Chapter 498
For Kogoro Mouri, encountering a case while soaking in a hot spring wasn't too unexpected. As long as the case was solved, at least he got a good night's sleep and didn't anxiously drag it out until the next day, fearing that he would also be killed.
He came to Nagano mainly because of Hattori Heiji's invitation. Now that he knows Hattori Heiji called him here because of the ghost story, and the matter is settled, he has no intention of staying any longer.
However, since they had come all this way to Nagano, it would feel like a wasted trip to just go back like this. So Kogoro Mori thought about it for a moment and then took everyone to visit the famous battlefield ruins of Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen in Nagano Prefecture. Well, he wasn't really interested in history. Actually, it was just that his favorite actress, Yoko Okino, played a role related to the Takeda army in a Taiga drama, and he couldn't resist visiting the sacred site.
Kogoro Mouri's mediocre knowledge of history means he often stumbles when trying to show off.
And then, in this awkward moment, someone actually chimed in to explain! That made it even more awkward! Who's so clueless!
Turning his head, Kogoro Mouri saw several familiar faces.
Ran Mouri greeted them with delight: "Inspector Yui, Inspector Yamato, Inspector Morofushi! What are you doing here?"
Yui Uehara said with a smile, "There's an investigation meeting in a little while, but it'll be a while. If you're planning to visit the place, we can be your guides."
There's no reason to refuse; let's just go together.
Both Uehara Yui and Morofushi Takami could give speeches about the famous historical sites here without notes, while Yamato Kansuke was relatively quiet.
Meanwhile, Conan Edogawa's attention was entirely focused on Kansuke Yamato.
Ai Haibara had mentioned to him the characteristics of Rum, the second-in-command of the Black Organization, one of which was that he was blind in one eye. So when they met Curaçao at the aquarium last time, they even suspected that she might be Rum because one of her eyes was a different color...
Now, even Conan Edogawa, looking at Yamato Kansuke who has lost sight in one eye, can't help but feel a little conflicted.
After all, Rena Mizunashi recently sent information to Mr. Akai that Rum had been dispatched. Although he didn't know where Rum was planning to go, now that he knew this information, he subconsciously wanted to pay more attention to people in the vicinity who were associated with the rumors about Rum. There was nothing he could do about it.
However, Conan Edogawa felt that while Yamato Kansuke and Rum's images were somewhat similar, it was unlikely that Yamato Kansuke was actually Rum.
Because Yamato Kansuke is a detective in Nagano Prefecture, it is arguably the busiest position in the police force.
Rum isn't in the middle or lower ranks of the organization; he just occasionally does organizational tasks and has a superficial job. It's normal for him to be busy most of the time. Rum is the second-in-command! What core member works for someone else all day? Especially a policeman!
If you say his official position is the Director of Police Surveillance, that's one thing; he works for the police and has some use, but he's just a detective in Nagano Prefecture...
After thinking about it logically for a while, Conan Edogawa concluded that Kansuke Yamato was innocent.
A corrupt police officer is like Mr. Hanchuan...
Sometimes people just can't help but talk about it.
Just as Morofushi Takaaki was about to conclude the tour by taking everyone to see the Chikuma River, Edogawa Conan was surprised to see that familiar figure beside the Chikuma River.
A black trench coat fluttered in the slightly strong wind by the river. A young man with short, dark blue hair leaned against the railing by the river, looking down at the water as if he were thinking about something.
He stood with his back to everyone, not saying a word. It was as if the chirping of birds that had been audible around him had disappeared, leaving only a silent sense of oppression spreading out.
The police officers, being criminal investigators, immediately tensed up, but soon they suddenly felt that the situation was somewhat familiar.
"Why does this look so familiar?" Uehara Yui asked hesitantly in a low voice.
Yamato Kansuke: "...That aura does seem familiar. Do you remember that person we met when we went to Tokyo for the joint conference? I think his name was—"
"Mr. Hankawa!"
Ran Mouri took on the responsibility of greeting him again: "Are you Mr. Kankawa?"
The figure turned around casually, his dark red eyes sweeping swiftly over everyone, sending a chill down the spines of the police officers.
"...Miss Ran, Mr. Mori, Conan-kun...and a few other police officers, good afternoon."
Several police officers: "…………"
Their feelings were somewhat complicated.
Yamato Kansuke, who had a rather short temper, was twitching at the corners of his mouth: "You haven't forgotten my name, have you? At least when you couldn't get a taxi, Uehara and I gave you a ride to the Metropolitan Police Department meeting!"
A former detective is still a detective; what detective has a bad memory? He's not old enough to have dementia!
This Hanchuan Fukami clearly doesn't take them seriously at all!
Morofushi Takaaki didn't care much about what others thought of him, but he continued the conversation, saying, "Mr. Kankawa and I also had a meeting together at the Metropolitan Police Department not long ago..."
Han Chuan Shenliu nodded slightly: "Indeed."
And then nothing more happened.
Zhu Fugaoming: "..."
Could it be that he really doesn't remember his name...? Is his memory really that bad? He was a little doubtful.
Ran Mouri sensed the awkward atmosphere, chuckled dryly, and quickly interjected to lighten the mood: "What's Mr. Kankawa doing in Nagano Prefecture? Is he here for tourism? I wish I had met him sooner. Officer Yamato, Officer Yui, and Officer Morofushi gave such a vivid explanation!"
