Well hello! Here is a new chapter of Azure-Redi fanfiction. I start planning the second chapter. See you in the next chapter.
"Today, Ran, Sonoko, and my middle school teacher named Matsumoto Sayuri is getting married, so we came to see Matsumoto-sensei. But I'm not really here for Matsumoto-sensei. I just wanted to see the guy who's getting married Matsumoto-sensei with", Shizuka thought.
Shizuka stood in the church yard with Ran, and Sonoko like many of her former classmates as the sun shone.
The girls's middle school music teacher, Matsumoto Sayuri was getting married today, and had invited her former students to her wedding.
"Lots of familiar faces. It feels like a reunion of classmates", Shizuka thought, looking around. "Sonoko-san, Ran-san, how is Matsumoto Sayuri?" Shizuka asked, remembering that she shouldn't let others understand that Shizuka knew Matsumoto Sayuri, so that no one would realize that Miyamizu Irene and Kudō Shizuka were the same person, lest the criminal organization that Shizuka was tracking down would find out that Shizuka was still alive and that the members of the organization the poison he fed Shizuka had only made Shizuka look like her mother.
"Matsumoto-sensei can be harsh when needed, but Matsumoto-sensei also has a kind side. Matsumoto-sensei..I haven't seen Matsumoto-sensei since we graduated middle school!" Ran said.
Shizuka nodded.
The girls were wearing their school uniforms like the rest of their peers coming to the wedding, and Shizuka was trying to look as calm as possible and like she had never even met Matsumoto Sayuri. Even the thought of Matsumoto Sayuri wearing a wedding dress seemed a little hard to imagine for Shizuka.
"Maybe when I see Matsumoto-sensei in his wedding dress, then I will be able to believe the truth that Matsumoto-sensei is really getting married today, considering Matsumoto-sensei's strictness. Matsumoto-sensei would have won the strict teacher championship 3 years in a row, if such an award would even exist" Shizuka thought. "That wretched woman did nothing during her lessons except tutor students who played poorly for 3 years! Once when I had a sore throat in middle school, Matsumoto-sensei told me to sing in front of the whole class before I could even tell Matsumoto-sensei about my sore throat, and as a result I lost my voice for a time".
"Maybe we'll get to hear Matsumoto-sensei's wonderful voice at the wedding reception!" Sonoko said. Then he looked around. "Where is Kudō?"
"I called Shizuka yesterday, but she said she can't come. However, Irene-chan offered to be Shizuka's replacement, as Irene-chan wanted to meet Matsumoto-sensei", Ran said.
"I mostly want to know who will take that domina as his wife. The man in question doesn't know what kind of mess he's getting his spoon into. Matsumoto-sensei took his work very seriously, and even one wrong note was criticized. Normally, Matsumoto-sensei was very understanding", Shizuka thought.
Shizuka and Ran went with Sonoko to the church, and to the room there reserved for the Matsumoto family, and saw Sayuri, who was currently being dressed in a wedding dress. A Waiting Room notice was posted on the door of the room in question.
The wedding dress was white with yellow flowers on the partially sheer veil, and one such flower was even on the front of the neckline of her dress. There was lipstick on her lips. Her long, brown hair was combed into a bun at the nape of her neck. His eyes were blue, and his skin was pale. She had pink lipstick on her lips. In her ears were pale yellow pearl earrings. On her feet were white high heels. He had white gloves on his hands. He was tall, and thin, and 28 years old.
"Like a different person!" Shizuka thought in disbelief
"Oh! Mōri-san, and Suzuki-san!" Sayuri said with a friendly smile.
Shizuka, and the other girls stared at Sayuri, blushing slightly in surprise.
"Well? Does this dress look good on me?" Sayuri asked.
"Y-you look beautiful!" Ran, and Sonoko said.
"True. Matsumoto-sensei should have smiled a lot more, maybe many of our classmates wouldn't have even been afraid of Matsumoto-sensei", Shizuka thought, looking at Sayuri's friendly smile, impressed.
"We're ready now", The women helping Sayuri dress said from the room.
"Thank you", Sayuri said as Sonoko closed the door.
"Please", The women left the room closing the door behind them.
"Where is Kudō?" Sayuri asked.
"Shizuka didn't get to come to your wedding", Ran said.
"Oh, Kudō-san couldn't come? How I wanted to show off this dress in front of that girl who likes to play the violin! And I wanted that girl who likes to play the violin would be surprised to see me in this wedding dress", Sayuri said snapping her fingers.
"He really is Matsumoto-sensei. He hasn't changed at all internally", thought Shizuka:
"I'll be doing Shizuka-san".
"Really?! Who are you?" Sayuri asked walking in front of Shizuka.
"She is Miyamizu Irene, my father's assistant, and the newest member of my circle of friends", Ran said.
