The case seemed to have come to an end just like that.
Seeing the innocent Mr. Yamada who had been arrested, Inspector Megure walked over and took his hand. Half apologetic and half relieved, he said, "I'm terribly sorry for taking up so much of your time. But thanks to the sharp detectives—congratulations, you're free!"
Vodka: "..."
He had thought he would be happy to hear that outcome. But in reality, he silently fell into a panic. The case had been solved far too smoothly—wasn't something missing here?
When a vicious wolf abandoned prey that was practically in its jaws, it did not mean its conscience had awakened. It only meant it had found something else more capable of drawing its attention. So...
Vodka secretly glanced at Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia was smiling as he watched him. When Inspector Megure spoke, he even obligingly clapped, as though he were relieved and proud that Mr. Yamada had successfully cleared himself of suspicion.
"..." Vodka abruptly became alert. He suddenly had the urge to ask Inspector Megure to investigate for a few more days. But beneath Jiang Xia's gaze, all he could do was force out the smile an innocent person should wear after being cleared of suspicion. "...Thank you!"
Conan glanced at him, then belatedly realized: "..." The faster the case ended, the less time the police would have to interact with this Black Organization member... Damn it. If he had known, he should have ignored the case and focused on finding flaws in Vodka's behavior.
But it was too late for regrets. Conan could only bitterly commit this lesson to memory while praying that another wonderful opportunity would arise for Vodka to fall into the hands of the police.
Vodka: "...Achoo!"
He turned aside and sneezed, warily glanced at Jiang