For the first time in his life, Hattori Heiji experienced genuine frustration.
It turns out... Hayashi Yoshiki never even considered him a rival.
He looked over at Hayashi, who had been smiling calmly throughout the entire process—never truly concerned with the murder case. In that moment, Heiji realized the gap between them.
That unwillingness to admit defeat smoldered in his chest, but just as he was about to speak to Hayashi—
"How's the case going?!"
—an unexpected figure burst into the study.
Having been sent away to rest earlier than in the original timeline, he hadn't yet understood the trap laid by Tsujimura Kimie.
Ran Mouri looked at him, stunned.
There he stood, pale and drenched in cold sweat, gripping the doorframe to steady himself. He looked like he could collapse at any second.
Inspector Megure, though surprised, was glad to see an old acquaintance.
"As for the case, Tsujimura Kimie has already confessed. We're preparing to bring her in for questioning now."
Shinichi's expression sharpened.
He glanced at Hayashi Yoshiki—realizing instantly who had solved the case.
"Damn... Did I lose to you again?"
Why did this guy always feel like he was cheating?
Shinichi had hoped that, now recovered, he could finally challenge Hayashi to a fair contest of reasoning...
"What are you talking about, Shinichi?" Ran said, puzzled."You didn't even get to compete with Yoshiki-san. It was Heiji who lost."
Those words pierced Hattori Heiji's pride again.
He looked over at Shinichi—whose face, he now noticed, looked an awful lot like that little kid from before.
"Long time no see, Kudo-kun."
Hayashi Yoshiki stepped forward and greeted him with a calm smile.
"Ah... Long time no see, Yoshiki-nii..."
"You're looking a little rough. Is your cold that bad?"
"No! I'm fine—it's just a little bug," Shinichi insisted, rubbing his nose."Anyway, can you walk me through this case?"
"You're seriously ill and still asking about cases?" Ran was clearly worried and slightly irritated.
She really is a kind girl, Hayashi thought.
Then, Hattori Heiji walked over, sizing up the boy who looked almost like a Kansai version of himself.
"So you're the Kudo from Kanto? Let me fill you in. There's something I want to ask you anyway."
Heiji pulled Shinichi aside and walked him through the whole sequence—the locked-room setup, Tsujimura Kimie's clever misdirection, the false alibis.
Once Shinichi had processed it all, Heiji hit him with the question:
"Just now you said, 'I lost to you again.' Were you also competing with Hayashi Yoshiki in reasoning? Tell me—how does he actually operate?"
"Hayashi Yoshiki is… incredible."
Shinichi hesitated for a moment before answering, eyes slightly lowered.
"Every time he analyzes a case, it's like there's never any confusion. He looks at the crime scene and evidence, and somehow everything just clicks for him."
"Is that even possible?"
"He says it's how he thinks as a mystery writer. He steps into the killer's shoes—examining the space, motive, methods—and the logic comes naturally."
"...So you can solve crimes that way..."
He suddenly remembered when he'd challenged Hayashi to a deduction duel, and Hayashi had joked: "Let's each commit a murder and solve the other's." Back then, he thought it was just a joke... but now he wondered if the guy actually did think like a criminal on a regular basis.
He continued asking Shinichi about various techniques and habits.
Shinichi, for his part, didn't hold back.
As a fellow high school detective who had also been repeatedly crushed by Hayashi Yoshiki, he felt a surprising sense of camaraderie. Finally, there was someone else who understood the struggle.
Brothers in suffering.
When Heiji had heard it all, he had only one conclusion:
—Hayashi Yoshiki isn't human.
At the same time, he stared more intently at Shinichi.
The guy had been in hiding all this time, and yet he knew so much about Hayashi's deduction habits. Even though he claimed to have "heard it all from Conan," the frustration and admiration in his tone suggested personal experience.
And the biggest giveaway?
He'd flat-out confirmed that Kogoro Mouri is an idiot.
That Night – Beika Safehouse
Gin received a report.
—Documents from the diplomat murder case, complete with statements and analysis.
The Black Organization had infiltrated the police. With a well-placed insider, getting these files was child's play.
"Tsujimura Isao died at 4:41 PM..."
Gin pulled out his phone and reopened the message thread.
Cointreau: "I didn't do this. The diplomat's wife did it."
That text had been sent at 4:42 PM.
Just one minute after death, Cointreau had already deduced the killer?
Is this some kind of joke...?
He'd assumed it was a coincidence at first. But the transcript confirmed it:
Hayashi Yoshiki arrived at the house at 4:30 PM
The case had fooled even Sleeping Kogoro and Hattori Heiji
And yet Cointreau had solved it on the spot, in under a minute?
Rather than believe something that absurd... I'd sooner believe the whole thing was orchestrated by him.
Gin began to suspect Hayashi Yoshiki had manipulated Tsujimura Kimie into committing murder.
It's not like it would be the first time...
He recalled Wakamatsu Toshihide, the college student who was "accidentally" killed under suspicious circumstances involving Hayashi.
Could it be a suggestion? Hypnosis?
He knew Cointreau had once passed psychological assessments with flying colors—completely fooling licensed professionals into believing he was a warm, upstanding young man.
That in itself spoke volumes about his psychological skill.
"What a dangerous guy..."
Yet Gin couldn't deny he was also increasingly impressed.
Still... when he thought about how he'd been treating Hayashi the same way he treated Vodka, he couldn't help but feel a little irritated.
Cointreau: "Today's case is already in the news. Look—turns out the killer was the diplomat's wife, just like I said."
On the other end, Hayashi Yoshiki stared at the reply on his phone, confused.
What's wrong with him? Did Gin take the wrong meds?