Forced to Work; Ai-chan Sighs

"They are friends they met through clay shooting."

Fujino stood aside, surveying the crime scene, and said without turning his head, "I just heard that they came here to practice shooting."

Is that so?

Mu Mu Shisan rubbed his chin, then asked the group, "So who locked the cabinet today?"

"I put the lock on."

Komatsu Raiko sobbed as she answered, "But everyone here is a friend who used to come here to shoot. The password for the electronic lock is the same as the homonym for our shooting friends: 9017."

"So that means the murderer is one of the four of you!"

Juzo Megure reasoned, "If we can test which of the four of you has gunpowder residue on their hands, we'll definitely be able to find the culprit."

"Actually, this won't lead to finding the murderer."

Fujino glanced briefly at the crime scene, then looked away and said, "They were all doing shooting practice during the day. If we test them now, there's a high probability that we'll find gunpowder residue on everyone's hands."

"Furthermore, we all have an obligation to make sure that the boxes containing the shotguns are not visible."

Oda Kunitomo added, "Koizumi uses a leather case, and her shotguns have all been disassembled; ordinary people simply don't have the ability to assemble them."

"I see! That means the murderer is still among the four of you!"

Juzo Megure realized what was going on, and then instructed Takagi beside him, "Takagi, go investigate the vicinity of the crime scene and see if anyone has seen any suspicious figures..."

Fujino narrowed his eyes and looked at Oda Kunitomo beside him.

He was puzzled as to how this guy knew the gun in Sano Izumi's box was disassembled...

But thinking about it, they were shooting partners after all.

Maybe I just happened to notice it...

Pulling his thoughts back, Fujino began to ponder the clues in this case again.

The clues marked by the Detective Eagle Eye Vision included the letter "S" next to the body, the cell phone in the pocket, the shotgun scattered at the scene, and a dent in the floor next to the body.

Itami Chihiro was shot in the heart with a shotgun, her heart shattered and she died on the spot.

Clearly, the markings next to the body were left by the murderer after her death.

Otherwise, how can we expect a victim shot by a shotgun to stand up and perform a couple of iron-mountain leans before dying?

As for the cell phone in the body's pocket, it was probably a code or something left by the deceased.

Since the shotgun was the murder weapon, it naturally became the evidence marked by Eagle Eye.

As for the dent left next to the body, Fujino believes it was made by an ice blade. The absence of blood on the dent suggests it was left after the crime.

Eagle Eye Vision contains both false clues and real clues.

—Eagle Eye Vision does not mark purely correct clues; it merely provides him with a reference for evidence clues.

Such a reference is equivalent to an open-book exam, saving a great deal of observation time and ensuring that key clues are not overlooked.

However, an exam is still an exam; the ability to discern evidence and make inferences must ultimately be left to him.

"That..."

At this moment, Sonoko, who was standing behind everyone and was quite frightened by what had just happened, hesitated for a moment before suddenly speaking, "Actually, I saw the murderer walk out of the restroom."

"What?!" Juzo Megure turned around in surprise, Ran chimed in, "Really, Sonoko?"

"Um."

Sonoko nodded, thought for a moment, and continued, "Back then, there was a 'Cleaning in Progress' sign hanging on the bathroom door, and no one answered when I knocked, so I just stood at the door and waited..."

She paused, then continued, "After that, I heard the sound of fireworks. Just as I went to the window to watch them, I turned around and saw a strange man in a black hooded coat walking out of the bathroom..."

A sound?

Fujino frowned slightly upon hearing this.

He remembered it was the third tone...

"Then what?"

Takagi Wataru asked anxiously, "Did you get a good look at that person's face?"

"No."

Sonoko shook her head. "He covered his face with a hat and scarf, so I couldn't see what he looked like."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, Inspector Juzo Megure reasoned, "Using the sound of fireworks to cover up the gunshots, and escaping while wearing a coat, even if someone accidentally saw them, they wouldn't be able to see their faces clearly... But if that's the case... it seems like this is clearly a planned crime."

After saying that, he turned to look at Itami Chihiro's friends behind him. "Judging from the current situation, the murderer is among you. I hope you can cooperate with our police investigation so that we can determine who suggested coming here."

"Etc!"

Sano Izumi immediately said anxiously, "Coming here to practice shooting was a decision we all made together a few days ago!"

"That's right."

Komatsu Raiko chimed in, "This place is very close to the shooting range. People used to come here often after shooting."

Takagi Wataru smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "We can't be sure who the murderer is yet. Let's talk about these things after the interrogation..."

"Actually, it doesn't have to be so complicated."

At this moment, Fujino spoke up, slowly walking into the crime scene, "Perhaps we can identify the murderer without interrogation."

"Ah?"

Upon Juzo Megure looked at Fujino with surprise, "Fujino- kun, have you found any clues?"

Conan, who had been standing there deep in thought, was also taken aback when he heard this, and looked up at Fujino.

