"Huh?" After hearing his denial, Senichi's eyes showed a probing look, "What do you mean by that?"
"Although Professor Okabe teaches and believes in science, just like those things that our naked eye can't observe, psychic abilities are everywhere."
A mysterious smile appeared on Horikoshi's face, "Even though he doesn't believe in such existence himself, he is still influenced by these incredible powers.
Perhaps he unconsciously chose that scarf, and he might not even realize that he's driven by inspiration.
That's why I didn't answer Professor Okabe's question at that time, because it's like talking to a brick wall to those who don't believe."
"I see, there's such an explanation too?" Senichi nodded and stood up to bid farewell, "Let's stop the questioning here for now. Please don't leave yet; there might be some more things to trouble you later."
"Please do it quickly." Horikoshi seemed dissatisfied with Senichi's last casual and skeptical words. His tone became cold again, "I'm in a hurry."
At this moment, Senichi smiled without replying, and instead, he walked out of the lounge with Shiratori and closed the door.
You said you're in a hurry and can just leave, who cares about you?
This kind of disregard made Horikoshi very unhappy, but he could only endure it.
"Detective Senichi, do you really believe what Horikoshi said?"
Outside, Shiratori, who had not spoken all along, frowned and said, "I don't believe in the existence of psychic powers."
"I don't believe it either." Senichi spread his hands, "That guy is completely making up stories, nothing he says can be trusted."
"Doesn't that mean we're back to square one?" Shiratori rubbed his forehead, "Can we only wait for progress from Inspector Megure's side?"
"It's not without gains." Senichi smiled and said, "You go check Horikoshi's schedule for today. If I'm not mistaken, this should be a very important clue there."
"I understand, I'll go check." Shiratori crisply nodded when he heard Senichi's words and did not ask why they needed to do this. Instead, he looked at Senichi and asked, "What about you? What's your plan for the next step?"
"There's something I need to confirm first." Senichi smiled, "Once these two pieces of the puzzle are put together, it'll be the end of the case."
After bidding farewell to Shiratori, Senichi found a staff member and asked him to call the director. And then he requested a replay of the previous live broadcast recording.
[The young man is a long-haired individual with a gold chain around his neck, gray pants, a green jacket, and missing buttons.]
Due to it being a recording, the director quickly fast-forwarded to the part where Horikoshi made his "accurate" prediction. Hearing the precise prediction, Senichi raised an eyebrow.
"Please fast forward to the part where the body is discovered after that." Senichi called out to the assistant after watching.
Soon, the footage reached the part where the journalist uncovered the plastic sheet.
Upon seeing the blue jacket on the deceased, Senichi couldn't help but smile and say, "This case is unexpectedly simple. Looks like I can make it for dinner."
The director next to him was somewhat surprised at his words, but considering the man's track record, he felt a sudden realization and his eyes sparkled with a hint of anticipation.
Meanwhile, Senichi, oblivious to the director's inner thoughts, called Shiratori on the phone and obtained information about Horikoshi's schedule for the day.
After hanging up, Senichi asked a nearby staff member to call Horikoshi, who was still in the lounge.
"Is there anything else?" Horikoshi sounded somewhat impatient after being called over. "How long do you plan to keep me waiting here?"
"Don't worry, it won't be long." Senichi looked at her and said, "Actually, there's something I want to tell you."
"What is it?" Horikoshi asked.
"Well, you see, I'm also an esper." Senichi chuckled, but his words made Horikoshi frown.
"Don't joke around." Horikoshi looked at Senichi with an unfriendly expression. "If you're just playing pranks, then I'm leaving."
"No, no, it's true."
Senichi pointed to his temple. "Just now, my 'inspiration' displayed an image in my mind about the dying moments of that deceased man. I don't know if you'd like to know."
Then, disregarding Horikoshi's displeasure, Senichi continued speaking. "Yeah, just a few hours ago, two men had a conflict near the riverbank. One of them ended up at a disadvantage.
In the chaos, he picked up a stone and threw it at the other man. The man who was hit in the head fell silent. In a panic, the one who killed him transported his body onto a small boat and covered it up."
Senichi looked meaningfully at Horikoshi and pointed at him. "So, Mr. Horikoshi, our abilities complement each other, don't they?"
"Why do you say that?" Horikoshi looked at Senichi with dissatisfaction and a hint of caution in his expression.
From the conversation just now, he had already recognized the complexity of the man before him and suspected that he might have started doubting him. What stirred his inner turmoil even more was that Senichi hit the mark!
Although it was just a rough account, it was like hearing a nearly accurate retelling of events that had happened several hours ago.
But fortunately, as a seasoned actor, he was different from those young actors who would be shaken if their vulnerabilities were guessed.
As a professional "esper," his facial expressions were superbly managed, even under such strong impact. He remained calm and even turned the tables to question Senichi, "What is the basis for your statement?"
"If possible, I'd like you to try reading the images in my mind." Senichi politely made a "please" gesture. "This way, you might understand more quickly, right?"
"It's enough to just listen." Horikoshi replied impatiently.
"Is that so?" Senichi smiled and said, "The basis is my esper ability. My esper ability informed me of this."
Don't ask, just accept it as an esper ability. Senichi's statement was clearly a case of "fighting fire with fire."
"Are you playing tricks on me?"
Horikoshi, with a gloomy expression, looked dissatisfied with Senichi. But before he could speak, Senichi suddenly closed his eyes, then lifted his head slightly as if sensing something.
"Oh, my inspiration is back." Senichi abruptly opened his eyes and looked at Horikoshi with a serious expression. "Just now, my esper ability saw the face of the culprit, and that person is you!"