Ran finished explaining everything in one breath. She stared expectantly at her phone, waiting for Hoshino's reply.
"Alright, I understand the situation. Ran, put Inspector Megure on the phone—I need to ask about some details."
"Okay." Ran stepped out of the crowd, approached Inspector Megure, and handed him her phone. "Inspector Megure, I told Hoshino what happened here. He wants to ask you about some details."
"Really? That's great." Inspector Megure happily took the phone and spoke loudly. "Hoshino, can you hear me? Should I send someone to pick you up?"
Conan, who had been secretly gathering clues nearby, turned and glanced at him upon hearing this.
He raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, This guy's too reckless. He's not even at the scene, yet he thinks he can crack the case based on descriptions alone? That's pushing it. Looks like he won't be able to wrap this up as quickly as usual this time. Sigh, I'll have to handle it.
But he wasn't in a hurry. He edged a little closer to Inspector Megure, ready to listen to what Kurosawa Hoshino would ask.
"Inspector Megure, I can hear you. No need to send anyone to pick me up. Just tell me about the scene around the victim and the murder weapon. Feel free to share your theories as well."
"The murder weapon was right next to the victim." Megure, holding the phone, walked to the bathroom door and stared at the scene. "The victim's wallet was open. I suspect this might have been a robbery gone wrong. There's a window behind the toilet—big enough for an adult to squeeze through and escape into the alley outside."
"Are there any footprints on the window?"
"No. The perpetrator might have wiped them clean."
"Inspector Megure, would someone who left the murder weapon at the scene really bother to wipe away footprints?"
"Uh…" Megure chuckled awkwardly. "That's a good point. If they were going to wipe anything, they might as well have taken the weapon with them."
"Any other marks on the body?"
"Yes, there are ligature marks around the neck."
"Ligature marks? I see. Inspector, check if there's any part of the murder weapon that isn't stained with blood."
"Let me take a look." Inspector Megure crouched down, studying the murder weapon that hadn't yet been bagged as evidence. After observing for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Yes—at the base of the blade, near the handle, there's no blood. It looks like something might have been tied there."
"Then that settles it. Inspector, check the third person who entered the restroom. He should be carrying something like a rope, possibly with blood on it. If you find blood, he's your killer. And keep a close eye on him—make sure he doesn't try anything."
Because the call was on speakerphone, everyone nearby could hear Kurosawa Hoshino's voice clearly.
Instantly, all eyes turned to the three men—or rather, to the tallest one among them.
"No… it wasn't me! Don't look at me! You're actually trusting someone on the phone? He wasn't even here! Don't you think this is ridiculous?" The man backed away, trying to incite those around him.
Unfortunately, every officer under Inspector Megure knew Kurosawa Hoshino's reputation. None of them dared to second-guess him.
The moment they heard the final instruction, they immediately surrounded the man, cutting off any chance of escape.
"Sir, what's your name?" Inspector Megure's expression turned serious. He had been chatting with Eri Kisaki earlier and hadn't had a chance to ask the other suspects.
"My name is… Tonoyama Juzo." Tonoyama Juzo's face began to pale.
Inspector Megure looked him up and down, his gaze finally settling on the middle finger of Tonoyama's left hand. His eyes narrowed. "Mr. Tonoyama, your middle finger is bandaged. Would you mind unwrapping it? That shouldn't be too difficult, should it?"
Tonoyama Juzo remained silent, his eyes darting around, assessing his surroundings.
But the officers had him boxed in—there was no room to move.
Seeing Inspector Megure's expression grow increasingly stern, Tonoyama Juzo let out a bitter smile. He sank to his knees and said painfully, "I confess. I killed him."
"It really was you, Hoshino-kun. You said—" Inspector Megure started to announce the good news, only to realize the call had already ended. He shook his head helplessly.
"That's great!" Ran and Sonoko cheered happily and hurried over to Eri Kisaki's side.
Ran silently resolved to cook a big meal for Kurosawa Hoshino when she got home that night.
Eri patted the two girls on the arm and said softly, "Just as you told me—he really is incredible. Even more so than the newspapers describe."
Clearly, Eri had given her approval to Kurosawa Hoshino's abilities.
Tonoyama Juzo, meanwhile, explained his motive for the murder.
The victim had been his lover. She had been pressuring him to leave his wife. Unable to bear the thought of abandoning his family and worn down by her relentless demands, he had finally given in to desperation and committed the unforgivable act.
"How is this possible…" Conan stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded.
He couldn't believe it. It wasn't that he doubted Kurosawa Hoshino's ability to solve cases—but this was different from usual. How could he be this fast?
Without even seeing the scene in person, with only a few simple descriptions—no photos, nothing—he'd solved it?
But the facts were right in front of him. No amount of doubt could change that.
Is this guy even human?
For the first time, Conan felt genuinely unsettled—and more than a little afraid of Kurosawa Hoshino.
If he had to describe it, it felt like being a normal player in a game, suddenly facing someone using cheat codes. No matter what he did, he couldn't win. He was getting one-shotted.
Meanwhile, back when he'd hung up the phone...
Second floor of the Mouri Detective Agency.
Kurosawa Hoshino hadn't expected that Ran's outing would lead to this episode from the original story—the one where she met Eri Kisaki.
Glancing at Kogoro Mouri, who was clearly eavesdropping, he chuckled. "Uncle Mouri, if you're really worried about Aunt Kisaki, why don't you just give her a call and ask?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kogoro stubbornly looked away.
But a moment later, he turned back, staring at Kurosawa Hoshino like he was some kind of monster. "Kid, aren't you a little too good at this? It's been a few minutes, and you solved a murder case over the phone. I never knew you were this sharp."
"Luck, pure luck. I just—"
"Just happened to watch a similar anime, right?" Kogoro had learned to finish that sentence himself by now.
Kurosawa Hoshino smiled. "Exactly. That's it."
"Tch. Kid never tells the truth."
With that, Kogoro unconsciously pulled out his phone. Without really thinking about it, he found Eri Kisaki's number in his contacts. He glanced at Kurosawa Hoshino lounging on the sofa.
After a moment's hesitation, he silently stood up, muttered, "Going out for a walk," and left the second floor.
Kurosawa Hoshino didn't care what Kogoro was up to. His attention was fixed on the system panel.
He was one step closer to his second superpower.
Origin Points: 11. Just nine more to go.