Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 547 Safety, safety, and more safety!

Shiraishi didn't get many answers to his questions from Masumura, but he did learn some things he didn't know before.

As one of Hasunuma's few friends, Masumura could not get any information from Hasunuma unless he asked Hasunuma himself. He could not get any information from anyone else.

As for why Masumura would befriend someone like Hasunuma, Shiraishi asked curiously, but Masumura did not answer.

I heard from other people that Masumura actually has a very good personality—not at all like a former convict who had been to prison for fighting.

That's probably why Hasunuma stuck with me...

After all, that guy Hasunuma hadn't seen Masumura for three years, and the first thing he did when they met was to stay at his house, and Masumura actually agreed.

……

Then, Shiraishi estimated that no other useful clues could be found, so he went to the vicinity of the "suspected crime scene" to meet up with Yokomizo.

Yokomizo was still visiting the surrounding residents at this time...

"Did you find anything?" Shiraishi asked.

"I don't know if it counts... I remember that a garbage truck did come by that house in front that night, but the garbage truck is supposed to collect garbage here anyway." Yokomi said, shaking his head helplessly.

Yokomizo estimated that the Shizuoka Prefectural Police should have obtained this clue three years ago, but...

It's really not helpful for solving the case!
They come every night...

"Oh, right, I also heard that that night... well, never mind, that's not related to the case." Yokomizo said helplessly—Shiraishi had previously instructed him not to focus on the case during his interviews, and to report anything unusual that night, or any nights during that period!

After all, Shiraishi still doesn't know what exactly happened that night.

However, it was precisely because of this that Yokomizo asked many unrelated questions...

Upon hearing Yokomizo's words, Shiraishi couldn't help but say, "What's going on? At least finish what you were saying."

"Uh... Actually, someone told me that on that bridge not far ahead, a woman wanted to commit suicide that night. However, he remembered that she was wearing a black top and white bottom dress, and when he ran over, the woman had already given up her suicidal thoughts and left."

“The victim, Namiki Saori, didn’t go home after school that day, so she should still be wearing her school uniform. She definitely couldn’t be the person who was going to jump off the bridge,” Yokomizo emphasized.

Discovering that someone has committed suicide is indeed a serious matter.

especially……

There had been some vague testimony that "Namiki Saori was emotionally unstable before her disappearance," so Yokomizo paid special attention to it. However, the other party remembered very clearly that he saw a short-haired woman in a white dress.

By the time he circled around from below to try and stop the person from committing suicide, the person had already left, so he didn't know who it was.

When Shiraishi heard Yokomizo say this, he nodded knowingly—it did indeed seem unrelated at the moment.

Immediately afterwards, Shiraishi called Mitsurugi again...

As expected, things weren't going smoothly for Mitsurugi compared to the seasoned veterans Shiraishi and Yokomizo!

Then Shiraishi and Yokomizo drove to the high school where Namiki Saori was studying to meet up with Mitsurugi.

"Ah... Superintendent Shiraishi, I'll take over..." Upon seeing this, Yokomizo even offered to drive.

However, Shiraishi said, "Alright, get on, so I don't have to adjust the seats."

Shiraishi didn't stand on ceremony and drove Yokomizo directly to the school. As the older brother, Yokomizo Sango was indeed more composed... and also more formal. If it were Yokomizo Shigego, he would have treated Shiraishi as a driver long ago.

……

"Natsumi, I'm so sorry, it must have been tiring traveling with this guy, right?" As soon as Shiraishi met her, he apologized to Natsumi, acting as if he had caused her trouble.

Sword Control: ...

Yu Jian stood to the side with a stern face, but couldn't say anything, after all...

"It wasn't...very strenuous," Xia Mei said politely, but also somewhat reluctantly.

It's clear that this has caused a lot of trouble!

Xia Mei, carrying her sword, went door-to-door to find her school teachers and her sister's classmates—even though it was holiday time, it wasn't surprising that students in this small city knew their teachers' addresses.

However, Yujian really didn't have much experience in visiting such places...

After all, he usually meets mostly suspects who are to be prosecuted, and the witnesses he meets all know what he has to say, unlike now, where he has to communicate with a large number of "people unrelated to the case"!
This is something that swordsmen are not good at.

