Chapter 78

There was a few seconds of silence in the private room.

Even Ichiro's brain short-circuited for a moment—how can someone call themselves a famous detective? And the name Conan is so foreign, it's obviously a pseudonym…

Before Ida Wataru could ask any more questions, his partner naturally chimed in: "That's his stage name from his detective days, isn't it? It certainly has a detective vibe, and you can tell at a glance that he likes Conan Doyle."

Date Wataru: "..."

No, why did you cover for him?!

But when Date Wataru's gaze swept over Usaku Saiki, he felt a sting in his eyes—ah, this chuunibyou style, with its stage name and self-proclaimed famous detective, it really fits the character's persona...

Vodka never expected things to turn out this way.

Originally, after the incident, when Usakabe Saiki said he wanted to go out for a walk, he felt something was wrong and was worried that Usakabe Saiki might go crazy in this situation and attract the attention of the police.

But he couldn't stop Usaku Saiki's decision. If he could, he wouldn't be so completely under Usaku Saiki's thumb. He could only watch helplessly as Usaku Saiki swaggered out the door, not knowing what he was planning to do.

Vodka had originally intended to follow along, so that if Usakabe Saiki suddenly had a mental breakdown, he could quickly find a way to clear himself and run away. However, his attire was a bit inappropriate at this time, so he could only stay in the private room and wait anxiously for news.

Rather than let Usaku Saiki become a conspicuous figure at the crime scene, he would rather let Usaku Saiki continue to go crazy targeting people in the organization, as long as it wasn't him...

It seems that Usoppō Saiki did not expose the organization, but his behavior of calling himself a famous detective and helping the police solve cases is hard to judge.

Regardless, they shouldn't stay here any longer. The policeman across from them is quite perceptive; he's not one of those who just coast along. They should leave now.

Ugh, I knew going out with Usaku Saiki would never end well, what bad luck.

So Vodka spoke up: "Officer, this case has nothing to do with us, and we're not in the mood to eat anymore. Can we leave now?"

Date Wataru rubbed his eyes, coming back to his senses: "Ah, it really has nothing to do with you, but this... uh, Detective Conan, if the police station wants to give you a banner of appreciation..."

"We don't need banners. Helping the police solve cases is our duty as ordinary people!" Bo Yezaki shouted slogans like some kind of adolescent delusional person. "I think it's better to publicize that the police solved the cases. This can also change the public's perception of the police. People have too much prejudice against the police!"

Vodka: "...???"

Is there such an obligation? Isn't it already a great favor for ordinary people to answer every question? Even the police can't guarantee solving a case, but you're making it seem like an obligation!

However, at least Usaku Saiki knew that it was inappropriate for him to get too close to the police and refused further contact, which shows that he still has some common sense.

Everyone else felt awkward, especially Date Wataru, who was unsure whether the man was faking his madness and was hesitating whether to probe further when his partner spoke up.

The partner said, deeply moved, "So there are still good people like you! So many detectives like to climb the ranks by stepping on us police officers. Every time they solve a case, they say we police officers are useless and it's all thanks to the detectives..."

While he was talking, his partner was secretly tugging at Ida Hang's clothes from behind, telling him not to insist on sending the banner to the person, because that was their police station's achievement!

Date Wataru: "…………"

Morofushi Kagemitsu: "…………"

Taking a deep breath, Morobushi Kagemitsu pressed his temples and told himself that no matter what happened, keeping the squad leader away from people and things related to the organization was the right thing to do, as long as the ending was right.

“Since he doesn’t mind, officers, please don’t stand on ceremony.” Morofushi Hiromitsu chose to speak, subtly indicating to the squad leader not to delve any further. “It’s getting late, can we leave now?”

"Of course!" His partner was delighted to have gotten credit for nothing, not caring what Date Wataru thought. He had always felt that Date Wataru was capable, but too idealistic. So what if he was a policeman? Being a policeman is a job too. Being too serious won't please anyone. "We won't bother you any longer. Do as you please... Date, let's go. We still need to finish up over there."

Ida Wataru sighed, bid farewell to the people in the room, and left the private room with the shop owner, who was still in shock that the murderer was actually the deceased's close friend whom he had never suspected.

Having met the confessed murderer, who had composed himself, he even asked them, "Where's the detective?"

His partner asked warily, "Are you going to get revenge on him?"

"No, I should thank him. I've actually been hesitating..."

It's too much of a coincidence. Everything went so smoothly. Sakai has a heart condition and a history of drug use. Everyone knows she wasn't feeling well recently. Even if she died suddenly from an overdose, given the way the Japanese police handle cases, it would most likely be treated as an accident.

Driven by hatred, she devised a murder plan, but after the person died, all that remained in her heart was emptiness.

The plan was indeed perfect. Even if a syringe with its fingerprints wiped off was found in the trash can, it could be explained that Sakai didn't want to be discovered, so she disposed of it herself. It couldn't be used as evidence that she committed the crime, and it looked like the case was about to be closed as an accident.

The culprit who tricked her into becoming addicted to drugs and caused her to become like this is dead, but what will she do now? She has a hard time controlling herself, and if she continues like this, she will only rot away after she runs out of money.

At this moment, the detective stepped forward.

At first, nobody took him seriously because he was dressed in a way that didn't look like a respectable person. Everyone was already in a heavy mood, and seeing such a flashy and dazzling thing only made them more irritable.

But the inexplicable detective ignored the unwelcoming atmosphere, walked up to her, and whispered, "Are you sure this is okay? Under Japanese law, you definitely won't get the death penalty. On the contrary, if you go to prison, you might be forced into drug rehabilitation. Maybe you can live a good life again after you get out."

With just that one sentence, her already wavering defenses crumbled instantly.

