Detective Conan - Episode 1134

In episode 1134, the story revolves around Hazama Shokichi, a 29-year-old aspiring writer known for his unwavering optimism. While spending the day in his apartment writing, his neighbor Kodakara Nenji discovers that his own apartment has been burglarized upon returning from a business trip. Their landlady, Imaizumi Teruyo, refuses to call the police to avoid damaging the building's reputation, but Hazama convinces her to report the crime. During the investigation, the police take Hazama's fingerprints.

Shortly afterward, Hazama becomes a suspect in a murder case. Tarao Yasushi, a serial blackmailer, is found strangled with a nylon rope bearing Hazama's fingerprints. Although Hazama insists he does not know Tarao, the police discover that the two attended the same middle school. Hazama claims he spent the entire day at a pachinko parlor as his alibi, but the police doubt its validity, as his identical twin brother Daikichi could have impersonated him.

Conan and the Detective Boys suspect that Hazama has been framed. At first, they consider Kodakara the culprit, but after confirming the burglary was genuine, they rule him out. They focus on the landlady Teruyo and find evidence of her involvement. She had encouraged Hazama to go out on the day of the murder to provide him with an alibi and refused to report the burglary to the police to prevent her fingerprints from appearing in the records. Conan concludes that Teruyo killed Tarao to avenge the deaths of her niece and husband, both indirectly caused by Tarao's blackmail. She tried to protect Hazama from suspicion by wiping his fingerprints from the rope but failed to remove them completely.

When confronted, Teruyo confesses to the murder. She explains her motive and apologizes to Hazama for unintentionally dragging him into the matter. Hazama, still optimistic, forgives her and encourages her to atone for her actions. The episode ends with the appearance of Hazama's twin brother, whose completely different appearance proves he could not have been involved in fabricating an alibi. After identifying the true culprit, Hazama's name is cleared, and the case is solved.