I'm in Conan, I'm not a gangster

Chapter 617 The Test Isn't the Focus (1st Update)
"Please answer: How many dishes were served at the table? What was the name of each dish? Which dish had black as its main color?"

The questions posed by director Hiroki Tsuchio are not difficult for the detective.

If a detective doesn't even have this much memory, what kind of detective are they?
Go home and sell sweet potatoes!

After the maid handed out the answer sheets and pens, everyone began to answer the questions.

A swishing sound rang out from the restaurant.

Shiraishi E's lips curled up slightly. He picked up his pen almost without hesitation and quickly wrote on the answer sheet.

For someone like him who's a cheat code, a test of memory is simply not a test!

For detectives like Shinichi Kudo, who were already somewhat famous, it wasn't a problem either, and they quickly wrote down their answers.

I'll be there in five minutes!

"Time's up, please stop answering." Director Hiroo Tsuchio's voice broke the brief silence.

The maids began collecting the answer sheets and neatly stacking them in front of the director. Tsuchio Hiroki took the answer sheets and checked them one by one, his expression gradually becoming meaningful.

"It seems our famous detectives truly live up to their reputation." He announced the results with a smile: "Shinichi Kudo, Heiji Hattori, Saguru Hakuba, and other renowned detectives all got it right."

"This kind of memory test is indeed a basic skill for them."

However, not everyone performed so well. Of the dozen or so detectives present, two failed to answer all the questions correctly.

One of them was Ichiro Furuta. His face was flushed red, clearly extremely dissatisfied with the result.

"This isn't fair!" He jumped up, slamming his fist on the table. "I have no idea what these dishes are called! What's the point of this kind of question?"

Director Hiroo Tsuchio maintained his professional smile and said, "Mr. Furuta, a wealth of knowledge is equally important for a detective. It's a pity that you and another contestant have been eliminated."

"Elimination?" Furuta Ichiro's eyes widened, then he sneered, "This kind of pointless test can determine a person's ability? I don't accept it!"

Hiroki Tsuchio seemed to have anticipated his reaction, and calmly said, "Don't worry, you still have a chance to revive. The upcoming matches will be even more exciting, so please don't rush."

Upon hearing the word "resurrection," Ichiro Furuta's expression softened slightly.

He snorted and sat back down in his chair, but the dissatisfaction in his eyes was still obvious.

"Now, let's move on to the second question." Tsuchio Hiroki's voice rang out again, and the maids began to distribute new answer sheets: "Please write down what each detective ate for their first course... There are photos of everyone on the answer sheet, so don't worry about mistaking anyone."

As soon as the question was raised, a hushed discussion broke out at the dinner table.

Hattori Heiji couldn't help but complain, "Specifically for each individual? That's way too difficult!"

Shinichi Kudo rubbed his temples and said with a wry smile, "Oh no, I didn't even notice what everyone ate. This is troublesome."

Hakuba Saguru, however, appeared confident. He elegantly picked up his pen and said calmly, "A true detective should always pay attention to every detail around them. Shinichi Kudo, you haven't even mastered this basic skill. It seems you're not quite worthy of the title!"

Sera Masumi immediately glared at him: "You talk like you're so great!"

Shiratori glanced at her, but after learning that she was an unknown detective, he didn't even bother to acknowledge her!

This greatly displeased Sera Masumi. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed that Shiraishi E next to her was writing furiously on the answer sheet, almost without pausing.

She asked in surprise, "Hey, you wrote so fast, do you remember everything?"

Shiraishi E didn't even look up, continuing to focus on the answer sheet.

Sera Masumi pursed her lips, about to say something, when Tsuchio Hiroki's voice rang out again: "Ms. Sera, please don't look around."

She reluctantly withdrew her gaze, lowered her head, and began answering the questions. When she encountered a question she knew, she wrote it down decisively; when she encountered one she didn't know, she started biting the pen cap!

"Time's up." Tsuchio Hiroki's voice rang out again, and the maids collected all the answer sheets.

This time, the grading took longer than before.

The atmosphere in the restaurant grew tense as everyone awaited the final result. Finally, director Hiroo Tsuchio cleared his throat and announced, "The result of the second question is in. Only one person got both right, and that is—Shinichi Kudo."

A surprised murmur immediately rippled through the dining table.

Director Hiroo Tsuchio announced the scores of the others: "Hakuba Tanki got three wrong, Hattori Heiji got three wrong, Shiraishi E, Koshimizu Nanatsuki, and Sera Masumi each got four wrong..."

Sato Miwako realized she was half wrong and that her number was in the middle, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Dealing with so many detectives was incredibly stressful for her.

As long as it's not at the bottom, that's fine.

At that moment, Hattori Heiji stood up, grabbed Shinichi by the neck, and yelled, "You bastard! You said you didn't see clearly, but you got everything right? Have you no shame?"

Shinichi Kudo chuckled, trying to break free from his grip: "Luck, pure luck!"

"Only a fool would believe that!" Heiji released his grip, but couldn't hide the amusement in his eyes.

Watching the two interact, Hakuba Saguru said in surprise, "I didn't expect you two to be so close."

"So-so," Shinichi said modestly, waving his hand.

Seeing that she couldn't get a word in edgewise, Sera Masumi turned to Shiraishi E, trying to find a topic: "You wrote so fast, I thought you could get them all right."

Shiraishi E chuckled lightly: "Would you believe me if I said I knew everything, but deliberately answered incorrectly?"

Sera Masumi twirled her pen in one hand and snorted, "I don't believe it!"

Shiraishi E didn't continue explaining, but said meaningfully, "It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not, the point isn't here anyway."

As he spoke, he looked at the maids who were leaving in an orderly fashion.

"That's not the point?" Sera Masumi paused for a moment, then followed his gaze to the maids.

At first, she didn't notice anything unusual, but after observing carefully, she noticed some unnatural details—the maids' movements were a bit stiff, their eyes were shifty, and their smiles seemed to carry a hint of... unease.
Her pupils contracted slightly, and she instantly understood what Shiraishi E meant: "You mean... there's something wrong with these maids?"

Shiraishi E did not answer, but his silence spoke volumes.

Sera Masumi's heart raced; she felt the real test should be right here!

At this moment, Tsuchio Hiroki said, "According to the rules, the last two contestants are eliminated. The four eliminated contestants, please come with me. The rest of you are free to move around."

Furuta Ichiro and the other three eliminated contestants reluctantly stood up and followed the director out of the restaurant.

At the dinner table, the detectives began to discuss the matter in small groups.

Hattori Heiji quickly pressed, "How did you remember that?"

Shinichi shrugged: "You'll know once you take a look, is it that hard?"

Looking at his smug attitude, Heiji really wanted to give him a good thrashing.

Hakuba Saguru walked over, a hint of provocation in his voice: "Kudo-kun, it seems your memory is indeed quite good. However, the upcoming match won't be so simple."

"........."

Shiraishi E didn't want to waste time talking to them, so he stood up and walked towards the door.

Sera Masumi hesitated for a moment, then followed, saying, "Wait, I'll go with you."

Shinichi said to Heiji, "Let's go explore this island."

Heiji noticed the other person making a gesture to go together, and immediately nodded in agreement.

(End of this chapter)