Chapter 231: Perception

Last night.

Akikawa Kyousuke received a call from Sera Masumi, who informed him that she and Conan would be going to the Tokyo International Exhibition Center tomorrow, on the 27th.

This stemmed from Kaitou Kid's behavior of slipping letters onto Tsukino Takashi's person, which led Sera Masumi and Conan to suspect the guests present.

Sera Masumi called because she wanted to describe the situation of the attendees to Akikawa Kyousuke.

---

While Sera Masumi was describing the guests, Akikawa Kyousuke noticed something peculiar: when she mentioned Amuro Tooru, Sera Masumi showed a very obvious, strange reaction.

Later, after listening to her description, Akikawa Kyousuke realized something significant.

This employee, who claimed to work at a luxury store, actually worked downstairs in Kogoro Mouri's detective agency.

Sera Masumi also made it abundantly clear that something was suspicious about Amuro Tooru.

---

Additionally, Akikawa Kyousuke observed that Amuro Tooru displayed a subtle physiological reaction of denial when he heard Kyousuke's description of Kaitou Kid.

This raised suspicion in Kyousuke's mind: perhaps Amuro Tooru knew he was lying.

If that were true, then their encounter wasn't coincidental but deliberately arranged.

---

Akikawa Kyousuke's first thought was that Amuro might be connected to the police.

However, Amuro Tooru didn't carry the usual demeanor of a detective.

During their conversation just before dinner, Amuro brought up his job again, this time for the second time.

Akikawa Kyousuke realized that Amuro Tooru was lying.

---

To confirm his suspicions, Akikawa Kyousuke spoke about two incidents he had experienced—one at the Empire Theater and another at the Minato Film Festival.

He noticed that Amuro Tooru displayed a fleeting expression of surprise upon hearing these stories.

Superficially, this brief change in emotion matched the microexpressions typical of human reactions.

But the overly authentic reaction from Amuro Tooru seemed slightly off.

---

When a normal person hears a stranger mention being attacked twice during work and nearly killed, their first reaction would be disbelief or laughter, assuming it was a joke.

Even if they believed it, Akikawa Kyousuke's choice to continue working as an artist despite such risks would be considered highly unusual.

While some people might feign surprise out of social courtesy, that kind of expression typically lasts over a second—something Kyousuke could easily discern.

---

Another possibility emerged: Amuro Tooru truly believed everything he had just heard.

The surprise he exhibited was a genuine physiological reaction.

However, if Amuro Tooru was someone who readily accepted unusual occurrences, then he shouldn't have questioned Kyousuke's critique of Kaitou Kid the previous day.

This led Akikawa Kyousuke to a conclusion.

---

Amuro Tooru had known about him for some time and possessed certain information about him.

---

Later, when Akikawa Kyousuke asked Amuro Tooru about his other job, he no longer scrutinized Amuro's face for signs of deceit.

It was unnecessary at that point.

If Amuro Tooru could fake genuine surprise, Akikawa Kyousuke believed he wouldn't reveal any flaws under direct questioning.

Amuro Tooru didn't deny Kyousuke's question; instead, he claimed to work part-time at a café.

This response was far more intelligent than outright denial.

---

Since it was true that Amuro worked at a café, there was no way to disprove it.

This was a classic "partial truth tactic" often employed in counterintelligence—revealing part of the truth to avoid being caught in a lie.

Yoko Okino had used the same technique during Kyouji Toda's case to evade interrogation.

This tactic was indeed clever and effective.

But it had one weakness.

---

It only worked when the person conducting the interrogation had less information than the person lying.

In this situation, that wasn't the case.

Now that Akikawa Kyousuke had determined that Amuro Tooru had another identity, the partial truth strategy would no longer be effective.

At the same time, Amuro Tooru had exposed something even more damning.

---

He was skilled in counter-surveillance techniques.

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"Considering the cases I've been involved in, there's a high probability he's with the police."

---

"While his acting skills are decent, he also excels in counter-surveillance and doesn't display even a hint of a typical detective's demeanor."

"Kyouji Toda, who once worked in the Organized Crime Countermeasures Bureau, never mastered such skills. This indicates that the organizational level where Amuro Tooru operates is far superior to that bureau."

---

At this point in the analysis, the answer became clear.

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"Public Security Bureau."

---

Of course, Akikawa Kyousuke didn't stop there.

Not all police officers received training in counter-surveillance or how to mask their identities.

Additionally, Amuro Tooru appeared very young—likely under 30 years old.

This made his background even more intriguing.

---

Kyouji Toda, at around 40, worked as a police officer in the First Investigative Division of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Achieving the rank of Division Inspector was already a significant milestone for ordinary police officers.

But in Japan, there existed "elite public officials."

These were officers who passed the National Civil Service Examination and entered the Metropolitan Police Department.

---

Among nearly 300,000 police officers in Japan, only about 500 held this title.

They were considered the elite of the elite.

After passing the Class I National Public Service Examination, these individuals would receive the rank of Police Inspector upon joining the Metropolitan Police Department.

Their rise through the ranks was exceptionally rapid, far outpacing ordinary officers.

Naturally, their training was unparalleled.

---

"This Amuro Tooru must be an elite graduate of the police academy, holding at least the rank of Police Inspector."

"But why is the police focusing on me?"

"The last officer who followed me was obviously killed by that Vermouth."

---

Akikawa Kyousuke sensed something was amiss.

Logically, the conflict between public security and the mysterious organization should have shifted their focus.

The police officer had only been killed a few days ago.

There was no evidence to suggest they knew they were being followed or monitored.

---

It was even less likely that anyone knew he had slipped the phone into Vermouth's pocket.

Why, then, had Amuro Tooru targeted him so quickly?

---

"Logically, even if they discovered the officer died after tracking the location on my phone, they shouldn't have suspected me so soon."

"Even if they knew my identity, they wouldn't know I handed the phone to Vermouth."

"And Vermouth only knew I gave her the phone, but she didn't know my identity."

---

The more Akikawa Kyousuke thought about it, the more wrong it seemed.

If that were the case, there was a high chance he had made a mistake somewhere.

Perhaps he had overlooked something and left a clue behind.

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After thinking for a moment, Akikawa Kyousuke suddenly laughed inwardly.

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"A mistake? Impossible."

---

"Rather than believing I made a mistake, it's more likely that the officer with excellent acting skills in front of me is also a member of that organization. That's the more plausible explanation."

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A hint of amusement flickered in Akikawa Kyousuke's eyes as he lowered his head and put another piece of meat into his mouth.

(End of the Chapter)