Chapter 25: Point and Starting Point

Akikawa Kyousuke used the map provided by Midori Kuriyama and spent over an hour reaching the apartment rented by the original owner and his mother.

The first thing he noticed was the exterior wall mottled with peeling skin.

The very obvious black marks on the wall indicated that the building in front of him had undergone years of erosion from wind and rain.

According to Japan's Building Standards Law, it is permissible to construct inexpensive two-story wooden apartments.

The room where the original owner and his mother lived was Room 202 on the second floor.

The apartment entrance didn't have an automatic lock, as was common in collective buildings from that era, meaning anyone could enter the apartment at will.

The stair railings were covered in thick reddish-brown rust, making it difficult to begin.

The old iron stairs creaked as Akikawa Kyousuke stepped on them.

This old, crumbling building does everything it can to express the difficult situation of its tenants.

Akikawa Kyousuke opened the door with the key and entered the house. What hit him was a warm, humid smell.

It seemed that the house's insulation had long lost its effectiveness.

Including the entrance, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, the small 15-square-meter apartment was as hot and humid as a steam room.

Surprisingly, even the room that had been registered by the Metropolitan Police was still considered orderly.

There was no stereotypical NEET home filled with trash bags and instant noodle boxes.

"Obviously, the original owner had been imprisoned at home by his mother for a long time and also had a severe eating disorder..."

"But why do you think this house still has a sense of life...?"

"Except for the kitchen..."

Akikawa Kyousuke discovered there were relatively few items in the house, except for kitchenware and condiments, but he didn't find anything strange about it.

It simply seemed like a house where a person with financial problems lived.

"There's even a television and a DVD player. It's really an item of the past..."

Akikawa Kyousuke couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the television with a big rear end placed on the TV stand and the disc projector placed on top.

He was a little curious about what kind of movies families like this would watch.

Akikawa Kyousuke opened the cabinet under the TV and saw that most of the movies inside were in plastic cases with store numbers and names marked on them.

"Turns out it's a rented disc, and the content was surprisingly normal."

From foreign movies to Japanese TV series, and even variety shows and idol videos.

The types of discs covered a wide range, and Akikawa Kyousuke couldn't identify any special preferences of the original owner and his mother.

"Idol disc, this one isn't rented."

Akikawa Kyousuke found a box of discs in the cabinet that didn't have a plastic case, and the packaging looked quite old.

The cover had pictures of four young girls, and the title read "Earth Ladies Team," which should be the name of the idol group.

Under one of the girls with brown hair and blue eyes, Akikawa Kyousuke found a somewhat familiar name—

Yoko Okino.

"Yoko Okino... I think I saw this name on TV this morning."

Akikawa Kyousuke had a very good memory, and even things he looked at without realizing it often left traces in his heart.

In Akikawa Kyousuke's memory, the name Okino Yoko that he saw on TV in the morning seemed to be different from the current description of Okino Yoko.

He turned to read the information on the back of the case and discovered that it was a disc from six years ago, and suddenly realized.

"No wonder the description is different. Turns out she's gone from being an 'idol' to a 'national goddess' in six years."

Akikawa Kyousuke said to himself in his heart.

"Is this the idol the original owner liked? He seems like a real fan."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have moved so many times and left this video box."

Akikawa Kyousuke wasn't interested in idols, but opened the box anyway.

After opening the box, the first thing he saw wasn't a round DVD disc, but a stack of folded paper.

Akikawa Kyousuke felt vaguely that something was wrong, so he took the paper out and unfolded it to read.

However, just one glance made Akikawa Kyousuke's eyes suddenly widen.

The content of the paper in front of him was extremely familiar.

It was the insurance contract he had seen earlier at Eri Law Firm.

Akikawa Kyousuke quickly checked the contract and couldn't help but inhale.

"It's really fake..."

Akikawa Kyousuke never expected this.

Inside the small idol video box, there were actually three life insurance policies from different insurance companies.

The three insurance policies were issued on August 22, three years ago.

