Conan: The Romantic Daily Life of a Ghost Detective

Sure enough, after he sent the text message, Yukiko Kudo immediately sent back a cute emoji of someone hitting their head with a hammer.

Yukiko: "Damn it, why are you telling me all this?"

Warm Water: "I think this might be a way to relieve stress. We can try it if we have the chance. By the way, who do you like to use as a backdrop?"

Chapter 317 Using Kazuha-chan as a Tool

"Try me, my foot! Is there nothing else in your head besides those filthy thoughts?" Yukiko Kudo replied quickly, perhaps because she was too excited, and even made a few typos.

Wen Shui smiled and said, "I can't help it. When I think of your panicked reaction, Mrs. Kudo, my mind is filled with images of your alluring body."

Yukiko Kudo sent a string of "...".

She was clearly defeated by Wen Shui's relentless barrage of sweet words.

At this moment, Kogoro Mouri, who was sitting in the car observing the Morozuka family, couldn't help but turn around and look at Nukumi: "Hey kid, why don't you help me keep watch? What are you doing playing on your phone?"

Warm Water: "Ah, wait a minute, I'll be right there."

"Hmph, if you like chatting so much, why don't you go to the other car and be with Ran?" Kogoro Mouri sneered.

Warm Water: "This is different. Uncle Mori must have experienced the beauty of distance, right?"

Kogoro Mouri's face darkened: "You brat, the person you're talking to right now is my precious daughter! Let me tell you, if you dare lay a finger on Ran, I'll never forgive you!"

Wen Shui replied with a serious expression, "Of course not, I promise."

Thinking about whether Uncle Mori would be furious if he found out he was chatting with Yukiko Kudo, Wen Shui suddenly felt a little guilty.

He told Yukiko, "I have to go investigate the case," and prepared to end the conversation.

Yukiko Kudo: "Be careful, and remember to eat dinner tonight."

Although it was just a simple instruction, Wen Shui could feel the care from the lovely wife on the other end of the phone.

Putting away her phone, Wen Shui moved to the passenger seat and observed the streetlights coming on through the window.

Not long after, a familiar figure came into Wen Shui's view: "Uncle, look over there, that man in the suit, is the antique shop owner who had an argument with Ryoko Morozuka this afternoon."

"What? Where?" Kogoro Mouri looked in the direction that Wen Shui was pointing.

Sure enough, a few houses away from Ryoko Morozumi's house, the antique shop owner, Takatoku Genda, was standing there looking uneasy, as if waiting for someone.

Wenshui quickly sent the message to Hattori Heiji in another car.

However, after waiting for a long time, Genda Takatoku did not see anyone and walked to the other side of the street, disappearing from everyone's sight.

Just as everyone was discussing whether to go and take a look, a middle-aged man wearing a brown suit and carrying a briefcase walked into Ryoko Morozuka's house.

“He just took out his key and went in; he must be Ryoko Morozumi’s husband, right?” Uncle Mori analyzed.

Wen Shui nodded: "Okay, let's go take a look. That classmate, Morozumi Ryoko, hasn't come out yet. Let's hope they don't start fighting."

Kogoro Mouri gave him a "you're still too young" look and said, "They won't fight. I bet that man knows Ryoko Morozumi's husband, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed so late."

"Is it someone we know?" Wen Shui looked shocked, trying her best to act like she knew nothing about the case.

Kogoro Mouri: "You are still young and don't know how much darkness this world has to offer. But if you decide to become a detective, you will have the opportunity to see more."

The warm water's expression of being taught a lesson made Kogoro Mouri feel a great sense of accomplishment.

The two then got out of the car and, under the cover of night, followed Ryoko Morozumi to her doorstep. Through the window, they could see the man from before changing his shoes in the entryway.

Ryoko Morozumi walked over with a smile and helped her husband change his shoes, displaying the demeanor of a virtuous wife and loving mother: "You're off work so late today. Mr. Soga has been here for half a day already."