It was a bit awkward, but Ran Mouri still tried her best to slip the name of the police officer that she should know but that Shinryu Sakkawa seemed to have forgotten into the conversation without feeling too embarrassed, in an attempt to make Shinryu Sakkawa understand what she meant.
Han Chuan Shenliu nodded: "I was just passing by and thought I'd drop by."
Conan Edogawa thought this was a good opportunity.
Although they had known each other for half a year, upon careful reflection, he realized that he didn't really know much about Mr. Hanchuan. Before, he could say that Mr. Hanchuan was both a consultant for the Metropolitan Police Department and a criminal consultant, but since moving, it seems that Mr. Hanchuan has stopped being a criminal consultant—so what did he do with the extra time?
It was rare to see Mr. Hankawa out of town without being invited by someone, and Conan Edogawa was quite curious about the purpose of Mr. Hankawa's trip before this.
So he asked curiously, "Mr. Hanchuan, are you passing through Nagano? Where did you go before? Were you helping to solve a case in another region?"
Han Chuan Shen Liu: "Sweeping the graves."
Conan Edogawa: "…………"
Conan Edogawa is stuck.
How could he possibly continue asking? Suddenly, he felt guilty for asking something he shouldn't have!
The suspicion system figured it was already held a grudge from yesterday, so it decided to let it slide today and directly complained: "Does your adoptive father know that you're always using him as an excuse to never actually go to the grave?"
"Isn't he dead? Of course he wouldn't know."
Bo Yezhai lazily replied: "[Let alone this world, I was too lazy to sweep his grave in my past life either. Once he's dead, he's dead. There's nothing in his grave... It doesn't matter whether I sweep his grave or not. If he cared about my feelings, he wouldn't have gone to die trying to save someone. It's his honor that his death can be used as an excuse to help me.]"
Suspicion value system: [...]
It doesn't really understand humans. Is the relationship between these two good or bad?
If things were good, why would Usakabe Saiki speak so coldly? But if things were bad, why would Ariji still be thinking about his adopted son even after everyone has changed worlds...?
I don't understand.
Just as Conan Edogawa was wondering who Shinryu Saekawa was visiting at his grave, but was too embarrassed to ask directly, Ran Mouri, who was already leaning on the railing admiring the river, suddenly exclaimed, "What's that?"
"What?"
The police officers, who had been in an eerie silence, also gathered around and looked in the direction Ran Mouri was pointing.
It was a river stained red, standing out starkly against the surrounding clear water.
There are many reasons why the river water turned red, but the police officers immediately thought of something very ominous, especially since the red color was somewhat...
"I'll go check... Ah!"
Before Uehara Yui could finish speaking, a head floated up in the blood.
Everyone's expression changed.
Yamato Kansuke, a cripple, turned and went down the bridge. Uehara Yui quickly called the forensic department to call for help. After recovering, the others followed Yamato Kansuke to the riverbank.
Conan Edogawa took a couple of steps, then suddenly remembered something, turned around, and found that Shinryu Samikawa was still standing there without moving.
The young man with deep red hair leaned against the railing, tilting his head as if gazing into the distance.
"...Mr. Hankawa?" Conan Edogawa hesitated for a moment, then called out, "Aren't you coming over?"
"Here we are." Han Chuan Shenliu then slowly moved his feet, lagging behind as if on a spring outing.
By the time Hankawa Shinryu reached the riverbank, Yamato Kansuke had already used his cane to retrieve the head.
"Is it a real head?" Kogoro Mouri asked worriedly.
Yamato Kensuke took a deep breath: "Yes... and it's the head of someone I know—the head of the Takeda Group of the First Investigation Division of Nagano Prefecture, Officer Shigeru Takeda."
"Takeda...? The leader of the group we just encountered?"
Before encountering Shinryu Samikawa, they had actually met several other Nagano Prefectural Police officers, but they didn't seem to get along with Kansuke Yamato, so they chatted briefly before splitting up. At that time, they overheard them talking about looking for Chief Takeda or something...
I never imagined that the person was already dead.
Soon, the deceased's body was found, but it had been burned to almost nothing, and it was unknown whether any body tissue could be used for testing.
The killing of one of their own caused a major upheaval in the Nagano Prefectural Police. The forensic team and the head of the Nagano Prefectural Investigation Division arrived quickly.
The head of the First Investigation Division was also one-eyed, with a fierce look on his face. He looked very intimidating, and his aura was somewhat imposing. Conan Edogawa immediately tensed up again.
What's going on? Ever since we found out that Rum had a problem with one eye, it seems like there are more one-eyed people around him...?
Conan Edogawa used the excuse that he was busy with his work as a detective to roughly rule out Yamato Kansuke as a suspect, but it was a different story when it came to this section chief. After all, the position of the section chief of the Nagano Prefecture Investigation Division was worth it even if the organization sent someone to infiltrate him, unlike ordinary detectives.
But despite the suspicion, this was the first time Conan Edogawa had met this section chief, so he decided to ask around first...
Um?
Conan Edogawa keenly noticed that the section chief named Kuroda Hyōe had a rather strange attitude towards Samikawa Shinryū.
Someone with such a striking presence as Hanchuan Shenliu would usually be asked who he is by the police if they saw him at the scene.
But Kuroda Hyoue didn't ask. Even when Conan Edogawa observed the eye contact between Misakawa Shinryu and Kuroda Hyoue, there was a strange feeling that the two actually knew each other, but were pretending not to...
—Could it be that Kuroda Hyoue really is Rum, and even tried to recruit Mr. Kanakawa?!
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