"I came here to study in high school, and that's why I moved here. My former home was in a village in the country. It was such a small village that everyone there knew each other. There were no high schools, so I moved here to study at the nearby Teitan Koko high school. My uncle lives here. He is Professor Agasa who lives next door to Shizuka", Shizuka said.
"Really? Glad you've made friends since moving here", Sayuri said. Shizuka nodded.
"Irene-chan, and her three other friends even started their own detective club a while ago", Ran said.
"I guess you like the thrill too", Sayuri said, and Shizuka nodded.
"Have we met before?" Sayuri asked Shizuka.
"I don't think so", Shizuka said.
"Okay! Look this way, you two!" Ran said filming Shizuka, and Sayuri with her video camera. "We are responsible for today's video!"
"Make sure the kiss scene is really amazing!" Sonoko said.
"Leave it to me!" Sayuri said.
Suddenly, the door of the room opened, and a 27-year-old woman walked into the room, carrying a white plastic bag in her right hand. The woman in question was tall, and fair-skinned, and a bit thin. Her hair was long, and brown, her eyes were blue, and her eyebrows were small, besides this she had several freckles on her face, and she was wearing a purple skirt, and a purple coat. She wore red lipstick. On her feet were purple high heels. In her ears were red gold earrings:
"I bought you warm lemon tea, Sayuri!"
"Thank you!" Sayuri walked past the girls, and took one of the tea cans from the bag.
Think about it, Matsumoto-sensei always drank lemon tea", Shizuka thought. "Matsumoto-sensei even drank lemon tea during lessons".
Sayuri opened the tea can.
"Wait! Your lipstick will mess up if you drink it like that", the Stranger said. He took a white straw from the plastic bag, which he put into the can that Sayuri had just opened. "You're welcome!"
"Thank you", Sayuri said, drinking her tea.
"Kazumi...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what happened to you and Toshihiko-san", Sayuri said after drinking some lemon tea.
"What are you talking about at a time like this?" The woman said slapping Sayuri on the back. "You better be ready! I'm going to tell everyone at the wedding reception that your new husband used to be my boyfriend!"
"Kazumi", Sayuri said nervously.
"Just teasing!" Kazumi started from the room closing the door behind her. "See you in a minute!"
"Kazumi never stops teasing me", Sayuri said, holding the plastic bag Kazumi had just given her in her left hand.
"Who was that?" Sonoko asked.
"Takenaka Kazumi, my longtime friend since college. I see I have another can, so would any of you like it?" Sayuri asked.
"I'll take it!" Sonoko said taking another can from the bag.
Suddenly, an athletic man entered the room. He was 54 years old. His skin was tanned. He had a scar over his left eye. His eyes were black. The man was very tall. He had short, black hair and a black mustache. He was wearing a black tuxedo and black shoes. He stopped in front of Sayuri. The man was scary.
Ran ran in front of Sayuri:
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Ran! Defeat this gorilla brain!" Sonoko shouted, running to Rani's side, pointing at the scary of us.
"Oh? It's Ran-kun!" Commissioner Megure, dressed in a black tuxedo, asked as he entered the room with a couple of other police officers.
"Megure Keibu! What are you guys doing here?" Ran asked.
"Who in their right mind wouldn't be happy to attend their boss's daughter's wedding?" Megure asked.
"The boss?" Ran asked looking at the terrifying man standing in front of Megure.
"That's right. He's the Matsumoto-kanrikan, aka Matsumoto Kiyonaga, and my father!" Sayuri said looking at the scary man.
"Yum!" The Matsumoto-kanrikan coughed slightly, drawing the girls' attention to him.
"Your father?" Sonoko asked.
"You may go now", Kiyonaga told his subordinates.
"Yes sir!" The policemen walked out of the room.
"We are sorry!" Ran, and Sonoko bowed to Kanrikan.
"So he's Matsumoto-kanrikan! Dad has mentioned Matsumoto-kanrikan a couple of times, but I never would have believed that Matsumoto-kanrikan is the father of my middle school music teacher!" Shizuka thought in surprise.
"Mōri-san, Suzuki-san! Don't worry about it! It's my father's fault that he looks so scary!" Sayuri placed her tea can on the table to her left.
"Mōri? Are you perhaps the daughter of the acclaimed master detective, Mōri Kogorō?" Kanrikan asked Ran.
"Yes", Ran said.
"Heh! Every time your dad solves a case I notice my police skills nothingness. My superiors are asking me again and again how I could have let a genius like your father sneak out of the police force", Kanrikan said.
"Stop it, I'm blushing!" Shizuka thought blushing a little flattered.
"Why did Irene blush just now?" Sonoko thought after seeing Shizuka's blush.
