Chapter 77, Section 76: Under the Gentian Flower: Oh, protector, oh dear...
Nagano, Japan is not large.
Murder creates myths.
Ever since Gin single-handedly created Conan Edogawa, most of the detectives in the entire Detective Conan world have been working overtime day and night, with their daily routines clearly documented.
Therefore, it's safe to say with absolute certainty that Officer Anri didn't have time to leave Nagano to solve several locked-room murder cases during that month.
The question is whether the dates of the incidents were all weekdays, while the short-haired policewoman's attendance records, including her late-night overtime work records, showed perfect attendance.
This means that the previous crimes, including those involving the murdered Dr. Ueda and Nurse Yamanashi, were most likely committed by victims of organ trafficking. As a result, the investigation approach has shifted back to independent investigations by each province.
However, the police's preliminary report on the organ trafficking chain linked to Toshiaki Kiuchi greatly shocked the major media outlets gathered in Nagano and quickly caused a tsunami-like reaction online.
Under the intense scrutiny of the entire society, the Osaka, Gunma, and Nagano police stations launched a two-pronged investigation into the murder and organ trafficking case simultaneously. Although the hidden clues buried for thirteen years had long been deeply entrenched in the shadows, with the help of the detectives, it is estimated that everything will come to light within two days.
Of course, none of this has anything to do with Zhuge Tongzhi, who has acquired two wild pistols.
She's currently lounging on the sofa in the guesthouse, watching the latest episode of Kamen Rider with the Junior Detective League, crunching on a crisp tea pastry.
It has to be said that Japanese anime has an appeal that transcends age groups; it's classic and old-fashioned, but still enjoyable.
The black-haired girl picked up a glass of 1982 cold boiled water, took a sip, smacked her lips, and lay back down.
Moreover, the bright red scarf always made her hallucinate that it was a red scarf worn backwards, which made it even funnier once she put that idea into mind.
It's great, I love watching it, I want to watch it more! But seriously, only one episode a week? Hurry up and release a hundred episodes a day!!
Zhuge Tongzhi had her satchel under her waist, and the two pistols inside were so hard they were a bit uncomfortable, so she had to put a cushion under her waist to relax properly.
Out of her last remaining conscience, she took the handbag back from the unsuspecting Furuya Rei, and to prevent the next day's tabloids from featuring headlines like "Shocking! A blonde with dark skin stormed a police station with a gun," she bid him farewell as he embarked on his all-night investigation.
Yes, the famous detectives are not currently at the guesthouse, but scattered across various counties, investigating the case while the iron is hot.
Conan, who was invited by the Nagano trio, naturally went with Kogoro Mouri. However, Rei Furuya's professionalism as the "King of Part-Time Jobs" prevented him from ignoring the client's request, so he was also working on the case late into the night.
Meanwhile, to prevent Conan from getting too many bumps on his head from his father-in-law's beatings, Ran Mouri, the Conan protector, naturally also got involved in the case. Thus, the famous detectives each had their own tasks to complete.
Having witnessed the crime scene, the Junior Detectives wisely withdrew and, at Zhuge Tongzhi's invitation, reunited in the spacious and luxurious suite.
However, they were not completely free. At least in Zhuge Tongzhi's view, there was still an undercurrent of tension and an unfathomable atmosphere on the scene.
The person giving directions was sitting on the sofa with their legs spread apart, their hands resting on their knees, and a pink-haired man with squinting eyes. There was only a pillow between them.
After all, it wouldn't be good to leave a group of children alone in the guesthouse. However, Shuichi Akai, who volunteered, was definitely not just there to take care of the children, so the thought of that made her a little nervous.
Zhuge Tongzhi got up, slapped the crumbs on his hands onto the ground, and then lay back down with a thud.
Since things have come to this, I might as well... just lie down. That's what the girl, whose mind was gradually becoming more and more laid-back after spending a day in the tunnel, thought to herself.
The masked superhero on the screen interrupted the villain's speech, righteously rebuking his opponent, while the three children sitting on the ground watched the tense plot intently.
Ah... even with a cushion underneath, my lower back still feels uncomfortable. The black-haired girl shifted her body, feeling the weight of her handbag really noticeable.
No, actually it's Shuichi Akai who's too eye-catching. She thought for a moment, then revealed her crescent-shaped eyes and glanced at the man next to her who also seemed to be looking at Kamen Rider. Almost simultaneously, he caught her gaze.
The villain on the screen cackled and raised his cannon, aiming it at Kamen Rider and firing a shot.
