The unscrupulous detective in Conan

Chapter 1472 That Despicable Little Brat
Sato Miwako frowned slightly and murmured, "In that case, it explains how they were found..."

"The characteristics of these people are now clear; they are all survivors of the fire two years ago. The only thing that could possibly bring them death is this one incident. If he has their addresses, then he might indeed be able to..."

"Besides, he's Nanako Honjo's older brother. If it's a brother seeking revenge for his sister, then that motive is perfectly reasonable..."

Miwako Sato began to reason, muttering to herself and nodding as she did so, appearing to be very serious about her deductions.

Fujino didn't intend to let her continue pondering this alone, forcefully interrupting her reasoning: "Actually, these motives and such aren't his biggest problem. The biggest problem is that when we asked him to provide information about Mizutani, he gave us Mizutani's address without hesitation."

Sato Miwako asked, puzzled, "What's so strange about that?"

“Think about it carefully…” Fujino rolled his eyes at her, crossed his arms and explained, “I warned him before I said these things, and even said outright that his sister might have been murdered, and that Mizutani was avenging his sister.”

"However, he still revealed information about Mizutani, and even gave us his address."

What else does this prove?

Sato Miwako was taken aback: "What does that mean?"

Fujino looked at her with an expression as if he were looking at a little fool.

Her face immediately filled with resentment: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Fujino shook his head: "It's nothing, it's just that... you seem a little silly."

"Where am I stupid?" Sato Miwako put her hands on her hips, then bumped her elbow into the passenger door, wincing in pain.

Fujino wanted to laugh a little.

Despite putting on such a serious expression, she seemed a little sleepy and confused.

That's probably what makes this boss lady so endearing.

Sato Miwako rubbed her elbow and complained, "If you're going to say something, just say it directly. Don't jump around like that and say halfway through!"

As she spoke, she pouted in dissatisfaction: "Even a great detective like you, who can tell who the murderer is at a glance, can't keep up with your train of thought. How am I supposed to guess?"

Listening to the boasting of the pretty but shrewish older woman in front of him, Fujino felt somewhat satisfied.

So he pretended to sigh and explained, "In this way, we can definitively deduce his relationship with Mizutani. After learning that his sister might have been murdered, a normal person would not stop someone from seeking revenge. The only three possibilities I can think of are what he said."

"One possibility is that he's the type who would never protect a murderer even if his sister was killed. Another possibility is that he's a bit slow to react. As for the last possibility, it's that he's in cahoots with that guy and already knows he's moved to a different location, so he's providing us with false information."

"Personally, I prefer the last one."

Sato Miwako seemed thoughtful upon hearing this: "In this way, he won't only avoid revealing his true colors, but he'll also gain our trust, is that right?"

“Something unusual is bound to happen, and I think it’s very likely.” Fujino nodded. “Besides, it’s unlikely that anyone other than our police would have an address. He has an address, and it’s even down to the house number. Even if he didn’t do it, he’s at least involved in it.”

Sato Miwako stroked her chin, finally catching up with Fujino's train of thought.

She glanced at Fujino out of the corner of her eye, a hint of vanity flashing in her eyes as if to say, "My child is so great."

But he quickly suppressed that expression.

She asked, "So what should we do now?"

"Of course we should go and check out the address he mentioned..." Fujino said matter-of-factly.

Miwako Sato pointed to the coffee shop next door: "I mean, he doesn't need to keep an eye on things here?"

Fujino fastened his seatbelt: "Keeping an eye on it won't make much difference, but it'll do."

"Then I'll stay?" Miwako Sato suggested.

Fujino shook her head slightly: "Why don't we just call someone directly? The Metropolitan Police Department isn't far from here. Boss, you'll have to come with me, you know. I don't have any law enforcement authority."

"Tsk..." she clicked her tongue: "It's like you have law enforcement power when you're handling cases."

"I don't care, you have to come along anyway."

Upon hearing Fujino's words, Sato Miwako felt a strange sensation.

Is this kid trying to charm me?

She just begged me for the police light, teased me, and now she's begging me to keep her company like a spoiled child...

