Conan: I've been linked to the tech tree system.

As he watched Mermaid Island recede into the distance, his mood seemed to be shrouded in gloom.

The same applies to the abdomen; after all, neither of them found the real culprit, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this case ended with the culprit's victory.

This is quite a blow to the righteous high school detectives.

"Kudo, are you saying you think the most likely culprit is Ms. Kimie?"

Hattori Heiji said.

“Hmm.” Conan nodded. “From the moment she answered so decisively, ‘My great-grandmother couldn’t have taken the register,’ I became very suspicious that the old woman was an imposter.”

"The fact that they both disappeared on that island at the same time is actually strong evidence... but the problem is, since they disappeared, I can't find a chain of evidence sufficient to support my reasoning..."

Conan sighed. "I hope my guess is wrong."

If Shimabukuro Kimie is the murderer, he can probably imagine the reason why the other party committed the crime.

At the same time, I also feel a certain amount of pity for that kind-hearted Miss Shimabukuro Kimie.

If it really is what he thinks... then it would be a tragedy.

But murder is murder, and it should be punished accordingly...

Thinking this, Conan and Heiji Hattori both sighed.

Forget it, there's no evidence to back it up, and we've already left the island, so there's no point in thinking about it anymore.

"You're still thinking about things on the island?"

At that moment, Toru Tono walked over with a glass of freshly squeezed coconut juice, seemingly unaffected by the setbacks in solving the case.

"Hey, you seem pretty relaxed," Hattori Heiji said, speechless. "Is this the first time you've been unable to solve a case recently? Why do you look so nonchalant?"

"Well, I do feel powerless, but when I think about how the murderer that some people have deduced can't be convicted, I feel like I'm not so bad after all."

Tohru Tono sipped her coconut juice nonchalantly.

"Hey!" Hattori was furious, but he couldn't refute her. His face, which was red enough to be nominated for "healthiest islander," turned bright red, but he couldn't say a word.

There's no way around it; his incorrect deduction of the murderer was enough to make him the target of ridicule for a long time.

"Alright, there's no use dwelling on the past. We need to be more open-minded." Tohru Tono handed each of them a cup of coconut juice. "At least the scenery on the island is quite nice. Putting aside these issues, we actually had a pretty good time, didn't we?"

On the last day, Conan and Heiji Hattori continued their search for the 'clues' that no longer existed, while he and Shiho Miyano went to play on the beach.

Why is he only thinking about solving cases while on vacation? Besides, he's already got what he was supposed to, so he has no worries and it's definitely a good time for him to rest.

"Ah, you're right." Hattori took the clear-looking coconut juice and drank it all in one gulp.

"To be honest, I still don't understand why Saori would write a letter signed for you and then send it to my house."

"I want to know that too." Tohru Tohno was the only one who didn't understand this. He should have asked Kimie Shimabukuro back then.

"It was probably just a mistake," Conan replied, still looking unenthusiastic.

"Eh? Mr. Tono? Mr. Mori? Hattori-kun?"

A surprised shout came from behind.

The group turned around and spotted a man and a woman.

"Huh? I remember we met during the Dartsun diplomat incident..."

"Is it Mr. Takayoshi, the victim's son, and his girlfriend, Ms. Sachiko?" Conan vaguely remembered the two of them.

"Long time no see," Takayoshi Tatsumura greeted.

Sachiko tilted her head and asked, "You guys didn't also receive an invitation from Saori, which is why you went to American Island together, did you?"

"How did you know?" Mori asked in surprise.

"Because Sachiko is also from that island, that's why she told the lady next door about your situation."

"Huh?" The group was taken aback.

So that’s it.

“Well, I also told her that you’re the most reliable person.” Sachiko winked at Tohru Tono.

Ha ha.

Tohru Tohru was helpless.

I see. So, in the original story, it was Shinichi Kudo who solved the case, and the original signature should have been Shinichi Kudo.

I have absolutely no recollection of it.

-----------------

The Mermaid Island incident has finally come to an end.

Although Shinichi Kudo and Heiji Hattori were left with some psychological trauma, Toru Tono gained a lot from it.

Of course, at present, Kimie Shimabukuro's "Biomutation reagent" has no effect, but it still has great development potential.

Besides, who would complain about having too many usable items? They might just turn into lifesavers someday.

When Tohru Tono returned home, he found two figures sitting close together on the sofa.

It seems that Tachibana Maya has gotten along very well with Shimabukuro Kimie, whom she brought over, and that's the only thing that doesn't worry her.

