Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Bloody Valentine’s Day (Please support and vote)

“Is that so?”
Detective Megure took the evidence bag and then turned to Ran Mouri, asking, “Ran, did any of you go into the kitchen?”

“Hmm…”
Ran thought for a moment and said, “Detective Megure, if I remember correctly, it seemed only Mr. Minagawa’s mother went into the kitchen earlier.”

“That’s not right! Sister Ran is mistaken.”
Harumi Suzuki tugged at Detective Megure’s sleeve, earnestly contradicting him. “Officer, I also went into the kitchen just now.”

*Ding!* “Congratulations on signing in, Detective Megure. You have been awarded 3 strength points, redeemable at any time.”

At the moment Harumi touched Detective Megure, a system notification rang in his mind.

Seeing Harumi’s earnest and adorable expression, Detective Megure couldn’t help but chuckle softly. He crouched down and gently asked, “Little brother, did you see anything in the kitchen just now?”

In a childish voice, Harumi replied, “I saw Auntie trying to pour something from that bottle into the coffee she was making for us. But she didn’t actually pour it—she threw the bottle into the trash instead.”

“What did you say?!”
Detective Megure’s face suddenly darkened. He turned sharply to Miya Fujiwara and asked seriously, “Mrs. Fujiwara, is what the little boy said true?”

“Th-this…”
Under Detective Megure’s intense gaze, Miya Fujiwara instinctively took a half step back, forcing a bitter smile. “The little boy is right. At first, I did intend to poison him, but I changed my mind. Katsuhiro’s death really has nothing to do with me!”

“Mrs. Fujiwara, you are the prime suspect now. Please come with us to the police station to assist with the investigation.”
“I… I understand.” Miya Fujiwara nodded helplessly.

“No! The culprit can’t be Mrs. Fujiwara. If she were truly the murderer, she wouldn’t have just casually thrown the bottle containing poison into the trash.”

Conan shook his head silently, recalling the events carefully. Suddenly, a scene flashed through his mind.

When Harumi entered the kitchen earlier, Katsuhiro Minagawa had just finished his cigarette, and Mr. Naomichi had voluntarily handed his own cigarette to him.

Conan tugged on Detective Megure’s sleeve and feigned curiosity, asking, “Detective Megure, were there any cigarette butts found at the scene?”

“That’s right! Cigarettes can also be a means of poisoning.” Detective Megure suddenly realized, enlightened by Conan’s reminder.

Sonoko Suzuki excitedly added, “Detective Megure, I just saw that when Mr. Minagawa finished his cigarette, Mr. Naomichi gave him one of his own.”

“Naomichi… Naomichi, could it really have been you?” Toshihide Wakamatsu’s face was full of disbelief.

“That’s right! It was me! That bastard Katsuhiro has been a scoundrel for a long time. I hated him because he always bullied me in front of Ako.”

Naomichi clenched his fists, roaring fiercely, “If he had only bullied me, I might have let it go. But he dared to hurt Ako, and I couldn’t tolerate it anymore. So I poisoned his cigarette.”

*Exhale...*
Harumi Suzuki sighed. Fate’s punishments may be forgiven, but self-inflicted harm is unforgivable.

You can’t bully an honest person easily—if they don’t explode in silence, they perish silently.

Katsuhiro Minagawa’s character was too vile, and he had offended too many people. Even if Harumi wanted to save him, it was ultimately impossible.

Of course, Harumi didn’t blame himself; he had tried his best to save him. When it was impossible, there was nothing else to do.

After Detective Megure and his team took Mr. Naomichi away, Ran and the others felt it was best to leave, so they bade farewell to Harumi and Conan and departed.

What ought to have been a romantic Valentine’s Day had been stained with a touch of blood.

…

Teitan Elementary School, First Grade, Class B

*Ding ding ding…*

As the dismissal bell rang, the children burst out of the classroom, except for the members of the Junior Detective League who stayed behind.

Genta lay on his desk, listless. “Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, don’t you feel like it’s been pretty quiet lately?”

“No clients have come to us recently, so the Junior Detective League can’t take on any cases.”

“It’s really boring~”

Hearing the trio’s complaints, Conan silently scoffed, “Of course. If clients came so easily, being a detective wouldn’t be so hard.”

“All right, everyone, don’t be too discouraged. It’s also a good thing if no cases happen, right?”

Harumi Suzuki comforted the three kids and then placed a box of animal-shaped chocolates in front of them. “These chocolates were handmade by Sister Tamahana. Would you like to try some?”

*So delicious!*

“Wow, such cute chocolates!”

“Mmm~ so tasty, Sister Tamahana’s skills are really amazing!”

“Sometimes I really envy Harumi. He gets to eat Sister Tamahana’s cooking every day. It’s so lucky.”

Seeing the treats, the three kids forgot their complaints and happily enjoyed the delicious chocolates.

“Kids will be kids—so easily appeased.” Conan shook his head in exasperation but honestly picked up a piece of chocolate and popped it into his mouth.

(✪ω✪)

The moment the chocolate melted in Conan’s mouth, a rich milky aroma exploded, mingling with the smooth texture of the chocolate—simply divine!

“Um… excuse me… Are you the Junior Detective League? I have something I’d like to ask for your help with.”

Just as Conan and the others were happily eating chocolate, a somewhat timid voice came from the doorway.

Harumi and the others looked toward the sound and saw a small boy in overalls standing at the door, his chubby lips making him look particularly funny.

Genta, excited at the prospect of a client, swallowed his chocolate and hurried to the boy, asking eagerly, “You’re Hiroki from the next class, right? What do you want to ask us? Is it a murder case?”

Ayumi looked hopeful. “Or maybe a fraud case?”

Mitsuhiko didn’t want to be outdone and joined in, “It must be a parental infidelity investigation!”

╮(╯▽╰)╭

Harumi and Conan exchanged glances, both filled with helplessness.

“Can’t you guys hope for something a bit more realistic?”

“It’s not that! It’s our Akira. He disappeared suddenly last night. I want you to help find him.”

“A missing person case!” The trio was startled, then full of energy asked, “What does the kid look like?”