"Anyway, Sayuri, are you really sure you want to marry him?" Kanrikan asked his daughter, and grabbed his daughter's shoulder, surprising Sayuri. "I have young men with a lot of backbone".
"Dad! What are you saying at a time like this?!" Sayuri asked.
"Very well", Kanrikan said, releasing his grip on his daughter's shoulders.
"Really now! You always have to treat me like a child, don't you?!" Sayuri asked.
"You're a child. You're still drinking this sugary garbage", Kanrikan took a can of lemon tea from the table.
Sayuri took the can in her own hand:
"So what?! I like that! Anyway, how about you say something?! Like how your daughter looks in her wedding dress!"
Kanrikan blushed a little, and left the room:
"You are beautiful. Although not nearly as beautiful as your dead mother".
"Can't you ever give a normal compliment?!" Sayuri asked, drinking tea while Sonoko looked at the wall clock on the wall of the room.
"Quite a peculiar father-daughter relationship", Shizuka mused.
Finally, an 18-year-old boy entered the room. She was holding a bouquet made of pink roses. Around the stems of the roses was white paper with a red ribbon tied underneath. He wasn't very tall, but he was thin. He had long, brown hair, and fair skin, and blue eyes, and glasses. He was wearing a blue suit and a white shirt. His legs were blue pants and black shoes, and he gave a bouquet to Sayuri.
"Of course Umemiya Atsushikin came here!" Shizuka thought as she recognized the boy wearing glasses.
"What beautiful roses! Thank you, Umemiya-kun", Sayuri said.
"Who is she?" Ran asked looking at Umemiya.
"Don't you remember? He's Umemiya Atsushi-san, who's a year older than us. Umemiya-san was even the middle school music club representative, and class president", Sonoko said to Rani.
"Now I remember! Wasn't Umemiya-kun deeply in love with Matsumoto-sensei?" Ran asked.
"Yes it was! Umemiya-san even serenaded Matsumoto-sensei on the guitar at our junior high graduation party", Sonoko said.
"That's what Umemiya did!" Shizuka thought.
"Lemon tea suits you well, Matsumoto-sensei", Umemiya said, taking a can of lemon tea from the table, and decorated the whistle in the can by putting a pink bow on it.
"Thank you!" Sayuri said placing the bouquet on the table.
"Today is the day I find myself experiencing true disappointment. I thought that only I could make you happy", Umemiya said, handing the tea can to Sayuri.
"Umemiya-kun", Sayuri said.
"See you", Umemiya said starting from the room.
"Umemiya is unchanged too", Shizuka thought after noticing the matter. "What a smug jerk".
"Oh no! The battery is almost dead!" Ran yelled as Sayuri took the ornament Umemiya had made off her whistle and then Sayuri looked at Ran curiously.
"Oh no!" Sonoko shouted.
"Wasn't there an electronics store here?" Ran asked, placing the video camera on a nearby stool.
"I'll be back soon!" Ran ran out of the room, closing the door at the same time.
"Wait for me!" Sonoko followed Rani, and at the same time closed the door of the room. "I forgot to eat aanaima today, so let's buy food from a nearby grocery store at the same time!"
"Girls, it might at least be worth checking before leaving the house", thought Shizuka.
Surprisingly, Sayuri put her hand on Shizuka's shoulder:
"Except for the color of your hair, you look exactly like Kudō Shizuka. Just looking at your face makes me want to pinch you! However, Kudō-san's bold eyes looked just like my first boyfriend's bold eyes".
"Really? What was your first boyfriend like?" Shizuka asked in surprise.
"When I was a kid, my first boyfriend's family ran a neighborhood candy store, and whenever some of the other kids bullied me, he always came to help me! He always secretly stole my favorite drink from his own store, and gave me warm lemon tea!" Sayuri took the tea can from the table, blushing a little. "I can't forget those memories, I still drink it all the time. It's like it gives me courage".
"So Matsumoto-sensei's first boyfriend was the reason why I, and the other students, were instructed to play flawlessly for 3 long years?" Shizuka pondered:
"So does your first boyfriend still live in your neighborhood?"
"No. One day he suddenly moved away and I haven't seen him since", Sayuri said sipping her tea. "But there's more to this story..."
Suddenly, the doors of the room were opened, and a dark-haired man dressed in a white tux fell to the floor. He had white ones on his feet boots. The man's skin was pale. His eyes were blue. He was tall, and athletic. He was 28 years old.
"Hey, why are you so shy? You're the groom!" The groom's friend said closing the door like the other man.
"Toshihiko-san!" Sayuri said.
