The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

Chapter 276 Akai Shuichi appears?

"Well, speaking of which, before I met you, I saw a suspicious guy in the forest."

In an attempt to clear himself of suspicion, the bespectacled man dropped a bombshell.

"What?!"

"He was wearing a black knit hat and was quite big. I almost thought he was a bear and shot him."

As the bespectacled man spoke, he made a scary face to frighten Ran and Sonoko.

"Knitted hat?"

"Could it be that person?"

Upon hearing the distinctive feature of the knitted hat, Kaoru Kazama began to doubt whether they were actually seeing Shuichi Akai.

After all, this guy likes to wander around wearing a knitted hat. The foreigner who was kidnapped a while ago was apparently the head of the FBI.

In that sense, it's not surprising that Shuichi Akai was nearby.

There's also a list of the organization's undercover agents in various industries stored in their own system space. This kind of thing can be handed over to either the FBI or the Japanese Public Security Bureau.

However, she had some reservations about the Japanese Public Security Bureau and didn't know Amuro Tooru, so she had to put the matter aside for the time being.

If Shuichi Akai really does appear nearby, we could try to give him this list under a secret identity.

Regardless, the FBI's efforts in cracking down on the Black Organization are commendable.

However, the most important thing right now is to find the murderer.

"Can you see what the person you see in the forest looks like? I think he might be someone we know."

Xiaolan suddenly took a step forward, hesitated for a moment, and then asked the question.

Conan immediately turned to look at Ran.

Is Xiaolan mistaking that person for herself?

"Well, he's covered up so I can't see clearly, but judging from his build, he should be a man."

“Xia Ye, that’s right, it must be Xia Ye.”

Ms. Funakawa, who had been comforting Ms. Ayako, suddenly became dazed. This change occurred after she heard the bespectacled man say, "Judging from his build, he should be a man."

It seemed that this person was very important to her; at first, she just muttered to herself, but gradually it turned into shouting.

His eyes were also blank and vacant, as if he were having a fit of hysteria.

"Xia Ye is still in the forest. I have to go find him. I must go find him."

"No, really. The snowstorm outside is so fierce, and he's already dead. He died in the avalanche four years ago."

The others present were stunned by the sudden turn of events, unable to react.

Now it was Ako's turn to comfort Mika, explaining as she did so:

“Xia is my brother who died four years ago. He and Shiguo were originally a couple.”

So that's why she was like this – she was thinking about her deceased boyfriend. No wonder.

"So, does that mean the chess piece chocolate that Sister Shiguo made?"

"Yes, that's right, it's for my brother's grave."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, and at this moment, Granny Chiyoko said:

"Actually, there are not only the graves of the three of them in that forest, but also wooden plaques of other victims of the snow disaster. Because their identities were unknown, no one came to claim them. However, because there are many animals here, they have all been destroyed, leaving only the three of their graves."

"Grandma Chiyoko, why weren't those three people's tombstones destroyed?"

Kazama Kaoru was about to ask a question when Conan beat her to it.

But that's just right, since this product is suitable for women of all ages, from seven to seventy.

"I think it's because I take Sanlang to visit the graves every day that their three tombstones are so well preserved."

"It was like this when my husband was alive too."

Before Chiyoko's grandmother was away, two men had gossiped about her and her deceased husband.

It is said that this old woman was originally a resident of this Chuidu Mountain Villa. After the husband's wife died, they gradually fell in love and started living together.

However, when asked if they had lived here for a period of time, their answers were hesitant and evasive.

Judging from their behavior and their familiarity with the mountain forest, it's highly unlikely they've only been here once.

Although the Mediterranean man claimed he had only been there once, Kaoru Kazama found it hard to believe.

In addition to what we deduced earlier, their relationship with Mr. Nigaki should not be so simple.

If these two people are indeed poachers, perhaps Mr. Futagaki captured some evidence that led him to want to retrieve them.

It has to be said that Kaoru Kazama's guess was very accurate; he was only one step away from the correct answer.

She actually wanted to look for Shuichi Akai, who might be wandering around the area.

However, because he hadn't figured out what identity and tone to use when meeting her, and given the unusually heavy snow outside and the possibility that he might not be able to find her, the plan was shelved.

With time running out, and encouraged by the two men, the speculation about the case and the person most likely to be the perpetrator was temporarily settled on the mysterious man in the knitted hat.

However, during this process, they also tried to pin the criminal suspicion on Ms. Ayako.

