Chapter 497
Usaku Saiki appeared in a strange place!
This fact makes those who know Usui Saiki feel that it's quite normal.
Hasn't Usakabe Saiki always been so mysterious, disappearing all the time, and always taking the unconventional route?
Disappearing in the blink of an eye like a cat, and then reappearing in a subtle place—these are all basic operations.
So they were surprised for a moment, but then accepted the premise.
The landlady was quite frightened and almost thought that Usaku Saiki was the criminal. However, because Usaku Saiki was so calm and it was his first time at the inn, and they had no grudges against each other, she calmed down and handed the towel from her sleeve to Usaku Saiki.
Usoba Saiki wiped his feet, put on his shoes, and then looked up to find everyone staring at him: "What's wrong?"
Kogoro Mouri: "...What happened?! How did you even get here?!"
“Hmm… I can’t say.” Bo Yezaki pondered. “Isn’t the competition still going on? If I say it, wouldn’t I be giving away the secret? But if anyone has any ideas, they can contact me privately. I recorded the process of the prisoner running across the hot spring.”
Everyone: "………………???"
Conan Edogawa's lips twitched: "Usui-nii, you witnessed the culprit committing the crime again?"
The use of the word "again" is very clever.
For example, Amuro Tooru remembered that it seemed that when Morofushi Kagemitsu's brother was almost burned to death, Usuba Saiki happened to be passing by.
Judging from Conan Edogawa's words now, Saiki Usaba must have witnessed the murderer committing the crime more than once... What level is that?
You go wherever there's a case, right?
In any case, Amuro Tooru doesn't believe it's a coincidence.
He felt that Usoppō Saiki must have seen through the truth long ago, and then paid special attention to the prisoner, following behind him and recording the video, which could explain everything.
To do this, it must be done before they arrive at the house.
Amuro Tooru thought for a moment and realized that he had roughly guessed the method of the crime, but it must have happened after that... How does Usaku Saiki's brain work!
Is your eye for people really that sharp? Can you tell who's planning to commit a crime just by looking at them?!
Is there really such a good thing about living in the Middle East? If it could be replicated, he would have suggested sending his colleagues to the Middle East for further studies. Unfortunately, thinking back on the other people in the organization who were in charge of the Middle East region, he felt that Bo Yezaki might be an exception.
Well, if there's one Usaku Saiki in this world, he already feels the world is crowded. If there's another one, he'll feel like he can't stand being in this world anymore!
Conan Edogawa realized something too, and squatted down to put his hand into the hot spring to test it: "There really is something wrong with this hot spring... Ah!"
He stretched out his hand, his expression complex as he rubbed it between his fingers: "This feel..."
Hattori Heiji understood: "Kudzu root soup? A non-Newtonian fluid? How much of that would that be! Did the prisoner dump all the stock from the warehouse into it?"
Non-Newtonian fluids are a kind of magical liquid. In short, they are "soft but not hard." If you approach them slowly, they will accept foreign objects like ordinary liquids. However, if you apply force to the surface of the liquid, the non-Newtonian fluid will become a solid-like entity with a sense of support. Kudzu root soup is a non-Newtonian fluid.
In other words, if a prisoner carrying a sickle were to run across a hot spring that had become a non-Newtonian liquid, he could indeed step on the water and take a shortcut to leave the house without falling in.
The goal was to achieve this state of the hot spring water, but the dosage is outrageous...
Conan Edogawa sighed: "Didn't the landlady say before that the warehouse was robbed not long ago? The stolen kudzu powder should be in the hot spring now, and since the hot spring is flowing, it will drain out automatically after a while..."
The prisoner—the female writer—was pale, and her eyes began to glaze over.
If it were just a matter of deducing the method of the crime, she could actually keep her composure, but this person said they had recorded the scene of her running over... How can she possibly deny that?!
She did look back, but she was in a hurry, had to go to the warehouse to get a sickle, and had to focus on her feet. She really couldn't look back often, and she couldn't guarantee that what she said was just a trick to deceive her.
Most importantly...
The prisoner glanced at Usuha Saiki, but it was as if the other person had been observing her out of the corner of their eye the whole time. The next second, the other person looked at her meaningfully, which frightened her so much that she quickly looked away, but a layer of cold sweat had already broken out on her back.
Regardless of whether there was a video recording or not, the other party probably really saw her break away from the group and take a shortcut!
Damn it, what should she do? It would be best if she could escape legal punishment, but if she can't, she's already achieved her goal: avenging her mother…
Kogoro Mouri continued to comfort the landlady, while Conan Edogawa, Heiji Hattori, and Tooru Amuro fell into thought.
Who could be the culprit? Aside from children, almost anyone with enough strength could use this method. And because by the time everyone realized what was happening, they had already regrouped, making it difficult to immediately identify who had separated and infiltrated the group…
It would be nice to have people take off their shoes to see whose socks are wetter, but it feels like they only realized it after being reminded by Usakabe Saiki, so it doesn't really showcase their skills and instead seems like cheating.
Although Usaku Saiki did not show his own video, people surprisingly trusted him in this regard, contributing a lot of trust points.
Since they were already confident that the criminal would be caught, they stopped worrying about solving the case quickly and started thinking about how to win.
Usui Saiki: [It's understandable that two high school students of real age would be competitive, but Furuya Rei is also very competitive, even cursing the FBI to get out of Japan in front of others... It makes you wonder how someone who can't control their emotions could remain an undercover agent for so many years without being discovered, only breaking their invincibility when they met the protagonist...]
