"Brother Yoshiki, look, there seems to be something floating in the spilled lemon tea!"
As everyone stood stunned in disbelief, Conan pointed to the puddle of liquid on the floor.
At this moment, no one scolded Conan for wandering around the scene.
Soon, a police officer used a tool to extract the floating object. After a quick inspection, he declared, "It's a capsule filled with medicine!"
"A capsule!? That means the suspect put sodium hydroxide into the capsule and dropped it into the lemon tea, waiting for it to dissolve before Sayuri drank it, causing this situation, right?!"
"It usually takes about ten minutes for a capsule to dissolve, which means the person who visited the bride within that timeframe is likely the culprit."
The officers' reasoning was sharper than usual.
After all, this involved Inspector Kiyonaga Matsumoto's daughter, and no one could afford to slack off.
Coincidentally, Sonoko and Ran had been filming with a handheld camera. From the moment Sayuri Matsumoto received her lemon tea until roughly ten minutes before the incident, every visitor had been recorded.
"The lemon tea was brought by Sayuri's friend, Ms. Kazumi Takenaka. The next visitors were Mr. Umemiya and the groom, Toshihiko Takasugi."
"The groom entered eight minutes ago. If he had dropped the capsule, it wouldn't have had time to dissolve."
"That means the only suspects are Miss Takenaka and Mr. Umemiya, right?"
The officers' minds worked quickly.
With just three suspects, they immediately ruled out the seemingly honest Toshihiko Takasugi, turning their suspicions toward Kazumi Takenaka and Umemiya, a student infatuated with the bride.
Even Conan seemed to agree—until:
"Why does sodium hydroxide need to be in a capsule? Couldn't it have been added separately?"
Hayashi Yoshiki's question made everyone freeze.
Toshihiko Takasugi, once again thrust into suspicion, looked stunned. He pointed at himself in protest. "Me? Why would I harm—"
"Ms. Takenaka brought the lemon tea but never touched it again. If she had poisoned it, she would've done so at the start."
Hayashi Yoshiki explained calmly, his expression neutral as he looked at Toshihiko.
"From a novelist's perspective," he said, "if Ms. Takenaka were the culprit, it would be too crude. Handing over poisoned tea directly? That's the same as stabbing someone. Too simple. Too dull."
"And Mr. Umemiya is similar."
"He's rather... interesting. As the footage shows, he gave Sayuri a rose and declared, 'Only I can make the teacher happy.' While this could indicate motive, a man with such self-confidence and flair wouldn't stoop to such a clumsy method."
In the crowd, Umemiya blinked.
Was this a compliment?
Conflicted, he didn't respond.
But Hayashi Yoshiki wasn't finished.
"So, we're left with you, Mr. Takasugi…"
"The groom's identity is striking. Tossing in a capsule diverts suspicion and removes himself from the equation. It adds suspense. Twists. As a character, he'd be far more compelling as the killer."
"That's hardly valid reasoning!"
Toshihiko Takasugi forced a bitter smile. "There's no evidence. Besides, why would I harm Sayuri?"
"From the state of the capsule, it was whole when it entered the drink. Which means it was prepped separately. If the culprit were you, Mr. Takasugi, you must've brought sodium hydroxide in a sealed, dry form."
The deduction puzzled Inspector Megure, but Conan immediately caught on.
"Sodium hydroxide absorbs moisture and liquefies on contact with air. What Brother Yoshiki is saying is: the killer had to carry it in a way that kept it dry."
He turned to Hayashi Yoshiki and smiled: "Is that right?"
"Exactly," Yoshiki confirmed.
Takasugi's face paled.
He truly had poisoned her.
But he hadn't expected the capsule ruse to fail—leaving him with no chance to hide the evidence still in his pocket.
An ambulance soon arrived from a nearby hospital. Sayuri Matsumoto, unconscious, was rushed away while officers watched Toshihiko Takasugi closely.
"We'll check the room. Mr. Takasugi… you won't mind if we search you?"
Faced with the weight of suspicion and the authority of the police, Toshihiko couldn't refuse.
Soon, a small vial of desiccant—traces of sodium hydroxide still inside—was recovered from his inner coat pocket.