He had an instinct to put pressure on suspects who were hiding something or lying, and even on witnesses who "couldn't speak clearly".

After this visit, all I can say is...

This "prosecutor from the East" has deepened the stereotypes of "Eastern Capital elites" among people in small cities!

If it weren't for Xia Mei following along and asking about Saori again, Yujian would probably have been kicked out several times already.

"Seriously...you should apologize to all our colleagues in Tokyo!" Shiraishi said disdainfully.

Sword Control: ...

Yokomizo looked at Shiraishi strangely—he had also realized that Inspector Shiraishi and this prosecutor had more than just a good relationship.

How does it feel...

Is Inspector Shiraishi constantly manipulating him?
"How many more haven't we asked yet?" Shiraishi and Natsumi confirmed.

“I think these teachers are all quite familiar with my sister.” Xia Mei took out her notebook, on which she had written the list overnight.

Moreover, there are still several pages of records above, all of which are from the conversation just now.

Although the format of the notes was messy and disorganized, which seemed unacceptable to the criminal police, it was... extremely detailed!

"Isn't it too chaotic?" Xia Mei asked with some concern.

“No, that’s good, very specific, that’s good,” Shiraishi said encouragingly.

Shiraishi quickly read the contents above...

"Hmm? Although her final exam results were slightly off, she didn't fall too far behind. And the so-called 'encountering some issues' only refers to her discussing taking a leave of absence with her advisor and even researching the differences between several types of leave of absence?" Shiraishi then saw the meaning behind these testimonies.

Henggou, standing to the side, was now smiling broadly and... obsequiously.

Comparing the case file records of the Shizuoka police, it cannot be said to be fabricated, but it does have a hint of "subtle writing".

Based solely on the case files from the Shizuoka Prefectural Police, Shiraishi and Mitsurugi felt that this young girl was having some unresolved issues, which could even be considered signs of impending suicide!
But looking at this testimony again now...

That's a completely different feeling!
It's true that Saori seems to have encountered some issues or changes, but she's certainly not at the point of being "confused." On the contrary, she's still planning for the future and coping with these changes. It's clear that the Shizuoka Prefectural Police selectively recorded the testimonies they gathered to prevent the missing person case from escalating into a more serious situation.

This doesn't seem like it's to protect anyone, but simply...

The less trouble, the better!
It's better than having a dangerous missing person case go unsolved than for a teenage girl to run away from home.

Although he had nothing to do with Yokomizo, he was now the administrator of Shizuoka and felt embarrassed, even worried that Inspector Mitsurugi might pursue the matter.

Fortunately, neither Shiraishi nor Mitsurugi said anything at this point...

Although Shiraishi was very dissatisfied with this approach, it had nothing to do with Yokomizo after all.

As for criticizing the Shizuoka Prefectural Police? That has even less to do with Shiraishi...

They specifically asked Yokomizo to cooperate with him, and if he went up there and gave him a condescending "criticism," they wouldn't feel guilty at all; instead, they would be unhappy with Shiraishi. What good would it do except hinder his investigation? Of course, Shiraishi wouldn't do such a thing.

As for Yujian, it was "commonplace" for him. In fact, he thought, "These police officers are just like that," "We prosecutors are the most reliable," and "I still have to personally command important cases!"
“In that case, we need to reconsider the previous situation… Natsumi, did your sister say anything to you during that time?” Shiraishi asked Natsumi at this moment.

After a moment's hesitation, Xia Mei shook her head...

Yokomizo then pondered and said, "Or... is there any health problem?"

Generally speaking, if it's not "disliking school" but "taking a leave of absence," it should be a health problem, right?

Xia Mei remained silent at this point.

Just as Mikasa was about to ask, Shiraishi raised his hand to stop him, and squatted down to make himself and Natsumi look at each other at eye level to close the physical distance and create a sense of psychological closeness. Then he asked sincerely, "Natsumi, we all want to know why your sister disappeared, and to catch the murderer who killed her... If you know anything, can you tell us?"

After a moment of silence, Xia Mei said, "Actually... my sister... used that before that..."

