Detective Conan: Death Note

The police concluded that Miku Sawaguri's death was a suicide.

However, Isao Sawaguri was far from convinced. While he acknowledged that the room was indeed locked, there were several suspicious details at the scene.

"When I found my sister lying in the bathroom, I panicked and called an ambulance. But just then, I heard a soft cracking sound by the window. I rushed over and saw glass shards scattered on the balcony outside—now isn't that weird!? I had broken the window from the outside to get in, so how could any glass end up outside on the balcony?"

"And there's more. Before the police arrived, I noticed bloody palm prints on the bathmat in front of the bathroom. I believe those were left when my sister tried to crawl out after the killer slashed her wrists!"

"Otherwise, how would blood end up on the mat!?"

As he explained, it was clear—if this were really a suicide, too many things didn't add up.

"Didn't the police investigate those inconsistencies?" Yoshiki asked.

"They did! And when they couldn't figure anything out, they just closed the case!"

"So sloppy?" Kogoro Mouri exclaimed in disbelief.

It was rare to hear him call someone else sloppy.

Hayashi Yoshiki, watching Isao Sawaguri, casually pulled out a notebook.

"What was the name of that officer?" he asked.

"Yamamura Misao," Zakuri spat, teeth clenched in frustration.

"That useless excuse for a police officer..."

A total muggle in the force...

"Never mind then," Yoshiki muttered.

Isao Sawaguri glanced at the notebook, but seeing it posed no threat, didn't stop him.

He then shifted topics—explaining why he had gathered the three women at Mouri Detective Agency.

"All three of you visited my sister's room shortly before she died, didn't you!?"

He suddenly raised his voice and aimed the gun at them.

The three middle-aged women's expressions tensed.

"Yes!" one confessed. "In fact, all four of us—including Miku-san—agreed that whoever sold a million copies of their novel first would treat the others to a hot spring trip!"

"In the end, Miku-san was the first to hit that mark. So we decided to ask her to autograph her breakthrough novel during the trip—we thought we could post it on SNS to create some buzz."

"So yes, each of us visited her room that day—but our visits were spaced out."

Each woman then produced the signed book she received that day.

Seeing this, Isao Sawaguri pulled out a printed page—posts that his sister had made using his SNS account, where she vented her frustrations.

"The first one to come bother me for a signature was the elephant. I had just gotten out of the bath—my hair wasn't even dry yet. What a nuisance of an elephant."

"The second one was the fox. She started making ridiculous demands—so annoying! I already signed the book, now just go!"

"The last one was the mouse. A swift attack. I should've kicked her out right after signing... Damn it, she won't leave. And now... I'm starting to feel sleepy. What should I do...?"

Kogoro Mouri read the document aloud.

With so many detectives present, attention naturally turned toward the three women.

Amuro temporarily shifted his focus from Isao Sawaguri's detonator to study them, trying to match the animal nicknames with their identities.

Natsuki Koshimizu did the same.

"Honestly, Miku Sawaguri doesn't sound like someone who was planning to end her own life," Natsuki Koshimizu said.

"And she mentioned feeling sleepy after the 'mouse' came to visit... Could it be the mouse used some method to drug her, then staged the suicide?"

In the room:

—The plump woman, Mitsui Tamami, fit the elephant.

—The tall and thin woman, Sumika Nihei, had sharp features like a fox.

—The short woman with rodent-like front teeth, Shinobu Yuchi, likely matched the mouse.

While everyone was focused on the three suspects, Hayashi Yoshiki quietly started writing in his notebook.

Scratch, scratch, scratch...

Then the three women showed their signed books again.

Interestingly, the signature page in Sumika Nihei's copy was wrinkled, likely from getting wet and drying.

Shinobu Yuchi's book was immaculately preserved.

But Mitsui Tamami's book was damaged.

"That's because Miku-san had already signed the book, but when handing it back, she deliberately teased me and wouldn't give it to me right away. That day, I had a stomach ache—when I asked to use her bathroom, she refused! She said she needed it herself. But she had already bathed in the public hot spring! She just wanted to embarrass me!"

"How do you know she lied?" Yoshiki asked.

"Because when I left, I accidentally put on her slippers. They were damp and warm—just like someone who'd just returned from the bath."

With the gun pointed at her, Mitsui didn't dare lie.

But her comment made Sumika Nihei frown.

"That's odd. When I visited her room, her slippers were neatly by the door. They weren't wet or warm."

"You probably just wore your own slippers," Shinobu Yuchi said.

"Maybe you sweat more—"

"That's insulting! I have dry skin!"

"Enough with the bickering, you old hags!"

Seeing them on the verge of starting a fight, Isao Sawaguri shouted angrily.

His eyes flashed as he scanned the three women—then suddenly turned his gun toward Hayashi Yoshiki.

"You've been scribbling in that notebook this whole time. Aren't you the guy who can solve a case in an instant!?"

"This isn't a crime scene," Yoshiki replied calmly, setting down his pen.

"To solve it, we at least need to understand the full picture first, don't you think?"

"Then what've you been writing!? Let me see it!"

Though he wasn't very sharp, Isao Sawaguriknew enough to be cautious. If Yoshiki was trying to use his notes to pass messages or plan a counterattack, he needed to check it.

Yoshiki paused.

"Hand it over!"

Gun raised, Isao Sawaguri barked the command.

With a calm expression, Hayashi Yoshiki held out his notebook.

Isao Sawaguritook it and glanced at the contents—

And immediately... his brow furrowed.