People in Detective Conan are going crazy over the comments section.

"Huh? This man is..." Takagi exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the portrait in his hand.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Takagi-kun?"

"No, actually I think I saw this person in a file that Officer Sato is in charge of."

In an instant, Asakawa Yu's gaze focused on Takagi.

Here it comes; it seems there's a new lead.

"What? She's not in charge of Shinjuku..." Inspector Megure asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, actually I only saw the photo by chance. I remember that the man looks quite similar to the victim's husband."

[Holy crap, could this be a murder-for-hire exchange?]

[I think so too, but isn't it a bit hasty? If it's this simple, can we even make two episodes?]

I have a feeling the murderer might be Xiaohui...

Why worry about it? Just keep watching and you'll find out.

With a new lead, Inspector Megure immediately ordered Officer Takagi to contact Officer Sato and led everyone to rush there.

“Yes, this person does look a lot like him, and I’ve met him in person.”

In the office, Officer Sato looked at the man in the photo and compared him with the drawing, and was surprised to find that the two really looked alike.

They later learned from Officer Sato that the man named Hiromasa Takahashi had his wife stabbed to death one night while she was shopping at a convenience store. She bled to death.

"Now that you hear that, I have an idea," Asakawa Yu said, stroking his chin.

"Brother Asakawa, what have you thought of this time?"

All eyes were on Asakawa Yu, especially Mori, who was eager to find the murderer and avenge Megumi and her sister.

"An exchange of murders," Asakawa Yu stated his conjecture.

"exchange?"

"kill?"

Upon hearing Asakawa Yu's words, a storm instantly swept through everyone's minds, especially Mori, whose mind was racing at that moment.

"That's right! It's very likely!" Mori clapped his hands, his expression instantly turning serious.

“I thought of that too! If that’s really the case, then these two cases make sense!” Takagi chimed in, indicating that he understood Asakawa Yu’s meaning.

"So, that's how it should be."

Officer Sato picked up Kazuo Sakihara's photo and placed it next to Hiromasa Takahashi's photo, then circled the two photos with a mug.

"The two men had made a secret agreement to exchange murders. First, Kazuo Sakihara would kill Hiromasa Takahashi's wife, and then Hiromasa Takahashi would kill Megumi Sakihara."

With Asakawa Yu's prompting, the group quickly analyzed the entire case, and their thought process was not much different from Asakawa Yu's.

But... is it really over just like that?

There was no traditional three-way choice, and no suspects; the whole case seemed like one that could be easily solved after an investigation.

But this is precisely what Asakawa Yu felt was wrong.

After Mori's analysis, everyone's thinking became clearer, and they realized that this was indeed a murder exchange as they had described.

Since it was getting late, after saying goodbye to the Mori family, Asakawa Yu took Akemi on their way home.

On the way, Akemi's complexion was still not very good.

Seeing her like this, Asakawa Yu asked, "Are you still thinking about what just happened?"

Mingmei nodded. "Yes, boss, is it really as you say?"

Asakawa Yu was unable to give a definite answer to this question, so she replied, "I don't know."

"Huh?" Akemi exclaimed in surprise.

Asakawa Yu took Akemi's hand and said as they walked, "What I just said was only the closest thing to the truth that I came to from the clues I had gathered, but I did not say that that was the truth."

"As for the truth, we'll only know after the police investigation is complete."

Asakawa Yu didn't make a definitive statement, but instead used a more tactful way of putting it.

"I see..." At this point, Akemi knew that this matter could not be forced, so she did not ask any further questions.

"You seem quite interested in this case," Asakawa Yu said casually.

Upon hearing this, Mingmei didn't refute it, but instead directly admitted, "Yes, I just feel that if that's really the case, Xiaohui... she's just too pitiful."

As she spoke, Akemi turned and met Asakawa Yu's gaze. "Boss, do you think I'm a busybody?"

Seeing the worry on Akemi's face, Asakawa Yu couldn't help but smile. "Why do you think I would think that way?"

"because……"

Just as Akemi was about to say something, Asakawa Yu placed a finger in front of her lips, interrupting her.

Then, in a gentle tone, she said, "I would never say anything to you over such trivial matters. Besides, I once said that you and Xiaolan are very similar."

"Do I look a lot like Xiaolan?"

"Yeah, you two seem really alike to me. You're both gentle and considerate, and at the same time... you're both silly."

When Akemi heard Asakawa Yu call her stupid, she immediately became dissatisfied and pouted, saying, "You're calling me stupid again? Then tell me, where am I stupid?"

"Heh, isn't it foolish to just look and wait for that unseen hope?"

Upon hearing this, Akemi immediately realized that Asakawa Yu was alluding to her past self.

"Then...then haven't I already become your crony? Besides, what happened before is before. Back then, I was just...just triggered by temporary pressure, that's why..."

"Puh!"

"Huh? What are you laughing at?!" Akemi pouted again.

"It's nothing, I just think you're kind of adorably silly."

"Huh? You're calling me stupid again! Humph! I'm ignoring you!"

After saying that, Mingmei walked quickly forward, silently telling herself that she didn't want to talk to him.

But the way she held her hands tightly, never letting go, betrayed her.

Of course, Asakawa Yu, who knew that Akemi wasn't actually angry, was happy to play along with her antics.

A slight smile appeared on his indifferent face as Asakawa Yu quickly walked to her side. "What would you like to eat when you get home tonight? I'll make it."

"Hmph! Who asked you to do it?" Mingmei turned her head away, but then added, "I want to eat hot pot."

"Okay, okay, then we'll have hot pot. But that means we'll have to buy the ingredients first."

"Why don't you hurry up and leave?"

"Yes Yes Yes……"

Throughout the journey, their hands remained clasped tightly together, and as the distance increased, the distance between them grew closer and closer until they were completely pressed together...