Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 459 His voice and appearance remain
The Crystal Restaurant was never able to open for business; it was destroyed in an explosion.

Fortunately, the murderer's attack was stopped midway, and he was even "pulled back" by Shiraishi when he was about to escape by helicopter.

Afterwards, the mobile unit recovered the bodies of Katsuyoshi Asahi and Takeshi Murakami from the wreckage of the Crystal Restaurant.

Before Sawaki Kohei could kill the person he most wanted to kill, Koyama Nana, he was arrested.

This might be a lucky thing for Koyama, but... her hit-and-run has been exposed, ruining her acting career. It's clear that apart from some short films with very few lines, no other acting opportunities will come her way. In that respect, she's not so lucky after all.

……

Tuesday, May 23, two days have passed since the case was filed.

Odagiri looked at the case report and felt a headache coming on—as the head of the criminal investigation department, he shouldn't have to look at this kind of report personally, but... this report had been returned by the prosecution!
Looking at the report and then at Matsumoto's serious face, Odagiri finally said, "Section Chief Matsumoto... your case report may be true, but... to increase credibility, please don't include some minor details! I don't think he'll mind..."

Indeed, in this report, other aspects are relatively minor, at most concerning the search methods used by individual detectives at the Beika Police Station, which can be addressed with veiled criticism. In contrast, the most glaring issue is actually…

Did Chief Mikata bring down the helicopter when the prisoners tried to escape?

Isn’t this a bit too much?

If Matsumoto hadn't delivered this report with such a serious expression, Odagiri would have already thrown it in his face...

If it were Matsumoto, Odagiri would believe that the report wasn't fabricated, but... it would have been better if it were fabricated!

Hearing the minister say that, Matsumoto didn't take it seriously. After all, for Superintendent Shiraishi, "arresting criminals with bravery" was no longer a significant achievement.

On the contrary, the prosecutors couldn't accept this kind of provocation!

……

Meanwhile, Shiraishi was on his way home after his date with Ayako...

"I see. So Detective Mori fired the gun to ensure Attorney Kisaki's safety back then..." Ayako said with emotion after listening to Shiraishi's account of the daytime case.

Another murder occurred in Beika Town during the day. Although a victim died, thanks to Detective Mori's presence, the murderer was caught on the spot. Coincidentally, this also eased the tension within the Mori family. Furthermore, because Attorney Kisaki was also present, she even received a defense case for the murderer. It's truly a cause for celebration!

"Is this considered a one-stop service?" Xiao Ai complained from the back seat of the car.

Although Shiraishi and Ai themselves felt that they didn't need to bring her along, Ayako would often take the initiative to pick Ai up from school.

“Murderers have the right to a defense too!” Shiraishi said matter-of-factly—it’s not a not guilty plea, it’s just a matter of considering the sentence.

Just then, Shiraishi's phone rang.

"Huh?" Shiraishi was taken aback when he saw the caller ID.

"Is there a case?" Ayako asked upon seeing this.

Ayako was already used to Shiraishi's habit of "taking a phone call and leaving."

“No…” Shiraishi shook his head first, then answered the phone: “Hello, this is Shiraishi…”

beep-

The phone was already busy.

Shiraishi glanced at the number on his phone again and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Ayako asked, puzzled.

“It’s Attorney Ayari’s number…” Shiraishi said, frowning.

"Huh? Attorney Ayasato?" Ayako was taken aback when she heard this—it's one thing to call Shiraishi at this time, but to answer the phone and hang up immediately, what kind of behavior is this?
“I feel something’s not right… I’ll go to her office, it’s in Beika-cho, the office building behind the Beika Hotel.” Shiraishi felt a little uneasy.

After all, not long ago, Chihiro Ayasato had said something "very strange" to Shiraishi.

"Should I go home with my sister-in-law first?" Xiao Ai said, pouting.

"There's no time to waste, let's just go straight there," Shiraishi emphasized.

Ai: ...

Ayako sensed Shiraishi's seriousness and turned around ahead.

On the way, Shiraishi called Ayari twice more, but no one answered, which made Shiraishi's bad premonition even stronger.

When Shiraishi arrived at the office building, his ominous premonition had almost come true—there was already a cordon outside the building, and several police cars from the Beika Police Department and the Metropolitan Police Department were parked outside.

