"So, Akechi, you came to Tokyo Tower tonight to carry out a commission. Then when did you return to Tokyo Tower, and when did you stay inside the tower?"
"Probably a little later than the others. I received a phone call related to the commission in the afternoon, so I came to a nearby park. As for entering Tokyo Tower and staying until late, that was because I saw someone familiar."
"Someone familiar? Specifically?"
"Um, to be more specific, it was Miss Ran Mouri and the others, who are giving statements over there..."
"On Tanabata, seeing other young people here hardly seems like something worth waiting until closing time for, does it?"
"How should I put it? It actually has nothing to do with my own commission, but it concerns Mori Detective..."
Conan leaned against Ran Mouri's leg, staring down at the pebbles and dust by his toes. He listened absentmindedly to Akechi Goro's obvious nonsense while turning over some complicated thoughts in his mind.
Just as he had expected, Tōru Adachi really was that suspicious person.
Yet that truth changed nothing. If anything, it seemed to confirm something even worse.
A psychologist who exploited human nature, The Organization's infiltration and corruption of the police... What role had the police actually played in this case involving Tangze, a case that was not complicated in the slightest...?
From what he had gathered from Akechi Goro's scattered remarks, Irish had not necessarily needed Tōru Adachi.
Any police officer whose full records and personal safety had fallen into The Organization's control could have been replaced. Completely erasing the original person and taking their place might even have been safer than pushing Tōru Adachi into the investigation team.
Tōru Adachi himself was merely a byproduct of The Organization's internal scheming, not even worthy of