However, that so-called evidence immediately crumbled when Ms. Shiguo presented the photos as evidence.

The two then awkwardly said they were going to sleep, but the thoughtful look in their eyes and their furrowed brows suggested that they probably had some ulterior motive.

After all, their previous actions really gave the impression that they were willing to do anything to pin the blame on Ms. Ayako.

In general, only murderers are eager to pin the blame on others in order to clear themselves of suspicion.

But these two people are clearly not the murderers, so why did they do this?

Based on the initial deduction, these two people might have a grudge against Mr. Eryuan, perhaps because the other party had evidence of their poaching.

As a journalist, the most likely form of such evidence would be a videotape or a photograph.

From this perspective, it also aligns with what we heard before, the tapes that were repeatedly mentioned by them.

This makes sense, because after Mr. Futagaki died, his remains should have been kept by his girlfriend, Ms. Ako.

If these videos or photos truly contain evidence of their crimes, then their attempt to pin the blame on Ms. Ayako, even if she wasn't the murderer, can be explained.

"Grandma Chiyoko, why is this dog named Saburo?"

Problem child Conan raised his own questions.

"Oh, that's how it is. Before that, there were Taro and Jiro. We had three dogs in total. Taro is actually the name of my deceased husband. Jiro and Saburo were both Shikoku dogs. When Mrs. Reiko passed away twelve years ago, Jiro also passed away not long after. Now, only Saburo is left."

"Every time there's a blizzard, Sanlang stays home without eating or drinking, but the next day, as soon as the snow stops, he's full of energy and accompanies me to the graves. I really can't do without him."

"I see, thank you, Grandma Chiyoko. Do you have a picture of Jiro? I'd like to see it."

Conan showed great interest in Jiro, and Kaoru Kazama understood his thoughts.

The biggest point of contention is that it stops eating and drinking every time there's a blizzard. If it were a gastrointestinal problem, it definitely wouldn't be lively and energetic the next day.

Kaoru Kazama had seen Saburo before, and he was perfectly healthy with no problems whatsoever.

Furthermore, the fact that only those three stone tablets remained intact strongly suggests that Jiro never actually died, but rather took turns guarding the grave with Saburo every day.

Grandma Chiyoko mentioned this before.

Every time she went to visit her grave, Sanlang would arrive there beforehand.

When she gets to the tombstone, she will see Saburo waiting there.

This does sound like a sign of Saburo's loyalty to his master, but it also suggests that Saburo never arrived at the cemetery with Granny Chiyoko at the same time, which makes it possible for them to switch shifts.

If you want to verify this conjecture, you just need to go to the cemetery and take a look.

If that's really the case, then it's probably the work of the deceased owner of the manor.

Chapter 277 Stainless Steel Straight Man Makoto Kyogoku

"I'm going out for a bit. Keep an eye on those two men."

Kaoru Kazama walked over to Conan, squatted down, and said something to him.

"What are you going to do now? It's snowing so hard outside."

Conan was preparing to act cute so they would take out Jiro's photo album, but Kaoru Kazama interrupted him, almost turning him from a cute king into a poker-faced guy.

"You should have realized that there should be more than one dog. If you want to make a reasoning, you need to produce evidence first to be convincing."

"That's true, but are you going now?"

"I was originally planning to ask Saburo to find Jiro, but since you put it that way, I'll have to ask you for help."

"Wow, I didn't know you were so close to Saburo. It seems the Great Detective's charm is truly extraordinary."

"Um, well, it's just for work."

"Tch, what are you talking about, you little brat? Alright, I'm leaving. If anyone asks, just say I went for a walk."

"Wait a minute, do you mean you'll be out for a long time? If so, my reasoning is..."

"Alright, alright, don't worry, I won't interrupt your deduction show. I'm just investigating who that black knit hat is while I'm looking for Jiro."

"Alright, Detective, I'll leave the rest to you. I'm off now."

After Kaoru Kazama finished speaking, he waved and left Fuyutari Villa through the back door.

Going outside late at night during a blizzard would be absolute torture, but I had a mission to complete.

The secret that was hidden twelve years ago, even though I have already uncovered part of it.

However, the system stipulates that you still have to find Jiro yourself to complete the mission.

She also wanted to try to find Shuichi Akai, since if things went according to the plot, who knew when she would finally meet him.

Silently opening the back door, and taking advantage of everyone's distraction, Kaoru Kazama quietly left.

The wind and snow outside showed no signs of stopping; it remained as fierce as ever.