Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 551 The Targeted "Egg"

Natsumi's testimony shifted the tide of the court proceedings, and Ikukura was unable to reverse the situation. Hasunuma Kanichi was ultimately found guilty...

Although he indicated his intention to appeal in court, Ikukura will likely change his tactics later, focusing on changing the charges and reducing the sentence.

In addition, the investigation into the case from eighteen years ago has been restarted in Shizuoka Prefecture.

……

After the court hearing, Shiraishi and Namiki's relatives and friends exchanged pleasantries and said goodbye, especially praising Natsumi's calm and courageous performance.

Shiraishi then declined their invitation to lunch, after all...

The murderer was finally arrested and tried. They probably wanted to commemorate Saori, but it wasn't appropriate for Shiraishi to go with them at that time.

Furthermore, Shiraishi and Ayako already have other plans.

Ayako has already made a reservation at the restaurant...

"Do you have anything else planned for this weekend?" Ayako asked while eating.

"Anything else? That's all besides moving," Shiraishi said, shaking his head.

Ayako knew, of course, that Shiraishi was planning to move into his newly tidied "new home" this weekend.

"Then... how about we wait a little longer?" Ayako asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Eh? Still worried about those rumors? Ayako has already personally confirmed them..." Shiraishi thought that Ayako didn't want him to move in.

"No, no, no, what I mean is, could you come with me to Osaka this weekend?" Ayako shook her head.

"Osaka? What's wrong? Are you going to see Satsuki-san?" Shiraishi asked curiously upon hearing this.

“Of course not… Don’t you remember that the Suzuki Group was planning to hold an art exhibition in Osaka?” Ayako countered.

"Hmm, it's going to be exhibited at that art museum in Osaka Park, right? What would you like to see... uh..." Shiraishi himself felt that he had asked a stupid question.

What items from the Suzuki Group's exhibition would you like to see, Ayako?

Watch it if you want!
Why wait until the exhibition to see it...

Ayako shook her head and said, "I don't really have anything I want to see, but... that person has their eye on this art exhibition!"

"That person?" Shiraishi was taken aback when he heard this, and then the image of the Silver Wing Magician appeared in his mind.

This kid...

That's brave!
They still dare to set their sights on the Suzuki family?
"Kid? He's also interested in this art exhibition?" Shiraishi hadn't paid attention to what the Suzuki family was exhibiting before.

"Yes, actually Dad received the notice last night... This matter hasn't been made public yet," Ayako said softly.

"Are there any impressive gems on display?" Shiraishi then asked.

After all, the Suzuki family has a dedicated department for organizing art exhibitions; they're either organizing an exhibition or on their way to one!
However, since Kidd has taken a liking to it, it must be something "high-quality".

"Actually, there's nothing special... but Kidd said in his announcement that he's going to take the Tsar's egg from inside," Ayako said with a hint of relief.

Shiraishi:……

Obviously, if Kidd hadn't said anything, Suzuki wouldn't have known what his target was this time—there were more than just this one of similar value, and there were even several that were limited to gemstones. In Ayako's opinion, the "Tsar Egg" was "not a good thing," at least compared to the "Dark Star" and the like, it was just something that was left on the roadside.

"Tsar eggs...you mean those Easter eggs that the Russian gem craftsman made for the last two Tsars? Your family has one too," Shiraishi said, recalling.

Although Shiraishi wasn't an art student, he still had the necessary qualifications, had taken art classes, and...

“That’s right… Xiao Hei, you still like this?” Ayako’s expression shifted, as if she was considering something.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, no, no, I'm not interested at all. However, when we were in school, Satsuki insisted on taking me to see these things a few times to thank me for tutoring her."

Ayako:……

“That’s really… not very interesting!” Ayako said with a smile, then blushed, feeling that she was being too fussy, and changed the subject, saying, “It’s just that kind of Tsar Egg, if you have to say something different… it’s generally believed that a total of fifty Tsar Eggs were made, but this one in my house should be the fifty-first.”

This is what Ayako was talking about.

If we replace Shiraishi with someone else, let's consider him part of the National Treasure Gang—there are fifty in total, do you have your fifty-first? Katsumi has one, you have one, Katsumi didn't have a cap, but you have one, right?
However, considering that it was a piece from the Suzuki family's collection, Shiraishi felt... it probably wasn't fake.

It's not surprising that there were extra "Tsar Eggs," especially since far more than fifty of these were ordered. However, before they could all be delivered, the Tsar was overthrown. Some of them already had design drawings, but they were never made.

