Options system in my brain: Detective Conan

"Mr. Tsukino, you should have woken up halfway through. Did you notice anything at that moment?"

Nakamori Ginzo continued questioning.

He then saw an increasingly confused expression on Tsukino Takashi's face.

After thinking carefully for a moment, Tsukino Takashi said:

"It seems like someone forced me to drink water or something like that.

But my memory is very vague, and I'm not sure if it was real or just a dream."

Hearing this, Nakamori Ginzo showed a slightly disappointed expression.

Originally, he had hoped that Tsukino Takashi could directly identify the culprit or reveal some critical clues.

Now it seemed that his expectations had been too high.

---

"What happened to me?"

Tsukino Takashi asked.

"Mr. Tsukino, you were knocked unconscious and then tied up in the Scarlet Shadow Heart collection room.

The perpetrator who tied you up also stole the gems from that room."

"The gem was stolen?!"

When Tsukino Takashi heard this, he almost jumped out of bed.

Still connected to the IV drip, his sudden movement caused the bottle on the stand to shake.

"We came here to confirm with you, Mr. Tsukino, whether you have any clues about the culprit."

---

The shock from earlier left Tsukino Takashi's already pale face even paler.

After thinking for a moment, he stammered a name:

"Kai... Kaitou Kid."

"Anyone besides Kaitou Kid?"

Sera Masumi asked.

"From the surveillance video this morning, we deduced that the person who kidnapped you knew how to open the display case holding the Scarlet Shadow Heart.

It only took them one or two minutes to steal the Feiying Heart.

Not many people would know how to unlock that display case, so we believe you might have an idea about the culprit, Mr. Tsukino."

---

"This..."

Tsukino Takashi thought again.

Seeing his hesitation and reluctance to speak, Sera Masumi decided to press further.

"Mr. Tsukino, you've been unconscious since yesterday morning.

This means the person who attended the rehearsal at Tokyo Big Sight on your behalf yesterday morning wasn't actually you, correct?"

"Eh?!"

Hearing Sera Masumi's words, Tsukino Takashi froze instantly.

He stared at Sera Masumi with wide eyes.

"Someone impersonated me and attended the rehearsal yesterday?!"

"Yes. According to the guests present, that person claimed to be wearing a mask due to a cold brought on by overwork related to Kaitou Kid.

None of the guests noticed anything suspicious about the person posing as you yesterday.

After ruling out Kaitou Kid's disguise, we deduced that the person must closely resemble you in both appearance and build, Mr. Tsukino.

Does anyone come to mind who fits that description?"

---

Sera Masumi's words struck Tsukino Takashi like thunder in his ears.

His body began trembling violently, and an extremely frightened expression appeared on his pale face.

If it wasn't Kaitou Kid in disguise, there was only one person who matched Sera Masumi's description—

"Masayuki... No, how is this possible?!"

Tsukino Takashi stammered.

---

Hearing Tsukino Takashi utter his brother's name with trembling lips, Nakamori Ginzo felt relieved.

It was better for Tsukino Takashi to realize the truth on his own.

This also confirmed that Nakamori Ginzo's judgment had been correct from the beginning.

---

At the same time, another question arose in Nakamori Ginzo and Sera Masumi's minds:

What use would Tsukino Takashi's younger brother, Tsukino Masayuki, have for stealing this gem?

Didn't all these items belong to the Tsukino Foundation?

---

Nakamori Ginzo and Sera Masumi speculated that Masayuki might have been motivated by a desire to claim the heir's position within the Tsukino Consortium.

However, they found it difficult to imagine how a single gem could hold so much power.

---

Suddenly, they heard Tsukino Takashi anxiously ask:

"What time is it now?"

"Nine thirty-four."

"There's less than an hour and a half before the exhibition begins. We must recover the gems before then!"

Tsukino Takashi said.

"The fact that the gems were stolen must not be leaked before the project is launched.

Also, it's not yet certain that Masayuki stole the gem, so please avoid spreading baseless rumors.

Otherwise, the reputation of the Tsukino Consortium will suffer greatly!"

Tsukino Takashi pleaded solemnly.

---

Sera Masumi had no interest in Tsukino Takashi's family affairs. She was only a detective helping to capture Kaitou Kid.

As for arresting and prosecuting Masayuki Tsukino for crimes such as theft, kidnapping, and intentional injury, that was Nakamori Ginzo's responsibility.

Crimes among relatives, even if forgiven, were at best only resolved civilly.

Criminal liability could not be waived.

The final outcome would depend on Nakamori Ginzo's judgment as a police officer and the influence of the Tsukino Consortium.

---

'However, Mr. Tsukino doesn't seem to be thinking clearly right now.

Since he's asking Officer Nakamori to recover the gems, it's hard to avoid criminal charges.'

Sera Masumi thought to herself.

---

Nakamori Ginzo didn't remind Tsukino Takashi to contact his brother privately and negotiate the return of the gems.

Instead, he directly called Inspector Megure Juzo from the First Investigation Division to report the situation.

Serious crimes such as theft, kidnapping, and injury fell under the jurisdiction of the First Investigation Division.

Thus, Nakamori Ginzo handed the case over to Megure Juzo, who was more experienced in handling such matters.

---

Sera Masumi found an excuse to leave the room and reported the situation to Conan, who was staying at the exhibition venue.

"As expected, our deductions weren't wrong."

After hearing this, Conan spoke in a serious tone.

"One thing that worries me more is what kind of power this gem holds to make siblings turn on each other."

---

"Hmm..."

Conan murmured, suddenly recalling a case involving Kaitou Kid and the "Super Saiyan" Kyogoku Makoto in Singapore.

"Although it sounds incredible, some of the gems targeted by Kaitou Kid in the past possessed powers that attracted countless pirates.

Given our current knowledge, it might be hard to comprehend such phenomena.

But it seems the value attributed to the gem is far greater than the gem itself."

(End of Chapter)