Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 453 The Attack Continues
“K and Q? Now that you mention it… that’s true…” Mori said, confirming Phoenix Wright’s statement first.

Aya then looked at Phoenix Wright speechlessly and said, "Phoenix Wright, so you're listless because you stayed up late playing cards last night, right?"

"Uh... it's Yabari. He was so happy after getting acquitted that he insisted on dragging me to play cards." Naruhodo scratched his head awkwardly.

Ayasato is both his benefactor and his teacher, so Naruhodo is still quite "afraid" of her.

"If that's the case, this color scheme... is it the King and Queen of Spades?" Conan reminded him at this moment.

“That’s right, the spades in the suit symbolize ‘death’.” Yamada seemed to know a lot.

Shiratori then pinched his chin and said, "Inspector Megure's name is Megure Juzo... so it corresponds to K? It should be related to that, right? But as for Attorney Kisaki..." Shiratori didn't think for a moment that Kisaki Eri and Juzo had any connection.

“The Queen’s card is actually ‘Queen,’ which matches the surname of the lawyer, so it seems that the sensationalism is indeed harmful,” Ayasato judged at this moment.

Clearly, the playing card props at the scene were not only used to suggest that the perpetrator was the same person, but were also related to the victim's name!

"Wait, if that's the case, does that mean... the killer has many targets?" Shiratori said gravely.

“That’s right, the numbers are from 1 to 11, and… J ​​should be something like soldier or samurai, right? Detective Mouri…” Shiraishi then looked at Kogoro Mouri.

If the two crimes were indeed committed by the same person, and the perpetrator is likely to continue committing crimes, then the perpetrator is very likely to be connected to Kogoro Mouri—the only connection between Inspector Megure and Attorney Kisaki is Kogoro Mouri!
"Playing cards... Could it be... that guy?" Mori seemed to have thought of a clue, his face turning frighteningly dark.

Shiraishi was also taken aback when he heard this. Originally, Shiraishi just wanted to ask who else was around Mori and who was related to him. After all, Mori was a former detective and now a detective, which were both hated professions. If you were to ask "who has a grudge against him", the scope would be too broad.

However, to Shiraishi's surprise, Mori seemed to immediately realize something...

"Does Detective Mori have any leads?" Gen asked, seeing this.

“I once caught a robber who tried to take hostages and escape during interrogation…”

As Mori spoke, Shiraishi's expression shifted, and he said, "Hmm? Is it that Aokage Takeru? Wasn't he already executed?"

"Huh? Not Aokage Takeru... it's a guy named Murakami Takeru. Aokage Takeru... that sounds familiar, isn't he a serial killer from a few years ago? I'm talking about ten years ago, when I was still a detective," Mori corrected.

Shiraishi:……

Goodness, so many prisoners escaped during interrogation?
And they're all named "Zhang" (丈), you "Zhang" generation people are really something!

"I see, please continue," Shiraishi said helplessly.

"Inspector Megure and I were the ones who first caught him, but when he escaped during interrogation..." Mori paused here, then continued, "I was the one who arrested him afterwards, so he must hate me a lot."

That alone doesn't seem to prove anything, since there are many people who hate the Mori.

However, Mori later added, "That guy used to be a dealer in an underground casino, and he always dealt with playing cards... and Inspector Megure just reminded me a couple of days ago that Murakami Joe was recently released on parole."

Ten years ago, it wouldn't be surprising to see someone granted parole now.

After all, the actual sentences in the island nation are generally low, both in terms of sentencing and execution. In theory, one can apply for parole after serving one-third of the sentence. Although parole after one-third of the sentence is very difficult, prisoners with long sentences can generally be paroled when two-thirds of the sentence has been served.

Upon hearing Mori's words, the police officers present also began to believe that it was Murakami Takeshi who attacked Inspector Megure and Attorney Kisaki...

"Damn it! If that's the case, why didn't you just come to me directly!" Kogoro Mori said angrily.

“Generally speaking, this is probably done to make you suffer more… Oh right, I remember, when he was escaping, the person who kidnapped him was…” Shiratori said, oblivious to the atmosphere.

Xiao Lan, who was standing to the side, seemed to recall something as well. But just then, Yuan suddenly noticed that the lawyer with the pompadour hairstyle named Naruhodo seemed uneasy, as if he was afraid of something. So he took the initiative to ask, "Attorney Naruhodo, what have you thought of?"

