A Three-Way Choice, Though Late, Arrives

Tang Ze was assisting with the investigation at the second murder scene; he was present as evidence.

Due to his significant disturbance of the scene, the arriving police had to place Tang Ze back in his original position and photograph him along with the blood spatter.

"Are we done?" Tang Ze asked, holding his hands up, waiting for the officers to finish taking pictures. "Can I clean myself up now?"

"We're finished with your part. Wipe your face," Inspector Megure handed Tang Ze a clean handkerchief and then gestured wordlessly towards the door lying to the side. "Next time you use public facilities, please be mindful of handling them gently to avoid damage... Well, you've certainly had some bad luck."

Inspector Megure had seen many detectives with incident-prone physiques, but someone like Tang Ze, who in the process of simply using the restroom, managed to pull a door off its hinges and get blood splattered all over himself, was quite unusual.

Tang Ze thanked him for his concern and silently wiped away the dried bloodstains on his chin.

"Tang Ze-kun?" Ran Mouri's confused voice came from the doorway. "And Conan? Why are you guys here?"

Conan, who had been quietly hiding by Tang Ze's feet, observing the body and the murder weapon, was startled by her voice. Before he could awkwardly laugh it off, Tang Ze covered his mouth.

"I came out for coffee, and Conan-kun happened to come downstairs to ask me to read with him, so I brought him over here to look. You're at this cafe too, Ran-classmate? I didn't even notice when I came in." Tang Ze's acting skills were far superior to Conan's, and he smoothly concocted a story.

"Ah, isn't Ran-neechan here to see Shinichi-niichan?" Conan, his attention now diverted from the murder case, remembered his original reason for being there and asked knowingly, "Why isn't Shinichi-niichan here? If he were here, the case would be solved in an instant!"

"This..." Ran Mouri's expression stiffened, unsure whether to speak frankly.

"What are all these people crowding around for?" A mature, intelligent female voice came from behind them. Ran Mouri turned and saw a woman in professional attire, both capable and beautiful, walking up behind them.

She breathed a sigh of relief and broke into a joyful smile. "Mom, you're here."

"Long time no see, Ran," Eri Kisaki hugged her daughter, then turned to look at the scene in the restroom. "There's been a murder?"

Tang Ze lowered his head to look at Conan, observing his reaction.

What, Ran came to see Aunt Eri Kisaki today! So the important person they were referring to was Aunt Eri Kisaki?

Conan, completely frozen, couldn't help but shrink back behind Tang Ze. The painful memory of being severely lectured by Eri Kisaki in his childhood resurfaced, and he instantly didn't know where to put his hands and feet. His urge to investigate and ask questions had completely vanished.

Meanwhile, after a brief chat with Inspector Megure, Eri Kisaki began asking for details about the case.

"First off, the killer definitely wasn't me," Tang Ze began with this innocent declaration, then described the probable original state of the crime scene. "The victim was likely pressed tightly against the door, which is why it was unlocked but couldn't be pushed open when I found it."

"The victim is Yayoi Himeyo, 24 years old," Inspector Megure, not truly considering Tang Ze a suspect, smoothly relayed the information gathered during the investigation. "She died from a single stab wound to the heart. The killer was very decisive."

"There's a ligature mark on the neck," Conan, who had been secretly observing for a while, squatted by a police officer's feet and pointed to the victim's neck. "The killer might have first used a rope to strangle the victim unconscious, and then stabbed her with a knife."

"What a brutal method," a nearby officer exclaimed, startled.

"The victim's wallet was empty. Since it might have been a robbery, the killer probably didn't want to be seen," Inspector Megure pointed to the window behind the toilet in the stall. "I suspect the killer climbed in through here, hid in the stall, and as soon as someone pushed the door open, they subdued the person, stole their money, and fled."

"Impossible," Tang Ze said, shaking his head before Conan could speak. "I only pulled the door, and the blood splashed onto my pant legs. If the killer committed the crime like that, they would definitely have a lot of blood on them. And if they escaped through the window, the window wouldn't be without any traces."

Eri Kisaki nodded in agreement. "The killer was careless enough to leave the murder weapon behind; they wouldn't have had the time to meticulously clean the window."

"But then it doesn't make sense," Inspector Megure pointed to the door, which had been damaged by Tang Ze and was placed to the side. "The door was closed at the time, and the victim's body was blocking it. If the killer didn't leave through the window, how did they get out of the stall?"

"The answer is simple: from above," Eri Kisaki pointed to the gap above the adjacent stall.

"This gap?" Inspector Megure tilted his head back, stroking his chin. "It seems a bit too narrow. Can an adult fit through there?"

"Isn't there only one way to find out?" Eri Kisaki was about to order a police officer to try climbing through when Tang Ze went to the adjacent stall, hooked himself onto the top edge of the door, and prepared to climb up.

"You shouldn't climb up there. Let go, let go," Inspector Megure grabbed Tang Ze by the back of his collar, his heart filled with apprehension. "Don't you go pulling this one down too."

"I already told you it wasn't me who pulled it down..." Tang Ze started to argue, then sighed powerlessly and obediently stood aside to watch Inspector Megure call an officer to test it.

"It is possible to get through, but I suspect only someone of a relatively slender build could," Inspector Megure, who definitely couldn't fit, rubbed his stomach.

Tang Ze interjected, "Then, in that case, the killer isn't an outsider robber, but someone from inside, right?"

"That's right," Inspector Megure smoothly followed up, his now-smooth cerebral cortex resting comfortably.

"Inspector Megure..." Tang Ze tilted his head.

"Then quickly seal off the shop and confirm who had entered before," Eri Kisaki also reminded him.

Inspector Megure suddenly understood their meaning and waved his hand, giving orders. "Yes, detain all the customers and staff present. Is there any surveillance in the store? Confirm how many people have entered."

"So the suspects are everyone who entered the restroom after the victim went in." Through the store's surveillance footage, the potential perpetrators were quickly narrowed down. "Mr. Yuichi Ki, Mr. Jusan Tono, and Mr. Tang Ze Zhao, who discovered the body last. Please state the purpose of your visit to the store and what you did while you were here, in order."

Tang Ze glanced at the people around him and couldn't help but straighten his chest and adopt a poised stance.

Here it comes, the choose-three-out-of-one.

Although Tang Ze felt like a suspect added just to make up the numbers, he inexplicably felt a strong sense of involvement.

He intended to give the killer a hard time later and question why they would leave someone in such a precarious stall.

Being a suspect was a minor issue; getting blood on his new clothes made Tang Ze quite unhappy.