"So... this might be the last one, right?" Shiraishi asked with a strange expression.

"Probably," Ayako said, though she wasn't entirely sure.

In that case, it does indeed have some additional value compared to the other fifty.

only……

What Shiraishi really wanted to say was, isn't it that the later the number of years, the more unlucky it becomes?
After all, this is the countdown to the Tsar's demise!

It is said that this item was made by the Tsar's personal gem craftsman, and it would take at least half a year to make just one. When they started making it, the Tsarist regime was already in turmoil, having lost many battles and even losing to the island nation. Before the fiftieth item was finished, the Tsar was overthrown by revolution...

While it can't be said that the Tsar's eggs were to blame, "Easter eggs" are something that every family in the West uses as decorations on the table during Easter, providing a bit of emotional value. At that time, ordinary families in St. Petersburg didn't even have eggs on their tables, yet the Tsar was still making "Tsar's eggs" one by one... If not you, who should be punished?

Of course, Shiraishi was still somewhat puzzled as to why the Suzuki family's fifty-first Tsar Egg had been targeted.

After all, judging by the quantity, this thing isn't particularly rare—did you check all the others? Why only check the Suzuki family's?
"Are there large gems on it?" Shiraishi asked curiously.

"No, this one doesn't have any gems on it; it's filled with gold." Ayako had played with it when she was little, so of course she knew what it looked like.

Tsar eggs are mainly distinguished by their exquisite craftsmanship, with most adorned with rare gemstones, diamonds, jade, and other precious materials. However, a few are made of "simple" materials, namely gold.

"No gems?" Shiraishi frowned upon hearing this—if there are no gems, why is Kid causing trouble? Is he deliberately provoking me?

Although she didn't know what was going on, Shiraishi nodded in agreement: "Okay, then let's go to Osaka together tomorrow... no, tonight."

Then, as if remembering something, Shiraishi asked, "By the way, should we ask Satsuki-san if we can have a meal together?"

"I'd rather not... The Railway Association is having a meeting right now!" Ayako said firmly.

"Alright, let's talk about it after we get down to business." Shiraishi didn't seem too disappointed.

Ayako: ...Ayako suddenly felt that Kid's matter wasn't that important after all...

On the afternoon of July 21, Shiraishi and Ayako arrived in Osaka—since the purpose of this trip was to "help the Suzuki family protect their artwork," Shiraishi did not refuse the private jet.

The exhibition will be held the day after tomorrow, July 23.

Because I had important business to attend to, I didn't bring Ai Haibara this time.

“Stay at my place tonight! Let’s go to the art museum first,” Ayako said.

Ayako handed her simple luggage directly to the servants on the private jet.

Shiraishi, of course, did not refuse...

After all, it's said that he "lives in my house," so there's nothing fancy about it, and there's no need to worry about gossip. The Suzuki family has a manor in Osaka, so no matter how long Shiraishi stays, there won't be any gossip!
Afterwards, Shiraishi was picked up and dropped off by the Suzuki family and arrived at the Suzuki Museum of Modern Art in Osaka Park. Yes, this museum is also owned by the Suzuki family and is dedicated to exhibiting modern art.

The "Tsar's Egg" is quite fitting to be exhibited here.

When Shiraishi and Ayako arrived, they discovered that some police officers were already on guard duty, and...

"Hmm? There are some familiar faces here..." Shiraishi remarked.

"Do you know anyone?" Ayako asked curiously.

"I wouldn't say I know them, but... some of the officers are from the Metropolitan Police Department's Second Investigation Division," Shiraishi said calmly.

Although they weren't exactly acquainted, Shiraishi found several faces familiar.

As for Bai Shi...

They're definitely closer!

Who could be so big?
However, given the current special circumstances, they haven't had any communication with Shiraishi.

Normally, anywhere else, even the most arrogant members of the Second Investigation Division would have to greet Superintendent Shiraishi. But the situation is different now…

As detectives from the Second Investigation Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Department, they shouldn't have the authority to be here—it's a Suzuki family exhibition, not being held in Tokyo!

and……

This is still Osaka.

The only force that can rival the Metropolitan Police Department is the Osaka Prefectural Police. Perhaps almost everyone in the eastern island of Japan, except for Osaka, considers the Metropolitan Police Department to be the most elite local police force. However, at least most of the detectives in Osaka believe that they are the best...

