Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 374 Double Portions of "Red Bean Paste"

"Haha, you got a call from that big guy too?"

"That's right, a police station chief actually dared to do such a thing... I hardly recognize the police force these days!"

Ejiri and Takada were on the phone at that moment, both of them scoffing at Shiraishi's threats.

"However, we still need to be a little more careful. After all, that Shiraishi Kuro has caused quite a bit of trouble. Inukai and Atsumori were forced to withdraw from the scene because of him," Ejiri said steadily.

"Don't worry, Ms. Ejiri, I'll go find Chief Inspector Hakuba right now. I want to see if I really don't recognize this police force anymore," Takada said confidently.

"Hmm, I'll also go have tea with Secretary-General Minobe. Shiraishi Kuro... tsk tsk." Ejiri indicated that she had a bigger backer.

"Please give my regards to Secretary-General Minobe," Takada said hurriedly with concern.

“Well, I’ll see if I can bring you to Secretary-General Minobe’s tea party next time.” Ejiri seemed equally concerned, and continued, “I’m almost at Secretary-General Minobe’s residence. We can talk at my house afterwards.”

"Yes, yes, I'm almost at Bai Ma's house..."

The two then hung up the phone, and then...

"Has the press conference been arranged?" Jiangjiri asked her secretary.

“Yes, Ms. Ejiri, as you said, we only invited a few reporters we have a good relationship with. We've also contacted Dongdu TV; they'll start airing during the latter half of the press conference.” The secretary hesitated, then added, “Ms. Ejiri, is it really that urgent? Maybe Takada can hold out…”

"Hey, you're still too green... That guy Takada is incredibly cunning and always changes his tune depending on the wind. He might be preparing for a press conference tomorrow!" Ejiri said with a serious expression.

Ejiri, who had said on the phone that she was almost at the Minobe residence, arrived at the small auditorium where they had just agreed to meet. Several interview vehicles were already parked outside.

Seeing this, Jiangjiri's eyelids twitched—if he could, he wouldn't want to hold this press conference either…

However, firstly, it was Shiraishi Kuro who wanted to reopen the investigation, which made him feel that he "might not be able to control himself"; secondly, his collaborator in this matter was the despicable Takada Koichiro, which meant that as soon as there was any sign of trouble, he had to engage in a zero-sum game with Takada first!

"Damn Shiraishi Kuro! Damn Takada! Why are they all so wicked!" Ejiri cursed.

……

On the other hand, Koichiro Takada, who was "almost at Director Hakuba's house," discreetly drove his car into the parking lot of Higashi Island Television Station...

“Teacher Takada, we’ve already booked a news segment, but… do we really have to do this? Isn’t Representative Ejiri going to see Secretary-General Minobe…” Takada’s secretary was still a little hesitant.

"Idiot! You're just as stupid as Yasuda! If I don't hold a press conference today, that old fox might hold one tomorrow to smear me! He doesn't even care that his son died. He's not trustworthy at all. He probably doesn't even care about his reputation!" Takada said, hitting his secretary with his cane before limping and hurrying to the studio.

……

"Out of my instinct to love my children, I disregarded national laws and accepted the proposals of certain individuals who abused their power for personal gain. This has caused trouble for the victims' families and the entire nation. I am truly ashamed and deeply sorry for this!"

……

"As a police officer, I failed to resist pressure from higher-ups and allowed criminal investigators to conceal the details of the case. This is a serious dereliction of duty, and I am extremely sorry!"

……

On March 27, just before the evening news, many TV stations aired emergency reports—a double dose of "Red Bean Paste Private Masai"!

Especially Mikasa TV...

Although neither of the apologies was made to him, Beika TV did something quite interesting: they edited the two apology press conferences together and broadcast them together.

The two of them provided a rich selection of "appetizers" for the dinner of the people of the East Island, including two large servings of "red bean paste".

The entire population of the island nation watched this scene with great interest.

I've seen plenty of "red bean paste private masquerade" videos, but this is the first time I've seen two "red bean paste private masquerade" videos in a row.

And just by listening to the content of their press conference...

Although they were talking about the same thing, they clearly didn't agree on how to explain it together; instead, they each gave their own interpretations.

