The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

Moreover, it's the kind of skill that allows you to rely on one trick to succeed in everything.

Whenever Miwako disobeys, she complains that it's because she's unlucky.

Not only did her husband die young, but her daughter was also disobedient.

Then she went on and on, just like a Japanese version of Tong Zhanggui.

The reason why Aunt Sato is like this is largely due to her being a single-parent family.

As her daughter grows up, she herself grows older.

If she can't witness her daughter find her own happiness, how can she face the deceased Sato Masayoshi in the afterlife?

That's roughly the idea.

Therefore, even though Miwako disliked arranged marriages, she never actually did anything drastic to resist them.

Otherwise, with her fighting skills, she could easily take on anyone who came at her.

"In that case, let's go check out that tavern they mentioned."

Actually, Kaoru Kazama doesn't care; she just needs to say that she has a boyfriend.

However, Miwako's psychological trauma seems to be quite severe, so we can only accommodate her for now.

And so, Kaoru Kazama and Miwako headed to the tavern that the two aunties had mentioned earlier.

Strictly speaking, this place cannot be called a tavern.

Because there are more couples than alcoholics inside.

The interior design also leans towards pink, a color that exudes a girlish charm.

Kaoru Kazama was a bit tired from walking, so she ordered two coffees.

I sat facing Miwako in a booth, observing the situation around me.

The person in charge of managing this restaurant is a young girl, who is wiping the countertops and glasses with a rag.

Kaoru Kazama took a couple of sips of coffee, rested for a moment, and then got up and walked toward the counter.

"Miss, I'm Kaoru Kazama from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. I'd like to ask you about something. Is this convenient?"

Kaoru Kazama didn't conspicuously pull out his police ID.

After all, in a restaurant like this, getting involved with the police could very well affect business.

"Miss, we...we absolutely have paid our taxes properly. You can check if you don't believe me."

Although Kaoru Kazama's tone was already very gentle, the young girl was still quite frightened.

"Calm down, don't be nervous. I'm not here to investigate your store's tax situation. The situation is like this..."

"You mean Mr. Tokunaga? He did look very happy drinking beer last night. There weren't many customers at the time, and Mr. Tokunaga is usually quite gloomy, so I remember it very clearly."

After Kazama Kaoru explained, the girl's tension finally subsided.

She slowly began to tell Kaoru Kazama about what happened to Kazuhiro Tokunaga last night.

Chapter 439 The True Identity of the Victim

Just as those two aunties said, Tokunaga Kazuhiro, who is usually very serious, was having a great time drinking beer at this restaurant last night.

And he drank quite a lot, he was quite drunk.

It's obvious that something very happy happened.

"I see. Maybe he was happy because he discovered the hidden body was gone and assumed someone had disposed of it."

Kaoru Kazama said speculatively.

"But there's one thing I don't understand: why didn't the murderer keep the body at home, but instead went through all the trouble of moving it out? Wouldn't that have increased the chances of it being discovered? Shouldn't ordinary people be more worried about the police finding the body?"

Miwako asked curiously.

"Well, I'm not too sure about that either, but it seems like there have been quite a few burglaries in this area recently. The police officers below have been sending reports to us, haven't they? Even if this case hadn't happened, we would have come here to investigate."

"That makes sense."

"Since we can't figure it out from this direction, let's investigate from another angle."

"Change direction? You mean?"

Miwako looked at Kaoru Kazama, who was slumped in his seat.

"Do you remember what that auntie was talking about, about Tokunaga Kazuhiro's financial problems?"

"I remember, that's probably why he always has such a blank expression."

"Therefore, our next step in the investigation will be to start with his economic situation."

After saying that, Kaoru Kazama downed the last sip of coffee in his cup, then got up and left the restaurant.

"Wait, Xiao Xun, where are you rushing off to?"

"Takagi and Chiba are still investigating nearby. Shouldn't we call them both to come along?"

"The two of us are enough."

