Inside the speeding car, Takagi and Satou sat side by side. It had been a long time since the two of them were alone together.
The bomber case still bothered Takagi. Normally, he was the kind of guy who missed obvious hints, but this time, he had noticed something strange.
The position of the shell casings in the revolver's cylinder made him doubt the order of the two shots. In other words, things might not have happened the way Conan said they did. Conan had claimed that the first shot was blocked by Satou and that the second one killed the bomber.
But according to the ballistic report, the order didn't match the official statement. The revolver's cylinder doesn't eject shells automatically—the empty cases stay inside until the gun is reloaded. The chambers rotate in sequence, so the casing positions could tell exactly which shot was fired first. And based on that, it was clear: the first shot hit the criminal, and the second shot hit Satou.
Unless, of course, the shooter had somehow spun the cylinder backward between the two shots.
Maybe it was because Satou was involved that Takagi couldn't let it go. He had investigated the case carefully, but no matter how he analyzed it, the order of the shots didn't make sense.
That's the thing—being a great detective doesn't make someone a great criminal. Detectives can build perfect theories, but in real life, unexpected things happen. Even the most "perfect" crime can fall apart because of chaos in the moment.
Conan's story had cracks, but no one noticed. The police all believed that a child wouldn't lie, so they never questioned it. The inconsistency was quietly ignored. Maybe, Takagi thought, Kid had fired the first shot, then spun the cylinder for some reason before firing again.
It sounded ridiculous—but then again, Phantom Thief Kid was no ordinary man.
"Officer Satou?" Takagi turned to her as she drove.
"What is it, Takagi? You've looked like you've had something on your mind all day. If you have something to say, just say it," Satou replied.
Takagi wasn't timid this time. He decided to speak his mind. "It's about the bomber case. There's something I still don't understand. Kid fired two shots, right? Why was the first one farther away, and the second one closer?"
Satou's heart skipped a beat. Even though she had already been "taught" by the souls of her father and first love, guilt still lingered in her chest. That was the difference between good people and bad ones—a good person feels guilty after doing one wrong thing, while a bad person can do evil all their life and never feel anything at all.
"You're still investigating that case?" Satou asked carefully, unsure how to answer.
"I'm just curious," Takagi said. "So I wanted to ask someone who was actually there. What exactly happened at the scene?"
What could she say? The truth was simple—Satou had shot and killed the criminal herself. Then Conan had fired and accidentally hit her. In the end, Phantom Thief Kid had taken all the blame.
"I don't remember clearly," Satou said softly. "After I was shot, I think Kid treated my wound… but I was barely conscious at the time. Maybe he spun the cylinder while helping me?"
Would he really have done that? Why would treating a wound involve a revolver? Takagi still couldn't make sense of it. He didn't think Satou was lying—he just couldn't see how it all fit together.
"Officer Satou," he said slowly, "what if… what if it wasn't Kid who fired the gun?"
Satou froze. "Why would you say that?"
"I don't know. Just a thought," Takagi said. "What if someone attacked you first, and then someone else shot the bomber afterward? Could that be possible?"
"I… don't know. Maybe. Or maybe not." Satou tried to sound calm. "But I don't think Conan would lie about something like that."
Takagi sighed and scratched his head. "You're probably right. Even Mouri Kogorou didn't question anything, so maybe I'm just overthinking it. What do you think, Officer Satou?"
"I think you're definitely overthinking it," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. But her palms were already damp with sweat.
She couldn't lie to herself—the case had shaken her deeply. How could she not care?
What am I supposed to do now? Satou thought. I made a mistake. How can I keep being a good cop after this? How can I face Takagi… or anyone else?
Truth be told, Satou had feelings for Takagi. After seeing Matsuda's spirit, she had resolved to move on and start fresh. But now, she suddenly felt unworthy of him.
Life was strange like that. Once, Takagi had been the insecure one. Now, it was Satou's turn to feel small.
In truth, Satou should have trusted Kid and Conan more. No one would ever know what really happened. There was no need to torture herself.
Still, if this whole mess ended up making Satou and Takagi break up, Liu A'dou would probably be quite pleased.
"Officer Satou, watch the road!"
Satou's mind had drifted for just a moment, and the car suddenly veered toward the shoulder. Takagi shouted in panic.
Snapping back to her senses, Satou slammed the brakes. The car screeched and came to a stop by the roadside. Her hands trembled. Cold sweat soaked through her shirt. She could feel it — she still couldn't forgive herself.
"Officer Satou, are you alright?" Takagi's heart was pounding so hard it hurt. "Satou?"
She didn't look fine at all. Satou was suffering, her conscience tearing her apart. Should she tell him the truth? If she confessed what she'd done… what would Takagi do?
Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, palms slick with sweat. "Takagi, there's something I need to tell you."
"Huh?" Takagi looked over, his stomach sinking. Satou's expression was pale, serious — this wasn't going to be good. Was she about to tell him they should stop seeing each other? No… no, he couldn't lose her now.
The air grew heavy between them. Satou had made up her mind. She couldn't keep hiding this forever. The guilt was crushing her.
"Takagi… back on the rooftop, I was the one who shot the bomber."
She said it fast — so fast it almost didn't sound real.
"…" Silence. Takagi's forehead broke into cold sweat. "Officer Satou, that's not funny."
But Satou only exhaled softly, like a weight had been lifted. "It's not a joke. It's the truth. I fired the shot that killed the bomber. Then I got shot right after."
Yes, that explained it. That was why the shell casing from the shot that killed the bomber came before the one that hit her — because the order of the shots was reversed.
But the killer… was Satou?
Takagi sat frozen, eyes wide in disbelief. It felt like his soul had left his body. The truth hit him like a bullet — brutal, impossible to accept.
The woman he admired… the one he loved… had become a killer.
No, it couldn't be real. Takagi would've rather been the one who pulled the trigger than hear those words from her. Anything but this. Why had she told him? Why couldn't she have just kept it to herself?
His mind went blank. What was he supposed to do now? Arrest her? Report her? Pretend he never heard it?
God… why are you doing this to me?
Takagi felt like his whole body had turned to lead. He couldn't even look at her.
Satou, meanwhile, sat quietly, waiting for his reaction. She didn't know if Takagi would protect her… or put her in handcuffs.
This was the kind of chain reaction even Liu A'dou couldn't have predicted. He hadn't wanted Satou to go to prison for killing a piece of trash — but he never imagined she'd confess to Takagi.
He'd managed to calm Conan… but Takagi had appeared out of nowhere, and that threw everything into chaos.
Some things, no matter how carefully planned, were simply impossible to control.