In the monitoring room on the second floor, Ran watched her father present his reasoning to the gathered group. His conclusion, however, was shockingly bizarre—he asserted that the murderer had committed suicide.
Ran, holding Akashi in her arms, was utterly speechless.
"Ha? What?"
Kogoro hastily defended himself when he saw that.
"I didn't say that! I didn't!" he exclaimed, clutching his head dramatically.
"No, my head hurts!" he added, his antics making it seem as though he were feigning madness.
Next to him, Conan began sweating profusely, clearly uneasy with the unfolding events.
Ran, her expression firm, spoke up decisively:
"How could the deceased have committed suicide? He was obviously dragged in!"
With that, she clicked on the playback of the surveillance footage.
The recording from the previous night clearly displayed the corridor outside Yoko's apartment. On the screen, men claiming to be concert staff were seen entering and exiting, each carrying various items.
One face stood out among them— Eiichi Yamagishi.
The footage showed Yamagishi repeatedly moving in and out of the apartment, carrying peculiar items: handcuffs, shackles, red ropes, leather whips, and even stick-like massagers. These objects, commonly seen in certain adult films, painted a disturbing picture.
Yoko's pupils shrank as she watched the footage.
"Why?" she muttered, dread filling her voice. "Why would he bring such things into my home?"
A horrifying realization dawned on her as the scene continued.
The recording showed Eiichi Yamagishi answering a phone call, speaking deferentially to someone on the other end. Shortly after, Akiyoshi Fujie, who had been waiting outside Yoko's apartment, appeared to overhear something troubling.
Rushing down the corridor, Akiyoshi Fujie confronted Yamagishi with visible anger. Their argument escalated, and in the heat of the moment, Yamagishi sprayed a substance in Fujie's face.
Akiyoshi Fujie immediately collapsed, unconscious. Yamagishi then dragged him into the apartment.
Akiyoshi Fujie never left that apartment again.
Later, Yamagishi emerged looking panicked, dragging several bags of belongings out with him.
As the footage ended, Ran recalled Akashi's words to her, which gave her the courage to attempt her first-ever deduction.
"The murderer in this case is clearly Eiichi Yamagishi!" Ran declared, her voice steady.
"While Miss Yoko was busy with her concert, Yamagishi returned to her apartment alone to set things up. His actions were part of a larger, sinister plan!"
Akashi looked at Ran encouragingly, prompting her to continue.
"Yamagishi likely struck a deal with some wealthy individuals or company executives, intending to exploit Miss Yoko for their gain," Ran explained.
"However, his plan was discovered by Akiyoshi Fujie, who was standing at Miss Yoko's door, waiting for her. Akiyoshi Fujie, Miss Yoko's ex-boyfriend, still cared deeply for her. Upon realizing Yamagishi's intentions, he confronted him. During their altercation, Yamagishi subdued the victim using a hypnotic spray and dragged him into the apartment."
Ran's voice grew stronger as she pieced the story together.
"To silence the victim, Eiichi Yamagishi killed him. Then, he staged the scene to make it appear as though the victim had committed suicide. His goal was to frighten Miss Yoko into compliance and to tarnish her reputation."
Inspector Megure interjected, "What about the bizarre layout inside the apartment?"
"It's all part of Eiichi Yamagishi's plan to confuse the investigation," Ran replied confidently. "He intended to create doubt, framing the scene as a suicide while simultaneously intimidating Miss Yoko!"
At that moment, Yoko turned to Eiichi Yamagishi in horror, her face pale. Yamagishi kept his head bowed, avoiding her gaze.
Conan, however, was the most dumbfounded.
The meticulous staging had even fooled him. He had genuinely believed the deceased had committed suicide.
But Ran had uncovered the truth.
"How?" Conan wondered, staring at Ran in disbelief. "How did she become so perceptive? Is this really the Ran I know?"
Scanning the room, Conan's sharp eyes landed on Akashi, who remained calm in Ran's arms.
"It's him," Conan thought with sudden clarity. "It must be him. This deduction is his doing!"
---
Takagi Wataru, standing nearby, couldn't help but ask, "What about the earrings? What happened to the ones found under the sofa?"
Ran responded confidently, "That's yet another ploy by Eiichi Yamagishi!"
"If the case couldn't be pinned as a suicide, his next move was to frame Miss Yuko for the crime."
She paused, her tone firm, "If I'm not mistaken, Eiichi Yamagishi must have planted those earrings himself. After all, isn't it suspicious to identify the owner of an earring so quickly?"
"Artists' wardrobes are ever-changing. They switch out dozens—if not hundreds—of accessories over a year. For someone not even responsible for a specific artist, instantly recognizing a piece as theirs is highly unusual."
"There's only one explanation—Eiichi Yamagishi deliberately placed those earrings to implicate Miss Yuko."
As Ran finished, her gaze softened, turning to Yuko with a look of pity.
Yuko, however, who had been so assertive earlier, now looked pale and remained silent. Her lack of denial spoke volumes.
"That's why Miss Yuko appeared at the scene so quickly!" Ran continued.
"Once Eiichi Yamagishi finished his setup, he staged the body in the chair. A single push ensured the victim's death from the stab wound in his back."
"If the forensic team examines the body, they'll find traces of drugs. It'll confirm that the victim was unconscious at the time of death!"
Ran's voice grew more resolute as she concluded, "The murderer in this case is you, Eiichi Yamagishi!"
A tense silence followed.
Inspector Megure stepped forward, his expression grim. "Mr. Yamagishi, what do you have to say for yourself?"
To everyone's shock, Yamagishi, who had been standing quietly with his head down, suddenly began to laugh maniacally.
"I didn't expect it—private surveillance in our own office!" he said, his voice laced with contempt.
"And you, an outsider, actually discovered it! You even pieced it all together!"
His gaze shifted to Ran, his eyes burning with fury. Then, with a sneer, he turned his anger toward Yoko and Yuko.
Gone was his earlier timid demeanor. Yamagishi now exuded an unnerving confidence, as though he had nothing left to lose.
His brazen attitude only fueled the anger of those around him.
Inspector Megure wasted no time. "Detain him!" he ordered.
Takagi and another officer moved in, pinning Yamagishi's arms. But as they restrained him, Yamagishi's expression twisted into something feral. He fixed his glare on Ran.
"You foolish girl," he spat, his voice venomous. "You have no idea who you've crossed!"
"Why couldn't you just stick to my script!?"
Ran, unshaken by his threat, stood her ground. Her voice carried a mix of anger and righteousness.
"To you, taking a life is nothing more than a trivial game," she said, her eyes blazing.
"I don't know who—or what—you think you are. But if you're one of those creatures who thrive in the shadows, I'm not afraid of you."
"One by one, people like you will face justice. You belong behind bars!"
Her words, spoken with unwavering conviction, seemed to radiate a powerful light, as if she were embodying justice itself.
Even Akashi, standing silently nearby, was taken aback.
"Is this really Ran?" he thought, astonished. "She's nothing like the naïve girl from before. She's… brilliant."
Yamagishi, still fuming, hissed one last threat. "You'll regret this!"
But his defiance didn't matter. Takagi and his partner hauled him away, his resistance futile.
Though Yamagishi had no intention of confessing, the surveillance footage was irrefutable. No matter how much he protested, there was no escaping justice now.