Chapter 237
Conan Edogawa stared blankly as Usaku Saiki dropped this bombshell and then casually got up and left, not reacting for a long time.
Kenji Hagiwara knew that his friend had a terrible personality, and that Conan Edogawa was indeed quite interesting. He was worried that Shinryu Samikawa might be playing a trick on the child, so after the initial on-site investigation, he rushed over to check on the situation.
Sure enough, the child stood there blankly, oblivious to what his friends had said.
Now, when asked about Conan Edogawa, Kenji Hagiwara is worried about causing psychological trauma to the children again, so he can only pat Conan Edogawa on the head to bring him back to his senses, and then use the universal comforting trick.
"Although I don't know what he just said, he likes to joke, so don't take it too seriously." Kenji Hagiwara was certain that Fukaru was saying something strange again, and since that was the case, his words of comfort should be effective.
Sure enough, Conan Edogawa, who had been completely petrified, finally came back to life.
His youthful face revealed a complexity and weariness beyond his years: "Hahaha... Is it... is it a joke?"
"Yes, that guy actually says weird things a lot, but don't mind him." Kenji Hagiwara felt that his explanation was quite satisfactory.
Conan Edogawa: "...I see."
What kind of joke is this?! Give him back his trust! He thought that guy was a serious person who wouldn't be perfunctory even with children! He feels a stifling sense of betrayal!
"I'm glad you're alright. Go find Miss Mori; we need to investigate a case here."
Conan Edogawa flashed a feigned innocent smile: "Okay, thank you, Officer Hagiwara... By the way, what's that little Shizuka-nii's name?"
He couldn't associate the other person with such a cute nickname as "Xiao Jing," it was too painful.
"A cold river flows deep. Although it is read as 'quiet,' it is actually written as 'deep flow'... That's how it is written in kanji." Kenji Hagiwara wrote this in his notebook and showed it to Conan Edogawa.
Conan Edogawa, who had a normal level of education, repeated it to himself.
The phrase "寒川深流" is pronounced "jing" and is likely derived from the idea that still waters run deep.
I see, that does suit that person's temperament quite well.
After resolving a question in his mind, Conan Edogawa quietly followed them in as usual, trying to check the scene, but was dragged out by Kenji Hagiwara, who had been watching him closely.
However, Conan Edogawa didn't give up so easily. He used various methods and finally managed to find out all the information he could confirm.
However, it's still a long way from solving the case. There are many suspects. If Kogoro Mouri hadn't gone out for a smoke and spent half a day at the front gate to make sure no one was entering or leaving through the main entrance, there would have been even more suspects.
Kenji Hagiwara said to Jinpei Matsuda, "This is a bit troublesome. Should we ask Fuka-ryu?"
"Forget it. Mr. Mori rejected me like that earlier. Knowing his personality, he won't get involved anytime soon. Besides, we really don't have much information right now..."
Conan Edogawa listened and remembered it.
In other words, even though he's a former police officer, his competence is indeed highly trusted by everyone...
Should we go and ask them?
But Hanchuan Shinryu seemed quite perceptive. If he asked too many questions, he might discover something. He still remembered that the other person had immediately said that he looked like Shinichi Kudo...
He could use "Uncle Mori wants to know" as an excuse for the "advisor" topic earlier, but given that Kogoro Mori has clearly distrusted Shinryu Kasukawa and refused to let him participate, this excuse is no longer very effective.
Sigh... I guess I'll have to rely on myself after all. First, I need to confirm the prisoner's route...
Thinking this, Conan Edogawa returned to the original venue and found Shinryu Samurai there, charging his phone and playing on it without any regard for the situation.
Because the phone was muted, Conan Edogawa wasn't sure what the other person was doing. When he went over, he discovered they were playing a matching game...
Conan Edogawa thought about it seriously and concluded that it must be because Shinryu Samakawa was too bored and had nothing else to do that he had to play the matching game!
That doesn't suit her style at all!
If Uncle Mori hadn't turned people away, Shinryu Samakawa would probably be in that room discussing the case right now, and things wouldn't be so boring.
Usakabe Saiki had already noticed that Edogawa Conan was coming, so he put down his phone, turned around and asked, "Is there something you need?"
"No," Conan Edogawa said obediently, "I'm just a little worried."
“Don’t worry,” said Bo Yezaki calmly. “This is a targeted revenge killing; it won’t implicate innocent people.”
Conan Edogawa: "…………"
This is a truly unexpected angle of comfort.
Generally, they would reassure everyone that with so many people together, nothing bad would happen, the police would solve the case quickly, and the culprit would be caught soon, etc.
But it must be said that Hanchuan Shenliu's words were actually quite useful, much more so than the words he used to comfort others.
This ability to understand what others are worried about from their perspective and then say the most helpful words is also a skill. Hanchuan Shenliu is indeed a very understanding person.
Judging people by their appearance is really a bad thing!
Conan Edogawa is reflecting on himself again.
