11: Chapter 11: Black on the Inside

"How could I possibly know the victim?!" the manager, Yamagishi, blurted out, his forced smile betraying his nervousness.

"It was only for a split second, but I definitely saw the shock on your face when you looked at the body," Fujino countered, his gaze fixed intently on Yamagishi's eyes.

"And if I'm not mistaken, you deliberately 'slipped' just now to try and grab the strand of hair clutched in the victim's hand!"

"What?!" Inspector Megure immediately waved over a forensics officer.

"Check the victim's hand! See if there's a hair like Fujino-kun says!"

"Inspector!" The officer reported back moments later.

"There is indeed a long strand of hair, likely from an adult female, clenched in the victim's right hand!"

Megure accepted the evidence bag containing the single strand of brown hair.

His expression grew grim.

"Alright, you two," he addressed Yoko and Yamagishi, "care to explain this?"

"Actually... I know him," Yoko Okino admitted softly.

"Yoko!" Yamagishi cried out, trying to silence her.

"I'm sorry, Yamagishi-san, but I can't hide this anymore..." Yoko bowed apologetically towards her manager before continuing, her voice low.

"Not only do I know him... he's... he's my ex-boyfriend from high school. Fujie Akiyoshi."

"Nani?!" Megure exclaimed, surprised. He immediately rounded on her.

"In that case, you must have killed Fujie-san, didn't you?! You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠killed him to end the relationship and protect your popularity!"

"No, that's not true!" Yoko protested quickly.

"He was the one who wanted to break up, not me..."

"Something's not right..." Conan murmured to himself, still hovering near the doorway.

Even though the hair in Fujie's hand belonged to Yoko, the whole scenario felt off. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If only I could get back into the crime scene...

Just as Conan was puzzling over the inconsistencies, Fujino's voice cut through the tension. "Inspector Megure, the killer ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠isn't Yoko Okino!"

Fujino interrupted Megure's interrogation decisively. "I already know who the killer is!"

"Nani? Fujino-kun, if it wasn't her, who else could it be?" Megure looked at Fujino, perplexed.

Didn't Fujino-kun's own line of reasoning point towards Okino-san? If not her, then who? Did the victim kill himself?

"There is only one truth!" Fujino declared dramatically, taking a deep breath before pointing towards the body on the floor.

"The person who killed Fujie Akiyoshi... was Fujie Akiyoshi himself!"

Seriously? Megure was dumbfounded. "That can't be right. Fujie-san was stabbed in the back. How could it be suicide?"

"It's actually quite simple," Fujino explained, pointing to the faint water stains on the floor around the body.

"Have you noticed these wet patches?"

"Water stains? What do they have to do with anything?" Megure was still lost.

Fujino scratched the back of his head, silently lamenting the drastic drop in police IQ inherent to the Conan-verse.

"If Fujie-san used a block of ice to hold the knife in position against his back, then turned the heat way up... As the temperature rose, the ice would melt, leaving these water stains. It connects everything!"

"I see..." Megure stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"If that's the case, then staging his suicide to look like murder is entirely plausible." He gave Fujino an approving look, a faint image of another brilliant young detective flashing in his mind.

A worthy successor!

"But Fujino-san," Conan piped up, having somehow slipped past Ran again and re-entered the room. "If the victim committed suicide, why was he holding Yoko Okino's hair?"

Fujino wasn't surprised by Conan's reappearance. He merely crouched down with a dark smirk, ruffling Conan's hair – pointedly right over the lump from his earlier encounter.

"Remember to use polite language when addressing your seniors, Conan-kun!"

Ow! Didn't he see the giant bump already there?! Conan fumed internally.

He's definitely doing this on purpose! That jerk!

But, for the sake of the case... he endured!

Conan's eye twitched, his glare turning into a full-blown pout. "I know... Fujino... oniichan!" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he ground out, forcing the honorific.

"Good boy, Conan-kun!" Fujino chuckled, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"As I was saying, the entire purpose of this elaborate setup was likely to frame Ms. Yoko Okino for his death."

"Frame Yoko Okino-san?" Conan tilted his head.

"But if he broke up with her, why would he come back for revenge?" Something still doesn't add up.

"Because," Fujino sighed, his expression turning somber,

"this whole thing is, ultimately, a tragedy." He turned to Yoko.

"Okino-san, is it alright if I reveal the details of your earlier commission?"

"Yes, it's fine," Yoko murmured, looking drained.

Fujino nodded.

"Just earlier today, Ms. Okino hired me to investigate someone who had been stalking her recently. If I'm not mistaken, that stalker... was her ex-boyfriend, Fujie-san."

"The truth is, Fujie-san was still in love with Okino-san. He only broke up with her because he was pressured to." Fujino's gaze shifted pointedly towards the manager, Yamagishi Eiichi.

"Isn't that right, Manager Yamagishi-san?"

"Wh-what?!" Yoko's eyes flew wide, staring at Yamagishi in disbelief.

"...Yes," the manager mumbled, lowering his head in shame.

"I... I asked him to break up with Yoko. She was on the verge of stardom, and I didn't want her popularity affected by having a boyfriend."

"Why... how could you..." Yoko sank to the floor, tears finally overflowing.

Fujino sighed again, watching the scene unfold.

"I believe Fujie-san pulled that strand of hair from Okino-san's head last night."

"The person chasing you last night... that was him. He likely wanted to explain everything, but you were too scared to listen..." Fujino adopted a world-weary tone.

"Passionate love turned to bitter hatred. The deeper the love, the deeper the resentment."

"This guy..." Conan frowned, observing Fujino intently.

Okay, Kudo Shinichi has to admit, this guy's deductive skills are sharp.

He seemed to see through everything right from the start.

But... there's something unsettling about him. It feels like if you cut him open... he'd be pitch black on the inside.