Akira Morozumi: "Is that so? He's certainly an impatient person."

At that moment, Soga Misao came out of the room: "Morozuki, it's been a long time. We must have a good drink today."

"Of course, I've been waiting for this day for a long time." After changing his shoes, Zhu Jiaoming smiled at his wife and old classmate. "I'm going to the restroom first. Zeng Wo, you drove here, right? Go outside and wait for me in the car."

"No!" Ryoko Morozumi interrupted, "If you're going drinking, don't drive. It's too dangerous."

Zhu Jiaoming scratched his head: "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you. By the way, why don't you come out for a drink with us?"

Ryoko Morozumi took her husband's briefcase: "Forget it, I don't drink, and I'm still thinking about the football match broadcast early this morning. I need to catch up on some sleep later."

Then, Akira Morozuki went into the room alone.

Kogoro Mouri, who was observing from outside, couldn't help but look at Wen Shui: "Hey kid, did you mistake them for someone else this afternoon? These two look so loving."

“It could also be an act,” Wen Shui explained. “Besides, it wasn’t just me who saw it; Xiao Lan and the others saw it too.”

Just as Kogoro Mouri was about to speak, he heard Conan's voice behind him: "What did you hear? Uncle, just tell me what happened!"

Wen Shui turned around and found that Conan had followed her in at some point.

He looked towards the courtyard gate, where Xiaolan, Yuanshan, and Ye were peeking in his direction.

If you look closely, you'll find that there's an invisible person hidden in the darkness beside them.

"Damn it, didn't I tell you not to run around at crime scenes?" Uncle Mori punched Conan.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really curious," Conan said, his eyes brimming with tears.

Ignoring Conan's complaints, Kogoro Mouri pointed towards the door and said, "Let's go out first. Those two will probably be out soon, and it'll be bad if we get caught."

Wen Shui nodded, then grabbed Conan by the back of the neck, and together they left the Morozuki house.

A few minutes later, Ryoko Morozumi's husband and Misao Soga came to the street together.

Surprisingly, Akira Morozumi didn't drive away. Instead, he put his arm around Misao Soga's shoulder and walked towards a nearby izakaya.

Ryoko Morozumi seemed to have done the same as she had said, going back to her bedroom for a nap early, perhaps because she had been too exhausted in the afternoon.

"Don't you guys think it's starting to feel like a mystery novel?" Kazuha Toyama said excitedly after everyone reunited. "Strange people are appearing one after another, and each of them has a secret they're hiding..."

"Don't say such stupid things," Hattori Heiji couldn't help but say. "Real-world cases are completely different from mystery novels. Be a little more serious."

Kazuha Toyama pouted, offering no rebuttal.

Wen Shui, standing nearby, thought to herself, "But this is the world of Detective Conan! The methods used in many cases are even more bizarre and outlandish than those in detective novels."

Wen Shui's thoughts drifted away, wondering when she would meet that unlucky guy who was killed by red bean paste.

Even after everyone pieced together the available information, they still had no clue about the arson case.

If we had to pick a suspect, the antique shop owner would be the most likely one, since his suspicious behavior earlier was a bit odd. However, he left without doing anything, so it would be irresponsible to conclude that Genda Takatoku is the murderer based solely on subjective impressions.

Amuro Tooru hasn't returned from his part-time job yet, and hasn't even replied to the message that Wen Shui sent him.

The event that Kazuha had anticipated—the slow turning of the gears—did not happen. The group waited outside Ryoko's house for a while longer, and when they were starving, they decided to call it a day.

However, on the way back, I unexpectedly saw a fire truck speeding by.

Conan sensed something was wrong, so he insisted on going back to check. Heiji Hattori, being the only one among them who knew Conan's true identity, naturally chose to side with Conan.

So the two groups of people returned to Ryoko Morozumi's house.

What they found was a house engulfed in flames.

.

The fire truck blocked the road and set up a cordon at the intersection, forcing Hattori Heiji and his companions to park their car on another street.

