Chapter 140 Kyoto, the young lady's aura is even colder today. ...
The train doors opened.
Humid air rushed into the car.
We have arrived in Kyoto.
On the platform, a tall, dark-skinned man stamped his feet.
"Kudo! Are you snails?" Hattori Heiji's loud voice pierced through the crowd. "I've already counted how many pairs of pigeons here are single!"
Yuanshan Heye pulled his sleeve, his face flushed red.
"Heiji! Shame on you!"
“That’s called passion!”
Hattori's gaze swept across Haibara and stopped.
"Yo, young lady, your aura is even colder today. Masaka, is the air conditioning in Tokyo turned up too high?"
"Maybe the hot wind from Kansai was too strong and triggered the automatic defense." Huibara's expression was calm.
Conan pushed his face away.
"Don't talk nonsense. Case."
Hattori lowered his voice.
"Kyoto Life Science Research Institute. The data room was robbed last night."
"The thief only took one document."
"Old files from thirty years ago."
"'Specific Cell Regeneration Mechanisms'."
He paused, his eyes fixed on Huibara.
Huibara lowered her head and flicked her sleeves.
The car turned into the deep alley of Gion and stopped in front of a wooden door.
The navigation map was completely blank. It was a place not marked on the official map.
This kind of secret meeting place is not uncommon in Kyoto, a capital city with a long history.
The maid in kimono opened the sliding door.
The scent of incense penetrates my nostrils.
The tea room is not big.
A landscape painting in ink and wash, a bronze incense burner, and a wisp of smoke.
Hattori Heiji sat cross-legged, occupying half of the tea room's aura.
Opposite him, a young girl sat upright.
She wore a light blue furisode kimono and her long hair was tied up with a hairpin.
Red leaves of Ooka.
She saw Conan, her chin lowered slightly, and her eyes swept over him.
My gaze returned to Hattori Heiji's healthy, wheat-colored face, and his eyes lit up.
"Heiji, the guests have arrived."
"Oh! Conan, come here!" Hattori Heiji waved his hand.
Conan and Haibara took off their shoes, walked onto the tatami, and sat down opposite each other.
"Let me introduce you," Hattori said, pointing at Hongye with a proud look on his face. "This is Ooka Hongye. We have a strong foreign player."
"Conan-kun," Ooka Momiji began, "and... this little sister."
She looked at Haibara, assessing.
"Haiyuan."
She only gave her last name and smiled.
"Save the polite words." Conan interrupted.
"Gin. Shiki Hanami Hotel. Time, place, room number."
"Source of intelligence?"
"Special channel."
Hattori Heiji's expression changed.
"Gin... is he coming to Kyoto himself?"
"Is the intelligence reliable?"
"Fifty percent," Conan said, "prepare for 100 percent."
"I understand." Hattori nodded, "Sneak into the hotel and investigate the room."
"Security is super difficult. We need a perfect disguise." Conan looked at Ooka Momiji.
Ooka Momiji propped up her chin. "'Shiki Hanami'? My family owns shares."
"At that time, the security system will experience 'network fluctuations'." She narrowed her eyes and stared at Hattori Heiji.
"For Heiji, it's a small matter."
Hattori Heiji looked away, his cheeks burning.
"Ahem. Thanks, Hongye." He scratched the back of his neck.
Huibara sat quietly aside, watching them.
"There's no time to lose." Conan stood up, "Let's do it tonight."
Kyoto at night is quiet and serene, with ancient buildings gradually fading into darkness.
The top floor of the "Shiki Hanami" hotel is the best place to overlook the night scene.
There were three people in the elevator.
Two elementary school students and one high school student.
The hotel manager bowed 90 degrees and everything went smoothly.
The presidential suite area. The thick carpet swallowed up all the sounds, and the corridor was quiet.
Hattori Heiji: "The young lady's authority is really useful. Done."
Conan took out the room card.
The one that Vermouth left for Haibara.
He leaned over, closer to the door lock.
Beep.
The green light came on. The door opened.
The cold air hit me in the face. There was no sign of life in the room.
It was pitch black, the curtains drawn tight.
Conan slid into the room and turned on the flashlight on his phone.
Huiyuan followed in.
The beam of light swept across the living room.
bedroom.
study.
Everything was exceptionally clean. The sheets were crisp and new.
The water cup is turned upside down and there are no water stains.
The trash can was empty.
There are no signs of human activity here.
"What's going on?" Hattori Heiji also came in and lowered his voice, "Is the intelligence wrong? Are you kidding us?"
Conan's face fell.
He squatted down and examined the carpet carefully.
No hair.
No ash.
This room is incredibly clean.
"Trap? Bomb?" Hattori Heiji looked around.