"So that man is Matsumoto-sensei's fiance, Takasugi Toshihiko, the future head of the Takasugi family business", Shizuka thought. He had heard from Sonoko about the man in question. "Sonoko seemed surprised when she told me yesterday that it is Takasugi Toshihiko who is Matsumoto-sensei's fiance. Based on what Sonoko said, that man is very volatile, and quite a few people believe that Takasugi's company will do badly when Toshihiko becomes the next manager of his family's company. How exactly did Toshihiko and Matsumoto-sensei meet each other?"
"You look amazing, Sayuri!" Toshihiko said standing up, blushing as he did so.
"Irene-san, this is just a little secret, okay?" Sayuri asked.
"Alright", Shizuka said.
"Is he a former student of yours too, Sayuri?" Toshihiko asked after seeing Shizuka.
"No, but he has befriended my former students", Sayuri said. "She is Miyamizu Irene, and her eyes resemble the bold eyes of my former student, Kudō Shizuka, and another one I knew long ago".
"Häh?" Toshihiko asked. Then he took the tea can in Sayuri's hand and looked at it thoughtfully:
"Are you still drinking this cheap filth?"
"Y-yes, because it brings back happy memories", Sayuri said, looking a little sad.
"Happy memories?" Toshihiko asked.
"Yes. The lemon tea brings back memories of someone who gave it to me and always stood up for me when I was bullied by some other kids when I was a kid", Sayuri said.
"Were you ever bullied?" Toshihiko asked.
Sayuri nodded.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and Ran and Sonoko entered the room.
"You are the next leader of the Takasugi Group!" Sonoko shouted pointing at Toshihiko while holding a grocery bag in her other hand.
"Oh! You're one of the two daughters of the head of Suzuki Finance", Toshihiko said to Sonoko.
"You know him?" Ran asked Sonoko.
"You meet him at all kinds of events, so I see him at parties all the time", Sonoko said. "I'm still surprised that he's Matsumoto-sensei's fiance".
"Is that a bad thing?" Ran asked.
"That's it. That man is really fickle. Quite a few believe that Takasug's company will do badly when Toshihiko becomes the head of his family's company", Sonoko whispered to Ran. "Toshihiko is indecisive, and unreliable, and people say that the Takasugi family will end with him".
The girls were surprised when Sayuri hugged Toshihiko, then kissed Toshihiko.
"Why did you do that so suddenly?" Toshihiko asked after the kiss ended, blushing at the same time based on the girls.
"But when Matsumoto-sensei is with Takasugi-san, I think Matsumoto-sensei will make his fiancé a responsible man", Ran said.
After the hug ended, a man came into the room:
"Sorry to interrupt, but it's almost time for the ceremony".
"Okay!" Toshihiko said.
"Go ahead to the altar, Toshihiko-san", Sayuri said, taking the tea can from Toshihiko's hands.
Toshihiko was surprised.
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon!" Sayuri said.
"Oh, okay", Toshihiko said, leaving the room with the others, and closed the door.
"Well, how is the bride?" Toshihiko's friend asked.
Toshihiko smiled, and left the place with his friends.
"Have a good trip to your marriage!" One of Toshihiko's friends said.
Shizuka, Ran, and Sonokin were heading to the room where the ceremony was to be held.
Clack!
"What was that sound?!" Shizuka asked after hearing what sounded like a fall from the bride's room.
"It came from Matsumoto-sensei's room!" Ran ran to the door of others like Sayuri's room, and knocked on that door. "Matsumoto-sensei! Matsumoto-sensei!"
Ran then opened the oven, and the girls saw Sayuri collapsed on the floor of the room. Blood was pouring out of Sayuri's mouth, and there were blood stains on her wedding dress and face.
"Yeeeeek!" The girls screamed in shock.
"Sonoko, call an ambulance and get the police here!" Shizuka shouted running into the room.
"Yes!" Sonoko said taking her cell phone from her pocket, and ran out of the room after placing her shopping bag on a nearby stool.
"Is she poisoned?! I have to scream at the poison in her mouth to neutralize the poison, but I don't use lemon tea because the poison is in the lemon tea! I need something with bleach!" Shizuka thought as she leaned next to Sayuri, and looked around until she saw a liter of milk glistening from Sonoko's bag.
"Ran-san, open that pint of milk and give it to me!" Shizuka shouted.
"Okay, but why?!" Ran asked, taking a liter of milk from Sonoko's bag, and opening the top corner of said milk liter.
"I rinse his mouth of the poison while giving him first aid, neutralizing the poison at the same time!" Shizuka took a liter of milk from Ran, and then poured milk into Sayuri's mouth and then out, grabbing Sayuri's hair with one hand, tilting Sayuri's head up and down, pouring milk out of Sayuri's mouth.
Soon an ambulance arrived, and Sayuri was taken to the hospital.
Shizuka washed her hands in the bathroom while the police watched her, and the police gave Shizuka a tissue in the police's pocket to wipe her hands with, then returned to the bride's room, which was currently being searched.
