Detective Conan: Is Miss Haibara planning to assault a police officer again today?

He took out two things. "This is the doctor's CD. I'll send it over when we move this Saturday. And this is your new cell phone."

Getting the CD back was a pleasant surprise, and receiving a cell phone as a gift was equally delightful.

Since the purchase had already been made, Ai Haibara naturally wouldn't say anything discouraging like "I told you we didn't need to buy it."

Expressing your gratitude now is the best way to reciprocate.

"Thank you!" Ai Haibara added a beautiful smile.

However, she didn't open it immediately. Instead, she blinked and said, "Moving on Saturday... that's the day after tomorrow."

The little girl started counting on her fingers, "Then I can officially cook at home! Let me think... new kitchen utensils, seasonings, aprons..."

She thought about it very seriously.

But Higashino Ning suddenly grabbed her hand and interrupted, "The things in the kitchen are just a few things, you should think about what you need in your room."

"For example, wallpaper, stickers, and things like duvet covers and carpets."

"Think about the general style and design first, it will make it easier to choose when you go shopping."

Oh no, my love-struck mind seems to be acting up again.

Why does this silly guy always think about what I need first?!

If this continues...

Ai Haibara glanced away guiltily. "Oh... I'll think about it carefully these next couple of days, but it seems like I don't need too much. That panda plushie will be enough..."

The little girl's voice grew softer and softer.

Higashino Ning exclaimed that his younger sister was sensible and easy to take care of!

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened that night; it was even more uneventful than the previous few days.

The two people, one adult and one child, watched TV in the living room for a while before going to their respective rooms to sleep.

...

The next day.

As usual, Higashino Ning bought breakfast before heading out to work.

Ai Haibara also has to continue going to school.

Everyone has their own prison to serve.

I thought today would be another relaxing and pleasant day, but around 10 a.m. I suddenly received a report that a company executive had been found dead at home.

Without a second thought, Inspector Megure took Higashino Ning on a police mission.

The location is a high-end apartment building in Beihu Town.

The people who live here are all extraordinary; they start out as social elites.

"Did you call the police?"

After taking the elevator upstairs, Inspector Megure asked a middle-aged man in a suit who looked very dignified.

The other person nodded and pushed the slightly ajar front door open a little. "I am the president of Asuka Corporation, and my name is Makoto Asuka."

Megure nodded. "I'm Megure from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Tell me about the general situation."

Asuka Makoto paused for a moment before slowly speaking, "The deceased was named Muraki Nobuko, and she was a very important person under my command."

"She didn't come to work yesterday, and we can't reach her by phone."

"I thought she was angry about what happened the day before yesterday, but when I came over this morning, I found that she was dead."

Although everyone here is a respectable person, and they all know pretty much why Makoto Asuka has the keys to his subordinates' houses, that's just how the work is, so they have to ask.

Then, Asuka Makoto's stern expression finally changed, and he regretfully explained that the deceased was his secret lover.

At that moment, Higashino Ning also saw the dead man.

She looked to be close to forty years old, with very well-maintained skin. She was wearing loose pajamas and looked quite young, but her expression was extremely terrified, as if she had encountered something extremely frightening.

The other person was lying on the bed in a "spread-eagle" position, with their head turned to look at the bedroom door.

After obtaining permission from Inspector Megure, the forensic team members who accompanied him began investigating, collecting evidence, and taking photos in the room, while the preliminary autopsy also began.

What followed was a more detailed questioning.

Higashino Ning's observation notes.

My dear, there is more to come after this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. There will be more exciting chapters later!

Since neither Conan nor Kogoro Mouri were present, he couldn't subjectively assume that the company president was the culprit based on Conan's theories.

But the president of this company is indeed highly suspicious.

The reason he had a conflict and argument with the deceased the day before yesterday was because he discovered that the deceased had been collecting company information and embezzling public funds for a long time.

In the world of Detective Conan, this situation would be enough to make a club president abandon reason and commit murder.

