Capítulo 48: Chapter 48: You're Doubting Me Again, Aren't You?
"Cough... cough..."
In the laundry room, which had ceased functioning, the sound of coughing was particularly obvious.
All the police officers and detectives in the room turned their heads toward the source of the sound.
They saw Kyousuke Akikawa, who had originally been unconscious, clutching his chest and coughing painfully.
"You're awake!"
Everyone present was surprised.
Kazunobu Chiba quickly went to Akikawa Kyousuke's side and reached out to support him.
"Be careful, don't move too much, and try to relax your body."
Chiba Kazunobu told Akikawa Kyousuke, while also glancing anxiously toward the laundry room door.
Just then, the police officer who went to fetch the first aid kit returned.
Upon seeing that Akikawa Kyousuke had woken up, he handed the prepared cold compress to Chiba Kazushi without a word.
Chiba Kazunobu gently pressed it against the injured part of Akikawa Kyousuke's forehead.
After a head injury, it's best to avoid strenuous activities and try to stay calm.
In addition, cold compresses can help reduce swelling and pain, as well as control bleeding.
Upon arriving at the crime scene, Masumi Sera had already made a brief assessment of Akikawa Kyousuke's physical condition.
The conclusion was that Akikawa Kyousuke still had a pulse and was breathing, and there was no need for CPR.
"How's your head feeling now? Do you need to lie down?"
Chiba Kazunobu continued talking to Akikawa Kyousuke.
The fact that the injured person wakes up from a coma doesn't mean he's out of danger.
Before the ambulance arrives, they need to prevent Akikawa Kyousuke from fainting again.
Akikawa Kyousuke didn't speak but gently shook his head.
Then he held the cold compress bag to his forehead and leaned back against the washing machine behind him.
Perhaps the cold compress had an effect.
After a short while, Akikawa Kyousuke, who had been covering his head with the cold compress, slowly raised his head.
Those present couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts upon seeing Akikawa Kyousuke's raised face.
You could see it on Akikawa Kyousuke's left cheek.
Starting from the wound on his left forehead, a trail of blood almost covered his entire cheek.
What also shocked everyone was Akikawa Kyousuke's red left eye, which seemed soaked in blood, with no visible whites of the eye.
It went without saying.
This must have been because Akikawa Kyousuke suffered a severe blow to the head.
Subconjunctival bleeding occurs when the skull presses on the small blood vessels on the surface of the eye.
"Can you still see with your left eye?"
Chiba Kazunobu waved his hand in front of Akikawa Kyousuke.
Then he saw Akikawa Kyousuke, who still had a dazed expression, slowly turn his face toward him.
Just as Kogoro Mouri, Inspector Megure Juzo, and others were curious about Akikawa Kyousuke's injury, they suddenly witnessed an unexpected scene.
Akikawa Kyousuke, who had finally woken up, suddenly showed a look of fear on his face upon seeing Conan, Masumi Sera, and Chiba Kazushi.
He shrank back into the corner, away from the three people.
"Huh?"
As the longest-serving detective in the room, Megure Juzo immediately sensed something was wrong upon seeing Akikawa Kyousuke's reaction.
He had previously heard Miwako Sato's report and had a general understanding of Akikawa Kyousuke's situation.
Megure Juzo knew that Akikawa Kyousuke might be wary of strangers due to his mother's long confinement at home.
But, after all, Akikawa Kyousuke has been an artist for so long, so he shouldn't react this way to people he's met before.
He could tell.
Akikawa Kyousuke wasn't scared at this moment because he saw a stranger after being attacked.
But when he saw Masumi Sera, Chiba, and Shin, he felt fear.
Megure Juzo extended his hand, pulling Chiba, Nobu, and Conan to his side, then lowered his voice and asked, "What's going on with you all? Why does he get so scared when he sees you?"
Then he saw embarrassed expressions on the faces of several people.
What else could it be?
Of course, it was the excessive things they did to Akikawa Kyousuke six months ago, which made him still hold a grudge against them!
