The unscrupulous detective in Conan

Chapter 1456 The Special Uses of Face Changing

"I will handle communications with the Kyoto side. The rest of you will be responsible for the Big Dipper and the two remaining unkilled individuals, as well as other clues that have not yet yielded any progress, and for deducing the identity of the murderer from their portrait."

"Now, let's get started!"

"understand!"

As Matsumoto Kiyonaga finished speaking, a group of police inspectors sorted through their documents and left with varying expressions.

Matsumoto Kiyonaga glanced at the crowd leaving the scene, feeling utterly exhausted.

His words just now were a blatant warning not to cause trouble.

I just don't know how many people will actually listen to this.

These guys, he doesn't care about their usual local rules, but now people are mocking him right here, it's like they're going to use their power against him... and you're still trying to establish your local jurisdiction?
We should investigate the case when necessary, and truly stand united against external threats.

Are they still using that old trick of suppressing foreign aggression and pacifying internal affairs? Have they no shame?
He slowly looked at Fujino, who had stood up beside him, walked over, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Until we find any new clues, you should get some rest."

“I understand.” Fujino nodded, of course he understood what Matsumoto Kiyonaga was talking about. “I didn’t originally intend to work with this group on this case.”

"Yes, remember, the Metropolitan Police Department is behind you."

Matsumoto Kiyonaga wanted to say something, but hesitated and could only say this in the end.

Of all the people in this group, the one he cared about the most was Fujino, and all these words were spoken for Fujino.

Fujino is a detective, and although he has official backing, it's only from the Metropolitan Police Department.

With Superintendent Hakuba in charge, the Metropolitan Police Department is known for its pro-detective faction. As for other places, those are beyond the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the Japanese police force, any detective is always dragged into a fight by the anti-detective faction within the police force.

He couldn't understand what these people were thinking: "They can't find the real culprit on their own, and they can only rely on outsiders to help them solve the case. That's already the greatest humiliation."

"Being humiliated is one thing, but instead of improving your reasoning skills, you're rejecting people who can solve problems..."

"Incompetent and narrow-minded, I really don't know what's in the brains of these idiots!"

Matsumoto Kiyonaga wanted to curse, but could only sigh and couldn't say anything.

Having reached his position, he has a fairly clear understanding of some aspects of officialdom.

In short, the detective's success and failure are both not due to his connection with the police force.

Detectives are able to handle cases cleanly and even overturn seemingly intractable cases simply because they have no nepotism and are highly capable.

Overturning a case that has already been closed already touches on the interests of many police officers, whether it's due to a genuine lack of competence or deliberate intent.

There will always be someone who acts like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, and goes on a rampage to attack the people around them.

Once a faction is formed, those within the organization have no choice but to take sides. Even if they initially have no opinion about the detective, the influence of those around them will eventually affect their actions.

As for centrists... those who advocate for compromise usually don't fare well.

On one hand, they think you're too extreme, and on the other hand, they think you're too mild. In the end, you'll be persecuted to death.

…………

After leaving the meeting room, the police officers, having finished their meeting, went to the rest area next to the meeting room and bought coffee, the most popular trendy drink in the Metropolitan Police Department, from the vending machine.

Fujino thought the person who came up with the idea of ​​installing a coffee vending machine in the Metropolitan Police Department was a genius.

Police officers in the world of Detective Conan are all pretty much the same: they are sleep-deprived, look tired, haggard, and full of resentment.

Fujino even suspected that if all these people were refined into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, one of them might be equivalent to ten.

At that moment, a large group of police officers crowded in front of the vending machine and frantically bought coffee.

Looking at the huge pile of coffee that Yokomizo Shigeo had bought, Yokomizo Sango couldn't help but complain, "Dude, you bought way too much coffee, and it's even sweetened... Aren't you afraid of getting fat?"

“Three cases happened in my territory. Do you know how many hours I’ve slept in the last few days?” Yokomizo Shigego glanced at his older brother. “If it weren’t for all the sugar I was consuming, I probably would have been in bed by now. Compared to that, what’s a little weight gain?”

"You seem to have it easy, buddy, only needing to handle one case."

After being given a few sarcastic remarks, Yokomizo Sango didn't say much.

What his brother said was indeed the truth.

