Natsuki Koshimizu

Natsuki Koshimizu
Profile
Japanese name:	越水 七規 (Koshimizu Natsuki)
Age:	18 (20 actually)
Gender:	Female
Nicknames:	Detective of the South
Statistics
First appearance:	Manga: Chapter 562 Anime: Episode 479
Appearances:	TV: 1
Keyhole number:	Volume 54
Actors
Japanese voice:	Risa Hayamizu

Natsuki Koshimizu (越水 七規 ,Koshimizu Natsuki) is the High School Detective representing the South in the Detective Koushien that Conan Edogawa, Heiji Hattori, Saguru Hakuba, and Junya Tokitsu attended.

Background

Koshimizu was a High School Detective from Fukuoka, the capital of the Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyūshū, the southernmost island of the Japanese mainland. It is not known for how long exactly she has been engaged in investigative work; according to her own statement, however, she was a relative newcomer, with only 100 solved cases on her credit.

One year ago, a year after Natsuki had finished high school, a wealthy socialite was found hanged inside her manor house. The police and Natsuki concluded at first that she must have committed suicide (as she really had), but some time later Junya Tokitsu, another high school detective, appeared on the scene and declared that her death was actually a murder. This was a serious misconception, as Junya had fallen for a trick prepared by a burglar after the murder, but it was enough for the police to open a murder investigation. The only suspect in the case was the lady's young housemaid, Natsuki's best friend. She was repeatedly and harshly questioned by the police, and even though no conclusive evidence could be brought up against her, the girl cracked under the strain and eventually committed suicide.

Because Junya later realized that his deduction had been false, he asked to remain anonymous, and so Natsuki had only few scant clues to work with as she set out to avenge her friend's death. She finally decided to arrange a fake detectives' reality TV competition (Detective Koushien), with the most reputable High School Detectives attending; next to Junya and herself, this included Heiji Hattori and Shinichi Kudo (who could attend only as Conan Edogawa), and Saguru Hakuba, who had been asked to fill in for Shinichi. She arranged for her trap to be sprung on a remote island, cutting off all connections to the mainland while she sought to find the culprit.

Natsuki finally worked out that Junya was the person responsible and killed him by bashing his head with a hammer when he demonstrated his callousness and self-interest about the past case with no feelings of remorse whatsoever. She also trapped herself and her entourage on the island to die of starvation, since two of them - the burglar who had unintentionally backed up Junya's claims, by using the trick he discovered, to try stealing from the manor; and the manor's butler who had refused to clear the case out of misguided affection for the lady, since he didn't want people to know she was mentally ill due to the huge prejudices against mental illnesses in Japan - were also (if more indirectly) responsible for her friend's death. Conan and Heiji managed to expose her as the culprit, and she quietly allowed herself to be given to the authorities, but not before expressing her deepest respect for the two and the hope of working with them some time in the future.

Personality

Natsuki is apparently a capable investigator; however, as the Detective Koshien Case has proven, she tends to be extremely stubborn and single-minded if a case touches her personally, and she pursues the culprit(s) relentlessly until they are brought to justice. Though she is by no means a thoroughly evil person, but actually a gentle and considerate character, her persistance does tend to cloud her judgement at times. On her plus side, she is a careful planner and strategist, as well as being a natural actress.

Natsuki has also apparently developed a closer personal interest in Heiji Hattori for his daring and impulsive, but ultimately dedicated demeanor.

See also

• Characters