Observing the reactions of several people, Megure Juzo roughly guessed what had happened. He asked Chiba Kazunobu and the others to stand behind him, then approached Akikawa Kyousuke, who had curled up in a corner not far away, crouched down, and showed what he thought was a kind smile.
"I'm a detective with the First Division of the Metropolitan Police Department. My name is Megure Juzo."
"Now that I'm here, I can absolutely guarantee your safety. Please don't worry."
"The ambulance will arrive soon, so please wait."
"Your name is Akikawa-kun, correct?"
After Megure Juzo asked, Akikawa Kyousuke nodded defensively.
"I'll definitely give them a good talking-to when we get back. The main priority now is to deal with the current situation."
"Excuse me, Akikawa-kun, but what exactly happened? Could you tell me about it?"
Megure Juzo asked Akikawa Kyousuke about these things. Besides wanting to know the case details, his main goal was to keep Akikawa Kyousuke awake.
Through Akikawa Kyousuke's speech, he could also assess his state of consciousness.
In this way, they could determine the severity of Akikawa Kyousuke's injuries.
"Being... hit."
Akikawa Kyousuke thought for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Could I ask who hit you? And what was the murder weapon? Does Akikawa-kun remember?"
Megure Juzo noticed that Akikawa Kyousuke had a frightened expression on his face after hearing the question.
He quickly extended his hand to steady Akikawa Kyousuke's trembling shoulders.
Then, in his calm and confident voice, he said:
"I know it might be painful for Akikawa-kun to remember these things."
"But this is to catch the criminal. I hope Akikawa-kun can make a small effort."
"Mm."
Akikawa Kyousuke reluctantly nodded.
"He was wearing a motorcycle helmet and white clothes... like protective clothing... I didn't see his face..."
"The weapon he used to attack me... was a chair."
Akikawa Kyousuke pretended to try his best to recall, then uttered uncertain words.
"Him?"
Masumi Sera and Conan clearly caught the crucial point in Akikawa Kyousuke's words.
"Akikawa, are you very certain that the person who attacked you was a man?"
(In Japanese, the masculine pronoun "kare" sounds different from the feminine pronoun "she (kanojo)."
"How did Akikawa-nii know that the person was a man?"
Conan couldn't resist his curiosity, so he asked in a voice full of innocence.
Megure Juzo, closely watching Akikawa Kyousuke, noticed that Akikawa Kyousuke's body visibly trembled after hearing Conan's voice.
Megure Juzo looked at Conan with a dissatisfied expression on his face.
Conan also realized he had been too hasty, but the words had already been spoken, so he had no choice but to press on:
"Um, didn't Brother Akikawa just say that the man wore a motorcycle helmet and medical protective suit?"
"I've seen medical protective clothing before. Whether male or female, it becomes very bulky after putting it on, and you can't see the body shape at all."
"But Brother Akikawa said that person was 'him,' not 'that person,' so I'm a little curious how Brother Akikawa knew the person's gender."
Akikawa Kyousuke is one of the victims in this case.
But, just like in the previous car accident case, Akikawa Kyousuke is also highly suspicious.
Even though all indications at the scene pointed to the suspect fleeing the scene, it is as Masumi Sera analyzed before.
Akikawa Kyousuke is the killer, and the possibility of disguising himself as a victim after the murder can't be ruled out.
By following various clues, eliminating interferences, and finally uncovering the sole truth, this is what a detective must do.
Conan noticed the contradictory details in Akikawa Kyousuke's words and naturally wasn't willing to let them slide.
He then saw Akikawa Kyousuke fall silent.
A few moments later, Akikawa Kyousuke's breathing quickened, and his chest began to rise and fall violently.
After some time, Akikawa Kyousuke seemed to have made every effort to suppress the emotions in his heart, then looked at Conan and slowly said:
"You're doubting me again, aren't you?"
"Just like when my mother died six months ago."
**(End of Chapter)**
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder