Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all advance chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
───────────────────────────
Chapter 204: A Forced Confession
In another corner of the restaurant, Blake took it all in, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful arc.
This kid really has some skills. To achieve this level of deduction using only observation and logic, without any supernatural powers... he truly is the peak of humanity.
But...
Solving cases the same way every time... doesn't it feel a bit boring?
Blake watched Conan preparing to fire the tranquilizer dart and suddenly felt a bit listless. It was like watching a stage play where he already knew the ending; the actors were performing their hearts out, but for an omniscient audience member, it lacked surprise.
Since I'm on vacation, why not... have some fun?
He lifted the glass of orange juice in front of him and took a sip.
A formless spiritual force rippled out like water, precisely enveloping the young waiter.
Just as Conan was about to press the launch button, the young waiter—who had just been rejoicing over his narrow escape—suddenly shuddered violently. The panic, fear, and relief on his face instantly faded, replaced by an eerie emptiness and numbness.
He slowly loosened his grip on the lighter. Like a puppet controlled by invisible strings, he walked step by step to the center of the restaurant.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to his bizarre behavior.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Inspector Megure barked with a frown.
The waiter ignored him. In a flat, robotic tone devoid of any emotional fluctuation, he spoke slowly.
"I killed him."
One sentence plunged the entire restaurant into deathly silence. The air seemed to freeze.
Conan, ready to fire the dart, froze with his finger on the button. He looked up, staring incredulously at the waiter who had volunteered to stand up.
W... What is happening?
Mori Kogoro was also stunned. He had just been scolding Conan; he never expected the killer he had casually pointed out to actually turn himself in.
Cue the background music!
"I killed Kenji Otsuka," the waiter continued narrating in that robot-like cadence, staring blankly ahead. "He was always abusing Asami, treating her like his property. We truly love each other. To escape him, we planned all of this."
His gaze turned to Asami Otsuka, who was slumped on the floor, but there was no love in his eyes—only dead silence. Asami was bewildered, looking at her lover, unable to understand why he would suddenly self-destruct.
"I took the murder weapon, a steak knife, from the kitchen beforehand and hid it on my person, wearing gloves. I made Mr. Otsuka drink wine spiked with laxatives to lure him to the restroom. As for the locked room trick..."
The waiter held up the lighter. In front of everyone, he pressed the hidden catch.
Click.
The lighter casing split open, revealing the neatly wound transparent fishing line inside.
"I used the fishing line to tie the knob of the latch inside the door, pulled the line out through the gap at the top of the door frame, and pulled hard from the outside to lock it. Then I pulled the line back out and hid it inside this specially made lighter."
He displayed the modus operandi and the evidence clearly, logically, and without a shred of hesitation.
Inspector Megure and the officers were speechless. They had never seen such a cooperative murderer in their lives! He saved them the trouble of deduction and went straight to a self-exposed tutorial.
With the waiter's confession, Asami Otsuka broke down completely, crying on the floor and admitting everything.
"Hahaha! I knew it was you!"
After a brief moment of shock, Mori Kogoro reacted. He immediately put his hands on his hips and laughed triumphantly. "See that! Under the pressure of the Great Detective Mori Kogoro, no killer can hide! In the end, they can only suffer a psychological breakdown and confess!"
He patted Inspector Megure's shoulder, spittle flying. "Inspector Megure, that was quick, right? With me here, it's just efficient!"
The surrounding police and diners looked at him with admiration.
"As expected of Sleeping Kogoro!"
"Just standing there made the killer confess without being tortured!"
"Too amazing!"
Amidst the praise, only Conan stood dazed in the same spot. His left hand was still in the aiming posture, the watch cover open, but the target was gone.
It was all over.
But... Why?
Conan's brain was in chaos.
This isn't right. It's too wrong. Bro, what does this mean? What about the evidence I worked so hard to deduce?
The killer had a mental breakdown and surrendered? That doesn't fit criminal psychology at all! A killer capable of planning such a precise locked-room murder would absolutely not have such fragile mental fortitude!
However, amidst the absurd praise, the young waiter in the center of the room—who had just finished his "confession"—suddenly convulsed violently without warning.
His empty, numb eyes seemed to be injected with color, but that color was sheer terror and confusion.
"I... What did I... just say?"
His voice was dry and hoarse, carrying a tremor even he hadn't noticed. He looked down and saw the open lighter in his hand, the fishing line inside. He looked up and saw the encircling police officers looking at him like a formidable enemy, and his lover, Asami, crying on the floor with eyes full of despair.
Finally, his gaze landed on Mori Kogoro, who was bragging loudly.
In an instant, all the fragmented memories reassembled in his mind with piercing pain!
He had just confessed everything in front of everyone! The method, the motive, the hiding spot for the evidence... he had spilled it all!
How could this be! How is this possible!
I was about to get away with it! The police hadn't found any evidence! As long as I denied it to the death, I would have been released in a while!
Why was my body out of control? Why did my mouth say those things?
It was like... like an invisible voice in my head ordered me, and my body had no choice but to execute every command faithfully like a marionette!
A chill that penetrated his bones, accompanied by boundless fear, instantly swallowed him!
"No..."
"NO—!!!"
A scream so shrill it warped his voice burst from the waiter's throat, tearing apart the farcical yet peaceful atmosphere in the restaurant! His handsome face twisted completely from extreme terror and rage, his eyes bloodshot, looking like a madman!
It's over! It's all over!
My life, and Asami's future, were completely destroyed in those few minutes of "confession"!
───────────────────────────
Support this fanfic by leaving positive reviews, comments, and Power Stones!
For advance chapters, visit:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations