Phantom Thief of Heart!but conan

Chapter 1281 The Hall Master Who's Holding Back

"So what was that 'murder weapon' that guy was talking about? Didn't his previous investigation end a long time ago?"

"Oh, I guess you mean something that can truly prove your innocence, like a DNA test report or something."

"A paternity test? Putting aside whether we can even find the Hihara couple's blood samples, even if we send them to the lab as fast as possible, it wouldn't be possible to do it this quickly, would it?"

“Theoretically, paying more money can speed things up, maybe by a dozen hours. But there’s no need to do that. Just like how Takitoku Nihara found out his son wasn’t his biological child, he only needed to go to the hospital and get the blood type report… Ah, Ms. Koshimizu.”

Sitting at a tea table near the entrance, Koshimizu Nanatsuki raised an eyebrow as the two approached and asked in a low voice, "Found them?"

Others might not know where Tang Ze and Akechi Goro went, but how could she not know?
From the moment he arrived in the village, Goro Akechi appeared ready for battle, his attitude much sharper than usual, and his words harsher. When he encountered the "amnesiac" Shinichi Kudo, he was even more on high alert, never relaxing for a moment.

So Goro Akechi found an excuse to leave early, and the most likely reason he wanted to do this was to find the missing Shinichi Kudo, that is, Conan.

In any case, the Phantom Thieves didn't hide anything from her. Koshimizu Nanatsuki was somewhat prepared about what kind of enemy she was facing and how she got involved in these troubles.

Judging from what they just said, the person must have been found.

"Of course, what else could have happened to him?" Hoshikawa Teru nodded calmly. "He was attacked on his way to the appointment. He was just unlucky."

To be honest, if Shinichi Kudo hadn't shown even a shred of martial ethics this time, and had brought anyone else in his team besides himself, they wouldn't have been able to be attacked so easily.

Every member of their group, from top to bottom, was stronger than him in combat; Makoto Yata was the easiest target to bully.

“So, the target this time…” Koshimizu Nanatsuki glanced back meaningfully.

After learning that Akechi and Karasawa were going to the village for a survey and shouldn't encounter any danger, and since the cell phone signal was poor and they couldn't be contacted anyway, Kogoro Mouri simply stopped worrying about their whereabouts and went to soak in the hot springs as planned.

The Ode Inn is a hot spring inn, which is arguably one of the few advantages of this rather impoverished village.

At this moment, the fake Shinichi Kudo has been arranged to stay in the same room as Heiji Hattori, and is currently staying in the guest room at the back.

"I won't trouble you with this. I'll handle it." Hoshikawa Teru shook his head.

"Hey, but this guy obviously has a hall of fame..."

"Yes, there is, but if we follow the normal procedure, it will probably make things much more complicated."

"Fine, you decide..."

Eager to try, Nanatsuki Koshimizu stood up and went back to her room with a sense of regret. Hoshikawa Teru waited until she disappeared around the corner before turning his head to look at Tang Ze.

"Am I right? Isn't his palace also quite unusual?"

Regarding Mr. Makoto Yata's temple, Tang Ze did not greet him, but after seeing the situation in the Impression Space, he knew that this situation would also be very special.

Ultimately, Shinichi Kudo was simply lost because he mistakenly wore the Death God suit; that position and outfit originally belonged to Makoto Yata.

"More or less. To deal with his palace, we'll have to wait for him to enter the forest himself," Tang Ze said, spreading his hands as he stated his deduction.

Under normal circumstances, even if multiple people have their own temples in the same location, they will not affect each other.

The world we perceive is roughly equivalent to the world constructed by our minds. Just as the space of impressions is the embodiment of the collective unconscious of humankind, the temple belongs to the more severely distorted unconscious of an individual.

Each person's subconscious is not interconnected, and under normal circumstances, they will not affect each other.

Just as the owner of the temple located in Shibuya wouldn't have any connection with the real Space for Impressions or the Shibuya subway simply because it's located in Shibuya, it's indeed unusual that the Space for Impressions in Higashi-Oku Village is influenced by local legends. But no matter how special it is, it shouldn't have any connection with Makoto Yada.

Unfortunately, the Yata family is the birthplace of the legend of the god of death, and they are just like Kaito Kid, with their outfits being inherited.

