Chapter Twenty-Six: As It Happens, I’m a Detective

*Crack!*

Sonoko, hiding in the corner to eavesdrop, felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck her down. Her excited heart shattered into two. Before she even had the chance to confess her feelings, she had already suffered the heartbreak of rejection. She felt like writing the word "MISERABLE" in giant letters on the wall!

Ran Mouri, noticing Sonoko staggering back with a look of utter hopelessness, asked with concern, "Sonoko... Sonoko, are you alright?"

*Crunch, crunch...*

Sonoko silently shook her head, tore the packaging off a chocolate bar, and devoured the carefully prepared treat in a few quick bites.

Haruaki Suzuki sighed helplessly and handed her a cup of tea. "Drink some tea; don't choke."

While his second sister could be a bit of a romantic fool, she had one saving grace: she didn't throw tantrums after heartbreak—she just ate her fill and moved on. Even so, Haruaki felt a flicker of annoyance, suddenly losing his desire to save Katsuhiko Minagawa.

"Katsuhiko, there's something I need to tell you," Yoshimi Watanabe said, approaching Katsuhiko as he returned. She pulled him aside to whisper in his ear.

Seeing this, Miya Fujiwara’s expression shifted slightly. She stood up, walked into the kitchen, and quietly closed the door behind her. Opening the top cabinet, she retrieved a small vial filled with a transparent liquid and hurried over to the teapot filled with hot coffee.

"Auntie, what are you doing?" Just as Miya was about to pour the poison into the coffee, a crisp voice came from behind her.

Guilt-stricken, Miya shuddered, and the vial slipped from her hand, clattering onto the floor. She spun around, terrified, only to find Haruaki Suzuki standing alone at the kitchen doorway. She let out a sigh of relief. Suppressing her panic, she forced a smile and asked in a gentle tone, "Little boy, is there something you need?"

Haruaki did not answer. He looked her straight in the eyes until she nervously looked away, then said meaningfully, "I don't know why you want to poison someone, but I advise you not to do it. Otherwise, you will surely end up in prison."

"Li... little boy, what... what are you talking about? Auntie doesn't understand." Miya’s face paled, and she stubbornly played dumb.

"Your method of poisoning is far too obvious. You couldn't even fool a child like me, let alone the police."

Haruaki didn't intend to argue. He simply warned her, "If you don't want young A-Jin to grow up motherless and turn into the next Katsuhiko Minagawa, I suggest you abandon these murderous thoughts."

*Thump.*

Haruaki’s final words were like a sharp blade, piercing Miya’s psychological defenses and causing her to sink to her knees involuntarily.

In truth, Miya was not Katsuhiko’s stepmother, but his aunt. When his parents were still alive, Katsuhiko had been as adorable as A-Jin. Sadly, after his parents died in a car accident years ago, he had become self-destructive and his personality had turned increasingly cruel. He showed no respect for the aunt who had taken him in, treating her like a servant. Recently, when her husband’s company ran into trouble, she had asked Katsuhiko to loan them money from his inheritance, only to be heartlessly refused.

That was why she had contemplated murder. With Katsuhiko gone, she would naturally inherit the fortune left by her brother and sister-in-law, allowing her to save her husband's business.

However, Haruaki’s words had shattered her fantasies, leaving her trembling with fear. If she were arrested for murder, what would happen to young A-Jin? Would he grow up as moody and self-loathing as Katsuhiko?

"Who... who exactly are you?" Miya asked, her body trembling. Her eyes reflected both fear and curiosity. A child who could dismantle her resolve with only a few sentences was clearly no ordinary boy.

"I’m a detective," Haruaki said, raising an eyebrow. He left her with an enigmatic silhouette as he turned and walked out of the kitchen.

"A detective?"

Miya stared at his retreating back, stunned for a long moment. Finally coming to her senses, she hurriedly tossed the vial of poison into the trash. If her carefully crafted murder plan couldn't even fool a child, what was the point?

Moreover, thoroughly shaken by Haruaki, she no longer had any desire to kill. If she were caught, and her husband found a stepmother for A-Jin who moved into her house and mistreated her child, wouldn't she be furious enough to die of rage?

Meanwhile, Katsuhiko, who had been eating chocolate, suddenly collapsed on the floor in agony. Yoshimi, standing nearby, panicked. "Katsuhiko! Katsuhiko, what’s wrong? Don't scare me like this!"

*Tap, tap, tap...*

Conan noticed the commotion and was the first to reach Katsuhiko’s side. He checked the man's pulse, his expression changing instantly. He turned and shouted to Ran, "Ran-neechan, call the police! He’s dead!"

"What?!"

*Crash.*

Miya, who had just stepped out of the kitchen with a coffee cup, froze in place, letting the cup shatter on the floor. She had only just abandoned her plan to kill, yet Katsuhiko was already dead. She didn't know whether to be happy or heartbroken. Rationally, she should have felt relief, yet a strange, lingering sorrow weighed on her heart.

*Wee-woo, wee-woo!*

Soon, the shrill sound of sirens filled the air. A group of officers rushed in, led by the stout Inspector Megure.

"Seal off the scene! Begin the investigation!"

Following Megure’s command, the officers scattered, taking photos and searching the area.

"Inspector, we found a bottle containing a suspicious liquid in the kitchen trash. It appears to be pesticide."

Not long after, a middle-aged officer approached Megure holding an evidence bag. Inside was the very same vial Miya had discarded.