Isn't this just seducing me?
What a wretched little brat!
She glanced out of the corner of her eye and suddenly noticed that Fujino had already opened the car window and reached his hand out.

Her face immediately darkened as she said, "You brat, going to turn on the police lights again? It's not that far... If anyone's going to turn on the police lights, it should be me!"

“That won’t do, I have to have some fun.” Fujino turned on the police lights on his own, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

"Stop flashing the police lights, please!" Sato Miwako was on the verge of tears, knowing full well that this was a reference to the oath she had taken to become a dog repairman.

Unfortunately, Fujino's actions were so smooth and efficient that Sato Miwako had no chance to stop him.

She could only turn red with anger, stomping her feet in frustration as she was strapped into the passenger seat by the seatbelt.

He cursed inwardly: This wretched brat, does he really want to turn me into a repairman?

Mitaka City is within Tokyo and not too far away.

However, they have already been on the road for a day.

The sun gradually set.

As darkness fell, the two arrived at the address provided by Kazuki Honjo in Mitaka City before nightfall.

It was a very simple rental house, a simple two-story wooden six-room low-rent house. Low-rent houses like this are almost standard for working people and students in Tokyo, and they are usually named after something like "house".

Compared to those dilapidated places, this place is obviously much cleaner.

Above the door hangs a small wooden plaque that reads: [Kosuke Mizutani (heart) Nanako Honjo]

Fujino glanced at the door in front of him and felt a pang of sadness for Mizutani Kosuke.

He could tell that the young couple was very much in love, but at the same time, he felt a little sorry for them.

The young couple finally managed to travel to Kyoto for Qixi Festival, but a fire separated them forever.

Sometimes, the world is just like that, unpredictable.

Fujino sighed, looked at the door in front of him, and for a moment had no intention of knocking on it.

It wasn't that he wanted to show favoritism this time; the main reason was that he knew very well that Mizutani Kosuke wasn't here.

In his mind, Mizutani Kosuke should now be preparing to take the blame for his brother-in-law.

His brother-in-law was, of course, Ben Shang and Shu.

Fujino remembered the plot of the case. In his memory, it was all done by Honjou Kazuki, and had nothing to do with Mizutani Kosuke. Perhaps the only connection was that Mizutani, this unlucky guy, was a scapegoat that Honjou Kazuki had arranged from the beginning.

This brother-in-law knew that his sister had voluntarily given up her escape spot when she died.

However, being a doting brother, he has no intention of forgiving the seven people who killed his sister, whether they killed her directly or indirectly.

After preparing a revenge plan, he placed the part of the plan to exonerate himself on Mizutani Kosuke, and directly told his brother-in-law that his sister was killed by those seven people.

As a result, Kosuke Mizutani, who loved his sister, became the scapegoat.

This scapegoat is now fully prepared to take the blame for all the crimes.

The items taken from the crime scene were all used as evidence to shift blame.

Fujino went through the plot in his mind, thought for a moment, and finally knocked on the door.

After all, Sato Miwako, that kind lady who was so excited and ran behind the window to wait for people as soon as she got off the car, was still waiting there eagerly.

She'll be unhappy if she doesn't act.

Fujino knocked on the door absentmindedly for a while, but the empty room naturally didn't respond.

It was the man living next door who was attracted by the sounds.

The man came out and looked at Fujino with a puzzled expression: "Excuse me, sir, are you looking for Mizutani?"

“That’s right, I want to find out some things from him.” Fujino looked at him with a polite and kind smile on his face.

"Mizutani isn't home. Is there something you need from him?"

"It's some details about his girlfriend's case."

"May I ask you are……"

"Fujino, Consultant Detective of the Tokyo Metropolitan Criminal Investigation Department."

"Fuji...Mr. Fujino?!"

The man living next door was clearly a detective enthusiast as well. After hearing of Fujino's great reputation, he warmly invited him into his home.

According to his self-introduction, his surname is Ze, his given name is Chun, and he is a graduate student in the law department of an adult university.

He was holding two cups and placing them on the table, his face full of awkwardness: "Please don't mind, I only have juice drinks here."

