Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 469 The "Minor Trouble" at Mika Prison

Shiraishi, carrying a sword, arrived at Beika Prison.

The former warden of Beika Prison was quite familiar with Shiraishi.

After all, Shiraishi himself had come several times, and detectives from the Beika Police Station had come even more often, and...

The number of people arrested by the Beika Police Station and Beika Prison is increasing day by day. It is called Beika Prison in Beika Town, but not every town has a prison. In fact, there are only two prisons in the Eastern Capital.

However, thanks to the efforts of the Mikasa Police Department and the residents of Mikasa, Mikasa Prison is quickly becoming a prison for the people of Mikasa...

"Inspector Shiraishi, Chief Inspector Fujiwara originally wanted to greet you personally, but he has other matters to attend to today and is not at the prison... Please feel free to tell me if you have any requests." The prison's deputy chief, Takahashi, then greeted Shiraishi.

"Director Fujiwara and Deputy Director Takahashi are too kind. There's no need for that. I just have some personal matters to discuss and would like to see Akira Yamakawa," Shiraishi said to Deputy Director Takahashi.

“Okay, I’ll arrange the meeting. Oh, right… um, I also have something I’d like to discuss with Inspector Shiraishi later.” Takahashi glanced at Prosecutor Mitsurugi beside him, his tone slightly hesitant, as if he was considering whether or not to say it.

"Thank you for your trouble." Shiraishi didn't immediately press the other party for what they wanted to say.

After Takahashi left, Mitsurugi couldn't help but ask, "Weren't you looking for Higashiyama? Are there any other people in the prison who know the truth?"

At this moment, Yujian had no idea what Baishi was going to do.

"Not necessarily, let's try our luck," Shiraishi said matter-of-factly.

Seeing that Miken was getting a little impatient with his confusion, Shiraishi reminded him, "Yamakawa Akira is the person we thought went to Mika Forest to bury a body five years ago. Come to think of it, the night he went to Mika Forest was only two days earlier than Higashiyama's reconnaissance..."

There are no earlier GPS records for Dongshan, so we don't know if he went to Mika Forest before, but...

We're both "Meihana Forest (Project) Corpse Buriers," so we might have met before, and it would be even better if we knew each other.

Hearing Shiraishi say this, Mitsurugi also became excited.

……

Soon, in the meeting room, on the other side of the isolation window, Akira Yamakawa was led out by the prison guards.

Akira Yamakawa had already been released from prison long ago...

After all, there was no concrete evidence that he disposed of the body back then, and it was later proven that he did release the pregnant Kazuma Mitsushima, and he kept the secret even when the Second Minister of Revenue interrogated him.

Afterwards, Akira Yamakawa also seemed to want to turn over a new leaf, but...

After learning that Sakura Mitsushima was alive and had given birth safely, Akira Yamakawa became "overwhelmed by a sense of justice"!
Six months ago, because of the fact that "Takigawa Foods" was faking its place of origin and exploiting and coercing rehabilitated employees, Yamakawa Akira, driven by a sense of justice, prepared to use "dump truck iaido" to deal with the president of Takigawa.

Although he encountered Kamei along the way, which interrupted his original plan, he did not resort to the extreme method of "mud cart iaido" but instead cooperated with Kamei to frame Takigawa. However, this still constituted framing, and after the Beika Police Station investigated and found out the truth, he was imprisoned for the third time.

"Officer Shiraishi, it's been a long time." Yamakawa greeted Shiraishi with neither servility nor arrogance, though his eyes gleamed with admiration.

"Long time no see. It seems you've reformed quite well in prison." Shiraishi looked at him, breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded.

When Shiraishi met Yamakawa Akira this time, he felt that he had become much more composed, unlike the previous two times. Five years ago, when he met Yamakawa Akira, this guy was sneaky, cowardly and stubborn, and stubbornly resisted interrogation, refusing to reveal any useful clues. Half a year ago, after learning that the mother and daughter on the island were safe, Yamakawa Akira seemed to have a profound realization, and gave people the feeling that... he was a bit crazy.

"I apologize for the trouble I caused everyone before," Shan Chuan said calmly, with a hint of embarrassment.

Shiraishi also felt that it was better for him to be more composed.

Having a strong sense of justice is a good thing, but... it's not a good thing to be quick to use "mud cart iaido" (a form of Japanese acrobatics).

Especially since he's a local from Mika, if he gets out of prison, Shiraishi will probably be imprisoned for the fourth time in no time, and the charges will be serious!

"Is there anything we can do to assist Inspector Shiraishi this time?" Yamakawa asked.

