**Chapter 178: What a Family Drama**

"Only those who had the opportunity and motive to act are the few of you who approached Ms. Toda when she was drowning."

"But how could the perpetrator know that Ms. Toda was going to drown?" 

At this point, Conan raised his head and asked Fujino, "If Ms. Toda hadn't drowned, this method wouldn't have worked at all, right?"

"That's true."

Fujino nodded.

If Kiwako Toda hadn't gone diving and subsequently drowned, this whole setup wouldn't work. But from the evidence, it was clear the case played out just as Fujino had thought…

If Toda's drowning was accidental, the case would have a logical hole.

"But what if Ms. Toda wasn't actually drowning?"

Suddenly, Fujino remembered what Ai Haibara had said earlier. As he recalled the events in his mind, an image of Kogoro Mouri searching for the ring flashed before him.

Turning to Masazaki Masahiko, Fujino said, "If I'm not mistaken, Ms. Toda pretended to drown to test you, Mr. Masazaki."

"Kiwako... was testing me?"

Masazaki Masahiko was stunned. "But we're getting married next week. Why would she do that?"

At this point, Fujino rubbed his chin. "This must be what they call a 'lover's test.'"

"It's like how my mom pretended to lose her ring to test my dad."

Suddenly, Ran had a realization. "No wonder Ms. Toda said 'thank goodness' when she knew Mr. Masazaki was the first to come to her rescue."

"I only thought of this after I saw Kogoro Mouri looking for the ring on the beach," Fujino added.

"Dad really went to the beach to look for the ring?" 

Ran looked at Fujino expectantly.

"Yes, I happened to find it and handed it over to him," Fujino replied, then shifted back to the topic. "If the plan was to test Mr. Masazaki, then someone had to alert everyone that she was drowning."

He looked at Harumi Masazaki. "Of course, that person must be someone very close to her, someone she trusted. And in most cases, women would choose a close female friend to help."

"Ms. Masazaki, you were the one who helped her, weren't you?"

"You knew she would 'drown' today, so you had enough time to prepare the sea snake in advance. When you approached her, you set the snake loose to attack her."

"What are you talking about..." Harumi Masazaki opened her mouth, "Kiwako would never joke around like that."

"We'll know for sure when Ms. Toda wakes up... if she ever does," Fujino said, glancing at Harumi's bulging orange jacket. "But regardless of whether she wakes up or not, Ms. Masazaki, can you show us your waist bag?"

"Nobody at the scene had a container that could hold a sea snake, except for your waist bag. You could've prepared the snake in advance and then let it loose when you got close to her."

"If we're lucky, we might even find the tape you used to hold the snake. A sea snake is very flexible, and it's unlikely that just taping its head would keep it in place. Since not much time has passed since you came ashore, you wouldn't have had enough time to dispose of the tape."

Fujino's words hit Harumi Masazaki like a hammer, striking her heart.

She glanced at Fujino, then at her waist bag, biting her lip. For a moment, she seemed lost.

After a brief pause, she sighed as if she had given up. "Yes, I used the sea snake to bite Kiwako."

"Harumi... why would you do this?" 

Masazaki Masahiko looked pained, unable to comprehend that his sister would want to kill his fiancée.

"I just couldn't stand her smug attitude!"

Harumi Masazaki suddenly shouted, "Talking about some ridiculous 'lover's test' before the wedding! She knew how I felt about you, yet she still dragged me into this to mock me!"

"How could I ever let you marry a woman like her?!"

"Ms. Harumi, you actually love..."

Ran looked at Harumi in shock. "Aren't you two siblings?"

"We're not... My mother remarried into the Masazaki family," Harumi shook her head. "Though he's a bit weak, Masazaki is very kind. Since I grew up without any boys around me, I unknowingly fell in love with him..."

Fujino also looked at Harumi.

A kind yet unreliable protagonist has a sister who isn't related by blood. That sister is also the childhood friend of his fiancée but ends up falling in love with her non-blood-related brother. In an attempt to win his love, the sister plots to kill the fiancée.

What a complicated family drama.

This love triangle involving non-blood-related siblings feels so dramatic, like something out of a twisted German family saga.

If only I had some popcorn right now.

With that thought, Fujino sighed and silently grabbed a bottle of iced tea, watching the aftermath unfold as the killer faced her regrets.

"Harumi, how could you..."

Masazaki Masahiko's face twisted with disbelief as he looked at Harumi.

"I'm really sorry, Masazaki," Harumi bowed slightly. "I know what I did was wrong, but every time I heard Kiwako talk about your childhood together, I'd get so angry, so upset... It felt like she was saying I didn't understand you at all... I felt so hurt. I really love you, Masazaki... but I did something that hurt you deeply..."

"Harumi, stop," Masazaki replied, unsure of what else to say, patting her shoulder gently. "You'll always be my sister."

On one hand, there was his non-blood-related sister. On the other, his fiancée... What a tough situation.

Tears of regret trickled down Harumi's face. "In the end, it was all just wishful thinking on my part. I made you suffer, Masazaki... I'm such a fool."

Thus, this dramatic incident came to an end as the truth was revealed.

Kiwako Toda didn't die, thanks to Fujino, the miracle-working doctor. After receiving anti-venom at the hospital, she quickly recovered.

When she learned it was Harumi who had caused her injuries and about everything that had happened...

Of course, she chose to forgive her.

With Kiwako's forgiveness, Harumi wasn't sent to the police.

As for how their relationships will develop afterward, Fujino wasn't sure.

Things are bound to be complicated, right?

As for Ran's plan to reunite Kogoro Mouri with Eri Kisaki...

Although returning the ring went smoothly, after doing so, Kogoro quickly got distracted by some girls at the beach, acting like the lecherous old man he is.

Eri, seeing this, said nothing.

She just drove off.

Fujino refused to comment.

Classic Kogoro Mouri.

(End of Chapter)