A Genius In The World Of Conan (Detective Conan Fanfiction) - Chapter 7: Coercing a Confession

As Kousuke Akikawa walked back from the restroom toward his hospital room, the police officer disguised as a nurse started talking to him again. Even after Kousuke Akikawa returned to his room and lay back in bed, the officer continued to chat with him.

Though the questions were mostly trivial, there was a constant undertone of concern for Kousuke Akikawa in the officer’s words.

He noticed that, at first, Kousuke Akikawa seemed uninterested in the conversation, offering only perfunctory responses to his inquiries.

But as time passed, Kousuke Akikawa became more willing to talk, and eventually, he was the one doing most of the talking.

‘On the surface, he seems to be very guarded around strangers, but in reality, he’s easier to trust than most people and more willing to engage in conversation. His psychological age seems younger than his actual age.’

‘This really fits the image of a child who has suffered abuse during adolescence and experienced psychological trauma.’

The officer, whose name was Nakajima Takuto, occasionally responded to Kousuke Akikawa’s remarks while thinking to himself.

‘This is what being a detective is all about. It’s amazing how he’s able to make such judgments just from a phone description.’

Nakajima Takuto recalled the events of the previous night, still in awe.

His name was Nakajima Takuto, a police inspector in the Metropolitan Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Section.

Last night, after receiving orders, Nakajima Takuto had rushed to the hospital where the suspect, Kousuke Akikawa, was being treated for a murder case that had occurred on the national highway.

He had met with Chiba Kazunobu as well as a young elementary school student—Conan—who often followed around his idol—detective Kogoro Mouri.

At this point, Kousuke Akikawa had already been rushed into the emergency room for treatment.

Chiba Kazunobu had asked the hospital to find them an empty room, and there, something that Nakajima Takuto would likely never forget happened.

“This Akikawa guy must have been imprisoned at home by his mother for a long time. He’s not only been cut off from the outside world but has also suffered from various issues due to malnutrition.”

“And that gives him a clear motive to commit the crime.”

As Nakajima Takuto was still wondering why they brought a young child along, the first words spoken by the child surprised both him and Chiba Kazunobu.

“Also, the killer must have used a dagger to attack the victim, Akikawa Ryoko, after the car accident.”

This was absolutely baffling. Detective Takagi and Officer Sato were still investigating the scene, and the police had only just identified the victim and the suspect.

How could this elementary school student have already figured out the motive for the crime?

Nakajima Takuto immediately asked the child how he knew this information.

The young student, named Conan, explained everything to them in detail.

He had deduced that the suspect had been deprived of sunlight for a long time based on his skin color and determined that the suspect had not been attending school regularly by analyzing his muscle condition.

At first, Nakajima Takuto thought the child was simply talking nonsense, but after hearing the explanations, he slowly began to believe Conan’s deductions.

Of course, the decisive statement came from Conan’s final words:

“I’m just repeating what Sera-neechan told me!”

Nakajima Takuto had heard of “Sera-neechan,” who was a rising star in the Tokyo detective world—a high school detective named Sera Masumi.

The famous genius high school detective Kudo Shinichi had mysteriously disappeared for some reason, and Sera Masumi had taken his place, gradually becoming a helpful ally to the police.

The Metropolitan Police acted swiftly.

After obtaining a search warrant, they confirmed that Conan’s deductions were correct in just one night.

The suspect, Kousuke Akikawa, had dropped out of school before finishing elementary school and had never attended again.

The police had their own set of methods for dealing with suspects who had unusual experiences.

“Children who were abused by their parents tend to be very suspicious of strangers.”

“Although they show strong distrust toward outsiders, this is just a result of the treatment they’ve received. As long as we show some kindness, they should trust us easily.”

“Akikawa dropped out of school before finishing elementary school and hasn’t interacted with anyone since. This suggests his psychological age is younger than his actual age.”

“If we can get the suspect to confess himself, it will save a lot of trouble.”

“What? You’re saying this goes against human nature? Do criminals have rights?”

This was the “advice” Nakajima Takuto received from his superior.