"Thank you for driving my daughter", Kanrikan said to Shizuka.
"Please. I did what anyone else would have done. If someone is in trouble, they should be helped. It's everyone's civic duty", Shizuka said.
"It is", Kanrikan said, looking a little contrite.
"Why does Kanrikan look so remorseful?" Shizuka thought:
"Did I say something inappropriate?"
"No. I just remembered an incident where I failed about 20 years ago", Kanrikan said. "I only heard about that incident later".
"From what I heard, that car accident was covered up, but I don't know exactly if Kanrikan was responsible for the cover-up, or if someone in his superiors did it for Kanrikan's sake", Yakuin Tome said.
"What was that car accident really like?" Shizuka thought. "Could that car accident somehow be the reason for poisoning Kanrikan's daughter? So is this about revenge?"
"Looks like there was sodium hydroxide mixed into the lemon tea", Yakuin Tome said looking at the blood stain on the floor. He was 40-50 years old. He was a seemingly older man who wore glasses and had black eyes and dark hair covered with a blue hat. He wore a blue, forensic uniform, and wore gloves during his examinations.
"So the bride drank it, and then she fell to the floor", Megure said.
"Kanrikan, Umemiya Atsushi, Kazumi-san, or Takasugi Toshihiko apparently put the poison in the tea!" Shizuka thought as she looked at the people in question standing in front of the room's window.
"Huh? There's something floating in the lemon tea", Shizuka said as she saw a white, cracked capsule floating in the pool of blood.
"It's a capsule!" Tome said pick up one side of the capsule with tweezers.
"What?!" Megure asked, walking closer to look at the capsule. "I see. The perpetrator filled this capsule with sodium hydroxide and slipped it into lemon tea. If so, it took some time for the poison to be released as the capsule melted while the capsule was in the tea, making it impossible to determine when the crime was committed".
Megure looked at the suspects:
"In other words, any of the six of you who entered his room could have poisoned the tea!"
"You can't be serious! Does that make me suspicious too?!" Toshihiko asked.
"Of course. There are capsules that dissolve in hot water in just a few minutes. Okay! Analyze the capsule now!" Megure said.
"Say, why don't you put him on the suspect list as well? I'm pretty sure he also entered the bride's room before the poisoning incident?" Shizuka asked looking at Kanrikan.
"Wait a minute. Kanrikan would never poison his own daughter", Megure said.
"No, because the girl is right. I'm as much a suspect as the others", Kanrikan said.
"Y-you have a point", Megure said.
"Think about the fact that we used to shoot the bride with a video camera!" Ran said and everyone looked at Ran curiously.
"What?!" Megure asked, then saw the video camera that Ran had used earlier on the stool.
"You're right! Did we leave it on when we went to the store earlier to buy food, and batteries for the camera?!" Sonoko asked.
"So the crime could have been caught on the film of this camera!" Megure said picking up the video camera.
Later, the police and others watched the video camera recording with the help of a television brought into the room. All the suspects had touched the tea can, but at one point the scene filmed by the camera was sideways, which was probably due to the fact that the camera had been on a stool at one point.
"It appears that the actual poisoning was not caught on tape", Kanrikan said.
"Although the video shows us that almost everyone touched the can at least once", Megure said.
"That means everyone had a chance to poison the potion", Kanrikan said, looking at the other suspects.
Time passed, and the sun was already starting to set.
"They're still looking at it", Shizuka thought.
"I wonder if Matsumoto-sensei's surgery is over yet", Ran said.
"Poisoning her favorite lemon tea...how horrible!" Sonoko said crying.
"Lemon tea, huh?" Toshihiko grumbled.
"Did you say something?" Shizuka asked Toshihiko.
"Every time Sayuri drinks lemon tea, I remember a little girl who I really liked a long time ago. She always drank the lemon tea I brought her so happily, but I never knew her name. She was also bullied when she was little, and I always tried to defend her from the bullies", Toshihiko said with a small smile.
"Is Takasugi Toshihiko the boy that Matsumoto-sensei told me today?!" Shizuka thought in surprise.
Kazumi looked at Toshihiko angrily.
Then a policeman entered the room, holding a gray pad in one hand:
"Keibu, the results of the analysis are back. First of all, assuming the capsule was added to the lemon tea, it apparently takes 15-16 minutes to dissolve".
"15-16 minutes. So the poison was added at least 15 minutes before the bride fell to the floor", Megure took out his notebook from his pocket and read it. "Sonoko-kun called an ambulance, and picked us up, the police at the crime scene at 1:46. Assuming the bride fell to the floor a minute earlier, that means the poison was added before 1:30".
