Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The contents of the suicide note were consistent with the description given by Takeshi Ikenami, and every word revealed remorse. He regretted setting a trap to murder his father, and even more so, he regretted accidentally killing his beloved Momoko Minamino. In the end, he decided to atone for his sins with his death.

"Preliminary analysis confirms that the handwriting on the suicide note is indeed that of Mito Jun."

Takeshi Ikenami's voice carried a hint of seriousness. He walked to the window, pointed to the latch, and said...

"Moreover, there were no signs of a struggle at the scene, all the doors and windows were locked from the inside, and even the wire saw used to hang himself only had Mito Hayato's fingerprints on it."

Lin Xiuyi did not respond, but instead held the evidence bag up to a well-lit place, repeatedly examining the creases and edges of the suicide note.

His fingertips traced the lines of writing on the outside of the bag, his mind replaying the scene of meeting Mito Jun at the hotel yesterday.

Although the young man looked flustered, his eyes were full of resentment towards his father and anxiety about his own situation, but he showed no remorse towards Minamino Momoko, and did not seem to have any suicidal thoughts.

Would someone who dared to kill his own father choose to commit suicide after accidentally killing his lover?

Lin Xiuyi sneered inwardly.

Moreover, last night downstairs at the hotel, Mito Hayato unhesitatingly exposed his improper relationship with Minamino Momoko, showing no regard for the deceased's reputation.

Would such a person suddenly have a change of heart and end their life in an extremely painful way?
"Who discovered the body? Where is Mito Shinzo?" Lin Xiuyi put down the evidence bag, turned to look at Ikenami Tsuyoshi, and asked two key questions.

The perfect suicide scene is too contrived, while the testimony of the first discoverer often reveals overlooked details.

"Strictly speaking, there was no single first discoverer; the first to notice the anomaly were Mito Shinzo and his butler, Lady Akutagawa."

Takeshi Ikenami retrieved the police officers' statements and read them aloud, word by word.
"Around seven o'clock this morning, as usual, Mrs. Akutagawa went to call Mito Hayato for breakfast. Coincidentally, Mito Shinzo also said that he had something to talk to his son about, so they came to the door of Mito Hayato's bedroom together."

"The two found the door locked from the inside and knocked but received no answer. They waited at the door for more than ten minutes, during which time they knocked and called out several times, but there was still no response from inside."

He paused, then turned to the next page of the record.
"Mito Shinzo said he was worried that something might happen to his son, so he asked Mrs. Akutagawa to call the family's driver and gardener to come and break down the door."

"After the door was kicked open, everyone saw Mito Jun hanging from the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and that's what you see right now."

"Shinzo Mito broke down upon seeing the body and fainted on the spot. He has been taken to the nearest hospital."

"As for Mrs. Akutagawa and the other servants who broke down the door, they are being questioned in the next room, and they are still very emotional."

Have the doors and windows been inspected?

Lin Xiuyi walked to the bedroom door and observed the door frame that had been dented by the impact.

The solid wood door has obvious impact marks on its edges, and the lock cylinder is completely damaged, consistent with the characteristics of being forcibly opened.

“Our technicians have examined the room carefully and found that, in addition to the front door that was violently forced open, the bedroom also has three windows and a floor-to-ceiling glass door leading to a small balcony.”

Takeshi Ikenami's tone was one of confusion.

"All the window latches were locked from the inside, and there were no signs of fresh external force prying or damage to the window frames and glass."

"The door to the small balcony was also locked from the inside, the balcony railing was intact, and no suspicious climbing marks or objects were found in the courtyard below." "In other words, before the door was forced open, it was a near-perfect locked room."

"Furthermore, preliminary fingerprint examination shows that only Mito Hayato's fingerprints were found on the handle and adjustment parts of the wire saw used as a hanging tool."

"Based on the existing evidence, it is highly likely that Mito Jun committed suicide, but... I still feel that something is not right."

“I feel the same way.” Lin Xiu nodded in agreement, walked to the bedside table, picked up the suicide note and examined it again. “First of all, the ‘guilt’ in the suicide note is completely unfounded.”

"Let's assume that he truly loved Momoko Minamino to the point of killing his father for her, and even being willing to follow her after her death."

"So, as someone who deeply loves her, would he have so readily made their relationship, which is unacceptable to society, public last night in front of the police and so many onlookers?"

"This is absolutely not the way to protect the reputation of the deceased or uphold the dignity of loved ones."

"On the contrary, this is tantamount to throwing dirty water on the deceased, making her a topic of conversation and a laughing stock even after her death."

Lin Xiuyi placed the evidence bag on the table and pointed to the bloodstained wire saw lying to the side.

"The second point of doubt is the choice of suicide tool. Hanging with a wire saw is a hundred times more painful than hanging with a rope."

“A rope tightening around the neck will quickly lead to oxygen deprivation and unconsciousness, while a wire saw needs to rely on its own weight to slowly cut the neck. Throughout the process, the victim will remain conscious and suffer extreme pain.”

"Mito Hayato was the only son of the Mito family. He was pampered and spoiled since childhood. Did such a spoiled young master really have the courage to choose such a painful way to commit suicide?"

The other officers in the room also stopped what they were doing and listened quietly to Lin Xiuyi's analysis.

Ikebashi crossed his arms, his expression growing increasingly grave. Clearly, the contradictions pointed out by Hayashi Xiuyi were exactly what he had vaguely sensed was amiss.

"What you said makes a lot of sense. Are there any other doubts?"

"The third point of suspicion is Shinzo Mito's unusual behavior."

Lin Xiuyi walked to the balcony, pushed open the glass door, and the cool morning breeze carrying the fragrance of garden flowers wafted in.

"Last night downstairs at the hotel, the Mito father and son had a heated argument in public, and their relationship has reached a point of extreme tension."

"Given Mito Shinzo's behavior last night, where she seemed to want to kill her son, would she really take the initiative to talk to him the very next morning after the argument? And even knowing that her son was suspected of plotting against her?"

"This doesn't make sense at all. What's even more suspicious is that he just happened to collapse after breaking down the door and seeing the body, perfectly avoiding subsequent questioning. That's too much of a coincidence."

Ikenami Takeshi was speechless when asked the question. Upon careful reflection, he realized that Mito Shinzo's behavior was indeed full of flaws.

“Minister,” a police officer said, as if remembering something, and hurriedly stepped forward to report, “Last night, after Mito Hayato left headquarters, I saw him talking to Mito Shinzo in the parking lot.”

"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?" Takeshi Ikenami asked, his face full of surprise. "They were just talking, and they didn't start fighting again?"

"I was worried they'd start fighting, so I kept watching from a distance," the officer recalled. "They didn't fight, nor did they argue..." (End of Chapter)