Because of the interruption, Shiratori also fell silent.

"Um... my name is Naruhodo Ryuichi... I hope the criminal won't target me?" Naruhodo said somewhat flusteredly, but then tried to save face: "It's not that I'm scared! If they do target me... it's perfect for arresting them... hahaha... haha."

Everyone:...

"I don't know you that well, do I?" Mori rolled his eyes at him.

Shiraishi added, "That's right, and if we're talking about 'one,' it's definitely Shinichi Kudo who's closer to the Mori family."

“That’s right… Hmm? Who’s close to that kid?” Mori immediately corrected.

Upon hearing this, Naruhodo breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"As for '2' and '3', we have them right here." Shiratori said, looking at Gen: "Officer Gen's name is 'Gen Seiji', right?"

“Hmm.” Gen nodded. Although the previous Chief Kunikida was also called “Seiji”, Chief Kunikida rarely appeared at crime scenes. In Beika Town, it was usually other detectives who encountered Mori, and Gen encountered him more often.

"In addition, my full name is 'Shiratori Ninzaburo'." The other "3" that Shiratori mentioned refers to himself.

"We don't know if the criminal is just making things up, or even if they're using the Murakami family's affair to fish in troubled waters." Shiraishi interrupted their search for numbers, feeling it was pointless.

“That’s true…then let’s go ask Murakami first,” Gen suggested.

Since it's parole, he should still be under the Ministry of Justice's parole supervision.

“Then I’ll go look for clues on this box of chocolates… After all, Inspector Megure is injured, and we in the three departments can’t just pretend we didn’t see it,” Shiratori said. Cases at the Beika Police Station generally don’t require the involvement of detectives from the headquarters, so Shiratori made a point of explaining this.

Shiraishi, of course, did not object...

"Alright, Attorney Fei is alright now, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. We'll leave the rest to you officers." Aya then addressed the officers present.

"Yes, thank you for your cooperation. If there is anything else later..." Yuan nodded - Ayari and Naruhodo, as witnesses to "Eri Kisaki's poisoning", had already given statements.

"Don't worry, we're professionals. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me anytime," Ayari said, taking out her business card holder.

Just as Gen reached out to take the business card, Aya handed it to Shiraishi instead, giving him a knowing look.

Surprisingly, Shiraishi actually accepted the offer and even nodded.

source:???

Shiratori, Yamada:......

Conan:! ! !
Although Xiaolan, the official promoter of Iron Blood, was distracted by her father's words and did not notice this scene, the others who did notice it looked around awkwardly—"If you two are going to use secret signals, can you at least be a little more discreet?"
Gen now feels that it's fortunate Muto went to "Capital Security Company," otherwise going to a company under the Suzuki Group... seems quite unsafe!

Who knows, one day I might get kicked out just because my left foot went in first... Yuan thought to himself, thankfully I'm younger than the director. By the time I retire, I should already know whether I'll be able to work for the Suzuki family!

Conan glared at Shiraishi intently—"You and that wicked woman from the Black Organization, you even picked a fight with me because of that 'rumor-mongering senior'..."

After pretending to be a pure and innocent hero with me, now that Ayako-nee isn't around, you're flirting with the beautiful lawyer, right?
Of course, Shiraishi is doing this openly and honestly!
Shiraishi also realized that Chihiro Ayari's wearing of this magatama necklace was not a chance encounter, nor was it something a teacher had learned from ancient books to recognize as "Courage Dandelion"...

Chihiro Ayari is really something.

She might not be as strong as Akako, but Ayasato Chihiro is also "on the other side".

I gave my business card to Shiraishi not only because of the case, but also to facilitate future communication.

even……

"Is Director Shiraishi off tomorrow? How about we go out for a cup of tea?" Ayari asked directly.

Source, Yamada:......

That's why, if Gen and Yamada were in Kuroki's place, they might have already gone to inform Ayako.

"Tomorrow? Sorry, I have plans for tomorrow. How about the day after tomorrow?" Shiraishi Akira had already accepted Ayako's invitation.

"I'll contact you then." As a lawyer, Ayari isn't exactly free.

Neither of them was in a hurry...

