Downstairs.
The castle's dining room.
Kurosawa Hoshino and the others ate lunch quietly. No one spoke up right away.
There was also an extra person at the table—Mamiya Mitsuru's mother-in-law, Mamiya Masuyo.
She was an old woman in a wheelchair, wearing glasses. According to Mamiya Mitsuru's introduction, ever since his wife died in the fire, she had been somewhat mentally unstable, saying things like her daughter was still alive. Yet she could still hold normal conversations.
Kurosawa Hoshino, of course, knew who she was. He was about to expose her and earn those Source Points.
"Mr. Mitsuru, this wine is quite good," Kogoro Mouri said, tasting the red wine and addressing Mamiya Mitsuru.
"I'm glad you like it, Mr. Mouri," Mamiya Mitsuru replied with a smile.
Then he looked at Kurosawa Hoshino and sighed. "Kurosawa-kun, Kijin and I have decided. We're prepared to buy the clue to the treasure you know about."
At those words, everyone quieted down.
Suddenly, an aged voice rang out.
"No. I won't allow it." Mamiya Masuyo said loudly, "This is my family's treasure. I won't allow you, the son-in-law, to know about it."
Mamiya Mitsuru smiled unconcernedly and gestured to Mamiya Kijin beside him. "Mother-in-law, since I can't know, then letting Kijin know should be fine too."
"Kurosawa-kun." Mamiya Kijin suddenly spoke up. "What I most want to know is the true cause of my mother's death. I simply don't believe that fire four years ago was an accident."
"My daughter isn't dead. She's perfectly fine. She was even chatting with me yesterday. I'm going upstairs to find her." Mamiya Masuyo began to play the madwoman, turning her wheelchair to leave.
The current Mamiya Masuyo—actually the former missing housekeeper, Nishikawa Mutsumi—had undergone plastic surgery to look like Mamiya Masuyo, so she often stayed in her room. Normally, she either wandered the secret passages looking for any possible treasure, or stayed in her room watching TV to pass the time, trying to avoid appearing in front of outsiders to prevent exposure.
So she had naturally seen news about Kurosawa Hoshino—even that live broadcast, which she'd watched without blinking. After watching it, she'd been utterly horrified, thinking that if a monster like him ever came to this castle, he'd surely find the treasure with ease—and even uncover the truth of how she'd set the fire four years ago and burned the young mistress and the others to death.
So now, hearing that Mamiya Kijin wanted to ask Kurosawa Hoshino to investigate the fire from four years ago, she couldn't sit still. She wanted to leave, to hide in her room or the secret passage.
Unfortunately, just as she made her move, Kurosawa Hoshino called out to her. "Old Madam Mamiya, please wait a moment. Today I discovered a secret passage in the villa, and also a skeleton."
"A secret passage? A skeleton?"
Those who didn't know about this all showed shocked expressions.
Mamiya Masuyo's expression changed drastically. Ignoring what Kurosawa Hoshino had just said, she turned her wheelchair to leave.
"Uncle Mouri, stop Old Madam Mamiya. Don't let her leave," Kurosawa Hoshino said.
"Tch~" Though a little annoyed at being ordered around by a junior, Kogoro Mouri believed in Kurosawa Hoshino's words. Since he said so, this Mamiya Masuyo probably had a problem.
He got up decisively and blocked the doorway. "Old Madam Mamiya, please listen to what this brat has to say before you leave. It won't take long."
"You—" Mamiya Masuyo gritted her teeth, her heart sinking to the bottom.
Kurosawa Hoshino continued, "I don't know how many years that skeleton has been there, but her legs are very slender—not the legs of someone who exercises regularly. She also still has a full head of white hair, so it should be an old woman. Oh, and she looks very much like Old Madam Mamiya."
"Grandmother?" Mamiya Kijin looked at Mamiya Masuyo, still firmly blocked, and seemed to understand that his grandmother had a problem.
"Could it be—" Conan stared at Mamiya Masuyo, thinking in shock, "Could this old woman be someone in disguise?"
"Kurosawa-kun, could you explain a bit more clearly? I really can't understand." Mamiya Mitsuru scratched his hair and asked, puzzled.
"Simply put—"
Kurosawa Hoshino held a fork pressing down on the steak on his plate, and with his other hand slowly cut with a knife. He said calmly, "The Mamiya Masuyo before us is actually someone in disguise. Four years ago, when your wife came back to celebrate the old madam's birthday, this disguised person was afraid the old madam's daughter would see through her flaw, so she simply set a fire and burned them all to death."
"What? Someone in disguise?" Mamiya Mitsuru stood up from his chair in shock.
Mamiya Kijin's eyes widened too.
"Hiss~" Ran and Sonoko looked at the old woman and felt a chill down their backs.
"As I thought." Conan sighed inwardly, already believing Kurosawa Hoshino's explanation. He didn't think he would be wrong.
"Could it be another mask?" Kogoro Mouri said, and without being polite to the old woman, he reached out and tugged at her face. But the mask didn't come off, and he froze.
"? Didn't you say she was disguised?" He looked at Kurosawa Hoshino doubtfully. "Brat, did you make a deduction mistake?"
"Outrageous! This is truly outrageous!" Mamiya Masuyo thought this was a good opportunity and immediately used it to explode. "Get out! My house doesn't welcome you people."
Kogoro Mouri felt a little embarrassed and quickly gave Kurosawa Hoshino a look, signaling him to think of something.
"Could he be making his first deduction mistake?" Ai thought, looking at Kurosawa Hoshino with a hint of worry.
Conan was also stunned, not knowing whether to be happy or sad. Although he currently saw no hope of beating Kurosawa Hoshino, he didn't want to see his first deduction mistake happen right before his eyes. He wouldn't allow the goal he wanted to chase to fail so carelessly.
"I believe in Hoshino," Ran said quietly.
"Me too." Sonoko held her hand.
"Uncle Mouri, you're too impatient."
Kurosawa Hoshino shook his head, stared at Mamiya Masuyo, and said calmly, "I never said it was a mask. This time it should be plastic surgery. Old Madam Mamiya, confess honestly. Whether you admit it or not, I'll call the police and have them investigate. Even if you had plastic surgery on your face, you couldn't have had plastic surgery on your whole body's skin, could you? Not to mention DNA—that's something you can't fake."
At that moment, the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Ran and the others all breathed a sigh of relief.
A smile appeared on Conan's lips, and he thought happily, "As expected, Kurosawa. I knew you wouldn't just casually have your first mistake here."
"Let me see your arm."
Kogoro Mouri was still bold. He grabbed Mamiya Masuyo's wrist and pushed up her sleeve, revealing skin completely different from the wrinkled face and hands. It couldn't be called smooth and tender, but it certainly didn't look like an old woman's.
"As expected, the skin under the clothes is different from what's exposed."
"Who are you really?"
Mamiya Kijin angrily came before the woman wearing his grandmother's face, desperately wanting to punch her. After all, his mother had been killed by this woman.
"Heh—" Mamiya Masuyo smiled bitterly—or rather, Nishikawa Mutsumi. She shook off Kogoro Mouri's hand, slowly stood up, left the wheelchair, and looked at Kurosawa Hoshino. "Are you even human? Just from a skeleton, you deduced the entire truth. I have a request. Before the police take me away, could you let me see the treasure I've been trying to get—the one that made me into this miserable state?"