SCIAW: Chapter 259/260

Chapter 259: "The Murderer" and "The Dead"
Kogoro forced himself out of his daze and wiped his face with both hands. His mind, which usually only kicked into high gear when dealing with a major case, finally began working rapidly.

Omura had always been an optimistic guy. Rather than depression, his biggest issue was his introverted personality. And judging from his build, he didn't look like someone who had been violated.

But that naïve assumption was quickly dismissed.

The abuse likely didn't happen during college. It could have happened earlier—possibly during childhood, when the victim had no means to resist. So, it wasn't limited to women. Anyone here, aside from himself, could be the one.

Kogoro could only be certain that he hadn't experienced anything like that himself. So, the deceased couldn't be him.

As for identifying who had depression, that wasn't something easily judged from the outside.

The more deeply depressed someone is, the more "normal" they might appear. The more serious the psychological issues, the less likely they are to be visible.

Judging mental health based on appearance alone was foolish.

There were clues—some of them very clear—but those were things only the person themselves would know.

Kogoro had no way of identifying the victim based on that information. After all, these were his college classmates, not from high school, junior high, or elementary school. They didn't know each other that deeply.

"Kid, I can tell you're not joking."

At this point, Kogoro was certain. The boy in front of him wasn't playing around. No one would joke to this extent.

"You didn't investigate this in advance?"

This wasn't just his question—it was on everyone's mind.

Ren didn't answer right away but instead posed a question of his own:

"What would I gain from doing that?"

Everyone present paused. Then their expressions darkened.

The answer was clear—there was nothing to be gained.

People might go to great lengths for personal gain, but no one does something completely pointless without any benefit.

Because there was no benefit, investigating in advance made no sense.

Moreover, even if you had detailed personal data, it wouldn't be enough to accurately guess who the deceased was.

If it were really that easy to figure out, there wouldn't be so many real-world murder cases with unidentified victims and suspects.

Given all the uncertainty, pre-investigation was meaningless.

So was this really the result of divination?

Edogawa Conan, who had been following along quietly, began to waver in his stance.

There were simply too many unknowns. He understood clearly that an investigation wouldn't yield this kind of information—unless you were the one planning the murder.

But could that really be the case?

Choosing a murder case to take place at the reunion of Kogoro's classmates, and deliberately targeting them? That would be a bold provocation. And would the person behind it willingly stand out and claim to be a Seer?

That would be pure suicide.

Besides, there was no motive or reason for such a thing.

Conan agreed with what Ren had said earlier—about benefits.

No one acts without reason, and there's no motive to fabricate this scenario.

He had a general idea of who Ren was. A classmate at Teitan High School, not exactly sociable. He lived frugally, known as a model for the work-study program.

Conan couldn't imagine why someone like that would go through the trouble of plotting a murder.

And if this really was some sort of plan, it would mean the person behind it bore a grudge against Kogoro.

Which made it even less likely.

After thinking for a while, Conan concluded that the simplest answer might be the correct one.

Divination.

But it was precisely this thought that made his brain feel like it was overheating.

He was a rational, logic-driven detective.

Would it make sense for someone like him to believe in divination?

"Mr. Mouri, are you still interested in the murderer?"

"Yes, of course!"

The details about the deceased were too obscure. Kogoro couldn't figure out who it was. He needed to hear about the murderer's reading. Maybe he could find some clues that way.

At this point, his expression had become much more serious than before.

He was starting to trust the results of the divination.

Ren simply smiled, then began reshuffling the tarot deck.

He drew three new cards.

Reversed Lovers. Reversed Sun. Upright Devil.

"The murderer had an 18-year-long romantic relationship that ended in failure. About six months ago, due to the long-standing lack of reciprocation, he finally gave up and began seeing someone else through introductions from others. But what followed was relentless harassment of his fiancée and intense threats from his former lover."

"Eventually, the murderer made a difficult decision. He plans to eliminate that person once and for all at this reunion."

Wow. A lot of information was revealed about the murderer. But the most critical details were still hidden.

Mouri Kogoro took a deep breath.

An 18-year romance, now broken. But the identities of the two parties remained unclear.

Even someone like Ayashiro Yukio, who was married, couldn't be ruled out. If this divination pointed to an affair, then everything would become completely ambiguous.

A lot of personal details were provided, but the key parts were omitted.

Still, one thing was now clear to Kogoro. If this divination was true, then something major was about to happen at this class reunion.

That made Kogoro's expression grow darker.

"Kid, can't you say more in the divination?"

Ren shook his head calmly.

"This is something known only to the murderer and the deceased. At this moment, they both know who the other is. For me, this is an opportunity for both sides to make a new choice."

"This is a choice grounded in human nature. And if the result doesn't change... that, too, is human nature."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 260: Cannot Change Fate

Giving both parties a chance to re-choose.

Edogawa Conan could clearly hear Ren's detached tone. To him, Ren felt a bit pretentious, even acting from too lofty a height.

There was a definite air of a charlatan in the way he spoke. It was very much like a seer, deliberately speaking in half-truths and leaving things vague.

Edogawa Conan didn't think there was anything inherently wrong with that. After all, that's what seers are supposed to do.