However, after deciding to take revenge on Shinichi Kudo, Makoto Yata chose to leave the village to get plastic surgery, registering his original identity as missing, and moved into a small wooden house in the woods, which was the place where his father, who had been missing for many years, originally lived.

The overlap of spatial locations, identities, and origins of legends, combined with his already fractured soul, ultimately created a complex mix of everything.

He is a rare special hall master who plays the role of the boss of the Impression Space. His personal hall has merged with the Impression Space of East Osui Village, a fact that Noah has confirmed.

Judging from Makoto Yata's actions over the past six months, although he himself certainly did not realize this, he has begun to strengthen the concept of the god of death through his behavior, including frequent appearances that have caused further panic among local residents.

People like Bingchuan Mengsheng, who grew up in the area and weren't particularly materialistic, would gradually begin to believe in the existence of the Death God, and then gradually influence the Impression Space.

It should be said that this is one of the reasons why Higashio Village has become so ignorant and infuriating.

"...The name 'Forest of Death Gods' should originally have been Makoto Yata's temple. The corresponding location would most likely be a place with a certain legendary or supernatural connotation, like a 'shrine' or 'altar.' Now that it has merged with this large forest, it has become such a dangerous place. Fortunately, Makoto Yata only has Shinichi Kudo on his mind."

By the end, Tang Ze himself was starting to lose his composure.
To understand what happens when a person connects with the local impression space to this extent, see Asai Narumi and Shimabukuro Kimie.

If Tang Ze hadn't stopped him, the former would have slaughtered the entire island by himself; if Tang Ze hadn't stopped him, the latter would have sunk to the bottom in an instant.

Even for a hall master who doesn't have many special circumstances, once he gradually becomes aware of his authority, the hall will be strengthened accordingly. This is due to the nature of cognition.

Makoto Yata, however, is somewhat of a drag on this group.

He had only one obsession: to take revenge on Shinichi Kudo. He was single-mindedly focused on how to tarnish Shinichi's reputation. Ultimately, aside from the villagers developing a subconscious aversion and unanimously rejecting Shinichi and his past deductions, no harm was done. "So, the village's rejection of Kudo was largely due to his influence?" Hoshikawa Teru understood Tang Ze's meaning and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

"The answer Kudo originally gave was questioned because of the doctor's revelation, and given Hihara Takitoku's high prestige, it's normal for them to be skeptical. The problem is that it wasn't the detective who made the decision to close the case; the detective only played an assisting role. Wasn't it the police station that closed the case and sealed the files?" Tang Ze asked the crucial question, "Why don't they question Shiroyama Kazuma about why he didn't reopen the investigation?"

The detective's explanation is merely a deduction and a reference; the detective has no right to decide the final outcome of a case.

If the police refuse to accept the detective's conclusions, they can simply have someone else reinvestigate.

The problem is that the police actually knew that all the evidence in the case was complete, including the so-called missing antiques and murder weapon, and that they had even adopted Daiki Nichihara in order to take care of the victims' families.

Kazuma Shiroyama, a policeman who is completely involved in the case, seems to have disappeared. No one seems to see how the villagers are targeting him, especially Daiki Nihara himself. On one hand, he shouts that Shinichi Kudo is a liar, and on the other hand, he seems to have a good relationship with his current guardian. Isn't that contradictory?

The only one who spoke ill of Shiroyama Kazuma was Hanoi Shinri, an outsider who had discovered clues to the truth and came looking for big news. Was that right?
"Ha, now that you mention it, I don't know whether to criticize Makoto Uta or praise him." Teru Hoshikawa rolled his eyes.

"Why just criticize him? Criticize the villagers too. This is a consequence of mutual harm." Tang Ze shrugged. "If we're going to praise someone, we should praise Makoto Uta's father. If it weren't for his father's dying wish, whether he would have faithfully fulfilled his duty as a forest ranger and instead started endangering the lives of the villagers is truly unknown. Right now, the only one who's suffered is the unfortunate Shinichi Kudo, which is already a stroke of luck."

Makoto Yata's intense hatred for Shinichi Kudo stems from his initial deep admiration for the boy.

