Multiple choice system: Conan World

"Reverse the flow of time and bring the dead back to life..."

After Conan heard Kunio Koizumi's words, the calm expression on his face instantly crumbled.

This was, in fact, the purpose of that organization.

But what had happened to Kunio Koizumi this time gave him an intense sense of déjà vu.

---

"It's so similar... It's so similar..."

Conan murmured to himself repeatedly.

He had encountered a similar case before.

---

Itakura Taku.

A name that had been buried deep within Conan's memory suddenly resurfaced.

What happened to Taku Itakura had, in essence, happened again to Kunio Furuzumi and Ryo Kawasaki.

---

Previously, when Conan learned about Itakura Taku's dealings with the organization, he had devised a plan to use fake software to track them.

However, "Gin" had immediately seen through Conan's plan, nearly exposing him.

That incident was undoubtedly one of the most thrilling clashes between Conan and the organization, whose key members bore the names of alcoholic beverages.

Conan remembered it vividly.

---

"Kid, what's wrong?"

Sera Masumi noticed Conan's sudden change in mood and asked in a serious tone.

She had a hunch that there was much more to this case than met the eye.

---

Conan didn't respond to Sera Masumi but instead looked at Kunio Koizumi and asked,

"Mr. Koizumi, have you ever heard the name 'Itakura Taku'?"

When Kunio Koizumi heard Conan's question, his expression shifted to one of extreme surprise.

---

"Of course, I knew him. Although Mr. Itakura was much younger than Ryo Kawasaki and me, his skills were far superior to ours.

He was also a frequent client here, but unfortunately, he passed away young..."

"Why do you ask? How do you know his name?"

---

"I'm afraid the software the organization entrusted you and Mr. Kawasaki to develop is of the same type as what they once asked Mr. Itakura to create," Conan said.

He recalled that when he first came into contact with Tequila, a member of the organization, Tequila's purpose at the time was to obtain a list of prominent software engineers in the industry.

Clearly, the software developed by Taku Itakura was only the central component.

The remaining parts had been distributed to other software engineers.

Kunio Koizumi and Ryo Kawasaki were likely the programmers targeted by the organization.

---

"What?! Mr. Itakura also received the same commission from them?!"

Kunio Koizumi was once again stunned by Conan's words.

This time, however, Conan was lost in thought.

---

'The person who tasked Mr. Koizumi with developing the software this time must undoubtedly be Vermouth, a member of the organization,' Conan thought.

He then continued his questioning.

---

"Mr. Koizumi, do you know the specific functions of the software the organization asked you to develop?"

As expected, Kunio Koizumi shook his head.

"Mr. Kawasaki and I were only responsible for parts of the software's functionality. I don't know its specific purpose or overall design."

---

Conan nodded, unsurprised by Koizumi's response.

Sera Masumi, who had been listening, began to piece together an understanding of the software.

She interjected into the conversation between Conan and Koizumi.

---

"This development commission was completed by you and Mr. Kawasaki, but there's only one computer in this room.

So, the other computer must have been taken when Mr. Kawasaki was killed, right?"

"That's correct... All the computers used for development were provided by them," Koizumi said, looking at Sera Masumi in astonishment.

Once again, he was surprised by her sharp intuition.

---

"Excuse me, do you know the scheduled time and location for the delivery after the deadline is reached?"

Sera Masumi asked again.

She was keenly aware of something critical: since the computers were provided by the organization and were taken after Ryo Kawasaki's death, they likely wouldn't rely on remote transfers.

They wanted the entire computer.

---

'This is an opportunity!'

Sera Masumi realized she might have a chance to directly contact members of the mysterious organization.

---

"The only thing I know is that it's set for early tomorrow morning. The woman said she would inform me of the delivery location through the phone in my room. I just need to bring my computer there," Koizumi replied.

Sera Masumi and Conan concluded their questioning and left the room.

---

"Miss Sera, what are you planning to do?"

After leaving the room, Conan turned to Sera Masumi and asked directly.

He could tell she had the same idea he once had.

---

"Kid, don't you think this is a rare opportunity? There aren't many chances to know exactly when and where the people from that organization will show up," Sera said.

"This is way too dangerous! And there are a lot of police officers here today. We can't guarantee the organization will appear as planned!" Conan protested.

---

"Yes, but when they killed Mr. Kawasaki, they must have anticipated the police's presence," Sera said confidently.

"Assuming there wasn't a dismemberment case, the police would naturally confirm Mr. Koizumi's innocence through surveillance and an alibi investigation.

Even if they didn't find the real culprit, the police couldn't detain Mr. Koizumi without solid evidence for more than 24 hours.

That's why they scheduled the software delivery for early tomorrow morning—two days after killing Mr. Kawasaki.

At that time, Mr. Koizumi would be able to deliver the software as expected."

---

After hearing Sera Masumi's reasoning, Conan had to admit it made sense.

Ryo Kawasaki had likely been killed because he had finished the task assigned by the organization.

The rest was now Koizumi Kunio's responsibility.

---

"But because of the dismemberment case, the police's arrival at Kosen-an was delayed from last night to this morning," Sera added.

"Outsiders don't know what's happened here, so, in the organization's eyes, Mr. Koizumi must have delayed calling the police until this morning to continue developing the software.

That way, their plans would proceed as intended."

---

"When they call tomorrow morning, we'll use a voice changer to make them believe Mr. Koizumi is still in the hotel.

Then we'll know the time and place of the transaction."

---

"What if they've been monitoring Kosen-an and discover the police have taken Mr. Koizumi?" Conan asked.

"That would make it even easier," Sera replied.

"If Mr. Koizumi can't complete the transaction, their only option is to sneak back into the temple and steal the computer."

--

(End of the Chapter)