Shuichi Akai smiled slightly and spoke in a friendly manner: "Conan-kun mentioned you to me, but unfortunately you were out when I moved in. I didn't expect to meet you here."
"Hehe, are you trying to find out why we're here?" Zhuge Tongzhi gave a polite smile, "But I'm sorry, I'm not entirely sure about that either."
Why don't you go ask Bourbon?
After all, as long as he doesn't criticize you, you won't be criticized either, with a success rate as high as 0.01%.
Facing the cannonballs, Kamen Rider, riding his cool motorcycle, executed a dragon-like maneuver, leaving behind a trail of towering flames and explosions, and charged straight at the villain without looking back.
Wow, so cool! The three children watched the exciting plot unfold with exclamations of admiration.
Behind them, Zhuge Tongzhi responded with a soulless, fake smile, "Haha, what a coincidence indeed."
When the cannon proved ineffective, the villain pulled out a high-tech, cool laser gun and started firing wildly at Kamen Rider.
Shuichi Akai, feeling brushed off, adjusted his glasses and slightly opened his narrowed, dark green wolf eyes. "But even if it weren't today, we would have met sooner or later, since Midorikawa and I are classmates."
He looked at the girl whose expression had changed slightly and smiled, "I suppose we'll be working together on assignments quite often in the future. I hope we have a pleasant collaboration."
Has Morofushi Kagemitsu already made contact with Akai Shuichi, or has the other party already discovered Midorikawa Hikaru's false identity? Zhuge Tongzhi pondered for a moment before setting aside this question, which was of no significance at the moment.
As for going out to work... her mind automatically conjured up an image of a cold, windswept rooftop and two sniper rifles side by side, with two men dressed in all black exchanging glances and simultaneously revealing bloodthirsty smiles.
"Alas—" Zhuge Tongzhi revealed an indescribable expression. Thinking of the bullet that had grazed his head when he captured Ireland, he quickly drank some cold water to calm his nerves.
Kamen Rider skillfully maneuvered through the dense laser beams, easily breaking through layers of defense. With a twist of the throttle, he sent his motorcycle soaring into the air, hurtling straight at the villain's face.
"Go! Kamen Rider!" The three children clenched their fists and cheered for Kamen Rider in unison.
Amid the children's noisy shouts, Zhuge Tongzhi tucked his satchel under his waist and succinctly revealed the extent of their mutual understanding: "No problem, you and Guang-chan have already developed a good rapport, right?"
The pink-haired man remained calm and silent.
Compared to the villain's flashy attacks, Kamen Rider used his classic Kamen Rider Kick to knock his opponent down in one fell swoop, and then struck a pose and shouted, "I am—Kamen Rider!"
"Kamen Rider! Yay!!" The Junior Detective League shouted along, and the children cheered and shouted together.
“It’s been a pleasure working with you, Detective.” Zhuge Tongzhi popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth and said as candidly as ever, “That’s all I know. You don’t need to worry about me taking sides.”
After all, she had just been interrogated by Furuya Rei last night, half intimidating and half setting linguistic traps, and she realized that most of what she knew had already been revealed by El.
The story of saving Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda has also been brought up, and the patchwork that was barely managed to cover it up has been exposed. The black-haired girl's gaze flickered for a moment, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
The three children's attention was no longer on the TV, so Shuichi Akai didn't say much. He just glanced at the time on his wrist and got up to go to the kitchen.
His beef stew with potatoes is almost done.
"Then, could you please help me serve some dishes, young lady?" The pink-haired man, who was in charge of cooking dinner tonight, smiled gently and lured Zhuge Tongzhi into the kitchen with an excuse that was hard to refuse.
"Well, I'm telling the truth, what else do you need to ask?" The black-haired girl leaned against the kitchen wall, utterly dejected, looking at the man in front of her who was now wearing an apron with a serious air, and sighed deeply—"Please, let me go."
If you keep testing me, I'll drag Conan to your house to film an episode!
After mentally complaining, Zhuge Tongzhi suddenly realized something was wrong: But Akai Shuichi is currently living in the Kudo residence, a safe zone that, like the Mori residence and Teitan Elementary School, is independent of the murder case.
Ugh, you wretched slut! I'm going to unleash that equally wretched Bourbon to bite you!
With his back to the girl muttering to herself, Shuichi Akai stirred the deliciously colored potato and beef stew in the porcelain pot with a spoon, then opened his sharp wolf eyes behind his glasses, which were covered by a white mist.
"I have intelligence on the raid that took place after the Rag defection."
The black-haired girl's wandering gaze paused, then slowly settled on Shuichi Akai's back, which was adorned with a ribbon. Her gaze, which had been so lively, suddenly became calm.
