Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 541 The Naive Murderer
Shiraishi never expected that his casual act of seeking shelter from the rain would lead him to a murder case.

Fortunately, the murder case wasn't complicated. There was no suspect at the scene forcing Shiraishi to choose between; instead, it was Chinami Koishikawa who arrived at the villa and discovered a body inside...

Wuwuwu——

After Shiraishi followed Koishikawa in, the first thing he saw was a trembling golden retriever...

Upon seeing Shiraishi, the golden retriever behaved nothing like a "hunting dog." Seeing this, Shiraishi went over and patted its head, which calmed it down a bit.

"This is Mangoro, I'm sorry... he's a little shy around strangers." Koishikawa said this against his will—Mangoro is usually not shy at all!

Shiraishi first asked, "Where was the body found?"

“In the storage room in the basement,” Koishikawa said calmly.

"I see... Then please come in first, but stay in the living room for now and don't move around," Shiraishi said to Ayako and Ai in the entryway.

Upon entering the living room, Shiraishi immediately noticed Koishikawa's suitcase. It seemed she had decided to stay for a few days, and indeed, she had only recently arrived; it was even dripping water.

Shiraishi:……

"Was the deceased someone we knew?" Shiraishi asked.

Originally, Shiraishi decided to simply help look after the scene and the first person who discovered it, to preserve some timely evidence, and did not intend to get involved in the investigation. However... realizing something, Shiraishi still couldn't help himself.

Upon hearing this, Koishikawa hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yes, it's Hatano Shigeru... my editor."

"Editor? Ms. Koishikawa is a writer?" Shiraishi asked.

"Pretty much, I draw comics," Koishikawa replied.

"Eh? Excuse me..." Shiraishi looked at Koishikawa with slight surprise—aren't writers and manga artists generally not very good-looking? Koishikawa, on the other hand, has both a great figure and good looks...

"Then take me to see the scene first," Shiraishi said, and went to the basement with Koishikawa.

This storage room is really "secure"—the outer door looks like the kind that's designed to be used against Kid the Kid; you need to enter a password and turn a winch to open it...

"This is... a storage room?" Shiraishi asked in a strange tone, as it looked more like a vault!
“Well, I use it as a storage room… Its original owner was probably a Westerner who came to the island nation in the last century. They like to build these kinds of things in their houses.” Koishikawa also seemed to think the door was useless.

"Did you open this door after you arrived, Ms. Koishikawa?" Shiraishi asked, looking at the heavy door.

“That’s right.” Koishikawa nodded.

Shiraishi glanced inside—it was pitch black, but he could see a man lying on the ground, and… the smell was already very strong!

"You didn't go in, did you?" Shiraishi asked, seemingly asking a pointless question.

Koishikawa naturally shook his head...

It's obvious that most people wouldn't go into this kind of place!

Shiraishi was no ordinary person, so he crouched down and walked in, turning on his phone's flashlight as he did so—although Shiraishi could see in the night, he wasn't sensitive to color when he was in the dark.

Shiraishi first looked around at the surrounding environment...

Although the vault-like door was somewhat intimidating, this room was clearly just a storeroom in Koishikawa's area.

And the deceased Hatano...

"Hmm?" Shiraishi noticed something but didn't make a sound. Instead, he said, "There's already a greenish tinge to the corpse, putrefactive blisters, and rigor mortis has basically subsided... The estimated time of death is two or three days ago..." As he spoke, he took a few more photos.

After conducting a basic inspection, Shiraishi emerged from the foul-smelling storage room and closed the door behind him.

“Ms. Koishikawa, I think you might also be having trouble sleeping. How about you cooperate with me a little?” Shiraishi asked.

"Hmm." Koishikawa maintained a calm demeanor, though with a hint of dazedness.

This state is actually normal...

“First of all… could you take me to Mr. Hatano’s room?” Shiraishi asked.

Koishikawa led him directly to a guest room on the second floor, where Shiraishi saw his luggage...

There seemed to be nothing unusual, but Shiraishi's expression turned strange after looking at his wallet.

……

Back in the living room, Shiraishi saw Ai playing with the dog, while Ayako sat watching with some concern—not that she was worried about Ai getting bitten by the dog, but rather about the current case!
"Little... Shiraishi, how is it? Was it a murder or an accident?" Ayako asked as soon as she saw Shiraishi return.