The Metropolitan Police Department's Second Investigation Division came under the guise of the "Kid Response Team," claiming to be "specifically responsible for Kid cases" in order to participate in this case.

In order to get involved, Section Chief Chaki personally led the team—as a veteran of the professional group, Chaki had many acquaintances in Osaka Prefecture…

Otherwise, if only Inspector Nakamori leads the team, the Osaka Prefectural Police might not cooperate and could even expel them directly.

Naturally, these members of the Second Investigation Division also had to keep a low profile, pretending not to know Shiraishi...

When Shiraishi arrived at the museum's reception room, he found that in addition to Uncle Shiro, there were already several other guests.

"Dad, Officer Shiraishi is here," Ayako said as she came in.

If it were just a private matter to call Shiraishi over, Ayako would of course wait until her father had met with the guests before coming. However, since Shiraishi is here for Kaito Kid's sake, it's fine for him to come in the middle of the process. Ayako even addressed him as "Officer Shiraishi".

"Ah, Shiraishi is here! Come over here!" Shiro was very enthusiastic, showing no businesslike attitude at all. He pulled him to his side and introduced him to the others.

Shiraishi then looked at four of the six guests already in the conference room—the other two being Inspector Chaki and Inspector Nakamori, whom Shiraishi had already greeted with eye contact when he entered.

There's no need to explain why they're here.

The other four guests included a tall, imposing man whose features were easily recognizable; another was a hunched-over old man dressed in expensive clothes, with diamonds on his tie clip; a young, artistic man who seemed to be recording something with a camera, though it was unclear if he was a guest; and the last one caught Baishi's attention the most…

A young woman who made Shiraishi's left arm feel hot!
[Be careful, she has the aura of dark magic on her.] Ayari woke up at this moment, sensing something.

[Dark magic?]

Shiraishi had become much more skilled. At this moment, while communicating with Ayari using his consciousness, he was also shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with other people without any disruption.

"This is none other than the legendary Inspector Shiraishi of the Metropolitan Police Department! You should be able to tell, right? Hahaha... This time, Shiraishi is here in his personal capacity to act as a security advisor for the Suzuki family." Shiro introduced Shiraishi, pulling him aside.

The name of a person, the shadow of a tree—after hearing the name Bai Shi, the four of them became somewhat nervous.

Shiraishi:……

“Bai Shi, this is Mr. Yarrow Polk, the secretary of the Maoist embassy,” Shi Lang first introduced the foreign friend who had come to visit in an official capacity.

“Hello, I’ve heard of you too, Officer Shiraishi,” Yaro said, extending his hand.

Shiraishi shook hands with him and said in return, "It's a great honor."

"Yes, it's a lineage on par with Miss Koizumi's Red Magic, but... her aura isn't quite authentic. She might just be a successor like you, not having truly inherited it yet? She might not even have noticed me..." Aya's tone wasn't very certain.

"This is art dealer Inui Shoichi, Mr. Inui," Shiro introduced the seemingly wealthy old man.

"Haha, Officer Shiraishi, I also have a small exhibition hall in Beika. Please take care of me in the future," Mr. Qian said politely.

Shiraishi:……

Shiraishi said a few polite words, but what she really wanted to tell him was—don't come to Mikasa unless it's absolutely necessary. Your profession is a bit dangerous. You only have a better chance of survival if you run into Kid!

"If she can't find you... does that mean her skill level is average?" Shiraishi pressed.

After all, it's extremely rare to encounter a "genuine" item!
"And this is Ms. Pu Siqinglan. Don't let her young age fool you; she's an expert on the Romanov dynasty," Shi Lang continued.

The Romanov dynasty, also known as the Shah-Mao dynasty, was the dynasty that truly began to rise to power.

"Hello, I've heard so much about you, Officer Shiraishi." Pu Siqinglan looked very young, with short hair and light gray eyes, suggesting she might also have foreign ancestry.

Shiraishi then pretended not to notice anything and shook hands with her—Ayari's judgment was that she hadn't noticed her presence, and as for Shiraishi himself, he was even less likely to have noticed anything...

[That's not entirely true. Some schools of thought are simply not sensitive to spirits. However... her aura is indeed a bit strange. It feels very high-level, yet it's also very vague and fragmented...] Aya took the opportunity of shaking hands to sense it more clearly.

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 October 1st. 76 years ago today, the People's Republic of China was founded. Please vote for me! Please vote for me! Please vote for me!
(End of this chapter)