Chapter 14: The Will to Resist

Akikawa Kyousuke was sent for examination and treatment.

As for Nakajima Takuto and Conan's group, Detective Chiba Kazunobu took them back to the temporary hospital room that had been prepared for them.

The room, which I thought should be empty,

Upon opening the door and entering, Nakajima Takuto discovered that there was someone else inside.

That person was the beautiful detective Miwako Sato, the "Flower of the Metropolitan Police Department."

Miwako Sato holds the same rank as Officer Toda, who had previously given orders to Nakajima Takuto. She is the second-in-command of the Criminal Investigation Section 1 of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Therefore, she is also a superior whom Nakajima Takuto would never dare to disobey.

Originally, the beautiful officer was tapping her upper lip with her fist, looking at the information on the table and thinking.

After hearing the sound of the door opening, she shifted her focus.

Then, upon seeing Nakajima Takuto's uneasy expression, as if he had done something wrong, her beautiful black eyebrows also furrowed.

"Chiba-kun, what happened?"

Miwako Sato didn't ask Nakajima Takuto directly, but instead asked Kazunobu Chiba, who was a level below her.

Then Chiba Kazunobu told Sato Miwako roughly what he had learned on the way back.

"Thank you, Miss Sera, for helping me stop Nakajima-kun."

Miwako Sato softly thanked Sera Masumi.

"Excuse me, could you ask Miss Sera and little brother Conan to step aside for a moment?"

Sera Masumi and Conan nodded and left the room.

"Officer Nakajima will probably be reprimanded by Officer Sato," Sera Masumi said. "I heard Officer Takagi say earlier that Officer Sato is very scary when she's angry."

"No, Officer Sato is no better than you."

Conan mentally complained.

He clearly remembered that in a previous case, Kaitou Kidd was almost kicked to death by Sera Masumi for provoking her.

"By the way, Miss Sera, are you too impulsive? Officer Nakajima is a criminal police officer. If you attack him, it can be considered assaulting a police officer!"

"If you attack a police officer, you're simply attacking the police. Do you want me to sit and watch Officer Nakajima get a confession?"

"No, I want you to take a gentler approach."

"So my punch didn't land on his face."

"."

Conan stayed silent for a few seconds and then slowly said:

"Since we managed to force Officer Nakajima, who seemed to have a good temper, to look like this, it means that Akikawa didn't admit he was the murderer."

"But I'm curious to know what happened in the room while Officer Nakajima was outside."

Sera Masumi guessed in her heart, and a smile couldn't help but appear on her lips.

It was just that this smile didn't last long on her delicate cheeks.

Just a few seconds later, Sera Masumi's expression turned cold again.

"Obviously, he had very little information about the victim and the suspect, but he was eager to achieve quick success and tried to get the suspect to admit the crime by inducing and coercing a confession."

"Moreover, he clearly said he wouldn't induce a confession."

Sera Masumi didn't have a good impression of people who don't keep their promises.

Furthermore, Nakajima Takuto, who holds the identity of a police officer, did something legally prohibited, which made Sera Masumi feel extremely disgusted.

Although neither Sera Masumi nor Conan knew what Nakajima Takuto and Akikawa Kyousuke exchanged,

Just looking at Nakajima Takuto's furious look at the end, one could guess that the incentive to confess must have failed.

"Conan-kun, Miss Sera, you can come in."

After a while, Chiba Kazushi peeked his head in and called for Conan and Sera Masumi.

After the two returned, they found that Miwako Sato's expression was no different from before.

But Nakajima Takuto was standing aside with his head lowered, as if he had done something wrong.

"It seems the reprimand was more severe than I thought," Conan complained inwardly.

"I came here this time to share information about this case investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department."

Miwako Sato spoke softly while also looking at Takuto Nakajima, who was standing there.

"The Metropolitan Police visited the neighbors of both the victim and the suspect and learned that Akikawa and his son moved to their current apartment three years ago."

"It's a shame that most people say they didn't have much contact with Akikawa's mother and son."

"But one thing is that the answers from several interviewees were quite consistent."

"That is, everyone believes that the suspect, Akikawa Kyousuke, was abused by his mother, Akikawa Ryoko."

"The evidence is that the victim, Akikawa Ryoko, occasionally went out to work, but almost never saw the suspect, Akikawa Kyousuke, leave the house."

"And in their impression, Akikawa Kyousuke always seemed malnourished and very weak."

"This is consistent with Miss Sera's speculation."

"Has the police received any relevant reports?" Sera Masumi asked.

"No."

Miwako Sato answered.

"The police asked the neighbors of Akikawa and his son, and most of them said they didn't want to get involved in their personal matters."

"Because they never heard any screams or other sounds coming from Akikawa's house, nor did they receive any help from Akikawa Kyousuke."

"Actually, this situation is understandable. If Akikawa Kyousuke has been under house arrest by his mother since elementary school, it's been more than ten years, and he should have lost the will to resist."

Sera Masumi placed her fingers on her chin and analyzed in a deep voice.

"Moreover, the neighbors said that although they had little contact with Akikawa's mother and son, they occasionally saw Akikawa Kyousuke's weak appearance due to malnutrition. This means that Akikawa Kyousuke was not completely restricted by his mother."

"This also proves that Akikawa Ryoko is convinced that Akikawa Kyousuke won't run away or ask others for help."

"It indirectly proves that Akikawa Kyousuke has lost the will to resist."

"But if you've lost the will to resist, how could you kill your mother?" Chiba and Shin couldn't understand.

"It is possible that Akikawa Kyousuke simply lost hope in his neighbors. For example, when he was a child, he tried to ask for help from his neighbors but it was in vain."

"After all, Officer Sato also said that Akikawa and his son moved to their current apartment three years ago."

"Akikawa Kyousuke doesn't go to school or go out. And Akikawa Ryoko doesn't have a formal job and only does odd jobs."

"In this case, there is absolutely no need to move."

"Then, the possibility I think of is that once Ryoko Akikawa realizes that others have discovered her abuse of Kyousuke Akikawa, she will act quickly."

"After a few attempts, Akikawa Kyousuke naturally lost the will to resist."

Sato Miwako, Chiba Kazunobu, and even Nakajima Takuto, who was standing aside, nodded when they heard Sera Masumi's analysis.

I couldn't help but sigh inwardly again.

As expected of a detective, she could always notice details that the police hadn't.

And based on these few details, we could deduce the whole story.

"But I still have some doubts. Would such a child really kill his mother?"

Chiba Kazunobu still found it a bit hard to accept.

"Takagi-kun and others who were originally in charge of the investigation also have the same doubts."

"But after searching the apartment where the victim and the suspect lived, this is what they found."

While Miwako Sato spoke, she placed three pieces of evidence in front of everyone.

"The policyholder is Akikawa Ryoko, and the beneficiary is Akikawa Kyousuke."

"Including mandatory liability insurance, these insurance contracts are from three different companies, and the total death benefit exceeds 100 million yen."

**(End of Chapter)**