……

Afterwards, the Mori father and daughter remained in the hospital, and detectives from the Beika Police Station and the headquarters launched an investigation into the case. Because no one had been killed yet, no one mentioned "establishing an investigation headquarters" despite the serial attacks.

The next day, Saturday, May 20th.

Although the island nation doesn't celebrate 520 and doesn't have this homonym, Shiraishi still spent the day peacefully and quietly with Ayako... That was Shiraishi's original plan!
However, while the two were having lunch at Manman Beef Bowl Restaurant, Shiraishi received a call from the Criminal Investigation Department office.

"Hello, this is Shiraishi..."

"Chief, Professor Agasa from 2-chome was just attacked with a crossbow at his doorstep... but it wasn't fatal, and he's been taken to the hospital," Munakata's voice rang out.

"What? Professor Agasa was attacked too? And with crossbows?" Shiraishi was taken aback.

Generally speaking, such "minor cases" do not require Baishi's attention, especially since he specifically called Baishi on a Saturday.

However, since this case also involved a "crossbow bolt" and a "related person," Munakata naturally included it in the previous serial assault case. Chief Inspector Shiraishi was very concerned about this case, and since Professor Agasa was someone the chief knew, he immediately made a phone call.

"The prisoner escaped again?" Shiraishi knew that if he hadn't escaped, Munakata would definitely say so.

"Yes, the perpetrator rode a motorcycle this time. He first broke the glass to lure the person out, then shot them with a crossbow, and then escaped on the motorcycle... The motorcycle's license plate number has been identified; it's a stolen vehicle. The crossbow also looks to be the same model as the one used to attack Inspector Megure," Munakata reported.

"Were any unusual paper products found at the scene?" Shiraishi pressed.

“Yes, a spiral-shaped sword,” Zongfang said.

"A spiral sword? J?" Shiraishi said, frowning.

If "K" sword is a treasured sword, then "J" sword is an ordinary sword. Obviously, the one left with Professor Agasa is "J"!
However, Shiraishi couldn't immediately figure out what Professor Agasa had to do with "soldier," "samurai," or "eleven."

“That’s right. I heard that Professor Agasa’s name is ‘Professor Agasa’. Maybe it’s because the character ‘士’ (shi) can be broken down into ‘eleven’.” Munakata said, offering his guess.

Shiraishi:……

What a lousy name!

and also……

Is the murderer telling a lame joke?

They even broke down the character "士" (shi)...

If you look closely, there's a "ten" in my "black". Do you want to come and compare notes with me?
Shiraishi thought to himself.

"Okay, I understand... It's at the East Emperor Hospital too, right? I'll go check on it... By the way, why is Section Chief Munakata working overtime today?" Shiraishi asked curiously at the end.

"Kotomi went out to play with the Detective Boys, and I'm just killing time... Maybe the Chief is right." Munakata didn't stop Kotomi from making new friends after hearing Shiraishi's words.

and……

Zongfang wasn't lazy; he just prioritized childcare. Since Kotomi didn't need him to take care of her now, he figured he might as well come to the police station instead of being bored at home.

……

"What's wrong with Professor Agasa?" Ayako asked after Shiraishi hung up the phone, having overheard some of it.

In theory, the lab that Ayako applied for was for Professor Agasa, who was also an external expert at the Suzuki Group's research institute. However, Ayako was unaware of this, as Ai usually used the lab alone.

“Professor Agasa was just attacked in front of his house, but don’t worry, he’s not in any danger. It should be the same person who attacked Inspector Megure… Let’s go to Touji Hospital,” Shiraishi said.

“Yes!” Ayako nodded.

After all, Professor Agasa was an external expert hired by Ayako, so it's only right that he visit him.

In addition...

Since she came with Ayako, someone had already delivered gifts when they arrived at the hospital entrance. Ayako simply picked them up, avoiding the awkward situation of Shiraishi having to go back to the Beika office to get flowers.

Arriving at Professor Agasa's hospital room, I found him lying there, seemingly alright, except... the location of his wound was rather awkward!

Just then, the prisoner shot him in the buttocks with an arrow...

When Shiraishi arrived, he found Conan, Shiratori, and Gen also there; the latter two were clearly trying to understand the details of the case.

"How awful! That prisoner smashed my window, and when I went out to look, he shot an arrow at me. I wasn't careful and didn't dodge, and the arrow 'thud' pierced my flesh..."

(End of this chapter)