Right after Sera Masumi kicked the door open, the first thing she saw was Toda Kyouji pulling a dagger out of Akikawa Kyousuke's neck as Kyousuke collapsed to the floor.
This was entirely different from what Kyouji Toda had described earlier, claiming that Akikawa Kyousuke had attempted suicide.
With Conan's reminder, Sera Masumi had already ruled out the possibility of Akikawa Kyousuke's suicide based on the angle and shape of the wound.
---
"So even now, you're still trying to lie to me, aren't you?"
Sera Masumi's grim voice made Toda Kyouji's heart clench.
As she spoke, Sera released his collar, letting him fall to the ground due to gravity.
---
Before Kyouji Toda could process what Conan's words had to do with his deception, he saw a fist rapidly closing in on his face.
Another dull sound of "thud—" echoed, and Toda Kyouji's vision went dark as he lost consciousness.
---
Ignoring the unconscious Toda Kyouji, Sera Masumi stood up and approached the bloodstained dagger that had fallen to the ground.
She stared at the weapon, her grim expression clouded with confusion.
Something about the dagger seemed familiar to her.
---
At that moment, the sound of an ambulance approaching could be heard in the distance.
Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko, who both looked anxious, finally showed expressions of slight relief.
"Mr. Akikawa, did you hear that? The ambulance is here—you'll be okay!"
Suzuki Sonoko reassured Akikawa Kyousuke, who lay on the ground, his face slightly less bloody than before.
---
"Thank you."
Akikawa Kyousuke softly expressed his gratitude to Sonoko. He then turned his head slightly to look at Sera Masumi, who knelt on one knee while examining the dagger.
"That's the dagger that killed my mother," Kyousuke said slowly.
---
Sera Masumi and Conan: "!!!"
Akikawa Kyousuke's words caused Sera and Conan's eyes to widen in shock.
Meanwhile, Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko, who were unaware of the truth, looked equally astonished.
---
"This is the murder weapon from the car accident?! No wonder it looked so familiar!"
Sera Masumi couldn't hide the surprise in her tone.
"But why…"
---
The moment those words left Sera's mouth, she understood everything.
This dagger was a crucial piece of evidence in an unresolved car accident case.
Of everyone present, only Kyouji Toda had the means to access this weapon.
This must have been something Toda Kyouji had retrieved from the Metropolitan Police Department.
---
As to why Toda brought the dagger here, Sera Masumi had a suspicion from the beginning—
That it was a premeditated murder weapon, deliberately prepared for Akikawa Kyousuke to attack the police.
---
However, upon learning that the dagger was the actual murder weapon in the car accident case, Sera Masumi suddenly realized that Toda Kyouji might have a deeper motive.
---
"He told me the traffic police had cleared all suspects."
"He said there must be tangible evidence at my house."
"So, I must have been the one who killed my mother."
"He wanted me to confess."
"But that's obviously impossible," Akikawa Kyousuke said slowly and weakly.
---
Both Sera Masumi and Conan immediately recognized what Toda Kyouji was attempting—he was trying to coerce a confession.
If what Toda claimed was true, it would have been enough to simply arrest Akikawa Kyousuke.
Why go through the trouble of meeting him privately?
---
Moreover, another statement from Kyousuke raised their suspicions:
"Tangible evidence must be in Akikawa's house? How could Toda Kyouji be so certain of this?"
---
It was important to note that at the time of the car accident, the Metropolitan Police Department had already searched Akikawa Kyousuke's home.
Other than the insurance policy listing Ryoko Akikawa as the beneficiary and a medical certificate confirming her diagnosis of schizophrenia, no other significant clues were found.
---
While it was possible something had been overlooked, Toda Kyouji hadn't been involved in the original investigation.
So how could he be so confident?
Sera Masumi and Conan simultaneously arrived at the same conclusion as they considered Toda's motives as a police officer with questionable methods:
That "tangible evidence" was planted in Akikawa Kyousuke's house by Toda Kyouji himself.
---
Once they understood this, the reason why Toda attacked Akikawa Kyousuke became clear.
---
Based on their judgment, Toda Kyouji was the kind of officer who enjoyed extracting confessions and luring criminals into attacking police officers.
If a suspect were accused of "assaulting an officer," they would undoubtedly face harsher punishment.
At the same time, Toda could use the excuse of "legitimate self-defense" to justify attacking the suspect.
---
Today, Kyouji Toda had brought the murder weapon from the car accident case with him, intending to extract a confession from Akikawa Kyousuke.
Since Kyousuke wasn't the perpetrator, he would never admit guilt, much less attack Toda with the dagger.
---
This meant Toda had no grounds to claim "legitimate self-defense."
But if Toda had planted "conclusive evidence" in Akikawa Kyousuke's house, he could accuse Kyousuke of being the killer.
He could then justify his attack on Kyousuke by claiming Kyousuke tried to assault him to cover up the truth.
---
At first glance, this plan seemed full of holes.
After all, this wasn't the Metropolitan Police Department, and there were no cameras to prove Kyousuke had actually assaulted Toda.
However, on the flip side, Kyousuke had no way to prove he hadn't attacked Toda either.
---
Toda Kyouji only needed to attack Kyousuke and pretend that Kyousuke had assaulted him.
Once the police reopened the investigation and searched Akikawa's house, they would find the so-called "tangible evidence," further confirming Kyousuke as the suspect.
---
In this way, Kyousuke would be seen as someone who attacked the police to conceal the truth, while Toda acted in "legitimate self-defense."
While Toda's actions of taking evidence privately and severely injuring Kyousuke clearly violated the rules, once Kyousuke was confirmed as a murder suspect, his ability to defend himself was essentially nonexistent.
For Toda Kyouji, it would ultimately appear as though he had contributed to solving the case.
---
'If this assumption is correct, then Toda Kyouji isn't just an officer who enjoys overpowering criminals—he's a cruel criminal himself, disregarding the law and posing a great threat to ordinary citizens,' Sera Masumi thought.
---
'The premise for this theory to hold is that Toda Kyouji truly did falsify evidence and plant it in Akikawa Kyousuke's house.'
'But as an experienced detective, would he really leave behind any traces?'
Sera Masumi couldn't help but feel a sense of worry.
---
(End of Chapter)