On his way back to the ward from the restroom, the Detective disguised as a nurse began talking to Akikawa Sosuke again.
Even after Akikawa Sosuke returned to his ward and lay back in bed, he continued to chat with Akikawa Sosuke.
Though the questions were trivial, his words revealed a deep concern for Akikawa Sosuke.
He noticed that while Akikawa Sosuke was initially reluctant to talk to him, mostly giving perfunctory answers to his questions,
as time passed, Akikawa Sosuke's willingness to converse gradually increased.
Eventually, Akikawa Sosuke was doing most of the talking.
"Although outwardly wary of strangers, he is actually more trusting and willing to talk than most people, with a psychological age lower than his actual age."
"Indeed, this perfectly fits the image of a child who suffered abuse during adolescence and has psychological trauma."
The Detective responded to Akikawa Sosuke's comments from time to time, thinking to himself.
"This is a Detective, it's amazing! To be able to make such a judgment just from a phone description."
The Detective recalled what happened last night, still unable to suppress his amazement.
His name is Nakajima Takuto, a patrol officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Criminal Investigation Department First Division.
Last night.
After receiving the order, Nakajima Takuto rushed to the hospital where Akikawa Sosuke, the suspect in the murder case that occurred on the National Highway, was located.
He met Chiba Kazunobu, who was one rank above him in the First Investigative Division, Violent Crimes Investigation Section Three, also part of the Investigation Division One,
and the elementary school student named Conan, who often followed his idol, the Great DetectiveMouri Kogoro.
At this time, the suspect Akikawa Sosuke had already been sent to the emergency room for treatment.
Chiba Kazunobu asked the hospital to find them an empty room, where something happened that Nakajima Takuto would probably never forget.
"This Mr. Akikawa must have been confined at home by his mother for many years, not only unable to access the outside world but also suffering from various problems due to long-term malnutrition."
"Therefore, he has ample motive for the crime."
Just as Nakajima Takuto was still wondering why an elementary school student had been brought along, the first words spoken by that student astonished both him and Chiba Kazunobu.
"Furthermore, the perpetrator's act of attacking the deceased, Akikawa Ryoko, with a dagger must have occurred after the car accident."
All of this was too incredible, because DetectiveTakagi Wataru and Sato Miwako were still investigating at the scene,
and the police had only just learned the identities of the victim and the suspect.
Yet this elementary school student had already determined the suspect's motive for the crime?
How could this be!
Nakajima Takuto immediately asked Conan how he knew these things.
Then, he heard Conan explain everything to them one by one.
Judging from his skin color that the suspect had not been exposed to sunlight for many years,
Judging from his muscles that the suspect had not attended school normally for many years,
Judging from the still soft fingertips of his middle and index fingers that the suspect had not been studying…
Nakajima Takuto initially thought the elementary school student was just talking nonsense, but after hearing the explanation, he gradually came to believe Conan's judgment.
Of course, what played a decisive role was Conan's last sentence:
"I'm just relaying what Masumi Sera told me!"
Nakajima Takuto had also heard of the "Masumi Sera" mentioned by Conan.
Masumi Sera, a high school Detective who had recently gained considerable fame in Tokyo.
The original genius high school DetectiveKudo Shinichi had suddenly disappeared for unknown reasons.
Masumi Sera then took Kudo Shinichi's place, gradually becoming a good helper for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department acted very quickly.
After obtaining the search warrant, it only took one night to confirm that "Masumi Sera's" judgment was correct.
The suspect, Akikawa Sosuke, had even dropped out of elementary school without finishing.
After that, he never went to school again.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has its own set of contact methods for suspects with special experiences.
"Children who were abused by their parents in childhood should be quite wary of outsiders."
"Although they are strongly wary of outsiders, that is merely a result of the treatment they received. As long as kindness is gradually shown, trust should be easily gained."
"He dropped out of elementary school without finishing and has had virtually no contact with outsiders since, so his psychological age should be younger than his actual age."
"As long as the suspect can be made to confess in person, it can save a lot of trouble."
"What? You say it's anti-human? Do criminals have human rights?"
—This was the "suggestion" Nakajima Takuto received from his superior.