The total death benefit exceeded 120 million yen.

However, what surprised Akikawa Kyousuke the most wasn't the amount.

It was the name of the insured.

It wasn't the original owner's mother, Ryoko Akikawa.

But himself.

——Time is like water, and the years are like a shuttle.

The days spent at home passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding time had passed.

During this period, Akikawa Kyousuke received 105 million yen in insurance compensation with the help of lawyer Miss Kuriyama Midori.

According to Japanese tax laws, inheritance tax is required.

But the tax office often turns a blind eye to death benefits.

After paying off the debts that had also increased due to his mother's inheritance and the lawyer's commission fees for Miss Kuriyama Midori, Akikawa Kyousuke was left with 96 million yen.

Later, while completing tasks for the system, Akikawa Kyousuke obtained a [Recovery Card] that could restore any injury, illness, or poisoning.

And using the [Recovery Card], he cured the liver failure issue that was his biggest threat at the moment.

In the end, Akikawa spent 900,000 yen to purchase a space in a public cemetery near the apartment he was renting, where he planned to bury the ashes of the original owner's mother.

Today is the day Akikawa Kyousuke will place the ashes of the original owner's mother.

Once the placement was completed, Akikawa Kyousuke placed the tributes and lit incense sticks.

He then closed his eyes and clasped his hands in front of the tombstone.

A month ago, the day Akikawa Kyousuke returned to his apartment for the first time, he found three high-cost insurance policies for him in the DVD box on the TV stand.

This suddenly made the case from a month ago become confusing.

But—

"I'm sorry, although the true cause of their two deaths seems open to debate, I'm not a detective and I don't intend to keep exploring the truth behind their deaths."

"The story of Akikawa Kyousuke and Akikawa Ryoko may come to an end today."

Akikawa Kyousuke bowed slightly before the tombstone.

He then placed the flower bouquet in front of the tombstone.

Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly noticed someone staring at him.

Akikawa Kyousuke looked in the direction of his gaze and saw a man wearing a cap, sunglasses, and a mask looking at him from not too far away. It was late September, and it was still warm.

The other person's appearance was obviously extremely suspicious.

But I have to admit, it works.

In this case, it's almost impossible to determine the identity and physical features of the other person.

Akikawa Kyousuke showed an expression of confusion, took a step toward the man, extended his hand, and said hello:

"Excuse me, please."

But before Akikawa Kyousuke could finish his words, the man quickly turned around and walked away.

However, it was his movement that made Akikawa Kyousuke notice the clues.

"I'm not a police officer, and I'm worried the original owner might approach."

"If it's just general surveillance, you could pretend to be a street sweeper and get away with it."

"After all, running away is more suspicious."

"This man wasn't just worried about me approaching, he didn't say a word from start to finish and kept his hands in his pockets."

"Hat, mask, sunglasses, sweatshirt, pants. This kind of outfit would look extremely suspicious no matter where you put it today, in late September."

"But most likely, there's only one reason why the other person still chooses to dress like this."

Akikawa Kyousuke narrowed his eyes after confirming the other person had disappeared from sight.

"Do you think that while exposing one of them, they might recognize you?"

After coming to this conclusion, Akikawa Kyousuke felt a bit irritated.

Just when he was about to cut ties with the original owner today and start a new life,

Unexpectedly, he met someone who seemed quite familiar with the original owner.

Fortunately, the other person didn't seem to want to be recognized by him, and even covered himself well to observe from a distance.

That also meant the other person wouldn't take the initiative to disturb his life.

Well, probably.

Akikawa Kyousuke no longer hesitated, turned around, and walked back to his home.

He had found a new place to live.

Akikawa Kyousuke himself was not the talkative type, but he still preferred a lively environment with more people.

So, he rented a one-bedroom luxury apartment in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Less than ten minutes after Akikawa Kyousuke returned to his old apartment, the moving company he had reserved in advance arrived.

