Masutaka Shirokuchi adjusted his expression, washed his face, and calmed down for a while before leaving the restroom and returning to the reception room.
His villa was quite spacious, and he had deliberately chosen a more distant restroom precisely so he could compose himself.
This villa was the most direct proof of his status and income, and it had always been the part he was proudest to show guests. Yet today, as he walked through its glittering halls, he felt an inexplicable irritation, as though the long corridor would never end.
The detectives' discussion still lingered in his mind.
Should he really go and experience a murder scene for himself?
Yusaku Kudo was not a full-time detective. He had only displayed extraordinary deductive skills in several cases he happened to encounter, earning the respect of people in criminal investigation rather than being dismissed as a novelist who only theorized on paper.
It was almost impossible to replicate that path. Masutaka Shirokuchi, who had lived in seclusion for a long time after becoming a writer, believed even more firmly that he could never adapt to an actual criminal investigation scene.
He could start with the police instead. Being able to establish a connection with Mori Kogoro today was a fairly good beginning.
Akechi Goro was out of the question. Though he too had a good relationship with the police and was a detective widely praised by others, the very sight of him filled Masutaka Shirokuchi with an uncontrollable revulsion and dislike.
Perhaps it had something to do with that excessively youthful face. At an age when many people had not even entered society yet, this young man had already gained mainstream recognition and achieved far too much conventional success. That face of his also drew countless admirers of the opposite sex.