"It was exactly 1:30 when Kanrikan left this room", Sonoko said, remembering the matter.
"What?!" Megure asked looking like Kanrikan at Sonoko.
"That eliminates both the fiancé and me from the suspect list", Umemiya said. "We came to see Matsumoto-sensei after his father visited here".
"We think there was something strange in the tea can that the capsule we found earlier was placed in", Tome said, showing the tea can in a plastic bag to those in the room. "There are no Kanrikan fingerprints anywhere on this tea can!"
"How is that possible, because I saw how Kanrikan was holding a tea can while visiting this room?!" Shizuka thought in surprise.
"You fool, what are you talking about?" Kanrikan shouted. Then he used the remote control he was holding to rewind the tape until he found the right spot on the tape. "As you can clearly see, I had a can in my hand!"
"Did you do a thorough check?" Megure asked.
"Yes", Tome said.
Shizuka walked over to the TV, and took a closer look at the recording, then she fast forwarded it, where Sayuri bowed from the straw in her tea can:
"It's strange".
Sonoko could also be seen in the video, holding his own tea can in his hands. Then the camera angle turned sideways, which was caused by the camera being placed on a stool when Rani and Sonoko went to the store.
Then the image changed to another image of Sayuri talking to Shizuka, and where Sayuri took a can of lemon tea from the table, the label of which was the opposite of the label of the can of lemon tea behind it.
"Very strange", Shizuka thought. "Wait! When Sonoko left, she didn't have her tea can with her! Where did Sonoko put her own tea can? What?! Could it be that Matsumoto-sensei later drank tea from Sonoko's tea can that was in front of Matsumoto-sensei's own tea can? That would explain that why weren't Kanrikan's fingerprints found on that tea can with the capsule in it!"
"Sorry, Tome-san. Was it just Kanrikan's fingerprints missing from that tea can?" Shizuka asked.
"No, because Kazumi-san's and Umemiya's fingerprints weren't on this tea can either", Tome said.
"I guessed it!" Shizuka thought. "Then who put the capsule in the tea can? That's it! I've figured out the guilty intent! I know the truth behind the capsule! The poisoner is Takasugi Toshihiko!"
"Keibu, I found this in the trash can in the hallway", One policeman brought a glass jar with a handkerchief into the room with a tiny little bag inside.
"Glass jar", Megure said as she held the bottle in her hands. "Looks like there's sodium hydroxide inside this jar".
"Sodium hydroxide?!" Shizuka thought.
"This might be the container the perpetrator used to poison the tea!" Megure said.
"There's no doubt about it", Shizuka thought. "Sodium hydroxide is a dangerous chemical that absorbs water from the air and turns into a liquid within minutes!"
"Okay. Send this too for analysis", Megure gave the handkerchief and the glass jar back to the police.
"I made it up!" Shizuka thought. "That was the bastard who smeared blood on Matsumoto-sensei's dress!"
"Megure Keibu!" Ran said. "We want to go to the hospital right away to see if Matsumoto-sensei is okay yet!"
"Wait a minute! We haven't finished our investigations yet!" Megure said.
"Kogorō isn't here now, so I have to solve this assassination attempt with the help of another one!" Shizuka walked behind Sonoko and took out her paralyzing perfume from her skirt pocket and sprayed it on Sonoko causing Sonoko to fall asleep and sat on a chair in front of a nearby serm as Shizuka hid behind said serm.
"Now what, Sonoko?" Ran asked.
"I figured out who poisoned Matsumoto-sensei's lemon tea", Shizuka said mimicking Sonoko's voice.
"Are you serious, Sonoko-kun?!" Megure asked.
"Yes. You said earlier that the assassin put the poison capsule in the tea 15 minutes before Matsumoto-sensei collapsed on the floor of this room, right?" Shizuka asked.
"Yes, because it would take 15-16 minutes for the capsule to dissolve", Megure said.
"Including this, assuming the poison was actually in that capsule", Shizuka said. "All we know for sure is that the capsule was floating in poisoned lemon tea".
"So you say that the guilty...?" Megure asked.
"Yes. The poison and the capsule were added separately so that it wouldn't be believed that the poison had been added at least 15 minutes before", Shizuka said.
"If that's true, then you two could have done it too", Megure looked at Umemiya, and at Toshihiko.
"Wait. Everything he says is pure conjecture", Umemiya said. "It really could have been a poison capsule".
"No", Shizuka said, restarting the video with the remote control. "There is proof! Namely in the video Ran recorded earlier, which we have been watching for some time now".
Everyone looked at the TV in surprise.
"Keibu-san, look closely at the cans of lemon tea that are now shown on the TV screen", Shizuka said, watching the video of Sayuri taking the bow off her whistle.
