Conan: The Romantic Daily Life of a Ghost Detective

It was infuriating that Conan felt his territory being trampled on so brazenly. Strangely, this anger didn't transform into a strange sense of pleasure; it seemed that he only entered that state when it came to things related to Ran.

Conan scratched his head, not quite understanding why this change had occurred.

When I asked Ai Haibara last time, she was also evasive, as if she was hiding something.

No, this time when I go back, even if I have to be firm, I have to get to the bottom of this. Otherwise, if things continue like this, won't Xiaolan just become a tool for him to get pleasure? And he can only watch from the sidelines.

While Conan was lost in thought, Wen Shui and Kogoro Mouri walked into the middle of the crowd.

Uncle Mori glanced at Wen Shui, then cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, we've figured out exactly where this cursed hair came from. In fact, I, uh... Wen Shui, Shu, and I, along with that brat who always comes to my house for free meals and never pays, have basically narrowed down the suspects."

Is it really necessary to add so many prefixes, sir?

"And I sometimes buy you beer too. I even treated you on the last trip," Wen Shui couldn't help but think to herself.

However, everyone's attention was focused on the case at the moment, and they did not notice this small detail. The hotel owner, Yoshiro Toda, exclaimed with surprise, "Really? It's not a curse? That's wonderful!"

What Yoshiro Toda cared about wasn't who the murderer was, but whether the hair was a curse. If rumors of a curse spread, it would definitely affect his hotel's business.

Wen Shui nodded: "That's right. You can see that the lengths of these hairs are different, and after the forensic experts examined them with a magnifying glass, they were basically certain that these hairs don't belong to the same person."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than a female shop assistant watching in the corridor exclaimed in shock: "Then, doesn't that further confirm it's a curse? The tourist who committed suicide in the forest has returned with immense resentment to seek revenge... Ah, I'm quitting!"

Wen Shui: "Miss, please calm down. Besides the possibility of a vengeful spirit, there are places in this hotel where you can find hair of varying lengths."

"Our hotel?" The female clerk looked at Wen Shui curiously, seemingly attracted by his handsome face, and was no longer as scared as she had been at the beginning.

Ran and Miwako Sato instinctively crossed their arms to block the warm water in front of them, but their movements were so synchronized that they bumped into each other.

Then the two women quickly switched to innocent smiles and looked at each other, as if nothing had happened.

However, a faint sense of impending chaos could already be detected in the air.

Wen Shui clicked her tongue in amazement, thinking that this was only the understanding Ran and the somewhat tomboyish Sato Miwako. If it were Ai Haibara, that intelligent woman, she definitely wouldn't be so easy to deal with.

Warm Water placed her hands on the two girls' shoulders and gently pushed them into the spotlight: "Because their hair was soaked in water, and it smells exactly like the women's shampoo provided by this hotel..."

Wen Shui laid out her analysis and Uncle Mori's judgment in their entirety.

The matter is actually quite simple. The murderer was an employee of the hotel and knew very well where the guests would be at different times. He was also very familiar with the layout of the hotel. He first strangled the victim with a rope, then used the chessboard and table in the room to elevate his body, and then hung the victim from the ceiling in front of the cabinet, making it look like a suicide.

To further confuse the police investigation, the murderer deliberately hung a "Cleaning in Progress" sign at the entrance of the women's bathhouse to prevent others from entering the hot spring bath, and then picked up a handful of hair from the drain in the bathroom and clipped it to a newspaper.

This has been basically confirmed after questioning several guests and asking them about their memories before Xiaolan took a shower.

The person who could do all this without being noticed must be a hotel staff member.

After Wen Shui explained his speculation, the female shop assistant's face turned ugly again: "I didn't kill anyone. I've been helping out at the front desk all afternoon."

Wen Shui smiled and said, "Of course you're not the murderer. To lift the body of an adult male and hang it from the ceiling without external assistance, even a slightly weak man couldn't do it, let alone a young woman."

As Wen Shui spoke, his gaze unconsciously swept over Xiao Lan. Looking at her slender yet powerful arms, his tone suddenly lost some of its confidence.

The female shop assistant breathed a long sigh of relief.

Considering the strength required to lift the body, the employee who could do this was identified as "Urakawa Eiji," the one who first discovered the body in the red sweater in the forest.

There was also a male clerk named Masao Jinbo.

Finally, there's Yoshiro Toda, the owner of the Aoi-ya Ryokan.

Yoshiro Toda looked speechless: "Why am I being suspected of being the murderer too? I was cooperating with Officer Yamamura and the others all afternoon."

To limit the scope of those who knew about it, Yamamura Misao's secret investigation was known only to Toda Yoshiro and another female shop assistant.

