I'm in Conan, I'm not a gangster

Chapter 606 No, how dare he? (2 updates)
The sound of sirens pierced the quiet night sky of the villa area, and red and blue lights flickered alternately on the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Sawai Manabu's body was covered with a white sheet and carefully carried onto a stretcher by two police officers.

His right hand remained in a clenched position, as if he was trying to grasp something even in his last moments.

The case is very clear, and the process is so straightforward.

After the police took a statement and confirmed that the person had committed suicide, they didn't say anything more and left with the body.

Conan stood in the center of the living room, his glasses reflecting a cold light.

He stared intently at the white, human-shaped outline marked on the floor, where a small patch of undried beer foam still lingered.

Thirty minutes ago, Sawai Manabu was here, in front of everyone, drinking that glass of beer laced with poison in one gulp.

"No, how could he dare?" Conan scratched his head, completely baffled.

Even though he knew there was poison in the beer, he still drank it!
Why?

The scene of the incident kept flashing through his mind: the face of Manabu Sawai, who was exposed for poisoning Mami's champagne, twisting in an instant yet forcing composure; his exaggerated gestures when he claimed it was just sleeping pills; and finally, his resolute stance as he grabbed the beer bottle from the coffee table.
Not only did he not understand, but no one else did either.

"Shinichi, what do you think?" Chinatsu Miyazaki's voice pulled Conan back to reality.

She and the others surrounded "Shinichi Kudo," their faces full of confusion.

Shiraishi E coughed lightly, mimicking Shinichi Kudo's usual contemplative posture, pinching her chin with her right thumb and forefinger.

“From a psychological perspective, Senior Sawai is someone who values ​​face extremely much.” He deliberately lowered his voice, giving it a theatrical depth: “When Conan exposed his poisoning attempt on the spot, maintaining his dignity became his primary choice!”

"So he chose to commit suicide?" Noguchi Shibuhisa's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's unnecessary, isn't it?"

“No, it wasn’t suicide.” Shiraishi Ei raised her index finger and shook it. “It was ‘proving his innocence.’ He insisted that it was sleeping pills, and in order to convince us, he had to prove that it ‘really’ wouldn’t be fatal.”

"As Sherlock Holmes said," he quoted aptly, "when you have eliminated the impossible, what remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

He looked around at everyone, his gaze lingering briefly on Conan: "Although it's hard to understand, this is indeed something that Senior Sawai did!"

Miyazaki Chinatsu sighed and said, "Oh my god, if Conan hadn't discovered that he had poisoned Mami-senpai's drink."

“The most terrifying thing is the obsession with unrequited love,” Hayasaka Tomoko said softly, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes. “Senior Sawai has been pursuing Senior Mami all this time. After being clearly rejected last week, his mental state has been quite abnormal.”

Yoshiyuki Morimoto nodded in agreement: "The day before yesterday, during club activities, I heard him smashing things in the storage room, muttering things like 'If I can't have it, I'll destroy it.'"

He shuddered as he spoke: "At the time, I thought it was just something said in anger."

Asami Uchida stood by the window, the moonlight outlining her slender figure: "I should have realized it sooner."

"Thank you, Conan." Mami suddenly appeared in front of Conan, expressing her gratitude: "If you hadn't noticed in time, I might already be..."

Conan quickly replied, "That's because Shinichi told me beforehand!"

Uchida Asami then looked at Shinichi, her eyes sparkling!
“It’s what I should do as a detective,” Shiraishi E replied naturally. “But I didn’t expect him to actually drink it! This was my attempt!”

Conan nodded in satisfaction.

This guy finally did something decent!
They've rebuilt their image!

“You don’t need to blame yourself; it was his own choice,” Uchida Asami comforted him repeatedly.

"I want to go out for some fresh air," she suddenly said. "Shinichi, can you come for a walk with me?"

Shiraishi E nodded: "Of course."

