Chapter 14: Eight shots to the back—it was poisoning! It was suicide by poison!

“Mr. Shoichi, although the Sumitomo family is very powerful, you are, after all, a newcomer to the construction industry. This project won't be so easy to obtain.”

A bald old man chuckled as he patted Shoichi on the shoulder.

He looked at Shoichi with mockery.

Just because one was born into a conglomerate family didn't mean everything would go smoothly.

In the construction industry, if you don't drink and fail to please those people, how could a project worth billions or tens of billions of yen ever fall into your hands?

If he kept up that arrogant persona of a chaebol heir, reality would teach him a lesson.

A slightly tipsy President Takeda pushed his driver aside and drove off himself.

“He has already chosen the path to his own death.”

Shoichi looked at the woman dressed in black before him.

The woman frowned and said, “I won't do those kinds of things for you.”

“Why not? Think about your sister. Don't you want to reunite with her soon?” Shoichi said. “You were willing to rob a bank for your sister, so why can't you do me a small favor?”

Akemi Miyano said coldly, “I won't continue down a path of mistakes.”

She would not become a criminal weapon in the hands of these people.

“No matter what, I will not kill anyone for you.”

Shoichi raised an eyebrow and said curiously, “You're so violent. I only wanted you to go and intimidate him.”

Akemi Miyano unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.

What he just said was "the path to his own death"; it didn't sound like he just wanted to intimidate him at all.

“Where exactly is my sister?” Akemi Miyano asked.

“I don't know. Maybe the Organization found her and executed her in secret,” Shoichi said maliciously.

Akemi Miyano clenched her fists and asked, “What exactly will it take for you to let me and my sister go?”

“You're strange,” Shoichi said. “I am a law-abiding citizen. I am merely hiring you to serve as my personal secretary. If you want to leave, you can leave at any time. I won't restrict your or your sister's freedom.”

The first business competition ended in a crushing defeat.

Not only did he fail to secure his company's first contract, but he was also severely humiliated by his competitor.

Shoichi pulled his secretary along to watch *The Godfather* and *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* together to study business warfare tactics.

Akemi Miyano sat there, restless.

What on earth did these movies have to do with business warfare?

Do you have some kind of misunderstanding of what business warfare is?

While there is a "war" in business warfare, it isn't actual warfare.

“Excuse me, are you Mr. Shoichi Sumitomo?” A team of police officers walked into Shoichi's company holding identification.

“I am.”

Takagi said to Shoichi, “Mr. Taro Takeda died in his home this noon. You are a major suspect. Please cooperate with our investigation.”

Akemi Miyano stared at Shoichi, dumbfounded.

When did you go and kill someone?

“Officer, I am a good citizen,” Shoichi said innocently.

...

The Takeda residence.

Inspector Megure glanced at the gruesome sight of Taro Takeda and covered him with a white sheet.

He had been shot eight times in the back.

Just how deep was this grudge?

“Inspector Megure, there are currently only three suspects. First, Taro Takeda's son, Kazuo Takeda. He recently lost a large sum of money trading copper. According to Mrs. Takeda, he recently asked Mr. Takeda for money, but Mr. Takeda refused him, believing he would only waste his hard-earned cash.

Then there is the Takeda butler. Mr. Takeda was a very irritable man who frequently beat and scolded the butler, and the butler once had an affair with Mrs. Takeda. He is very likely to seek revenge against Mr. Takeda.

The last suspect is Mr. Shoichi Sumitomo of the Sumitomo family. Mr. Shoichi has been unruly since childhood. He just founded a construction company, and during business negotiations, Mr. Takeda snatched the project away from him. Therefore, there is a high possibility he committed murder out of resentment.”

Inspector Megure nodded.

These three were the primary suspects.

He turned to the mustachioed man beside him and asked, “Mouri, my friend, what do you think?”

“Hello, everyone.”

Shoichi walked in, interrupting Kogoro Mouri's attempt to randomly point out a culprit.

Shoichi found a chair and sat down. His secretary, with a dark expression, brought over a cup of tea. Shoichi took a sip and handed it back, saying

“Remember to add sugar next time.”

“Too much sugar is bad for your health,” the secretary said, showing no mercy.

Shoichi crossed his legs and waved at Inspector Megure.

“Please continue. Don't mind me.”

Kogoro Mouri leaned toward Inspector Megure and whispered, “Is this guy really a suspect?”

He remembered seeing him once at the police station regarding that brat Conan; he only knew that he was very wealthy.

Do rich people actually kill people themselves?

“Of course. He is indeed a person capable of committing the crime.”

“Does he know he's a suspect?” Kogoro Mouri asked.

“He knows.”

“A suspect acting this cocky? If I didn't know better, I'd think he was your boss,” Kogoro Mouri said, speechless.

Inspector Megure shook his head.

A young master from a conglomerate family—difficult to handle.

Regardless of Shoichi, who had come to enjoy afternoon tea at the scene, Inspector Megure asked the forensic pathologist, “How is the examination going?”

The pathologist adjusted his glasses and said solemnly

“He was shot eight times in the back. The deceased died of suicide.”

“Huh!???”

Conan, who was searching for clues, stared at the pathologist in shock.

Shot eight times in the back and died of suicide?

Can you get any more absurd?

Megure's lip twitched. “Died of poisoning?”

“That's right,” the pathologist nodded. “The copper content in the deceased's body was too high; he died of copper poisoning. The person who fired the shots was likely an indirect murderer.”

There were eight bullets in the deceased's body, and the projectiles were made of copper; none had been removed.

The pathologist continued his deadpan nonsense: “Of course, it is also possible that Mr. Takeda took poison to commit suicide.”

“The world is so beautiful, why would anyone take poison to commit suicide?” Shoichi said regretfully.

“Indeed, it is truly hard to understand,” the pathologist chimed in, agreeing with Shoichi.

“What the hell is this?” Kogoro Mouri's mouth twitched.

Inspector Megure said, “The killer is very likely Shoichi Sumitomo. As for this pathologist, he probably got into the police academy through the Sumitomo family's sponsorship, which is why he's saying this.”

To describe a shooting as copper poisoning.

This ability to lie through one's teeth was truly formidable.

Even if evidence were found that Shoichi had fired the shots, he could still flip the truth and use "copper poisoning" to defend himself, claiming it was indirect murder.

With a powerful lawyer to defend him, it would be difficult to convict him.

Kogoro Mouri said indignantly, “This guy is definitely the killer. I absolutely cannot let him go free!”

Inspector Megure patted Mouri on the shoulder.

There are so few people nowadays who do not fear the powerful; people like Mouri are exactly what is needed.

“Hmph!”

Kogoro Mouri glanced at Shoichi, who was acting intimately with his secretary, and gave a cold snort.

He turned around, his consciousness became blurred, and he slumped into a chair with his eyes closed.

“I already know who the killer is!” The ventriloquist master, Kogoro Mouri, officially went online.

“Mouri!?”

(End of Chapter)