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

Chapter 619 Elimination (1st Update)
The morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the villa's dining room, adding an absurd touch to last night's scandalous farce.

The detectives gathered in twos and threes around the dining table, a subtle awkwardness and unspoken understanding filling the air.

Hattori Heiji poked at the fried egg on his plate with his fork, but his eyes darted toward Kudo Shinichi: "Hey, Kudo, did you agree to meet that maid from last night?"

"Huh?" Shinichi almost choked on his orange juice. He said irritably, "Me, agree? I think you're the one who looks guilty!"

Heiji's face flushed red instantly, and he lowered his voice, saying, "How could I agree to that? Don't you even use your brain? What if we actually did something and he suddenly turned back into a child? That would be awful."

He shivered as he spoke.

Their whispered conversation caught the attention of Hakuba Saguru.

The son of the Superintendent General of Police elegantly sipped his black tea, then raised an eyebrow at the question: "Hattori-kun, you don't look too well. Perhaps last night..."

"No way!" Heiji jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, then realized he had overreacted and sat back down sheepishly. "I think you're the one who looks smug!"

Hakuba Saguru put down his teacup, revealing a disgusted expression: "Having a relationship with a maid of unknown origin? Forgive my bluntness, but just imagining it makes me want to vomit."

Shinichi turned to look at Shiraishi E, who was quietly eating, his eyes gleaming with mischief: "Hey, Shiraishi, you wouldn't..."

"Yes, I didn't refuse." Shiraishi E ate her breakfast without looking up.

He didn't refuse; he just knocked the other person unconscious with one punch.

Sera Masumi slumped onto the table, muttering to herself, "Why did they come to find me? Do I look like a boy?"

Her voice was so soft that no one except Shiraishi E could hear it.

Sato Miwako frowned and put down her cutlery: "What is the production team doing? Using female charm to seduce contestants? Isn't that illegal?"

Shiraishi E kindly reminded them, "Compared to this, haven't you noticed? There are two fewer people eating breakfast."

Only then did everyone notice that two seats at the table, which should have been full, were indeed empty.

Just as everyone was looking at each other in bewilderment, director Hiroo Tsuchio walked into the restaurant with his signature fake smile.

"Good morning, everyone!" he greeted warmly. "How did you sleep last night?"

Several male detectives who had "performed outstandingly" last night coughed awkwardly, and ambiguous smiles appeared on their faces.

Hiroki Tsuchio gave them a meaningful look and continued, "Rest is a good thing, but those who don't perform well will face elimination."

"Based on the maid's reaction last night, we have eliminated the two contestants who performed the worst... that is, those with the shortest duration!"

"As a detective, you may not be able to resist beauty, but you can't be incapable!!"

As soon as these words came out.

The restaurant fell silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Of course, I didn't do this for no reason. After all, everyone performed well, and to eliminate someone, I need a reason," said Hiroki Tsuchio. "The next challenge is to find out the real reason why these two contestants were eliminated. Their rooms remain as they are, and everyone is free to investigate."

"Due to the large number of participants, we will now proceed with the group divisions."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately perked up.

The detectives immediately split into several groups and headed to the rooms of the eliminated contestants.

Shinichi and Heiji immediately approached Shiraishi E and said, "Then let's form a group of three!"

"No! I want to stay with Officer Sato." Shiraishi E refused, saying, "You guys stay with Hakuba Saguru! It's time for the three high school boys to settle things."

After hearing this, neither Shinichi nor Heiji could find a reason to refuse!

So they immediately joined the White Horse Scouts team.

Seeing that she couldn't get in, Sera Masumi pouted and said to Shiraishi E, "Shiraishi-kun, can I team up with you two?"

"Whatever." Shiraishi E didn't care. After waiting for a while, and until the investigation team in front left, it was finally Shiraishi E and her group's turn.

Shiraishi E, accompanied by a female police officer and a female detective, went upstairs to conduct an investigation.

As soon as I opened the door, a strong scent of perfume wafted out.

The room was a mess: the sheets were disheveled, clothes were scattered on the floor, and a half-empty glass of red wine sat on the bedside table.

"Let's begin the investigation!" Sato Miwako said enthusiastically, immediately putting on gloves and starting to examine the "corpse."

Based on her extensive experience, she quickly deduced the result from the body: "Judging from the marks on the body, he committed suicide... by hanging."

Sera Masumi also searched the room and said, "The room is locked from the inside, so it's definitely a locked-room murder."

Then, the two of them looked at Shiraishi E and asked her to tell them what she had discovered.

Shiraishi pointed to the window and said, "The window has been tampered with... The murderer escaped through the window."

Sato Miwako and Sera Masumi quickly went to the window and carefully inspected the window frame and glass.

Sera Masumi's slender fingers glided gently along the window crack, then suddenly stopped at a certain spot.

“Found it!” she whispered, pointing to a barely visible scratch below the window frame. “This is a mark left by professional lock-picking tools.”

Miwako Sato nodded, her gaze sharp: "The window was indeed opened from the outside. The murderer didn't enter through the front door, but sneaked into the room through the window."

The two exchanged a knowing glance and quickly completed the remaining investigation work.

As they left the room, Sera Masumi's steps were so light they almost jumped, while Sato Miwako, though maintaining the composure of a police officer, had a glint of excitement in her eyes.

Back in the living room, the staff distributed an answer sheet to each detective.

Sera Masumi eagerly took the pen and scribbled her reasoning on the card in a flourish. Sato Miwako, on the other hand, was more cautious, pausing to think for a moment after writing down each conclusion.

Shiraishi E stood to the side, casually glancing at the answer sheet before scribbling down a few keywords and handing it in. His actions were so casual that Sera Masumi couldn't help but glance at him sideways.

"You've finished writing?" she asked softly, her eyes full of doubt.

Shiraishi E simply nodded and handed the answer sheet to the staff.

Soon, all the detectives finished answering the questions.

Tsuchio Hiroki collected the stack of answer sheets and began to check them one by one.

A tense atmosphere filled the living room, with everyone holding their breath and waiting for the result.

Hiroki Tsuchio announced, "Shinichi Kudo, Heiji Hattori, Saguru Hakuba... and the others all got it right."

Several detectives with names and identities all answered correctly.

The only name not mentioned was Shiraishi E.

"What?!" Sera Masumi turned her head sharply to look at Shiraishi E, her eyes filled with disbelief.

It was clearly the other party who first noticed the problem with the window!

Sato Miwako also frowned, puzzled.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Sera Masumi couldn't help but lean closer, lowering her voice to question him, "You know the answer perfectly well!"

Shiraishi E glanced at her and smiled, "There's no point in continuing to answer. I want to see what happens when someone is eliminated."

His voice was soft, but it made Sera Masumi instantly understand something.

(End of this chapter)