Then, following Akikawa Kyousuke's instructions, the staff loaded all the things he had listed to be taken into the vehicle and transported them to his new home in Shibuya.

The remaining old furniture and other items would be disposed of by the moving company.

However.

Akikawa Kyousuke still kept the original owner's insurance contract, as well as the schizophrenia diagnosis certificate of the original owner's mother and other things that were discovered later.

—A few moments later.

Akikawa Kyousuke, who had settled into his new home, arrived at Shibuya Street.

While going to the store to buy some daily necessities for his new home, he couldn't help but think about what he wanted to do next.

Although he had been human for two generations, this was the first time Akikawa Kyousuke had the opportunity to decide his own life and future.

Akikawa Kyousuke wanted to take a break from his dangerous work and do something interesting.

At this moment.

Akikawa Kyousuke suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder several times.

"Hey, hey, bro."

Akikawa Kyousuke turned around and saw a man in a suit, dressed like a publicist, looking at him with a mocking smile on his face.

"Wow, bro, you're so handsome! Are you interested in becoming an artist?"

After seeing Akikawa Kyousuke's face, the man couldn't help but be surprised by Akikawa Kyousuke's appearance again.

As soon as he walked behind him, he noticed that Akikawa Kyousuke had an extraordinary temperament.

Unexpectedly, his facial lines looked drawn with a pen, with clear, delicate, and beautiful edges and corners.

He hurriedly handed Akikawa Kyousuke a business card.

"I'm a talent scout from Wonderful, my name is Hiroshi Kubo."

"Wow, my younger brother is so handsome, he'll definitely become famous!"

Akikawa Kyousuke's heart was not moved at all by Hiroshi Kubo's attempt to make a big deal out of it.

Moreover, he himself didn't like this kind of behavior of soliciting clients and recruiting people on the street, so he was prepared to refuse.

However, as soon as his words of refusal were about to leave his lips, the talent scout Hiroshi Kubo, who seemed to have noticed Akikawa Kyousuke's interest, hurriedly said:

"We're not a small, third-rate company, but the largest artist management company in Japan! You can find it online!"

Then Akikawa Kyousuke took out the mobile phone he had just requested and searched directly in front of Hiroshi Kubo.

As expected, this company called Wonderful turned out to be the most powerful artist management company in Japan.

"You must have heard of Okino Yoko, right? She's also from our Wonderful!"

When mentioning the national goddess Okino Yoko, Hiroshi Kubo couldn't help but show an expression of pride.

*ding*

The sharp mechanical sound rang in Akikawa Kyousuke's mind again, and a translucent blue interface appeared in front of his eyes.

[In response to a sudden invitation from a talent scout, what choice would you make?]

[1. Reject the invitation]

[Reward: Agility +3]

[2. Accept the invitation and become an artist]

[Reward: Physique +3]

"I've been pretending to be someone else in my previous life. Do I have to keep doing this pretending job in this life?"

Akikawa Kyousuke whispered in his heart.

"But it seems quite interesting."

As for whether the detectives would suspect him if he became an artist right after being cleared of suspicion, Akikawa Kyousuke wasn't worried at all.

Because if the elementary school student Shinigami had reasoned his previous actions during the interrogation, everything would have been a lie based on his acting and observational skills.

So, becoming an artist would be like exposing himself.

On the contrary, it's inconsistent with the image deduced from Conan's strong analytical ability.

A fool might doubt themselves.

But for a character with superior intelligence like a detective, their own behavior could reduce suspicion.

Not to mention.

He wasn't afraid of the detective's suspicions. As long as there was no concrete evidence, even the detective couldn't do anything to him.

Akikawa Kyousuke slightly raised the corners of his mouth and made a decision.

He nodded slightly to Hiroshi Kubo, who was anxiously looking at him.

When Hiroshi Kubo saw Akikawa Kyousuke nod, he also showed an ecstatic expression as if he had won the lottery for a moment.

Volume one has officially ended. Read it every day and vote for it!

(End of chapter)