Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 496 Reincarnation? A Prank?

Tuesday, October 6th.

When Shiraishi arrived at the police station, he learned that the suspect in the murder case had been apprehended the previous night, confessed today, and after giving his statement, he was preparing to identify the scene where the body was dumped thirteen years ago...

"Considering Mrs. Tagikawa's serious illness, the subsequent identification of the body will be based on Mr. Tagikawa's availability," Section Chief Munakata reported on the final arrangements.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi nodded and specifically instructed, "Yes, let me know when Mr. Takigawa comes to the police station."

After listening to the case report, Bai Shi was also filled with emotion.

The incident may seem to have been largely accidental, but apart from Mrs. Takigawa's illness, everything else was inevitable!
Because Mrs. Takigawa felt that her days were numbered, she hoped to see her daughter get married and live a happy life before she passed away, even if it was just a facade.

The Takitakawa family will naturally then approach the Tokiwa Group, and once the Tokiwa Group's composite image is released...

It's only natural that Mr. Tagikawa would ask Omoto, who looks similar to him, to pretend to be his daughter, and that Saijo would have a mental breakdown after seeing the photos online.

Next, the neighbors of the Tagikawa family were shocked to see Omoto, and Saijo was killed by Matsuo for trying to turn himself in...

The beginning of everything seems to be the accident he was pursuing back then, but in the end... it was all caused by Matsuo, as an adult, not only having desires he shouldn't have, but also being unwilling to take on the responsibilities he should have!
Even after the accident, if she could accompany Saijo to turn herself in, it would be much better for the Takigawa family, the Saijo family, and Saijo himself than the current outcome.

Of course, Shiraishi, who was used to seeing "regrets," just sighed.

but……

After hearing that Mrs. Takigawa had cancer, Shiraishi decided to recommend a doctor to her—at this point, it's better to take a chance than to opt for conservative treatment.

On the other side, the narcissist who had just made a contribution last night was now listless.

Fuji, who came to Munakata to report something, saw "the narcissist lying dead in his seat" and asked speechlessly, "What happened to him? Why is he half-dead?"

Yuan moved his lips slightly...

That's right, after solving the case, his narcissistic "old habit" resurfaced.

This can be considered a side effect of Cupid's poisoned arrow. Even knowing that the woman is a criminal, his love will not disappear, and he might even propose to her on the spot after solving the case!
"Dumped? That's not the first time," Fuji said matter-of-factly.

Narcissism: ...

“This time it’s different. This time he was directly rejected because he’s too old,” Yuan corrected seriously.

rattan:……

Narcissism is even more deadly.

“Speaking of which… Officer Fujii, shouldn’t you be on patrol at this time?” Gen then put on his police officer airs.

"Section Chief Munakata isn't here?" Fuji looked at Munakata's desk.

“I went to report to the director,” Yuan replied.

"Then it'll be you... Come and identify someone with me." Fuji beckoned to Yuan with his finger.

"Recognize people? Recognize what kind of people?" Yuan asked, puzzled.

“I just detained two high school students who were harassing Mrs. Sekita. Judging from their accents, they’re from Osaka…” Fuji explained.

"Mrs. Sekita? Oh, you mean Mrs. Sekita? She's harassing the victim's family, and she's a high school student now... Should we just hand her over to the life safety department or the juvenile department?"

Yuan then realized that the reason he was sensitive to the title "Mrs. Guantian" was because this Mrs. Guantian often came to the police station, and the reason was not because she was being nosy, but because... her husband was murdered seventeen years ago, and the case has not been solved to this day!
This is also a source of great distress for Mrs. Sekita. Even now, she still frequently goes to the vicinity of the crime scene, "Beika Department Store," to distribute flyers and solicit witnesses.

Unfortunately, the case from back then remains unsolved, and Gen is at a loss for what to do, not even knowing much about the details—after all, it was seventeen years ago, and it happened in Beika Town.

Because Mrs. Sekita is from Mika, she sometimes seeks help from the Mika Police Department, but in reality, the Mika Police Department doesn't even have case files.

With her exceptional empathy, Yuan also felt sorry for Mrs. Sekita. Naturally, she was very angry when she heard that some immature high school students were harassing her.

but……

“I originally intended to send him directly to the Juvenile Division, but one of the high school students kept saying that he had helped the Tokyo police solve cases and had made contributions to the Beika Police Station, and that he wanted to see the chief…” Fuji explained.

