89: Chapter 89: Ill-Fated Connection

Soon, paramedics arrived at the scene. Amidst the commotion, Sayuri was taken to the hospital.

Simultaneously, several police cars arrived, and officers began investigating the scene of Matsumoto Sayuri's poisoning.

"Inspector Megure, based on our preliminary findings, we believe someone put sodium hydroxide in the lemon tea!"

"Just as Fujino-kun said,"

Megure murmured to himself, turning to Fujino.

"So, Ms. Sayuri collapsed because she drank that specific can?"

"That's correct."

Fujino nodded. Beside him stood Ran, Sonoko, and Conan.

Ran and Sonoko looked extremely worried.

Conan, however, wore a serious, contemplative expression.

"How is my daughter?!"

Matsumoto Kiyonaga rushed anxiously into the bride's preparation room, demanding answers from Megure.

"According to the paramedics, she seems to be stable for now – steady heartbeat and breathing, though still in shock. She needs to be taken to the hospital for stomach pumping..."

Megure explained.

"It's thanks to Fujino-kun here. His quick thinking, using vinegar to neutralize the sodium hydroxide and milk to block further burning... even the paramedics said it was textbook-level first aid."

Hearing this, Matsumoto Kiyonaga lowered his head.

After a moment of silence, he walked slowly over to Fujino and patted his shoulder.

No words were spoken, but the gesture conveyed immense gratitude.

Fujino understood and nodded in return.

"Excuse me, does anyone need to accompany the patient to the hospital in the ambulance?"

One of the paramedics carrying Sayuri out asked the group.

"I'm going!"

"Us too!"

"Until we figure out what happened, nobody leaves!"

Matsumoto Kiyonaga's sharp command cut off Ran, Sonoko, and Takasugi Toshihiko.

"Until the truth is revealed, everyone present is a potential suspect."

He then turned and barked at the other paramedics,

"Get the patient to the hospital immediately! What are you waiting for?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Now isn't the time for suspicion!"

Takasugi Toshihiko protested angrily, shouting at Matsumoto Kiyonaga.

"She's your daughter! Don't you want to be by her side right now?!"

"Fujino-kun already administered the best possible first aid. Going with her now won't help,"

Matsumoto Kiyonaga ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠replied coldly, staring hard at Takasugi Toshihiko.

"Speaking of which, my dear son-in-law, I'm her father, and I'm not panicking. Why are you so agitated? Do you have some pressing reason to leave?"

"Ah?!"

Takasugi Toshihiko stumbled back two steps, a flustered expression on his face.

"Takasugi Toshihiko, you're the one who poisoned Ms. Matsumoto, aren't you?"

Fujino added, twisting the knife.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Takasugi Toshihiko frowned defensively.

"Why would I kill the woman I'm about to marry?!"

"Why you'd kill your fiancée, I don't know,"

Fujino said, looking directly at Takasugi Toshihiko, cutting to the chase.

"But the last person to handle that specific can of lemon tea was you."

"That's right, I saw it too!"

Umemiya Atsushi, who had been called back to the scene, chimed in.

"He was the last one to go into Sensei's room!"

Takenaka Kazumi, who had brought the drinks earlier, also looked suspicious.

"Toshihiko, could it really have been you?"

"Why is everyone suspecting me?! How could I possibly poison Sayuri!"

Takasugi Toshihiko pleaded innocence, his eyes darting nervously towards the lemon tea can still lying where Sayuri had collapsed.

"Arere!"

A childish voice suddenly piped up.

"There seems to be something in the lemon tea!"

Everyone looked. Following Conan's 'discovery', a forensics officer carefully picked up a small ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠object from the spilled liquid:

"A capsule?"

"Capsule?"

Megure walked over, taking the tweezers holding the capsule.

"If that's the case, then the suspect isn't just the groom. The killer put a capsule containing sodium hydroxide into the lemon tea. As time passed, the poison would gradually dissolve and release..."

"If that's how it happened..."

Megure stood up.

"Fujino-kun, this time the culprit might not be him. All seven people who were last in the room are suspects."

Having found the new clue, Conan slowly stood up, looking pointedly at Fujino.