"Mr. Hanchuan, you were a policeman before, weren't you?" For some reason, Conan Edogawa found it hard to act like a child in front of the man's seemingly all-seeing gaze; if he tried, he felt like he could dig a Hawaiian out of his toes. "Did you find anything?"
Bo Yezaki retorted, "I didn't even go inside the scene, what could I possibly find?"
Conan Edogawa: "...Shall I describe it?"
Usoba Saiki raised an eyebrow and said, "Kenji and Matsuda actually let a kid like you run around like that? Where are your guardians?"
Conan Edogawa, embarrassed, said, "Um, I only heard it from Uncle Mori..."
“Few children are this interested in this kind of thing.”
Seeing that the other party was about to become suspicious, Conan Edogawa silently thanked his elementary school classmates and pulled out the excuse he had prepared: "Actually, I'm a member of the Junior Detective League, and I'm definitely going to tell my friends about this case when I get back! So I couldn't help but want to find out more..."
"...So, your name is Conan Edogawa?"
"right."
"It's almost like a pseudonym."
Conan Edogawa: "...Haha, because my parents are both mystery fans, and we have such a great surname, I couldn't help but make a joke..."
Can't we just have a normal conversation?! Why is it so hard to get some information out of someone?!
It feels like I haven't gotten any information at all, and instead I've been questioned a lot... Wait, is this situation, where the pace of the conversation is completely controlled by the other party, and no important information is being revealed at all, a subconscious reaction left over from being a police officer, or is it intentional?
Conan Edogawa felt that continuing the conversation about his true identity was a bit dangerous, and he began to consider retreating.
Just as I was thinking that, I heard the person on the other end say something.
"Sometimes Conan's expression when he speaks is nothing like a child's; it's more like an adult stuffed into a child's body... Isn't this some kind of rejuvenation?"
Conan Edogawa started sweating again, but since he felt the person opposite him wasn't a bad guy, he wasn't as nervous as last time. He quickly came up with an excuse: "People often say that, but I've just read a lot of books. Besides, things like rejuvenation are too sci-fi. Mr. Hankawa, would you really believe that?"
Usoya Saiki readily admitted, "It was just a joke."
Conan Edogawa secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but mutter, "Inspector Hagiwara was right, Mr. Kagawa really does like to joke around. Stop joking with me..."
"Again? When have I ever joked with you?"
Conan Edogawa was taken aback: "That's right, when I asked the [Advisor] just now, didn't you say that you were the one?"
“Hmm…” The young man with deep red hair and eyes pondered for a moment, “But that’s not a joke.”
"...I told you not to joke around." Conan Edogawa sensed the atmosphere becoming heavy and tense again, and felt inexplicably uneasy. "It's not just me who's curious; Uncle Mori mainly wants to know...Do you expect me to tell Uncle Mori that Mr. Kanakawa is the [Advisor]?"
"Why not?"
The young man raised an eyebrow slightly, revealing the arrogance he had previously suppressed, now tinged with a sharp edge.
"Anyway, no matter how dissatisfied some people are, they can't do anything about it."
Conan Edogawa: "…………!!!"
Huh?! So arrogant?! But Officer Hagiwara just said...
No, Officer Hagiwara had no idea what Shinryu Kagawa had said to him, nor did he expect a child like him to talk about being a consultant. He was just making inferences based on his past experience, which is why he comforted him that Shinryu Kagawa was just joking and didn't really deny that Shinryu Kagawa was a consultant.
And the fact that Hanchuan Shenliu is indeed an advisor further confirms his previous deductions, as well as... his first impression from his subconscious—he is indeed a very dangerous person!
Especially for someone who was a police officer, offering counseling to prisoners after retirement is a perfect fit. I heard a few years ago about a retired police officer who opened a firm, then got arrested for murder.
The scene was reportedly perfect, and the police in charge had concluded that the deceased had committed suicide, but the victim later turned himself in.
The more professional these detectives are when they're working as police officers, the closer they are to perfection when they commit crimes, because they know exactly how the police will investigate and what conclusions they can reach... Moreover, if they are "consultants," they can't find evidence to arrest people without personally taking action, and they can only rely on the criminal's confession, which is really difficult. They do have the leeway to appear openly in front of knowledgeable police officers without being arrested.
However, Inspectors Hagiwara and Matsuda were indeed quite kind to Shinryu Samikawa. Was it out of a desire to appease him, or because they were friends and felt that since there was no evidence and they couldn't arrest him anyway, they might as well ignore him...?
The more Conan Edogawa thought about it, the more terrified he became. The face opposite him, which he had gradually gotten used to, seemed to have been filtered through a dark, eerie lens.
The young man with a dangerous air said, "...Oh, right, there's one more thing. What I said earlier, 'just kidding,' was actually the real joke."
Conan Edogawa was at a loss for words and could only ask, bewildered, "What do you mean?"
"That means..."
The young man, who usually had no expression, suddenly smiled, as if it were filled with pure malice, or as if he were simply curling the corners of his mouth.
"I actually believe in the idea of rejuvenation."
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Conan: My heart isn't very strong, could you please slow down?
.
Conan really tried his best to think the best of Han Chuan!
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