Detective Conan: The Superpowered Beings of the Detective Conan World

Ryoichi Takahashi was quickly tied up and placed in a corner, and it seemed that the crisis had been averted.

Everyone returned to the hall and visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hoshino, don't you feel like something's not right?"

Conan moved closer to Hoshino Hikaru and spoke with a somewhat serious expression.

"Takahashi's actions were too impulsive, it looked like he was taking the blame for someone else, and most importantly, even though the real culprit was caught, the abyssal energy didn't appear."

Hikaru Hoshino nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Atsuko and the others, a golden light flashing in his pupils, but he found no problem.

"Perhaps this is just an ordinary case, without any deeper involvement!"

Ai Haibara also joined in and suggested another, simpler possibility.

Generally speaking, in cases involving interference from the abyss, once the murderer is caught and the truth of the case is deduced, the abyssal energy will materialize and make a final struggle.

Now, Ryoichi Takahashi was caught red-handed while committing the crime, but no Abyss energy materialized. Either this is just an ordinary murder case without the Abyss, or there is a truth hidden behind it that even Hikaru Hoshino's "Eye of Light" cannot see through.

Since arriving in this world and awakening his superpowers, Hoshino Hikaru's "Eye of Light" has always helped him see through disguises. Therefore, Hoshino Hikaru was a little confused. If it weren't for the deep impression of the bandaged monster in the original work, he would have believed that this was just an ordinary case.

"I hope so."

Conan pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

For a while afterward, the atmosphere became much calmer. Takahashi Ryoichi, who had been hidden away, seemed to have completely resigned himself to his fate and showed no intention of resisting.

As time went by, the people gradually recovered from their fear, followed by grief.

"How could this happen? We used to be such good friends, why did things turn out like this?"

Ayako Suzuki rubbed her eyes and took a photograph out of her pocket.

As the organizer of this gathering, Ayako Suzuki originally thought that since they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for so long, and although they had gradually drifted apart after graduation, it was a rare opportunity to meet again and have a happy gathering. Who would have thought it would turn out like this?

"Sister, don't be too sad, it's not your fault."

Sonoko leaned against Ayako and spoke with some heartache, her gaze falling on the graduation photo.

"Huh? This photo? Sis, is this... a group photo from your club when you graduated?"

Sonoko's voice rose several octaves instantly, her tone now tinged with panic.

"Photos? What happened?"

Hearing Sonoko's somewhat flustered tone, Ayako was puzzled and looked at the photo. However, the next second, Ayako's face froze, as if she had seen something terrifying.

The photo was taken when they graduated from their club. There were five people in total, from left to right: Hiroki Kakutani, Ryoichi Takahashi, Masaru Ota, Ayako Suzuki, and Chikako Ikeda. Atsuko was not in the photo at all.

"What's wrong? You look so pale?"

Hiroki Kakutani also noticed this scene and immediately came over. The moment he saw the photo, his eyes widened.

"What's going on with this photo? Didn't Chikako commit suicide? How come she's in the photo? And Atsuko, why aren't you in the photo?!"

Hiroki Kakutani grabbed the photo, ignoring the pain in his body, his whole body trembling.

As the person in charge of photography in the club, Hiroki Kakutani clearly remembers that he took this photo using the camera's timer function, and he clearly remembers the position of each of the five people.

"boom!!!"

At that moment, a thunderclap exploded in the minds of Hiroki Kakutani and Ayako Suzuki, and a long-buried memory suddenly surfaced.

"Yes, Atsuko committed suicide back then. This position clearly belonged to Chikako. There was no story of Takahashi discovering Chikako's plagiarism, nor was there any story of Chikako committing suicide."

Ayako Suzuki muttered to herself, her face gradually turning pale with fear.

"Whoosh!"

Hikaru Hoshino moved swiftly, arriving in front of Kakutani in an instant, snatching the photo, and his expression turned much uglier.

"Wait, what are you talking about? What do you mean I'm not in the photo? What do you mean I'm dead? Aren't I right here?"

When Atsuko saw this, a look of confusion flashed in her eyes, and a blood-red line appeared in her pupils.

