Mitsuharu

Title: Mitsuharu
Rating: T
Fandom: Detective Conan
Summary: There were only three kids of the Akai Family, right? There was no way that Masumi had a third older brother. So why the hell were these people calling him Akai Mitsuharu? More importantly, how the hell was he even alive!? [OC Insert as Akai Sibling]

Haru was about to head inside Chateau Beika Condo to visit Shukichi when he heard his name being called. He turned around and noticed the Detective Boys. "Is something wrong?"

"We need to get into this building!" Conan said quickly. "The eighteenth floor!"

"That's where I'm headed so you can come with me," Haru motioned them to follow him.

Once they reached the eighteenth floor and arrived at the room where the death had taken place, Conan rushed inside while ordering the kids to stay outside. Haru quickly followed. "Who the hell are the two of you!?"

"I'm Edogawa Conan," Conan introduced. "We've met in a previous murder case, didn't we, Yonehara Sakurako-san?"

"Y-Yeah, in the Optical Illusion Case," Sakurako nodded. "I started to work as a commuting housekeeper for this place last week, but something like this happened again,"

"Sakurako!" Naeko called once she and Yumi arrived.

"Ah, Nae-chan!" Sakurako turned around. "I'm sorry! I panicked and called you without thinking!"

"It's not a problem," Yumi told her. "We already called the detectives. Well, it doesn't seem like murder to me though," She looked to Itami Naganobu. "Just in case, would you mind telling us the sequence of events?"

"The truth is, I had a big fight with my wife Chiyoko about an hour ago," Naganobu explained. "In order to let my wife cool off, I decided to leave her alone and go shopping with the housemaid for ingredients for tonight's dinner. My wife recently broke her wrist and couldn't do housework, so we hired a housemaid withotu a choice. If she acted hysterical again and threw a tantrum, her injury could exacerbate and that wouldn't be good. So that's why I left her alone," He lifted his sunglasses, revealing a bruise. "My wife throws stuff whenever she's in a fit of rage,"

"We finished shopping in thirty minutes or so," Sakurako continued. "When Master and I came home and opened the entryway door, I heard the bedroom door slam shut. I think she was alive at that time. I knocked on the door and called for her, but since there wasn't any response I figured she was still angry,"

"That's why I aksed the housemaid to pour me a cup of coffee and we chatted for about thirty minutes thereafter," Naganobu added. "We then knocked on the bedroom door again and this time, we opened the door and went in where we stumbled upon the sight of her. I never would have guessed my wife would be so troubled with that argument we had,"

Yumi knelt down. "And the memo under her feet?"

"It's her suicide note, handwritten by my wife," Naganobu claimed. "Detailing my injury, my son's exam, and even the fact that my sister's daughter is celebrating her seven-five-three ritual this year; she put so much thought writing these. And she asked for forgiveness for departing this world,"

"It's not a suicide, but a murder," Haru spoke up. "The holes of the note don't match up to the two holes remaining from the spiral binding. The suicide note has three holes worth of gaps,"

Conan emptied out the trashcan. "What's more, the writing on the note seems pretty warped and shaky," He unfolded the notes. "The mistress apparently wrote a lot of notes using that note bok and she always signed off with her first name only. Yet that suicide not has her full name signature,"

"Hey Conan-kun," Yumi asked. "Who's that blonde guy?" 'He looks really similar to Chukichi,'

"That's Haru-niichan," Conan informed. "You met him when we were looking for Amemiya Shoko-san,"

"How old is he?" Yumi whispered.

"Nineteen," Conan replied. "He used to go to school with Ran-neechan before graduating,"

'If he just graduated high school last year, then he can't be Chukichi in disguise,' Yumi concluded. 'He's just a look alike,'

"Was the entryway door locked?" Naeko questioend.

"Yes, I was the one who unlocked it, so it was properly secured," Sakurako responded.

"The only ones who have a spare key are myself, my wife, the hosuemaid, and my son, Yasuie," Naganobu said. "My son's at driving school, I presume. He said the knowledge test is coming up,"

"Just in case, I think there's another spare key in the mailbox on the first floor," Sakurako recalled. "There's a combination dial so I don't think anyone else could have opened it easily," Her eyes widened when she remembered an encounter at the mailboxes yesterday. "Ahh! There's another person who knows the combination of the lock dial! Yesterday, when I was planning to take out mail from that mailbox, I forgot to bring the lock code memo with me and just when I was in a pickle, that person told me the code! He's the neighbor of this unit!"

"It'd be faster if we went directly next door!" Naeko grabbed Sakurako's arm and dragged her out into the hallway. They rang the doorbell.

"Yes, what is it?" Shukichi opened the door and his face lit up at the sight of Yumi. "Yumi-tan!"

"Y-Yumi-tan?" Mitsuhiko stuttered.

"You know this person?" Ayumi inquired.

"Y-Yeah," Yumi revealed. "He's my ex-boyriend,"

Haru popped his head out into the hallway. "Kichi-nii, your neighbor was murdered amd you're a suspect,"

"Kichi-nii!?" The Detective Boys exclaimed.