The skepticism system has been much more obedient these days, but hearing Usakabe Saiki's comments, it really couldn't help but feel the urge to complain.
【Huh? ??? You're not much better, are you? The reason you refuse to buy the Stand doll is because you inexplicably argued with Rei Furuya, insisting that since he can create an alternate account without a doll, you can too...】
Usakabe Saiki paused for a moment, surprisingly offering no rebuttal, but calmly said: "But Rei Furuya's original work has already been exposed by now, and I'm still holding my own, which means I've already won."
The Suspicion System learned from Usakabe Saiki's honesty: "But you're using a cheat code with a hidden agenda..."
Bo Yezaki paused for a moment: "...You talk too much. Next time I'll buy things from the undercover system again."
Suspicion value system: […………？ ？ ？]
Can't you take a joke?! Can't you take a joke?!
Okay, Furuya Rei was eliminated earlier than you, so you win, okay?! What kind of spiritual victory is this? Are you a primary school student?!
Well, judging from the way Usui Saiki started by unilaterally comparing himself to Furuya Rei, his mental age is indeed quite young.
The detectives were mainly pondering the incident where someone was inexplicably slashed in the warehouse but the murder weapon was never found. They felt there might be a breakthrough there, but they couldn't figure out where it was for the time being.
Yamamura Misao, unimpressed by these detectives, directly asked Usui Saiki, "You have video footage? Can I see it first?"
“Sure,” Bo Yezaki said readily. “But could you wait a little while? I’d like to give the criminal a chance to turn himself in and receive a lighter sentence… How about ten minutes? Is that enough?”
Amuro Toru glanced at Usui Saiki.
It turns out that Usaku Saiki would give criminals a chance to turn themselves in... That does show some humanity, no wonder these people have such a strong bias towards Usaku Saiki, and their acting is quite convincing!
This kid must be quite good at acting; he pays great attention to detail in his character portrayal.
But Conan Edogawa immediately sensed something was wrong when he heard this: "Wait, we still..."
The match is still undecided!
The next second, the prisoner sighed and said, "It won't take ten minutes... I did it, I confess."
Others: "…………"
Conan Edogawa stared blankly at the culprit for a few seconds, then suddenly realized something.
I see. No wonder Bo Ye agreed so readily to give him a chance to perform in front of Mr. Amuro... Bo Ye could guarantee that even if he was given the opportunity, he wouldn't be able to show himself!
Is it really necessary?! Do you really not want him to investigate the organization?!
Even after considering all this, Conan Edogawa still didn't suspect that Saiki Usaba was a member of the organization.
Thanks to Usaku Saiki's actions, Conan Edogawa, who used to be suspicious at the slightest sign of trouble, has basically given up on doubting Usaku Saiki after several ups and downs.
Even if Usakabe Saiki stood in front of him, swearing that he was indeed a member of the organization, Edogawa Conan wouldn't believe him until he saw the evidence...
The criminal quickly confessed to his crime and his methods. Yamamura was overjoyed, feeling that his trip was truly worthwhile. He had solved the case easily and added another impressive achievement to his resume.
Correspondingly, Conan Edogawa looked dejected.
Amuro Tooru was a little puzzled, thinking that it was just a matter of being interrupted by a criminal, so why was he so down?
Although they have strong reasoning skills, young people these days are really impatient. The idea that they are saviors of the Japanese police is definitely an exaggeration.
Amuro Tooru, who was already somewhat annoyed by the reputation that Kudo Shinichi had built up, quietly gave his evaluation of Edogawa Conan.
Conan Edogawa's impression of Tooru Amuro not only didn't improve, but actually declined, making their collaboration seem a long way off. Meanwhile, Usaku Saiki, who caused all of this, remained completely detached, lamenting that it was a pity he didn't get to soak in the hot spring.
Amuro Tooru sighed deeply: "Once the water is drained and the area is cleaned up, it should be possible to soak there again... The proprietress will probably have to temporarily close the business, so how about the hot spring stay open all night tonight?"
The proprietress did not refuse.
And so, among all these guests, only Usakabe Saiki was truly satisfied. He had soaked in the hot spring, accumulated points, and witnessed the excitement, making a fortune in the process. Everyone else, to varying degrees, lost their smiles.
Amuro Tooru discovered while checking his emails that night that he had urgent work to do with the Public Security Bureau the next day and couldn't take leave, so he had to return to Tokyo.
"Are you planning to come back to Tokyo with me tomorrow, or go with Kogoro Mouri and the others?" Amuro Tooru asked.
Usakabe Saiki thought for a moment and said, "We're already in Nagano Prefecture, so I'll stay here a little longer. You can go back by yourself."
The undercover agent's caution reminded Amuro Tooru of his encounter with Morofushi Takaaki in Tokyo when, based on the keyword "Nagano Prefecture," Morofushi Takaaki had talked to him about how Usaku Saiki had caused trouble for people.
He hesitated, wanting to ask something but afraid that if he spoke, he might remind the other party of something that Bo Yezhai hadn't thought of before.
Usaku Saiki looked up and saw Amuro Tooru's subtle expression, raising an eyebrow: "What, what are you trying to say?"
Amuro Tooru: "...It's nothing."
—I hope Gao Ming can escape this ordeal; he really did his best!
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Usoppō did not go to see Morofushi Takamine, but Kanekawa did (x)
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