Halfway through the questioning, a forensic officer suddenly ran over.

"Inspector, the preliminary autopsy results support natural death, and the estimated time of death is one to two days ago."

Natural death?

Inspector Megure and Higashino Nei both sat up straight.

Natural death means that there are no external injuries on the body and no signs of poisoning can be detected.

"Take the body back and have the forensic doctor conduct further examination." Inspector Megure breathed a sigh of relief and made arrangements for the follow-up work.

Higashino Ning became nervous.

Where does natural death come from in the world of Detective Conan?

Can someone who dies naturally stare in terror at the bedroom doorway?

Even if we take a step back and say that the other party was scared to death, that would be fine too.

Oh no, he might have run into a high-level wild player.

After Inspector Megure finished his questioning, Higashino Ning went to Asuka Corporation to conduct a group interview, and then went to each of the locations that Makoto Asuka had mentioned on his itinerary to investigate.

After comparing the evidence, the company president's alibi was very strong, and there were no loopholes to be found.

The fact that there was no way to verify whether the conflict between him and the deceased was true at the scene made it seem like there was no way to prove it.

If we set aside our prejudices against the world of Detective Conan, Higashino Ning thinks there's absolutely no problem with ruling it as a natural death, and the autopsy results from the forensic pathologist also support this claim.

But this is the world of Detective Conan, you can't be without prejudice.

A busy day takes away the time.

Higashino Ning returned to the street with a small notebook filled with notes.

As soon as they walked a few steps, they heard a series of police sirens behind them.

Looking back, I saw dozens of police cars speeding down the road.

He could also see Inspector Nakamori from the Second Investigation Division shouting through a megaphone.

"Kidd! You have nowhere to run!"

"Come on!"

A police car sped past.

Higashino Ning looked up.

Under the moonlight and wispy clouds, a white "bird" figure was flying in the night sky.

Chapter 66 Going home early was definitely the right thing to do.

"Kaito Kid has appeared."

"Then it seems the theatrical version will be coming soon."

Higashino Ning withdrew his gaze and continued on his way back to the Metropolitan Police Department to report to Inspector Megure.

It was almost 8 p.m. when I got back to the Metropolitan Police Department.

After hearing his report, Inspector Megure decided to close the case as a natural death.

Because there is indeed nothing that can prove this incident should be classified as a "homicide".

The body looked like it had died of natural causes. No extra human tissue or fingerprints were found at the scene, except for Makoto Asuka's fingerprints on the doorknobs of the main entrance and the bedroom door.

But this proves nothing at all, since they were the first to discover it.

As for the other suspicious traces, such as "a cleanly mopped floor" and "a small portion of the deceased's fingerprints remaining on a window that has been wiped clean"... these cannot really be treated as breakthroughs.

Mopping the floor is not illegal, nor is wiping the windows.

These are things that not only the murderer can do, but the deceased can do as well.

Given that the autopsy results clearly indicate natural death, all less important doubts can only be attributed to the various behaviors the deceased may have engaged in before death.

But I still feel a little unwilling to close the case like this.

Higashino Ning wasn't disappointed about missing out on a case reward; rather, he was struck by the terrified look in the deceased's eyes as he stared at the bedroom door.

The paper documents made a few loud noises as they hit the desktop.

Inspector Megure placed the organized documents on the table. "Brother Higashino, let's call this case for today. Thank you for your hard work."

Higashino Ning shook his head and forced a smile, "It's all part of my job."

"By the way, you must have switched shifts with Takagi today, right?" Inspector Megure stood up, gesturing for them to leave work together, and casually made a joke about the older generation, "Don't tell me you have a date tomorrow?"

Dating... well, it could be considered a sort of date.

Higashino Ning opened the door. "It's just a move. I discussed it with Kudo-kun and we decided to rent his place."

This news is quite surprising.

Megure Juzo's eyes widened. "When did Kudo-kun get back?"

"He hasn't come back. We communicated by phone. He said..."