"That man's Haneda Shukichi, my big brother!" Haru smiled. 'I need to avoid calling him 'Taiko Meijin-nii' in front of Yumi since he doesn't want Yumi to know what he does for a living,'

"Haru!" Shukichi brought him into a hug. "Yumi-tan, this is my precious baby brother, Haru! Haru, this is my girlriend, Yumi-tan!"

"You're ex-girlfriend!" Yumi corrected. 'That explains why they look so much alike!'

"You should really tell her what seven things you're trying to collect," Haru suggested.

"Shh!" Shukichi shushed. "I want to surprise her once I have achieved all seven!"

"You could've at least kept in contact with her!" Haru rolled his eyes. "You ditched an envelope with her and don't contact her for weeks? Of course she's gonna dump you!"

"Y…You kinda have a point…" Shukichi admitted. "Hey Yumi-tan—"

"No," Yumi rejected.

Haru gave him an unimpressed look. "Did you really just ask her out while she's on duty and a murder had just occurred? Oh, and might I remind you that you're a suspect in said murder case?" He shook his head. "How are we related again?"

XXX

Inspector Megure and Detective Takagi finally arrived at the unit and the story was retold to them. "Why was it you from the traffice division who reported in, Miike-kun?"

"Sakurako-san discovered the body and she decided to call Officer Miike Naeko, her acquaintance, first!" Conan chirped. "I also overheard them…so here I am!"

"C-Conan-kun!?" Takagi exclaimed. "How did you get into this condo?"

"Haru-niichan let us in," Conan pointed at his friend. "We saw him going inside the building and he let us go with him. Coincidentally, he was going to the same floor,"

"Well, anyway," Inspector Megure cleared his throat. "Naganobu-san, does that mean you, your wife, and the housemaid were the only ones here?"

"Right," Naganobu nodded. "I haven't seen my son for over a year, after all,"

"In that case, who on Earth is that guy behind Yumi-kun?" Inspector Megure asked.

"I'm the resident next door and I'm Yumi-ta—I mean, Yumi-san and I have been dating," Shukichi introduced. "My name is Haneda Shukichi!"

"EH!?"

"My ex-boyfriend!" Yumi corrected. "It's already over for us!"

"S-Still, why is your boyfriend here?" Inspector Megure questioned.

"My ex-boyfriend," Yumi emphasized. "Said he remembered the code to the mailbox dial where the spare key of this room was kept, so I dragged him here!"

"Huh?" Takagi stared at Shukichi. "You somehow look familiar to me,"

"That reminds me," Inspector Megure agreed. "I seem to have heard his name before,"

"Perhaps they saw your name in a search for wanted criminals or something, hmm?" Yumi accused.

"Niichan, if you're a wanted criminal can I turn you in for the reward money?" Haru joked.

"Haru!" Shukichi pouted. "You know I'm not a wanted criminal!"

"That's it!" Takagi realized. "You and Haru-kun look the same!"

"But Haru-kun never mentioned his family to us," Inspector Megure poitned out. "We must've heard his name elsewhere,"

"By the way, Inspector," Haru spoke up. "This is not a suicide case but a murder. As Conan-kun and I told the others, the edges of the suicide note and the residual of the torn page don't match up. The note is messy and signed with her full name,"

I'm sorry for causing your injuries, and I hope you get well soon. Yasuie-san, study hard for your exam. I pray that you will pass and get accepted for sure. Please celebrate Ichiko-chan's seven-five-three ritual by letter her don my furisode. And please forgive someone as undutiful as me for departing this world.
Itami Chiyoko

"Yonehara-san," Haru addressed. "Did you perhaps find a smartphone on the ground?" 'The smartphone was lodge in between the door and the doorway. A call was made that caused a vibration and the phone moved, allowing the door to be shut,'

"Yes, I thought it was the mistress' phone," Sakurako nodded. "How did you know?"

'Now I need the evidence,' Haru took a quick picture of Naganobu and sent it to Subaru, telling him to find the public phone that man had visited. "Just a lucky guess,"

"There are no incoming or outgoing calls or messages for today," Inspector Megure examined the phone. "I thought this could be part of some mechanism used in a trick if we consider this murder but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the case,"

"But as I thought, the mistress didn't commit suicide after all," Sakurako claimed. "The mistress said that she's the bearer of good fortune and god's beloved child!"

"Several years ago, the plane my wife was on was about to crash," Naganobu explained. "But by some miracle she was saved, or so I heard. I wasn't on the plane because during a ski trip before that, I had fractured my foot,"

"But the suicide note does seem odd," Sakurako brought up. "The mistress had a cold back when she was seven years old, so she couldn't celebrate her seven-five-three ritual and she said she had nothing to do with kimonos since then until her coming-of-age ceremony,"

"A well prepared move," Shukichi said. "That's what it is,"

"What are you talking, Chukichi?" Yumi demanded. "She just said the deceased wasn't preparing any kind of kimono!"