Yu Jian watched awkwardly from the side—this guy buries corpses too? Is the modification effect that good?
“Then I’ll get straight to the point. When that Second Ministry of Revenue asked you to bury the body… two days later, someone went to scout the area and planned to bury the body. Do you have any leads?” Bai Shi asked directly.

It would be even better if they could have a chat group...

pity.

"Sorry, I didn't see anyone suspicious at the time... Well, even if I had, I wouldn't have dared to go," Yamakawa said helplessly.

He sounded genuinely regretful that he couldn't be of much help.

Yujian, standing to the side, also felt regret...

"Is there anything bothering you? Even something small, think about it carefully," Shiraishi asked, trying to inspire you.

“I care… Oh right! Speaking of which… do you remember the shovel I found in my car? I said I picked it up… and actually I really did. I had the idea to bury the body in Mika Forest on a whim, and I'd never done anything like that before. I was so clumsy that I only realized I didn’t have any tools when I got there.”

"But just when I went to the rest hut, I found a shovel that was just the right size under the bench, so I took it and used it. Then, afraid of being discovered, I took it with me." Yamakawa suddenly mentioned this "lucky" thing.

"A shovel was found in the cabin in the Mihua Forest?" Shiraishi's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

Indeed, the shovel on the east side is new. Could it be...?

This guy had prepared in advance, but when he scouted the location the day before he took action, he found that the shovel he had prepared was gone, so he bought a new one.
“A shovel? Five years…” Yu Jian was initially somewhat expectant, but his eyes quickly dimmed—five years had passed, and the fingerprints could no longer be extracted!
Moreover, physical evidence wouldn't be preserved for that long!

For cases that are not unsolved, the proper retention period is only five years. After that, evidence that is not returned will be sent to the Metropolitan Police Department's underground warehouse—which is almost as good as being destroyed, and it is basically impossible to find.

In Akira Yamakawa's case, the shovel wasn't key evidence, and it was later proven that it wasn't an unsolved case...

After a moment of silence, Shiraishi asked, "Do you know someone named Higashiyama Hideomi?"

"Huh? Dongshan? He's in the same cell as me, what's wrong?" Shanchuan asked, puzzled.

This made Bai Shi marvel at the coincidence.

But thinking about it, it's not exactly a coincidence...

Although Beika Prison is crowded, Yamakawa's imprisonment this time is only for framing someone and won't last long. Higashiyama's apparent crimes don't qualify him as a serious offender, and he'll be released soon. They can't possibly put them in the same cell as those "talented individuals," can they?

In Beika Prison, however, those with such minor offenses make up no more than 10%...

“A cell? That would be even better…” Upon hearing this, Shiraishi’s eyes gleamed even more.

A moment later, Shiraishi gave Yamakawa his instructions, and then before leaving, he summoned Deputy Director Takahashi.

There are also some things that require the cooperation of the prison authorities!

Shiraishi quickly made the arrangements...

"Then I'll head back now!" Yamakawa said sternly after putting away the things that Deputy Director Takahashi had given him.

"Try to be natural." Shiraishi was afraid that his "enthusiasm for justice" would give him away.

"Will this... really work?" Yu Jian asked hesitantly.

Bai Shi glanced at him and said, "Not necessarily. It's possible that he didn't fall for it at all. Even if he did, it's just evidence that 'only those who experienced it firsthand can know.' He's already made excuses all along, so he won't easily confess in the face of this evidence. Whether to prosecute him and whether the prosecution will be successful is up to you."

Upon hearing this, Yu Jian nodded solemnly.

"You really won't fabricate evidence, will you? I'll report you," Shiraishi said deliberately.

"Of course not! I have never fabricated any evidence!" Yu Jian said irritably.

Listening to Chief Inspector Shiraishi and Prosecutor Mitsurugi, Takahashi didn't dare to say a word...

He didn't know before that Chief Inspector Shiraishi and Prosecutor Otsurugi were so close.
Didn't we say before that the Mika Police Station had conflicts with the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office and the Tokyo High Court?

"By the way, Deputy Director Takahashi, was there something you wanted to say earlier?" Shiraishi asked specifically.

"Ah...that's right." Takahashi finally came to his senses and said somewhat awkwardly, "Does Inspector Shiraishi still remember Kazuo Ishimoto?"

Kazuo Ishimoto—this name sounds unfamiliar at first, but after thinking about it carefully, Shiraishi remembered his other identity—Rensaki Tomomitsu!
The "Great Master" who was fooled by his wife to the point that he actually believed he had superpowers...

