Memories are just memories. Now that the incident was actually happening right in front of him, he still needed to observe it personally.
After all, the gears of fate had long since shifted. No one could guarantee that this incident would play out exactly the same way.
Hoshimiya gently parted the edges of the wound with his fingers, and a bold guess gradually formed in his mind.
"This wound isn't fatal..."
Hoshimiya silently glanced back at Yuki Takeno. "The culprit went soft at the very last moment."
What was it that made her hesitate?
He thought about it. Even though he remembered that Kaoru Kusano was saved in the original timeline, to prevent any butterfly effects, he secretly cast a healing spell on her neck.
With an imperceptible flash of green light, Kaoru's complexion regained some color, and her wound began to heal slightly.
Conan, who had been stopped by Ran from entering the bathroom, was still making a fuss outside the door.
After observing the blood trail leading down the hallway to the front door for a while, Conan opened the door and immediately called out.
"Mr. Hoshimiya, there are bloodstained clothes outside!"
After applying pressure and bandaging Kaoru's wound, Hoshimiya also walked out.
By the entrance, he saw a bloodstained raincoat, gloves, a handkerchief, and a bottle of eye drops.
Conan immediately got down on his hands and knees. He sniffed the eye drop bottle and the handkerchief, detecting a strong smell of ether.
"A peeping tom broke in, found Miss Kusano, and drugged her. Unfortunately, she saw his face, so he tried to silence her by killing her?"
"Then he walked to the front door wearing the bloodstained raincoat, took it off, and fled?"
Conan pinched his chin and began to ponder. "But that still doesn't make sense. The blood dripped all the way to the door, but there are no footprints stepping in it. That means he's a very careful person."
"But if that's the case, seeing so many shoes in the entryway, he should have known there were many people in the apartment. He wouldn't be bold enough to break in, right?"
"Therefore..."
Before Conan could fully organize his thoughts, Hoshimiya glanced at the raincoat and said, "It's a fake setup. The culprit is among us."
"I knew it!"
Conan nodded, agreeing with Hoshimiya's deduction.
However, it had taken him a moment to deduce that, whereas Hoshimiya knew it with just a glance. Had the gap between their abilities grown even wider?
Damn it, if only they had let me go inside and look at the wound...
Conan pinched his chin, frowning inwardly.
Soon, an ambulance arrived downstairs.
Paramedics rushed in with a stretcher, lifted the now-clothed Kaoru onto it, and hurried out.
The manager, Atsushi Makuma, followed them out, crying his eyes out. Conversely, Osamu Kenzaki was sitting on the sidelines, his legs too weak to move.
"Bro Kenzaki, why have you collapsed?"
"As Miss Kusano's fiancé, you need to stand up and be a man."
Hoshimiya leaned against the wall, deliberately taunting Kenzaki.
"Mr. Hoshimiya, this is an attempted murder!"
Kenzaki looked miserable. "A real murder case is way more terrifying than what we act out on TV!"
"So what? As her fiancé, no matter how terrifying it is, shouldn't you try to overcome it?"
Hoshimiya spoke loudly on purpose, drawing the attention of the girls.
Kenzaki's face changed. He quickly pulled Hoshimiya closer and lowered his voice, "Mr. Hoshimiya, keep it down..."
But it was too late; Yoko Okino and Terumi Hoshino had already heard him.
Their eyes were filled with disdain as they looked at Kenzaki.
Yoko scoffed coldly, showing a disappointed expression, while Terumi frowned, seemingly disgusted by Kenzaki's cowardly behavior.
Especially Yuki Takeno—her gaze was complex and resolute, looking extremely let down by him.
Ran and Sonoko stood to the side, discussing in low voices.
Sonoko frowned and said, "How could this happen? What exactly did Miss Kusano go through to choose a guy like this for an engagement?"
Sonoko and Ran simultaneously looked at Hoshimiya. Thankfully, the man they liked was handsome, strong, and completely omnipotent.
Sensing the disdain from the girls around him, Kenzaki looked up at Hoshimiya. His eyes were filled with fear and hesitation, but he finally made up his mind.
"Mr. Hoshimiya, I'm going to tell you something, but you must absolutely not tell anyone... I'm actually not Kaoru Kusano's fiancé."
