Isn't it very scientific to use the Death Note to kill people?

As Lin Jiashu spoke, he stood in front of a vending machine on the street outside the hospital and put in a few coins.

Shortly after selecting the item, the canned beverage fell out with a "clatter".

"When you think of Kyoto, you can't help but think of red bean soup... Even though it's in a can, it's better than nothing."

"Things in these cans must taste terrible."

How will you know if you don't try?

Lin Jiashu smiled.

The three quickly left the hospital and walked forward.

On the way, Lin Jiashu listened to them recount the contents of their investigation and the details of Hattori Heiji's attack.

Conan arrived in Kyoto yesterday with Kogoro Mouri—the latter had received a request from Ryuen, a monk at the Sanno-ji Temple in Kyoto.

The Saneng Temple had a very precious, hidden statue of the Medicine Buddha, which was only exhibited to the public once every 12 years. However, the statue was stolen eight years ago.

At that time, the monk Longyuan suggested that the abbot call the police, but the abbot said it was unnecessary, believing that if there was a karmic connection, the Medicine Buddha would return on his own... And just a few days before the opening day, Saneng Temple suddenly received an email.

The letter stated that if the riddle in the painting could be solved, the Buddha statue could be found, which is why the monk Ryuen invited Kogoro Mouri.

Heiji Hattori is the person Conan encounters during his investigation.

During their first investigation, the two encountered a criminal attacking them with a bow and arrow in the forest. The second time, after failing to find the murderer of Sakura Masazo, they were attacked by the same person on their way back.

"To launch two deadly sneak attacks before your investigation had even made any progress, and to say it was to prevent you from uncovering anything detrimental to him, is an audacity for the murderer."

“That’s right, it doesn’t make any sense at all.”

"So it's more likely that you have something the killer wants on you."

During their investigation at the teahouse where Sakura Seizo was murdered last night, the three of them had a smooth conversation. When Hayashi Yoshiki got to this point, he looked at Hattori Heiji and said, "I heard you mention earlier that the abbot of Sannoji Temple requested that we find a Buddha statue. Hattori-kun, let me see your glass bead."

"Ah, oh..."

Heiji Hattori, without any suspicion, handed over the glass bead he had kept hidden for eight years.

Lin Jiashu picked it up and glanced at it.

It was a transparent, clear object, slightly shimmering like glass in the afternoon light...

"This thing might be the urna (white hair) inlaid on a Buddha statue."

"The white urna? You mean the one that shines in the center of the Buddha statue?" Hattori Heiji was taken aback.

"Correct."

"So the reason Hattori was attacked by the criminals was because of this white trinket!?"

"...That's possible. After all, according to the interview with high school detective Hattori Heiji about his unforgettable first love published in the magazine, he obtained this bead in a temple eight years ago, and the Yakushi Nyorai Buddha at Sanno-ji Temple was also stolen eight years ago."

As Lin Jiashu spoke, he handed the white hairpin back to Hattori Heiji.

The latter had just felt ashamed because of him, but now his expression was complicated.

The "first love" he had always cherished in his heart suddenly transformed from a cute little girl into the majestic Medicine Buddha, a feeling he couldn't quite describe.

"If the murderer was willing to kill just to take this thing..."

The dark-skinned youth spoke in a deep voice, solemnly straightening his baseball cap.

Lin Jiashu didn't say anything, just smiled and threw the empty can of red bean soup into the trash can that happened to be there.

"Is that one good?"

"Surprisingly not bad." Actually, it was very average.

But because his answer was somewhat casual, Conan didn't suspect anything and thought he'd buy one and try it out himself when he had the chance.

After all, when you think of Kyoto, you can't help but think of red bean rice cake soup.

The three quickly found the teahouse from the previous night.

The three people involved in this case—Ryuen, a monk from Sannoji Temple; Harutaro Mizuo, a Noh singer; and Taiga Saijo, who runs an old bookstore—all stayed overnight at a teahouse last night. The latter two, along with the deceased antique dealer Seizo Sakura, frequently visited Sannoji Temple. Moreover, all of them, including the abbot, shared a common trait: they were all enthusiasts of kendo.

Hattori Heiji quickly found the three men and questioned them about their alibis for the previous night, as well as whether any of them knew archery.

However, all three of them stated that although they had some contact with the subject, they were not proficient in it.

"I was attacked by a murderer last night."

"Although I didn't know why the killer attacked me repeatedly at first, I think I know the reason today."

As Hattori Heiji was saying this, he suddenly took out the white hairpin he had been hiding on his person.

He demonstrated this very carefully.

"I'm thinking of handing this over to the police. That way, we can nip the killer's covetousness in the bud."

Of the three, one person's expression subtly changed upon hearing these words.

But on the surface, they didn't have any obvious flaws.

"What is that?"

"Hey……"

When asked by the monk Ryūen, Hattori Heiji did not answer, but instead smiled and hid the white turban again.

Then, the teahouse's maiko, Chiga Rin, appeared. After thanking everyone for their patronage the previous night, she saw them all off from the teahouse.

"You're going to Saneng Temple, right?"

After seeing off the customers with a smile, Chiga Rin turned to Lin Jiashu and the others and said, "Sannoji Temple is on Rokkaku Street, while this is Yi Street."

"Hexagon Street, how do I get there?"

"Marutake Eiji, Oike, and Rokkaku, the older sister..."

The other person sang something like a nursery rhyme while gesturing with their hands, and then quickly came to a conclusion: "So you should go to the sixth street."

