Conan: The Romantic Daily Life of a Ghost Detective

After school, instead of going to the literature club or participating in the detective club's investigation, Wenshui took the subway to a cafe near Shinjuku to meet with Sato Miwako.

Stepping out of the subway station, a damp and slightly chilly breeze hits you.

The rain, carried by the wind, blew on my face, cool and refreshing, instantly invigorating me.

The rain in Shinjuku was much heavier than in Beikacho. The streets were filled with umbrellas of all colors. Girls from some school were huddled under one umbrella, their school uniforms soaked through, but they still had bright smiles on their faces.

If Xiao Kui hadn't had that accident, she would probably have ended up like them very soon, right?

Wen Shui's mood suddenly became heavy.

He lowered the brim of his umbrella and walked toward the agreed-upon café.

After about a ten-minute walk, a coffee shop with green as its main color came into view, with Miwako Sato's red Mazda parked in front.

As soon as Wen Shui reached the door and glanced inside, the waitress standing at the door opened it for him, giving him an impeccable smile.

"Welcome, sir. Are you in your party?"

"I made an appointment with someone, she should have arrived by now."

Wen Shui placed her umbrella on the umbrella stand by the door and went into the café. After the waitress closed the door, the sound of rain was instantly shut out, and soft instrumental music played inside the café.

Wen Shui looked around and noticed that the tables in the store seemed to be handmade, and each table was different in shape. The walls were decorated with artistic oil paintings, and the female waitresses' uniforms were also conservatively styled.

This store gives people a comfortable and reassuring feeling overall.

In addition, the seats are spaced far apart, making it a great place to chat with friends.

Perhaps because of the rain, there weren't many customers in the store.

Wen Shui quickly found Sato Miwako sitting by the window. She was resting her chin on her hand, looking at a father and daughter a few seats away.

Besides that, Wen Shui didn't see Amuro Tooru, the "King of Part-Time Jobs." He thought to himself, "I'll probably be more relaxed when we talk about the case later."

Wen Shui was led by the waitress towards Sato Miwako's seat.

Miwako Sato was still wearing that familiar light purple office lady uniform. Her shapely figure, encased in a pencil skirt, sank slightly into the sofa cushions, her long, slender, snow-white legs crossed and swaying gently to the rhythm of the music.

In a corner unnoticed by everyone, Detective Sato secretly slipped her delicate, white heel slightly out of her black low-cut high heels.

It seems that this is an attempt to alleviate mental fatigue.

However, upon seeing Wen Shui approach, she hurriedly put on her shoes and sat up straight.

Upon closer inspection, Wen Shui noticed that her face showed obvious signs of fatigue, and she had rather severe dark circles under her eyes. However, her soft, short black hair appeared to have been carefully styled, looking clean and refreshing.

When ordering food, Wen Shui clearly noticed that the waitress was secretly glancing at him and Sato Miwako with curious eyes.

It seems they are speculating about the relationship between the two.

Miwako Sato ordered a glass of white peach juice, spaghetti bolognese, and a small dessert.

Wen Shui casually ordered a coffee and a beef pasta dish with a bunch of prefixes.

Miwako Sato, worried that he might be too shy to ask, ordered an extra steak for him.

No sooner had the waitress left than Wen Shui couldn't help but complain, "You went too far yesterday. I didn't sleep well at all last night, and I even got called on by the teacher today."

The waitress paused slightly, glancing at the two with a gossipy look.

Sato Miwako lowered her voice and stepped her high heels onto the warm water on her feet: "You, don't say things that will be misunderstood."

Wen Shui then realized that what Sato Miwako had said halfway through her conversation yesterday did sound a bit ambiguous.

"Who told you to interrupt the call?" Wen Shui said, displeased.

"I have a mission..."

Just then, the waitress returned with the iced water and placed the glass in front of Wen Shui. Wen Shui felt that the waitress was deliberately trying to find an excuse to pry into gossip, so she had no choice but to suppress her curiosity for the time being.

The coffee and drinks were served quickly, but the food would have to wait a while longer.

After the waitress had walked away, Wen Shui asked, "Why did you choose such a far place? Couldn't we have talked at my house?"

Wen Shui was thinking that this would save him money on transportation, and maybe even allow Officer Sato to pick him up from school.

"Didn't I just tell you not to say things that could be misunderstood?" Sato Miwako couldn't help but facepalm, then explained, "The steak at this restaurant is really good, and I wanted to bring you here to try it, and also to thank you for helping me find this important clue."

Wen Shui: "There's no need to be so polite. Besides, didn't you say before that your salary wasn't high?"

"This is the activity fund, paid for by the Metropolitan Police Department." Miwako said with a smile, biting her straw. "Thanks to you, I can have meat for my lunch today."

Wen Shui recalled the prices on the menu. It might be a bit pricey for Sato Miwako, but for the Metropolitan Police Department...

After I helped them find such an important clue, all they wanted to do to thank me was have a steak dinner, at a coffee shop no less?

Wen Shui pouted: "The Metropolitan Police Department is being far too perfunctory."

Sato Miwako said with a forced smile, "We're short-handed right now, so I'm only doing this in my spare time. I have to go and take over monitoring those yakuza later."

