the car."
He had given his jacket to Reiko Akiba. Keeping a phone in his pants pocket was uncomfortable while driving.
So, Yuu had left it on the passenger seat.
Otherwise, Yumi Miyamoto would have called several times by now.
Seeing Sato's anxious look, Yuu patted her head. "Don't worry. Trust Officer Takagi and Conan; they can solve it!"
"I think we should worry about ourselves. We might be stuck here all night."
Yuu looked at the darkening sky outside. Fortunately, Ai had turned on the lights before leaving; otherwise, a pitch-black restroom would have been unpleasant.
"True. We can only leave it to Officer Takagi now." Sato calmed down, and the urge to pee returned.
At this moment, Yuu smiled wickedly. "Sister Miwako, let me whistle a tune for you!"
He had no interest in singing and hadn't practiced, so his skill was average.
Not as bad as Conan, but just ordinary.
But with his powerful body control, he could perform simple tunes perfectly.
Right now, Yuu was performing a traditional tune with only one note, familiar to everyone.
Whistle... whistle... whistle...
The melodious and moving melody began to echo in the quiet restroom. If anyone heard it, they would surely stop to appreciate the moving music.
But the sole audience member had no mind to appreciate it; she wanted to gag Yuu.
Sato was a woman of action.
Flushed with shame and anger, she reached out to cover Yuu's mouth, but he dodged nimbly.
"Ah! Yuu-kun! Stop it! Shut up!"
Yuu laughed smugly, shaking his head occasionally. Helpless, Sato curled her legs up, hugging her meat-colored stocking-clad legs, her body trembling continuously.
"You guy! You're really too much!"
Sato was so embarrassed she almost cursed, changing her address from his name to "you guy."
"Hahaha..."
Hearty laughter drifted out of the eighth-floor restroom.