But what made him feel uncomfortable was that the person had already identified the deceased and the murderer, yet still insisted on playing the role of a riddle-spewing prophet.

Still, Conan temporarily put aside this discomfort. After all, everything Ren said was based on a kind of divination that he found hard to believe.

He couldn't get too emotional about what the other party said, especially since it was all rooted in divination. Predicting both the deceased and the murderer in advance—wasn't that a bit too strange?

Judging by how openly Ren was speaking, it was easy to guess his intention—he wanted to change the fates of both the deceased and the murderer.

It was just that Ren brought up the subject in a roundabout way, giving the deceased and the murderer the chance to change their own fate, instead of directly naming them.

Perhaps this too was a form of offering them a choice.

Edogawa Conan could probably understand Ren's approach, but he felt that doing it this way might ultimately lead to a fixed outcome that couldn't be changed.

"Not revealing the name... is that also to give them room for redemption?"

Kogoro's mind, which had already been racing, quickly caught on to the reason why the boy in front of him was being so indirect.

Ren didn't deny it. This was also his way of offering them a chance to choose. At the same time, he began to put away the tarot cards laid out on the table.

"Mr. Mouri, you can treat my words as a joke or as a revelation. But I believe that forcing others to make choices is meaningless. Only by truly changing oneself can one alter a predetermined fate."

"It's a pity, but I believe Mr. Mouri has lost the opportunity to get answers through questioning. The moment I revealed the content of the divination, the deceased and the murderer should have already made up their minds and will no longer speak about their situation."

"If you want to change the fate of those two people, Mr. Mouri, you'll need to invest more time. Maybe you can talk to your old classmates, but I suggest you gain enough understanding to judge if someone is deliberately hiding something."

"Oh, right, a piece of advice for Mr. Mouri. Don't look for clues purely from a detective's perspective. Sometimes the clues you uncover might lead to fatal consequences. The only way to change someone's fate is to confront the person directly and speak clearly."

As he spoke, Ren had already packed away all the tarot cards. They vanished from his hands like a magic trick.

After giving those reminders, Ren stood up from his seat and gave a slight nod to Omura Jun, who had just made way for him.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Omura Jun finally came to his senses and subconsciously returned the gesture.

"Let's go, Ran."

"Okay. Dad, I'll come back later."

As Ren finished speaking, Ran, who had been pressing her father down into his seat, immediately followed after him.

The two of them quickly walked out of the hot spring hotel. Ran didn't speak until they were completely out of sight of the building.

"Ren… the deceased is Aunt Yumi, right?"

"Yes. Was it the sound of her heartbeat?"

"And her breathing. Aunt Yumi's pupils shrank, and she bit her lip tightly when she heard your words. The changes were subtle, but noticeable."

Ran had confirmed the deceased's identity almost instantly from the rapid heartbeat.

But what shocked her more than the deceased's identity was who the murderer was.

"The murderer is Uncle Nakamichi?"

Ren nodded slightly.

"Then… Uncle Nakamichi and Aunt Yumi have been in love for the past 18 years?"

Ran gasped in disbelief. Her tone was full of confusion.

"Does Uncle Nakamichi know about Aunt Yumi's mental illness?"

Ren shook his head gently.

"He doesn't know."

"He doesn't? They've been dating for 18 years and he still doesn't know Aunt Yumi has mental problems?"

Ran couldn't believe it.

Ren smiled faintly, holding Ran's hand.

"Ran, if something like… an almost-violation happened to you in the past, would you tell me about it?"

"Of course... I wouldn't… ah!"

Ran instinctively tried to hide her own past trauma, and her subconscious answer made her realize something.

"So Aunt Yumi has been hiding her past from Uncle Nakamichi?"

"That kind of thing is the greatest stain on any woman's life. Even if she managed to fend off the attack in the end, how could she speak of it? It's a scar. Even if it heals, it still leaves a mark."

Ren understood this far too well.

After experiencing something like that, a woman can't speak of it lightly, not without emotional baggage.

Ran couldn't help but ask:

"Then does that mean, if you help them talk it through, Aunt Yumi and Uncle Nakamichi's ending might change?"

But that hope was quickly shattered by Ren's cold response.

"It's impossible to change. The outcome has already been decided. The moment that man made up his mind to settle things once and for all, there was no hope left between them. And just now, the last bit of hope that woman had was completely shattered. She can no longer face him."

Ran was struck hard by the harsh truth in his words. But she also understood that what Ren said had doomed the two to a path of no return.

After Ran calmed down a little, Ren continued the conversation.

"For 18 years, she gave everything to the relationship. But the resentment he feels now is just as deep. Eighteen years of unreciprocated love pushed him to give up. And right after he gave up, the fiancée he'd just been engaged to for half a year received a threatening letter."

"She rejected his proposal. After he gave up on his own, his current fiancée was threatened. Whether she has a mental illness or not, that man's patience has already reached its limit."

"This isn't either of their faults. It's fate that created this situation that can no longer be undone."

From an outsider's perspective, neither the man nor the woman had done anything wrong. But the events that occurred between them led to an irreversible outcome.

"The fate of separation cannot be changed. But the fate of one dying and one being imprisoned—might still be."

(To be continued.)