Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Furthermore, this "X" doesn't feel like a real "X".

Just after the forensic personnel made this claim, a man with a full beard, messy hair tied back, two crisscrossing scars above his left eye (presumably from a knife), and a one-eyed man like Kuroda Hyoue, who was also using a cane and exuded a rugged aura, like a retired gangster, frowned and denied the claim.

...Don't ask Sano why he cares so much about this person.

The main thing is that this guy is really quite eye-catching.

Besides the Plague God family and this gang, another notable figure was a man with a small mustache who also wore a small braid, but appeared much more gentle, clean, civilized, and elegant in comparison.

Ok.

It was a little impolite.

But this guy looks a bit like Kogoro Mouri.

"...It must be a woodpecker's claw."

Just as Sano was amusing himself, Kuroda Hyoue shared his opinion.

This drew the attention of everyone present to the two newcomers.

This greatly shocked Conan's young mind, causing his expression to change drastically.

...Black, Kurosawa!?

Why is this guy here?

And who is this guy next to him? Is he in black? Why is he one-eyed again...? If it's Rum, is Kurosawa Blade doing something?

Kuroda Heibei led Sano downstairs, and after a brief exchange,

Conan successfully learned that the one-eyed man's name was Kuroda Hyoue.

...This greatly reduces the possibility that he is a member of the Kurosawa family. No, it's also possible that this is just a pseudonym used on the surface.

Actually, he also has another name, something like Kurosawa Heibei.

Hmm... or perhaps the so-called Kurosawa family is just a misunderstanding.

After all, there seem to be only three known Kurosawas so far?

...Conan wanted to continue to suspect that Kuroda Hyoue was actually Rum, while Kurosawa Blade was intentionally getting close to him in order to extract information or something.

But this guy is a section chief at the Ueno Prefectural Police.

Logically speaking, Rum either can't do it, or there's no reason for him to do it, right?

Then Kuroda Heibei turned his attention to the location of what appeared to be the charred, headless corpse. After questioning, he learned that a still somewhat useful big toe remained in the charred remains, which could be used to identify the body.

...This part surprised Sano a bit.

The fact that the body was deliberately divided in two, with one half burned, clearly indicates something fishy is going on.

But something important remained... Could it be a coincidence?

"Speaking of the Takeda Group, weren't they supposed to be going to arrest that wanted robber today?"

Kuroda Hyōe then looked at the three people beside him.

The answer they received was that since the agreed time had passed and no one had arrived, the three of them had taken action first, but their target had probably gotten wind of it.

They had already fled.

Chapter 656 Woodpecker Guild

This naturally raises suspicions.

Is it because this Takeda ran into this wanted robber earlier than expected?

Therefore, they were defeated in a counterattack?

However, the cripple and one-eyed man did not agree with such speculation.

What is it?

People like Takeda are ruthless when it comes to killing, if they need to.

It's impossible for them to be defeated.

...Sano didn't quite understand and remained silent.

Kuroda Hyōe didn't say much, but simply asked everyone if they had any opinions or knowledge about the relationship between Takeda and Woodpecker.

After a moment of silence.

A short-haired woman spoke up: "...When I was at the Torada family's house, I heard that there was an internal organization in our area composed of corrupt police officers called the Woodpecker Guild. At the time, I thought it was just gossip, but now it seems that there might be a connection between the two."

"Woodpecker Society?"

This novel topic immediately drew everyone's attention.

Including Sano.

"...It really is true that shallow waters breed many turtles."

Hearing Sano's casual remark, Kuroda's lips twitched involuntarily.

Although I was only recently transferred here and, strictly speaking, am not part of this department, I am not entirely a newcomer either.

Furthermore, Sano's sarcastic remarks were also aimed at the Japanese police.

Kuroda Hyōe would naturally feel embarrassed.

Not to mention the target of their journey is a special character like Kurosawa.

"...Alright, there's no point in saying more. You three from the Takeda Group, go and investigate on the spot. See if any passersby saw the burning or anything else. Yamato, Morofushi Uehara, you three go back and investigate all the cases that Takeda has handled. See who the potential targets are who have had grudges against him."

Kuroda Hyoue forcefully pushed the topic to the next stage.

After giving the order to divide the six detectives present into two groups, he looked at Sano.

"...You should see how things go for yourself."

"...What situation should I check?"

Sano deliberately asked, "Are you referring to this case just now...? Well, I advise you not to joke around. I'm neither a policeman nor a detective, so naturally I have neither the interest nor the ability to get involved."

"But you are my subordinate."

Kuroda Hyōe was trying to establish his authority as a superior.

But Sano still maintained a cold and aloof demeanor that subtly revealed a hint of arrogance.

"Subordinates?"

"Get this straight, I'm just your employee, we have an employer-employee relationship."

Kuroda Hyoue narrowed his eyes.

Conan, who was eavesdropping nearby, immediately became very curious.

What's the deal with these two people?

The Mori father and daughter, who knew about Kurosawa's situation, were hesitant to speak from the beginning... but considering Kuroda Hyōe's identity, they felt there was no need to say anything more. Perhaps the authorities had already made arrangements.

"Then do a good job, and you'll get a bonus when it's done."

Kuroda replied evasively, and Sano didn't really refuse to give him a way out.

Remaining silent was tantamount to acquiescing.

This relieved Kuroda Hyoue, who then turned to his colleagues and said seriously, "Be careful, everyone. If this claw mark is really some special mark left by the murderer, it might mean they're targeting our entire prefectural police force. There's a good chance there will be another attack. Do you all understand?"

"I understand!"

"Okay, let's get to work."

……

Police station.

The three members of the Plague God family were considered the first to discover the corpse.

I was invited here to give a statement.

Sano naturally followed, which was in accordance with Kuroda Hyoue's wishes.

in the office.

Kuroda Hyōe looked at Kurosawa Rin, who was sitting there quietly and motionless.

I'd love to start a conversation and have a long chat.

After all, Kuroda Hyōe wanted to keep the person there so badly, just to extract information.

But once he got to the police station, he was like a mute, not saying a word for a long time.

Even when Kuroda Hyōe tried to talk to him, he pretended not to hear him, like he was deaf.

Putting everything else aside, his composure is indeed in line with the level that a swordsman should have.

While Kuroda Hyoue remained outwardly calm but inwardly secretly observed Sano, he was watching the newly aired hit anime from the perspective of another clone—to be fair, although the entertainment environment in this world was somewhat worse than in his previous life.

However, it's not entirely without merit.

I won't discuss the novels or the TV series.

In terms of anime, it's definitely authentic.

In addition, the foreign films were also quite good, if it weren't for the timing.

Sano even wanted to dig out some Chinese novels to read.

But it doesn't matter, Sano's level of excitement is still quite high.

Since we've only just started, we can produce a lot of inventory.

When Sano gets tired of it, then we can talk about finding something new.

Another half hour of deathly silence passed.

The two very distinctive male police officers who went to the archives to investigate finally came out, immediately attracting Kuroda Hei's attention.

...Of the three police officers, the female officer surnamed Uehara did not participate in the investigation process, but was responsible for taking statements from the Plague God family of three.

After they finished, the four of them sat down in the corridor to talk.