Chapter 77
The police station where Ida Kou works received a call reporting a death at a barbecue restaurant.
He arrived at the barbecue restaurant with his partner and the coroner, who is essential for solving murder cases.
As soon as I entered, I felt strange gazes.
Following his instincts, Ida looked up and saw only a figure hurriedly pulling up a hood with his head down.
He looked somewhat familiar, and also a bit suspicious. Wearing a hat indoors, it gave the impression of him deliberately avoiding the police…
After all, someone has died, and Ida Wataru is now full of doubts about any suspicious points. But since the scene has been cordoned off, let's proceed in order for now. It's possible that it's just that people with criminal records don't like to see the police, and it has nothing to do with this case.
Ida and his partner went to the scene and talked to the shop owner and other people who were present at the time about what happened.
His partner went to the coroner's office and came back quietly to Date Wataru, saying, "They said they didn't find any obvious external injuries for the time being, but she was carrying a gun with her, so she might have a heart condition."
A waitress, who seemed to be a friend of the deceased, was also saying, "There was no one else around. Sakai suddenly collapsed, which startled everyone!"
Then we cannot rule out the possibility of accidents.
"Has she mentioned any history of heart disease or similar conditions before?" Ida asked.
The store manager hesitated before saying, "She does have a heart condition. Last month she said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to go to the hospital for another checkup, but she hasn't gone yet..."
The partner breathed a sigh of relief, since accidental deaths are the easiest to solve, while murder cases are much more troublesome: "Looks like it was an accident."
"It's not certain yet. We'll wait until the autopsy team has completed their thorough examination before making a decision," said Date Wataru cautiously.
“It’s definitely a heart attack.” His partner said with a relaxed expression. “All the clues point to a heart attack.”
Ida Wataru did not respond, but continued to ask, "Have you heard of any grudges that Ms. Sakai Hana has had with anyone?"
The shop owner's expression was grim: "Xiao Hua had a heart attack, didn't she? Do you think we're all murderers?"
"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. It was just a normal inquiry."
This attitude is all too common, and the police aren't always welcomed by everyone, so Ida Wataru responded very skillfully: "The preliminary investigation results are not yet available, so the possibility of murder cannot be ruled out."
He didn't even mention the preliminary autopsy results, only the investigation results, in order to avoid using provocative language.
The shop owner muttered a couple of disgruntled words, then reluctantly said, "Then go ahead and ask."
So Date Wataru repeated the question, but still no one answered, and everyone fell into an eerie silence. Date Wataru noticed that everyone else was secretly observing the shopkeeper's expression.
Did I offend the shop owner?
The shop owner realized the atmosphere was a bit awkward and that he was easily misunderstood, so he quickly explained, "Xiaohua is my niece! I only sent her here because I couldn't find a job... I'm still thinking about how to explain this to my sister! How could I possibly kill her! Please don't mind my feelings, just answer whatever the police officer asks!"
The shop owner's attitude suddenly became much more cooperative, probably because he was worried that if he continued to show a bad attitude, he would really become a suspect.
Even so, everyone remained silent.
The partner whispered, "Let's stop here. If the coroner can't find anything wrong, there's no point in asking these questions."
It wasn't that Ida Kou wanted a murder to happen, but the atmosphere here was really strange. He sensed it as soon as he entered the staff break room. Not everyone was afraid or worried that someone had died. On the contrary, some people seemed happy, but they were carefully suppressing it... He always felt that this was just a simple accident.
Finally, the coroner made a new development: "There are fresh needle marks on her body, which may be due to sudden death from a drug overdose."
The shop owner blurted out, "Impossible! She's already quit!"
Date Kou's eyes suddenly sharpened: "What do you know?"
The shop owner slumped his shoulders, looking utterly dejected, as if all his energy had vanished: "...She used to have a boyfriend from a gang who became addicted to drugs. She had a heart attack because of it and almost died. She wanted to quit, so she broke up with her boyfriend and wanted a change of scenery. But because of withdrawal symptoms, she became irritable and always offended people at work, so she couldn't find a job. Since she's my niece, I brought her here..."
I see. No wonder everyone's attitude was so ambiguous just now. It seems they've all been offended.
Since the shop owner had already said that much, the others finally dared to speak up: "Yes, Ms. Sakai has a really bad temper, only Ms. Yokoyama can tolerate it."
Yokoyama, the waitress who had a good relationship with the deceased, said, "After all, we've been classmates since elementary school..." Suddenly, as if remembering something, she spoke loudly.
"Oh, right! Xiaohua acted strangely after delivering food to a private room. She seemed to mention something about gangsters, but then immediately changed her story and said nothing happened... There must be something wrong with the people in that private room! Maybe it was someone her ex-boyfriend brought in for revenge!"
The shop owner repeatedly said, "Yes, there was indeed a person who looked somewhat suspicious..."
Date Wataru was taken aback: "May I ask how long Ms. Sakai stayed in that suspicious private room?"
"Five minutes? Ten minutes?" Ms. Yokoyama seemed a little flustered. "I don't know. Everyone's been busy and didn't notice. Why don't you just ask the people in that private room?"