Megure walked closer to the TV, and saw the tea can Sonoko was holding. Megure tilted her head a little more as the camera did the same, and then saw the positions of the tea can labels on the TV.
"Him?! The labels on the tea cans are pointing in different directions!" Megure shouted in surprise.
"Ran, Do you remember where I put the lemon tea when we went shopping?" Shizuka asked.
"Yeah. You were in a hurry so you put it on the table", Ran said. "It couldn't be! Was that your lemon tea can that Matsumoto-sensei drank the poison from right before he fell?!"
"It is", Shizuka said. "When we went shopping earlier, I put my own tea can right in front of Matsumoto-sensei's tea can. That's why the reason it looks like there's only one can is because the two cans were lined up perfectly with my tea can right in front of Matsumoto-sensei's tea can! Matsumoto- sensei took my can, which happened to be in front of his tea can! As the evidence can show, this poisoned can didn't have Kanrikani's fingerprints on it. So I believe it won't have the fingerprints of Kazumi-san, who first visited the bride's room, and Umemiya-san either, even though they had clearly held Matsumoto-sensei's own tea can before. However, I bet my fingerprints are on the tea can that Matsumoto-sensei drank the poison from before he collapsed. So the names of Kanrikani, Kazumi-san, Umemiya-san, Irene-chan, and Ran can at least be removed from the list of suspects, as their fingerprints are not on the can from which Matsumoto-sensei and oh poison before falling, for their fingerprints are not on that can for the reasons I have just mentioned".
"He's absolutely right!" Tome said.
"Which means that", Megure said.
"That if my daughter took the wrong can and collapsed, someone put the poison and the capsule separately in the tea", High Commissioner the said.
"Yeah. And the only ones with him at the time were Irene-chan, and Takasugi-san, not to mention me and Ran. Except for Irene-chan, when Ran and I came back from buying batteries and food, Takasugi-san was holding a can then, and then Matsumoto-sensei took it from Takasugi-san, so it wouldn't have been possible for me or Ran to poison it", Shizuka said.
"So he's the only one left?!" Megure asked looking at Toshihiko.
"No. There is one other person. Matsumoto-seinsei himself!" Shizuka said.
"Suicide?!" Megure asked.
"But if he mixed poison into the tea to kill himself, then he would have added it shortly before collapsing on the floor. And to do that, he would need two things", Shizuka said.
"Airtight container and desiccant!" Megure said after realizing the situation.
"It only takes a few minutes for sodium hydroxide to turn into a liquid when exposed to air. Matsumoto-sensei was in this room the whole time, so he would have needed a container to keep it safe", Shizuka said.
"But the bottle was found", Megure said.
"Trash kid from the hallway", Shizuka said. "What is the proof that someone other than Matsumoto-sensei brought the poison into this room. In other words, the only one who could have slipped the poison into the lemon tea was you, Takasugi-san!"
Everyone looked at Toshihiko, who now seemed to be getting angry.
"Toshihiko! How could you?!" Kazumi asked.
"Why? Why did you do that to my daughter?!" Kanrikan asked grabbing Toshihiko's jacket sounding angry.
To everyone's surprise, Toshihiko smiled, and pushed Kanrika away from him.
"I wanted you to suffer too! I wanted you to suffer the same way I suffered 20 years ago!" Toshihiko shouted.
"20 years ago?!" Megure asked.
"But you probably already forgot that, didn't you?! It was just considered a car accident!" Toshihiko yelled at Kanrikani.
"Does he mean the case where I tracked down the serial killer?!" Kanrikan thought.
"Let me refresh your memory a little. When the criminal you were chasing drove his car into a wall, my mother was then hit by that criminal's car. My mother was badly injured, but still alive. She could have been saved if you had taken her to the hospital in your patrol car. But you you just said to me...
"You are on the way! Get out of here!" when I tried to ask you for help to save my mother. Then you continued to chase the criminal you were chasing as he ran away from the scene of the car accident. About half an hour later, my mother died in the street from the injuries she sustained in that car accident. I haven't thought of you since...You and your heartless expression!" Toshihiko shouted.
"Is this true, Kanrikan?!" Megure asked in disbelief.
"Yes. I didn't see anyone at the time, because the car of the serial killer I was tracking was in front of me. When I later heard about the car accident in question, I tried to go to the boy to apologize to him, but he had already moved", Kanrikan said.
"So that's what Kanrikan meant by his previous words", Shizuka thought.
"Hah! My mother was my only relative. The Takasugi's adopted me because they couldn't have children of their own. I lost everything, and I was living in a fog. Before I knew it, I had already finished high school, and I got to university. In university, I met Sayuri by chance, because she was my girlfriend at the time, Kazumi's friend. When I found out that Sayuri was your daughter, the thoughts of revenge buried in the wigs of my mind came back to life", Toshihiko said.
