Conan: The Romantic Daily Life of a Ghost Detective

Takashi Matsumoto: "What else can I do? Miss Suzuki came to see me personally, I can't just refuse her, can I?"

"That kid got off easy." The crew-cut man, whose arm was bandaged after being hit by the stool, said, "I lost 2000 yuan because of him today, damn it!"

Takashi Matsumoto: "Who told you to bet on him winning?"

"I thought that if this kid suddenly dared to rebel against us, I could win a big prize." The crew-cut man seemed to have mistaken Wen Shui for a dark horse in a horse race, only to have it backfire.

Takashi Matsumoto couldn't help but correct him: "I was ambushed, but you were actually defeated by him in a head-on fight, that's what's truly shameful."

"That's why I'm even more eager to get revenge," the crew-cut man said viciously. "How about we cover our faces and find a chance to beat him up to vent our anger?"

"Are you an idiot?" Matsumoto Takashi retorted angrily. "Who can be fooled by this childish trick? Not to mention Suzuki Sonoko, that old man Nohara will find a plausible reason to torment us to death."

"What should I do?"

Takashi Matsumoto regained his sunny and cheerful boyish smile: "I heard that the convenience store where Nukumizu works is near Shinjuku. You think it would be reasonable if a yakuza with a criminal record got drunk and accidentally did something outrageous?"

"That's a good idea, but where can we find someone like that?" The fat man's eyes lit up.

The crew-cut man who was hit by the stool said, "You're so stupid. Don't we always pay money to the biker gangs in Shinjuku? We can ask them for help."

Takashi Matsumoto slapped him on the head:

"Damn it, how many times have I told you that's membership fees? We're an officially recognized secondary organization. Don't make it sound like we're being extorted!"

When they were formulating the plan.

Kawasaki, the unlucky guy who replaced Wenshui, arrived at the door of the chemistry lab with trepidation.

.

Wen Shui was unaware of Matsumoto Takashi's group's scheme.

However, he still guessed that Ran must have known about what happened in the classroom at noon, which was why she asked Sonoko Suzuki to contact Takashi Matsumoto of the tennis club.

He probably wanted the other party to stop causing him trouble.

Wen Shui watched Ran chatting happily with Suzuki Sonoko and thought to herself that although she was a bit slow, she was still very kind at heart.

However, being protected by women all the time isn't a good thing. Those guys have suffered such a big loss, so it's hard to say how effective Miss Suzuki's words will be.

I still need to find a way to become stronger. Wen Shui is increasingly looking forward to the amazing performance of that Mihua Sword Saint.

Half an hour later, Wen Shui and his group arrived at the entrance of the Mihua Art Museum.

This is a building that occupies an area equivalent to half a football field, and it is clear that it has undergone several renovations.

The old building's design, which clashes with the surrounding architecture, the brickwork with its noticeably different levels of aging, and the modern-style automatic glass doors make this art museum look somewhat incongruous.

This situation probably arises because each time the renovation is carried out, only the parts that need to be replaced can be repaired.

Wen Shui and the others walked up the steps.

The glass doors were completely closed, which means there is most likely central air conditioning inside. The opening and closing times of the art museum were posted on the glass doors.

There was also a brief introduction to the types of artworks inside, as well as information on ticket prices and merchandise prices.

Since it wasn't the weekend, there weren't many tourists here. It seems that even paranormal events couldn't bring any popularity to this art museum that is about to be demolished.

Xiaolan and Yuanzi each paid for their own tickets.

Wen Shui, looking pained, pulled out the money meant for two eel bento boxes to buy tickets.

As soon as you enter, a man in a black suit greets you: "Welcome! Are you here to visit the art museum?"

The man had a hairstyle similar to Mitsui Hisashi's delinquent period in Slam Dunk, and his cheeks were very thin, so his first impression was that of a villain.

Xiaolan couldn't help but take a step back: "Yes, we bought tickets."

"You've misunderstood. I'm Kubota, an employee here." Kubota forced a smile, but it was even more terrifying than before. "This is the museum's visitor's guidebook. It will make your visit easier if you have this with you."

"Thank you." Xiaolan took the visitor's brochure.

"Then I won't bother you any longer," Kubota said with a smile. "By the way, the museum is currently short-staffed, so we can't have a guide for every exhibition hall. If you need anything, please just go to the front desk."

After saying that, he stepped aside.

After thanking them, Wen Shui and the others went straight into the lobby of the art museum.

As he passed by Wenshui and the others, Kubota's gaze couldn't help but linger on Suzuki Sonoko for a second.

Wen Shui keenly noticed the gaze behind him. He turned around and saw that Kubota had already walked towards the employee passage.

It's a bit strange.

As I recall, in the original story, Kubota was made a scapegoat by Director Ochiai because he stole exhibits from the art museum and was usually careless with the exhibits.

This doesn't seem like the persona of a responsible employee.

Wen Shui vaguely sensed something was wrong, but the [Mouri Elimination Method lv1] was like a CPU that was many generations behind, with limited computing power, and could only help him to this extent.

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After entering the museum lobby, Ran and Sonoko Suzuki were immediately drawn to the exhibits.