"Huh?" Yuan was taken aback upon hearing this.

Of course, Teng wouldn't go to ask the chief for instructions, but would first come to the Criminal Investigation Department to inquire—if he had really assisted in solving the case, the Criminal Investigation Department should know.

"Wait a minute, a high school student from Osaka... 'harassing' the victim's family... is he very dark-skinned?" Yuan realized at this moment.

That's right, Hattori Heiji from Osaka had come to Tokyo many times before because of a certain elementary school student, and he never came empty-handed - either with a murder case or picking up two murder cases at the scene. He had also dealt with the detectives from the Beika Police Station on two occasions!
"Hmm? That's right, there's a little black guy." Teng said bluntly.

“That’s right… He’s a high school detective from Kansai, um… I’ll go check him out,” Gen said proactively.

Hattori has indeed always presented himself as a "high school detective," so it makes sense for him to go to the victim's family.

Yuan estimated that he probably didn't mean to "harass" the other party subjectively, but rather that he objectively caused them distress.

Soon, Yuan met Xiao Heizi, who was wearing a baseball cap as always, in a small conference room, as well as another high school student who looked honest and remorseful.

Since they are all minors, even if they are detained, they will be placed in the meeting room first.

"Officer Gen! It's good to see you... That lady misunderstood us, we weren't there to cause trouble!" Hattori greeted Gen immediately upon seeing him.

"What's going on? Why aren't you in school? What are you doing in Tokyo? And... do you know anything about the Sekita family case?" When Gen saw that it really was Hattori, he became even more convinced that he was here to investigate the case.

"We're here to participate in a kendo competition... But let's put that aside for now. We went to see that lady for a reason. Of course, we went because we knew a clue!" Hattori said confidently.

"What clue?" Yuan immediately took it to heart upon hearing this.

Although he didn't know Hattori's family background, he had at least seen Hattori help the police before, so he took his words to heart.

Hattori looked intently at Genji and Yamada and said confidently, "I know you might not believe me, but... I do have evidence for what I'm saying."

"Go on," Yuan and Yamada said, taking his tone seriously.

“Actually… this Yoshioka next to me is very likely the reincarnation of Sekita Shohei, who was murdered seventeen years ago. He still retains the memories of the time of the crime,” Hattori said earnestly.

Source, Yamada:......

"Fuji, take him to the Junior Class." Yuan turned around and went to find Fuji.

“Hey! Of course I have evidence for what I’m saying!” Hattori immediately grabbed him.

"The reincarnation has already been revealed... what other basis do you have?" Gen rolled his eyes. Hattori then pulled Gen aside and explained the events of the past two days to him...

Half an hour later, Gen brought Hattori to the director's office.

"Huh? You mean... you found the reincarnation of the victim from seventeen years ago? How long have you been in this state?" Shiraishi looked at Hattori speechlessly.

Yuan chuckled awkwardly from the side.

He couldn't let Hattori keep bothering him. Hattori had helped solve cases before, and Gen also knew that the Juvenile Division was just a figurehead. However, he certainly wouldn't feel at ease letting Hattori leave just like that, so he brought Hattori to see the chief...

Of course, the reason for bringing him along was that after hearing his reasons, Yuan also felt that there was "a tiny bit" of truth to them.

"Of course I don't believe it either... but I think there must be a reason, maybe it's the key to solving this case!" Hattori said confidently.

While Yoshioka was still resting in the conference room, Hattori confessed that he didn't really believe in reincarnation, but...

"If you don't believe me, then help me with the case file. Consider it a thank you gift for my help when you went to Osaka!" Hattori was getting a little annoyed when he saw that Shiraishi was speechless.

Yuan gave him a strange look, wondering if he was bragging or what...

The director is going to Osaka, why does he need your help?
Shiraishi told Yuan to get back to work, then frowned and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Shiraishi understood that Hattori's current expression of "belief" was at most one-tenth, but considering Hattori's materialistic tendencies, for him to have even the slightest belief in "reincarnation," something "unbelievable" must have happened!

When Shiraishi asked, Hattori repeated what he had said to Genji earlier...