Kenzaki whispered into Hoshimiya's ear, his voice trembling with fear.
"We were just faking the engagement. The purpose was to... to make Atsushi Makuma and Yuki Takeno jealous."
Hoshimiya nodded, a flash of understanding in his eyes. "I figured that out a long time ago. There was no real chemistry or intimacy between you and Kaoru."
Conan, who was squatting nearby eavesdropping, also had a sudden realization. So they aren't actually a couple?
How did Mr. Hoshimiya see through it so early again?
Having his facade exposed by Hoshimiya, Kenzaki instantly deflated like a popped balloon, his entire posture slumping.
He covered his face and said helplessly, "Miss Kusano wanted to provoke Atsushi Makuma, and I wanted to get Miss Yuki's attention, so we teamed up to stage this engagement party. I just never expected the situation to become this complicated..."
"Mr. Hoshimiya, you absolutely must solve this case!"
Kenzaki pleaded with Hoshimiya with a miserable face.
Hoshimiya didn't reply, but Kogoro Mouri, who had been practically invisible until now, patted his chest and guaranteed, "Leave this matter to me, the great detective Kogoro Mouri!"
For Ran's sake, Hoshimiya didn't bother to roast the clueless middle-aged man.
The guy probably still hadn't figured out the situation. Inspector Megure arrived at the scene with his officers, wearing a serious expression, not even in the mood to joke around with Hoshimiya.
Because the victim was a celebrity.
Dealing with incidents involving celebrities was the most troublesome, and it was a thankless job.
A fandom with millions of fans would strike like an iron fist. Obsessive fangirls would apply direct public pressure, and toxic trolls would run rampant.
If they messed up this case, they would likely be bombarded by Kaoru's fans!
Although her fanbase wasn't as massive as Yoko Okino's, it still held a significant proportion.
If public opinion started bombing them, the police wouldn't be able to handle it.
They immediately began their investigation, the chaos at the scene making them realize the severity of the situation.
Hoshimiya looked at Inspector Megure's subordinates. There was only one familiar face: the chubby Kazunobu Chiba.
As for Miwako Sato and Ninzaburo Shiratori, they were probably still busy with the Kyosuke Kazato case.
"Chiba, give us the rundown."
Having finished investigating the clues, Inspector Megure gathered everyone and spoke to Chiba beside him.
Chiba flipped open his notebook and began his report.
"According to the very detailed report from Miss Terumi Hoshino, the victim this time is the popular actress Kaoru Kusano, 20 years old. Her throat was slashed while taking a bath this evening, and she has been sent to Haido Hospital for emergency treatment."
"Based on preliminary examination, Miss Kusano has a deep wound on her neck, seemingly slashed by a sharp weapon. However, no weapon was found at the scene. We are currently focusing our search on the bloodstained clothes found at the entrance, hoping to find more clues."
Inspector Megure frowned. "The wound looks quite fatal. The culprit obviously chose the weapon carefully, but why are there no traces left behind?"
"Brother Hoshimiya, what do you think?"
Inspector Megure turned to look at Hoshimiya. With Hoshimiya present, Kogoro Mouri was completely ignored.
Regardless of what the news reported, after personal contact, Juzo Megure still felt that his newly acquainted Brother Hoshimiya was far more reliable than his former subordinate, Brother Mouri.
Kogoro was highly indignant, but he didn't dare throw a fit in front of Inspector Megure.
More importantly, without Conan's help, he currently didn't have a single clue. He couldn't even manage a nonsensical deduction if he tried.
Hoshimiya shrugged. "If the weapon can't be found at the scene, it's highly likely the culprit took it with them. If we focus on finding the weapon and test it with luminol, we can obtain our evidence."
"During the gathering, the people who left the living room were Osamu Kenzaki, Atsushi Makuma, Yoko, Terumi, and Miss Takeno."
"If anyone is suspected of committing the crime, it's one of these five."
Everyone nodded. Aside from Kogoro Mouri, everyone firmly believed in Hoshimiya's abilities.
"Alright! Then we'll start by searching for the murder weapon!"
