Chapter 177: The Holy Land for Programmers

"According to the condition of the body at the scene, Kawasaki Ryo should have been dead for more than 10 hours."

"Ten hours back from 5 a.m. would mean the latest time of death for Kawasaki Ryo was around 7 p.m. yesterday."

"At 6 p.m. yesterday, the staff went to deliver food to Kawasaki Ryo and found there was no response from his room."

"By then, Kawasaki Ryo should already have been dead."

"In other words, he had lost the ability to move, couldn't open the door, and couldn't make any sound."

With doubts swirling in his mind, Conan left Koizumi Kunio's room and headed to the monitoring room.

---

Seeing the criminal officer responsible for overseeing the investigation, Conan said,

"Miss Sera wants to know what time Mr. Koizumi returned to Kosen-an last night."

The detective, not doubting Conan's purpose, immediately began checking the surveillance footage of Kosen-an's entrance.

The surveillance results shocked Conan.

---

Koizumi Kunio had not returned to Kosen-an before 6 p.m. yesterday.

The police officer rewound the footage to 8:20 p.m., where they finally saw Koizumi Kunio returning from outside.

"Koizumi Kunio didn't return until 8:20 p.m.?!"

"Clearly, Kawasaki Ryo died before then!"

---

Conan had seen many cases where the killer used some special method to delay the victim's death.

But in all of those cases, the killer's intent was to create an alibi for the time of death.

However, this case was strange.

The "killer" had a clear alibi for the time of death yet claimed to have killed the victim during that period.

Conan couldn't comprehend Koizumi Kunio's intentions.

---

"The motives and methods Koizumi Kunio described are completely inconsistent with the reality of the scene."

"If he used a delayed-death method, it would have been difficult for the victim to die in a posture that suggested using a computer while struggling in pain."

"Furthermore, in Koizumi Kunio's explanation, there was no mention of dismembering the body or any connection between the motive and the computer use."

---

Although Koizumi Kunio initially didn't admit to the dismemberment, his actions—like where he disposed of the body and his sudden confession before the police gathered decisive evidence—showed that he wanted to be seen as the murderer.

Even though he lacked the conditions to commit the crime, he still claimed to be the culprit.

In other words, Koizumi Kunio wanted to conceal the true reason Kawasaki Ryo was killed!

---

"Simply knowing that Kawasaki Ryo was using a computer shouldn't have allowed Koizumi Kunio to deduce the identity of the real killer."

"Then the reason Koizumi Kunio decided to dismember the body wasn't to hide the real killer but to conceal Kawasaki Ryo's use of the computer!"

"Moreover, Kunio avoided discussing the computer usage when explaining the motive for the murder, further proving he didn't want the police to investigate that angle."

---

Realizing this, Conan quickly ran back to Koizumi Kunio's room and confronted him.

"Mr. Koizumi, the surveillance footage shows you returned to Kosen-an at 8:20 p.m.!"

---

Everyone present was stunned upon hearing this.

Sera Masumi quickly reacted, turned to Koizumi Kunio, and said,

"When the staff delivered food to Mr. Kawasaki at 6 p.m., they didn't get a response."

"So, Mr. Koizumi, who hadn't been at Kosen-an since noon, didn't have the opportunity to commit the crime."

"Clearly, someone else killed Mr. Kawasaki. Mr. Koizumi, why are you still trying to hide the fact that Mr. Kawasaki was using a computer when he died?"

---

Hearing this, Koizumi Kunio's expression darkened.

A moment later, he began shouting again,

"I told you I killed Kawasaki! Why don't you believe me?"

"Arrest me already! Haven't you confirmed that Kawasaki was dismembered in the bathroom of my room?"

"I'll even tell you where the weapon I used for the dismemberment is. All you have to do is…"

---

Before he could finish, Sera Masumi interrupted him.

"Mr. Koizumi, stop with these ridiculous lies. It's not too late to tell the truth."

"What exactly were you doing with Mr. Kawasaki? Why was Mr. Kawasaki killed? And why are you covering up his computer use?"

---

Faced with Sera Masumi's questions, Koizumi Kunio stubbornly stuck to his story.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was just drunk and killed Kawasaki because I didn't like him!"

Koizumi Kunio's obstinacy gave Desai Ryo a headache.

He looked at Officer Okamura and was about to ask the police to thoroughly review the surveillance footage and investigate the real culprit.

---

Suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice came from nearby.

"Speaking of which, Ms. Itakura once told me this is a holy land for programmers. Many programmers gather here to develop software."

Everyone turned toward the door upon hearing this.

Standing there was a handsome artist with chestnut hair, wearing a slightly naive smile.

---

When Conan and Sera Masumi heard this, something clicked in their minds, as if a lightbulb had gone off.

Koizumi Kunio, however, looked horrified.

He stared at Akikawa Kyousuke in shock, but Akikawa Kyousuke had already shifted his gaze elsewhere.

---

Beside Akikawa Kyousuke, the detective in charge of monitoring him asked Officer Okamura,

"Officer Okamura, Akikawa wants to know—if it's confirmed he's unrelated to the case, can he return to his room?"

---

A Few Minutes Earlier

The detective monitoring Akikawa Kyousuke stopped his colleague, who had just exited Koizumi Kunio's room.

"What's going on in there? Why were you in that room for so long?"

The colleague replied,

"The forensic team found a large amount of bloodstains in the hot spring hotel owner's bathroom. The owner just admitted to committing a murder."

---

"Then why not just take him to the station for questioning?"

"The high school detective noticed the owner was lying, so the investigation continued."

After this brief exchange, the officer moved on.

Akikawa Kyousuke, overhearing the conversation, sensed something strange.

---

"The hotel owner would rather confess to being a murderer than deny his actions?"

"The victim's posture at the time of death must reveal something significant."

---

Contemplating this, Akikawa Kyousuke spoke to the detective monitoring him.

"Officer, since it's been confirmed I'm unrelated, can I return to my room?"

---

"Well, I'll need to confirm with Officer Okamura."

The detective hesitated but, realizing Akikawa likely had no connection to the case, decided to accompany him to Koizumi Kunio's room.

Upon arriving, Akikawa Kyousuke observed the room's furnishings and deduced that Koizumi Kunio dismembered the body to obscure the victim's computer usage.

---

This reminded him of something Misaki Itakura had mentioned a few days earlier while discussing work.

"I came here many times as a kid with my parents. My dad always called this place the golden hot spring hotel for programmers!"

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(End of Chapter)