"Ms. Chiga, may I ask which song you are singing?"

"This is called the Handball Song. It connects all the east-west street names in Kyoto from north to south. Children in Kyoto remember the street names by singing this song."

"...Could you please sing it in its entirety?"

Hayashi Yoshiki asked this question with great concern, causing Hattori Heiji and Conan to exchange a glance.

Has the other party discovered something?

After Chiga Rin said goodbye and left, the two looked at Hayashi Yoshiki with serious expressions: "What's wrong with that handball song?"

"The coded message in that painting."

"..."

"Have you forgotten? Inspector Ayanokouji asked us to help analyze that painting that Uncle Mori accepted as a request, saying that solving the puzzle would lead to the location of the Buddha statue... I suspect that painting requires a code to solve, right?"

"If we use the ball song as a code to decipher it—!"

The two, having received the hint, immediately perked up.

They considered the feasibility together and became excited.

The two became excited as soon as they saw that the mystery seemed to be about to be solved.

As expected of Brother Jiashu (Little Brother)!

But now we need to buy a map first.

"Hattori-kun just showed that white trinket to those three people, was it to confirm whether the murderer was among them?"

"Yes."

Hattori Heiji chuckled, "The murderer cares so much about this white trinket in my hand. If he hears that I'm going to hand it over to the police, he'll definitely take action immediately... We'll turn the tables and capture him then!"

"Are you that confident?"

"It's just a test... After all, based on last night's murder scene, all three people in the teahouse have alibis, but I always feel like they're not that simple."

"So you wanted to see if they would resort to desperate measures?"

Heiji Hattori's idea is indeed good.

The main reason was that he couldn't confirm whether the murderer was among the three people, and he wanted to use this method to lure the other party out.

After quickly buying a map at a bookstore, Conan unfolded it, while Heiji Hattori opened a photocopy of the letter of request. However, just as the two were in high spirits and eager to solve the mystery, they were soon dumbfounded.

"Marutake Eiji... what's the rest of the song again?"

"Marutake Iori, Oike; Sister, Rokkaku, Takamatsu; Shiryu, Buddha, Takamatsu..."

Lin Jiashu, unable to bear it any longer, began to read aloud.

He was halfway through reading when he noticed the two of them looking at him with surprise.

"how?"

"...Your memory is amazing!"

After making a brief complaint, the two quickly picked up pens and started sketching on the map.

Connect the lines on the map according to the puzzle, and you will eventually draw the character "王" (king) on ​​the main street of Kyoto. There is also a dot-shaped symbol in the puzzle, which, when added, becomes the character "玉" (jade). The dot in the character "玉" corresponds to Foguang Temple on the map.

It's a little past four in the afternoon.

Lin Jiashu accompanied the two of them on a trip to Foguang Temple, but after searching around, they did not find any hidden Buddha statues in Foguang Temple.

However, a stone tablet inscribed with "Traces of Yulong Temple" was found in a corner of Foguang Temple.

"Yulong Temple? So the dot in that painting refers to this place?"

Hattori Heiji stroked his chin, deep in thought.

In other words, they still have to go to a place called Yulong Temple.

Lin Jiashu then asked a local passing by for information about Gyokuryu-ji Temple. He quickly learned that it was a temple located deep in the Kurama Mountains of Kyoto, but he heard that it had been abandoned a long time ago.

"Want to go take a look?" Lin Jiashu asked, looking at the two of them.

"Of course! The answer to the riddle is almost right in front of us, so why not go and find out?" Hattori Heiji said excitedly.

"But neither of you has eaten much, right? Especially you, Hattori, you've been lying in the hospital since last night, and then you ran around like this. Can you keep up with the stamina?"

"Yoshiki-kun is right. I think Hattori, you should take a break right now."

Conan was also concerned about his best friend's health.

However, Hattori Heiji hesitated for a moment, his eyebrows twitching, and said, "Then how about we just grab something to eat first?"

When he said he was just grabbing something to eat, he simply went to a vending machine.

There's nothing we can do about it; after all, this place is next to a temple, and there really aren't many restaurants.

Conan ordered the same red bean soup that Hayashi Yoshiki had just ordered.

After opening it, he tasted it with a hint of anticipation.

The red bean soup I tasted was cloyingly sweet, and the beans were mushy with little bean flavor... Although it wasn't exactly terrible, it was definitely not what the other person described as "surprisingly good."

He turned around and squinted at Lin Jiashu.

"Isn't it delicious?" Lin Jiashu asked with a smile.

"hehe."

Conan rolled his eyes.

He couldn't understand how anyone could enjoy lying and deceiving others over trivial matters.

Lin Jiashu then took out his phone to read the text message he had just received.

Yoko Okino: "Yoshiki-kun! I checked some travel guides for you. There's a dessert shop in Kyoto called 'Memo-to Zenzai Dango' that looks really good, and there are also many restaurants near Nanzen-ji Temple that are famous for their tofu soup! And if you want to try kawayo (traditional Japanese bedside table cuisine)..."

Since it was a rare opportunity to visit Kyoto, after sharing his experience with Yoko Okino, Yoshiki Hayashi quickly and meticulously prepared a travel guide for him, including sightseeing and food recommendations.

As he was looking at the screen and replying, Hattori Heiji's cell phone rang in his pocket.

He took it out and saw that it was a call from Toyama Kazuha.

(Are they only realizing now that we've slipped out of the hospital?)

He muttered to himself, but when he pressed answer, a sinister male voice came through the phone:

"Is that white hair still there?"