That evening, Hattori Heiji received a small guest at his temporary rental.
"Long ti no see, kid."
Hattori Heiji didn't treat the child in front of him like a child. As soone in the know, the boy clearly understood a lot—and was directly tied to Kudo.
"Long ti no see, Hattori-nii."
Edogawa Conan looked up at Heiji's expression. He could tell that Heiji had likely discovered sothing based on the hints he'd been giving over the past two days.
"Did you investigate the matter at Tropical Land?"
"Yeah, I got a pretty clear picture. Two months ago, there was a murder on the roller coaster. That area's surveillance footage wasn't deleted and is still intact. But the footage in other parts of the park is beyond my reach."
When it ca to gathering information, it was often possible to get sothing by paying the right people—especially for cases that weren't considered top priority.
Because the roller coaster was involved in a murder case, its footage had been preserved for a longer period. The other areas didn't have the sa treatnt.
Tropical Land's surveillance was retained for months—that was notably longer than the average storage duration. Edogawa Conan had noticed this detail before.
It was no surprise that the other areas lacked surveillance records.
"Those two n in black are probably connected to Kudo's death, right? The ones sitting in the row behind the victim."
"And you—you have a close relationship with Kudo, don't you?"
Edogawa Conan didn't answer directly but responded with another question.
"What makes you think it was those two, Hattori-san?"
Hattori Heiji sneered.
"No matter how composed soone is, when a headless corpse suddenly appears right in front of them, anyone would be shaken—especially ordinary people. Only those with real experience dealing with corpses can stay calm, or even indifferent."
"Even veteran officers who've worked countless homicide scenes need composure. It's the sa with forensic experts. Detectives or coroners who frequently see corpses. But those two? They weren't like that."
"Also, when Kudo was solving the case, he turned back four tis. Each ti, his eyes locked on those two. He's not soone who gets distracted easily. If he paid that much attention, he must've found sothing unusual about them."
That's true… Conan's expression shifted subtly. He clearly rembered the silver-haired man's cold eyes—as if human life and death ant nothing.
It was that look that had triggered Conan's alarm bells, making him realize these people weren't normal.
But everything that happened that day, and his current state, all stemd from one impulsive mont.
Conan felt regret, but there was no one to bla. He had lost control in his pursuit of the truth.
"You're right, Hattori. Shinichi really got into sothing big. He was poisoned to death in a small alley near Dorobiga Park two months ago—killed by an almost untraceable poison."
"The two n in black are definitely not ordinary."
"But beyond that, we don't have any solid leads. We only know there's a massive organization behind them. They're just small pieces of that group."
As expected… Hattori Heiji wasn't surprised.
As a high school detective, they were often under the public spotlight. Regular criminals wouldn't go after soone like Kudo without cause. Only those with grudges or an agenda would do so.
Yet Kudo Shinichi—who regularly appeared in dia—had suddenly disappeared without a trace. It was obvious sothing was off.
Conan looked up and t Heiji's gaze.
"Hattori, I shouldn't be telling you this. The truth behind Shinichi's death is sothing that should be buried. If you keep investigating it, that organization might target you next."
"Heh~"
Heiji grinned. Of course he understood the risk.
The organization that could kill Kudo wasn't ordinary. Even his father had reacted strongly—when all he did was retrieve so surveillance tapes. That told Heiji his father already knew who those two were.
Maybe… his father even knew what kind of organization was behind them.
But he had said nothing.
That silence said everything—the organization was more dangerous, far-reaching, and terrifying than he had imagined.
Heiji understood that by getting involved, he'd be drawing their attention.
Even so, his eyes were firm.
"Kid, so things can't just be seen and forgotten. If I know what kind of danger Kudo was in and still choose to back down, then what happened to him will stay buried forever."
"My strength might not an much… but I still want to help investigate the group that took him out."
"To find the truth hidden in the dark, it's the detective's job to shine a light—even if it gets us destroyed in the process."
"Even if that ans being shattered to pieces?"
Conan couldn't help but interrupt.
Heiji nodded slightly.
"Even if that's the end… I'm okay with it."
Conan lowered his head, a faint, relieved expression appearing on his face.
Yeah… that's what being a detective is really about.
Not showing off your brilliance, but standing up for those who can't speak—like Sherlock Hols did.
Now that everything had happened… he regretted things. Deeply. Conan sighed.
After taking a hard hit from reality, he now understood the price of recklessness—especially when it involved organizations like that.
"So even if I get shattered, huh… I regret it a little now, Hattori."
"!"
Heiji blinked in surprise, then looked at the child again.
But the voice wasn't childlike anymore. It had taken on a mature, adult tone.
"Nice to et you."
Conan bowed slightly.
"My na now is Edogawa Conan. Also, I'm the only son of my parents."
"!?"
Heiji looked at him in shock, as if struck by lightning.
So that's how it is… That's why…
Kudo Shinichi died two months ago.
At last, Hattori Heiji understood everything.
(To be continued.)
***
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