Conan: I'm really not the mastermind behind the scenes

Kazuya Miwa stared at Aoyagi Akihiro.

The other person was facing him, casually leaning back on the sofa, smiling, appearing kind and gentle, like a good-natured tutor asking a child which question they didn't understand and offering to explain it at any time.

Kazuya Miwa, however, couldn't relax.

He looked away, not daring to meet those eyes again, his gaze unconsciously falling on the other person's long, loose hair.

Actually, he used to wonder when watching anime why some male characters had long hair.

Long hair is a hassle. In reality, in the military and police, at least in his country, men have short hair, and women also have to tie their hair up. Long hair greatly hinders movement and becomes a weakness in fights, making one vulnerable to being pulled and attacked by the opponent.

It wasn't until he saw Aoyagi Akimitsu that Miwa Kazuya vaguely guessed the reason.

This might be a form of self-confidence.

—I am confident that no one has the ability to exploit such an obvious weakness.

—His willingness to confess now likely stems from confidence. Confidence that even if Gluttony knew the truth, it couldn't do anything to him.

After all, this teammate who had turned against them didn't even dare to suggest moving out of this dilapidated apartment.

"Is it really okay?"

Aoyagi Akimitsu asked again, resting his chin on his hand and looking at the laptop on Miwa Kazuya's lap. "If you want to write a novel that celebrates fatherly love, I really can't give you any advice, but for detective or adventure novels, I can really provide you with a lot of material."

Kazuya Miwa suddenly snapped back to reality.

He took a deep breath, and his heart, which had been pounding wildly just seconds before, slowly returned to a normal rhythm. He asked his first question:
Why do some people exploit minors to commit crimes? Is it because they are easier to incite?

Aoyagi Akimitsu pondered for a few seconds: "The following are my personal opinions: a person's character and whether they will commit crimes are related to their innate genes and acquired experiences, and have little to do with age."

"For example, victims. Compared to ordinary people who lead uneventful lives, those who have experienced severe harm are more likely to become new perpetrators. Whether they are seventeen or twenty-seven, they will go down this path."

Kazuya Miwa's mind raced as he recalled explanations of some well-known cases he had read before entering the game. Indeed, many of the murderers had tragic childhoods and had once been victims themselves.

A genuine pity seemed to flicker in Aoyagi Akimitsu's eyes.

"As for the boy today, his closest family members were killed in front of him, and the last relative who was willing to support him also died. He was discharged from the hospital because he couldn't afford to pay his bills. He was unable to find a job and couldn't receive welfare."

"And the murderer who kept saying he wanted to atone for his sins would rather stand dumbly in front of the victim's grave for hours than compensate him even a single penny."

Kazuya Miwa glanced back at the television.

The news program had switched to a different anchor at some point. This new anchor was not at the Metropolitan Police Department; she was standing in front of a detached house, microphone in hand.

The house bearing the nameplate "Kadoya" was cordoned off, and many forensic personnel wearing masks were busy working, with trash being carried out from inside from time to time. Judging from the host's expression, the smell at the scene was quite unpleasant.

"This is the suspect's home. As you can see, the sanitation here is terrible, and the water and electricity have been cut off for a long time..."

"—For a person like this, who has no attachments and may starve to death in a few days, what other hope does he have besides revenge?"

Aoyagi Akimitsu sighed softly.

"Don't discriminate against prisons. No matter how bad the prison conditions are here, it's still better than a garbage-filled building without water or electricity. Prisoners regularly change your clothes and provide three meals a day, so you won't starve. Some impoverished elderly people commit crimes intentionally to get into prison so they can have a better old age."

Kazuya Miwa sensed a hint of "I'm doing this for his own good."

He wanted to argue, but his mind was completely blank, and he didn't know how to begin. All he could say was, "Isn't he mentally ill? He needs to be put in a hospital..."

“That way he can continue to receive treatment,” said Aoyagi Akimitsu. “Before he committed a crime, he would be kicked out because he had no money; now that he has killed someone, the Japanese government will pay for his mandatory hospitalization, and no one will dare to kick him out again.”

Kazuya Miwa remained silent for a moment.

"...And what about his future?" he asked slowly. "Apart from self-defense, murder is a serious crime."

Aoyagi Akimitsu glanced at his teammate with some surprise.

Then he patiently explained:
“Kido is seventeen years old this year. According to Japanese law, his criminal record will be automatically erased after his release from prison, unless the Public Security Bureau can push for amendments to the Juvenile Law in the next few years.”

He turned his head and thought about it seriously: "If the modification is successful, it can be considered the first time they have done a good deed in the public's mind, right? It's not a loss for ordinary people."

"You don't need to worry about his future livelihood. Do you know about the Cannibal and the Alcoholic Rose Saint Battle incident? Some publishers, as a gimmick, will specially invite released murderers to write novels and will even pay them royalties according to the law. He can find a way to earn a living on his own."

"Does the police allow it?" Kazuya Miwa asked.