"Atsuko, don't go over there! They're lying to you, you'll be alright!"

The bound Takahashi Ryoichi suddenly began to struggle violently, his eyes filled with fear.

"Yeah, how could I be dead? I graduated with everyone, and after graduation I even... wait, where did I work after graduation?"

Atsuko's eyes became even more confused, and the human vitality in them slowly disappeared, leaving them dull.

"Ah, I see. I remember now. I'm actually dead. I committed suicide after Chikako took my work."

A tear rolled down Atsuko's cheek as long-forgotten memories surged back like a tide.

She had no memory of graduating because, after Chikako plagiarized, she had no evidence to prove that she was the original author. Unable to bear the blow, she ultimately committed suicide.

"No, Atsuko, you're not dead! You're still alive!"

Ryoichi Takahashi struggled desperately, trying to deny everything, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

However, Atsuko seemed to have lost all hearing, only muttering repeatedly that she was already dead.

"Could it be?"

Ai Haibara seemed to have thought of something. She flipped her right hand, and a blue capsule appeared, transforming into a blue stream of light that pierced through Atsuko's body.

"Whoosh!"

In that instant, a patch of dark flesh and blood appeared on Atsuko's face, and her eyes lost their life force, leaving only a dark red glow.

In the center of the head is a brain that exudes dark energy and releases a terrifying aura that captivates the soul.

"This is... an Abyss Demon."

Ai Haibara spoke with a solemn expression, having seen similar research within the organization.

"Abyssal Demons are a special kind of abyssal monster that can preserve a human's brain and fuse it into a materialized abyssal monster. The person being devoured doesn't even know that they are dead."

Conan stood beside Hikaru Hoshino, his tone becoming serious:

"However, according to the Bureau of Superpowers' final research, the human brain can only be swallowed by the Abyss. It can only be made to appear in a state similar to resurrection through the energy of the Abyss. In reality, the human brain has already merged with the Abyss and has long since become a monster."

"You're talking nonsense! Atsuko isn't a monster, she's a human. She can talk, she has memories, she remembers who I am, she remembers everything that happened!"

Ryoichi Takahashi immediately shouted, letting out mournful and angry sobs.

"This is the real reason you attacked Kakutani. The murderer who killed Ota was not you, but Atsuko. You only attacked him to take the blame for her."

Hoshino Hikaru gave Takahashi a cold glance and spoke in an icy tone:

"You say she's human? Why would she kill someone behind your back? Actually, you've already noticed that she's no longer human, you just don't want to accept it."

When Takahashi Ryoichi heard Hoshino Hikaru's words, he froze, and his memories returned to that year.

At that time, Atsuko died. He refused to accept it and went back to the club to drown his sorrows, praying to God for Atsuko to return. Then, the abyss answered his call.

The Abyss told him that as long as Atsuko's brain was preserved, Atsuko could be resurrected, but the price would be that his soul would belong to the Abyss from then on.

Takahashi agreed without hesitation, secretly cutting out Atsuko's brain from inside her body. With the help of the Abyss, he spent two years completing the task of resurrecting Atsuko inside the Abyss Demon's body.

However, Takahashi soon noticed something was wrong. Atsuko's eyes would often become vacant and turn blood red. She would then secretly catch small animals and dismember them. When she woke up, she had completely forgotten everything.

One night, Atsuko encountered Chikako, who had become a famous writer, on the street. Chikako, seeing Atsuko, thought she had seen a ghost and knelt down to repent. Atsuko, her eyes bloodshot, killed Chikako.

When Ryoichi Takahashi arrived, he witnessed Chikako's body and realized that Atsuko might be acting strangely. However, he was unwilling to admit it, so he used his LV3 "Hypnotist" ability to make Atsuko forget everything from that year and believe that she was still alive. He temporarily suppressed Atsuko's abnormality and forced her to forget these things.

Later, when Ayako called him to invite him to a party, Atsuko overheard it. Atsuko wanted to attend the party, so Takahashi arrived at the villa first and used his LV3 "Hypnotist" ability to modify the memories of Ota, Kakutani, and Ayako.