These past two days, the Kendo Associations of Tokyo and Osaka have been holding a high school competition, and Hattori, as the ace of Kaifang High School, naturally led his team to participate.

Just yesterday, a few students from the Kaifang team went to the Beika Department Store near the competition venue to buy supplies. While crossing the underground parking lot, Yoshioka suddenly started muttering things like, "How could this be? Does such a place really exist?" as he looked around.

Hattori and the others also found it strange, but he wouldn't respond when they spoke to him...

Then, in a corner, Yoshioka seemed to be possessed, not only showing fear, but also suddenly clutching his chest and abdomen and collapsing unconscious.

Hattori quickly took the person to the hospital, and the examination results showed that... there was nothing wrong with her physically, but she had suffered psychological trauma!

When Hattori asked about it, Yoshioka, upon waking, told a story that Yoshioka initially didn't believe at all...

Yoshioka said he had a recurring dream since childhood: he was stabbed in the abdomen and chest with a knife in a parking lot. The dream was so vivid that it left a deep impression on him.

And just now...

Yoshioka suddenly realized that the parking lot in his dream was the underground parking lot of Beika Department Store!

Finally, he even saw the spot where he had been stabbed to death in his dream.

In his terror, everything from the dream replayed in his mind. He felt a sharp pain where he had been stabbed and then fainted.

When Hattori first heard this, he certainly didn't believe it at all.

However, knowing Yoshioka's personality, Hattori didn't think he was lying. He just assumed that Yoshioka's recent poor grades had put too much pressure on him, leading to various hallucinations.

Hattori even advised him not to worry about it...

To dispel Yoshioka's absurd idea, Hattori even checked the news—it couldn't be that easy; there really was a murder in the underground parking lot.

Then Hattori Heiji fell silent...

Seventeen years ago, on November 14th, a murder did indeed occur here, and the reports stated that the victim had been stabbed in the abdomen and chest!

even……

Yoshioka's birthday was November 14th, seventeen years ago.

After repeatedly confirming with Yoshioka that he really hadn't seen the news, Hattori began to waver slightly, and... concluded that this might be the key to solving this seventeen-year-old cold case.

Hattori then demonstrated remarkable efficiency, going directly to the victim's family's home today.

but……

Two high school students claimed to have clues to provide, and Mrs. Sekita was initially quite hopeful. However, when they said that they were the reincarnation of her husband, it was easy to imagine that Mrs. Sekita would be furious!

Not only were they kicked out, but they also called on Teng, who was on patrol, to take them back to the police station for education, which led to the scene we see now...

After hearing Hattori's words, Shiraishi rubbed his temples and then said, "Hattori-kun, only people who are not the murderer will lie, and... even honest people might 'joke'."

That's right, no matter how you look at it, the most reasonable explanation is that Yoshioka Tsubasa was "joking".

Perhaps he was able to locate the murder and even recount the assassination because he saw these reports in the news?

However, Hattori clearly did not think so; he believed that Yoshioka Tsubasa was not lying.

Shiraishi even called Chihiro out to ask her about reincarnation, but...

As expected, Chihiro scoffed at the idea of ​​"reincarnation".

Shiraishi wasn't too surprised by this. Although "reincarnation" and "medium" are both supernatural phenomena, they are incompatible and even contradictory in their underlying logic!

After all, if someone has been reincarnated, how can you summon their spirit?

As a "spiritual medium," Chihiro Ayari is even less likely to believe in reincarnation, but she does offer Shiraishi a new perspective...

"Could it be... that child has the talent of a medium and unintentionally caused the deceased to possess him?" Chihiro guessed.

"If that's the case, can you tell?" Shiraishi asked immediately.

【certainly. 】

“Okay, I understand… Let me meet this Yoshioka-kun first.” Shiraishi was about to have Chihiro confirm this.

Hattori was also encouraged to see that Shiraishi was at least willing to try to understand the matter.

Soon Shiraishi met Yoshioka, and...

The possibility that he has a talent for psychic mediumship has been ruled out!
[I couldn't sense anything special about his inspiration, nor did I sense any signs of possession on him.]

Chihiro ultimately played a role in ruling out the possibility of "supernatural" factors...

(End of this chapter)