“I can’t answer that,” Aoyagi Akimitsu said. “You have to ask the Red Army whether they are willing to continue to abide by the ‘freedom of publication’ that is explicitly written in the national constitution.”

His voice was calm, and Kazuya Miwa could even detect a hint of sincerity in it, as if the man genuinely meant it.

...Perhaps that's true. As teammates, he couldn't lie to them. Even if there were slight distortions in his words, the overall content was absolutely true. Miwa Kazuya felt his heart sink. He completely averted his gaze from Aoyagi Akimitsu's face, not daring to even touch his hair.

He glanced at the cat on the table; it had already finished its dinner. He wanted to quickly change the subject to something lighter: "Did you pick this cat up on the street?"

"No, I adopted it through the proper procedures at the animal shelter."

As Aoyagi Akimitsu spoke, he reached out to stroke the kitten's back. His movements were very gentle, and the kitten didn't struggle; it even gently nudged his fingers.

“It was abandoned,” he said helplessly. “This kind of cat has a genetic disease, congenital chondrodysplasia, which is why its ears are bent. It is also prone to developing the disease as it grows up, and needs regular X-rays to check its condition and take chondroitin. It’s a bit troublesome to take care of.”

Kazuya Miwa glanced at the bag on the coffee table; it was brought back by Akimitsu Aoyagi and the cat. Inside was a medical record book with a cat's paw print on it, and several X-ray photos were tucked inside.

"You want to keep it?"

“I have the time and energy right now, so I can take care of it for the time being; if I don’t have the time in the future…” He paused, “then I will find it a responsible owner, and I will pay for its upbringing and medical expenses.”

Kazuya Miwa's cheeks began to twitch uncontrollably, a sense of absurdity spreading through his heart.

How could this man, who is so cold and ruthless when using people, be so responsible for a vulnerable animal?

"You... really like cats?" he asked incredulously.

"So-so," Aoyagi Akimitsu denied. "The only animal I can say I like is a dog, especially a well-trained police dog. They are very loyal, and..."

Kazuya Miwa blurted out, "Even if they die, they won't resist you?"

Qingliu Binguang: "..."

He seemed to choke for a moment, then stared at Miwa Kazuya with an indescribable look.

"How can your thinking be so dark?" he said, surprised. "Normal people keep pets hoping they can stay with them for a few more years, right? Why would you want them to die?"

Kazuya Miwa: "..."

Aoyagi Akimitsu picked up the cat. This seemingly normal person, holding the small, fragile pet with somewhat clumsy movements, began to explain:
“I got it because Kadoya liked it. He really loved cats, and before the disaster, his family had one, but it was killed.”

"Killed?" Kazuya Miwa asked in surprise.

Could it have been done by people who like to abuse cats? But in his memory, those people usually target stray cats, rarely pet cats with owners.

"Ah."

Aoyagi Akimitsu responded.

"Seven years ago, Eto's father, in order to intimidate... or rather, to provoke Kadoya and prove that he was mentally ill, so that his testimony would be completely invalid, disemboweled his pet cat, put it in a box, presented it to him, and told everyone that he had tortured and killed the cat himself."

He spoke so casually that Kazuya Miwa was stunned.

“…No way?” he said dryly. “It’s an organization, after all. Why would they use such methods? Kadoya was only ten years old seven years ago.”

"Why can't it be used?"

Aoyagi Akimitsu countered with a question.

"It's difficult to use the same methods you use on an adult to deal with a ten-year-old child, because there are many things they don't understand yet. So we have to use the simplest and most brutal methods."

"They won't be lenient with children—wasn't Kogoro Mouri falsely accused and imprisoned, branded as a terrorist, and used to coerce Conan, who was only seven years old in appearance, into helping solve the case? When you were fifteen years old in appearance, weren't you also arrested and interrogated by the police? Did they show you any mercy back then?"

Kazuya Miwa was speechless.

He certainly knew what case Aoyagi Akimitsu was referring to when he mentioned coercing Conan.

That was a theatrical version.

He hadn't seen it, but in past group chats, he had heard Hojo Tobika, who hadn't left yet at the time, mention the plot.

She downplayed the main point and used subtle language. Miwa Kazuya didn't know at first that the Public Security Bureau had slandered Kogoro Mouri. He thought that Kogoro had just run to the vicinity while drunk and unfortunately became a suspect.
After being exposed by "Sloth," Hojo Tobika lost face and started rambling, criticizing Kogoro Mouri for being a drunkard with a bad reputation, which is why he was so easily slandered. She also criticized Conan for not taking the initiative, saying that the plot had to revolve around him as the protagonist, which is why Kogoro Mouri was implicated, and that it was all his fault...

In short, not a single word was criticized against Furuya Rei or the police.

"Buzz-"

As Kazuya Sanwa was distracted, another vibration sound came.

He looked down and saw that the phone, which Aoyagi Akimitsu had casually placed on the coffee table, was lit up again. The screen was unlocked, so he saw the opening lines of the email:
Thank you very much! (End of Chapter)