Nakajima Takuto looked at Kousuke Akikawa, who was speaking non-stop, and although he was pleased to have gained the suspect’s trust, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness.

‘He really does act like a child.’

Kousuke Akikawa displayed such a low psychological age in the conversation.

If Nakajima Takuto hadn’t seen the suspect’s file, he never would have imagined that the young man in front of him, who was excitedly recounting stories from picture books, was already old enough to drink alcohol.

Even though he felt sympathy for Kousuke Akikawa’s childhood suffering at the hands of his mother, it didn’t mean he could accept that Kousuke Akikawa had killed his own mother.

Those who commit crimes must always face the consequences of their actions.

Nakajima Takuto felt that the time was right, so he stood up.

Kousuke Akikawa, who had been excitedly telling stories, suddenly stopped. After a few seconds of confusion, a look of melancholy clearly appeared on his thin face.

“It’s time. I’ll go get your meal. I’ll come back later and you can continue telling me more stories.”

Nakajima Takuto watched Kousuke Akikawa’s reaction, feeling a bit conflicted inside.

However, this was a necessary step.

“Okay!” Kousuke Akikawa’s previously dim eyes suddenly lit up, and he nodded vigorously.

Nakajima Takuto walked out of the room.

Until he softly closed the door, he could still feel the intense gaze from the bed behind him.

“Ugh—this is torturous. Doing this kind of work really does weigh on the conscience.”

Nakajima Takuto let out a long sigh again, but unfortunately, the pent-up emotions in his chest hadn’t been fully released.

The brief departure after gaining trust was meant to test Kousuke Akikawa’s reaction. It was clear that the suspect had nearly fully trusted him.

As time passed, Kousuke Akikawa would begin to feel uneasy, questioning whether he had been deceived. Returning after exceeding the agreed-upon time would make the suspect value the false relationship even more.

At this point, if he gently guided him, Kousuke Akikawa would likely open up completely.

‘Let’s get him to confess quickly. Having been confined by his mother since childhood, now he’s going to prison. How pitiful.’

‘But for him, prison might be better than home. After all, Japan’s prisons have decent facilities, and the food is good.’

Nakajima Takuto comforted himself with these thoughts as he walked toward the room where he had borrowed some time to kill and report the situation.

<+>

Back in the hospital room.

Kousuke Akikawa watched Nakajima Takuto leave the room, his excited expression slowly fading and returning to his usual, expressionless demeanor.

‘Coercing a confession, huh.’

‘Something that was banned in the last century, yet here we are, still using such inhumane methods. I never expected the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to resort to this kind of treatment.’

‘They don’t see me as a human at all.’

Kousuke Akikawa felt a sense of disbelief.

If it were from a darker force using such methods, it would still make sense. After all, they don’t respect the law.

But he never expected to be treated this way by the police.

Despite this, Kousuke Akikawa felt no anger. Instead, he felt a strange sense of joy.

‘If the police already had enough decisive evidence to convict me, why would they waste time trying to coerce a confession? They could just arrest me immediately.’

‘They suspect me but can’t convict me, so they’re trying to lure the truth out of me.’

Having confirmed that things were still within his control, Kousuke Akikawa felt a sense of ease once again.

Ding

Just as Kousuke Akikawa was beginning to relax, a sharp, mechanical sound echoed in his mind.

At the same time, the translucent blue text reappeared before his eyes.

[The increasingly clear motive for the crime, the possible overlooked clue, and the situation where you, with limited information, are facing a detective who has already determined your guilt but still shows you kindness. What choice will you make?]

1. Trust the other person and confess everything you’ve done.
Reward: Skill Card x1

2. Play your role well, lower the detective’s guard, and steal information.
Reward: Physique +3

3. Recognize that the detective’s kindness is false, confront him and expose his identity as a police officer.
Reward: Agility +3

‘Looks like the last choice didn’t end and now there’s another option.’

‘Although, this time, it seems like there’s only one correct choice.’

Kousuke Akikawa sighed in his mind and began to feel a sense of anticipation.

‘I wonder how much information this detective can provide me with.’