Chapter 181: Doubts About Akikawa's Mother and Son

After Sera Masumi finished explaining her reasoning to Conan, she returned to the monitoring room.

There, she met the criminal investigator responsible for the investigation and surveillance.

"Excuse me, did you find any suspicious individuals entering or leaving Kosen Temple yesterday after midnight?"

Sera Masumi asked.

"A few."

The detective replied, then adjusted the progress bar on the surveillance footage to match the time recorded in their notebook.

"Among these individuals, Miss Tanaka, who was in charge of the reception yesterday, said she doesn't recall seeing them."

Sera Masumi scanned the suspicious individuals one by one, asking the detective to switch to the next suspect.

"This woman looks very suspicious."

When they moved to the next suspect, the detective pointed at the person on the screen with the mouse and said.

The woman in the image was dressed in black, wearing a visor cap, and her cheeks were covered by a black mask. She was also carrying a handbag at her side.

Sera Masumi noticed the slender figure of the woman.

When she caught sight of the reddish-brown hair faintly visible beneath the black visor cap, a strong premonition surged in her heart.

"Can you zoom in?"

Sera Masumi quickly said.

Hearing this, the criminal investigator enlarged the video. However, the footage became blurry due to the zoom.

Sera Masumi took the mouse and began carefully reviewing the footage of the woman entering and exiting Kosen Temple, frame by frame.

Finally, she captured the moment when the woman entered Kosen Temple and glanced at the surveillance camera.

Although the video resolution wasn't high, Sera Masumi could vaguely make out a tattoo near the woman's left eye.

Sera Masumi, who was originally there to investigate Akikawa Ryoko's murderer, had been assisting with solving a dismemberment case.

The outcome was unexpected.

This dismemberment case turned out to involve that mysterious organization.

What she didn't anticipate even more was—

The suspected killer of Akikawa Ryoko also appeared here.

---

'Is it her? Why is she here?!'

'Is she part of that organization?'

'Was Akikawa Ryoko targeted and killed by someone from the organization?!'

'Could it be that Akikawa Ryoko had a special identity?'

'Since Akikawa Kyousuke remembers the killer's clothing, it means he was still conscious when Akikawa Ryoko was killed.'

'Then why didn't the women from this organization kill Akikawa Kyousuke when they murdered Akikawa Ryoko?'

---

Sera Masumi's thoughts became a whirlwind of confusion after spotting the killer from the car accident in Kosen Temple's surveillance footage.

Countless doubts and questions began surfacing in her mind.

Even though her intelligence was remarkable, she couldn't untangle the many mysteries.

---

"Miss Sera, is something wrong?"

The detective responsible for analyzing the footage noticed Sera Masumi's trembling pupils and asked in confusion.

"It's nothing… The killer should be this woman."

"She entered Kosen Temple at 1:17 p.m. and stayed for only 12 minutes before leaving."

"Whether you're here to rest or just to take a bath, leaving so quickly is unusual."

"But it's just enough time to kill Mr. Kawasaki, who lives on the first floor."

---

Sera Masumi later explained the general situation regarding Kunio Koizumi to the Okamura Police Department.

This, however, did not include information about Koizumi developing software for the organization.

She also informed the Okamura Police Department that the computer in the room actually belonged to Kunio Koizumi, not Ryo Kawasaki, and therefore was unrelated to the case.

After requesting the police to keep the software development confidential, Sera Masumi left the surveillance room.

---

Once outside, Sera Masumi's eyes landed on Akikawa Kyousuke, who had been waiting in the lobby, idly playing on his phone.

'How on earth did you survive, Akikawa?'

'And why did you lie to the police, claiming someone else gave you the sleeping pills?'

---

Sera Masumi's gaze was complicated.

She realized that the deeper she investigated the original car accident case, the more doubts arose regarding Akikawa Ryoko and her son.

Her curiosity about why Akikawa Ryoko was targeted by the organization grew stronger.

She walked directly toward Akikawa Kyousuke.

---

Noticing someone approaching, Akikawa Kyousuke, who had been focused on his phone, looked up.

"Mr. Akikawa, would you like to talk?"

Akikawa Kyousuke didn't respond, merely nodding slightly before turning off his phone and setting it aside.

Since Akikawa Kyousuke was no longer a suspect, no criminal investigators were watching him.

At this moment, only Akikawa Kyousuke and Sera Masumi were in the vicinity.

---

"I'm sorry to bring this up after so much time. I'd like to ask: did Mrs. Ryoko ever tell you why she decided to move in the first place?"

Sera Masumi noticed a look of surprise on Akikawa Kyousuke's delicate face before he fixed his gaze on her and shook his head.

"No."

"You're lying, Mr. Akikawa."

Sera Masumi stared into Akikawa Kyousuke's eyes, seeing through his falsehoods.

---

'Akikawa has grown a bit since we first met.'

'Unfortunately, this level is still not enough.'

During last year's car accident case, Akikawa Kyousuke, inexperienced in social situations, unconsciously avoided the interrogator's gaze when lying.

This made it easy for others to catch him in a lie.

---

Thanks to his experience as an entertainer, Akikawa Kyousuke had undoubtedly interacted with dozens, if not hundreds, more people than before.

Now, when he lied, he no longer panicked as he once did.

However, just because he didn't panic didn't mean Sera Masumi couldn't detect his lies.

---

When people recall memories, their eyes subconsciously glance upward to the left.

Sera Masumi noticed that Akikawa Kyousuke maintained eye contact when responding.

He denied her question without hesitation, which indicated no mental retrieval process had occurred.

People who lie are often more likely to maintain eye contact.

They try to gauge whether the other person believes their falsehoods based on their reactions.

---

Akikawa Kyousuke's skill in lying had undoubtedly improved significantly, but Sera Masumi's sharp observation still exposed him with ease.

Sure enough, after realizing Sera had caught him lying, Akikawa Kyousuke quickly looked away with a guilty expression.

---

"It's just a normal move. What's the reason?"

Akikawa Kyousuke asked.

"Mr. Akikawa, you don't attend school. Mrs. Ryoko doesn't have a steady job, and your family is quite poor."

"Moving costs in Japan are very expensive, and renting a new place requires an upfront payment that's multiple times the rent."

"Given your family's financial situation, it should've been an enormous burden."

"If there wasn't a significant reason to move, I don't think Mrs. Ryoko would've easily agreed."

Sera Masumi analyzed.

---

Initially, Sera Masumi thought Akikawa Kyousuke had been placed under house arrest by his mother.

But after learning that the person who killed Akikawa Ryoko belonged to the organization, her theory changed.

Perhaps what she had assumed was "house arrest" by Akikawa Ryoko was actually "protection."

---

Under Sera Masumi's intense gaze, her suspicions were soon confirmed—

"Mom said someone was after us."

Akikawa Kyousuke finally admitted after a moment of hesitation.

(End of Chapter)