LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 296: Chapter 296: Investigation
The next day.
The morning light outside the window filtered into Akai Shuichi's room through the slits of the curtains.
Yet, he remained seated in front of the computer, staring at the screen, his fingers moving swiftly over the keyboard.
The chirping of birds echoed outside the window.
Unlike a few moments ago, the only sound in the room now was the clacking of keys as he typed.
Shuichi Akai had spent the entire night sitting in front of his computer.
---
He had spent the whole night reviewing all the surveillance footage from inside the Tokyo International Exhibition Center, which he had received from Rena Mizunashi.
Clearly, the organization wasn't just focused on locating Kaitou Kid.
The organization had obtained surveillance footage from the exhibition hall and had begun its investigation.
---
After thoroughly examining the surveillance footage from the Tokyo International Exhibition Center, Shuichi Akai noticed that several sections of the footage had been deleted.
All the deleted footage was from that afternoon.
Most of the parts involving Kaitou Kid had been erased.
The last time Kaitou Kid appeared in the footage was when he suddenly broke through the glass ceiling and flew out.
Apart from that, there was nothing else unusual in the footage.
---
After repeatedly analyzing the surveillance footage, Shuichi Akai couldn't find any other suspicious behavior from Kaitou Kid.
At the same time, Akai didn't forget to look for traces of Akikawa Kyousuke in the video.
However, the surveillance segments related to Akikawa Kyousuke appeared quite ordinary.
---
Initially, there had been a livestream camera installed at the front of the stage in Area B, but it didn't cover the stage itself.
In the surveillance footage, Akikawa Kyousuke first appeared in the afternoon when he returned to the hall after lunch and went on stage with the other guests.
The second time he appeared was when he stepped off the stage.
Later, Akikawa Kyousuke left the exhibition venue, as shown in the surveillance footage. After stepping off the stage, he exited the venue.
---
Since the surveillance footage only covered the exhibition hall, Shuichi Akai had no idea where Akikawa Kyousuke went after leaving.
Watching this set of videos, it seemed obvious that Kaitou Kid had deleted evidence of his own crimes.
It didn't appear to have anything to do with Akikawa Kyousuke or anyone else.
---
However.
That was merely the subconscious assumption of an ordinary person.
At least, Shuichi Akai knew it was entirely possible for Akikawa Kyousuke to have returned to the venue after leaving.
---
After all, the surveillance room had long been controlled by Kaitou Kid. Anyone entering the room could delete the surveillance footage.
Though Akai didn't know where Akikawa Kyousuke went after leaving the venue, his suspicions about him hadn't diminished.
---
After an all-night investigation, Shuichi Akai found no other unusual leads.
Naturally, his focus returned to Akikawa Kyousuke.
---
'Most of the surveillance footage related to Kaitou Kid has been deleted. It seems like Kaitou Kid himself operated the surveillance software.'
'But there's also the possibility that the person operating the software erased all footage of Kaitou Kid to mislead investigators.'
'It appears that Kaitou Kid deleted footage of himself after committing a crime.'
'In truth, someone else could have deleted the footage of Kaitou Kid to steer the investigation.'
---
Kaitou Kid appeared frequently in the surveillance videos.
The countless deleted sections made it difficult to confirm Shuichi Akai's theories.
Akai didn't have an in-depth understanding of the events that took place inside the venue that day.
He couldn't definitively conclude that Akikawa Kyousuke was suspicious based solely on this limited surveillance.
---
So, he waited until 8 a.m., confirmed that Conan should have been awake and preparing for school, and called him on his phone.
"Subaru-san, what's going on?"
When Conan saw the caller ID, he quickly stepped away from the people around him and moved to a quieter spot.
He knew Akai Shuichi wouldn't contact him lightly.
If he did, it had to be something important.
---
"Kid, do you still remember Kaitou Kid's actions at the venue?"
"Why are you suddenly curious about this, Subaru-san?"
"I'm concerned about this case as well," Shuichi Akai replied.
"I'd like you to tell me the whole story."
---
After hearing this, Conan briefly recounted the moments when Kaitou Kid first appeared at the Scarlet Shadow Heart exhibition hall and was caught by Sera Masumi.
Following the accounts of the venue's security staff, Conan explained Kaitou Kid's actions, including when he broke through the glass ceiling and escaped.
---
Thanks to his excellent memory, Conan didn't need much effort to recall the details.
Even though Kaitou Kid had been disguised as someone else at times, Conan could still pinpoint his actions based on where he disappeared and reappeared in disguise.
---
Shuichi Akai listened attentively and jotted down notes in his notebook.
---
Before long, after Conan finished recounting, Kaitou Kid's movements were clearly mapped out in Akai's notes.
"Thanks, kid."
After finishing his notes, Akai Shuichi thanked Conan.
"No problem," Conan replied nonchalantly.
These details didn't involve any privacy. If Akai Shuichi could deduce something from them, it would be a good thing.
---
"Kid, do you know what Masumi Sera has been up to lately?"
"I'm not sure. I haven't been in touch with Sera-san since the last incident at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center."
"But every day after school, Ran-chan chats with her in their group, so Sera-san must be enjoying her school life as usual."
"Alright."
---
After Akai Shuichi asked, he hung up the phone.
Lowering his head, he looked at the notes in his notebook, which detailed Kaitou Kid's actions and locations based on the timeline.
---
Shuichi Akai spent the rest of the morning comparing the edited sections of the surveillance footage with Kaitou Kid's movements.
After this analysis, Shuichi Akai discovered that some surveillance videos, which clearly didn't involve Kaitou Kid, had also been deleted.
These included the surveillance videos covering the path from Area B to the venue's entrance and exit, leading to the monitoring room.
---
This indicated that, besides the footage of Kaitou Kid's actions, someone had also erased videos covering several cameras along the route from Area B to the surveillance room.
---
In this case:
Either someone new entered the surveillance room from outside and erased both Kaitou Kid's footage and their own.
Or someone returned to the venue after leaving.
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(End of the chapter)