Rice Flower Singularity (Part 4): How many jobs do you have in total...?
Conan was a little nervous.
If it were Kogoro Mouri, even in a game, he would still curse the machine that assigned him the role of Sherlock Holmes.
But Fujimaru Ritsuka seems to accept it well, making it hard not to wonder if she knows something.
“How could that be!” Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately retorted, completely unexpected that Conan would think that way.
He's just a detective genius who's even better than an adult. Chaldea may lack many things, but it doesn't lack geniuses.
Moreover, the child-like Servants that Ritsuka knows are all incredibly powerful, which has made her oblivious to some issues that normal people would question.
For example, the idea of a child using a tranquilizer dart to knock out an adult and then using that to deduce a murder case is actually quite unusual.
Seeing Conan's hesitant look, Ritsuka squatted down, looked him straight in the eye, and said firmly, "To be honest, I'm not very good at deduction. Most of the time I rely on intuition."
She smiled mischievously, "I should thank you for taking on the important task of deduction."
"Uh, is that so...?"
Conan observed her, his mind blank for a moment. Wait a minute, just like that, entrusting his trust to a child? Is this really someone connected to that terrifying organization?
But if it was acting, he gazed into those clear eyes. "Impossible," he thought to himself.
"Knock knock knock, knock knock knock!"
Suddenly, there was an urgent knocking at the door. Before Ritsuka could even stand up, the wooden door was pushed open. Two men in Scotland Yard uniforms walked in.
Fujimaru Ritsuka tilted her head. She had never seen these two people before, so were they NPCs? She turned to look at the little detective.
Conan fell completely speechless upon seeing the person who entered.
The newcomer was dressed in a black suit, with the top button of his white shirt casually undone. His striking features—sharp eyebrows and bright eyes—combined with his naturally wavy short hair, gave him an air of untamed freedom.
"Detective, I thought you weren't here." The lazy, overly familiar tone proved that the detective and he had a very good relationship in the game.
The other visitor was more polite. The young man with a buzz cut carefully closed the door, his mature appearance with a pair of thick eyebrows that stood out. "It's been a long time since I've seen you, detective. I'll have to trouble you again this time."
The electronic screen displayed a message, just two simple lines of text.
Matsuda Jinpei - Police Officer
【Ida Air Force - Police】
Conan: "..." What's going on here?!
He was breathing rapidly, feeling dizzy, but when he closed his eyes and opened them again, the two people in front of him still looked the same. "Officer Matsuda, and Officer Date...?"
These two police officers sacrificed themselves in the past, and it seems that their memories have been completely integrated into this game, so they are just NPCs using their appearance.
But why would the organization's holographic technology and games choose two police officers who had no contact with the organization as templates?
It's about Mr. Amuro...
Fujimaru Ritsuka blinked and turned her head away. "Eh, how come you can tell me their surnames?" She looked at Conan, whose expression was clearly off. "You know them? Aren't they NPCs?"
"I don't really know them, I've just heard about their deeds." Conan paused, still not stating his deduction, "Maybe the game used their appearance to create NPCs."
Ritsuka nodded and didn't ask any further questions. At this moment, Matsuda Jinpei teased the detective and his assistant for speaking in a language they couldn't understand again. He pulled Date Wataru down to sit and then revealed the purpose of their visit.
"Three days ago, we took on a case."
The eldest daughter of the Miyano family received a threatening letter from an unknown person. At first, she didn't take it seriously, but for the next two days, she felt like she was being followed.
To prevent any accidents from happening, the young lady reported the incident to Scotland Yard. However, after three days and three nights of investigation, the police found absolutely no clues.
With the threatening letter due in two days, Scotland Yard had no choice but to seek help from a consulting detective.
Wow, Miyano... Miyano?!
"Wait, wait!" Conan was eerily silent for a moment. Although he already had a guess, he still asked with a glimmer of hope, "The Miyano family, which Miyano family?"
"Which other Miyano family?" Matsuda Jinpei asked, puzzled. "The Miyano family, the one where that genius who earned his Ph.D. in science from the University of Paris at the age of eighteen."
Haha, isn't that a bit odd?
Conan couldn't help but let his eyes widen. Eighteen years old... The only person a year older than him was that yawning girl, right? Could this holographic game have extracted their memories to increase immersion?
He looked up and carefully examined Matsuda Jinpei, unable to help but compare this NPC with the Matsuda officer that Officer Sato had mentioned.
Lifelike, as if the dead had come back to life in the electronic world.
"Is the eldest daughter of the Miyano family named Miyano Akemi?" Conan asked.
Across from him, Date Wataru nodded silently. Hearing this expected answer, Conan began to worry. Seeing their deceased relatives and friends, and having their memories restored by the organization—either of these would be devastating blows to both Amuro and Ai.
What exactly is this holographic game trying to do?
And what can he do, and what should he do?
Conan looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka, whose newly appointed assistant was still as tolerant as ever, patiently waiting for him to finish asking all his questions before continuing the game.
"What's wrong? Have you noticed anything amiss?" She looked over, her face full of doubt.
"No..." Conan rubbed his hair hard to calm down. Before everything was settled and before the secret of this holographic game was discovered, he couldn't make any unfounded doubts or panic!
“I’m all set!” Conan sat cross-legged on the sofa, his hands clasped together to his lips. “Officer, please repeat the contents of the threatening letter.”
