Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 535 Encouragement
Shiraishi then looked at the surveillance footage that the Tsukishima Police Station had found...

In the darkness, Zaojian saw Taro alone on the buffer shore. As if he had seen something terrifying, he took a few steps back, then sat down on the ground and kept shuffling backward.

In a panic, he jumped into the sea!
Another piece of evidence comes from surveillance footage—you can't see Hayami Tatsuro, but you can see the road he's facing.

This video proves that there was no one else within at least 100 meters in the direction Hayami Tatsuro was looking!
These two video clips alone are generally enough to rule out criminal activity. As for whether it was suicide or an accident, a comprehensive assessment can be made—that is, to subtly probe the family to see which explanation they prefer, and to check if the deceased had any insurance...

However, Shiraishi then took the medical records and testimony notes and began to read them page by page.

"Although I don't know what happened, I don't think it's the work of the dead," Chihiro said, appearing out of nowhere.

After all, this case sounds too much like "haunting"...

"Hmm? Narcissistic, you even went to inquire about Shirai Hako's family?" Shiraishi said after seeing this page of records.

“That’s right. Mrs. Kawaguchi said that there seemed to be an illicit relationship between Miss Shirai and the deceased, Tatsuro Hayami. So, just to be on the safe side, even though there were two months between their deaths, we still inquired about it,” the narcissist said.

That's actually what Tian Shu wanted to ask.

And they didn't get anything out of him...

Shirai's family doesn't know as much as Kawaguchi!
That makes sense when you think about it. After all, it's possible that someone might have an affair with a middle-aged married man and be discovered by a gossipy neighbor, but how could they possibly share it with their family?

Of course, even so, her family wasn't completely unaware...

At least Shirai's mother mentioned that Shirai did write in a suicide note left on her phone that she chose to commit suicide because she was "abandoned by her suspected lover".

In other words...

From a metaphysical perspective, it's not unreasonable that Hayami Tatsuro would encounter Shirai Kazuko seeking his life.

Of course, even without Chihiro's reminder, Shiraishi hadn't even considered the "metaphysical" aspect!
"The deceased's medication has also been sent for testing?" Shiraishi looked at the report and nodded in satisfaction.

If it really is a hallucination...

So, besides the victim developing the illness on their own, another possibility is that they were induced to develop the illness by someone else!

At this point, what needs to be investigated is the deceased's diet. However, since the deceased didn't eat by themselves, the most obvious thing to investigate is... medicine.

It just so happens that the deceased had indeed seen a psychiatrist and been prescribed psychiatric medication.

Criminal investigators have always been reluctant to deal with doctors.

After all, the right to health is a human right, and we live in an era that values ​​human rights. As a profession closely related to human rights, doctors always have many reasons to refuse questioning by criminal police.

Fortunately, this time we weren't going to find the suspect's doctor, but rather to ask the deceased's doctor!

Moreover, among the psychologists the deceased had seen, the detectives from the Beika Police Station recognized a familiar face – Kyosuke Kazato.

For this reason, Gen made a special trip to the detention center today to meet with Kyosuke Kazeto, who is waiting for the prosecution proceedings.

Although Kyosuke Kazato was in a bloodthirsty state before, it must be said that his medical skills are quite good. Before he was injured, he was not only a rising star in surgery, but even after changing careers, he was already very proficient in psychology.

Kyosuke Kazato had no objection to Gen's visit and informed him about President Hayami's situation...

At Kazato's place, the Mikado Bureau also obtained the most detailed information—other doctors didn't provide such detailed information, since they weren't as free as Kazato.

“Hmm? Dr. Kazeto’s testimony here…” Shiraishi noticed that Kazeto mentioned in his testimony that he initially suspected that seeing the president too early was “faking illness.”

This is probably why he saw so many psychologists!

But later it seemed less and less like an act...

"Everyone is prescribing very basic medications. It doesn't seem to be diagnosed as a serious illness. It's just auditory hallucinations caused by anxiety?" Shiraishi was starting to feel something was off.

Judging from his condition, Hayami Tatsuro is seriously ill!
This is one of the reasons why, apart from Kazato, other psychologists were somewhat reluctant to question him about this case—the person they judged to be not seriously ill had actually committed suicide…it felt like being accused of being a “quack.”

Of course, this doesn't prove anything; it only means that early-stage mental illnesses haven't yet manifested significantly in the body or shown more pathological symptoms.

