Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 346, page 340: Ran Mouri is observing.
As it turns out, even a champion of justice like Conan will choose the option that comes more from his heart when faced with a "life-or-death decision".

Conan was probably already used to Ran Mouri's fighting prowess, so compared to the thugs Ran had hung on the wall, Conan was more curious about the fake Nakamura Misao with his head covered in blood.

"Uncle Lin, how did you guess that the thug had a gun hidden under his plaster cast?" As the most curious person in Beika Town, it's perfectly normal for Conan to ask this question.

Although Conan soon discovered the two men's identities were questionable after entering the villa, the disguise of the fake Nakamura Misaki's arm was still perfect.

Once a cast is applied, it already restricts the arm. The fake Nakamura Misao's transformation was a perfect disguise achieved by sheer accident.

Conan couldn't just smash someone's cast out of curiosity to see if his arm was actually injured, could he?
It can only be said that although Conan has experienced the dark side of many adults, he is still kind at heart.

When faced with a "disabled person" like the fake Nakamura Misao, Conan was unwilling to show him any more malice or vigilance.

However, when Lin Longma tried to subdue the fake Nakamura, he immediately chose to control the fake Nakamura's "injured" arm. Could it be that Lin Longma has a special method to see through the fake Nakamura's disguise?
A detective is someone who has to put aside all pride and absorb all kinds of knowledge at all times.

Because you don't know what kind of knowledge can be applied to what kind of case.

But it's always good to learn more.

It's obvious that Conan wants to learn Ryoma Hayashi's way of making judgments.

"What do you mean I guessed he was hiding a gun? When did I say I guessed that?" She looked at Conan with an innocent expression.

"The reason I held onto his hand was initially to exploit his weakness. As for the pistol and the like, I only discovered that after the plaster cast was broken."

While this might not be considered a complete novice or a master, Conan never expected Ryoma's thoughts to be so "simple."

Ryoma noticed that Kogoro Mouri wasn't with Conan this time; the kid seemed to be letting loose.

In the past, when Kogoro Mouri was around, he could occasionally teach Conan to behave a little through "educational love".

With Kogoro Mouri gone, Conan is completely unleashing his full potential and charging forward at breakneck speed.

Of course, Lin Longma had to see him off!

While the two thugs were still dizzy, Lin Longma and Mao Lilan found two hemp ropes in the storage room of the villa.

Then they tied up the two thugs.

The two thugs were taken to the villa and guarded by Shiraishi. When they returned to Tokyo, Ryoma Hayashi would drop them off at Shiratori's place.

Before Shiratori's promotion is finalized, he'll never have too many suspects like these two criminals.

These two thugs are the best gift for Shiratori.

After the criminals were subdued, Lin Longma, led by Conan, climbed a ladder to the attic.

After opening the attic, Lin Longma finally saw Nakamura Misao's true face.

Unsurprisingly, Nakamura Misao is a girl. And a very pretty one at that.

However, her sudden imprisonment has left her looking somewhat disheveled. As for her eye contact with Conan not long ago, that was Nakamura Misao trying to use the only means available to ask for help from the outside world.

With his hands and feet bound and his mouth gagged, all Nakamura Misao could do at that moment seemed to be signal to Conan with his eyes.

Alternatively, he could have made some noise to attract Ran Mouri's or Ryoma Hayashi's attention. However, since the culprit was right behind Conan, Nakamura Misao ultimately decided against making any noise.

In that situation, if she suddenly made a commotion, not to mention whether Conan could understand what she meant.

Even if Conan does understand, the villains will discover it later. Wouldn't that be like setting Conan up in a trap?

In short, Nakamura Misao seems to be a very kind person.

"So, that letter of authorization was indeed sent by you to Mr. Mori." After untying Nakamura Misao, Ryoma Hayashi continued to probe the seemingly victimized man using the contents of the letter of authorization.

This wasn't Lin Longma doing something unnecessary; rather, having been in the organization for so long, Lin Longma had seen his fair share of criminals posing as victims.

It's always good to test the waters a little, just to be on the safe side.

This genuine Nakamura Misao indeed revealed the contents of the letter of authorization he had written at the time.

"Actually, at the time I just hoped that Mr. Mori could help me investigate the situation of the voyeur."
Please help me confirm if someone is really spying on me. I just didn't expect them to be so impatient so soon after I sent out my request.

Nakamura Misao, who was rescued by Ryoma Hayashi and Ran Mouri, was very fortunate that at least he had sent out the letter of authorization before being taken into custody.

Without the help of Ryoma Hayashi and Ran Mouri, who knows what would have happened to her while she was imprisoned by the two thugs.

"Speaking of which, their goal seems to be the inheritance your grandfather left you. So, besides this house, did your grandfather leave anything else?" Lin Longma asked curiously.

Ryoma didn't know whether the two thugs they subdued were familiar with Nakamura Misao, but the two thugs clearly knew Nakamura Misao's maternal grandfather.

Judging from the confident manner of these two guys, Nakamura Misao's grandfather might be an "insider" in some well-known industry in Beika Town, or even an "expert".

There are only a few possibilities for someone like him to fall out with his accomplices. The most likely one is a dispute over the division of spoils.

Since Nakamura Misao's maternal grandfather chose greed, it means he must have had his own concerns. His decision to leave this villa to Nakamura Misao demonstrates his favoritism towards his granddaughter.

"To be honest, as I mentioned in the letter of authorization, my grandfather didn't talk much about his estate."

But he did say that this villa was special; oh right, there really are some unusual things about it!

Misao Nakamura truly lives up to her reputation as someone who can write mystery novels in Beika Town. Although she hasn't become famous yet, her mental fortitude is truly exceptional.

Despite having just been imprisoned by two thugs, Nakamura Misao was able to lead the three of them through the villa after being rescued, going to the bathroom, and eating some snacks.

Especially noteworthy are the clocks filling the living room, the strange pigeon-shaped wall clock in the study, and the odd traces scattered throughout the villa.

"Don't look at me, I'm really not good at decryption and reasoning. If you have any ideas, feel free to speak up."

Ryoma Lin spread his hands at Nakamura Soichi, indicating his helplessness. He had only fooled those two idiots; he wasn't really Kogoro Mouri's assistant.

But that's alright, even though Kogoro Mouri isn't here, there's still Conan Edogawa.

Such riddles requiring knowledge of radio waves are practically Conan's comfort zone; Ryoma Hayashi doesn't think such riddles could stump Conan.

(End of this chapter)