Matsuda Jinpei was prepared. He opened his notebook and wrote, "Cancel the engagement immediately. You don't want to see me at the engagement party... Your past has come back to haunt you, Miyano."
Conan: "...?" It sounds like a threat from the organization.
"This doesn't seem to provide much information." Fujimaru Ritsuka stroked her chin, noticing out of the corner of her eye that the white mist outside was gradually dissipating and the sky was beginning to clear. She offered a guess, "You want the detective to go to the Miyano residence?"
"Yes, the Miyano family entrusted Scotland Yard with the security of the engagement party, and I don't think there's a better choice than a detective."
Although she sensed that the game BB had created wouldn't be so simple, and there must be pitfalls waiting for her ahead, she had to step into them in order to obtain the Holy Grail.
Fujimaru Ritsuka turned to look at the pensive little detective. "So, shall we go? Maybe we can reunite with the other players."
"……Walk!"
He wanted to see what this game was planning to do!
But once they arrived at the manor, Conan suddenly regretted his decision. He regretted agreeing to come to the banquet with Ran, and he regretted agreeing to Dr. Agasa's suggestion to persuade Ai Haibara to relax.
This is all karma!
In the hall of a typical late 19th-century English manor, a young woman with brown hair, lifting her light skirt, slowly descends the spiral staircase.
She exuded an aura of unapproachability, and when her indifferent gaze swept over the visitors, a very slight smile appeared on her lips, a polite smile that did not reach her eyes.
This is not Ai Haibara.
Conan, who knew her well, could tell at a glance that Shiho Miyano in front of him did not have Ai Haibara's memories. Her face, both strange and familiar, lowered its eyes, as if veiled by a thin layer of mist.
Ai Haibara as the Second Young Lady
“Second Miss…” Conan began with difficulty. He couldn’t understand why Ai Haibara, a player, would suddenly revert to her adult form and have memory problems.
“Just call me Sherry, Detective.” Shiho Miyano nodded calmly. “Thank you and your assistant, as well as the two officers, for your help with my sister’s case.”
Snow, Sherry?!
Conan choked, really wanting to see this guy's expression after regaining his memories; it would be hilarious. Wait, as if suddenly remembering something, he abruptly turned to look at Fujimaru Ritsuka.
Oh no, what will she suspect?
Fujimaru Ritsuka simply blinked curiously, looking at the name displayed on the electronic screen, then at the face that had grown almost proportionally and the mature demeanor.
Is it a relationship similar to that of Joan of Arc and Joan of Arc Lily? Or is it like the King, with the effect of a elixir of youth?
Before she could think any further, footsteps came from the depths of the corridor, as if she had finally met the person she was waiting for. Shiho Miyano's expression relaxed considerably. "Doctor!"
Ritsuka subconsciously looked up, meeting the blond youth's purple eyes. She pursed her lips, sighing inwardly, wondering what she had been thinking.
[Toru Amuro as a doctor]
However, Amuro Tooru's expression wasn't much better than hers. Although his disguise was almost flawless, Ritsuka's keen intuition told her that Bourbon was more irritable than ever.
"How is my sister?!" Shiho Miyano rushed forward, her voice filled with worry. "Why did she suddenly faint?"
"She's been traumatized and is suffering from excessive anxiety and lack of sleep. She just needs to rest more." Amuro Tooru smiled gently, his mild tone putting the brown-haired girl in front of him at ease. "Do you want to go see her?"
“But detective…” Shiho Miyano was clearly tempted by his suggestion, but her gaze couldn’t help but drift towards the detective and his assistant.
“If it’s about explaining the case or showing the way, I think I can help,” Amuro Tooru said understandingly.
"Then I'll trouble you, doctor. I'll go see my sister!" Shiho Miyano immediately breathed a sigh of relief and gave Amuro a grateful smile. After politely saying goodbye to the detective and his assistant, she lifted her skirt and ran towards the depths of the corridor.
"The officers probably don't need me to recount what happened again, right?" Amuro Tooru said without looking at Matsuda Jinpei and Date Wataru, as if he didn't recognize their faces. "The lounge is upstairs."
"And the other two, please follow me." He gestured for them to come. Conan, though he had a lot to say, could only wait for the right moment. He followed closely behind the blond youth, looking distressed.
And what about Fujimaru Ritsuka? She was already memorizing the map of the manor. After being tricked by BB so many times, she didn't think they would survive peacefully in this remote, desolate manor.
You'll see, something will definitely happen in two days at most.
A moment later, Amuro Tooru opened the door to an empty room. After Conan and Ritsuka had both gone inside, he locked the door behind him to prevent anyone from disturbing them.
As soon as he sat down, Conan couldn't wait to ask, "Doctor, cough cough, what's wrong with the second young lady?! And what's wrong with the police officer's appearance...?"
As if mindful of Fujimaru Ritsuka's presence, Conan didn't directly voice his real question, but instead frantically blinked at Amuro Tooru from a place where she couldn't see him.
Did Amuro Tooru know the reason for everything? Of course not! He felt that ever since he entered the game, everything he saw and heard was like a rope tightly strangling his neck, making him feel the pain of being out of control that he hadn't felt in a long time.
Yes, he knew nothing about the game, but he knew there was someone who would have a clue.
“Assistant.” Amuro Tooru’s gaze was fixed on the orange-haired girl in front of him, who seemed completely unaffected. “Perhaps you could tell us some of your guesses?”
"Eh, me?" Fujimaru Ritsuka tilted her head. "Before we go, may I ask a question?"
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