This was a bit of a tease, but Shiraishi didn't urge them and even stopped Miken and Yokomizo from doing so.

Xia Mei paused for a moment before saying, "It's... the kind of test you use after a period of missed periods... I think... two lines mean... you're pregnant, right..."

Shiraishi, Mitsurugi, Yokomizo: ...

Goodness, no wonder Xia Mei had such a hard time explaining it!
She didn't even tell the police officers back then—not that she deliberately concealed it, but because three years ago, Xia Mei's knowledge was insufficient to realize what that thing measured.

She discovered it by chance, and her sister wouldn't let her tell anyone.

Later, as she learned more, Xia Mei also discovered that it was a pregnancy test, but...

In her opinion, this had nothing to do with her sister's disappearance. She firmly believed that her sister had been attacked, and that bringing this up now would only damage her sister's reputation, so she naturally didn't mention it.

However, this situation does fit the idea of ​​"wanting to take a break from school for a while"!

"That brat named Takagaki from last night, isn't he your sister's boyfriend?" Shiraishi asked directly.

At that time, Shiraishi could tell that Takagaki was also very agitated by Hasunuma's provocation, and...

His initial dazed expression reflected his longing for Saori—he was back in a familiar place, but the important person was no longer there.

Xia Mei nodded, confirming this as well.

Judging from Saori's reaction three years ago, although the child was an accident, Saori not only had no intention of aborting it, but was also preparing to drop out of school...

The child's father is also obvious.

Although it wasn't a good thing, Saori was already past the age of consent at the time.

However, the fact that Takagaki did not mention this matter back then inevitably made the three of them look down on him a bit.

Soon, led by Xia Mei, the three arrived at the Takagaki residence.

Looking at the three menacing men in front of him, especially... Shiraishi, whose physique was incredibly imposing, Takagaki felt guilty before he could even speak.

However, after learning that they were there to investigate Saori, Takagaki immediately became eager to cooperate.

This improved the impression that Shiraishi and the other two had of him slightly.

After asking a couple of questions and seeing that he admitted to being Saori's boyfriend, Shiraishi steered the conversation toward "Saori's unusual behavior during that period."

Upon hearing this, Takagaki showed a pained expression.

However, what he said next surprised the three of them somewhat...

Takagaki was unaware that Saori was pregnant, but Saori did mention to him that morning on her way to school that she wanted to give up singing. Saori was very talented in singing and was a student of Mr. Arakura, who had been grooming her to "debut."

Saori's sudden decision to give up surprised Takagaki, who explained that if she debuted, she would have to part ways with him.

Takagaki was very moved at the time, but still persuaded Saori to stick to her dream...

“I also realized that Saori probably has something she wants to tell me... but…” Takagaki said, covering her face and bursting into tears.

He could never have imagined that it would be the last time the two of them met.

Saori wanted to tell him something in the end, but she never managed to say it, which became a source of heartache for Takagaki.

Especially after learning of Saori's death, it became his eternal regret...

The three of them looked at each other and then tacitly decided to keep the matter a secret for the time being.

"Actually, my sister..." Xia Mei hesitated for a moment before finally saying it.

“Natsumi,” Shiraishi hinted at.

In the eyes of Shiraishi and the other two, Takagaki was just a twenty-year-old kid...

Unless there's a compelling reason to tell him, there's no need to tell him this anymore. After all, Saori is dead, and judging from the state of her remains, the child couldn't have been born.

After leaving the Takagaki family, Shiraishi felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

Although we obtained quite a few more clues about what happened back then, they didn't seem to help the case at all!
Saori hadn't told anyone about her pregnancy, and Takagaki was unaware of it either.

The only real gain was that the "running away from home" and "suicidal tendencies" that the Shizuoka Prefectural Police had implied back then were completely unfounded.

Saori clearly wants to confront everyone, then suspend her studies to give birth to the child...

"The most suspicious one is still..." Yokomizo was also very resentful of Hasunuma Kanichi at this time, but since there was no evidence, there was nothing he could do.

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 26th, World Contraception Day, and this chapter's content is also appropriate... urging everyone to make responsible choices regarding their reproductive health. Please vote for me! Please vote for me! Please vote for me!
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