22 Chapter 22

◎Not in vain◎

Chapter 22 [Not in vain]

When Agatsuma Sayuri went to Teitan Elementary School the next day, the principal took the initiative to find her and gave her information about "Miyano Akemi".

"This is...?" Agatsuma Sayuri looked at the information in her hand, then looked at the principal with confusion, and then quickly turned to surprise, "Principal, did you help me find Miyano Akemi's information? Thank you very much!"

The thickness is quite textured, and for elementary school, it should be almost all the materials.

The principal crossed his arms with a complicated expression.

"Not really... Never mind. I remember you were also looking for information on Miyano, and this should be all it has."

"Yes! I'm very satisfied just to be able to see her information. I will return it as soon as I finish reading it."

"No need, just take it. It's not an original anyway... I think you won't mind this."

"I don't mind, I don't mind!"

After days of searching through the files, the progress bar barely advanced. My wife, Sayuri, had long been tired of this inefficient paper-based research.

If she really couldn't think of any other way, she would not have come here long ago.

Why didn’t the original author write more complete information about Akemi Miyano?

——In fact, the original work can't be blamed. The original work also revealed the name of Miyano Akemi's university. It's mainly because Agatsuma Sayuri forgot the information provided by the early manga, perhaps because Morofushi Kagemitsu hadn't appeared at that time.

Whatever the reason for the principal's drastic change, from suddenly not even remembering where he put Miyano Akemi's information to being able to retrieve all the information, Agatsuma Sayuri is very grateful to him.

This way she could focus her investigation on the two bomb disposal officers.

I don't know if it's feasible to pretend that they are distant relatives... No, if you want to get into the police academy, it seems like there will be a background check at the beginning?

The Japanese police academy in the world of Detective Conan is different from the Chinese police academy in the real world. Being admitted to the Japanese police academy is almost equivalent to becoming a police officer, and is a kind of professional skills training before joining the job.

In the real world, Chinese police academies fall under the category of higher education, serving as academically oriented universities. While most graduates entering the police system may seem like pre-employment training, they do provide degree certificates.

Since the intention is to become a police officer, then undergoing a background check is an inevitable procedure. We cannot allow someone whose background we don't know to protect the public.

It is questionable who the “family members” who never appeared in the background check are.

Moreover, it had been three years since Kenji Hagiwara's death, and it would have taken so long for distant relatives to receive the news, so they weren't close relatives. Matsuda Jinpei and Kenji Hagiwara had lived together since childhood, so he probably knew some of the Hagiwara family's relatives.

It’s not good to give yourself an identity casually.

Agatsuma Sayuri, who was very happy when she left Teitan Elementary School, looked pensive again when she returned home.

Despite Japan's strong herd mentality and reluctance to take responsibility for corporate transformation, this country, which became a high-income economy in 1964, still has a large number of print media readers. Almost half of the population still reads newspapers daily, which has kept the print media industry relatively intact.

For example, the old newspaper shop that Sayuri Agatsuma visited on her way home still has a large collection of old newspapers. Stores specializing in old newspapers naturally charge a high price for newspapers with important collectible value and high integrity, while newspapers with missing pages or ordinary daily newspapers are relatively cheap.

Every time the girl passed by the shop, she'd think, "I'll buy those days' newspapers and study them sometime," but she never made it into the store for various reasons. This time, having completed her research earlier than expected, she finally felt comfortable entering.

Unfortunately, this good mood did not last long.

In the newspapers of November 7th three years ago and the days that followed, the special reports on the Asai villa complex explosion were surprisingly vague. Setting aside the specific scope, extent, and damage, the only thing that concerned Sayuri most about the casualties was the total number.

However, since an explosion occurred in the Asai villa area, it means that things are developing along the lines of the original plot, and Kenji Hagiwara's death is a foregone conclusion.

Although she knew that the time she traveled to was after the incident happened and it was impossible to save those who had died before that, Agatsuma Sayuri's mood still inevitably sank.

[Isn't this just like how the old Detective Conan fanfiction always failed to save Hagiwara Kenji...]

The concept of the "Police Academy Five" wasn't added until the character of Amuro Toru became a huge hit, resulting in many characters being briefly introduced in the early stages. For example, Hagiwara Kenji's name and character image were only added in the anime, and at the time, only his close relationship with Matsuda Jinpei was known. If the Police Academy arc hadn't specifically expanded upon the relationships between the five of them, who would have been able to see that they were actually close friends from the same era?

Detective Conan is a serial drama that introduces numerous new characters in each episode, with a central plot that runs through the show. Characters that appear less frequently are less likely to be noticed by the audience. This also results in the character of "Hagiwara Kenji," whose identity is revealed later in the series and whose death occurred relatively early in the series, being forced to remain in a state of death.