Although it was later found that he had nothing to do with the murder case, and he didn't even know that his "psychic powers" were fake, nor did he spend any money, as the legal representative of the registered religious organization, he could not sever his ties no matter what, and was therefore imprisoned for three years for fraud.

“I remember, Kuai... What’s wrong? Did he do anything wrong?” Shiraishi asked in return.

Seeing that Shiraishi still remembered him, Takahashi breathed a sigh of relief, then said somewhat awkwardly, "His performance was not bad... his performance was very good, even a bit... too good. Such an exemplary prisoner makes us not know what to do, so we asked Chief Inspector Shiraishi, who has dealt with him before, for advice."

Upon hearing this, Miken looked at Takahashi with a puzzled expression—what did he mean by "even too good"? Wasn't it enough that he performed well?

Later, Shiraishi understood Takahashi's concerns from him...

Kazuo Ishimoto's behavior in prison was truly outstanding!

Not only are model prisoners being replaced, but now even pastors and psychologists are being eliminated from prison staff.

Mikasa Prison has many serious offenders, especially...

There are a lot of crazy people!
Normal prison staff would find it hard to understand their thought processes. If one day a prison guard starts to understand all the inmates at Mika Prison, he might need a long vacation and psychological treatment—it sounds awful, but it's definitely necessary.

Mikasa Prison has considered many solutions to this problem, such as religious approaches...

Prisons in the Eastern Island Country don't usually have priests or other religious personnel. However, some religious groups have correctional associations that actively assist prisons in this regard, since it's also a way of spreading their faith. And for prisons, it's not a bad thing to keep the prisoners quiet, especially since... it's free.

However, priests and the like are basically useless in Mika Prison.

If they were to actually talk to each one individually, the pastor might even convert to Satan tomorrow...

The mental health of prisoners has always been a major problem at Mikasa Prison.

Recently, however, this problem has been significantly alleviated!

Later, the prison guards discovered that many prisoners who had been in abnormal mental states due to reasons such as "unrepentant" or "regretful" had become peaceful under Kazuo Ishimoto's guidance...

"Didn't you say before that you'd equip Moriya Teiji with some asymmetrical facilities to help him heal? He was quite manic before, and solitary confinement didn't help, but after Ishimoto counseled him, he's now spending his time in the arts and even starting to paint some impressionist paintings..."

In short, after Kazuo Ishimoto's counseling, the prisoners' mental state seemed to have returned to normal!
"Isn't this a good thing?" Yu Jian couldn't help but ask.

“Of course it’s a good thing, but… when Ishimoto is counseling others, he acts like this… like… like the legendary ‘using Nen’… cough cough, of course I don’t believe it, but I’m a little afraid that he’s using this as an excuse to play tricks in prison,” Deputy Chief Takahashi said awkwardly.

As he spoke, he gestured, making a gesture as if Ishimoto was pressing his hand on the prisoner's head or in front of him.

Although Takahashi didn't say it explicitly, Shiraishi already understood what he was worried about...

In Mikasa Prison, the emergence of a guy who commands respect from almost all inmates and even inspires remorse in some "inmates whom ordinary people cannot understand" would make any prison guard or leader uneasy.

His "feigning supernatural powers" makes people even more suspicious, fearing that he might lead a disturbance one day!

but……

Firstly, they thought he was "useful," at least able to restrain those perverts, so they hadn't stopped him before, and even encouraged him to become the prison's "psychologist"; secondly... now it's too late to stop him, even Moriya Teiji now looks like a kind old man, and during the New Year, under Ishimoto's organization, seven or eight murderers performed making dumplings... what if Ishimoto Kazuo were to suddenly raise his voice at this point...

Even if they can suppress it by force, the director and deputy director will lose their jobs!
Therefore, Takahashi wanted to ask Shiraishi, who was quite familiar with Ishimoto, whether this person was dangerous or not.

“Ishimoto’s imprisonment was actually somewhat unjust… not legally, but because he genuinely had no malicious intent. I believe in his character; he was deceived before, which led to his strange thoughts… Hmm, I’ll go see him first.” Shiraishi felt a strange unease upon hearing this.

Shiraishi knew Ishimoto's character, but as for his abilities...

Without his wife's microwave support, he'd be at best a second-rate motivational speaker.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Dongdong: This case isn't based on a movie or TV show; it's a real case that happened in the US. In reality, no new evidence was found while the prisoner was incarcerated. However, after his release, he was immediately indicted, and despite insufficient evidence, he was easily acquitted by the jury... (The jury system in the US is even more thorough than in the US; judges can choose not to make a guilty/not guilty verdict and can determine the sentence solely based on the jury's guilty verdict.)
(End of this chapter)