What truly concerned Shiraishi was...

"Hmm? I don't know why the deceased went to Tsukishima yesterday?" Shiraishi frowned.

Ashiya then said helplessly, "That's right. This week, the deceased returned to the company to handle some business after a long absence. He should have gone home after get off work last night, but he called home and said he had a social engagement. However, the company said they didn't know what the president's plans were."

This is indeed a point of contention, though not insignificant.

"Hayami Tatsuro and Shirai Koko usually..." Shiraishi wanted to ask if the two of them often went to Tsukishima.

But thinking about it carefully... Ash Valley and the others probably won't be able to find out!

This kind of thing should only be known to the two of them, and now that they are both dead, there's nowhere to ask them.

“The Tsukishima Office has helped visit nearby businesses… but no one seems to remember President Hayami, so he probably isn’t a regular at the nearby pub,” Haiya said.

Yes, since Kunikida is now the deputy director of the Tsukishima Police Station, his help is naturally thorough. He has not only given the green light, but also helped with the visits!

in fact……

Judging from President Hayami's phone call home, it couldn't possibly be related to Shirai Keiko.

Otherwise, if he were experiencing auditory hallucinations, he would have been terrified and lost his mind long ago. How could he possibly make a normal phone call home?

He deliberately made an excuse about having social engagements, which was clearly a way of concealing his upcoming itinerary.

Shiraishi wanted to hear this, and immediately said, "Well, since there are still doubts, let's continue the investigation tomorrow."

This matter...

Shiraishi might not be sure there's something wrong with him, but he could just be a madman—especially since he works at Beika Kai's company, how much pressure must he be under? It wouldn't be surprising if he went mad.

However, from the testimony, Shiraishi always felt that his madness was somewhat incongruous.

Since suspicious points have been discovered, Shiraishi tells the criminal investigation department not to rush to close the case.

……

After the meeting, Shiraishi intended to call Ayako to ask where she was, but...

Just then, Shiraishi saw Fuji Seiko, who had just finished get off work, vividly telling Ayako the story of "Hayami Tatsuro being haunted by a female ghost" in the conference room.

Shiraishi:……

Duang——

Fuji felt a shadow looming over him from behind, and before he could react, Shiraishi delivered a chop to his head...

"Ouch!" "Officer Fujiwara, if you have nothing to do, go patrol a few more 'abandoned buildings'," Shiraishi said speechlessly.

Outside of work, Shiraishi is very good at getting along with his subordinates—after all… Shiraishi's real age is actually much younger than his appearance suggests; many detectives in the criminal investigation department are older than Shiraishi!
However, Shiraishi's demeanor and physique make people subconsciously overlook his age.

Just like when you see a student, you think he is young; when you see a young man, you think he is young; when you see a middle-aged person, you think he is quite old; when you see a young man who is 2.3 meters tall and weighs over 300 kilograms... no one will think about his age at all!
"Uh, I've already patrolled five places since I got off my night shift... Chief, Miss Ayako, see you later!" Fuji hurriedly ran away.

Inspecting unmanned buildings?

Well, it was because this matter had delayed me from getting off work, especially the night shift. Now that it was almost night, I was finally able to leave work. So, Teng, who was full of anger, decided to "take revenge" after seeing "the director's wife".

"Kuro, that President Hayami, is it really because..." Ayako asked somewhat fearfully.

“Of course not! Don’t listen to those rumors… Either someone is playing tricks, or… he’s really too anxious, he’s hallucinating, and he scared himself at the beach,” Shiraishi comforted him.

"Oh." Ayako seemed to be the same as usual, unconditionally believing Shiraishi's words.

but……

Fear is inevitable!
This is no longer a question of whether or not to trust Shiraishi...

"Hey, how about... we invite Koizumi along on Sunday?" Ayako suggested again that she invite Akako to go inspect the house together.

After all, Akako was a genuine witch, and at this point, Ayako couldn't care less about feelings of jealousy or wanting to be alone with her.

“No need. Akako is a witch. When it comes to exorcising demons, it’s still Mayoi Kakeru who is better… Alright, let’s go eat first, and then come to my house. I’ll show you something!” Shiraishi decided.

"Huh? What is that?" Ayako asked, puzzled.

What's all this mystery about? And... they even went to your (Kudo's) house specifically to look?

