"Hosono! Hosono!"
"Hosono fell into the river!"
The amusement park staff member's shout stopped Ran from scolding Conan, and Little Ai also looked toward the riverbank. Guchuan stared at the Bow Tie around Conan's neck, greed flashing in his eyes.
"This trip to the amusement park might be over before it even begins," Guchuan said to Little Ai.
There had been casualties, so the amusement park would definitely close for the day. Guchuan had genuinely planned to spend the whole day having fun. It was all because of the grim reaper following them around.
Conan failed to notice Guchuan's disdainful look and broke free from Ran's hand, running toward the riverbank.
Someone by the river had been filming continuously with a camera, yet no staff came out to stop them.
Masked Superman had fallen into the river during a high-altitude bungee jump performance. Twenty minutes had already passed, and he still had not been found.
"Should we go back?" Little Ai asked.
"You need to have more social responsibility," Guchuan said accusingly as he looked at Little Ai.
Little Ai: ???
Social responsibility? Was that really appropriate coming from him?
"Then what do you want to do?"
"This definitely wasn't an accident. It was a premeditated murder. I'll find the real killer and clear the victim's name." Guchuan displayed extraordinary virtue.
Little Ai felt certain Guchuan had some ulterior motive.
"Big Brother Guchuan, you also think this wasn't an accident?" Conan said as he came over to Guchuan.
"Of course." Guchuan nodded.
With Conan around, there were no accidents.
"Big Brother Guchuan, look over there. There are scorch marks on the inside of the rubber cord. This is unquestionably a murder case." Conan pointed at the bungee cord tied around the victim's ankles.
Ran called Inspector Megure, and the police soon arrived at the scene.
Inspector Megure examined the scorched rubber cord and gathered the relevant people together.
"The victim was Yuta Hosono, twenty-eight years old. He was the founder of the HO Joint Troupe. This time, he died when the bungee cord snapped while he was playing the role of Masked Superman." Takagi introduced the victim while holding a sheet of paper.
Inspector Megure nodded.
"You were the one who tied the rubber cord around the victim's feet at the time of the incident, weren't you?" Inspector Megure asked a man wearing a red cap.
"That's right. I'm always the one who handles that job."
"Did the rubber cord seem unusual at the time?" Inspector Megure asked.
"If it had, why would I have let him jump?" the man in the red cap said.
"Wasn't Hosono's death an accident? If so, why have you gathered us all together?" Okubo asked.
Okubo was the actor who had played the villain onstage earlier.
"No, this was clearly a murder case! And the killer is among these people!" Kogoro Mouri, who had arrived with the police, declared.
"I'd wager one of them must have held a grudge against Mr. Hosono. Isn't that right, Mr. Tajima?"
"I saw Okubo have a huge argument with Hosono over the troupe's operations," Tajima said.
"Huh? Didn't you also argue with Hosono before because you borrowed money and never paid it back?" Okubo immediately pointed out Tajima's conflict with Hosono.
"There was nothing between us. Oh, right, Kanako, weren't you always troubled because Hosono wanted to date you?" Tajima continued exposing other people's conflicts with Hosono.
Guchuan watched their mutual accusations with great interest. It was his first time encountering a scene like this, and it was rather entertaining.
Okubo, the actor who played the villain in the Masked Superman show, had a conflict with the victim over business matters.
Tajima, the man who tied the bungee cord, had a conflict with the victim over borrowed money.
Kanako, the actress who played the princess in the show, had a conflict with him over romantic matters.
A-She was dissatisfied with always being treated like an underling.
Only one person had no dispute with the victim.
Guchuan stroked his chin. Four people had motives—what a luxurious one-in-five choice. If he wanted to survive in the grim reaper's world, maintaining good relationships was far too important.
"I can determine right now that the murderer who killed Hosono is Mr. Tajima!" Kogoro Mouri confidently pointed at Tajima.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Tajima shot to his feet in agitation.
"This rubber cord snapped because it was scorched. The only person who could have tampered with it from the inside was you."
Listening to Kogoro Mouri's analysis, Conan curled his lip and walked over to Guchuan.
"Big Brother Guchuan, who do you think the killer is?"
"It's that A-She," Guchuan said casually.
"What!" Conan cried out in surprise.
He had investigated so many places and only identified the killer after careful thought. Guchuan clearly had done nothing, so how had he learned the killer's identity?
Conan treated Guchuan like a formidable enemy. Guchuan's deductive ability was no less than his own.
Having lost all desire to show off, Conan took out the videotape he had borrowed from a tourist.
"This is a videotape I borrowed from a tourist. Everyone, please watch the footage from that time."
Conan handed the videotape to Inspector Megure, then fired a Hypnotic Needle into Kogoro Mouri's neck.
With a flashy turn, Kogoro Mouri sat down in a chair. Conan then removed the Bow Tie from his clothes and began speaking in Kogoro Mouri's voice.
"I already know who the real killer is."
"Huh? Then Tajima isn't the real killer?" Inspector Megure asked as he looked at the sleeping Kogoro Mouri.
"I told you, I'm not the murderer!"
"Before I reveal the killer's identity, everyone should tell us about your alibis..."
"Conan, what are you doing hiding behind the table by yourself?" Guchuan hauled Conan, who was crouching behind the table, out into the open. Little Ai gave Conan a meaningful look.
Then, when she looked at Guchuan, there was a hint of worry in her eyes.
Could Guchuan have noticed something strange about Conan?
If Guchuan knew Conan's secret, then wouldn't she also...
Damn Shinichi Kudo. He was a reckless idiot who had no idea how much trouble his actions could cause!
"Big Brother Guchuan?!"
Conan, having been dragged out, was so nervous that his mind nearly went blank.
He had done this several times already. Why had Guchuan caught him this time?
"My Bow Tie fell on the floor. I was just picking it up," Conan said with a smile.
"Is that so?" Guchuan gave Conan a faintly amused look.
Conan instantly felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles.
This brief interruption did not draw much attention from the people present, and everyone continued explaining their alibis.
As they spoke, everyone began arguing again under Tajima's instigation.
"All right, all right, everyone calm down and listen to what Brother Mouri has to say," Inspector Megure said.
Hearing Inspector Megure's words, everyone turned their eyes toward Kogoro Mouri, whose back was facing them.
One second, two seconds, three seconds... Kogoro Mouri remained silent.
Conan stood beside Guchuan, his heart pounding rapidly.
Before you continue