Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 580 Friend Request
August 6th, Sunday, night.

Countless newspapers and social media bloggers in Dongdu are busy...

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Twin Towers, White Stone's heroic act of saving lives twice was widely shared online, and traditional print media naturally followed suit, adding extra pages to their newspapers.

The scene where Shiraishi saves President Tokiwa was already being filmed by the ribbon-cutting ceremony's videographers, and the even more thrilling car chase rescue afterwards was also captured on camera by guests with their mobile phones...

In the end, Ruyue Fengshui only suffered some superficial injuries. Only then could everyone understand why Ruyue, as a master of landscape painting, would commit such a horrific crime—the Twin Towers blocked Ruyue's view of Mount Fuji from his house on the mountaintop.

“Every time I look out the window and see… Mount Fuji now bisected by that building, my killing intent becomes uncontrollable! Tokiwa Mio, Hara Yoshiaki… and even Oki Iwamatsu, who made the project a reality… they all have to die!”

After being rescued by Shiraishi, Kisaragi confessed her motives at the Metropolitan Police Department.

Takagi, Chiba: ...

In the interrogation room, Takagi and Chiba were speechless.

What kind of reasons are these?
Why don't we put him in the same room as Teiji Moriya?

Shiraishi and Megure were outside the interrogation room, silently watching this scene.

After a moment's pause, Takagi finally asked, "Um... then why did you look at Superintendent Shiraishi's file?"

Takagi asked the crucial question that Shiraishi had instructed him to ask!
Although it was unrelated to the murder case, Shiraishi was more concerned about it.

“Officer Shiraishi? I don’t know what you’re talking about… If you’re referring to what happened with Hara Yoshiaki, he was already dead when I got to his house,” Kisaragi said, shaking her head.

"Huh? Didn't you say that you killed Hara Yoshiaki and Oki Iwamatsu..." Takagi was stunned upon hearing this.

“No, I mean I wanted to kill them. I did kill Oki Iwamatsu. I was going to Hara Yoshiaki’s place with the same knife, but someone beat me to it. I just left the broken sake cup representing Mount Fuji at the scene,” Kisaragi explained.

“But…” Takagi was also stunned by Kisaragi’s words—it wasn’t even him who killed him, yet he still wanted to leave evidence of the murder at the scene?
"It's alright, it's fine if you consider it as me killing him," Ruyue said calmly.

"It's not a question of whether it counts or not..."

……

Regardless of Takagi and the others' skepticism, Shiraishi had already come to believe Kisaragi Mine's testimony.

Shiraishi estimated that when Kisaragi arrived at Hara Yoshiaki's place, the "Black Organization" members had probably just committed murder and might not have even left yet!

After all, if the Black Organization followed its normal procedure for silencing people, especially if it was Gin who did it, they would either set fire or detonate the evidence afterward, and would not leave the scene intact.

It's very likely that seeing Kisaragi Mine deliberately leave behind evidence of the murder made Gin feel that preserving the scene was acceptable...

After all, someone has already taken the blame, so why bother disturbing the scene?
This was clearly not good news for the First Investigation Division—even if Kisaragi herself confessed, it wouldn't matter; without the murder weapon, the case couldn't be closed.

but……

"Don't worry, I think the police will take over Hara Yoshiaki's case." Shiraishi said, trying to comfort Inspector Megure, who looked troubled.

If it really was the "Black Organization" trying to silence them, then it's not something an ordinary criminal police officer can handle.

Although Inspector Megure was puzzled, since the "Public Security" had been mentioned, he didn't ask any further questions. He simply checked the time and said into the microphone, "Alright, it's already ten o'clock. Let's continue tomorrow."

Although Kisaragi was very cooperative, the interrogation time had already expired.

When Chiba came out, Shiraishi stared at him and asked, "Hmm? Detective Chiba, have you gained weight?"

Upon hearing this, Chiba chuckled somewhat awkwardly, "Well, being a little chubby can help... I'm trying to maintain my stamina!"

……

The next morning, as expected, Shiraishi saw various versions of the headline news.

"Chief of the Mihana Police Station leaps 100 meters to save a life," "Chief of the Mihana Police Station performs CPR again; suspected of addiction," "Shocking! Mount Fuji splits in two; multiple deaths"...