In fact, Kazama Kaoru had just asked Chris to investigate Tokunaga Kazuhiro's source of income.

When this guy was interrogated, he only said that he worked the night shift, but he didn't say what he did specifically.

Kaoru Kazama should also be asked to conduct the investigation himself.

As a result, this guy opened a tavern in the next town, and he would go there every night to watch the place, leaving the daytime business to the staff.

He has never taken a day off in all this time, which shows he is a very diligent person.

However, the returns are somewhat disproportionate to his efforts.

Operating revenue has been declining, and since its opening, the business has been deserted.

Although this guy tried his best, he couldn't change the situation here.

There are countless taverns in the next town, and his is neither the best nor the most affordable.

As for his service attitude, you could tell from his expression that it wasn't very good.

Under such circumstances, it would be strange if business didn't thrive.

The only thing worth praising is that diligent spirit.

That's why he always looks gloomy and unsmiling.

The worse the business, the worse his complexion.

This creates a vicious cycle.

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

Thirty minutes later, Kaoru Kazama brought Miwako to the neighboring town.

Actually, the distance isn't that far, but the road conditions around Tokunaga and Hirokazu's pubs are not great, making it particularly troublesome to drive in.

No wonder this guy uses a bicycle for transportation; it seems it's not just because he's broke.

The shop was run by two young people, a man and a woman, who were probably around twenty-five years old.

Japanese pubs are generally a paradise for office workers, so they are usually quiet and deserted outside of rush hour.

However, the restaurant seemed a bit too deserted.

Apart from the two staff members, only about two or three of the ten or so tables in the restaurant were occupied, and each person had their own table.

This time, Kaoru Kazama didn't order a drink first and then ask.

It's already been filled to almost full.

Furthermore, she and Miwako were working on a case and couldn't drink alcohol.

"Hello, is the owner of this bar Mr. Tokunaga Kazuhiro?"

"Yes, but Mr. Tokunaga is not here right now. He will arrive at three o'clock this afternoon."

“We’re not here to see him, but to find out more about him.”

Since Chris couldn't find out about these gossips through his investigation, Kaoru Kazama had no choice but to bring Miwako along to run errands.

How is Kazuhiro Tokunaga's financial situation lately?

Kaoru Kazama asked a relatively simple question first.

"Business at the tavern has been very bad lately. Even during peak hours, there are hardly any customers. Mr. Tokunaga has been racking his brains over this. Moreover, since Mr. Tokunaga bought this tavern with all his savings, the poor income of the tavern naturally makes Mr. Tokunaga's emergency situation even worse."

The male waiter said to Kaoru Kazama while wiping the glasses.

"I heard that Mr. Tokunaga even borrowed money to make ends meet. He's been looking worried the other day; he's probably being chased by creditors."

"Are you saying that Tokunaga Kazuhiro has reached the point where he has to borrow money from others to make ends meet?"

Upon hearing the female shop assistant's words, Kaoru Kazama's eyes lit up; her intuition told her that this was a clue worth exploring.

"I heard this from others, but Mr. Tokunaga does seem to be quite down on his luck lately, and he even often drinks the wine in the bar to drown his sorrows."

"Who told you that?"

"She's someone from around here. I remember her, she's an old lady, but I haven't seen her for a few days. She usually wanders around this area."

"Is this the old woman you're talking about?"

Kaoru Kazama took out the photos of the victims he had taken earlier from his pocket and handed them directly to the female shop assistant.

"Yes, it's this old woman. What's wrong with her?"

The moment she saw the photo, the female shop assistant gave an affirmative answer.

However, he soon realized that something was wrong with the photo. The person in the picture was lying on their side on the ground, as if they were asleep.

However, it's quite obvious that the photos brought by the police could not possibly be of an old woman sleeping.

"Do you know this person?"

Kaoru Kazama pressed on, asking further questions.

No matter how the police searched, they could not find any identification on the old woman.