Conan took out the detector and scanned the entire suite.
The screen displays: No signal.
The two famous detectives are at a stalemate.
Huibara, who had been silent the entire time, didn't look at the bed or the sofa.
She walked towards the coffee table in the living room and stopped.
The air smells of perfume.
Vermouth perfume.
She has been here.
Haibara's heart beat faster.
She looked at the coffee table. The surface was smooth, reflecting the light from her phone.
wrong.
There was something in the middle of the table.
Not documents. Not weapons.
It's a chess piece.
Carved ivory. White Queen.
An idea popped up in Huibara's little head, which has an IQ of 180.
Gin is not important.
This room is not prepared for him.
Room card, intelligence, tonight's action...
They were all invitation letters written to her by Vermouth.
She wasn't out to catch prey.
She is the prey.
Vermouth turns Kyoto into a chessboard.
Kudo Shinichi, Hattori Heiji, Ooka Koyo...
They are all her pawns.
She mobilized everyone for only one purpose.
Put her, Huibara Ai, in the center of the chessboard.
Then, he left behind his token: a white queen.
"Haibara, what did you find?" Conan asked.
Huiyuan reached out her hand, and her fingertips felt the coldness of ivory.
She held the chess piece and didn't answer.
She looked up at the sealed French window. The heavy curtains blocked everything.
She knows.
The black chess player, the other queen of the Kyoto night, was watching in the night.
Huibara's small fingers tightly grasped the queen.
.
"The files were stolen."
The director of the institute had gray hair and a tense voice.
"It was left by Dr. Miyano Atsushi and his wife, Dr. Elena. It's about the ginkgo."
The Kyoto Institute of Life Sciences is nestled in a bamboo forest. The air smells of earth and disinfectant.
"Ginkgo?" Hattori Heiji stroked his chin. "Besides eating it, is there anything else it can be used for?"
“That’s how ordinary people see it.”
Ai Huihara spoke and looked out the window. In the courtyard stood a huge ginkgo tree with golden leaves.
"In the field of biochemistry, the four words 'life continuation' are the key."
The crime scene was in the third-floor data room. The electronic lock had been broken. The room was clean and tidy, with only one filing cabinet open.
"Where's the surveillance?" Conan asked.
The director shook his head. "Washed away by a powerful electromagnetic pulse. Professional technique."
"Professional." Hattori Heiji snorted coldly and began searching like a hound.
Conan dropped to the ground, examining it.
Huibara stood in the middle of the room, her eyes scanning the entire place, not missing a single speck of dust.
There were footsteps at the door.
"I didn't miss the fun."
A female voice, gorgeous and clear.
Standing at the doorway was a young girl in a kimono, as gorgeous as a peony. Behind her was the housekeeper, Iori Muga.
"Ooka Momiji!" Hattori Heiji was startled. "Why are you here?"
Ooka Momiji hid her smile with the sleeve of her kimono and her eyes fell on Hattori.
"Heiji is so heartless. Of course I have to come when something happens to the research institute my family supports."
"It's yours again!" Hattori yelled back.
"Heiji, you're hooking up with another woman again!" Toyama Kazuha's voice exploded from his phone.
"Idiot! I didn't!"
Conan interrupted them. "Sister Momiji, the Ooka family can get information that the police can't, right?"
"Iori." Momiji instructed her butler.
Iori Muga handed over a tablet containing surveillance data for all roads surrounding the research institute.
Two hours.
Conan and Hattori search through massive amounts of data, arguing and collaborating.
Ooka Hongye was sipping tea on the side, occasionally dropping a clue or two.
"A researcher recently received a large amount of overseas remittance."
“It’s not marked on the map, but there’s a small path that bypasses the main gate security.”
Huiyuan is always quiet.
She smelled something peculiar: the aroma of fruit hidden among the disinfectant and dust.
The director's assistant researcher named "Kinoshita" also has this smell.
Huibara spoke in a cold voice, interrupting the two detectives' argument.
"The prisoner is an insider."
Conan and Hattori looked at her at the same time.
"There are traces of climbing outside the third-floor window, but no footprints connecting to the ground." She walked to the window and pointed to a shallow mark on the window frame. "The criminal must have rappelled in from upstairs."
She glanced at the crowd.
"I can get the keys to the upper floors, get familiar with the building structure, and get rid of tools. The scope is very small."
"The most important thing is the smell. This room smells like Assistant Kinoshita's limited edition hand cream."
Conan and Hattori looked at each other.
"Kinoshita Taro," Ooka Hongye said. "Overseas remittance records. He just lost money in □□."
One sentence points out the motivation.
Hattori Heiji growled, "Let's go."