Regarding the incident itself, everyone can understand it—twenty years ago, the son of Shuichi Ejiri, then the Minister of Finance, was still in high school and caused the death of an elementary school girl. Afterwards, Koichiro Takada, then the Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department, covered up the crime for him...

The explosion at Miho Port this morning is a continuation of this case!

However, the two gave completely different accounts of the details of the incident.

Shuichi Ejiri claimed that he "took the little girl away as a prank," "accidentally caused her death," and that "a deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department offered to help cover up the crime"...

Koichiro Takada, on the other hand, referred to "despicable crimes," "pressure from the Minister of State," and "turning a blind eye to the bribery of detectives"...

After their respective press conferences ended, they learned that the other had also held a press conference, and they were so angry that they cursed each other!
"How could Takada be so wicked! He even went to find Chief Hakuba. He's a former police officer, yet he couldn't even stand up for a day. What a spineless coward!"

"Ejiri is indeed a cunning old fox; she actually scheduled a press conference today..."

The two even spoke on the phone while on their way to the press conference.

During their conversation, both men expressed their disdain for Shiraishi and said they would continue to work together to suppress the news, but it turned out that they were both trying to appease each other.

……

In Okutama Town, beneath a cliff, under the twinkling starlight...

"Signal! Signal!" Shiraishi held his phone high, searching for a signal.

On the phone, the double-edited version from Mika TV was playing!

Uncle Kaneko seemed to have let his guard down by then, and he moved closer to Shiraishi, looking up at his phone screen on tiptoe, tears streaming down his face.

Manami, having already stepped out of the "minefield" at Conan's prompting, was also noticed by Kaneko, but she did not stop her.

Now that she had seen Takada and Ejiri "confess," Kaneko didn't want to kill an innocent little girl.

Yasuda watched the live stream from Shiraishi's side with growing anxiety—although he couldn't see the screen clearly, he could hear some sounds, and vaguely recognized a familiar voice distributing "red bean paste"...

"Takada is still lying! Detective Sugihara, who was in charge of the case back then, remembered Satoko's story on his deathbed, and... he was also in great pain. He must have forced Detective Sugihara to do this!" Kaneko stomped her feet in anger at Takada's shameless remarks.

Both Ejiri and Takada made huge mistakes twenty years ago, but if we had to choose one over the other, Shiraishi did think Takada was a bigger bastard—Shiraishi's words to Ejiri earlier weren't just meant to provoke him.

Even now, he still wants to blame the investigating police officers, claiming that he simply "turned a blind eye"...

"See? I told you dead people can't talk, right? Trying to prove your point by dying doesn't work in modern society. You have to be alive to have a chance to speak." As he spoke, Shiraishi took the remote control from Kaneko's hand.

Jinzi didn't resist at this point...

Although Takada's "public apology" angered him, however...

At least expose what they've been doing!

Moreover, Ejiri had already stepped forward, so it wouldn't be so easy for Takada to shift the blame... This was exactly what Kaneko and Ando originally wanted.

even……

"Actually, when Saki and I first found him, we just wanted him to apologize publicly... but that bastard... knowing that the statute of limitations had expired... still mocked us!" Kaneko gritted her teeth in anger.

"Ah... mine's dead too." Shiraishi looked helplessly at the blacked-out phone screen.

Then Shiraishi looked at him and Yasuda and said, "Alright, you two are now under arrest. I hope you don't try to escape... In a place like this, I really don't know what kind of transportation can help you escape."

Well, cars can't drive in here, and it's all forest, so helicopters can't land here either. Shiraishi couldn't even imagine under what circumstances he could escape from his grasp.

At this point, Kaneko and Yasuda showed no intention of resisting...

Both of them had already contemplated suicide. Kaneko was thinking that if Takada didn't confess, she would kill his granddaughter and then atone with her death. Yasuda, on the other hand, was thinking that he would kill the kidnappers and then commit suicide so that there would be no witnesses and he could repay the kindness he had shown.

Now, after Takada held its press conference...

Although he continued to make excuses and try to downplay the seriousness of the matter at the press conference, he was at least forced to reveal the truth of what happened back then. As a result, neither of them had any reason to die.

Afterwards, Shiraishi led two adults and two children, and the four of them walked together towards the main road...

Before his phone ran out of battery, Shiraishi had called the police station to ask them to come and pick him up. However, the police car could only drive to the main road, as this area was basically already in the "mountain forest" zone.