As the two figures disappeared into the porch, Conan immediately wanted to follow, but Miyazaki Chinatsu grabbed him, saying, "Kids shouldn't disturb adults' dates!"
Without a word, she pressed Conan down onto the sofa and handed him a piece of strawberry cake: "Here, try my special rum-flavored cream."

Conan had no choice but to be pulled back.

He thought about it and realized that there wasn't much he could do in the wild except take a walk.

In addition, Mami is also a reserved girl.

So Conan went to eat the cake without worry.

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The night was as dark as ink, with countless stars dotting the velvety sky.

On the path in the back garden of the villa, Shiraishi E and Uchida Asami walked side by side, their feet making a soft sound as they stepped on the small pebbles.

The red and blue lights of the police cars in the distance had long since disappeared at the end of the winding mountain road, leaving only the dim yellow glow of the courtyard lights enveloping the two of them. "The moon is so beautiful tonight," Uchida Asami said softly, her voice trembling slightly.

Her fingertips inadvertently touched the back of Shiraishi E's hand, and then quickly withdrew as if burned.

Shiraishi E glanced at her sideways and asked, "Are you still scared?"

Mami suddenly grabbed his hand and said nervously, "Shinichi..."

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible: "When Senior Sawai drank the poisoned wine, his eyes were fixed on me."

Shiraishi could feel the cold sweat seeping from her palms. Her fingernails dug unconsciously into his skin with astonishing force.

"Following the typical TV drama formula," Shiraishi E said with a slight smile, feigning nonchalance, "at this point, the male lead should pull the female lead into his arms and say, 'Don't be afraid, I'm here.'"

Mami looked up at him, the moonlight shimmering in her eyes.

She mustered her courage and took half a step forward, their shadows merging on the ground.

“But I might not be able to do it,” Shiraishi E suddenly said.

"Why?" Mami's expression froze.

Shiraishi E didn't answer immediately; he tore off his mask: "Because I'm not Shinichi Kudo."

The moment the human skin mask was peeled off, Asami Uchida gasped.

"Nice to meet you." Shiraishi E introduced herself: "Shiraishi E, Shinichi's classmate. He couldn't come, so he had to ask me to come."

Uchida Asami's lips trembled. She suddenly clutched her chest and said with a bitter smile, "So he still didn't come."

Shiraishi E noticed that she used the word "or".

“However,” Mami suddenly looked up, her gaze sweeping over his face, “I still want to thank you. If it weren’t for you…”

Her voice choked, and the last sinister smile of Sawai Manabu reappeared before her eyes.

Shiraishi E chuckled softly and took a step forward.

The distance between the two suddenly shortened, and Mami could smell the faint scent of menthol cigarettes on him.

"A life-saving grace." He reached out and twirled a strand of her hair. "How do you plan to repay this debt, senior?"

Uchida Asami was stunned; she hadn't expected her junior to be so bold!

Making such a gesture on the first meeting?

But... surprisingly, she didn't reject it.

It's because the other person saved me!

"Not here? Then I'll teach you." Shiraishi E's voice suddenly lowered: "It just so happens that today is your birthday."

He leaned down, creating a gust of wind, and his kiss landed on her lips.

Uchida Asami stood frozen in place. The kiss was as light as a feather, yet it stirred up a storm in her heart.

The etiquette and manners she had upheld for twenty years screamed as she pushed him away, but an even stronger feeling was a strange sense of relief—as if she had finally found a reason to let go of someone who would never come back.

"Wait," her protest was swallowed up in the second kiss.

As Shiraishi placed his palm on her lower back, picked her up, and carried her toward the black sports car parked in the shadows, Uchida Asami made a token struggle.

But she quickly gave up.

She felt that so much time had passed, and it was time for her to let go.

Let tonight be the beginning of giving up.

After all, the other party's attitude was already clear: they would rather have someone impersonate them than come themselves.

Continuing to cling to the past will only keep you stuck in it.

The dull thud of the car door closing startled the nightingale in the treetops.

(End of this chapter)