Tangze was in terrible shape.
This conclusion required no keen powers of observation.
So before answering, Conan, who had already raised a hand to block the glaring light for a while, directly reached out and dimmed the lamp in front of Tangze.
Whatever the reason, sitting here in pitch darkness and staring fiercely at such a bright light source would hurt his eyes even if it did not affect his mental state.
"Is it because of Tōru Adachi?" Conan asked bluntly.
According to Tangze, with his extraordinary near-photographic memory, there were very few things he did not remember.
The only part of his past that was currently blurry was the dreamlike yet real memory distortion caused by that wrongful conviction.
"Maybe." Tangze raised a hand and pressed hard against his forehead, murmuring softly, "I dreamed that I was lying somewhere pitch-black. It was cramped, like a coffin. I couldn't breathe. I clawed desperately at the walls around me, trying to escape..."
This was the first "symptom" he and Tooru Amuro had prepared after their discussion—a conditionally triggered claustrophobia caused by trauma.
Though the illness was fake and Tangze had not recalled any exact fragments, their guess had not come from nowhere.
It was known that something had gone wrong with Tangze's memories. The organization's primary medical equipment consisted of fully enclosed medical pods, much like the "Cocoon" device Noah's Ark had once used. During the two months he had fallen into the organization's hands, could he have experienced something similar?
Tangze believed the answer was yes.
And this description was not entirely fabricated, either.
Ever since visiting that strange room of unknown significance in the subway, Tangze had no longer always slept dreamlessly in the Velvet Room Bar. From time to time, bizarre fragments would flash back through his mind.