Who knew the female assassin was such a social butterfly? An ESFJ personality?

Moreover, there seems to be a trend of assimilation...

Tohru Tono glanced at the potato chips in Shimabukuro Kimie's hand and looked somewhat helpless.

We can't have another NEET who only watches TV shows when it's not related to their professional work.

"Shiho? You're back?" Maya Tachibana heard the sound at the door, turned around and looked back, very happy.

"Hmm." Shiho Miyano nodded, casually tearing off the mask from her face to reveal her natural, beautiful appearance.

"Huh?" Shimabukuro Kimie, who was also looking over, gradually widened her pupils.

Tohno Toru didn't care what she was thinking; he figured he could leave that to Tachibana Maya.

So after he put down his coat, he simply talked to Kimie Shimabukuro about some usual precautions and led her to take a tour of the underground laboratory with Shiho Miyano.

I learned from her that she majored in marine biochemistry in college, and joining her friend's photography group was just a hobby for her to cultivate her mind and body.

According to Shiho Miyano's assessment, Kimie Shimabukuro is a hard-working student, at least among the top undergraduates... but there is still a big gap between her and a true genius like Shiho Miyano.

But it doesn't matter, since I'm just here to help out.

What's more valuable is the reagent information itself; he's already given that to Shiho Miyano.

The other person was very interested in that, but didn't ask him how he got it, probably because they were already used to being mysterious.

Tohru Tono specifically asked Shiho Miyano whether researching in two directions simultaneously would slow down the progress of APTX-4869 research. She replied that it wouldn't be a problem, since APTX research had already become somewhat difficult to advance and what was needed was a breakthrough from a flash of inspiration during a large number of experiments.

Using your free time to study other reagents might lead to unexpected insights.

As the saying goes, "every profession has its own secrets," and Toru Tono, who doesn't understand pharmacy, won't offer any advice.

In short, everything is still on track.

Chapter 175 Skiing Skiing

It snowed, and the sky cleared afterward.

Tohru Tono stood at the foot of the mountain, watching Conan skillfully ride his skateboard down the mountain, looking quite happy.

"That's why I'm standing here watching this kid ski."

Tohru Tono crossed his arms.

"Oh dear, kids do have this inexplicable urge to perform." Shiho Miyano didn't seem to have much interest in skiing either.

"I'm telling you! You weren't really interested, were you? Why did you agree to come without my permission?"

Tohru Tono looked at her helplessly.

Even though he wasn't interested, he accepted Professor Agasa's invitation without permission while he was doing his experiment... What kind of person is he?

She does have Kimie Shimabukuro as an assistant, so even if she goes out for a few days, her experimental progress won't fall behind... If she goes out to play by herself, she'll have to spend time finding inspiration again when she gets back—nanotechnology is mostly very complex and intricate in structure, and Tohno Toru would have a hard time coming up with an invention that perfectly matches his concept in just a few days.

It's so annoying, isn't it?!

"Tohru, you can go up and have some fun too." Professor Agasa, the instigator, stood to the side and nagged, "It's not easy to come out here, wouldn't it be a waste if you didn't have a good time?"

"No, I have no interest in sports activities that only bring me danger for no reason."

Although it was a snowy day, it was still midday, and the warm sun felt very comfortable on my face.

Tohru Tono unconsciously stretched.

“Back in my school days, I would even avoid activities like playing basketball because I was afraid of spraining my ankle.”

"Oh?" Shiho Miyano glanced at him and let out a disdainful chuckle.

If she said she was afraid of spraining her ankle, Professor Agasa might believe her, but as someone who knows what Tohru Tohno does in private, she has no trust in him whatsoever.

How could someone who's so timid and hesitant when playing ball push Gin to that point?

Go ahead and fool the devil.

"Sigh~"

As the group chatted, they saw Conan on the mountain, like a nimble rabbit, darting and leaping before swooping down.

The skis left long skid marks on the pristine snow, and Conan stopped in front of them with a cool, tilted stance.

He looks like he's practically begging for praise right now.

"Snowboarding, huh? That's pretty impressive." Toru Tono gave him a round of applause.

This kid is obviously just playing with his solar-powered skateboard; he only does snowboarding now.

I wonder if his speed skiing down the mountain was even half the horsepower of his "nuclear-powered" skis on flat ground...

Tohno Toru observed Conan wearing snow goggles, feeling a sense of déjà vu about where he had seen him skiing before...

Wait, wait, isn't this the theatrical version of "The Silent Fifteen Minutes"?

Tohno was startled.