“Without a doubt, it’s a murder case,” Shiraishi said with certainty.

"Huh?" Koishikawa was taken aback.

"Is there a problem?" Shiraishi turned his head and asked upon hearing the voice.

"No... could it be... not due to suffocation or something?" Koishikawa asked疑惑地.

"Hmm? Why do you think that?" Shiraishi asked, looking at Koishikawa.

“Because… that warehouse was very enclosed, wasn’t it? I thought… he accidentally locked himself inside,” Koishikawa said matter-of-factly.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi's expression shifted slightly, as if he were somewhat puzzled...

“Wait, Ms. Koishikawa, let’s start from the beginning… This editor Hatano, was he… living with you?” Shiraishi asked first—after all, he died in her house.

Koishikawa smiled and said, "Of course not! We only have a working relationship and no personal relationship. I don't usually live in this house. It's too remote. It's only suitable for me to come here occasionally to think about new things. The last time I came here was a month ago. I usually lend the house to Mr. Hatano for work."

“I see… But there’s something that’s bothering me.” Shiraishi said, glancing at Koishikawa’s suitcase beside him, and asked, “Ms. Koishikawa, you seem to have just arrived here not long ago, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Koishikawa nodded.

“I noticed you didn’t even unpack your luggage before heading straight to the basement… Did you have some kind of premonition or something?” Shiraishi asked, voicing his earlier doubts.

Koishikawa continued nodding, "That's right... because there was a time before when he accidentally locked himself inside, but since I was there at the time, I let him out after two hours. But he was quite startled and said he had difficulty breathing... I couldn't contact him during the day, so I was a little worried."

Immediately, Koishikawa blamed himself, saying, "If only I had paid attention to these things back then and installed a doorstop..."

Her attitude seemed a bit insincere, but if what she said was true, it was understandable—I didn't have a very close personal relationship with the deceased, but it wouldn't be good to not react…

However, Shiraishi shook his head and said, "No, you don't need to blame yourself. Mr. Hatano's death was not an accident, but a murder. There were obvious external wounds on his head. The murder weapon... should be the small safe on the ground. Wasn't that placed on the ground before?"

"Huh?" Koishikawa was taken aback. "That...that's on the shelf."

Koishikawa's surprised reaction didn't seem fake, which made Shiraishi somewhat suspicious.

Then Koishikawa spoke up, "Could it be... an accident? Did he knock it down and hit his head? Only Hatano and I know the password to that door, and I just arrived, so no one else should have had a chance to attack him..." Shiraishi and Ai: ...

Now, not only Shiraishi, but even Ai, who was playing with the dog nearby, couldn't help but look at her—what was this woman... saying?
Although he didn't notice Ai, seeing the look in Shiraishi's eyes, Koishikawa asked anxiously, "Excuse me... is there a problem?"

"Well... how should I put it? As expected of someone in the creative field, their way of thinking is just different from ours..." Shiraishi said in a strange tone, "Normally, if we saw this situation, we would think that someone went in with Mr. Hatano, then attacked him, and then came out and closed the door... But Ms. Koishikawa's idea is that after excluding Mr. Koishikawa from closing the door, no one will open the door again to attack him?"

Indeed, when Shiraishi first heard her "sophistry," he was also surprised by her logic.

Just as Koishikawa was at a loss for words, Ayako suddenly exclaimed, "Manga? Could you be Koishikawa Chinami-sensei?"

“‘Teacher’ is too kind of you…” Koishikawa said politely to Ayako.

“I have read your book, Kalimantan City. It is a wonderful work. The love story in it is so perfect that I couldn’t bear to finish reading it…” Ayako took the initiative to step forward and shake hands.

"Thank you," Koishikawa said with a polite smile.

It's clear that Ayako really likes her work.

and……

Just by looking at this huge villa, which he calls "for finding inspiration," you can tell he's definitely not a struggling painter!
Ayako blushed when she saw the look Shiraishi was giving her.

"Love? So, Ms. Koishikawa, you know a lot about this?" Shiraishi asked somewhat abruptly.

Koishikawa didn't seem to mind, but shook his head and said, "No, if you really understood... you wouldn't be able to write about perfect love, would you?" He then gave a bitter smile.