"Oh no..." Knowing something was wrong, Shiraishi quickly got out of the car and walked towards the office building.

During this time, Shiraishi also noticed several Metropolitan Police Department vehicles with license plates belonging to the First Investigation Division, the Eighth Special Police Unit...

First Investigation Division, Perpetrators...

"Could it be..." Bai Shi's heart sank.

He was perfectly healthy and lively the last time we met, she thought to herself...

Please help my sister...

"If only I had listened to her more last time!"

Please help my sister...

"rest assured……"

Please help my sister...

Shiraishi fell silent for a moment, even feeling as if Chihiro Ayasato's voice and appearance were still there.

[Um...you heard me, right? Can you answer me?]

"Ok?"

Shiraishi suddenly realized that the issue was not whether the voice and appearance were still there, but that he had actually "heard" the voice of Attorney Ayari!

only……

Shiraishi looked around but didn't see Attorney Ayari, nor did he find any strange sound-producing device.

"Officer Shiraishi, I'm communicating with you using the power of a medium!" Aya's voice came again.

At the same time, Shiraishi saw a semi-transparent Aya appear in front of him.

However, the onlookers only saw Shiraishi's reaction and not the "ghost's" reaction, so it was clear that no one else could see this scene.

"A medium?" Shiraishi was taken aback, then said in a deep voice, "You..."

The most important and special ability of a spiritual medium is to communicate between the living and the dead. In other words, it is to communicate between the living and the dead. Now... it is known that Bai Shi is not dead.

"That's right, I just died." Ayari said helplessly.

"Where is the murderer?" Shiraishi had already realized what was happening and began to communicate using the telepathic communication method that Akako had taught him. "I'm sorry, I only died recently, and my memories of the time of my death are still a bit confused. I need some time to sort them out... But please help my sister first!" Aya quickly said.

"Your sister? What happened?" Shiraishi asked upon hearing this.

"I had arranged to meet my sister tonight, but... it seems the police officers at the scene are treating her like the murderer," Aya said helplessly.

"Leave it to me." Shiraishi had already agreed to come to Ayari.

and……

Although Ayari chose not to tell Shiraishi important information last time, Shiraishi, as a police officer, still felt guilty that "the people who had asked him for help still died tragically."

Meanwhile, the patrol officers on duty at the scene were also terrified...

This is Beika Town, and the police officers standing guard outside are, of course, police officers from the Beika Police Station.

As soon as Shiraishi got out of the car, the people from Beihu Bureau saw him—even though he was behind the human wall surrounding him, Shiraishi was much taller than the human wall!

The escalating conflict between Yan Tu and Bai Shi was no secret at the Eleventh Division headquarters, and most of the officers below were already aware of it.

Therefore, as a patrol officer at Beika Police Station, he was initially a little nervous after seeing Chief Mika...

As Shiraishi walked along the path, he had already mentally prepared himself—after all, he was still working under Yan Tu, and he was determined… at least not to let Director Mika into the room directly!

Of course, he wouldn't refute any reason given by Director Mika.

Unexpectedly, Shiraishi walked over from the crowd, stood in front of him, muttered something to himself, and then stared at him without saying a word...

Less than a minute later, the patrol officer on duty couldn't withstand the pressure any longer and, sweating profusely, said to Shiraishi, "Superintendent Shiraishi, do you... wish to come in and inspect the work?"

"Hmm? Hmm." Shiraishi had just agreed to Ayari's request when he noticed the patrol officers outside and politely lowered his police tape.

After nodding, Shiraishi walked into the office building.

As soon as he entered, Shiraishi heard a commotion in the entryway.

"Inspector Itoko, this is absolutely a misunderstanding..."

"The deceased's death information is clearly stated, so what misunderstanding could there be?"

"She's Ayari-nee's younger sister..."

"You're a lawyer too! Aren't there more murders between relatives than between strangers?"

"But……"

"No buts needed. You were the first to discover it too, so come along!"

……

Shiraishi then saw Inspector Itokiri from the Eighth Division leading his men downstairs. The rookie lawyer with the pompadour hairstyle whom he had met before was explaining something to Itokiri.

more importantly……

At that moment, Shiraishi saw the little girl being handcuffed and escorted down by police officers on either side.