As expected of a self-media outlet, they really know how to deliver shocking information—what is all this about?
If you didn't know better, you'd really think Mount Fuji had cracked open!
and also……

Who taught you to use a photo of CPR as your front-page picture?
Aren't there many more meaningful scenes?
Wasn't that enough of what you did to me at the aquarium last time?
Bai Shi was at a loss for words.

As expected, Shiraishi once again stole the show.

Although as Shiraishi's reputation grew, minor cases and minor actions, such as arresting a town councilor, were hardly enough to elevate his status, this time was different. He drove his car into the air from a height of several hundred meters, which had a tremendous impact on everyone.

Early in the morning, Shiraishi received a notification from "above"...

Although it was Monday, Shiraishi didn't go to the police station; instead, he went directly to the headquarters.

It's not to cooperate with the case; barring any unforeseen circumstances, Shiraishi will be spending the entire day in the publicity department today!

Not only will there be a press conference in the morning, but afterwards there will also be a publicity session and a short interview—mainly to talk about the feelings during the "car-speed rescue".

For Shiraishi, it wasn't actually that dangerous.

Not to mention that Shiraishi's physical strength and control precision were already quite high, and even if something went wrong, Shiraishi could use the power of magic to change his trajectory, so he would not really die.

However, from other people's perspectives, "Chief Mika" was definitely sacrificing herself to save others - who would dare say that such an action was "sure"?

It's one thing for him to jump up and save Tokiwa Mio earlier; it just shows that Shiraishi has good physical fitness.

While the difficulty is extremely high, it doesn't seem particularly groundbreaking—after all, it's not like everyone just found out today that "Chief Mihana" is physically fit.
But rescuing someone in a high-speed car is different...

Besides Chief Mikasa, which other high-ranking police officer would risk their life to save someone?
They even saved suspects who were about to commit suicide out of fear of punishment!
What kind of spirit is this?
The Metropolitan Police Department wouldn't even dare to boast like this...

A new broom sweeps clean, and of course, they won't miss this opportunity for a propaganda campaign!

Outside the publicity class, Shiraishi ran into Shirai first and made a point of exchanging pleasantries, saying, "How's it going? Got a new beautiful boss?"

Shirai:……

"Director, you and Section Chief are quite familiar with each other, aren't you? On his first day in office, Section Chief came to me to inquire about you..." Shirai said resentfully.

Because he sensed his resentment, Shiraishi decisively skipped the topic—you're being targeted because you're not "publicized" enough, what does it have to do with me?

Moreover… “Inspector Shiraishi, if you have time, you can take a look at the prepared remarks for the press conference later.” The executive walked over at this moment.

"Speak of the devil, and he appears." Bai Shi said in a tone that sounded like, "You overheard me praising your beauty."

However, the company only adopted a businesslike attitude at this time: "The former director of the AI ​​Research Institute was involved in a murder case, which had a very bad impact..." As he spoke, he handed Shiraishi the prepared script.

Although the case of the murder of the head of the Planning Division of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice was closed with the death of the suspect, Namiko Ega, the repercussions still linger.

Firstly, the suspect's death theoretically meant the murderer wasn't caught; the investigation was terminated simply because of the suspect's death. Secondly, the presence of AI and similar technologies easily sparks speculation among the public, especially since some self-media outlets like to sensationalize such stories…

In this case, the publicity department also did a lot of work.

Before they could even finish their work here, after working overtime all weekend, Baishi immediately had another "creative project" to come!
The company now finally understands why the former section chief aged so much in just one year...

"This draft is a bit fake... I get the gist of it, I'll improvise on the spot." After looking at it, Shiraishi handed the draft back to the publishing house.

Shemi Yako:......

Miko was helpless about Shiraishi's unrestrained behavior, but there was nothing she could do.

If it were an ordinary police chief, regardless of rank, he would definitely cooperate with the headquarters. However, Shiraishi is clearly not so easy to control.

Let alone having Shiraishi read the script...

Just like before, Shiraishi immediately adopted the attitude that "the publicity department is his own operations team"!

The former section chief was already used to it and had retired early because he couldn't handle the trouble anymore. However, in Miko's opinion, it was just another warning from Shiraishi.

But think about it...

After all, when Miko was in the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, Shiraishi dared to use "evidence" to intimidate her. Now, why would he hesitate to show off to a mere head of the propaganda department?
As for the subsequent press conference, it naturally became Shiraishi's "special event".

In response to the reporters' questions, Shiraishi answered them one by one—in Miko's view, Shiraishi's answers were undoubtedly somewhat biased towards "individual heroism," which was completely different from the behavior of ordinary police officers when being interviewed.