Inspector Megure nodded to Hoshimiya, then looked at everyone else.
"Next, we will need to search your personal belongings. Please excuse the intrusion!"
"No problem. As long as it clears our suspicion, search whatever you want."
Yoko Okino and Terumi Hoshino exchanged a glance and generously presented their bags.
Yuki Takeno hid her hands behind her back and quickly said, "Me too."
Seeing this, Hoshimiya's lips curled up in a smirk.
Hoshimiya had stated clearly that the culprit took the weapon, but he hadn't specified what the weapon actually was.
That's right, isn't it?
Miss Yuki Takeno, who committed the crime using her fingernail?
Inspector Megure offered an appreciative smile to the cooperative Yoko, then ordered a female officer in uniform to take the female suspects into a room one by one to conduct body searches.
Chiba also searched Kenzaki, and even Atsushi Makuma, who was far away at the hospital, was subjected to a search.
Since Hoshimiya, Ran, and the others had stayed in the living room the whole time, they were only briefly checked and then cleared. Naturally, this exhaustive search yielded nothing, causing Inspector Megure to scratch his head in frustration.
Chiba gave a detailed report: "Inspector Megure, we have thoroughly searched the entire apartment, including the drains, and examined all the suspects' belongings, but we haven't found anything that could be used as the murder weapon."
He continued, "According to the investigators at the hospital, even Mr. Makuma's glasses were checked, but still, no weapon was found."
"What's going on here, Brother Hoshimiya!"
Inspector Megure looked at Hoshimiya, complaining slightly, "Didn't you say the culprit took the weapon with them?"
"Don't be so hasty, Inspector Megure."
"Keep looking. It's just that you guys haven't found it yet."
Hoshimiya sat calmly on the sofa. He looked at Yuki Takeno, who had changed her clothes and walked out with a natural expression.
Because the police hadn't found anything on her, she was probably feeling extremely relieved and lucky right now.
"How can I not be hasty? Ugh!"
Inspector Megure felt that dealing with these celebrities was a massive headache, frowning as he racked his brains.
Conan was also scratching his head. Hoshimiya was right; the weapon had to be somewhere in this apartment.
But why couldn't they find it?
Hoshimiya glanced at the unusually silent Conan and laughed silently.
If the boy had seen the wound, he probably would have figured out who the culprit was.
Unfortunately, Kaoru had already been whisked away to the hospital, and her wound had partially healed and changed its original shape due to his Holy Light spell.
Finding the culprit accurately now would be difficult for him.
Just then, an officer ran over holding a plush doll. "Inspector Megure, we found a bug inside the victim's bedroom."
Inspector Megure's eyes lit up. "Hm? This might have been sent by an obsessive fan of Miss Kusano. He liked her, overheard the news of her engagement, knew she was taking a bath alone, and broke in out of jealousy to commit the crime."
"Therefore, it's highly likely the weapon was thrown away outside. This is probably the work of the peeping tom you mentioned."
"If that's the case, everything makes sense!"
Inspector Megure immediately ordered his officers to canvas the area and ask if anyone had seen a suspicious person.
The police frantically launched a new round of investigation, and Conan was running around looking for clues. However, the most crucial evidence had already been concealed by Hoshimiya, so no matter how much the boy fussed, it was useless.
Kenzaki chain-smoked cigarettes one after another. Yoko Okino walked over with a worried look and asked Hoshimiya.
"Mr. Hoshimiya, what's going to happen next? I wonder how Kaoru is doing..."
"She should be fine. I already provided some basic first aid. After a simple stitching procedure at the hospital, she should wake up once the anesthesia wears off."
Hoshimiya glanced at his watch, speaking nonchalantly, "I'd estimate about another hour."
"Which means we really don't need to worry. Regardless of whether the police find the culprit or not, once Kaoru wakes up in an hour, everything will be clear."
Terumi Hoshino walked over, sharply summarizing the implication of Hoshimiya's words.
"So that's how it is. That's a relief."
Yoko finally felt at ease. Hearing this, Sonoko grinned at Hoshimiya and said, "No wonder you aren't in a hurry at all, Mr. Hoshimiya. After all, the culprit can't escape no matter what, right?"