Yamamura Misao: "There's nothing we can do about it. The only people who can move this body and know the inside of the hotel are the three of you. And Mr. Toda, you are also connected to that suitcase, so you are more suspicious."

Yoshiro Toda's expression turned even uglier. He never expected that his curiosity and sense of responsibility would lead him to call Kogoro Mouri and ask him to investigate the secret of the box, only to end up getting himself into trouble and becoming a suspect.

Yoshiro Toda had no choice but to turn his attention to Nuku. Although the young man looked somewhat naive, he must be a very capable detective to have discovered the secret of the bathroom.

With him and the sleeping Kogoro present, he shouldn't be wrongly imprisoned.

Just then, a detective ran over with a brand-new phone charger in his hand: "Officer Yamamura, the charger has been purchased."

Investigators found a cell phone on the deceased, but it was out of power. The store didn't have a charger for this old model, so Yamamura sent someone down the mountain to buy one, and they've only just returned.

Yamamura Misao: "Charge it quickly, maybe there will be information about this person inside."

The detective quickly grabbed the phone and ran to a power strip in the room to charge and turn it on: "Officer, this phone only has one call record, and the contacts are all empty."

Yamamura Misao frowned slightly: "Let's call and see. Also, notify the telecommunications company to check all information related to this number."

The detective picked up the phone and dialed that number.

Almost the instant the call button was pressed, the phone in Wen Shui's pocket rang, its crisp ringtone echoing in the hotel room where the corpse was hanging.

Yoshiro Toda, the owner of the Aoi-ya Inn, stared at Nukumi in shock, his face showing an expression that said, "I actually placed my hopes for acquittal on someone like this."

Wen Shui took out her phone and was stunned.

Ran and Miwako Sato flanked them, one on each side, and saw that the contact name on the phone screen was Kazuha Toyama.

Chapter 284 While Ran was sleeping, he was stepped on by Sato-senpai.

In order not to interfere with the detectives calling the only call record in the deceased's phone, Wen Shui took her phone and went to the corridor.

Before he could even press the answer button, Ran and Miwako Sato came running after him.

Other detectives who were temporarily off duty also looked over with gossipy expressions, while the deceased's phone call, which should have been the focus of attention, was ignored.

"It's Kazuha-chan on the phone." Ran leaned closer, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

Sato Miwako crossed her arms and glanced sideways at Wen Shui's phone screen: "Oh, is this the daughter of the Osaka Prefectural Police Superintendent? Wen Shui's connections are truly unbelievable."

Wen Shui couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

He hadn't spoken much with Toyama Kazuha before, so why did she suddenly call him late at night, especially in such an awkward situation, being stared at by everyone?

As soon as Sato Miwako finished speaking, the way the surrounding detectives looked at Wen Shui changed subtly.

For them, the Osaka Prefectural Police Superintendent was a very important figure who was rarely seen in normal times. Being able to get involved with the daughter of such an important figure meant more than just love; it meant their future prospects and career.

What makes the detectives even more envious and jealous is that Kazuki Onami also has intricate relationships with the Metropolitan Police Department's beauty queen and the daughter of Detective Mouri.

Even Yamamura Tsao couldn't stand it anymore. He walked over and patted Wen Shui on the shoulder: "Brother Wen Shui, you're making us feel really bad. It feels like all our hard work over the years has been for nothing."

Wen Shui scratched his head awkwardly: "It's not as exaggerated as you say. I guess Miss Yuanshan probably has a case to discuss with me."

As he spoke, he pressed the answer button and put the phone on speakerphone in front of everyone, and then a man's voice with a Kansai accent came through the receiver: "Hey, where did your whole family go? Why is no one home?"

"Heiji, don't use my phone to say such rude things," a woman's voice from a distance admonished him on the other end of the phone.

Wen Shui then realized that the person speaking was Hattori Heiji. He smiled and said, "Oh, it's you. Where's Kazuha-chan?"

Heiji Hattori on the phone immediately reacted: "Kazuha-chan? You wouldn't be thinking about Kazuha, would you? Don't blame me for not warning you, that woman has a terrible temper, she'll hit people at the drop of a hat... Ouch, that hurts!"

Kazuha Toyama apparently snatched the phone, then said to Nukumi in a spirited tone, "Don't listen to that bastard Heiji's nonsense. But Nukumi-kun, it's not very nice of you to suddenly call me that, aren't you already with Ran..."

"Aaaaaah!" Ran yelled, drowning out Kazuha's voice on the phone, then snatched the phone from Wenshui. "Kazuha-chan, we're at a crime scene, watch your mouth!"