Yamamura Misao, standing nearby, laughed and said, "But that just proves that Fujii-san is right!"

"..."

Yokomizo Shigego glanced at Yamamura Misao, feeling that this Gunma Prefecture guy who looked like a crow was talking inexplicably.

Yamamura Misao said in a serious tone, "All three cases happened in your area, doesn't that mean this is the Big Dipper formation set up by the murderer?!"

As he spoke, he muttered, "But to deliberately arrange the Big Dipper and all that, could that guy be performing some kind of ritual, like in the legends..."

"..."

Everyone looked at Shan Cuncao and fell silent.

I feel that this policeman's feudal and superstitious beliefs are somewhat disgraceful to the police force.

Or rather... it's no wonder it's from Gunma Prefecture.

I can't help but believe in such a legend.

“It could indeed be some kind of ritual.” Everyone turned around and saw Fujino walking slowly towards them.

Yamamura Misao, looking smug, said, "I told you so!"

“But it’s not one of those weird rituals.” Fujino interrupted Yamamura’s attempt to veer into the supernatural, explaining calmly, “I think it might be some kind of obsession of the murderer, or perhaps the motive for the murder stemmed from this incident.”

“Every body was disposed of according to the position of the Big Dipper. A normal person wouldn’t waste so much effort and increase their own risk of exposure if they wanted to kill someone. I would have made the body disappear from the world long ago…”

"And doing something so illogical is definitely not for fun; it's most reasonable to do it to satisfy one's motive for killing."

"..."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, sensing that the detective before them had the potential to be a murderer.

If it were you, you would have just destroyed the body and covered up the evidence, right?
Yokomizo Shigego recovered his composure: "Even so, we have a personality profile, but we still don't have any clues to find the murderer..."

“That’s why we need to investigate.” Fujino said with a helpless tone, “You know, I only just found out what exactly happened in this case myself.”

“That’s true.” Yokomizo Shigego had intended to make things difficult for the other party, but then he realized that the other party had indeed only just learned the details of the case…

Being able to deduce so much already puts you in the more advanced category.

If he hadn't known that the Metropolitan Police Department had only just compiled and released the information today, he would have suspected that the other party had secretly reviewed the data.

At this moment, Saitama Prefecture's female police inspector, Ayami Ogino, suddenly spoke up and asked, "But... I'm very curious, Advisor Fujino, how exactly did you arrive at the culprit's personality profile?"

"It's just analyzing his logic based on his behavior," Fujino said calmly. "After handling many cases, you naturally understand the psychology of criminals like this."

Ayami Ogino: "..." This guy should be in Versailles, right?

It's definitely in Versailles...

"That's what you call intuition," Sato Miwako said helplessly as she walked over, having heard it so many times before. "He always talks about intuition, but... I have to admit, it really works."

"Thinking back carefully, Advisor Fujino's intuition hasn't been wrong at all so far." Shiratori, who had come along with them, was unwilling to admit it, but had to agree with this.

"Yes, Advisor Fujino always manages to discover clues that ordinary people can't, just like magic." Yokomizo Sango is a detective enthusiast himself, and he has quite a bit of admiration for Fujino.

“Senior Ogino, you’re here…” At that moment, a young policewoman with a ponytail came over and greeted Ayami Ogino.

"So in situations like this, it's best to be more composed..."

"Yes, yes, I understand, senior!"

Ayami Ogino turned around, squinted at her, and then introduced her to the crowd: "This is our new police inspector from Saitama Prefecture, named Misa Toyota."

"I didn't expect you to become a senior!"

Upon hearing this, Yokomizo Sango smiled and teased Ogino Ayami.

Ayami Ogino shrugged and smiled helplessly: "Compared to me, she's more like you, senpai."

"It's a pity I've already been transferred out of Saitama Prefecture, otherwise she might really have become my junior." Yokomizo Sango laughed heartily.

Fujino glanced at Toyota Misa and thought to himself, "So, this old lady's acting skills are really good. She's quite convincing as a naive and optimistic young girl."

"No wonder she's a veteran Hollywood actress."

"When it comes to impersonating someone else, she really comes out on top."