Shiraishi:……

The moment Shiraishi saw her, he felt something was "suspicious," not because it was related to any murder case, but because...

Sister, your outfit is really weird!
Hongzi usually only wears her own "outfit" when she is "on duty," and she feels ashamed of it in her daily life!

"Ayari-chan" looks very young; in fact, Shiraishi heard Ayari Chihiro say that she is not yet an adult. At this moment, she is wearing a shrine maiden-style outfit, and her hairstyle is out of step with the times.

Compared to Hongzi's outfit, it can be described as "very traditional".

Shiraishi shook his head. That's not the point right now!

"Ah!" Itogaku exclaimed in fright when he saw the "huge black shadow" at the door. He then realized that it was not a ghost, but Shiraishi.

“Inspector Shiraishi… Oh right, this place isn’t far from Beika Town, is it?” Itokozuke breathed a sigh of relief—he had just thought he had seen something strange.

"Hmm, the victim... was Attorney Ayari?" Shiraishi asked directly at this moment.

"Eh? Ah... that's right, you know Inspector Shiraishi?" Itokozuke looked at Shiraishi with slight surprise.

“As expected…” Shiraishi nodded seriously.

"As expected?" Itokuro asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Attorney Ayasato arranged to meet me privately before, and she told me that she felt she was being targeted by someone recently, and asked me to take care of her sister if something happened to her. Speaking of this…” Shiraishi said, glancing at Ayasato Mayoi—Ayasato Chihiro had just told Shiraishi this name.

"Huh? What?" Itokozaki was taken aback when he heard Shiraishi's words.

Although he had just discovered "information of death" at the scene, considering Shiraishi's testimony...

"See! I told you... there must be some misunderstanding!" Phoenix Wright quickly added.

“But… Superintendent Shiraishi, we just found this at the crime scene…” Itoko said, showing the evidence directly to Shiraishi.

Inside the transparent evidence bag was a blood-stained note that read "Mayoi".

Shiraishi shook his head and said, "Unless it can be proven that this was written by the deceased, it doesn't prove anything at all, and..." Shiraishi then became serious and said, "Inspector Itokozori, as far as I know, Ayasato Mayoi is only seventeen years old this year. Who gave you permission to handcuff her?"

"Ah? Seventeen... open it quickly!" Itokaki hurriedly said to the detective next to him.

"Sorry... little sister, you didn't say your age..." Itoko said awkwardly.

Although Itogaku was arrested according to the procedure for "caught in the act", since he is a minor, unless he is judged to be dangerous, the use of restraints should be strictly controlled, not to mention... after hearing Shiraishi's testimony, there is still a possibility that "there was a mistake"!

However, Ayasato Mayoi was still immersed in the pain and confusion of losing her loved ones, and she did not react whether she was handcuffed or not.

Seeing this, Shiraishi turned to Ayasato Chihiro beside him and asked, "Ayasato Mayoi is also a spirit medium, right? You can appear in front of me, but not in front of her?"

"No, Mayoi's training isn't enough, and... communicating with the living has significant side effects. She's currently in a state of extreme grief, and if I rashly contact her, her yang energy might not be able to withstand it," Ayato Chihiro shook her head.

Shiraishi:……

Seeing Shiraishi remain silent, Ayari Chihiro added somewhat sheepishly, "Of course, Chief Beika, your yang energy is very abundant. Even without the training of a spirit medium, this kind of conversation won't have any effect on you."

That's right, Chihiro Ayari was able to communicate with people after death because she was a "spirit medium." However, this communication wasn't something she could do with just anyone; it was an act of "draining one's life force"...

Maya Ayasato should be able to accept this kind of information, after all, she is also a "spirit medium". If she is prepared, she can even actively invite spirits to possess her. However, because her training is not up to par and her emotions are unstable, Chihiro Ayasato dares not contact her and can only come to Shiraishi instead!

As for Bai Shi...

Although not a "spiritual medium," his absolute attributes are high enough—his extraordinary [spirit] makes him less affected, and his extraordinary [physical] allows him to ignore such minor influences, which is what is known as "abundant yang energy"...

(End of this chapter)