After changing her clothes, Fuji was about to leave when she ran into the chief and Ayako at the police station entrance. Having overheard their conversation, she casually reminded Ayako, "Maybe the chief's cat can do backflips... Uh, I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"

As soon as Teng finished speaking, he ran away...

Shiraishi:……

Ayako blushed, naturally understanding Fuji's implication.

Although Ayako didn't think that Kuro was trying to "trick" her into going to his house, she still blushed.

Besides, it's so late now. If we eat dinner later, it won't be easy for us to leave home.
……

After dinner, Shiraishi drove Ayako home.

What I need to show Ayako is actually quite simple...

After arriving home, Shiraishi unplugged Mayoi's phone, who was still playing games late into the night, and urged Ai, who was still looking at documents, to go to sleep early. Then... he took Ayako to his room.

then……

Shiraishi took off his jacket, revealing a tank top and his muscular physique, then turned off the lights with a dramatic wall slam...

"Hmm? You don't need to close your eyes, it's okay, it's not scary at all." Shiraishi looked at Ayako leaning against the wall with her eyes tightly closed, her eyelashes even trembling slightly, and then called out to her.

Ayako:……

Even though the lights were off, Shiraishi could still see that Ayako's face was flushed.

"Don't worry, it's only about 30 centimeters. You'll get used to it," Shiraishi said calmly.

Ayako:? ? ?
I don't remember having that.

Ayako inexplicably opened her eyes, and then, in complete darkness, she vaguely saw...

Beside Shiroshi's left arm floated a faint shadow of a woman, about thirty centimeters tall!

Ayako:! ! !
Ah, um...

Just as Ayako was about to scream, Shiraishi covered her mouth.

"Shh, Ai and Mayoi have gone to sleep." Shiraishi gestured for silence.

"I'm sorry, I startled you a little, Ms. Suzuki," Chihiro said, slightly embarrassed.

That's right, what Ayako saw was Chihiro's soul!

Shiraishi had discussed this with Chihiro before...

Because of the "discounted" apartment Shiraishi bought, Ayako is somewhat sensitive to talk of ghosts and monsters, so Shiraishi decides...

He confessed to Ayako that "there has actually been another woman by my side recently."

Unfortunately, Ayako couldn't gain Ayako's trust because she was too young, lacked maturity, and spent all her time cosplaying. So... only her older sister could step in!
(The word "chusha" (出马) in this context has an inexplicably hellish feel to it.)
"You are... Attorney Ayasato?" Ayako's pupils dilated in shock before she finally calmed down.

after all……

It was Xiao Hei who showed her this, and this thing... cough cough, this lawyer Aya, although her situation is a bit special, is obviously with Xiao Hei. Thinking about it this way... the fear gradually dissipated.

Afterwards, Shiraishi explained the situation regarding Chihiro Ayasato to Ayako.

Of course, I didn't go into too much detail!

Using Chihiro's example, I wanted to tell Ayako two things: first, "Don't say you'll never encounter a ghost easily; even if you do, ghosts aren't that scary"; and second, "Ayasato Mayoi, as the head of the Kurin-ryu school, is actually very valuable!"
Because of the unique characteristics of the two special professions, "Red Witch" and "Spirit Medium"...

Don't be fooled by the fact that even a hundred Mayoi wouldn't be a match for Akako in a contest of magic.

But when it comes to actually "receiving a relevant request," Koizumi Akako is just putting on a show ninety-nine times out of a hundred. When a real situation arises, Akako tries to handle it discreetly. On the contrary, Mayoi, as a "spiritual medium," genuinely helps the bereaved family and the deceased see each other one last time...

“So…” After hearing this, Ayako stared blankly at Chihiro Ayasato, her face flushed again.

“That’s right, so Mayoi’s skills are genuine, not to mention Chihiro is there too, so there’s absolutely no problem with the house!” Shiraishi said confidently. If you don’t believe me, I’ll have Attorney Ayasato tell you herself, then you can’t not believe me, right?
Ayako:……

Chihiro, however, seemed to have realized something. Her figure gradually disappeared as she wearily said, "I'm sorry, I've been awake for too long today. I must sleep for a while; please don't wake me easily."

Chihiro specifically mentioned it...

I'm usually asleep, and I'm rarely awake. I can't hear or see anything about you and your little black dog!

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: Today is September 13th, the first anniversary of delayed retirement. Please vote for me! Please vote for me! Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)