However, others have already accepted this "setup".

For Shiraishi, it was simply a matter of "being a little more humble," after all...

Even if Shiraishi were to say, "This is something all police officers would do," someone would have to believe him!
Shiraishi is already very skilled at how to dodge the camera and how to present himself in a reasonable and humble manner.

It wasn't out of vanity or a desire for promotion; it was just that... how could Baishi not be aware that someone "above" was already watching him?
The company that held the press conference with Shiraishi completely echoed Shiraishi's words in front of the cameras.

On one hand, Sha didn't want outsiders to think that Shiraishi was at odds with him; on the other hand, Sha knew very well that Shiraishi was the kind of person who... wouldn't budge from a hard approach, but could be softened up a little bit!

Since I became the head of the publicity department, I had more opportunities to interact with him.

Instead of fighting, it's better to...

"Inspector Shiraishi, our publicity department really went all out to support your solo performance this time," the agency said, feigning emotion, after the press conference.

"I'm just doing this to cooperate with the publicity department. Section Chief, you're too kind." Shiraishi realized that the department was trying to "pull strings" and immediately said, "It's me cooperating with your work."

Upon hearing this, the director was not annoyed. He simply said, "Director Mika often cooperates very well with the propaganda department... I heard this from the old section chief. Otherwise, the old section chief would not have retired so readily."

Shiraishi:……

Why do I feel like you're being sarcastic?
"I wonder if Director Mika could cooperate with the propaganda department on one more matter?" the agency said, revealing its true intentions.

It must be said that this map of the Yan Kingdom is a bit short!

However, Shiraishi could tell from the very first sentence that the company had something to ask of him.

Previously, when Shiraishi came to the headquarters for a meeting regarding AI, he acted very coldly towards the company, one could say he was deliberately distancing himself...

But the company clearly hasn't given up and wants to "build a good relationship" with Shiraishi.

Shiraishi also understood that the company's "building relationships" was not a social necessity, but a work necessity...

However, during the internal investigation, Amano's final conversation with the company made Shiraishi somewhat uneasy about her.

When Amano and Sha were talking, they didn't talk about the specifics, but it was clear that Sha "had something on him that the congressman had." So, since Amano was already "being watched by Shiraishi," he simply took matters into his own hands and killed him!
There were two reasons why Shiraishi was worried...

On the one hand, it's because this guy seems to have some kind of leverage over him, and it's the kind of leverage that "would cause him to lose the trust of almost everyone if made public."

That's fine, the key issue is another one...

Chief Amano, an extremist whom even the Public Security Bureau despises, actually thinks that Sha is a useful person to the country, and is willing to help her silence her for this reason!
Shiraishi had already witnessed how extreme Amano could be. The company that Amano favored, though it didn't seem like anything special on the surface, was, in Shiraishi's mind, a "well-hidden madwoman."

That's why there was estrangement between them before Bai Shi...

However, the company has clearly set its sights on Shiraishi as well!
Moreover, this time it wasn't just a simple "greeting," but rather a setup for a "favor exchange."

Whether she was really that cooperative with Shiraishi before the promotional class, or whether she is really so eager to "beg" Shiraishi now... it doesn't really matter.

Essentially, this is just another "friend request".

If Shiraishi agrees, the two will naturally have the opportunity to "help each other" in the future.

Seeing that Shiraishi was still deep in thought, the director suddenly said, "By the way, regarding the information about Superintendent Shiraishi, about being targeted by an unknown organization, the Public Security Bureau will handle it later, and there's no need to disclose anything to the outside world about it."

Upon hearing this, Bai Shi's expression shifted, realizing that the unspoken message from the media was that "the police and she have a very close relationship."

That's not surprising, since places like "internal transfer" are inherently closer to public security than the Metropolitan Police Department, and the chiefs are all former public security chiefs.

Previously, Shiraishi had worried that, like Amano, Sha was not well-liked by the police. The reason Sha brought this up was to tell Shiraishi, "I'm not in much danger. The police treat me like one of their own. They don't need to treat me like Amano's man."

Seeing that things had already gone this far, Shiraishi had no choice but to say, "I'm the kind of person who cooperates best with the headquarters... Is there anything the section chief needs my cooperation with?"

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 November 1st, Halloween! Please vote for me! Please vote for me! Please vote for me!
(End of this chapter)