Conan: Science Cartoonist Kudo Yuji

In order to find out the true cause of Kawasehei's death, the few people who could not touch the body suggested going to the shrine's toilet to take a look.

"How about we wait until Yatsura and the others come back with the police before we go?" Jintaro stopped Yuuji, who was eager to explore the restroom. "Otherwise, it's too unsafe."

“Hey, as a detective, you have to have the courage and determination to take the lead, and besides, you're watching.” Yuuji snapped his fingers at Jintaro: “I’m not one to be trifled with either.”

"be careful."

While the other two weren't looking, Jintaro secretly slipped a miniature pistol into Yuuji's arms, patting his pocket at the same time.

"I've had it with me ever since I left home."

"You always brought it to school?"

Yuuji was stunned for a moment, and once again felt the gap between himself and the people of this era. They didn't seem to be too shy about things like killing. No matter what happened, as long as their lives were threatened, they only had one thing on their minds.

"It's unlikely to be at school; I put it in my bag."

"Then I'll keep it with me."

Yuuji stood with his hands behind his back, looking towards the side of the main hall of the shrine, which was the right-hand side further inside the stalls, at the small house with a bamboo roof, about the size of a person.

"I didn't expect it to be so elegant." Yuuji glanced inside. It wasn't as filthy as he had imagined. The walls were all made of wood. Although it was dry, there was a water pipe hanging on the right, probably for people to wash themselves.

“There are rules for the toilets at our shrine.” Neishi Matsu, who was walking over slowly, pointed to the main hall: “You have to pray to the gods before you can use them, and you are not allowed to use the large toilet, you can only urinate.”

"I understand, it's difficult to handle, but what is the reason for this pilgrimage...?"

“Water costs money too.” Nei Shijing said matter-of-factly. “Oh, I see… that’s pretty ripping you off.”

Yuji's eyes scanned the inside of the toilet, and he wanted to reach out and tap the wood, but since Neishi Matsu was nearby, he had to back out.

On the way back, Yuuji was shaking uncontrollably as he glanced at the corpse again and finally saw a red patch under the body, indicating that it had bled.

This appears to be an external injury.

Although the wooden wall wasn't thick and couldn't hide much, it was still about two palm-widths thick.

Back in front of the main hall, Yuuji saw the car that had returned. He breathed a sigh of relief while also taking a look at the kind of police officers that Kuromaru and the other two had brought back.

"Huh? I just woke up..."

A sleepy-eyed, fat policeman got out of the car, squinted at his surroundings, and then chuckled, "I...I wondered where it was, but it's just...Kenishi's shrine. Someone's coming this way..."

"So after all this time, you didn't even know where you were when you arrived?"

Jintaro looked at his two classmates speechlessly. Marina kept her head down and didn't say anything, while Kuromaru Yata remained calm, but those who knew him well could see the distortion beneath that calm face.

"What kind of police officers did you hire? Can't you find someone more reliable?"

This man reeks of alcohol and is clearly still drunk. How can we help solve the case, clear their names, and let them go?

"He's easy to fool. He'll close the case quickly, and then we can leave." Masuyama Kenzo glanced at Kuromaru Yata, then instructed the others, "Go check if we've left anything behind in that room. Pack it in the car; we should be able to leave soon." (End of Chapter)