The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

"The right to temporarily conscript? What does that mean? It doesn't mean you can just go out on the street and pick up two random people, does it?"

"How could that be? I will carefully consider this candidate and try to find someone who is a workaholic like you to reduce my workload as much as possible."

Kazama Kaoru made up his mind. Sera Masumi, Koshimizu Nanatsuki, and Asai Narumi were all potential recruits. Adding Mizunashi Rena wouldn't be out of the question either. With three of them handling the investigations and one the autopsies, he could simply oversee the entire operation.

As Kaoru Kazama was lost in thought, it was time for her lunch break.

She could only wake up from her dream, heat up the bento box that Akemi had carefully prepared in the microwave, and then pick up her chopsticks and began to eat heartily.

She was channeling her grief and anger into her appetite, because no matter how much she fantasized, she still had to take matters into her own hands these days.

Especially this afternoon, she received a very urgent order from above, so there really wasn't a minute to waste. She had to go investigate the primary target of this special operations team after she finished eating.

A case that occurred four years ago and remains unsolved: the victim was a woman who was burned to death in her apartment, and the owner of the building under construction next door also hanged himself. The case was very bizarre at the time, and there was no clue at all, so it was simply left unsolved.

However, in Kazama Kaoru's view, the real reason why this case has not been solved is...

It's likely that four years ago, Shinichi Kudo hadn't yet become a high school detective, and he was probably in Hawaii learning how to become a savior from his father, so he didn't encounter this case and it was left unresolved.

"So, the last clue is in that apartment building that people call a haunted house?"

Although Kaoru Kazama has always been a lazy bum, it doesn't mean she'll be indifferent to the tasks assigned to her.

The case file begins with this sentence:

"Behind every case lies a liter of tears." (A tribute to the master detective)

Kazama Kaoru deeply agreed with this statement. After all, anime is just anime, and it only focuses on the occurrence and resolution of cases. Although each case is accompanied by the murderer kneeling down in repentance, it seems that the reactions of the victims and their families are rarely mentioned.

Perhaps, spending their days in tears is the most accurate description of their reality.

On the last page of the case file was a photo of a woman covering her face in glee.

The angle is rather off; it was probably taken secretly.

It's clear that the police officer in charge of the case at the time wanted to use this photo to motivate himself to solve the case as soon as possible and give the victim's family the truth.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the main character and didn't have the detective buff, so he couldn't get what he wanted. Otherwise, this or that case wouldn't have become an unsolved mystery.

"Okay, I'm finished eating. Miwako, I'm going out."

"Well, have a safe journey and may your martial arts prowess be great."

Miwako said to Kaoru Kazama with a serious expression.

Sato was genuinely surprised by Kaoru Kazama's diligent reading of the case files during her lunch break, considering that she was usually not very proactive in completing case closure reports.

However, this became commonplace. Regardless of her usual behavior, deep down, she still possessed her own sense of justice and kindness, which could not be concealed by her outward appearance.

"Here, take care on your journey."

Miwako pulled a pair of rusty handcuffs from her pocket.

Kazama Kaoru had heard Miwako talk about this before; it was the handcuffs of her father, Sato Masayoshi, who died in the line of duty eighteen years ago.

It can be said that these handcuffs were Miwako's lifelong spiritual support and the best talisman in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I will definitely return in triumph."

Kaoru Kazama took the handcuffs, carefully put them into the inside pocket of his jacket, and then strode away from the Metropolitan Police Department.

We drove to the crime scene, which was known as the haunted house.

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

"Looks like I was right after all. You really are a persistent ghost."

Kaoru Kazama rolled her eyes at Conan, and the other person did the same.

The two were disliking each other. Of course, Conan wasn't that bold, so when he rolled his eyes, he found the right angle, like when he's showing off, with his glasses reflecting light. So Kazama Kaoru couldn't see that the guy was rolling his eyes at him too.

"Can something that's a matter of life and death be called following one's heart? This is clearly a case of 'the wise man submits to circumstances.'"

Conan secretly thought to himself that he had found an excuse for his actions.

"What are you doing here?"

Kazama Kaoru is actually quite strange. Although this guy has the Grim Reaper buff and usually causes death wherever he goes, there are still exceptions.

For example, the places he passes through every day on his way to school are probably protected by the god of knowledge, Sugawara no Michizane, so that no murders will occur.

Moreover, generally speaking, murders rarely happen again in places where they have already occurred. If Conan comes, the Grim Reaper buff will probably automatically turn into a puzzle-solving buff.

"Looks like I do have some help today."

Thinking about this, Kaoru Kazama no longer disliked the great detective so much.

As long as her presence doesn't unnecessarily add a lot of work for her, she's actually quite easy to talk to.

"Sister Xiaoxun, what brings you here? Did something happen?"

Kaoru Kazama happened to run into Conan at the entrance of this apartment building. It's likely that the guy used the excuse of needing to pee to sneak out and observe the surroundings.

She then saw Ran coming down the stairs, most likely looking for Conan.

Chapter 675 Talking about this will put me right out of sleep!

"I'm here to investigate a case that happened before, not because of what's happening now."

"Oh, I'm relieved. I feel much more at ease now that you're here, Sister Xiaoxun. Dad and Conan both insisted on staying in this awful place. They really don't care about other people's feelings at all."

Are you feeling better? Have you gone for any further checkups?

Kaoru Kazama smiled as he watched Ran cling to his arm and act coquettishly, and casually inquired about her condition.

