After regaining his composure, Conan asked, "Officer Takagi, did all three women who were attacked really say that the assailant who attacked them was around 150 centimeters tall?"
Takagi opened the police handbook, took out the photos of the three previous attacks, and said, "Only the first and third ones mentioned it. The one in the middle was unconscious from the time she was attacked until she was taken to the hospital, so she didn't see the assailant at all."
Miwako added, "However, the prisoner is probably 150cm tall, because when they came to the police station to give their statements later, they all said that he was about the same height as the two of them."
"Hey, don't tell these nonsense to the kids," Inspector Megure said to Miwako and Takagi.
Conan was staring intently at the photo. The photo made Conan feel a little strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong with it. Just then, Kousuke was knitting a sweater and muttering, "I'll knit one for Ai too. It's still a bit cold these days."
These words were like a wake-up call. Conan suddenly realized that something seemed off about the clothes of the middle victim and said, "Something's not right about this second victim. This victim was attacked in the middle of the night after coming out of the toilet, right?"
After receiving confirmation, Conan seemed to have settled his thoughts and continued, "Since this woman was discovered by a passerby, it means she was alone with someone. So whose is the man's jacket she's wearing?"
"Oh, I borrowed her jacket first." Halfway through her sentence, Takagi realized something was off. "Why was she dressed so lightly in this weather? She didn't even tell me she lost her jacket."
“There’s only one truth,” Guangyou said casually while knitting. “Because she was originally in a warm place, and she just came out temporarily to use the restroom. And that warm place might be in the car.”
Inspector Megure also realized this, and said thoughtfully while stroking his chin, "That's right, the first and third ladies who were attacked were also attacked when they got out of the car."
“And now this fourth incident has happened in the parking lot,” Miwako added.
Anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see there are problems with the current situation. The common points are: first, they are all connected to this department store; second, they are all dressed like the 101 hot girls; and third, they are all related to cars.
Inspector Megure made a quick decision: "Takagi, go and confirm this matter."
A few seconds after Takagi left, a loud, rough laugh rang out.
The person who came was Matsumoto Kiyonaga. He looked intimidating, but his tone was surprisingly calm: "I'm so sorry to trouble you, the famous detective, every time."
When Uncle Mori saw that it was Kiyoshi Matsumoto, his expression was like a mouse encountering a cat, a scene straight out of a major drama. He quickly greeted him, "Hello, Police Chief Matsumoto! You've come here too!"
Matsumoto Kiyoshi responded and then turned to Inspector Megure, saying, "Megure, those reporters outside are saying this is a random murder case. You should hurry up and resolve this matter and deal with it tomorrow."
"But, this..." Inspector Megure hesitated, his feelings telling him to finish investigating the case here.
“Let’s do it this way, Inspector Megure. Besides, we can’t be sure the victims were originally in the car.” Although Miwako was reluctant, this was the best option at the moment. She continued, “If there’s really no other way, I’ll go and draw a picture of myself dressed as a 101-style gyaru (a popular Taiwanese girl group) to lure them…”
"I've already told you, you're not allowed to lure criminals again!" Inspector Megure, unusually serious, shouted sternly.
After shouting, Inspector Megure turned around, his eyes flickered slightly, and then said, "Forensic officer, immediately check this area carefully again. You should find something. I have a strong feeling that the criminal is still nearby!"
"Then do as you please." Matsumoto Kiyonaga's face was expressionless. He glanced at Inspector Megure and then walked forward. After taking a few steps, he stopped and said, "Megure, you're not still bothered by that case from back then, are you? I mean the case you hid under that hat."
Inspector Megure was silent for a long time, then adjusted his hat and replied, "I've already put it down."
Matsumoto Kiyonaga seemed to have anticipated Inspector Megure's answer, and said calmly, "Then just pretend I asked the wrong question."
"Uncle, can I borrow your car keys for a moment? I think I'll be staying here for a while, so I want to put my things in the car and go to the department store to use the restroom first," Sonoko whispered to Uncle Mori.
Uncle Mori didn't think much of it and handed the key to Sonoko, saying, "Then you'd better hurry up, the department store should be closing soon."
"Wait, I'm going too!"
Knitting while standing is fine, but why stand when there's a place to sit? Guangyou isn't stupid.
He then followed Sonoko to the parking spot. Sonoko complained about the poor parking skills of the truck next to her, then went around to the side, opened the car door, and put Ran and some things she had bought at the store into the car.
Just then, Guangyou suddenly felt someone watching him from behind. He turned around and glanced at them casually, but he didn't see anything unusual. There was just a group of people gathered around discussing what had happened that day.
But Kouyu was cautious and leaned closer to Sonoko, saying, "Sonoko-neechan, be careful later. If you encounter any danger with this thing, press it immediately, and I will come to save you soon."
Sonoko didn't seem too concerned, but she still took the button Mitsuyu handed her, smiling as she said, "Don't worry! Your Sonoko-neechan is pretty strong! Although not as strong as Ran, that female tyrant..."
After thanking Kōsuke for his kindness, Sonoko hummed a song as she walked toward the department store. Kōsuke then got into the car and continued knitting. He was thinking about what pattern to knit for Ai, as it was a gift to mark the further development of their relationship and would be quite meaningful.
Meanwhile, Inspector Megure was pondering whether there were any other commonalities among these victims.
The body couldn't be left in place indefinitely, and during the moving process, an accident caught Conan's attention.
The police officer placed Aizawa Tae on a stretcher, covered her with a white sheet, and lifted her up. In doing so, he accidentally bumped into another police officer, and because of this collision, Aizawa Tae's shoes fell off.
But the police officers found that they couldn't put the shoes on no matter what they did. Conan had a flash of inspiration and immediately asked Ran something in her ear.
Ran had been looking at Aizawa Taeko and felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. After Conan's reminder, she suddenly realized: "That's it! Girls dressed like this would never wear shoes like this. They usually wear platform shoes."
Conan was unfamiliar with this kind of attire and only had some guesses, but after hearing Ran's answer, he understood and had a clue who the culprit was.
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