"No, no, no, I'm actually quite in a hurry."
Hoshimiya wagged his finger. "Rather than wasting an hour here for nothing, it would be better to find the culprit beforehand so we can all go see Miss Kusano at the hospital together. Wouldn't you agree, Miss Takeno?"
He deliberately looked at Yuki, who had been standing silently off to the side.
At this moment, Yuki's expression looked dazed. Her eyes were unfocused, as if her soul had left her body.
When Hoshimiya called her, she snapped out of it with a jolt.
Coming back to her senses, a layer of cold sweat broke out across her skin. She smiled a rather bleak smile. "Mr. Hoshimiya is absolutely right."
She forced a tight smile. "I'm feeling a bit hungry. I'm going to the kitchen to find something to eat. Please excuse me."
Ran looked at Yuki with concern, and Yoko also asked caringly, "Do you want us to go with you?"
Yuki shook her head, declining. "No need. I'll just go by myself."
Hoshimiya smiled, stood up, and followed her, saying, "It's fine. I'll go check on her." Yuki stood alone in the dim kitchen without turning on the lights, her face covered in a complex, resolute expression.
She took a deep breath, picked up a glass of cloudy water, and gulped it down without hesitation.
After drinking the poison, a look of relief washed over her face.
Just as she put the glass down, Hoshimiya walked in, looking at her calmly.
"Committing suicide out of guilt isn't exactly your style, Miss Takeno, you who represent the snowy mountains."
Hoshimiya spoke in an even, unsurprised tone.
Just like in his memories, seeing that her crime was about to be exposed, Yuki ingested blood sugar-lowering medication, causing her blood glucose levels to drop rapidly.
She wanted to commit suicide using this method.
However, with Hoshimiya here, there was no way she would die.
As long as it wasn't a fast-acting, highly lethal poison like potassium cyanide, he could cure it with magic now.
At the very least, he could sustain her life until medical professionals arrived.
Yuki turned to face Hoshimiya. Although her face had grown deathly pale, she looked exceptionally relieved. "So you saw through it, Mr. Hoshimiya? I really am unlucky."
Her voice was mixed with helplessness and a trace of resignation, sounding incredibly weak.
"Unlucky? What's unlucky about it?"
Hoshimiya slowly approached her, reaching out to grasp Yuki's small hand while his other arm gently wrapped around her.
"You were present when I tried to commit murder, nothing went according to my plan, and I failed to kill Kaoru. When she wakes up, she'll definitely point me out as the culprit. Isn't that unlucky?"
Yuki's expression was full of unwillingness. "Now that I want to kill myself, I'm thwarted by you again. Is that not unlucky?"
However, Hoshimiya said calmly, "Actually, I had already warned you. You clearly didn't have the intent to kill at the time, so why did you later..."
A flash of astonishment and helplessness crossed Yuki's eyes. It was only then that she understood the true meaning behind Hoshimiya's earlier words.
A moment later, Yuki's low voice sounded.
"Yeah... I just wanted to talk to Kaoru at first, but her flippant attitude pushed me over the edge, and as a result..."
Hoshimiya sighed, holding her hand a little tighter. "You could have chosen a better path, but you chose this one. Since that's the case, you have to bear the consequences of your choices."
Tears shimmered in Yuki's eyes. "I know, it's just... if I could do it all over again, I really wish I could make a different choice."
"But whatever, I'm going to die anyway..."
She showed a faint smile. In response, Hoshimiya reached out and pressed his hand directly against her chest. Amidst Yuki's shocked expression, he said, "What if I can give you a chance to do it all over again?"
"Mr. Hoshimiya... you..."
Yuki watched in bewilderment as Hoshimiya's large hand rubbed against her chest. Her expression grew complicated. "If you do this, Ran, Terumi, and the others will be heartbroken, won't they? Though, I guess they'll never find out."
Conscious that she was about to die, she didn't care about Hoshimiya's inappropriate wandering hands.
"Do you think I'm just taking advantage of you?"
Hoshimiya chuckled softly, his large hand kneading her. "Meeting me wasn't unlucky for you at all. You hit the absolute jackpot!"
"What you just drank were blood sugar suppressants, used to treat hyperglycemia. They continuously lower blood sugar levels to help patients recover."