"You bastard!!! Why would you do this to my daughter?!"
Kiyonaga Matsumoto exploded. He shoved aside officers and grabbed Takasugi by the collar.
Toshihiko suddenly smiled.
"Why are you laughing?!"
"Because I wanted you to feel what I felt!"
He glared with twisted satisfaction. "Twenty years ago, while chasing a suspect, your car's pursuit caused an accident. My mother died. Don't you remember?!"
Kiyonaga Matsumoto was stunned.
Back then, he had indeed pursued a dangerous criminal. A mother and child had been struck by the fleeing car.
"My mother was alive when it happened. If she'd been rushed to a hospital, she might have survived. But no one helped. She died. And I remember your cold, uncaring face."
"Sir, is that… true?" asked Megure.
Then a low voice. "Yes… but the criminal was extremely dangerous. If I hadn't chased him, many more might have died. I returned later, but the victims were already gone."
"I was adopted by the childless Takasugi family. Years later, I ran into Kazumi and learned Sayuri was your daughter. I couldn't suppress my rage any longer!"
"Then why didn't you just kill me? Why hurt Sayuri?!"
"Because your pain wouldn't be real unless you lost someone too!"
"But wasn't it the criminal who caused your mother's death?"
This time, Hayashi Yoshiki asked, genuinely confused.
Toshihiko's face faltered.
"What do you know!? If it weren't for him—!"
"You're just blaming others for your own grief."
Hayashi Yoshiki's calm voice was striking.
"You didn't seek justice from the criminal. You turned your hate to the officer who couldn't save your mother. I might understand if you went after Mr. Matsumoto out of grief—but targeting innocent people? That's not justice."
Toshihiko was speechless.
He opened his mouth but found no retort.
"...Anyway, that foolish woman probably only loved me for the Takasugi fortune—"
A fierce sound echoed.
Kazumi Takenaka stood before him, red-eyed. "You idiot. You don't understand anything!"
"Sayuri knew everything! The accident, your past… everything!"
"Impossible… If she knew, why would she marry me?!"
"Because she forgave you, you fool! Haven't you figured it out yet? Even after she suspected the lemon tea was poisoned, she drank it."
Her voice trembled. "She told me her first love was a boy who loved lemon tea. After meeting you, she kept saying you reminded her of him. So I investigated your background. She knew everything, and still… she wanted to marry you!"
Hayashi Yoshiki calmly added, "Maybe she even saw you poison it, and still drank it—to atone, or seek your forgiveness."
Toshihiko's thoughts spiraled.
Her hesitation… her kiss… It all made sense.
"She's stable and will recover. She might forgive you," said Hayashi, before pausing.
"Some things, once done, can never be undone."
"Even if she forgives you, every time you see her smile—can you truly forget that she once lay bleeding because of you?"
As panic and guilt overtook him, he collapsed mentally.
Ran whispered, seeing his calm expression. He turned and gave her a gentle smile.
Moments later, an officer rushed in: "Ms. Matsumoto is safe! She'll recover after some rest!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
As Toshihiko was taken away in handcuffs, Hayashi Yoshiki stepped outside and took out his phone.
Hayashi Yoshiki: "Okay, it's solved."
Seconds later, another message:
Hayashi Yoshiki: "It was a bit complicated, the guy had a lot to say."
Gin: "Was this one of your cases?"
Hayashi Yoshiki narrowed his eyes, then received another message.
Gin: "What day is tomorrow?"
Hayashi Yoshiki: "June 19."
Gin: "And the day after?"
Hayashi Yoshiki: "So you guys really do care about me, huh? You're concerned, Gin?"
He avoided answering directly, but the implication was clear.
Gin had been checking on his psychotherapy sessions—and didn't deny it.
But still… is this guy Cointreau seriously unstable?
Gin: "Is that psychiatrist reliable?"
Hayashi Yoshiki: "Why? Do you need therapy too?"
Gin, who could shoot people point-blank without blinking, felt his blood pressure spike.
Gin: "I'll arrange another doctor for you."
He put away his phone, unwilling to continue the conversation