"I had already left the organization at the time, but coincidentally, an FBI informant was involved in the preparation of that support operation and sent back some useful intelligence."
Shuichi Akai put on heat-resistant gloves, turned off the stove, and picked up the pot of stewed beef and potatoes. "It's rare to see so many important figures participating in a raid. After all, traitors are usually wanted by the entire organization, aren't they?"
He turned to look at the girl with a cold expression, a smirk playing on his lips, and said, "However, this is not a transaction. I will not use this information to exchange for anything."
“If you want to track down Lag, start with Gin.” Shuichi Akai thought for a moment about the wooden dining table, then put down the beef stew with potatoes and went to look for the heat-resistant mat. “He was the last person to chase Lag.”
"On the day the arrest warrant was issued, Rum's men were all transferred away from Nagano. The mission given to Rag was to hunt her down, but she obviously did not walk right into the trap. Instead, she persisted for three days and returned to the Elephant Mountain Base."
The black-haired girl watched as Shuichi Akai rummaged through the floor cabinet, then looked up to search for miscellaneous items in the cupboard.
"The action team led Gin to Xiangshan. That night, an explosion occurred at the Xiangshan base. All the action team members who entered the base except for Gin were killed. However, it seems that his injuries have been fully healed."
Shuichi Akai pulled out a long piece of linen, wet it with water, and folded it up, seemingly intending to use it as a substitute for the heat insulation pad.
"Furthermore, it has been observed that the tasks Gin was responsible for afterward were all downgraded by one level, which indicates that his pursuit results did not satisfy the BOSS and he was punished. However, this only lasted for a short period of time, so the result should not be too unsatisfactory."
“But if Gin can’t kill someone without any support in three days, I think very few people besides me could do it.” The pink-haired man calmly uttered a very Versailles-esque statement, yet it was hard to laugh at him.
"But since Rag was able to return to Elephant Mountain Base, the BOSS must have demanded to be captured alive. As for what happened to Gin in the end, no one but him will know."
“Girl, your sister caused my dear nemesis to suffer a loss.” He picked up the beef stew with potatoes again and looked at the silent girl through the rising steam. “He must hate her as much as he hates me.”
Gin doesn't remember the innocent souls he's killed, but he'll always keep in mind the rats that caused him trouble or that he failed to kill.
For details, see: "Ah~ Sherry~"
“Investigate Gin. This is the information I provided.” Shuichi Akai narrowed his eyes, revealing a gentle smile reminiscent of Subaru Okiya, and looked at the silent black-haired girl leaning against the wall. “Pleasure doing business with you, El.”
"Could you please get me the bowls and chopsticks?"
This wasn't an information exchange; he meant what he said. After saying this, Shuichi Akai turned and walked towards the kitchen door. Just as he opened it, he heard the girl behind him say, "How long has it been since you contacted Mary Akai?"
Huh? Shuichi Akai paused, turned around, and saw Zhuge Tongzhi scratching her head in confusion. The bewildered black-haired girl seemed not to understand what was going on, and tentatively looked over and asked, "Is dinner served?"
Hmm… Akai Hideaki glanced at the girl sniffing the aroma of beef and naturally repeated what he had just said: “Yeah, could you help me get the bowls and chopsticks?”
"Okay!" Sensing the delicious aroma of beef and potatoes, Zhuge Tongzhi ran to the sterilizer to rummage for bowls and chopsticks.
"Speaking of which, may I call you Kiri-chan?" I think that's what they call you in Scotland.
"Ah, then I'll have to try your stewed beef first." The bowl and chopsticks were placed on the wooden table, and the stack of chopsticks made a crisp clinking sound.
"Okay then (laughs)."
"Route: Ai Hu Bi Ai's Stewed Beef (Completed)"
Daily route completion rate: 100%
…
Shuichi Akai walked into the kitchen with a stack of dishes and chopsticks, recalling what Ale had said and thinking of his mother who was working for the British Secret Service.
It had been a while since we last met. Although he hadn't shared any other news, the other person must have received news of his death.
Hmm... what happened to the M16?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Detectives: Working Overtime
Detectives: Overtime
The kids' table: enjoying Chinese food and watching Kamen Rider.
Zhuge: I'll sit at the children's table, thank you.
…
El: Akai, look back behind you.
Akai:?
A mother who has shrunk, a brother who is in love, a sister who runs around with their mother, and him who is "dead".
Welcome to the large-scale TV series "The Dream of the Red Chamber".
…
Mwah!
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