Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 397 Clues from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Yamagishi and Fuji then arrived at room 616...

In the sixth-floor corridor, Yamagishi and Fuji took a look, but did not notice any noisy guests or other sounds.

Upon arriving at the door of room 616, the two exchanged a glance, then Yamagishi knocked on the door and swiped his card to enter after hearing "Come in."

The 6th floor has standard rooms, but even the standard rooms at the Suzuki Hotel are five-star standard rooms—small but exquisite, and most importantly, clean…

After entering, Fuji deliberately walked quietly behind Yamagishi and stood still at the entrance, not approaching Mrs. Katagiri.

At the same time, Teng had just entered when he frowned and looked at the dim nightlight by the bedside...

Remembering Fuji's analysis, Yamagishi felt a little nervous looking at Katagiri, who was sitting motionless. However, he still asked professionally, "Mrs. Katagiri, what do you mean by 'very noisy'..."

When they were outside, Yamagishi and Fuji didn't notice any noise, and now the room is very quiet!
“There are still many people in this room,” Katagiri said slowly.

"A person?" Yamagishi was taken aback upon hearing this.

"They're not bad people, but their thoughts and ideas weigh heavily on my mind." Katagiri was clearly rambling on.

rattan:……

Fuji had already given a speechless look to himself—if it were Kawai, he would probably be paralyzed with fear by now!
"Are you talking about ghosts?" Fuji asked directly at this moment.

Katagiri didn't seem surprised at her question, and said without changing her expression or movements, "I don't like the term 'ghost,' it's too pitiful for them... To you, I'm probably just talking nonsense, right? I'm sorry..."

Upon hearing this, Yamagishi quickly replied, "No, if you feel uncomfortable here, we will change your room immediately."

Later, with Yamagishi's coordination, Katagiri was moved to room 1313—the newly vacated "caught in the act" room.

Although the number doesn't sound very auspicious, Katagiri doesn't seem to care.

Before leaving the room on the sixth floor, Yamagishi casually tidied up the paperweight on the table.

After changing rooms, as Fuji and Yamagishi went downstairs, Fuji pressed on in the elevator, asking, "So? Now you should also think there's something wrong with her, right?"

“No, I think… Mrs. Katagiri is just a special group of people with mobility issues!” Yamagishi said, forcing a smile.

"You're really stubborn..." Fujii said, rubbing her forehead. Yamagishi had just moved the paperweight, which showed that she herself was suspicious, but she just refused to say it. That was probably her professionalism.

It was already very late, and Teng had worked enough overtime. Fortunately, the "support" for this mission was very good, and he could go directly to a hotel room after get off work; otherwise, Teng wouldn't have been able to keep watch until now.

"If Katagiri needs anything, remember to call me. I'll be at the hotel." Fuji said as he went to change his clothes.

Yamagishi didn't say anything; it was already time for her to leave work.

……

As Fuji finished get off work, she also informed Shima about Katagiri's situation—Kawai in the monitoring room could keep an eye on her when she left the room, and Shima, as the medic, could enter the room to check when she wasn't there...

Of course, according to the agreement, they couldn't go too far. After all, the other party was only "suspicious." Even if they were investigating a case outside, they couldn't do anything because of that. Besides, they also had to consider the reputation of "Suzuki Hotel."

Just as Fuji had changed his clothes and was preparing to go back to his and Kawai's room to rest, he suddenly received a call from Shiraishi...

Upon seeing the director's number, Fuji knew that the director must have learned something from Shima, so he wanted to question him carefully.

After Fujii explained, Shiraishi also agreed to her decision to "monitor closely"!

After Shiraishi hung up the phone, Ayako, who had overheard some of the conversation, said with some concern, "Could it be... that something really happened in the hotel? Which room?"

"Impossible. If there were anything, I would feel it too." After all, Shiraishi was also a "witch."

This Katagiri guy either has some psychological problems, or he's just pretending to be a ghost, deliberately causing trouble, and actually has some kind of conspiracy!
Of course, the former possibility is also quite high.

After all, this kind of thing is very prevalent in the island nation, and topics like "inspiration" are widely circulated among the people, and most people genuinely believe in them. This makes psychologically sensitive people even more suspicious and paranoid...

