Kogoro forced himself out of his daze and wiped his face with both hands. His mind, which usually only kicked into high gear when dealing with a major case, finally began working rapidly.
Omura had always been an optimistic guy. Rather than depression, his biggest issue was his introverted personality. And judging from his build, he didn't look like someone who had been violated.
But that naïve assumption was quickly dismissed.
The abuse likely didn't happen during college. It could have happened earlier—possibly during childhood, when the victim had no means to resist. So, it wasn't limited to women. Anyone here, aside from himself, could be the one.
Kogoro could only be certain that he hadn't experienced anything like that himself. So, the deceased couldn't be him.
As for identifying who had depression, that wasn't something easily judged from the outside.
The more deeply depressed someone is, the more "normal" they might appear. The more serious the psychological issues, the less likely they are to be visible.
Judging mental health based on appearance alone was foolish.
There were clues—some of them very clear—but those were things only the person themselves would know.
Kogoro had no way of identifying the victim based on that information. After all, these were his college classmates, not from high school, junior high, or elementary school. They didn't know each other that deeply.
"Kid, I can tell you're not joking."
At this point, Kogoro was certain. The boy in front of him wasn't playing around. No one would joke to this extent.
"You didn't investigate this in advance?"
This wasn't just his question—it was on everyone's mind.
Ren didn't answer right away but instead posed a question of his own:
"What would I gain from doing that?"
Everyone present paused. Then their expressions darkened.
The answer was clear—there was nothing to be gained.
People might go to great lengths for personal gain, but no one does something completely pointless without any benefit.
Because there was no benefit, investigating in advance made no sense.
Moreover, even if you had detailed personal data, it wouldn't be enough to accurately guess who the deceased was.
If it were really that easy to figure out, there wouldn't be so many real-world murder cases with unidentified victims and suspects.
Given all the uncertainty, pre-investigation was meaningless.
So was this really the result of divination?
Edogawa Conan, who had been following along quietly, began to waver in his stance.
There were simply too many unknowns. He understood clearly that an investigation wouldn't yield this kind of information—unless you were the one planning the murder.
But could that really be the case?
Choosing a murder case to take place at the reunion of Kogoro's classmates, and deliberately targeting them? That would be a bold provocation. And would the person behind it willingly stand out and claim to be a Seer?
That would be pure suicide.
Besides, there was no motive or reason for such a thing.
Conan agreed with what Ren had said earlier—about benefits.
No one acts without reason, and there's no motive to fabricate this scenario.
He had a general idea of who Ren was. A classmate at Teitan High School, not exactly sociable. He lived frugally, known as a model for the work-study program.
Conan couldn't imagine why someone like that would go through the trouble of plotting a murder.
And if this really was some sort of plan, it would mean the person behind it bore a grudge against Kogoro.
Which made it even less likely.
After thinking for a while, Conan concluded that the simplest answer might be the correct one.
Divination.
But it was precisely this thought that made his brain feel like it was overheating.
He was a rational, logic-driven detective.
Would it make sense for someone like him to believe in divination?
"Mr. Mouri, are you still interested in the murderer?"
"Yes, of course!"
The details about the deceased were too obscure. Kogoro couldn't figure out who it was. He needed to hear about the murderer's reading. Maybe he could find some clues that way.
At this point, his expression had become much more serious than before.
He was starting to trust the results of the divination.
Ren simply smiled, then began reshuffling the tarot deck.
He drew three new cards.
Reversed Lovers. Reversed Sun. Upright Devil.
"The murderer had an 18-year-long romantic relationship that ended in failure. About six months ago, due to the long-standing lack of reciprocation, he finally gave up and began seeing someone else through introductions from others. But what followed was relentless harassment of his fiancée and intense threats from his former lover."
"Eventually, the murderer made a difficult decision. He plans to eliminate that person once and for all at this reunion."
Wow. A lot of information was revealed about the murderer. But the most critical details were still hidden.
Mouri Kogoro took a deep breath.
An 18-year romance, now broken. But the identities of the two parties remained unclear.
Even someone like Ayashiro Yukio, who was married, couldn't be ruled out. If this divination pointed to an affair, then everything would become completely ambiguous.
A lot of personal details were provided, but the key parts were omitted.
Still, one thing was now clear to Kogoro. If this divination was true, then something major was about to happen at this class reunion.
That made Kogoro's expression grow darker.
"Kid, can't you say more in the divination?"
Ren shook his head calmly.
"This is something known only to the murderer and the deceased. At this moment, they both know who the other is. For me, this is an opportunity for both sides to make a new choice."
"This is a choice grounded in human nature. And if the result doesn't change... that, too, is human nature."
(To be continued.)
***
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