Detective Conan: Becoming a Tycoon in Tokyo! [31]

“There’s a large amount of waterweed clutched in the victim’s hands, and mud and sand under his nails—signs he instinctively grabbed at them as he drowned,” the forensic examiner reported.

“Also, there was a heavy object tied to his waist, but his hands were free. That clearly proves it was suicide,” Forensic Examiner Nagamune concluded confidently.

As far as professionalism went, Nagamune’s was… indisputable.

“Well, since the case is solved, I’ll trouble Inspector Satō to give me a ride home,” Shōichi said, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

“Who said the case is solved?!” Satō snapped, glaring at him.

Shōichi blinked innocently. “Inspector Satō, I’ve already said this—you have to trust the expert’s opinion.”

Forensic Examiner Nagamune nodded gravely. “Exactly.”

Expert? More like expert bootlicker, Satō thought darkly.

“Inspector Megure, may I examine the body?” Kogoro asked.

Until now, only the police had viewed it up close.

“Go ahead,” Megure said, stepping aside.

Ran, Sonoko, and Conan all crowded forward, curiosity getting the better of them.

“Ahhh!”

Sonoko shrieked and threw herself into Ran’s arms, and Ran—just as terrified—hugged her back.

Haibara’s hands twitched when she saw the body. She instinctively reached for something to hold onto—only for someone to grab her first.

Startled, she looked up to see Shōichi clutching her, trembling hard.

“It’s such a gruesome dismemberment! And you dare call it suicide? Where’s your professionalism, your integrity as a forensic examiner?!” Kogoro thundered at Nagamune.

Nagamune calmly peeled off his gloves, wiped Kogoro’s spit from his cheek, and said mildly, “Mouri-san, please calm down. This is my field, and I don’t make mistakes. Trust me—just as I never doubt your deductions.”

We’re accomplices. Mutual trust is essential.

“So you’re saying that after jumping into the lake, Mr. Fujiwara dismembered himself?” Kogoro asked, dripping sarcasm.

“Yes,” Nagamune replied with complete seriousness.

Kogoro nearly laughed out of pure rage.

How could someone like this even hold a forensic license? He was talking nonsense with a straight face.

Watching the exchange, Satō’s lips curled into a cold smirk.

Mouri Kogoro and Nagamune—on normal days, both were competent enough. But the moment Shōichi was involved, they turned into a synchronized defense team.

Conan inched toward the body, trying to observe, but Nagamune promptly scooped him up. “Children shouldn’t look. You’ll have nightmares.”

“Huh? Put me down—I can walk!”

Kogoro’s expression darkened.

Seeing the state of the corpse, he silently vowed to find the real killer no matter what.

“At around noon—around twelve o’clock—where were you three? Any witnesses?” he asked.

Shōichi thought for a moment. “Twelve? I was having lunch with Yōko. Just the two of us, so she’s my alibi.”

“Yōko?”

“Okino Yōko. You know—your idol,” Shōichi said casually.

Kogoro exploded. “You had lunch with Miss Yōko? Why would she eat with you? And alone? What were you two doing?!”

Haibara muttered under her breath, “Shōichi’s her boss right now. If he wanted something, she probably wouldn’t refuse. And if you smell him, you’ll notice the perfume—it’s definitely Miss Yōko’s.”

Kogoro immediately leaned in and sniffed him.

Shōichi recoiled in disgust. Being sniffed by a scruffy middle-aged man was not part of his day plan.

But for Kogoro, the world had just collapsed. His beloved goddess—having lunch alone with this guy?!

He pointed furiously. “Inspector Megure! The culprit’s obvious! It’s Sumitomo Shōichi—he’s the murderer!”

“Calm down, Mouri-kun!” Megure grabbed his arm. “Shōichi has an alibi—Miss Yōko can vouch for him.”

If Megure hadn’t said that, Kogoro might’ve stayed semi-rational. Now he just saw red.

He glared at Shōichi’s face, handsome and infuriating, feeling as though the heavens themselves mocked him.

Nagamune frowned in confusion. What’s happening? Is he really about to betray our boss over an idol?

After a few chaotic moments, Kogoro suddenly went still. His body slackened, and he slumped against Megure.

Haibara’s eye twitched as she spotted Conan slipping behind Megure, remote watch in hand.

Unbelievable. Could you be any more obvious?

“I’ve figured out the cause of Mr. Fujiwara’s death,” said “Kogoro,” now in Conan’s calm, confident tone.

Everyone around frowned in varying degrees of disbelief.

Nagamune quietly exhaled in relief. Good—he still knew where his priorities lay. What’s an idol compared to survival?

Satō gritted her teeth. Here we go again. They’re going to whitewash him—again.

“The deceased,” ‘Kogoro’ began, “just as Forensic Examiner Nagamune stated, died from drowning in an act of suicide.”

Shōichi gave Satō a sunny, innocent look.

See? Experts. You should really stop being so biased against me.

‘Kogoro’ continued, “Just now, I had Conan ask Examiner Nagamune about the extensive abrasions all over the victim’s body. Such injuries only happen in traffic accidents.”

“But the victim wasn’t in any traffic accident,” Megure objected.

“It’s a boat,” Shōichi offered helpfully.

Satō shot him a murderous glare.

What? I was helping.

“That’s right—a boat,” ‘Kogoro’ went on. “The fractures and sharp-edged wounds were caused by a ship’s propeller.”

When ‘Kogoro’ finished, Shōichi summarized smoothly, “So, after jumping into the lake to commit suicide, the victim’s body got caught in the propeller and was shredded?”

“Exactly,” ‘Kogoro’ confirmed.

Satō clenched her jaw so hard it hurt. Once again—perfectly rational nonsense. The suicide theory stood, airtight.

And Shōichi’s smug little smile made her blood boil.

“Mr. Mouri’s deduction still has plenty of holes,” Satō snapped. “Just because the victim’s hands weren’t tied doesn’t prove it was suicide.”

“Come on, how long are we dragging this out?” Shōichi said with a sigh. “You’ve got no evidence I killed anyone, Inspector Satō. Let’s respect the principle of presumption of innocence, shall we?”

---

T/N: GAH please tell me this is another original case conan has so many episodes, and i cant find anything in season 1 that would match up to this... if we are assuming the author is following the timelinew

This is a fan translation of 柯南：我在东京当财阀 by 倒霉的菜狗. Rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!