“I see, that sounds quite philosophical… By the way, does Mr. Hatano have any enemies?” Shiraishi abruptly steered the conversation back to the case.

"Editor Hatano... he's the complete opposite. When it comes to relationships, he's got a lot of... well, I don't know the specifics." Koishikawa had clearly hinted at this.

This person has a rich romantic history!
Shiraishi:……

"So, the murderer must have come with Mr. Hatano, right? Did he tell Mr. Koishikawa when he was coming?" Ayako asked.

Koishikawa shook her head, but Shiraishi said directly, "It was three days ago, the day he died... and judging from the receipts from the rest stop and gas station in his wallet from three days ago, there was indeed someone who came with him. After all, there is only Ms. Koishikawa's car outside now, and the rest stop receipts show a curry rice and an eel rice, so obviously there was someone else who drove him here."

Shiraishi immediately looked at Koishikawa and asked, "Ms. Koishikawa, do you have any clues?"

Koishikawa simply shook his head, his expression growing increasingly pale...

Gollum-

Just then, Ai's stomach growled.

Seeing the three of them looking over at the same time, Ai, without changing her expression, pressed her ear against Mangoro's stomach...

Wan Wulang: ...

The golden retriever gave a helpless look.

"Are you hungry? I'll go get something to eat," Koishikawa said, getting up and walking towards the kitchen.

"I'll help too!" Ayako quickly said.

……

The kitchen is not far from the living room.

Here you can hear the two talking in the kitchen. You can tell that Ayako is very enthusiastic, while Koishikawa, although polite, is somewhat indifferent... or rather, uninterested.

Ai then whispered to Shiraishi, "She's the murderer, isn't she?"

Ai has already discovered her weakness...

“It should be right… um… at least she’s the one who’s been locked up inside, and…” Shiraishi said, shaking his head.

"So, people should study math, physics, and chemistry well, and watch less TV dramas," Ai rolled her eyes.

Clearly, Ai has come to understand where all the "strangeness" comes from.

Shortly after, Koishikawa and Ayako returned carrying ten bowls of sponge cake...

The reason for ten bowls is self-evident.

However, it was clear that Ayako's expression was complicated at this moment.

Even while eating chicken cake, Ayako remained somewhat silent.

Bai Shi was slurping away – after everyone else had finished eating, Bai Shi had only eaten four bowls and was still eating the remaining three.

Finally, Shiraishi broke the silence, saying while eating, "This must be Ms. Koishikawa's cooking, right? I didn't expect Ms. Koishikawa to be such a good cook. She'll definitely be a good wife in the future... Of course, she's still a bit inferior to Ayako, hahaha..."

Upon hearing this, Koishikawa smiled and said, "As expected of Director Beika, you can tell by taste."

“Of course,” Shiraishi said matter-of-factly. “I’m very perceptive.”

Koishikawa:……

There was another moment of silence.

Finally, amidst the sound of Shiraishi eating the sponge cake and Ayako's complicated gaze, Koishikawa seemed to finally break down and spoke up, "I never expected... to actually meet the famous Chief Beika. This must be fate."

“Ms. Koishikawa…” Ayako looked at her with pity.

Koishikawa asked, a mix of embarrassment and grievance, "It seems even Ayako-san noticed... Could you tell me where I slipped up?"

That's practically a confession...

"I... didn't notice anything, but... no one would use eggs from the fridge after a month of not having their period..." Ayako said, feeling uncomfortable—it's hard not to notice!
When Ayako saw Koishikawa take out the refrigerated eggs and use them, her first reaction was surprise, but then... she understood something, which is why she remained silent.

Koishikawa:……

"As expected, I still can't handle the details well," Koishikawa said helplessly.

"Thank you for the meal." Shiraishi had finished the last bowl.

Seeing Koishikawa looking over, Shiraishi spread his hands and said, "I'm not sure either, but..."

As Shiraishi spoke, he shook his head—all I can say is that this is a rather unskilled murderer. At first, Shiraishi hesitated entirely because… he never expected that both the murderer and the victim would be so lacking in common sense, almost leading to a misjudgment!
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Dongdong: Today is September 19th, Nakamori Aoko's birthday. Please vote for me! Please vote for me! Please vote for me!
(End of this chapter)