While the others searched for syringes nearby, Date Wataru, led by the shop owner, approached the private room and unexpectedly spotted the suspicious hooded man from before in the corridor.
Before he could speak, the other person asked, "Officer, what brings you here? I heard it was an accident?"
The familiar voice made Date Wataru's eyes widen instantly. His mind flashed back to how the other person hadn't greeted him when they saw him, but instead put on a hood to avoid him, and the rumors that the other person had suddenly left the police force after graduation...
So that's how it is. So, Morobuchi went undercover!
It seems the people in that private room really are thugs... This is troublesome. If this case really was something my old classmate did while he was undercover, what's the best way for him to handle it?
Ida Kou's mind raced, and he adopted the attitude of someone meeting a stranger: "I'm sorry, the deceased may not have died in an accident. I heard that the deceased had contact with the people in the private room behind you not long ago, so I came to ask about the situation."
“She just came to serve the food. We didn’t speak to her or have any physical contact with her.” Morifushi Kagemitsu realized that the squad leader understood his meaning and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “We have no grudge against the deceased. Please leave.”
The shop owner, on the contrary, was in a hurry and didn't care about offending the customer: "Just asking, it'll be done right away!"
Morofushi Kagemitsu tried again, but found that even if Date Wataru was willing to cooperate, the shop owner would keep pestering him, so he had no choice but to give up regretfully: "Okay, but we really don't know anything..."
While the shop owner went to open the door, he subtly shook his head at Date Wataru.
From his expression, Ida Wataru concluded that this matter had nothing to do with them, and he no longer needed to worry about whether to arrest his undercover colleague!
Relieved, Ida Wataru relaxed a bit and followed the shop owner into the private room, where he found a man dressed in the stereotypical attire of a mid-level manager of a yakuza group.
Even though many professions wear suits, it's still not very common to see a black or gray shirt underneath; most people wear white shirts instead.
A black shirt and a black suit can easily create a sense of oppression, a style that gangsters prefer.
The shop owner was still a little confused: "Isn't there another person? That very fashionable young man, I remember him very well."
Date Wataru noticed that the corner of Morofushi Kagemitsu's mouth twitched.
“He…he said he went to the restroom,” said Morofushi Kagemitsu. “Anyway, we know what he knows, so he can ask us first if he has any questions.”
So Ida asked the two men their names and identities as usual, and unsurprisingly, he got two unfamiliar names. Both men claimed to be salesmen and said they were going out for dinner that night.
Having received spoilers from the same period, and knowing that asking the two of them wouldn't yield any useful information, Ida Wataru originally didn't intend to ask in detail. However, with a suspicious shopkeeper around, he felt compelled to ask a few more questions.
Just as he was asking the question, he suddenly heard footsteps outside. When Date Wataru turned his head, he felt as if he had been blinded by the light.
The silver-haired young man wore a golden haori, with a slightly reflective shirt underneath. The cross on his chest was studded with artificial diamonds, and he wore all sorts of gaudy trinkets on his head. A bunch of strange things jingled and jingled on his trouser belt. Under the light of the private room, he seemed to be glowing, so much so that his face was obscured.
This must be the fashionable young man the shop owner was talking about.
When Date closed his eyes and opened them again, he realized that he hadn't noticed that the guy was following his partner because he was too blind.
The partner looked excited: "Date! The case is solved! This is the one who helped solve it! The murderer is Ms. Yokoyama, she's confessed, and the motive was that Ms. Sakai tricked her into doing drugs!!!"
Date Wataru: "...???"
No, how many episodes has he missed? How come the case was solved in the time it took him to ask a question?
So this guy wasn't going to the restroom, but to solve a case?
And isn't this young man a gangster? Why is he helping the police solve a case? Is he afraid of implicating them in something?
Turning his gaze, Date Wataru noticed that Morofushi Kagemitsu had a look of utter dismay on his face, and the stereotypical middle-level manager of the yakuza was covering his face in anguish... It seemed that this was not a pre-arranged plan, but rather that person's unauthorized action.
“Uh…” Terminal Ida stood up, extended her hand to the silver-haired young man, and tentatively asked, “Thank you for your help, may I ask who you are…”
The young man happily shook his hand and said, "Don't mention it! I'm a detective! I'm very happy to encounter cases... no, I'm very happy to help the police solve cases, it's my honor!"
You were just saying you're happy to have encountered a case, right?
Ida Wataru silently clenched his fist. Although he couldn't arrest the person directly in order not to disrupt the undercover operation at the same time, it shouldn't be a problem to ask for some information, right?
"Um... Detective, may I ask how I should address you?"
The silver-haired young man said in an enthusiastic tone, "Conan, please call me Detective Conan!"
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Extra chapters added after timeout
I feel like I really need to eat meat. I'm so hungry after drinking porridge. I have to wait two weeks before I can have barbecue.
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It's Ichiro Ichiro, the squad leader from the police academy group who's currently at the police station.
However, someone wrote an "if" scenario for Hagiwara in the previous chapter, which I've highlighted. You can check it out!
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Shop owner: There was also a stylish young man; I remember him very well.
Ida: The glare was so bright I couldn't see her face.
Thin Leaf: Please call me Detective Conan!!!
Conan: ? ? ? Should I leave?
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