Don't be fooled by how quickly Baishi got from the "abandoned warehouse" earlier; that was mainly because he took a shortcut—the kind that uses gravity to accelerate his movement. To get out of here, he'll really have to "cross mountains and valleys."

"Sigh, I have to escort two suspects and protect two hostages all by myself. According to regulations, this is extremely dangerous. If necessary, I can take the hostages and leave first!"

"What a life of toil, it's already so late..."

"Conan, you stay at the very back and keep an eye on them for me. Don't let them get away."

While carrying the exhausted Manami, Shiraishi gave Conan orders.

Conan: ...

Do you want to look at what you're saying?
"No need... I'll go behind. It's not safe in the mountains at night... I won't run away!" Yasuda said sullenly.

I always felt that Shiraishi's "complaints" were actually a self-criticism.

Shiraishi glanced at him but didn't say anything.

It's true that it's not safe to go into the mountains at night...

Although Okutama Town is administratively part of Tohoku, it is not only sparsely populated, but also has only a few thousand permanent residents. As the largest administrative area in Tohoku, it is 94% forested and mountainous, with hundreds of black bear sightings recorded every year!
Just then, there was a sudden rustling in the bushes ahead...

"Gurgle... I hope there aren't any bears?" Jinzi said with some concern.

“No, Okutama Town only has black bears. Black bears are usually active during the day, and…” Conan said, looking at Shiraishi.

Moreover, black bears are not as big as brown bears, and their weight is about the same as Shiraishi's, so perhaps... it's a 50/50 match?

But even if it's not a black bear

"I should have just grabbed two packets of explosives for self-defense," Jinzi thought with some regret.

Conan: ...

Please take something normal for self-defense!

Bai Shi calmly said, "It's not a black bear, just a wild boar." Others couldn't see clearly at night, but Bai Shi could.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. It was just a wild boar... or so they thought! What do you mean by "just a wild boar"?
"Wild boars are worse than black bears, aren't they!" Conan exclaimed nervously.

He still has one tranquilizer watch left...

Previously, when facing the "kidnappers," he never found an opportunity, since the female kidnapper was either driving or there were two kidnappers present at the same time, while he was taken away as soon as the male kidnapper appeared.

Similarly, he would need Yasuda to bring him here to stop the male kidnapper from harming the hostages, and it would be impossible for him to use... on Yasuda.

However, Conan didn't think that this tranquilizer dart would be enough to deal with the wild boar!

Even setting aside whether it could pierce the pigskin, even if it did pierce the flesh, if the anesthetic needle were truly powerful enough to paralyze a wild boar, Uncle Mori would probably be dead already…

Bai Shi calmly said, "Don't be afraid, you've been behind me the whole time, it probably won't dare to come over."

As Shiraishi spoke, he led everyone around in the manner of a mother hen protecting her chicks, but...

What happened was counterproductive!

The wild boar was probably extremely hungry and a little frightened, mistaking Shiroshi for a black bear, and charged straight at him!

Now everyone else could see clearly that it was indeed a wild boar.

Two fangs, gleaming coldly in the moonlight, charged directly at the white stone at the front...

"Watch out!" Conan shouted immediately.

The next moment, Shiraishi reached out to block...

Conan:? ? ?
Conan was also stunned by what he saw.

He had originally hoped that Shiraishi could manage to hold his own against the wild boar.

however……

What kind of operation is it to block directly?
And why did you use your left hand, which was wrapped in bandages, to block it?
Oh, you're holding a child in your right hand... Well then, put it down!
Conan was at a loss for words, so he turned on his watch and aimed—if he could shoot it into the mouth, maybe he'd have a chance…

boom--

Just then, a muffled thud was heard!
To everyone's surprise, the wild boar actually "voluntarily" stopped in front of Shiraishi?

but……

Looking at the wild boar, it was still pawing at the ground, and it didn't seem like it had stopped "voluntarily"!

However, thanks to Bai Shi's left hand blocking the way, the wild boar remained completely still and was firmly held in front of him.

Shiraishi was even holding Manami, without rocking her at all...

At the same time, Bai Shi stared at the wild boar, his expression cold, and said, "Get lost!"

(End of this chapter)