"Wow...the paintings here are so artistic!" Xiaolan stood in front of an oil painting depicting angels and babies.

Sonoko Suzuki put her hands on her hips and said, "Ran, come and look at this! This bottle is exactly the same as the one I made in my pottery class. It turns out that my aesthetic sense is the same as the master's."

The two acted like elementary school students visiting an amusement park, showing great curiosity about every exhibit.

Wen Shui couldn't help but interject, "Hey, aren't we here to investigate a case?"

Ran and Sonoko then realized what was happening.

Xiaolan blushed and walked over, explaining in a serious tone, "This, this is a detective technique. Pretending to be a tourist allows you to more deeply understand the murderer's motives."

Wen Shui: "It seems there's no murderer right now, right? It's just a rumor."

Ran was defeated and retreated behind Sonoko Suzuki.

Sonoko Suzuki puffed out her fairly full chest: "Warm Water-kun, why don't you take advantage of us when we're slacking off..."

Ran interrupted Sonoko: "We weren't slacking off, it was detective technique. Didn't I just tell you about deductive reasoning?"

“Oh, right, Holmes’ deductive reasoning.” Sonoko Suzuki puffed out her chest again. “If you don’t take advantage of our deductive reasoning to investigate quickly, you might lose the bet.”

Wen Shui thought to herself, "Given your current state, even if we called Kojima Genta over, we could probably still manage a draw."

Just then, an old man with a long beard and gray hair walked over.

"Ladies, it seems you really enjoy the artwork here."

Wen Shui thought to herself that this must be the "Beige Sword Saint" Ochiai, the curator. He looked thin, and she wondered where he got the strength to pin an adult to the wall.

Xiaolan: "Yes, I feel like every piece of art here has a soul."

"Really? That's wonderful." The curator smiled happily, as if his own child had been praised.

However, his expression gradually turned somber: "But this place will be demolished soon."

"tear down?"

"Yes, if you have enough time, I hope you can see more exhibits." Director Ochiai looked around, a reluctant expression on his face. "You may not be able to see them in a few days."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a piercing metallic sound came from the corridor leading to the other exhibition halls.

Kubota appeared before the crowd, pushing a flatbed handcart loaded with exhibits such as armor and sculptures.

Director Ochiai was shocked and shouted angrily, "Kubota, you bastard, stop the car right now!"

"W-What's wrong?" Kubota was also startled and stood there dumbfounded.

Director Ochiai strode over to the trolley transporting the exhibits, squatted down, and drew a medieval knight's sword.

Under the light, it is clear that the hilt of the sword has been worn with deep scratches.

It turned out that the swaying of the handcart caused the hilt of the knight's sword to slip to the ground, but Kubota didn't notice and kept pushing it.

That's why the handcart makes that harsh metallic scraping sound.

Director Ochiai held his sword and glared at Kubota with an unfriendly expression.

Wen Shui suddenly became a little worried. What if this old man just went straight for it?

He still needs to gather material, so he hopes the plot will be as complex as possible to increase his involvement.

"Go to the back and deal with those replicas." Director Ochiai finally suppressed his anger and turned to the front desk, shouting, "Iijima, you handle these exhibits that are to be sent to the auction house."

Another staff member named Iijima walked this way while putting on gloves.

Just then, a middle-aged man's voice came from the doorway: "You guys seem to have a lot of drive. If you had put that energy into running the art museum earlier, business wouldn't be so dismal."

Wen Shui followed the sound and looked towards it.

A middle-aged man who looked like an entrepreneur swaggered in with a designer.

"It's Mr. Naka." Director Ochiai's expression changed slightly as he went to greet him.

Boss Manaka, with his hands behind his back, looked at the worn-out knight's sword in Iijima's hand: "Although I have no interest in this pile of scrap metal, I'll still have to pay for it if I break it."

"This level of damage is repairable; it will only take a few days and won't affect the auction price," Iijima explained.

"Anyway, if there's a problem, we'll just deduct it from your wages," Boss Zhenzhong sneered.

Then he turned his gaze to Kubota, "And you, the thief who stole exhibits from the art museum. If you don't raise enough compensation before the museum is demolished, you can expect to go to jail."

Kubota clenched his fists, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

"Designer, tell me about your design concept." Boss Zhenzhong and the designer turned and left.

Afterwards, Director Ochiai also took his leave, it's unknown whether he went to set up the murder scene.

After visiting the main hall, Wen Shui and Xiao Lan began their journey to the other exhibition halls.

The exhibition halls here are divided into several styles, including the Sky Hall, Ocean Hall, Earth Hall, and so on. The brochures describe the content of each exhibition hall.

Standing in the dimly lit exhibition hall corridor, Sonoko Suzuki suddenly suggested, "Let's split up and investigate."

"Hey, why?" Xiaolan asked.

“I’m making a bet with Wen Shui-kun. If we work together, whoever discovers a clue first will find out, right?” Suzuki Sonoko explained.

Xiaolan looked at the dark surroundings, hesitating to speak, "Oh, I see. Then I'll..."

"You can stay with Wen Shui-kun," Sonoko Suzuki said. "Come back here to meet up in half an hour."