Chapter 334: Senichi's Observation

Today is the engagement party of Kaoru Kusano and Osamu Kenzaki.

Everyone gathered here because of the two of them, so today they are undoubtedly the rightful protagonists.

In general parties or gatherings, the protagonists often become the "focus of attention" in cases.

For example, in the case of couples, if one person becomes jealous of the other, they may end up directly harming their partner at the party or ceremony.

Or, in the case of a couple being together, if they anger a pursuer of one of them and the pursuer would resort to revenge by killing their loved one or trying to win their affection, things like that can happen.

In any case, in the world of Detective Conan and even in the world of investigations, the universal rule is that parties carry a high risk, and the risk to the relatives, friends, parents, and the protagonists themselves gradually increases.

If you're lucky, you might encounter a murder or something like that at a happy occasion. But as long as it doesn't involve you directly, it's not too bad. Compared to the psychological trauma and life-threatening situations, it doesn't matter much.

So when Senichi heard that he was attending a party, he naturally couldn't help but focus his attention on today's two party protagonists.

And after concentrating, relying on his current keen insight, Senichi really observed quite a bit of information.

For example, although Kaoru Kusano and Osamu Kenzaki are lovers, they seem somewhat distant in their intimacy.

Take, for example, when Kaoru Kusano hugged Osamu Kenzaki earlier, the man was completely passive. After being hugged, he seemed hesitant to make any movements at all.

If Ayako were to hug Senichi's arm, he would naturally reach out and touch her hand.

Even if they later felt shy with the position and let go, these brief moments of intimacy happened naturally and subconsciously.

It was a completely subconscious action.

As for Osamu Kenzaki, apart from that one instance of hugging the arm, there was no other intimate interaction. Generally, men take the initiative in physical contact, and Osamu Kenzaki didn't seem like the kind of guy who would need the woman to take the initiative.

Because of his focused concentration, combined with his insight, micro-expressions, and the body language of both parties, Senichi interpreted a lot of information from this brief moment of interaction.

And by combining this information with the hints he recalled from Kogoro Mouri's words, Senichi basically narrowed down the role of the couple to Osamu Kenzaki and Kaoru Kusano, and the victim was naturally self-evident.

As for the remaining four women, Ran Mouri naturally did not need to be mentioned. She was the heroine and was never suspected of any wrongdoing throughout Conan's journey through thousands of episodes of the series.

In the future, except for special events, such as a future movie preview where they trick us into thinking that Ran is the culprit, Ran Mouri is basically "untouchable and innocent, free of all sins."

As for Yoko Okino, she merely serves as a "case trigger," a disposable character used to fill in the background of a case and guide the main characters into the investigation.

At most, when there are only two suspects, they were thrown in a "classic three-choice" scenario just to make up the numbers.

So after eliminating those two, we're left with Yuki Takeno and Terumi Hoshino.

Speaking of this, Senichi once again shifted his gaze to the group of people chatting happily on the side.

"You know, it's really surprising. Kaoru, you're the youngest among us, yet you're the first to step into marriage," Yoko Okino remarked with deep emotion.

"Yeah, it's unbelievable even to me. I always thought Terumi would be the first to get married," Kaoru Kusano said with a smile.

"Speaking of which, Terumi, I remember you mentioned that you might have someone you like, right?" Yuki Takeno smiled as she looked at her. "How's it going? Have you confessed to him?"

"No, there hasn't been any progress," Terumi Hoshino sighed softly, exhaling smoke. "And instead of plunging into the grave of marriage, I'd rather maintain some distance and observe from afar. After all, that's how I can keep my dream intact..."

"What do you mean by that?" Kaoru Kusano asked, clearly catching the implication in her words.

"Everyone, Detective Samonji is about to start..."

At that moment, a man with freckles on his face and glasses walked out from the other room. "Weren't we supposed to watch it together? Don't miss it..."

"Hmph! I'm going to take a bath and won't watch it!" Kaoru Kusano's expression turned cold when she saw him, and she turned around and left. "Call me after you've finished watching!"

"Oh... but the food we prepared will get cold..." The man heard Kaoru Kusano's words and tried to persuade her with a gentle tone. "And it's so rare for everyone to gather and have a meal together. Wouldn't it be more lively this way?"

"Enough!" Kaoru Kusano suddenly seemed to change completely and angrily exclaimed, "Didn't I say I'm not watching?! Atsushi, you're just an agent, what right do you have to meddle in my affairs!"

"S-Sorry..." Despite the strong reaction from the other party, Atsushi showed no anger, just nodded apologetically and watched her back in silence.

Meanwhile, Kaoru Kusano, as if she hadn't heard anything, continued to walk towards the bathroom, completely ignoring Kenzaki's attempt to stop her, and entered the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"Looks like it's the same old Kaoru."

Yuki Takeno found the tension in the air somewhat amusing and smiled, "She's even embarrassed to watch works she's involved in with everyone... That kind of personality is what's called 'tsundere' in light novels nowadays, right?"

"Yeah..." Yoko Okino agreed with her friend's words, trying to diffuse the awkward atmosphere. "By the way, should we do that thing now?"

"Wait a minute... I thought you guys were joking when you mentioned it earlier. Are you really planning to do it?" Terumi Hoshino, standing nearby, looked puzzled.

"Yeah, that's right. That's why we needed you to come over," Yoko Okino said with a smile.

"We'll go to the living room first. Call us later..."

"Yoko, you can give me a heads-up first."

Terumi Hoshino touched her forehead and, seemingly accepting the situation, walked towards the living room with Yuki Takeno.

As an observer, Senichi saw the scene that had just unfolded and couldn't help but smile confidently.

The last two puzzle pieces were in place!

First, there was this agent named Atsushi, who is most likely the target who Kaoru Kusano wants to make jealous. Based on Kaoru Kusano's sudden outburst, this could be reasonably concluded.

As for the remaining criminal suspect, Senichi initially had no clues. However, after Terumi Hoshino's confession of unrequited love, Senichi not only didn't deepen his suspicion of her but immediately ruled her out!

As a participant in the "Conan Encyclopedia," after hearing her words, Senichi's deep memories were triggered, and he remembered some key information about her!

Terumi Hoshino's love interest is Shinichi Kudo!

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