Just as Fujino was inwardly marveling, Misa Toyota leaned closer with a beaming face, curiously sizing him up: "So this is the legendary Metropolitan Police Department's ace detective, Fujino..."

"Hello."

Fujino greeted him.

Misa Toyota continued with a smile, "You're so young!"

"By the way, are you still single? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Ahem!"

Ayami Ogino coughed lightly and silently pulled her junior aside. "In that case, let's investigate the case as soon as possible, following the direction we already have in mind..."

"If it had been any later, there might have been another victim."

After saying that, she pulled her junior away with a look of embarrassment and annoyance, muttering something as she walked away.

Sato Miwako glanced back at the two of them, her eyes narrowed and blinking, her eyebrows unconsciously arching upwards.

"Now that I've understood the situation and given my opinion, I'll head back now."

"You're just going back like that?"

Sato Miwako turned around and looked at Fujino, who was about to leave, slightly surprised.

Fujino said helplessly, "I can't help in this situation. Besides, quite a few of the police officers don't like me."

“It’s better to leave such trivial matters to the state apparatus.”

"Of course, this is what Manager Matsumoto wants."

Upon hearing this, Miwako Sato sighed helplessly: "I'll let you know if there's any new information."

…………

After leaving the Metropolitan Police Department, it was almost dark.

Fujino arrived at a small park near the Metropolitan Police Department.

The park was dark and almost deserted. Fujino glanced around before finally sitting down to wait.

A short while later, Misa Toyota, whom I had met before, came over and said, "It seems that you are highly regarded by the Metropolitan Police Department, Consultant Detective."

"You naturally become like this after solving many cases." Fujino glanced at her. "On the contrary, you're overdoing it a bit, aren't you?"

“No, not at all.” Toyota Misaka, who looked like a lively girl, spoke up with Vermouth’s voice. “Based on the information I’ve gathered and observed, it’s all normal.”

"So, you're actually a pretty good actor," Fujino remarked, then added curiously, "But compared to her, isn't Ogino Ayami more suitable for you?"

“It’s good enough to have a choice,” Vermouth said helplessly. “Compared to the type of person whose personality is hard to discern, it’s easier to fake someone with a simple personality like her.”

As she spoke, she glanced at him with a hint of disdain: "Or do you prefer that type of policewoman?"

"..."

"I really want to discuss the case information more thoroughly with Advisor Fujino, in a deep way..."

Faced with Vermouth's sudden illness and the voice that sounded like Ayami Ogino's, Fujino remained silent for a moment before gently exhaling a breath: "Climb."

"You really went too far..." Vermouth's voice shifted to her own, "You seemed to like it quite a bit."

As she spoke, she forced a smile and said, "I can also dress up as her. In fact, if you want, I can impersonate almost anyone. Even if I change my face every day, I'll never run out of characters in my life."

"Your method of flirting is really awful," Fujino said, speechless. "Even with a face transplant, it's still just a lump of rotten flesh, isn't it?"

As he spoke, he crossed his arms, adopting the demeanor of an upright gentleman, and said, "I'm not some Teddy who wants to take things further with everyone I meet."

"Is that so?" Vermouth's eyes revealed a hint of doubt and disdain.

Fujino: "..."

So what's with that look in your eyes?

Am I being too lenient with you, old lady?
If you make that face again, I'll send you flying!

Fujino forcibly suppressed the urge to use underhanded tactics against the old lady, and then retorted, "Believe it or not, I'm the kind of person who values ​​feelings."

"Heh." Vermouth chuckled disdainfully. "Men really do like to use the same old lines."

Fujino shrugged helplessly: "I learned it too. Some people like to use the same rhetoric, like saying 'Don't talk about money, talk about feelings.'"

Vermouth lifted her chin: "So you're admitting you're talking nonsense?"

“That’s true to some extent.” Fujino nodded thoughtfully. “However, I do like to talk about feelings, and if someone is good to me, I will really reciprocate.”

"Hmm, I see." Vermouth sighed. "I suffered a lot when I went against you back then."

"So, I suggest you stop going against me in the future." Fujino glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I appreciate beauty, but I'll still do things that destroy flowers. Auntie, you'd better try to control yourself and not become the flower that gets destroyed."

Vermouth simply smiled and said, "It's cute to pretend to be fierce."

(End of this chapter)