"It's no problem at all. We're just strangers, so it's good enough that we have something to drink," Fujino waved his hand dismissively and laughed. "I'm only here to find out some information about Mr. Mizutani, like his relationship with his girlfriend, and the specifics..."

Upon hearing this, Sawamura Shun's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Could it be that, Mr. Fujino, you are investigating the case of his girlfriend from back then?"

"That's pretty much it."

“That’s a pity…” Sawamura Shun sighed helplessly. “He hasn’t come back here recently, and I don’t even know where he’s gone.”

Fujino pressed further, "Around when did he go missing?"

After thinking for a moment, Sawamura Shun replied, "It's been about the past year. At first it was occasional, then it became a long time before we could see each other, and now I don't go home at all."

"Actually, ever since his girlfriend died, he's been like this. He doesn't go to his workplace anymore, sometimes he doesn't even leave the house, and he often says things like, 'If I hadn't gone to my friend's house, she wouldn't have died...'"

At this point, he sighed: "To be honest, it's not surprising that he reacted this way. After all, the two of them usually seemed very affectionate. Who would have thought that after all the effort of eloping from Chiba to celebrate Qixi Festival and going on a trip, it would end up like this?"

Fujino couldn't help but nod in agreement: "They really are a pair of star-crossed lovers."

“Who says otherwise?” Sawamura Shun sighed, his voice filled with regret.

Fujino then pressed on, "Speaking of which, Mr. Sawamura, do you have any impression of Nanako Honjo's older brother?"

“Nanako’s brother…” Sawamura Shun seemed to recall, pondering, “He came several times before Nanako passed away, and seemed to have a good relationship with the two of them, but that was two years ago.”

“He has never come since Nanako passed away.”

Sawamura Shun said a lot, and Fujino silently recorded it, intending to use these testimonies as evidence to find some clues and make connections.

By the time we left, it was already dark.

As soon as Fujino came out, he saw a dark ball of fluff huddled at his feet.

Hearing the noise, the black ball raised its head, revealing its face, and stared straight at Fujino, saying, "Are you done talking?"

"We're done talking..."

"Then let's go?"

Miwako Sato laughed as she stood up from the ground, patting off non-existent dust from behind her.

Fujino nodded, and the two went downstairs together.

Then, Fujino felt a sharp pain in his ear.

Sato, the fierce eldest sister, channeled her martial spirit and grabbed his ear, pouting and scolding, "Why didn't you tell me you were going in to chat with the neighbor?!"

"I'm just in a hurry to get information," Fujino said, wincing in pain.

Sato Miwako's face was full of displeasure: "You're in a hurry for information but not for me, huh?"

"Do you know I've been freezing outside for half a day!"

Fujino said with a hint of helplessness, "Why don't you go back to the car and wait? Knocking on the door isn't out of the question."

"The car's locked, where am I supposed to find the keys?" Sato Miwako grumbled in dissatisfaction, then pouted and snorted, "Besides, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go in while you and him are chatting..."

"Aren't you overthinking this?" Fujino said, speechless.

"Who knows if you have other ideas..." Sato Miwako crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at him, then composed herself and asked, "Did you manage to get any information out of him?"

Fujino summarized Sawamura Shun's words: "That Mr. Honjo Kazuki has a very good relationship with Honjo Nanako, and he also seems to get along fairly well with his brother-in-law Mizutani Kosuke. Honjo Kazuki used to visit them in Kyoto quite often."

"In that case, it can be said that your previous reasoning might be correct..."

Upon hearing this, Sato Miwako naturally fell into thought and began to consider the possibilities of the case.

She reasoned: "My sister and lover died, and the two of them cooperated to seek revenge. One of them committed the murders, and the other provided information or something."

Having accepted this viewpoint, she then asked Fujino, "But I'm a little curious, shouldn't his sister have sacrificed herself voluntarily back then? Why is he seeking revenge now?"

"I always felt there was something strange about it."

“You can know a person’s face but not their heart…” Fujino speculated. “What he really wants to do, only he himself probably knows.”

(End of this chapter)