The first day of the "secret search" has passed. Although the "Suzuki Hotel" was not exactly peaceful, nothing major happened.

The next morning, before going to work, Fuji went to the hotel restaurant for lunch and happened to see Katagiri there, holding a menu and calling for a waiter, so he glanced over there a couple more times.

“Fujibe… Fuji-senpai, are you going to work? Yawn…” Kawai walked up from behind, yawning. She had just finished get off work and had already changed her clothes.

"Okay, you should get some rest." Teng had just turned around to talk to her when he suddenly turned back to look at her, as if he had sensed something.

Just then, Fuji noticed that Ms. Katagiri had turned her head towards him—although he could only see her through the sunglasses and couldn't see what was in her eyes underneath, and she then casually looked away, Fuji still keenly sensed that... she was looking at him!

Now, the claim of "weak vision" is completely untenable.

There were still more than ten meters between them. Even someone with severe nearsightedness who wasn't wearing glasses wouldn't dare say they could recognize Teng...

If someone can recognize vines from this, they can't possibly be considered visually impaired!

However, since the other party hadn't done anything yet, Fuji didn't make any noise. He simply found a corner, grabbed some self-service food, and ate while keeping an eye on Katagiri.

Just then, Fuji saw the little boy from the Mori family walk towards Katagiri.

Fuji knew that the Mori family was also at the hotel. Detective Mori had previously asked if they needed any help, but of course, the chief refused.

Just as Fuji was wondering what the Mori children were up to...

"Grandma, you're not actually blind, are you?" Conan asked directly.

When Teng heard this, he almost choked on his milk.

It's a good thing Ran wasn't here, otherwise she would definitely have grabbed Conan by the ear...

"Eh? Kid, why are you saying that?" Katagiri still didn't turn his head, pretending not to see.

"Grandma, you opened the menu the waiter handed you, but you didn't take off your gloves at all. You just opened it and immediately closed it, and then called the waiter over to introduce the dishes to you... So you don't know Braille at all, do you?" Conan asked, but his tone was very certain.

That's right, Conan knew perfectly well that such a large hotel must have Braille menus, and the fact that the waiter handed over the menu so quickly meant it must be a Braille menu...

“Little brother, you have a good eye for things. But… this old lady’s eyesight has only recently started to deteriorate. I’m also getting old, so I can’t learn Braille.” Katagiri smiled and made up an excuse.

"I see..." Conan looked innocent, but he kept staring intently at Katagiri.

Ran found him then and quickly interrupted, "Conan, you can't disturb others! Sorry, did this child disturb you?"

"It's alright, he's a very cute child," Katagiri said kindly.

Ran smiled kindly and then led Conan away... Seeing this, Fujiya breathed a sigh of relief—the Mouri kids are really perceptive, but it would be terrible if they alerted her.

Little did they know, Conan was doing it on purpose!

Mori didn't know what the Beika Police Department was doing at the hotel, but Conan did.

Conan learned about the case from Shiraishi earlier...

Therefore, Conan has been observing other guests, including hotel staff, and Katagiri is undoubtedly the most suspicious one among them!
Fujii finished his meal slowly and deliberately, then reluctantly changed into his uniform and went to the front desk.

"Huh? Yamagishi isn't working today?" Fuji asked Hisagi when Yamagishi wasn't there.

I casually replied, "That Katagiri lady just called her over."

"Oh..." Teng responded, but immediately sensed something was wrong. He turned around, went back to the work area, and frantically pressed the elevator button!
"Huh? Where are you going... Really... What kind of hotel are you from?!" Seeing this, Kuga was speechless—your hotel is such a makeshift operation!
As Fujitsu rushed to room 1313, he asked over the walkie-talkie, "Muto, how long ago did Yamagishi enter room 1313?"

"Hmm? That front desk supervisor? It's been about ten minutes..." Muto also learned that "we need to keep an eye on 1313" when he was handing over the shift to Kawai.

Upon reaching the door, Teng took a deep breath and then knocked.

dong dong dong-

Click...

After knocking, the door opened directly, and Fujimoto instinctively assumed a defensive posture, but was immediately pulled aside by Yamagishi, who came out of the door.

"What's wrong with her now?" Teng asked, frowning.

