On the rooftop, there were three living people and one dead body.
Satou was injured, but not fatally. The bullet hadn't hit any vital organs. Police-issued handguns were made for urban use, with limited penetration and relatively low lethality.
Unless someone like Satou fired directly at the heart, it was really hard to kill with it. The bullet had just stayed lodged in her body.
Conan stood frozen. Things had gone so far off script, he was completely stripped of the confidence he once had.
"Satou is an excellent officer, but she's still just a mortal. And mortals make mistakes," said Kid.
Conan couldn't understand why this man—this criminal—was still talking, especially after everything he'd done. He just stared at Kaitou Kid, as if he were the one who had sent Ran to heaven.
"Conan, open your eyes and take a good look. Your school is still standing, right over there."
Kid's words were like a stream of clear water, washing away the fog in Conan's head. He turned toward where Teitan High School should be—and sure enough, it was still there.
"…" That couldn't be. He had clearly seen the school disappear, turn into rubble. Why? Was it an illusion?
"Magic. I'm the Moonlight Magician, not just some random name. I swapped out all the bombs in the school earlier. Also made a few little modifications. Pretty realistic explosion effect, huh?" Kaitou Kid grinned. "And of course, none of your friends are missing. They're all buried in their exams right now. Honestly, maybe blowing up the school would've been a favor—set them free from that 'torture.'"
"Cut the crap!" Conan was in total shock—real shock this time. "What the hell are you trying to do?!"
"I just wanted you to feel what Officer Satou went through. To see whether you could handle your hatred rationally. Turns out you couldn't," Kid said, smiling.
"You bastard!" Thinking back, that sensation—falling into hell—it had been pure agony.
"Conan-kun, I'm so glad everyone's okay…" Satou's voice was weak, blood loss dragging her toward the brink, but she was still conscious. "Don't make the same mistake I did… I know now that I was wrong. But my hatred blinded me."
Conan wanted to say something—but nothing came out. He had just told her to turn herself in, acting so calm and objective… and now he'd fallen into the same trap.
Mortals make mistakes. Fortunately, most ordinary people never face situations like this. That's why the world is still beautiful—people can enjoy the natural flow of life and death, joy and sorrow, anger and laughter. Love is nothing more than dating, anger is over petty things, sorrow is saying goodbye, joy is telling jokes. That's what normal life looks like. Not 'you killed my loved one, so I'll destroy your whole family.'
The luckiest people are the ones who get to live in peace. But if someone's loved one is cruelly murdered, if they're pushed to that limit… well, it's no wonder Officer Satou lost it.
So really, ordinary folks should just stay in their lane and get some sleep. Don't keep dreaming about those dramatic plots that show up in novels and movies. The chances of something like that happening to you are literally 1 in several hundred million—lower than winning the lottery.
When you run into something you were never meant to face—something way beyond your limits—your mental walls collapse. And then tragedy keeps spilling out. Right now, Liu A'dou was witnessing the limits of ordinary people… and also the remorse that comes from going beyond those limits.
Satou had pulled the trigger—and she regretted it. That's why she threw herself in front of Conan's bullet, so he wouldn't make the same mistake. She still had integrity. Shooting some scumbag didn't take that away.
"Officer Satou," Conan said, finally understanding her. "You're a real officer."
"Thank you." That was enough for Satou to let go in peace.
But Kaitou Kid wouldn't let her die like that. "It's not time for goodbyes just yet." He reached into her wound with his bare hand and pulled out the bullet using his signature sleight of hand—and secretly applied Ripple healing.
Gunshot wounds were hard to treat because it was difficult to find the bullet. Even the best doctors couldn't locate it right away. Bullets could deflect at all sorts of angles and end up in the strangest places.
This guy's ability to do surgery like he had X-ray vision was terrifying. Conan wondered if he'd trained in Hawaii too.
"Officer Satou, you really surprised me." Kid hadn't expected her to leap into the line of fire like that. "Your father would be proud."
Then Kid looked at Conan again. "So, kid, what's your decision?"
"Huh?" Conan was still trying to recover. Too many bizarre things had happened, and his brain hadn't caught up yet.
"I mean about her turning herself in. Are you still insisting on that?"
Conan was stunned. He hadn't expected Kid to circle all the way back to that. Could it be…? A ridiculous thought popped into his head—had this whole roundabout scheme been to help Officer Satou escape punishment?
Congratulations to Conan. He was right.
Kid knew there was no convincing someone as stubbornly principled as Conan with just words. So he'd used empathy—made Conan feel Satou's pain of losing someone she loved. That way, the rest was easier.
Now Conan understood what it meant to go beyond human limits. Everyone's threshold is different, but losing someone you love is clearly the limit for both Satou and Conan.
They were both deeply emotional people.
This was the conflict between reason and emotion. Emotionally, Conan didn't want to expose Satou. Rationally, he couldn't bring himself to go against the law. It was a no-win situation.
That's what made it so complicated. Of course, rationality still held more weight for Conan. That's why Kid had to set all this up beforehand.
"Let me guess—you're thinking, if you had shot me, you'd accept the legal consequences without running, right?" Kid raised an eyebrow knowingly.
"Exactly!" Conan replied seriously.
"Then what you're doing is punishing an outstanding police officer, which is exactly what the bomber wanted. His goal was to prove that the police are corrupt and evil. Sure, he didn't think the price would be his own life, but in the end, he got what he wanted. If Satou turns herself in, have you thought about what it'll do to the credibility of the entire police force?"
"…" Yeah, that would be a serious blow. Satou was a kind of idol within the force—a beautiful and competent detective who basically represented the whole Investigation Division. That would definitely impact Takagi, Megure, and even Mouri. And since those officers had deep ties to Kudo, it could indirectly affect Conan's investigation into the Black Organization. After all, he still needed the police's help with that.
"But… someone died!" Conan looked over at the bomber's corpse.
That was a valid point. But Kid had a solution. "I killed the bomber. I'm the one who injured Officer Satou, too."
"You?" Conan couldn't believe Kid was actually offering to take the blame.
"I'll accept your warrant. I'm used to being hunted. I don't care what crimes you pin on me." Kid stood up tall, his whole presence suddenly imposing. "Everything that happened today was my doing. We can't let one scumbag ruin a good cop. And if someone has to chase me down, I hope it'll be a hot female officer."
Kaitou Kid… Conan didn't even know what to say. If Kid really took all the blame, it would protect Satou completely.