"I've fully recovered, and Dr. Araide said there's nothing wrong with me. Speaking of which, the reason we're here today is because we met an old man at Dr. Araide's house who was talking about a haunted house, and then Dad and Conan came along. It's really inexplicable."

Xiao Lan said with some resentment.

In her opinion, both Kogoro Mouri and Conan are clueless straight men who don't know how to care about other people's feelings at all, and they need to be taught a lesson.

If she hadn't just recovered today, and if the monsters hadn't weakened her fighting power, this kind of behavior against her will would basically have been a warning with an iron fist.

Just like her decision to go to the art museum despite everyone's objections, Ran is actually quite similar to Eri Kisaki at heart; they are both people who are decisive and have a strong sense of right and wrong.

It's just that often, a gentle demeanor masks the truth.

"It's alright. I'll probably be staying here for quite a while today, so don't worry."

Kaoru Kazama didn't mind comforting Ran, especially in front of the great detective; it felt quite nice.

Have you heard any of the residents here mention the case that happened four years ago?

Kaoru Kazama started by asking Conan and Ran about the situation.

"The case that happened four years ago, was it the one where a former resident of this apartment was burned to death? I think I heard about it from the old man who brought us here."

Conan nodded in agreement, affirming Ran's summary.

Who are the residents of this apartment building?

Kaoru Kazama knows that his identity as a detective can sometimes cause inconvenience to his work. Not everyone will honestly tell the police everything, otherwise the words "confess and be lenient" wouldn't be hanging on the walls of the detention center.

Those who already have something to hide might distort the investigation process due to some unspeakable motives.

Even if someone has nothing to hide, it's not impossible for them to give false information that could mislead the police investigation.

Didn't we have that incident once, where an elderly man, as an eyewitness at the crime scene, remained steadfast in his testimony, appearing highly credible?

But when the truth was finally revealed, it turned out that the old men felt that no one had ever seriously consulted their opinions or taken their words seriously. So even though they had never actually seen the truth, they insisted on their distorted version of events for the sake of this sense of existence, almost causing a wrongful conviction and making the police take a long detour.

Therefore, in this regard, Kaoru Kazama still trusts the Mori family, who are good partners of the police.

The uncle may be a bit muddle-headed, but at least he won't talk nonsense. Ran and Conan are even more reliable.

"I had heard the old man introduce it before. Because this apartment building is quite old and a murder case has occurred there, there are always some ghostly things happening, so there aren't many residents. The old man who brought us here is named Otonashi Yoshikazu, a resident of room number five, and also a patient that Dr. Shinichi is very familiar with."

The resident of room number four is a man named Kikuji Bancho, who is said to be an employee of a model shop. He speaks in a somewhat sarcastic tone and seems to be very interested in ghost stories. According to the old man, he usually makes some very scary dolls in his room when he has nothing to do.

The resident of room number two is named Yotsuya Iwao. According to the old man, he is very fond of special photography, and there are many scary videotapes in the room.

It seems he and his college classmates even filmed a horror movie using this apartment as a backdrop, but I don't know the specifics.

As for the resident of room number one, he was a rather burly man named Mudan Luyan who wore glasses. From the conversation between the old man and him, it seemed that he worked at a research institute.

"Oh, I see. Thank you so much, you've been a great help."

Based on this, these residents should be among the few remaining residents since the two murders that occurred four years ago.

After comparing the resident information that Ran mentioned with the case file information recorded by Chris, Kaoru Kazama came to this conclusion.

"However, we still need to investigate the ghost stories circulating around here thoroughly, as they may be related to the murder case in some way."

Kaoru Kazama has indeed seen a ghost. In the incident involving the bandaged monster a long time ago, the deceased Atsuko possessed the fat man who was determined to avenge her, causing her a lot of trouble.

Back then, there were very few characters to cosplay, and not many techniques that could work on ghosts, but things are different now.

Even in her non-physical state, dealing with those sneaky creatures is as easy as lifting a finger for her.

"Let's go, I still need to ask these residents about the case from four years ago in person."

And so, Ran, arm in arm with Kaoru Kazama, arrived at room number five—Hoichi Otonashi's room.

Because her timing was unfortunate—the other residents had all gone out—the only remaining resident in the apartment building was this old man.

“Mr. Otonashi, I am Inspector Kazama from the Metropolitan Police Department. I’m here to ask you about a case that happened in the park nearby four years ago.”

"The case that happened four years ago, I remember the charred female corpse was found in the park. At that time, your police found an eyewitness and drew a picture of one of the perpetrators. As for the other things, I don't know much about them."

As Otonashi Yoshikazu spoke, he pointed to the telephone poles outside the window.

The poster on it was for a chubby man with scars on his face and small eyes; this was the last effort made by the police in charge of the case at the time.

Unfortunately, no trace of this person has been found in the past four years, and we don't know if he has gone abroad.

After all, island nations don't have ID cards for identification; they only rely on driver's licenses or other documents to prove their identity, so it's not too difficult for them to abscond.

"What's the story behind the ghost stories around here? Did you all witness them yourself? What were they like?"

Based on the principle that one should not leave empty-handed, Kaoru Kazama then began to inquire about the rumors surrounding the haunted house.

Speaking of this, the old man, who had almost dozed off just now, immediately became wide awake and began to tell Kazama Kaoru about the strange phenomena that had occurred in the apartment building.

Even Ran, who was standing to the side, was forced to perk up, gripping Kaoru's arm tightly with both hands, looking very curious but also a little afraid to listen.