Akashi felt a warm glow in his heart as he watched Ran in this posture.
Gently caressing Ran's head with his small hand, Akashi said softly:
"Sister Ran, I'm not afraid."
"Sister Ran, don't worry. No matter what happens, I will protect you."
His pretentious words, delivered with such conviction, earned him a playful slap from Ran, who couldn't help but be amused.
The effect was remarkable!
Seeing such a thoughtful child, Ran's heart melted. She leaned in and rubbed her cheek against his porcelain-white face affectionately.
Standing nearby, Conan watched the scene unfold. Bitterness crept into his heart as he muttered under his breath, "'I'll protect you'? How nauseating!"
His face twisted with envy and jealousy, teetering on the brink of losing its composure. But his sharp instincts for deduction quickly brought him back to reality.
The little detective began observing his surroundings with care and soon noticed something unusual.
Yoko and her manager, Eiichi Yamagishi appeared far too calm given the corpse lying in the room.
From his experience with countless crime scenes, Conan knew that ordinary people wouldn't remain this composed when faced with a dead body.
Something was definitely amiss.
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps announced the arrival of the police.
Leading the group was a rotund man in a yellow trench coat—Inspector Megure.
At his side was his loyal subordinate, Takagi Wataru, along with a squad of uniformed patrol officers.
Inspector Megure wasted no time, stepping forward and barking out a question:
"What happened here?"
Before anyone could respond, Kogoro jumped in, his voice loud and eager.
"Allow me to explain!" he declared, much to Inspector Megure's annoyance.
"I was hired by Miss Yoko today to investigate a stalker at her apartment. The moment I stepped inside, I saw the body lying in the living room."
"From my observations, all the windows are sealed and locked. There's no other point of entry. This is clearly a locked-room murder case!"
Inspector Megure's face darkened with exasperation. He snapped back,
"Brother Mōri, a locked-room murder is only considered as such if no one else can enter. You all walked in, didn't you? How could this possibly be a locked-room murder?!"
He pointed towards the door.
"The person with the key is our primary suspect!"
Kogoro, silenced and flustered, immediately deflated.
Turning his attention to Yoko, Inspector Megure asked firmly,
"Are you the owner of this apartment? And does this dagger belong to you?"
Yoko nodded, her voice trembling slightly.
"Yes, it's my fruit knife. But I haven't been home for the past three days. I've been busy performing at concerts and rehearsals. I had nothing to do with this!"
Kogoro chimed in passionately,
"That's right! How could such a cute and beautiful Miss Yoko be the murderer? Look at the deceased—he was so strong! There's no way Miss Yoko could have overpowered him!"
He suddenly turned his attention to Eiichi Yamagishi, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him.
"It must be you, Eiichi Yamagishi! You're the culprit!"
The scene grew chaotic as Kogoro's antics veered dangerously close to coercion.
Eiichi Yamagishi shook his head vigorously, his voice filled with urgency:
"I didn't kill him! I was busy with Yoko at the performance!"
Inspector Megure stroked his chin thoughtfully before responding,
"As a manager, you're not required to be present throughout the entire performance."
He added sharply, "And this is the artist's apartment under your supervision. You must have a key to this place!"
"You're the one who killed him—admit it!"
Inspector Megure glared fiercely, his mustache bristling in frustration. Standing beside him, Kogoro joined the questioning, resembling a sleeping dragon and a fiery phoenix, their combined presence overwhelming Eiichi Yamagishi.
With a face full of despair, Eiichi Yamagishi pleaded,
"I had Yoko's apartment key, but I lost it in the lounge at the radio station three days ago."
"I don't even have the key anymore! There's no way I could have committed the murder!"
His words left both Inspector Megure and Kogoro looking skeptical. The excuse seemed far too coincidental to be credible.
Before they could press further, Yoko interjected,
"I can confirm that. Three days ago, Yamagishi-san did indeed lose his key."
This testimony brought the investigation to a temporary standstill.
Yoko had an airtight alibi—she was busy with her concert during the time of the murder. Yet, despite Eiichi Yamagishi having the opportunity to commit the crime, he lacked the means to enter the apartment.
Everyone was stumped, unsure how to proceed.
---
While the others were preoccupied, Akashi remained remarkably calm. Familiar with how these situations unfolded, he clung comfortably to Ran, who had carried him into the luxurious apartment.
Ran, seemingly accustomed to holding him, showed no intention of putting him down. And Akashi had no intention of leaving her arms, either.
The energy radiating from the murder scene, combined with the proximity of Ran, provided him with a steady 90 points of Yin energy per hour. Only a fool would give that up!
As his eyes roamed the idol's residence, Akashi remembered his system's check-in feature. This was his third chance to check in today.
He wondered what kind of reward he'd receive for checking in at the scene of a murder. Hopefully, something useful!
"System, Clock-in!"
A soft 'click' echoed in his mind as the system's interface activated. An image of everyone gathered in the idol's apartment materialized before him.
The picture dissolved into a radiant purple-gold light, merging to form a treasure chest. When the chest opened, a stream of light entered Akashi's consciousness.
『Ding! Check-in successful! Congratulations to the host for acquiring Hypnosis Level 1!』
『Hypnosis: This skill produces miraculous effects on recipients of the opposite sex. You can guide them into any state you desire!』
『At higher levels, Hypnosis enables temporary soul exchanges. The door to a new world awaits you, young adventurer!』
『Effectiveness varies: it works well on those with weak wills but is ineffective on individuals with strong willpower.』
Akashi stared blankly, his mind reeling.
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
"What kind of 'useless' ability is this?" he grumbled internally.
With his current succubus-like physique, such underhanded tricks felt unnecessary. Still, the potential for soul exchange intrigued him.
Glancing at the girl in front of him, Ran, a smile crept onto Akashi's lips. Just as his thoughts began to wander, a sharp, childish voice snapped him back to reality.
"Alele..."
It was Conan, who had spotted a crucial clue. But before he could share it, Kogoro delivered another hearty smack to his head.
"Kid, stay out of the way!" Kogoro barked, leaving Conan rubbing his head in frustration.
Unable to contribute, Conan's protests went unheard. No one took the words of a six-year-old seriously. Dejected, he retreated, holding his swollen head.
Meanwhile, Akashi's voice suddenly rang out with a mix of confidence and curiosity...