"But why didn't you just put poison in my drink at the wedding reception?!" Kanrikan asked.
"Then you would never have known how I felt the day you left my mother to her own devices after she got hit by a car. I had real luck on my side, Kazumi. Who would have thought that my ex-girlfriend's friend was actually Matsumoto Sayuri? But she was stupid . He didn't realize that I was only interested in him out of revenge. He even rejoiced at my proposal like a little child. But most likely he was only after Takasugi's legacy", Toshihiko said.
Slap! Kazumi slapped Toshihiko on the left cheek:
"The only fool here is you, Toshihiko!"
"Kazumi?" Toshihiko surprised, rubbing his left cheek.
"Sauyri knew everything! He knew about the car accident that happened 20 years ago, and who you really are!" Kazumi shouted.
Everyone was surprised by what they heard.
"I don't believe it! Why did he agree to propose to me if he once knew the truth?!" Toshihiko asked.
"So you still haven't figured out why Sayuri loves lemon tea?! You're Sayuri's first boyfriend she's been thinking about for the past 20 years! You're her first love! You're the same one, the boy who lived next door to her a long time ago, who always brought her lemon tea, when you were little, and you're even the same boy who stood up for her whenever some of the other kids bullied her!" Kazumi shouted.
Everyone was surprised at what they heard, and Shizuka walked out from hiding.
"Takasugi-san, Sayuri-san mentioned her first boyfriend to me just before you first entered this room today. Sayuri-san told me about her first boyfriend like this:
"When I was a kid, my first boyfriend's family ran a neighborhood candy store, and whenever some other kids bullied me, he always came to help me! He always secretly stole my favorite drink from his store, and gave me warm lemon tea! I can't forget those memories, I drink still do it all the time. It's like it gives me courage". I asked Sayuri-san like this:
"So does your first boyfriend still live in your neighborhood?" Sayuri-san said this:
"No. One day she suddenly moved away and I haven't seen her since. But there's more to this story..." Maybe she was going to tell me that you were her first boyfriend who defended her from bullies and gave her lemon tea. Maybe she wanted to tell you that herself, or hoped that you would remember the matter yourself and realize that Sayuri-san was the girl you defended from bullies and gave lemon tea to when you were little", Shizuka said.
Toshihiko looked even more surprised.
"I do. Toshihiko, Sayuri kept talking about how much you looked like her first boyfriend, so I did some research and found out your true identity. Sayuri was really worried even though she had accepted your proposal. Sayuri didn't know what to do to make you forgive her father for that the car accident you just mentioned. Despite that, you went and", Kazumi cried.
"Did Matsumoto-sensei see it when Toshihiko put the poison in the tea?!" Shizuka thought nervously.
"Did Sayuri know about the poison I put in her tea and still drink?!" Toshihiko asked.
"Maybe that's how Matsumoto-sensei tried to get Toshihiko to forgive Matsumoto-sensei's father for that car accident!" Shizuka thought.
"Kanrikan, the hospital just called! Your daughter will be fine!" A police officer shouted running into the room.
"Yay!" Screams of joy filled the room.
"Luckily", Shizuka mused. Then he saw Toshihiko smiling, and crying a little:
"I guess he finally realized the genuineness of Matsumoto-sensei's feelings!"
(2 a month later)
"Two months later, Matsumoto-sensei got home from the hospital", Shizuka thought.
The weather was sunny.
Shizuka was walking with Sayuri, Sonoko, and Ran on the sidewalk in Tokyo.
"I'm glad you guys got home from the hospital already", Ran said.
"Yes. According to the doctors, Irene-chan saved my life by giving me first aid at the scene. Thank you, Irene-chan", Sayuri said.
"Please", Shizuka said. "I heard that Toshihiko got a really light prison sentence, so about 3 years".
"Of course. I drank the poison willingly. But it probably didn't take away his pain from what happened to his mother in the car accident 20 years ago. Now Toshihiko-san must hate me", Sayuri said pausing.
"Don't be so sure. He smiled when he heard you two made it. He even cried tears of joy when he heard you made it", Shizuka said.
Sayuri smiled gratefully.
"In honor of being discharged from the hospital, I'll buy you a drink!" Sonoko put coins in a nearby drink machine.
"Really?!" Sayuri asked, and look at the drinks in the vending machine.
"In that case", Sayuri finally pressed the button on the vending machine, and a can of lemon tea appeared in the slot of the vending machine. "It's lemon tea!"
The girls looked at Sayuri in surprise.
"It is important to cherish the memories of the past!" Sayuri was drinking tea.
"Really now! If you keep this up, you'll never get married!" Ran said.
("But Matsumoto-sensei got married 3 years later. To the boy she had been thinking about for 20 long years. Of course".)