Don't worry, according to past practice, you'll receive a formal thank you after this is over.

Wen Shui thought back to the original story and realized that even though Uncle Mori helped the Metropolitan Police Department solve so many cases, his standard of living didn't seem to improve much.

Thinking about it this way, being able to eat steak seems pretty good already.

Seeing that Wen Shui was silent, Sato Miwako assumed he was still sullen, so she stretched out her hand in front of him: "Actually, besides inviting you to dinner, there's this too."

"what?"

Wen Shui looked at her hand curiously, but when she opened her hand completely, there was nothing in her palm.

Her skin was as delicate as a young girl's, and it looked very soft. The fine lines on her palms were clearly visible under the light.

A faint, pleasant scent of women's perfume wafted from the cuffs of the suit.

"Watch closely, Detective Warm Water."

As Sato Miwako spoke, she clenched her fist. Then she gently swept her other hand across the back of her hand, and when she opened it again, there was a creamer for coffee in the palm of her other hand.

She actually performed a close-up magic trick.

Wen Shui looked surprised: "I didn't expect you to know so much."

Sato Miwako proudly tore open the creamer and added it to her warm coffee cup. "Including this, how many points would you give this meal, Mr. Warm Water?"

"I'd give it a 8 out of 10."

"Huh? My magic tricks are actually worth that much?" Miwako exclaimed in surprise.

Warm Water: "The maximum score is out of 100."

"Damn it, you brat." Sato Miwako glared at him with displeasure, then picked up her juice and took a big gulp. "Alright, let's get down to business."

Warm Water: "Hmm, you said you found something strange in Kazama Aoi's stomach?"

Sato Miwako nodded: "That's right. Although it seems to make sense, I always feel that it's unlikely given Aoi's personality."

"what exactly is it?"

"It's a piece of cat fur and flesh tissue connected together."

Wen Shui exclaimed in shock, "It's the spot on Da Fu's nape? Was that wound actually inflicted by Xiao Kui?"

“That’s right, the test results are in.” Sato Miwako nodded. “Some people in the police station think that when Aoi was being kidnapped by the criminals, she subconsciously mistook the cat for the criminals during her violent struggle and tore it off during the fight.”

Some detectives, however, felt it might not be that simple; this could very well be a clue deliberately left by Xiao Kui.

Wen Shui pondered for a moment: "I think so too. Have you found any clues related to Da Fu?"

"Absolutely not."

Miwako Sato shook her head.

Wen Shui frowned slightly. He couldn't think of any connection between the cat and Xiao Kui's disappearance for the time being. He could only wait until he went to the Metropolitan Police Department to find Da Fu, who had been adopted, and see what happened.

Then, Wen Shui asked, "By the way, what are the results of the investigation by the Majima Group?"

Miwako Sato continued to shake her head and sigh.

Wen Shui asked curiously, "Wasn't it said that the place where the body was found was Majima-gumi territory?"

“That’s the problem,” Sato Miwako rubbed her temples. “If this series of incidents really was done by the Majima Group, then stuffing the bodies into concrete blocks and blatantly placing them on their own turf is just too stupid, isn’t it?”

Wen Shui nodded; this was indeed very unusual.

Generally speaking, yakuza are very careful when disposing of corpses. They either have young delinquents take the blame, since there is a juvenile law and they won't be punished too severely, or they simply turn the corpse into a cement pillar and immerse it in Tokyo Bay to destroy the evidence.

The Mashima Group could have grown into such a large organization without understanding this principle.

There must be some special reasons they haven't considered yet.

"Could it be that they haven't had time to move them yet?" Wen Shui guessed wildly.

Miwako shook her head: "It's unlikely. The autopsy results indicate that Kazama Aoi and Matsuzaka Ume died several days ago, and the Majima Group had enough time to move them away."

She paused, then added, "And it's impossible that she's trying to use 'blind spots' to exonerate herself."

The Majima Group currently has over 200 assault cases and nearly 50 murder cases on record with the Metropolitan Police Department.

Previously, there was simply a lack of concrete evidence to initiate an investigation. This incident allows the police to conveniently pick up all those other cases.

Wen Shui instantly understood what Sato Miwako meant.

"In other words, if the Mashima Group wants to escape punishment in this way, the price is too high?"

Miwako Sato nodded: "Very large. Even if it is now confirmed that the Majima Group is not the murderer of the Slit-Mouthed Woman murder case, the Majima Group can forget about returning to its former size."

It seems that although they found the bodies of Aoi and Matsuzaka Mei, it has actually created more inexplicable mysteries.

Wen Shui frowned slightly, her mind flashing wildly with the "Maori elimination method".

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

Just as he was about to speak, the waitress came over with pasta and steak.

Wen Shui had no choice but to stop the conversation.

On the plate, the dark brown steak was seared with clear grid-like marks, and the pasta curled up, coated in a rich sauce. Although she hadn't tasted it yet, Wen Shui felt that judging from its appearance and aroma, it would taste pretty good.

Just as Wen Shui was hesitating whether to indulge in a hearty meal first or finish discussing the important matters, footsteps sounded behind her again.

Wen Shui turned around and looked.

They discovered it was another waitress who led a customer, whose clothes were soaked from the rain, to them.

"Warm Water Guy, it's been a long time."