Detective Conan: The Superpowered Beings of the Detective Conan World

In the villa's hall, everyone sat scattered around the table, and each of them looked very grim.

"Hoshino-kun, the suspension bridge has been cut down. Judging from the marks, it was probably made by some kind of sharp weapon, like an axe."

Xiaolan rushed back, her expression slightly anxious, but she didn't show it. Instead, she spoke calmly.

"Hoshino, the phone line has been cut, there's no signal."

Sonoko, supporting Ayako, spoke with a grim expression.

The villas in the mountains have dedicated telephone lines connecting them to the outside world. If these lines are cut off, the cell phone signals will also be lost, meaning everyone will be trapped.

"What on earth is going on? Is there a serial killer lurking around here? Ayako, is he your family's enemy?"

Hiroki Kakutani couldn't sit still any longer. He slammed his fists on the table and looked at Ayako Suzuki with a hint of hostility in his eyes.

"Wait, Kakutani, don't get agitated."

Seeing this, Atsuko stood up somewhat helplessly and tried to persuade them.

"Shut up, Atsuko! Ota's dead! There might be a serial killer around here! How can you expect me to stay calm in this situation?!"

Hiroki Kakutani glared at him, his tone revealing his undisguised anger.

"Kakutani, apologize to me right now!"

Ryoichi Takahashi instantly stepped in front of Atsuko, speaking through gritted teeth.

"Takahashi, you think... it hurts a lot!"

Kakutani gritted his teeth, about to say something, when he suddenly felt a powerful force gripping his wrist, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Mr. Hiroki Kakutani, I need you to calm down now, or I won't hesitate to tie you up!"

Hikaru Hoshino grabbed Hiroki Kakutani's wrist and spoke in an icy tone.

"You, you..."

Hiroki Kakutani opened his mouth, but feeling Hikaru Hoshino's cold gaze, he finally slumped back down.

"Very good, it seems everyone has calmed down. Now, let me explain."

Hoshino Hikaru glanced around, and seeing that everyone had calmed down for the time being, took out a notebook from his hand and began to speak:

"First of all, we are in the same situation now, and I don't want anyone to talk about infighting anymore."

"Now, let me summarize our situation. Although the suspension bridge is destroyed and the phone lines are cut off, as a detective, I'm used to carrying a satellite phone. I've just contacted the Metropolitan Police Department, and they should be able to arrive by 5 a.m. tomorrow at the latest."

As he spoke, Hoshino Hikaru glanced at the expressions of Kakutani Hiroki, Takahashi Ryoichi, and Takahashi Atsuko.

A fleeting look of stiffness crossed Ryoichi Takahashi's eyes, which he quickly concealed, while Hiroki Kakutani and Atsuko Takahashi visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Hoshino Hikaru was somewhat surprised by this result, but still continued to speak:

"I examined the scene of Mr. Ota's death. The murderer entered through the window, and the weapon used was likely an axe-shaped blade. It would be dangerous to split up under these circumstances, so I suggest we all stay here and wait for rescue."

"I agree. At times like this, the killer might be nearby. It would be dangerous if we split up. If we stay together, we won't be afraid of him coming in."

Sonoko was the first to speak in agreement, and Ran followed suit with a nod.

The others looked at each other and none of them objected. Soon, they divided into groups, locked the doors and windows, and waited quietly in the hall.

"Hoshino, do you really think the killer is someone from outside?"

After a while, Conan approached Hoshino Hikaru and asked in a low voice.

"It's highly likely he's one of those three people. Judging from their reaction when I mentioned using a satellite phone to call the police, Ryoichi Takahashi seems a bit off, but we can't be sure yet."

Hikaru Hoshino lowered his head and answered in a similarly low voice.

"I think so too, but there's no evidence to support it at the moment."

Conan rubbed his temples, looking a bit of a headache, and spoke up.

"Since we can't find any evidence yet, let's wait and see. Things will take a turn for the better."

Hoshino Hikaru leaned back in his chair, reconsidered the whole incident, and shook his head slightly.

Compared to the intricate mechanisms and piano wires used in the original story, this murder was remarkably crude. Numerous traces were left at the scene, and the investigators were able to quickly identify the killer once the Bureau of Superpowers arrived.

However, this also means that the detective has very little room for reasoning. Now, Hoshino Hikaru and Conan can only wait for the culprit to reveal his own flaws.

The clock on the wall ticked away. After an unknown amount of time, Hiroki Kakutani, his face pale, stood up and spoke:

"I need to go to the restroom."