Fujino, looks like your deduction was wrong this time.

The culprit isn't as obvious as they seem.

At this, Takasugi Toshihiko breathed a sigh of relief, smirking triumphantly at Fujino.

"See! I told you! There's no way I killed Sayuri!"

Fujino frowned, walked over, and gave Conan a light tap on the head.

"Kids shouldn't interrupt!"

After 'disciplining' Conan, Fujino continued,

"No, even with the capsule, the only viable suspect is still Takasugi Toshihiko."

"I saw it. The lemon tea can Ms. Sayuri drank wasn't the one she originally had."

Fujino walked over to the table holding the flowers and the other lemon tea can.

"When Ran and Sonoko went to buy batteries, Sonoko put her lemon tea down on the table. At that moment, Ms. Sayuri, distracted while telling her story, didn't notice and picked up Sonoko's can by mistake."

Fujino put on white gloves and picked up the can from the table.

"If the capsule was truly put in the lemon tea before that point, then logically, it should have been placed in Sonoko's can. But Sonoko wouldn't poison herself. Similarly, Ms. Matsumoto wouldn't poison herself, as she never left the preparation room."

"Sodium hydroxide deliquesces upon contact with air, becoming highly corrosive. It needs a well-sealed container. Neither Sonoko nor Ms. Matsumoto had the means to handle it safely here. The capsule was clearly planted along with the sodium hydroxide in an attempt to misdirect suspicion. Therefore, the killer must be the last person who handled that specific can of lemon tea."

Fujino turned his gaze directly to Takasugi Toshihiko.

"Takasugi Toshihiko, the last person to touch that can. Do you have anything else to say?"

"..."

Takasugi Toshihiko stared at Fujino, stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"One tiny mistake... I never thought Sayuri ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would actually grab the wrong can."

"Why did you do it?!"

Matsumoto Kiyonaga lunged forward, grabbing Takasugi Toshihiko by the collar.

"Did Sayuri ever do anything wrong to you?! Why did you poison her?!"

"Of course, Sayuri never did anything wrong to me,"

Takasugi Toshihiko sneered, then his face turned cold as he shouted,

"I just wanted you to feel what it's like to lose your dearest relative! Just like when you killed my mother!"

Takasugi Toshihiko's words hung in the air, plunging the room into stunned silence.

Matsumoto Kiyonaga froze, speechless.

"But that woman really is foolish, isn't she? Mistaking lemon tea cans,"

Takasugi Toshihiko scoffed.

"Then again, if she wasn't foolish, why would she have agreed to my pursuit so easily? Dreaming of marrying into wealth and becoming a rich man's wife!"

Twenty years ago, Matsumoto Kiyonaga, Sayuri's father, caused an accident while pursuing a suspect.

Without receiving immediate medical attention, the young Takasugi Toshihiko witnessed the death of his only relative, his mother.

Later, Toshihiko was adopted by the Takasugi family.

In university, Toshihiko accidentally learned that Matsumoto Sayuri was Matsumoto Kiyonaga's daughter.

His pursuit of Sayuri was solely motivated by a desire for revenge against her father.

Today, at the wedding, he enacted his plan to poison her.

What no one else knew, however, was that Matsumoto Sayuri had already figured out the truth.

Strictly speaking, this was an attempted suicide.

She had noticed Takasugi Toshihiko tampering with the drink...

But knowing the lemon tea was poisoned, she chose to drink it anyway.

All to atone for her father's past mistake.

She knew this was the only way to make amends for what the Matsumoto family owed Toshihiko.

Fujino, knowing the truth from the beginning, hadn't planned to interfere.

Meddling would only complicate this tragic connection further. Better to sever it cleanly now.

Besides, the system task this time was simply to solve the case, not resolve it by any means necessary.

Fortunately, with his 'White Angel' skill, Fujino was confident he could save Matsumoto Sayuri's life, especially with prep time, and gain some Doctor proficiency points in the process.

But looking at Takasugi Toshihiko's smug, hateful face, Fujino felt a surge of anger.

Well, the ill-fated connection is severed now... Maybe it's time for some intervention?