Detective Conan: Becoming a Tycoon in Tokyo! [24]

“Recently, every time I come home, the furniture’s been moved around. I’ve also been getting strange photos. And those silent phone calls every day… It’s really terrifying.”

Okino Yōko explained everything to Mouri Kogoro.

When Kogoro heard that his idol was being stalked by some unknown creep, he flew into a rage.

He took the case immediately and accompanied Yōko home to investigate in secret.

Seeing her father’s hopelessly smitten expression, Ran felt uneasy. Using the excuse of wanting to see her idol’s home, she tagged along—and of course, she wasn’t about to leave Conan alone.

But the moment Okino Yōko opened her door, she let out a sharp scream.

...

“When you arrived home, this man was already dead here?”

Inspector Megure arrived soon after. He photographed the body on the floor, then began questioning Yōko and the others.

“Yes. When we came back, he was already dead,” Yōko said, still pale.

“Do any of you recognize this man?” Megure asked.

“Let me take a look first.”

Yamagishi Eiichi stepped forward, glanced at the body—and froze. His pupils shrank slightly. Distracted, he slipped on a puddle and fell right onto the corpse.

Scrambling up, he stammered, “I don’t recognize him. Yōko, you don’t know him either, right?”

Yōko nodded quickly.

“Do you have any spare keys?” Megure continued.

“Yamagishi-san has one,” Yōko admitted.

“Then the culprit must be you, Yamagishi Eiichi!” Mouri Kogoro declared, pointing dramatically.

“It’s not me!”

Yamagishi raised both hands, panicking. “I did have a spare key, but I lost it a few days ago!”

His eyes darted nervously.

He’d lost it after meeting Shōichi.

Yōko seemed to realize the same thing—her eyes suddenly sharpened.

Conan frowned, studying them both. He could tell they were hiding something important.

While investigating the apartment, Conan and the police uncovered several clues and called in fellow idol Ikezawa Yūko for questioning.

Ikezawa confessed that she’d learned lock-picking to dig up dirt on her rival, Okino Yōko. But when she broke into Yōko’s apartment, the dead man had grabbed her from behind, and she’d fought to escape.

The man’s identity was quickly confirmed—he was Yōko’s ex-boyfriend from high school.

Conan paced slowly around the room, something nagging at him.

In his child’s voice, he asked, “Yamagishi-ojisan, why didn’t you change the locks after losing the spare key? When my mom lost one, she changed them right away because she was afraid a bad person might find it.”

Kogoro froze for a moment—then lightning struck.

“I’ve got it!” he roared. “So you really are the culprit!”

He grabbed Yamagishi by the collar. “You killed him and hid the body in Miss Yōko’s home to frame her! Losing the key was just a lie, wasn’t it?”

Yamagishi struggled. “It wasn’t me!”

“Then why didn’t you tell Miss Yōko to change the lock?”

“Because I thought no one would find it—and even if they did, they wouldn’t know which apartment it belonged to!” Yamagishi blurted.

“You expect me to believe that nonsense?” Kogoro barked.

Backed into a corner, Yamagishi finally clenched his teeth. “Yōko and I noticed the key was missing only after meeting Shōichi-san. We thought he might’ve taken it, so…”

“So what if he took it? Couldn’t you just ask for it back?” Kogoro pressed.

Yamagishi hesitated, glancing nervously at Ran and Conan.

Are you sure you want me to say it in front of your daughter and her kid?

Realizing what that meant, Kogoro’s expression darkened instantly.

“The culprit must be Sumitomo Shōichi!” he bellowed. “Inspector Megure, arrest him immediately! He’s the murderer!”

Inspector Megure wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Mouri-kun, don’t let your emotions get ahead of you. Shōichi-san has no reason to commit murder in Miss Yōko’s apartment. And… why is the air conditioner turned up so high?”

“He’s definitely the culprit!” Kogoro shouted again, unwilling to back down.

Yamagishi just stood there, stunned.

Wasn’t the rumor that Mouri Kogoro was Shōichi’s lackey? Why’s he suddenly turning on his boss?

The more he thought about it, the more nervous he felt.

On the sofa, Ikezawa Yūko said quietly, “As expected from a top idol like Okino Yōko-san. Shōichi-san wanted to enter the industry, and you were his first choice. But since you rejected him—well, after this scandal, I doubt he’ll be interested anymore.”

That sent Kogoro into overdrive. “See?! There’s your motive! He must’ve lost his temper after Miss Yōko turned him down and murdered her ex-boyfriend to threaten her! And that guy even had a criminal record!”

Inspector Megure stared at him, exasperated.

Seriously, enough with the nonsense!

Miss Yotsui Reika’s case had already been solved—and by Kogoro himself! Now he wanted to overturn his own deduction and dump the blame back on Shōichi?

“Satō-keiji, please summon Shōichi-san,” Megure said wearily.

It was already getting dark. Who knew whether he’d even agree to come?

...

At Shōichi’s home—he was helping Haibara with her homework.

Haibara’s pen flew across the page—she wanted to finish as fast as possible, minimizing her time near him.

Ding-dong.

“Coming.”

“Hello, I’m Satō Miwako from the police. You’re connected to a case; please come with me to assist in the investigation,” Satō said flatly.

This man would never come in voluntarily. She’d had to come fetch him herself.

Inspector Megure truly had the patience of a saint. If Shōichi even hinted at agreeing to cooperate, they’d send an officer to his door.

“Give me a moment.”

Shōichi turned back into the living room. “Stop doing homework—our chauffeur’s here. I’ll take you out for something to eat.”

Haibara tilted her head.

The living room wasn’t far from the door—she’d clearly heard the visitor introduce herself as a police officer. When did that become a chauffeur?

At the door, Satō’s face darkened.

Since when am I your chauffeur?

After seating Haibara in the back of the police car, Shōichi said casually to Satō, “Please take us to the Beika Hotel.”

---

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!