Chapter 236
At this moment, Asai Narumi, an acquaintance, stood up to speak for Samikawa Shinryu.
"No, Mr. Hanchuan is a policeman..."
Usui Saiki strolled leisurely to the scene of the incident and immediately heard Asai Narumi explaining things on his behalf.
What a joke! How can I expect the other party to explain themselves clearly?! Does he even care about maintaining his level of suspicion?
So he decisively stepped forward to interrupt Asai Narumi, and then coldly and casually replied to the conversation.
"That's no longer the case."
Others: "………………"
That sounds a bit creepy... I want to ask why they're not police officers anymore, but I don't dare.
Conan Edogawa was also stunned for a moment.
He doesn't get stuck on a single point forever; if he finds new evidence that seems to conflict with his own speculation, he will flexibly change his approach.
For example... if this person wasn't an "advisor," then the conversation that he previously felt was full of provocation seemed to be just a simple bickering between acquaintances.
...Could that be?! So the "acquaintance" they were referring to was these two policemen?!
There are no trading partners here! Was he overthinking things before?
"Ah, Shinryu." Kenji Hagiwara raised his hand in greeting, "Come and take a look too."
Conan Edogawa: "…………???"
The others: "…………?!?!?!?!"
Conan Edogawa's neck snapped as he looked at Kenji Hagiwara, then at Saiki Usaba, who, though not responding, was indeed going inside after being called.
So, the nickname "Xiao Jing," which was almost mistaken for a girl's name, was actually used to address this guy?!
Conan Edogawa was greatly shocked and developed a deep respect for Kenji Hagiwara, who could call such a person by that nickname without batting an eye.
At the same time, his brain was analyzing things at lightning speed.
Officer Hagiwara said that this was calling his partner, but he had seen Officer Hagiwara's partner before, and he didn't look like this. Dr. Asai also clearly recognized this... Shizuka. In addition, Shizuka is no longer a police officer. That is to say, he is Officer Hagiwara's former partner who came to Tsukikage Island with him to solve cases a few years ago.
No wonder Inspectors Hagiwara and Matsuda were so calm after hearing his description; they were probably already used to their former partner being reported on all the time...
Conan Edogawa quickly came up with a plausible conclusion in his mind.
If Shinryu Sakkawa looked even slightly more ordinary, Conan Edogawa would have accepted this conclusion, which was not far from the truth.
The problem is that Shinryu Hanakawa's demeanor is just too outrageous. Conan Edogawa can't accept that he's a police officer who resigned normally; he always feels like there's something fishy going on.
Kogoro Mouri thought so too.
Over the years, Kogoro Mouri's detective agency has mostly been involved in cases of infidelity and missing persons, with relatively few criminal cases. They have had no connection with Shinryu Samikawa. It was only recently, when they inexplicably became famous because of "Sleeping Kogoro," that they encountered more murder cases. However, because Conan Edogawa is invincible in fighting for them, they have never needed to ask for help from an "advisor."
This led to Kogoro Mouri having no concept of Shinryu Samikawa. In addition, he knew that not all police officers were good people, so he cautiously said, "I think three people are enough. Any more and the scene will easily become chaotic."
Kenji Hagiwara paused, about to say something: "Mr. Mori, actually..."
"Then I'll leave this place to you."
Bo Yezaki hadn't planned to get involved anyway. He glanced at the scene and nonchalantly avoided trouble: "Who brought a phone charging cable?"
Conan Edogawa immediately said, "I brought it!"
Because he estimated it would take a long time, Conan Edogawa brought it along just in case, and it actually came in handy.
What a great opportunity! Could he finally strike up a conversation with the other person?!
Usoya Saiki didn't stand on ceremony, but his tone was very polite: "Please let me borrow it for a moment."
Conan Edogawa: "...Okay, okay."
Although I needed his help... but why! Why does this guy use polite language with a child?! I feel like this guy is more suited to the impolite tone of those men in black! It's so incongruous!
Conan Edogawa absentmindedly pulled his phone charging cable from his pants pocket, wondering if he had fallen into some kind of trap.
Making judgments based on first impressions is a basic mistake, isn't it? He should have observed more carefully before making a decision...
But to be honest, because Conan Edogawa often uses passersby to practice his observation skills, what he is seeing now is less of a first impression and more of a feedback from his subconscious mind after collecting information. It is basically not much different from the conclusions he draws from his rational observation. His subconscious mind is warning him like this... Is it really okay?
Conan Edogawa looked at the intimidating young man with a conflicted expression. To match his height, he even squatted down to thank him before taking the charging cable from his hand.
What... what kind of male supporting character setup is this in a manga?!