He was the first to rush out.
Kinoshita's apartment door was not locked.
Hattori turned the doorknob and the door opened a crack with a click.
He kicked the door open.
The entrance is clean and the living room is tidy.
Taro Kinoshita sat at his desk, his back to them. The lamp was on, illuminating his silhouette. On the table sat a half-empty glass of whiskey.
Conan called him: "Mr. Kinoshita?"
No one responded.
Hattori Heiji stepped forward, put his hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle push.
Kinoshita's body fell to the side, his eyes wide open, white foam hanging from the corners of his mouth.
Dead.
Cyanide poisoning.
Conan scanned the room. There were no signs of a break-in, no signs of a struggle.
"It was more like a meeting between acquaintances," he said.
Hattori's face turned pale: "The last reward has been sent online."
The task is completed and the chess piece is invalid.
The clue is broken.
Hongye covered her mouth.
There was only Haibara, her gaze scanning the room calmly.
Vermouth didn't bring her to Kyoto just to let her watch a live broadcast of a minor role.
This is the script.
Her eyes fell on the carpet beside the desk, where there was a little light.
Huibara slowly squatted down, and Conan immediately followed.
She stretched out two fingers and pinched the object.
A hair.
A long golden hair gleamed in the light.
A cold, sarcastic, ornate signature.
The woman's laughter seemed to be right next to my ear.
Huiyuan's azure pupils shrank a little.
This is not gin.
Gin was left with only bullet shells and blood.
This is Vermouth.
Left it for her to see.
The message is clear: I've been here. I'm watching you. Come after me, Shirley.
A chill surged up, sweeping through my body in an instant. Within the cold, a burning heat ignited.
Conan looked at the blonde hair at her fingertips, then at her face.
He understood.
"Damn it..." he cursed under his breath.
They were not late.
They were the audience, invited at a calculated time to enjoy the final act.
Sirens wailed downstairs.
Red and blue police lights alternated, flashing across everyone's face.
Hattori Heiji was growling at a police officer, spit flying everywhere. Conan leaned against the wall, his eyes darkening behind his glasses.
Huibara stood outside the noise.
She wrapped the golden hair in a handkerchief and put it in her pocket.
She was provoked. In the most arrogant and personal way.
In the past, she would be afraid, tremble, and want to escape.
Now, unfamiliar emotions awakened in her body.
Being forced into a desperate situation, one must be resolute.
Conan walked quickly to her side.
"Haibara," he lowered his voice, "are you okay?"
Haibara looked up, her face showing no fear, only cold calmness, and she looked straight at Conan.
"The game begins."
She turned around, and the night of Kyoto swallowed up her back.
"I'm fine," Huibara said. "Very good. I was just thinking that top magicians always need a fancy trick to attract the audience before performing a vanishing trick."
Conan's pupils tightened and his glasses flashed.
"The stolen files and Kinoshita's death were all tricks?"
"Yes," Huibara answered crisply, "The real magic hasn't started yet."
Two o'clock in the morning, Gion, Ooka family villa.
The entire mansion is a small art gallery, with sliding doors, lattice windows, stone lanterns, and every detail speaks of the wealth.
"So that blonde witch deliberately left a strand of hair just to say hello to us?" Hattori Heiji took a big gulp of energy drink and said in an unhappy tone.
"So arrogant! Does she look down on us Kansai police?"
Conan sat on the tatami with a map of Kyoto spread out in front of him.
"What's her goal? Steal the files, kill Kinoshita, and lure us to Kyoto. And then?"
"Maybe we are all wrong." Huibara said coldly.
Everyone stopped.
She knelt on the mat, her posture erect.
"We're always chasing stolen files. What if... that file was meant for us to find?"
"Huh?" Hattori Heiji looked confused.
Ooka Hongye tapped her palm lightly with her folding fan.
"Interesting. Are you saying that the Ginkgo file itself is a message, an invitation?"
Hongye's eyes lit up as she looked at Huibara, full of admiration for the wise man.
"Vermouth loves drama." Huihara's eyes fell on the map, and the research institute was circled in red. "She went through so much trouble just to tell me 'I've been here'? No. She will leave a stage for me to unveil."
"Stage..." Conan thought, his finger moving quickly on the map, finally stopping on another red circle.
Kinoshita's apartment.
"Iori." Hongye suddenly spoke.
The butler, who was following her like a shadow, took a step forward.
"We'll use our people to find out where Kishita Taro went in the week before his death, besides his home and the research institute."
She paused and added.
"Especially, anything related to 'Ginkgo'."
Iori Muga bowed and quietly retreated.
The Ooka family's intelligence network is sometimes even more efficient than the Metropolitan Police Department.
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