"She just lost a button and asked me to help her find it," Yamagishi said softly.

“That’s perfect… I’ll clean the room then.” Fuji said matter-of-factly—cleaning the room should be done by Shima, and while he’s at it, he can also search her personal belongings!
"Miss Fujii, you don't need to be so wary of your guests," Yamagishi said helplessly.

"You'd better be careful with her," Teng advised.

"I know..." Yamagishi said, pushing Fujisaki away, whispering instructions before returning to his room.

After she closed the door, Fuji pointed to room 1313 on the surveillance camera in the corridor—a reminder to Muto to keep an eye on this room!

After returning to his room, Yamagishi accepted Fuji's suggestion and said to Katagiri, who was sitting at the foot of the bed, "Mrs. Katagiri, I'm sorry I couldn't find it earlier. I can have someone come and clean it thoroughly; I believe that should be enough..."

Just then, Yamagishi's words suddenly stopped—a button fell onto the carpet in front of Katagiri.

Yamagishi is usually very meticulous; she had just been searching on the ground in front of Katagiri, but now there's a button lying there for no apparent reason.

"Wait a moment..." Despite his surprise and suspicion, Yamagishi stepped forward, knelt down, and picked up the button from the ground.

Katagiri remained seated there with a blank expression throughout.

"Katagiri... Madam, is this it?" Yamagishi looked at Katagiri with a scrutinizing gaze.

Katagiri took it, touched it, and said, "Yes, thank you so much."

"It's alright, it's what we should do..."

……

Fuji waited at the door for a while, but thankfully Yamagishi came out soon after.

After the two entered the elevator in silence, Teng asked, "You also find her suspicious?"

"No, everything is normal," Yamagishi insisted.

“But… your makeup is caked up,” Teng reminded her.

Upon hearing this, Yamagishi first frantically pulled out his personal makeup mirror, then angrily said to Fuji, "What do you mean by caking powder... I... I know you used to be a detective, and suspecting others is your profession, but please respect my profession!"

"Your profession? I think hotel staff should also have the responsibility of protecting the safety of guests, right? We're staking out a serial killer," Fuji retorted matter-of-factly.

"I……"

Ding--

Just as tensions were building inside the elevator, it opened with a "ding," revealing a young couple outside who looked at them somewhat awkwardly.

The two quickly composed themselves and greeted each other politely, "Hello, Mr. and Ms. Takayama... Are you going to the third floor?"

“Yes, that’s right.” The Gao couple smiled and said.

"You're going to discuss wedding arrangements, right? Congratulations." Yamagishi was very professional, remembering the important guests at the hotel.

For example, the couple in front of us, Gao Shan and his wife, are the newlyweds who will be holding their wedding at the hotel.

"Thank you." The young couple smiled broadly, looking very happy.

After Yamagishi and Fuji left the elevator, Fuji specifically asked, "Are they getting married at the hotel?"

"You're not going to doubt them again, are you?" Yamagishi's face clearly said, "Please be kind."

“If it’s a wedding, the time should have been booked well in advance, right? If that’s the case…” Teng wasn’t specifically doubting them, but rather any guest who “booked well in advance.”

"Come to think of it, Miss Takayama did seem a bit anxious a few days ago..."

Although Yamagishi still adhered to professional ethics, he did make some concessions—at least when cooperating with the police, he was not as secretive as before.

……

At the same time, Shiraishi also received a call from Kuroki—the investigation by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry had found a direction…

In fact, in addition to the deceased Teshima, another civil servant named Tetsuro Okabe was suspected of being Doi's henchman in the previous corruption case at the Civil Engineering Development Bureau.

Teshima and Okabe were likely accomplices in accepting bribes...

Therefore, in terms of benefits, Okabe was undoubtedly the biggest winner from Teshima's death—the dead can't speak, so all he had to do was shift all the blame onto Teshima!

"Moreover, Teshima had only been dead for two days, and Okabe had already submitted multiple pieces of evidence to prove that Teshima was the mastermind behind the bribery. I also investigated the materials he presented, some of which were prepared before Teshima's death. Although he explained that he had been preparing to report Teshima all along, it still felt somewhat deliberate..."

(End of this chapter)