Outside the mansion's gate, the one leading the arrest team was none other than Officer Yamamura of the Gunma Prefectural Police.
He was holding the arrest warrant, his expression conveying, I am very serious about my work.
'"Yamamoto Kuujuuichi! You are surrounded! Come out and surrender immediately!"
Officer Yamamura shouted through a megaphone in his unique tone, but there was no response from inside the mansion.
Soon, they entered the residence and learned of Yamamoto Kuujuuichi's whereabouts from other servants.
"It seems master went to the restroom..."
"The restroom?"
Officer Yamamura blinked his wise eyes, suddenly enlightened.
"Oh! I see! He went to the restroom! No wonder he didn't hear me!"
He immediately led several officers, following the servant's directions, to the tightly closed restroom door.
Officer Yamamura straightened his uniform, stepped forward, knocked on the door, and solemnly called out.
"Yamamoto-san! I am Officer Yamamura of the Gunma Prefectural Police! Regarding the case of your suspected hiring of a killer, please open the door, cooperate with the investigation, and come back to the police station with us!"
There was silence for a few seconds inside the door, then Yamamoto Kuujuuichi's forced calm voice came through. "Someone is in the restroom. You should find another one first."
"Oh, someone is in the restroom."
Upon hearing this, Officer Yamamura instinctively said "Oh," rubbed the back of his head, and turned to the other officers, saying.
"Someone is in the restroom, so we really can't go in. Let's go, we'll wait for him in the living room outside until he's done. If you're in a hurry, you can find another restroom first."
The officers under his command almost fainted on the spot.
A quick-thinking patrol officer quickly grabbed Officer Yamamura, who was about to turn and leave, and urgently whispered in a low voice.
"Chief! Chief! Snap out of it! We are arresting a suspect in a serious crime! We are not queuing at a public restroom! Do we have to wait just because he says someone is in there?!"
"Ah?! That's right!"
Officer Yamamura slapped his head, a look of sudden realization on his face.
"We're here to catch a bad guy! Not to borrow a restroom! I almost fell for his trick!"
He immediately turned around, faced the restroom door again, and shouted with full force. "Yamamoto-san! You are obstructing official duties! Please come out immediately! Otherwise, we will take coercive measures!"
Yamamoto Kuujuuichi inside the door was clearly flustered, but still stubbornly shouted.
"I... I'm cleaning my ears! Yes! I'm cleaning my ears! It's very dangerous! I can't be disturbed! You can't touch someone who is cleaning their ears! That's common sense!"
The officers outside the door. "..." What kind of ridiculous excuse was this again?!
Officer Yamamura, however, was fooled by this new excuse. He stroked his chin, thinking seriously.
"Cleaning his ears? Hmm... indeed, if one is startled while cleaning their ears, it's easy to injure the eardrum... That seems quite reasonable..."
Seeing that Officer Yamamura seemed to be getting sidetracked again, the officer beside him quickly reminded. "Chief! Don't believe his nonsense! He's just stalling for time!"
But Officer Yamamura raised his hand, stopping his subordinate, and loudly said to the inside of the door.
"Yamamoto-san, what you said is very reasonable. Cleaning ears indeed requires a quiet environment, and we police also value human rights. So take your time, we're not in a hurry, we'll just wait outside the door until you're done."
After saying that, he really did make all the officers stand still outside the restroom door, looking as if they were prepared for a long siege.
Yamamoto Kuujuuichi inside, upon hearing Officer Yamamura's initial words, was secretly delighted, thinking this police officer was easy to fool.
But when he heard the later parts about "take your time" and "wait outside the door," he almost spat out a mouthful of old blood!
He wasn't cleaning his ears at all, it was just an excuse he frantically came up with in a moment of desperation.
Yamamoto Kuujuuichi sat stiffly on the toilet, holding an unused ear pick, his heart filled with anxiety.
One minute passed, two minutes passed... five minutes passed... The police outside the door remained motionless, full of patience.
Yamamoto Kuujuuichi, however, was increasingly unable to hold on.
His buttocks were numb from sitting on the toilet, his arm holding the ear pick was sore and tired, and more importantly, the psychological pressure was immense, he felt like a mouse trapped in a hole.
Finally, after nearly ten minutes, Yamamoto Kuujuuichi's psychological defenses and physical strength simultaneously collapsed.
His arm went limp, and the ear pick clattered to the floor.
Almost at the same time, the restroom door was pushed open by his arm, which he unintentionally bumped due to muscle soreness.
He had been too nervous earlier, and the restroom door hadn't actually been locked securely.
Officer Yamamura and the officers outside saw the restroom door suddenly open, revealing Yamamoto Kuujuuichi sitting crookedly on the toilet in a very comical posture.
One hand was still held up to his ear in a loosely cupped gesture, his face covered in sweat and unwillingness.
"Ah! Yamamoto-san, are you done cleaning your ears?" Officer Yamamura asked with a surprised look.Yamamoto Kuujuuichi, "..."
He completely gave up resistance, slumped down, and said weakly, "Yes, I'll go with you..."
Thereafter, after a long court trial, with the exception of the mysterious assassin, Tachibana Maya, who had escaped early on and has not yet been apprehended, all individuals involved in the case received legal judgment:
Principal offender, Yamamoto Kuujuuichi, attempted murder for hire, offered 150 million Yen: sentenced to 5 years in prison.
First-tier outsourcing, Nojiri Masakawa (profited 100 million Yen from reselling): sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison.
Second-tier outsourcing, Mitsui Ichiro (profited 40 million Yen from reselling): sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison.
Third-tier outsourcing, Yoshida Jirou (profited 6 million Yen from reselling): sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Fourth-tier outsourcing, Yoshida Taro (profited 2 million Yen from reselling): sentenced to 2 years and 9 months in prison.
——————
This day was sunny with a gentle breeze, a perfect day for hiking.
On a scenic mountain path near Beika Town, not too high but beautiful, Suzuki Sonoko was energetically leading the way, occasionally looking back and urging.
"Ran! Conan! Hurry up!"
Mouri Ran responded with a smile. "Coming, coming! Sonoko, you have too much energy!"
She held Conan's hand, her steps light.
Conan, however, was being dragged along with a helpless expression, showing little interest in being pulled along for a hike on the weekend instead of staying home to read mystery novels or play soccer.
"I'm telling you," Sonoko slowed her pace, waiting for the two to catch up, her face beaming with excitement and anticipation,
"I heard that a new Taoist temple recently moved to the mountainside of this mountain! The master inside is super accurate at fortune-telling! Many people have gone there because of his reputation!"
"Fortune-telling?" Ran blinked, a little curious, "Is it really that accurate?"
"Of course!"
Sonoko nodded vigorously, clasped her hands together, her eyes turning into stars.
"This time, I definitely want to get my fortune told about my relationship with Makoto! To see when we can finally achieve a happy ending! Hehe~"
She was already immersed in her fantasies about Kyogoku Makoto.