In this case, although he found it hard to accept the initial conclusion given by Shinichi Kudo, he tried to convince himself to accept the viewpoint. What caused his mental breakdown was the doctor's statement that Takitoku Hihara's illness was not serious and that suicide was impossible.

Rumors in the village suddenly intensified, and he could no longer convince himself, so he could only direct his hatred at Shinichi Kudo, who had disappointed him.

Fortunately, this fake Kudo didn't have the chance to use his face to summon the true god; he was a complete idiot. Otherwise, the situation here would have become much more dangerous, at least as dangerous as Tsukikage Island.

Hoshikawa Teru nodded, closed the door, and without saying a word, opened his briefcase and started taking out his gun.

He understood what Tang Ze meant.

"So, all we need to do this time is take care of Makoto Yata himself?"

“Some situations can get complicated if you try to solve them with cognitive methods. Well, luckily, the Phantom Thief of Hearts also knows a little bit about boxing.”

Physical methods can change one's mind, so there's nothing wrong with that.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"They're both back?" Kogoro Mouri, who had just finished soaking in the hot spring, was relieved to hear this news. He draped a towel over his shoulder and walked upstairs. "Judging from how confident Akechi looks, he must have figured out a solution."

"Akechi-kun doesn't seem to be in a good mood today," said Kazuha Toyama, who had also just come out of the hot spring, as she pulled Ran Mouri along. "Is it because those people keep mocking Kudo, making him feel like he's being attacked too?"

Based on her impression of Goro Akechi, he was a star detective who could be considered a role model and idol. It would be easy for him to leave a bad impression if he just turned around and left like that today.

“He’s not that shallow,” Kogoro Mouri said, pursing his lips. “He can handle even the most difficult clients; it’s just some villagers’ criticism. Besides, he’s not even familiar with that detective kid.”

Others might think that Goro Akechi's early departure was arrogant and rude, but Kogoro Mouri knew very well that this true peer, whose prices were the highest in Tokyo, was not the type to give others cause for criticism.

Regardless of Goro Akechi's true personality, his ability in the service industry is undeniable and widely recognized. Even if he had come to a conclusion and couldn't stand others mocking Shinichi Kudo, he wouldn't have said it out loud in that situation.

Choosing to leave early indicates that he believes the solution lies elsewhere and that it's best to avoid other people and deal with the situation elsewhere.

"Well, as long as he's confident, that's good." Ran Mouri patted Kazuha Toyama reassuringly. "Akechi-kun is a very proactive person. Now that he's back, maybe he can solve all these problems by tomorrow? It would be good if he could prove that Shinichi didn't do anything wrong."

She was also annoyed by this group of people who kept calling her a liar and spouting lies.

"I hope so..." Kazuha Toyama sighed. "I really don't like this kind of place. It's better to resolve this sooner and leave sooner."

She has always loved rural scenery and is a travel enthusiast, but she just couldn't bring herself to like Higashio Village.

Ultimately, just because they were dissatisfied with the detective's answer, they were willing to say things like, "If I had known it was Shinichi Kudo, I wouldn't have saved him anyway." These people are really going too far...

Makoto Yata, who was leaning against the door without saying a word, listened to the commotion outside the door, glanced at Heiji Hattori sitting not far away, who seemed to be watching him, and then lowered his gaze.

Has that guy returned? Why would he be asking the villagers about the God of Death? He can't possibly actually believe in the existence of the God of Death, can he?

So, could it be that this person named Goro Akechi, like Shinichi Kudo, is the type who won't be satisfied until all the mysteries and doubts are revealed?

Will he find the cabin and discover that Shin-chan is trapped there? If he will...

He's unlikely to act tonight. Few residents go into the forest; it's sparsely populated, and locals will keep their distance as night falls. Without a guide, Goro Akechi has no chance of finding Shinichi Kudo.

Then it's necessary to resolve this issue before dawn.

Anyway...

Looking at his palm, Makoto Yata slowly opened and closed his five fingers, and finally clenched his fist.

In any case, to ruin Shinichi Kudo's reputation and make him a criminal, he would need to hurt others. Choosing Goro Akechi, another detective who is both detestable and famous, would make it easier for the media to speculate on Shinichi Kudo's motives, wouldn't it?

(End of this chapter)