Conan: Science Cartoonist Kudo Yuji

"Did your fiancée disappear in a whoosh or a snap?"

Xizi vividly demonstrated to the others what it meant to disappear with a whoosh or a snap. The alley was narrow, and assuming that the woman had the ability to walk through walls, a whoosh meant disappearing into the sky, and a snap meant disappearing underground.

After listening to Yuko's explanation, Yamanaka immediately shook his head, saying that his fiancée was not like what she said, that she suddenly burst into flames and then disappeared suddenly.

"Burning with fire?"

Yata and Yuko both subconsciously looked at Xuntaro, and Marina followed suit. The three of them focused their attention on the Kuroba family, which owned the family heirloom, because this description was too similar to a magic trick.

"In order to find your fiancée, I'm afraid we have to ask Mrs. Odano and Mr. Kawasawa for details."

Yuko rubbed her nose and said, "Well, Hirotaro-kun and Yamanaka-san go ask Mr. Kawasawa, Marina and Yata-kun go to Mrs. Odano's house, and I'll go back to the alley."

"It's better for me and Mr. Yamanaka to go." Yeta said, "Hirutarou will accompany Marina."

"Eh? All right."

Seeing Yata winking at him, Xuntaro immediately understood what the other party meant, and immediately winked, indicating that if anything went wrong he would take Marina away first.

Watching the four people go out, and waiting until the footsteps gradually disappeared, Yuko immediately began to walk around the store, checking whether there were any strange traces on the ground.

"If this guy's fiancée is dead, the disappearance they saw must have been a trick."

Was it because after killing people in the house, a new layer of soil was used to cover the ground? Because the building was made of wood, although it was level with the ground outside, the foundation skeleton was built with wooden piles inside and then covered with soil.

Unfortunately, no small layers of dust and soil were found under the counter, the edge of the small stove, or the various clocks placed against the wall, indicating that it is impossible for the floor to be re-paved with soil.

Because if you do this, before all the things on the ground are moved out of the house, you will definitely touch the new soil on the inside of the four legs of the cabinet clock, and even wiping it with a wet towel will be useless.

"The water is boiling."

Hearing the shaking sound of the small kettle, Yukiko took the kettle full of boiling water off the stove with a handkerchief, and noticed the long chimney coming out of the side of the stove, which led from the hole in the wall to the side of the watch shop.

“It just happens to lead to the alley.”

Yuko immediately walked out of the watch shop and saw Yata and Yamanaka's shoes placed outside the door of Kawasawa's house in the distance. She couldn't help but sigh that the gap between rich people and ordinary people in this era didn't seem to be that big.

Kawase, who was considered very wealthy in the eyes of others, simply rebuilt the house and decorated it with new wood and tatami.

"The chimney opening is about five steps in front of the trash can." Standing under the small hole in the wall, looking at the rusted iron chimney opening protruding from it, Yuko grasped the wall with both hands and put her face close to the chimney opening somewhat undignifiedly. Sure enough, she saw a clearly visible broken line, which created a crack under the chimney opening, which was originally rusted through but still a whole.

"There is a new cut mark between the chimney and the wall."

Yuko turned to the other side of the alley and looked at the next door. If Yamanaka's fiancée disappeared in the alley, he must have set up a device that could fake the movement of the dummy that suddenly burned.

"If I'm not mistaken, the house next door should be his fiancée's house."

A wire was strung in the air, and a rigged dummy was tied to the wire. She should be thankful that her fiancée was already dead when she fell, otherwise, when she fell from a high altitude, there would have been a thin wire tied underneath.

"Hurry up and feel the neck to see if it's still there!"

She quickly ran back to the watch shop and saw that the four people had finished asking questions, and even brought the curious Mr. Kawasawa and Mrs. Oda Jo over. Yuko glared at Marina and Xuntaro who were laughing.

"I heard that the case of Kotonoha's disappearance has been concluded? Are these few kids investigating it?" Mr. Kawasawa thought that the police had come to his house and asked the kids to ask questions. But when he saw that there were only a few high school students, he immediately felt bored.

His eyes turned to Mrs. Oda Jo who was silent beside him, and his gaze moved up and down her kimono that had been washed to a pale color.

"Please tell me the details of the situation when you saw the woman named Kotonoha disappear that night." Yuko looked at Kawazawa who turned around and looked at her with a surprised look.

"Miss, you look like you have a good family. Do you need a private doctor?"

"Answer my question, the doctor in my family has much higher requirements than you."

"You're not a policeman, why should I listen to you?" When Kawase heard Yuko's attitude that he was not worthy of treating her, he immediately rolled his eyes.

"I thought people who come back from the battlefield would be a little smarter." Yuko shook her head, and her aura instantly imitated that of Toru Amuro.

"you……?!"

With his eyes wide open, Kawase's breathing suddenly became rapid and he took two steps back in panic.

"At your age, how could it be them!"

"The war hasn't been going on for a few years, has it? Why not? Anyway, you can answer my questions now." Yuko showed herself in standard English: "Look my eyes!"

(End of this chapter)