"But if a normal person drinks them, they can easily die from severe hypoglycemia. Am I right?"
"So... what of it?"
A crimson flush spread across Yuki's cheeks. Even though she was in a weakened state due to low blood sugar, her bodily instincts were still present.
With Hoshimiya rubbing and kneading her like this, Yuki, as a virgin who had never been intimate with a man, was incredibly shy.
"That's why I say you're lucky. I can cure this 'illness'!"
Hoshimiya laughed, sealing his lips over Yuki's and expertly beginning to ravage her mouth.
"Mmmph..."
Yuki felt like she couldn't breathe, the sweetness in her mouth being frantically plundered.
The purple top she was wearing was lifted, and Hoshimiya's scorching hands grew entirely unrestrained.
"Low blood sugar? Then I'll replenish your sugar for you!"
He had plenty of deoxyribose to give!
"I just need to stimulate your bodily functions and feed you until you're full!"
Hoshimiya pulled Yuki close, pulling open her clothes. As he kissed and fondled her, he activated his healing magic.
A misty haze filled Yuki's eyes. She had no idea why, under Hoshimiya's aggressive molestation, she was actually regaining her strength.
Am I the kind of woman who actually likes this sort of thing?
An inexplicable will to live emerged, and Yuki began to clumsily respond to Hoshimiya's advances.
If he kissed her more, did more to her, she wouldn't die.
If everything could really start over like Mr. Hoshimiya said, she was willing to pay any price!
"Mr. Hoshimiya... please tell me what to do!"
Yuki was already melting into Hoshimiya's kisses. She murmured the words as Hoshimiya slid his hands over her long legs.
"Leave everything to me. Let me resurrect you."
Hoshimiya whispered, pressing Yuki against the kitchen sink, making her face away from him.
Yuki was the tallest member of the Earth Ladies to begin with, and her legs were obscenely long and slender. Her natural physical attributes were truly superior.
Even when Hoshimiya lifted one of her legs and placed it on the edge of the sink, her other leg could still stand firmly on the ground.
This shameful posture made Yuki feel increasingly weak. She pleaded shyly and anxiously, "Mr. Hoshimiya, whatever you're going to do, please hurry... I'm afraid I can't hold on much longer..."
"You won't be able to hold on in a bit, not right now."
Hoshimiya got into position and thrust his spear like a dragon into Yuki! Following a cry of pain, fresh blood slid down her long thigh, dripping onto her high heels.
Yuki tightly gripped the faucet in front of her, trying her best to arch her hips back, her expression reflecting her pain:
"Mr. Hoshimiya! Is this resurrecting me? Why does it feel like I'm dying?!"
"Resurrection always requires enduring pain, Yuki."
Hoshimiya said tenderly.
"It will feel good very soon." / "Mr. Hoshimiya! Mr. Hoshimiya! I'm alive!"
"Ah..."
Yuki's black tank top, soaked in sweat, had already been tossed aside.
She was now wearing nothing but a translucent purple chiffon shirt, which added an immense amount of allure to her form.
Yuki felt as though she were participating in a mystical ritual. She felt like she was soaring through the sky, experiencing heaven itself.
She turned on the faucet, feeling as if she were the faucet herself, desperately gushing fluids from deep within her body.
"I can't take it... I can't take it anymore... I feel like now that I've come back to life, I'm going to die again..."
"Mr. Hoshimiya! Just let me die..." As the storm subsided, Yuki lay there like a suffocating fish out of water, struggling to gasp for air with both of her mouths.
Highly satisfied, Hoshimiya fed her a hefty serving of his thick "milk" and stuffed some of his "meat sausage" into her mouth, making her swallow it down to let her body generate its own blood sugar.
With the healing magic, the nutritional supplement, and Yuki's own intense arousal leading to rapid blood circulation, her physical state quickly recovered.
However, because the experience had been far too stimulating, Yuki could only lie there with her mouth agape, whimpering pitifully, "Mr. Hoshimiya, I don't feel like I'm cured yet..."
"I really must be dying. My whole body aches, and I'm so weak..."
"If I die, please help me get dressed so no one sees me like this..."