Kazuha Toyama: "Sorry, I thought you were on a date with Nukumi. By the way, why isn't Uncle Mori home? Heiji and I brought gifts to visit, but we've been waiting for ages and no one's come back..."

Kazuha Toyama explained the whole story over the phone, and also emphasized why she had called Onami.

It turns out that Heiji Hattori and Kazuha Toyama came to Tokyo on business. Kazuha wanted to meet Ran for a meal, so the two bought souvenirs to visit her. However, when they arrived at the Mouri Detective Agency, they found no one home.

Heiji Hattori only remembered Conan's phone number last time. After calling Conan and Ran, no one answered for a long time. Conan fainted, so he didn't hear the phone vibrate. Ran had silenced the phone while she was making out with Wenshui in the room.

Fortunately, Toyama and Kazuha had exchanged phone numbers with everyone last time, so the two waited a while before deciding to call Onami to ask about the situation.

Ran smiled wryly and said, "I see. But this is too unfortunate. My dad and I are at a hot spring inn in Gunma Prefecture. I'm afraid we won't be able to go back today."

"What? You went on your honeymoon?" Hattori Heiji's voice came again, but soon his scream was heard.

Kazuha Toyama: "Don't listen to his nonsense, Ran. We're going to visit an elder this time, and we'll probably be staying in Tokyo for a few days. We'll have a proper get-together when you get back."

"Okay, let's talk about it when we get back." Xiaolan hung up the phone.

Since Ran met Kazuha Toyama during the last case, the two quickly became good friends. They chat with each other via text messages from time to time. Perhaps because their personalities are compatible, their relationship has now become as good as Sonoko Suzuki's.

However, this did not stop Xiaolan from looking at Wenshui warily: "How do you have He Ye's phone number?"

"It was left when we encountered the case last time. They said they'd come to Tokyo for tourism and visit us sometime," Wen Shui explained.

Miwako Sato: "You wouldn't be secretly texting the daughter of the Osaka Superintendent of Police, would you?"

Wen Shui: "How could that be? This was the first time I contacted her, and she was the one who took the initiative."

"Don't be too gentle with Kazuha-chan, okay? She's very innocent and she's someone else's childhood friend..." Ran was still a little worried and gave her a word of advice.

You're someone else's childhood friend too, you're the leading lady, while Toyama Kazuha is just a supporting character, Wenshui thought to herself.

To avoid further entanglement with the issue, Wen Shui snorted coldly: "You two actually misunderstood me as the kind of person who flirts around with other women. That's too much."

Miwako Sato: "You're the one who's going too far. Would anyone normally start a sentence like 'the two of you' with something like this? There's something wrong with the sentence itself, isn't there?"

Wen Shui hesitated for a moment, then said, "Uh... let's go see where that call went."

As he spoke, he ran straight back to the room where the crime scene was located. The detective who had been holding the phone earlier had finished making the call and recorded the conversation, which was being played back repeatedly.

"Oh, it's Duff. How's that lucrative deal going? Let me know as soon as there are any results."

"Oh, by the way, your apartment landlord called me yesterday and said he'd kick you out if you didn't pay your rent. Hey? Were you even answering the phone?"

"Hello, this is..."

"Oh, someone's here to see me. Let's talk later."

The phone recording ended there; it was mostly the man on the other end talking to himself. The police officer who made the call tried to interrupt, but the other party hung up. Subsequent calls went unanswered.

Although not much information was gathered, and it would take some time for the telecommunications company to investigate, at least they learned that the deceased's name was Duff.

After Wen Shui picked up the phone, she saw an emoji with the surname on the screen, which further confirmed that the deceased's full name was Mori Tatsuo.

Having a name made the investigation much easier. Combining the information from the phone call, they quickly found information about Tatsuo Mori, who lived in a dilapidated apartment in Gunma Prefecture and had been unemployed for a long time.

However, it remains a mystery why this person traveled all this way to impersonate Kogoro Mouri, and why he was killed.

Wen Shui recalled the process of the case. It seemed that in the end, when the criminal went to dig up the 1 million yuan in cash that he had extorted 5 years ago, he was ambushed by Conan and his men and caught red-handed.

However, Conan doesn't seem to have realized yet that the sumo wrestler in the newspaper was a code left by the murderer's accomplice in the extortion case five years ago. He probably lost consciousness earlier, which affected his deduction progress.

But why did this kid suddenly faint? Could it be that aptx-4869 has some side effects?

Wen Shui was somewhat worried, since he was mainly following Conan around to help him solve cases. If Conan collapsed, it might affect his speed of becoming stronger. Moreover, Mrs. Kudo would be heartbroken and cry, after all, he was her child.