When they arrived at Ryoko Morozuka's house, it was already packed with onlookers and rescue workers.

Firefighters in fire suits worked together, using water cannons to try to extinguish the house that was billowing black smoke and flames. Unfortunately, the fire was too big, and even two fire trucks working together could not reduce the fire.

Beside the ambulance, Akira Morozuki and Misao Soga knelt together in front of a humanoid object covered by a white cloth.

If I'm not mistaken, that must be Mrs. Ryoko Morozumi, who unfortunately perished in the fire.

"H-How is this possible?" Hattori Heiji stared in shock at the burning house. "We just left, how could it catch fire? Was the arsonist lurking in the shadows waiting for us to leave?"

"It's possible, but it could also just be a coincidence," Conan analyzed.

Kazuha and Ran hugged each other, their eyes filled with self-blame and regret, probably thinking that if they had left later, they might have been able to save Ryoko Morozumi's life.

But actually, this is meaningless, since Zhu Jiaoming has already discovered that his wife is having an affair with his old classmate.

The fact that he was able to hold back until now before making his move, and that he maintained a good friendship with Soga Misao throughout the process, drinking and playing sports together, shows that he has a very strong mental fortitude.

Even if Xiaolan and the others stop Morozumi Akira's murder plan tonight, he will still find a way to kill his wife.

Moreover, Zhu Jiaoming had previously taken out a home accident insurance policy and a personal accident insurance policy for his wife. He could get two huge sums of money from one action, which would allow him to fulfill his long-held dream of opening a mental health clinic.

Faced with such a huge temptation, Akira Morozumi would never give up his idea because of one obstacle.

"Ryoko, Ryoko, say something..." Moroko Akira cried bitterly, and Soga Misao's constant attempts to comfort him had no effect.

Wen Shui was busy comforting Ran and Toyama Kazuha, telling them not to blame themselves too much for not joining Conan and the others in investigating the details of the arson case.

Uncle Mori tried to find traces of arson at the fire scene using his own methods, without joining Conan and the others in the commotion.

Heiji Hattori and Conan visited nearby residents, but most of them only saw the fire suddenly break out and then called the police, without providing any further information.

Just as the two were at their wits' end and preparing to go back to meet up with Wenshui, a child's voice caught Conan and Hattori Heiji's attention.

"Mom, see? I told you so! The red horse that's going to cause a fire is coming!" the child said to his mother with a smug look on his face.

Conan and Heiji Hattori immediately ran over and asked, "Little friend, what do you mean by saying that a red horse came here?"

The little boy said, "I saw it with my own eyes, but I only saw the shadow of the horse."

"Really? When was it?" Hattori Heiji hurriedly asked.

At that moment, the little boy's mother pulled her son behind her and looked at the two men warily: "Who are you people?"

Heiji Hattori: "Don't worry, I'm a detective from Osaka, and I'm even better than Kogoro Mouri."

"Better than Mr. Mori? How could that be? You're so young..."

This is, after all, the world of Detective Conan, where detectives hold a high status. Although the little boy's mother still had some doubts about whether Hattori Heiji's words were true or false, she did not stop the two from asking him questions.

The child then recounted what he had seen that night to Wen Shui and the others.

It turned out that the little boy lived next door on the right. While he was watching the Kamen Rider show at night, the outside of his window suddenly became bright, and then a huge horse was reflected on his curtains.

After hearing this, Heiji Hattori and Conan immediately rushed to the courtyard that had not yet been affected by the flames.

The young mother was startled: "Hey, you two, don't just come into my house like that!"

Firefighters in the distance heard the noise and ran over, shouting at Hattori Heiji and Conan to stay away from the fire scene.

However, the two ignored the shouts of the crowd and saw a red horse statue placed by the window of Ryoko Morozuka's house. In other words, based on the child's testimony, they could pinpoint the time when the murderer set the fire, which was when Kamen Rider started acting.