Detective Conan: Death Note

"So that's what this is about... You've come to seek wisdom from me, huh?"

Seated proudly on the couch at the Mouri Detective Agency, the middle-aged man straightened his tie with theatrical flair and cleared his throat with a "Ahem."

As he looked up, Kogoro Mouri noticed Ran casually serving their guests the best tea he owned—the premium leaves gifted by Chairman Suzuki. His eye twitched.

Seriously? Even he was too stingy to drink that himself.

After placing a cup in front of Hayashi Yoshiki, Ran smiled.

"Sorry for the sudden visit... I was just a bit curious about Mr. Mouri," Natsuki Koshimizu said, slightly embarrassed. "I've seen the name 'Sleeping Kogoro' in the papers so often, and since there's a connection with our agency, I couldn't help but ask Mr. Hayashi."

"Hmph. Compared to Yoshiki, that lazy brat, I do tend to show up more often."

"Well, Yoshiki has other responsibilities too, and he writes novels on the side."

"Besides, with us around, there's rarely a need to bother the boss."

Even outside the office, Toru Amuro was fiercely loyal to Hayashi Yoshiki. He chuckled, "What a shame I couldn't witness Mr. Mouri's deduction during the Sunset Villa case, thanks to Kaitō Kid's interference... But tell me, is 'Sleeping Kogoro' really asleep? Or is it more like a mental state where all unnecessary thoughts are cast aside, allowing total focus on reasoning?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure myself..."

Even Ran turned a curious glance toward her father at this question.

As Kogoro Mouri put on a pensive expression, Masumi Sera narrowed her eyes.

She had nearly confirmed that Edogawa Conan was the same as the childhood Shinichi Kudo she once knew. Her investigation had also revealed that Kogoro Mouri's rise to fame coincided exactly with Shinichi's disappearance—and Conan's arrival at the Mouri Detective Agency.

"Perhaps... deep inside me, there's another 'me'—someone who objectively analyzes my deductions."

"Another... you?"

Natsuki looked confused.

"Yeah... and he always shows up at the worst possible time."

As he spoke, Kogoro instinctively rubbed the back of his neck.

"Every time, it starts with this sharp, electric pain... then I suddenly relax and get extremely drowsy. I fall into a deep sleep I can't resist... and when I wake up, the case is already solved. I don't even feel the stress afterward."

"That sounds... like a second personality," Amuro said, clearly surprised.

Having never witnessed it firsthand, he couldn't begin to suspect the truth—that Conan was the one behind the deductions. Only Masumi Sera had verified her suspicions.

"Or maybe..." Hayashi Yoshiki said with a grin, "...you're just possessed by a ghost."

"Don't say that kind of thing, Yoshiki!" Ran, yelped, clearly unsettled.

Then she looked worriedly at her father. "Dad, maybe you should get checked at the hospital?"

Unsurprisingly, Kogoro Mouri waved off the suggestion.

After changing the subject, Amuro asked if there was a secret to how Kogoro Mouri kept stumbling into so many cases.

"There's no trick to it!"

"If I had to say... maybe I was just born with an aura that attracts cases or something—ha!"

Humility clearly wasn't his strong suit.

The rest of their conversation didn't uncover much of interest, but Natsuki Koshimizu seemed fascinated by Masumi Sera.

She brought up her own past as a high school girl detective, which quickly sparked an enthusiastic exchange between the two. Meanwhile, Hayashi Yoshiki quietly sipped his tea, his eyes subtly examining Masumi Sera.

Just as I thought...

From any angle, if it weren't for the school uniform, you'd never guess she was a girl. Even Kaitō Kid, who had once stripped her outfit, failed to realize her true gender.

When Ran noticed Hayashi Yoshiki's gaze lingering for a split second on Sera's chest before awkwardly turning away, she couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"Yoshiki, would you like another cup of tea?"

"Yes, please. This tea is really good."

"Of course it is! That's a rare blend gifted by Mr. Shiro Suzuki, you know!"

Kogoro Mouri grumbled.

Just then, there was a knock at the office door—though it opened before anyone could answer.

Standing outside were three middle-aged women of different builds:

A short woman with buck teeth, a tall, thin woman with glasses, and a rather large woman.

"Excuse us, Mr. Mouri," said the plump one cheerfully as they entered. "We're amateur female mystery writers and also friends who met through an online SNS community."

"Uh... is there something I can help you with?" Kogoro Mouri blinked in confusion.

"A case, perhaps?" Amuro asked politely.

"Not quite. We heard the famous Detective Mouri tells great case stories in person, so we came all this way to hear one!" the tall woman added.

"Didn't Sawaguri tell you we'd be visiting?"

"SNS...? Sawaguri...?"

Mouri looked completely lost.

"What's SNS? And who the heck is Sawaguri?"

"SNS is a social media platform for online interaction," Masumi Sera explained.

"Sawaguri...?" Natsuki suddenly remembered. "You mean Miku Sawaguri, the mystery novelist who passed away last month?"

The buck-toothed woman nodded.

"Yes. We met her through SNS. But it was her older brother who invited us here today."

Just then—

"Exactly!"

A deep voice boomed from the hallway.

A tall man entered, wearing a backpack and a cold smile as he glanced at the three women.

The women exchanged puzzled glances.

"Mr. Sawaguri?"

"What's going on here?"

"Mr. Mouri doesn't seem to know anything about this."

"Of course he doesn't..." the man said coldly.

Suddenly, he pulled a handgun from inside his coat and fired at the ceiling.

BANG!

A loud gunshot echoed through the room.

A black scorch mark appeared on the ceiling, and the brass casing clattered to the ground.

Everyone's face changed instantly.

"Because... I never told him we were coming."

With a twisted grin, the man shut the door and aimed the gun directly at them.

"Now—everyone put your phones on the table... and move to the side. Now."