She had originally planned to turn back and find an opportunity to commit suicide, wanting to end her life before she became someone who had no bottom line when it came to buying drugs. Her refusal to turn herself in was just a habitual way of seeking advantage and avoiding harm, wanting to prevent her reputation from being damaged before she died. In fact, she didn't care about anything anymore. As long as she was given a reasonable excuse, she would waver.

So she turned herself in.

Now that she'd come to her senses, she realized she'd forgotten to thank the detective.

Ida Ko replied, "He's gone."

"Is that so... then never mind." The prisoner, Ms. Yokoyama, sighed. "Let's wait until later. If we have another chance to meet, I..."

“It will definitely happen.” Ida Wataru was also aware of the Japanese court’s verdict. “As long as you reform yourself properly in prison, you will definitely come out and see him again one day.”

Ms. Yokoyama suddenly remembered something: "Speaking of which, I don't even know the detective's name. He doesn't seem to be very old..."

"Uh... he gave himself the stage name Conan, probably because he likes Sherlock Holmes."

At this point, Date Kou frowned.

Wait... he doesn't look very old? Speaking of which, what did that detective look like again?

He clearly tried hard to observe, but why is it that when he tries to recall it, all he can see in his mind is a white and golden reflection...

Even the four-leaf clover-shaped earring is clearer than her face... How mysterious...

Judging from his demeanor and manner of speaking, he's probably quite young, around seventeen or eighteen years old, no older than that, or he'd question the quality of Japan's education system... Is he also a member of Morofushi Kagemitsu's undercover organization? Or is he merely a target of that organization? Is he the next victim?

Because of Morofushi Kagemitsu's interruption, he didn't even get his name before he knew it was "Detective Conan," let alone his age.

Sigh... I feel like Morofushi is really doing something very dangerous. Thinking about it that way, maybe Furuya Rei, who also went missing, was also an undercover agent. I hope they can both complete their missions safely and return to their teams...

Morofushi Kagemitsu, who was extremely worried about Date Wataru, had already said goodbye to Vodka and headed to Usui Saiki's apartment with him.

Of course, the driver was Morofushi Kagemitsu. Usaba Saiki said he could only drive tanks, but it's unclear whether that's true or he just wanted to get a driver for free.

Morofushi Kagemitsu's mood was not as calm as he appeared. After all, he had run into his class monitor whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and the case was actually solved by Usui Saiki. The events had happened too quickly, and his mind was a little confused.

Fortunately, after getting in the car, Usakuya Saiki sat quietly in the passenger seat with his eyes closed, not talking to him. Otherwise, Morofushi Kagemitsu would probably be suffering from a nervous breakdown by now.

Usoppō Saiki was not keeping quiet out of consideration for Morofushi Kagemitsu; he was checking his own gains for the day.

Ida Ko became his number one supporter, contributing 80% of the skepticism today! What a pleasant surprise!

When I first met him, I was suspicious of him. After I found out that he was the one who solved the case, my suspicion level reached another peak. When I found out that he refused the commendation, I was suspicious of him again... He's just too generous!

Date Wataru has the kind of cheerful and generous personality who likes to treat others when he goes out! I didn't feel much when we met last time as Hanakawa Shinryu, but this time I finally got to experience the feeling of points raining down on me!

At times like these, we should specifically criticize Vodka and Morofushi Kagemitsu.

He was a member of the organization, and he went to help the police solve a case. The combined suspicion level of those two people was not even half that of Ida Wataru!

Morofushi Hiromitsu is one thing, there's no need to be too demanding of an undercover agent at a time like this, but Vodka's performance was terrible, he was really not loyal enough to the organization!

“Sigh…” Usakabe Saiki suddenly spoke up, “Scotland, huh.”

Scotland's heart skipped a beat: "Hmm?"

“I have a question for you.” Usakabe Saiki turned to look at Scotland, who was driving, “Do you know that policeman from today?”

Scotland didn't experience any sudden braking this time, after all, he had spent half a day mentally preparing himself, even simulating what to do after being exposed—now that the steering wheel was in his hands, the worst that could happen was that they would all perish together.

Therefore, he countered with, "Why ask that?"

Scotland was filled with doubt: had Usakabe Saiki really discovered something? If he had, why would he dare to say such things while he was driving? If he hadn't discovered anything, was this a test?

“Intuition,” said Bo Yezai, stroking his chin. “I was thinking, you wouldn’t be…”

Scotland's hearts were in its throat.

"You almost got caught by him before for committing a crime, so he probably recognizes you, right?"

Scotland:"…………"

Scotland: "That's not true."

"Oh, then I must have been mistaken." Bo Yezaki made a phone call without commenting.

Scotland controlled his facial expressions and body language, trying not to show any obvious change—who was this call for? Should he be in a car accident now? Wouldn't it be better if he didn't let Usaku Saiki make this call?

But what if Bo Yezaki just randomly called someone unrelated, and then he happened to be in a car accident at that time? Wouldn't that arouse suspicion?

But if he doesn't act now, even if Bo Yezhaiji can't get through on the phone right now, he'll have plenty of opportunities to make a call when he gets back. Besides, figuring out how to cause a car accident that kills someone immediately to prevent the news from getting out is also a bit difficult...

Often, opportunities are fleeting. While Scottish was struggling with his thoughts, Usakabe Saiki had already gotten through on the phone.

"Hey, Gin?"

Gin's response was concise: "What is it?"

Scotland's heart began to race.

It's important to understand that ever since Usui blocked Gin, he hasn't called Gin proactively; he's always relayed messages through vodka. So, what exactly does his call to Gin at this point signify...?

Bo Yezhai said.

"I think I've discovered a traitor."

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Ida Kou, the top-ranked player

I tried to recall the thin leaves, but could only remember a bunch of reflections.

First impressions are really important.