"I'm Shukichi!" He corrected. "Don't call me Chukichi already…"

"Megure-keibu, we've obtained testimony regarding a suspicious suspect!" Chibi reported. "A suspicious individual with their face covered with a hat, a mask, and glasses came and left the condo, according to the concierge who was guarding the first floor lobby! He said it was after the owner and housemaid left the building. The concierge thought it was a resident since they used their keys to come in normally. He also said the son of the household also came. Apparently he forgot his keys so the concierge let him in the entrance. He also said it happened before the housemaid and the head of house returned, but he couldn't recall whether it was before or after the suspicious person's departure,"

Yelling was heard coming from the hallway. "Hey, what's wrong with you, brat!? I said let go!"

Chiba opened the door and saw Genta restraining a man. "What are you guys doing!?"

"We caught a strange guy looking inside through the door's peephole!"

"I did it for laughs, since you'd be surprised if someone peeped back, right?" Yasuie explained. "Not to mention, I can't see the interior even if I peep from the outside," When Ayumi brought up his hairstyle, he quickly covered it with his hat, saying that he had tried to dye his hair brown.

"That voice," Naganobu walked over to them. "Is that you, Yasuie? Why aren't you at driving school?"

"I played hooky since I wanted to show you the catalog of my dream car!" He told him.

"What car!? We'll only talk about that once you get a proper job!" Naganoby refused.

"What's your problem?" Yasuie argued. "Didn't you approve of me getting a driver's license as well? You said a driver's license will give me the upperhand when searching for a job,"

"With a pudding hairstyle like that, there's no way you'll pass the driving test, is there!?" Naganobu snapped.

'Gotcha,' "Megure-keibu," Haru addressed. "I'd like to give my deduction now,"

"Your deduction?" Yumi questioned. "Are you some kind of a detective or something?"

"The media calls him the Replacement Detective of the East," Takagi informed.

"Let me start with the exam part of the note," Haru said. "Yasuie-san's going to take a driver's test for his license, which isn't something difficult to pass and thus doesn't require praying. Right now Yasuie-san is in his senior year of college. The note was written four years ago and the exam mentioned in it is the college entrance exam. Naganobu-san's niece, Ichiko-san, would be three years old, which is also the year for her seven-five-three ritual,"

"But isn't that insane!? Don't you see the bruise on my eye!?" Naganobu pointed at his injury. "She threw an ashtray at me last night!"

"Your fractured foot from four years ago," Haru pointed out. "Four years ago was also when the plane your wife was on almost crashed. This was written when she was on that plane, hence why it was shaky and signed with her full name,"

"But there's still the mystery of when the owner and the housemaid returned, the bedroom door was slammed shut," Takagi said.

"Air flows from areas of warm temperature to cold temperature," Shukichi informed. "When someone opens the entryway door, the warm air in the room flows out the open window, causing the bedroom door to slam close, hence why the bedroom window and door were opened beforehand,"

"If you stick a smartphone in door's hinge side, you can cause the door to remain open, right?" Conan stuck his own smartphone into said location.

Haru dialed Conan's phone number and the vibration caused it to fall down. Conan caught it just in time. "All three family members have the same type of smartphone differing only in the cover's color. The culprit removed the mistress' phone cover and swapped it with their own so they could pretend it was the mistress' phone,"

"I see," Inspector Megure said. "If they set up the trick using that phone and re-swap the covers to their original owners before turning it into the police, they can make us think the mistress' phone hadn't been used during the crime. That said, the only one who could've achieved that was the person who held onto the mistress' phone before turning it into us. It's none other than you, Naganobu-san, head of the household!"

"You called using a public phone," Haru held up the photo of public phone Subaru had sent him. "It's in front of a nearby convenience store. A friend of mine showed the clerk your photo. Your fingerprints are on them. And you claimed you hadn't seen your son for over a year, yet you knew what his hairstyle looked like under his hat. That was when he was peeping through the hole earlier,"

XXX

The Detective Boys had left Chateau Beika Condo. "Who would've thought that Yumi-san's ex-boyfriend was Haru-niichan's older brother?"

"From what Yumi-san said, I imagined he was a guy from a host club," Mitsuhiko told them.

"Well, it's not a problem, is it?" Haibara asked. "He's got a sharp mind and apparently provided support towards solving the case,"

"I can't believe that we got to meet a famous celebrity," Conan said. 'Though, I have known Shukichi-san for ten years. I just haven't really interacted with him much since he graduated high school and left to pursue a shogi career,'

"Famous celebrity?" Ayumi inquired. "Is Haru-niichan's brother an actor?"

"He's otherwise known by a different name by people around the world," Conan showed them a video.

"Taiko Meijin, congratulations on winning your fourth shogi title!"

"That's the shogi meijin called Taiko!" Genta recognized.

"Ayumi's mom is a big fan, too!" Ayumi added.

"But what does that meijin have to do with him?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"Look very closely,"

"In today's game, I think my 'opposing rook' was the prophylactic move,"

"Ah!"

"The shape of that bed hair!"

"Isn't that the dude from earlier!?"

Why did Haru go to Chateau Beika Condo to visit Shukichi? Find out next chapter.