"I still want to see if there is any turning point..." Agatsuma Sayuri muttered to herself, feeling unwilling.

After all, he is a rare good friend of Zhu Fu Jingguang. If possible, as his girlfriend or as his "promoter", I always hope that he and his friend can survive.

"What's the turning point?"

While thinking about Morufushi Kagemitsu, Koyasu Ryo's voice suddenly rang in her ears. Agatsuma Sayuri was immersed in her own thoughts and was unprepared. She was so frightened that her hands trembled and the newspaper in her hand fell to the ground.

"Sorry... did I scare you?" Zi'an Liang said as he picked up the things that fell on the ground, and naturally saw the general information in the newspaper.

When you first read a newspaper, you might be overwhelmed by the amount of information and not know where to begin. However, for a public security officer, especially one performing an undercover operation, quickly gathering intelligence, summarizing it, and analyzing it is fundamental to their work.

He only took a glance and read the information from November 7, three years ago, and then saw the follow-up report of the "Asai Villa District Explosion Case" column with slightly wrinkled corners.

You have already seen it. If you have any questions and don’t ask in time, you will waste such a good opportunity.

Zi Anliang asked curiously, "What are you bringing back such an old newspaper, it's already yellowed? Tomorrow is the day to throw out burnable trash in your neighborhood, right?"

As he said this, he carefully handed the newspaper back to my wife Sayuri.

In Japan, throwing away trash is no easy task. Trash must be sorted and then disposed of at designated locations on designated days and times. For young people with limited space, bringing old newspapers home is not a good idea.

Old newspapers are usually just thrown away.

"Ah, well... there's something that's been bothering me, so I bought some old newspapers to look into it."

"Hey? If it's news, I can just research it online."

Koyasu Ryo's questions kept coming, and my wife Sayuri's thoughts were turning over and over in her mind. In the end, she just gave her boyfriend a complicated look and pretended to be angry, "Of course you bought the old newspapers because you couldn't find it!"

She piled up the newspapers that had not fallen to the ground with the ones she had just received, and slapped them all on Zi Anliang's chest. After he subconsciously caught them, she naturally let go of her hand.

She put her hands on her hips and continued angrily, "Since Liang said we can check it online, then help me investigate this explosion case."

"ha?"

"So, help me investigate—"

"I heard it...but what are you investigating?"

The girl counted on her fingers and described everything in detail: "Time, place, people, what happened, and the ending, the whole process!"

"Is she looking for material for a new work? Why is it such a coincidence...and why is she investigating Miyano Akemi...?"

Zian Liang "reluctantly" agreed to his girlfriend's arrogant request on the surface, but was thinking in his heart.

"Well, I'll give you... a month. Give me the results. If you don't give me the details, you'll be punished."

"Yes, yes, as you say, Miss. I brought the ingredients. May I come in? The ice cream is about to melt."

"Ice cream! Yay—"

I don’t know whether the door opened first or the two people’s happiness entered the house first.

It seems that this is what couples in love should be like, always together and thinking about each other even when apart.

Even as one person is already pondering what information to reveal to his girlfriend, the other is trying to determine whether the boyfriend trusts him enough to confess his "future" to him.

[Now, Morobushi Jingguang comes to my house regularly, which gives me some idea of ​​whether he has other work. But if he really encounters a mission from the organization or contact with the public security, he will definitely abandon his insignificant girlfriend and prioritize work... How can I get involved in his "work" openly without arousing suspicion?]

My wife Sayuri happily licked the ice cream, changed out of her Little Red Riding Hood-themed Lolita dress, put on a proper maid outfit, and ran to the kitchen with a smile on her face.

"Let me cook today! Maid outfits go really well with cooking."

Zi Anliang, who was about to change out of his coat and put on an apron, paused and looked at the girl with a questioning expression, "Is it okay?"

"You can't always let Liang cook. Didn't Liang come to my house to see my work?"

"You can't watch it for nothing, right?"

My wife Sayuri shook her finger. "What kind of relationship are we in? Why are you still talking about whether it's free or not..."

Her tone subtly paused, and then her eyes wandered elsewhere, and she whispered, "If you must be rewarded, why don't you show it to me too?"

Her voice became lower and lower until it was barely audible. Zi Anliang couldn't hear what she wanted, but when the girl lowered her head, her reddened ears seemed to tell her something.

He swore with his sniper's eyesight that the other person must have blushed, and even her ears were red. What did she want, and why was she blushing?

Could it be that... ?

?

Another person blushed quietly.

【Author’s words】

①A second-hand bookstore specializing in old newspapers