He's the kind of male supporting character who usually looks cold and dangerous, and everyone thinks he's a delinquent, but actually secretly feeds cats!
Is this really his true personality?! If so, no wonder Officer Hagiwara calls him "Shizuka (Fukami)," perhaps because she knows about his softer side...
"You're welcome."
Conan Edogawa responded absentmindedly, staring blankly at the other person.
Suddenly, he noticed something in that face.
From this angle, the other person looks a bit like Usomoto-san, who squatted down and talked to him on the Shinkansen that day...
The thought flashed through his mind, but Conan Edogawa didn't take the clue seriously.
He didn't even realize that the two faces weren't just similar, they were exactly the same.
But he wasn't alone. Even Date Wataru, who had seen both of them, was still unaware of this—who could blame him when aura and hairstyle have such a significant impact?
Even when the same actor plays different roles, some people don't recognize them and are surprised when they see the cast list, exclaiming, "Oh, it was him!" Let alone when the difference in temperament, hair color, and eye color is so great.
Furthermore, Conan Edogawa is not actually that familiar with Saiki Usaku; he can only say that he recognizes him when he sees him. Given this level of recognition, the fact that he can still feel that Usaku looks familiar despite the almost transformative change in his appearance is already an incredibly high level of observational ability.
Usaku Saiki was about to stand up, but Edogawa Conan's undisguised gaze made him ask directly.
"What's wrong? Why are you staring at me?"
"Ah, hahaha..." Conan Edogawa chuckled dryly, "It's just that... you look kind of familiar."
The young man with short, dark blue hair raised an eyebrow: "What a coincidence, I also think you look somewhat familiar."
Conan Edogawa: "...???"
"You look a bit like that high school detective who suddenly disappeared a while ago." The young man said thoughtfully, "If I didn't believe in science, the similarity between you would make me wonder if he had become a child again."
Conan Edogawa: "...!!!"
Help! What's going on with Officer Hagiwara, Officer Matsuda, and this former officer?! How can they make such connections?!
"...Haha, actually, Shinichi and I are related, so it's normal that we look alike."
Since the claim that Professor Agasa was a distant relative caused problems in front of Usopp, Conan Edogawa promptly updated his file, changing it to something more plausible: "But are you really interested in Shinichi? You noticed so quickly that I look like him."
"Yes, I'd say I'm paying quite a bit of attention."
Conan Edogawa felt his back start to sweat again.
He had just convinced himself not to be too fixated on that dangerous first impression and to draw conclusions from observation, but now... the other person's behavior made him feel considerate, but the content of their words inexplicably made him increasingly wary.
"Why are you paying attention to Shinichi-nii?" Conan Edogawa asked, pretending to be just curious.
The young man's dark red eyes gazed at him quietly, as if piercing through the disguised lenses and seeing right through his soul: "Because it's very interesting."
Conan Edogawa: "…………"
He didn't find himself interesting at all! So what if he was a high school detective?! While he had indeed been smug about that title before, now he thought it was nothing special, just an advantage of his age. There was absolutely no reason for someone like him to pay attention to him!
I don't know why, even though I actually really enjoy being in the spotlight, the thought of the person opposite me seeing my smug face in the newspaper makes me feel inexplicably awkward.
The cases he solved might actually be quite simple in this person's eyes... He might just find watching him like a joke, which is why he finds it interesting...
"Any other questions?" The young man propped himself up on his knees, intending to stand up straight. "If not, then I..."
"Ah! Wait a minute!" Conan Edogawa suddenly remembered something very important and felt he had to confirm it. "There's another problem!"
"What?" The young man stopped what he was doing, waiting for him to continue.
This thoughtfulness caused Conan Edogawa a pang of heartache... Someone who is so serious and attentive to children can't be a bad person, right?
"Yes, do you know the guy the prisoners call 'Advisor'?"
He asked Officer Hagiwara and Officer Matsuda, but neither of them seemed inclined to tell him. He felt that since the person in front of him was so familiar with them, he might know something.
What if he's willing to tell him?
"...Ah, I might know."
This serious answer filled Conan Edogawa with elation: "Who is it? Where is it? What do you know?"
The other person blinked, their tone remaining calm and even: "The person you're talking about is probably me."
Conan Edogawa: "...Huh???"
—Wait a minute?! What's going on?! You're just admitting it??? I just painstakingly ruled you out as a possibility!!!
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Bonus chapter
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Conan trying to trust Han Chuan: What a cool-on-the-outside-but-warm-on-the-inside-loving-animals-loving-manga-second-male-boy setup!
The attempt failed: So you're the consultant?!
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