Nakajima Takuto looked at the endlessly talking Akikawa Sosuke.
While he was happy to have gained the other party's trust, he also felt a little sad.
"He really is like a child."
Akikawa Sosuke displayed a very low psychological age during the conversation.
If he hadn't read Akikawa Sosuke's file,
Nakajima Takuto would probably never have imagined
that the young man in front of him, who was like a child, excitedly telling him wonderful stories from picture books he had seen, was actually old enough to drink yesterday.
But even if he sympathized with Akikawa Sosuke for being abused by his mother, it didn't mean he could accept Akikawa Sosuke's act of killing his own mother.
Those who commit mistakes must always pay the price for their actions.
Nakajima Takuto felt it was about time, so he stood up.
Akikawa Sosuke, who had been excitedly talking, suddenly stopped speaking. After a few seconds of stunned, a very clear look of dejection appeared on his thin cheeks.
"It's time. I'll go get your meal. I'll come back and listen to you continue later."
Nakajima Takuto looked at Akikawa Sosuke's reaction, feeling somewhat conflicted.
However, this was a necessary step.
"Okay!"
Akikawa Sosuke's previously dim eyes instantly sparkled, and he nodded heavily.
Nakajima Takuto walked out of the ward.
Until he gently closed the door, he could still feel the intense gaze from the bed behind him.
"Phew—this is suffering. Doing this kind of work really hurts my conscience."
Nakajima Takuto exhaled a long breath again, but unfortunately, the pent-up emotions in his chest could not be fully released.
The brief departure after gaining trust was to test Akikawa Sosuke's reaction; clearly, the other party had basically trusted him.
As time passed, the other party would certainly feel uneasy and suspect whether they had been deceived.
Returning after the agreed-upon time would create a feeling of reunion, which would make the other party cherish this false relationship even more.
At this point, as long as he gently guided him, the other party would confess everything.
"Just let him confess early. He was confined by his mother from childhood to adulthood, and now he has to go to jail. He's truly pitiful."
"But for him, prison should be much better than home, after all, Japanese prison facilities are quite good now, and the food is also good."
Nakajima Takuto comforted himself in this way, then walked towards the room he had borrowed earlier.
He needed to pass the time there and report the situation.
—
On the other side.
Inside the ward.
Akikawa Sosuke watched Nakajima Takuto leave his ward, and the excited expression on his face gradually cooled, returning to his usual expressionless demeanor.
"Inducement to confess."
"Something that was prohibited in the last century, yet even today, Japanese Detectives are still using such an anti-human method."
"They're not treating me like a human at all."
Akikawa Sosuke felt somewhat incredulous.
If it were forces from the underworld, such methods might be understandable.
After all, they inherently disregard the law.
But Akikawa Sosuke had not expected to be treated this way by a Detective from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
However, Akikawa Sosuke, despite being treated in such a manner, felt no anger in his heart at all.
Instead, he felt delighted.
"If the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had truly obtained decisive evidence sufficient for conviction, why would they waste time with inducement to confess? Wouldn't it be better to just arrest me?"
"It's precisely because they only suspect me, but can't convict me, that they want to induce me to tell the truth myself."
Confirming that the situation had not deviated from his control, Akikawa Sosuke's heart once again felt a wave of relief.
Ding
Just as Akikawa Sosuke's mood had relaxed, a sudden crisp mechanical sound echoed in his mind again.
At the same time, translucent azure text reappeared before Akikawa Sosuke's eyes.
[With an increasingly clear motive for the crime, and perhaps overlooked clues, you, who possess only scarce information, face a Detective who has identified you as the murder suspect but still shows you kindness. What choice will you make?]
[1. Believe the other party is trustworthy and reveal everything you've done.]
[Reward: Skill Card x1]
[2. Play your role well, lower the Detective's guard, and steal information.]
[Reward: Constitution +3]
[3. Determine that the kindness the other party shows you is false, point it out to him directly, and expose his Detective identity.]
[Reward: Agility +3]
"So, the previous choice doesn't have to end for the next option to appear."
"But this time, it seems there's only one correct option again."
Akikawa Sosuke sighed in his heart, and immediately began to look forward to it.
"I just wonder, how much information can this Detective provide me?"
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