"I'll go with you."

Hikaru Hoshino slowly stood up, giving Hiroki Kakutani no chance to refuse, and stood up directly.

Hiroki Kakutani opened his mouth but didn't say anything. He just walked silently toward the restroom. Although he didn't have a good impression of Hikaru Hoshino, he had to admit that the other party's strength was probably not weak. He felt safe enough going with the other party.

"Clatter!"

Just as Hiroki Kakutani was relieving himself inside the toilet, suddenly, with a click, the entire villa went dark, and all the lights went out.

"What's wrong? Is there a power outage?"

Hiroki Kakutani was startled and couldn't help but gasp.

"What happened?"

At the same time, everyone gathered in the living room gasped in surprise, and the scene seemed somewhat chaotic.

In that instant, a figure rushed over, a cold glint flashing in his hand, and landed in the direction of Hiroki Kakutani.

"Bang!"

Hoshino Hikaru immediately activated his "Eye of Light" and saw Takahashi Ryoichi holding a knife with a fierce look in his eyes. He kicked the other man's wrist.

"what!"

Takahashi Ryoichi cried out in pain, and the knife in his hand fell to the ground.

"Whoosh!"

Hoshino Koichi grabbed his wrist, and with a backhand over-the-shoulder throw, slammed Takahashi Ryoichi to the ground.

"Everyone, don't move! I've subdued the culprit. Sonoko, you and Ran go find the candles! Then come over here together."

After subduing Ryoichi Takahashi, Hikaru Hoshino shouted, instantly silencing the living room.

Soon, led by Sonoko, the group went upstairs with candles and saw Takahashi Ryoichi, who had been controlled by Hoshino Hikaru.

"Takahashi, why?"

Hiroki Kakutani also came to his senses at this moment, clutching the scrape on his shoulder, his tone filled with disbelief.

"Ryoichi, you..."

Atsuko stared blankly at the scene, her expression turning to disbelief.

"Could this be a misunderstanding? Takahashi, how could he...?"

Ayako Suzuki covered her mouth, speaking in disbelief. She couldn't understand why their once friendly club had turned into this in just one night.

"Tch, you nosy detective. If you hadn't called the police with a satellite phone, I wouldn't have been able to start the plan in advance. I accept that I've been caught by you, but it's a pity that I only killed one person."

Ryoichi Takahashi snorted coldly, seemingly without any intention of making excuses, and directly admitted everything.

"Ryoichi, why did you do this?"

Atsuko's tears flowed instantly as she looked at Ryoichi Takahashi in disbelief.

"Atsuko, I can't forgive them. Back then, that playboy Ota pursued Atsuko, but after being rejected, he held a grudge and actively provided Chikako with opportunities. And you, Kakutani, the camera you left in the club captured Chikako's plagiarism, but you concealed it, planning to blackmail Chikako privately!"

Ryoichi Takahashi became agitated and seemed ready to charge at Kakutani without any regard for the consequences.

Hoshino Hikaru frowned, punched Takahashi Ryoichi in the stomach, then took the retractable belt handed to him by Conan and used it as a rope to tie Takahashi Ryoichi up.

"Cough cough cough! I'm sorry, Atsuko. Over the years, you've had a psychological shadow because of what happened back then. We've seen psychologists many times, but they haven't been able to help. I was thinking of taking this opportunity to help Ota and Kakuya, and then slowly helping you with your treatment so you can forget the past."

Ryoichi Takahashi coughed a few times, a hint of longing in his eyes.

With a thud, Atsuko knelt on the ground, her eyes glazed over, seemingly unable to hear anything anymore. Ayako Suzuki, suppressing her grief, came to Atsuko's side and helped her up.

However, upon hearing Ryoichi Takahashi's words, Hikaru Hoshino fell into deep thought, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

On the surface, it appears that Ryoichi Takahashi killed Ota to help Atsuko overcome all her past psychological traumas. After killing Ota, Takahashi originally intended to find an opportunity to kill Kakutani, but Hikaru Hoshino's satellite phone disrupted his plans.

Takahashi had to kill Kakutani before the Metropolitan Police Department arrived, so he risked acting after cutting the circuit, which resulted in him being captured by Hoshino Hikaru.

"Is it really that simple? It's gotten a little too easy. Is he really the killer?"

Hikaru Hoshino glanced at Atsuko, who was already in a daze, and then fell into deep thought.