"I did find some clues..."

Fujino approached Itami Chihiro's body, knelt down, and looked into her coat pocket. "You were almost dead, so why did you put your hands in your pockets, Miss Itami?"

As he spoke, he reached out and, under everyone's gaze, pulled a cell phone from the pocket of Itami Chihiro's coat.

"Mobile phone?"

Takagi and Juzo Megure came over.

Conan was also slightly taken aback, and frowned as he looked at the phone in Fujino's hand.

"But there's no information on the cell phone screen..."

Juzo Megure examined the phone in Fujino's hand and guessed, "Could it be that Miss Itami tried to call the police during the standoff, but was killed before she could even dial the number?"

"Then just pressing the redial button will tell us who she called last, right?"

Conan walked over with his hands in his pockets and said in a deep voice.

"Well?"

Upon hearing this, the group turned to look at Conan.

Fujino also lowered his head, looked at Conan, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Hahaha!"

Conan was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled at Fujino in a childish voice and said, "I was right, wasn't I, Fujino Pigeon (older brother)?"

"..."

Fujino glanced at Conan, then looked away and pressed the replay button.

Then, the words [KIX########] appeared on the phone screen.

"KIX?"

Takagi Wataru what was on the screen, "And there are eight hash symbols in the phone number field."

"It seems this is the death message left by Miss Itami before she died."

Juzo Megure looked at Fujino, his eyes full of anticipation. "Fujino- kun, do you know what this code means?"

"Have no idea."

Fujino looked at the code on his phone screen and sighed, "I only know KID, that's the code name for Kaito Kid. As for what KIX is, I really don't have any idea."

If it's a matter of deduction, Fujino's reasoning is plausible.

But this thing called a code...

It requires not only reasoning ability, but also abstract logical thinking ability, as well as a vast amount of knowledge about life and various aspects.

Unfortunately, Fujino's eccentric knowledge base wasn't actually that vast.

Therefore, we have always been powerless to use secret codes or anything like that.

Conan, standing to the side, was also completely bewildered upon hearing this.

He felt like he'd seen this thing somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

"KIX?"

Ai Haibara murmured to herself.

She looked up, glanced at Fujino, then at her surroundings, and finally at Conan was completely bewildered.

Seeing that no one had figured out the meaning of KIX, she couldn't help but sigh.

We're forced to open for business again.

"Besides Oda, Itami, Komatsu, Misawa, Sano, all of these are names of places with airports."

Ai Haibara said calmly, "KIX is the English abbreviation for Kansai International Airport, located in Sano City, Osaka."

Then, she tilted her head back again, revealing a little girl's expression, with a faint smile on her face, "Fujino, wasn't I right?"

"Ah?"

Conan, who was standing to the side, was taken aback when he heard this and looked at Ai Haibara with surprise.

This recipe looks familiar.

Depend on!

He became a stand-in!

"Yes, Ai is right."

Fujino nodded upon hearing this, stepped forward, and patted Ai Haibara's head. "You did a great job."

"..."

Ai Haibara froze.

Okay, although it didn't make a sound like last time.

But she still felt a little uncomfortable.

It's hard to describe the feeling; it's a bit strange...

Fujino finished Ai Haibara and stood up with satisfaction.

As for Ai Haibara, her reasoning ability and knowledge base are still quite good.

She was the one who helped decipher the code of Taro Niina last time.

Suddenly, a new purpose for Ai Haibara was unlocked.

A secret code assistant forced to work!

"As Ai said, apart from Oda, the rest of the names all contain the word 'airport,' KIX Kansai International Airport, located in Sano City."

Fujino turned his gaze to Sano Izumi and said in a deep voice, "So, the code left by Miss Itami refers to you, Miss Sano Izumi."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback and turned their gaze to Sano Izumi.

"Wait, why are you identifying me as the murderer based on just one code word?"

Sano Izumi stiffened when he saw all eyes on him. "Besides, I was right next to you and that lady at the time. How could I have had time to commit a crime?"

As she spoke, she asked Ran, "Is that right?"

"Um..."

Ran thought for a moment, "They had all arrived when the first firework went off, and it was probably less than ten seconds before the second firework went off."

"That's right! Chihiro died during the fireworks display, so the others and I didn't have any time to investigate."

Sano Izumi said resentfully, "And why are you, a high school student, allowed to participate in the case?"

"Because Fujino- Senior is a detective," Ran said.

Sano Izumi exclaimed in surprise, "High School Detective?"

"That's right, haven't you heard of it?"

Sonoko was no longer afraid and said with great interest, "It's that High School Detective Fujino Doji, who's known as the Black Detective."

"Ah?"

Sano Izumi was even more confused.

"That's right, I am High School Detective Fujino."

Fujino interrupted their conversation and continued, "Indeed, the murderer used your gun and left a coded message on the wall, but logically, Miss Itami should have died when she was shot in the heart. There is indeed suspicion that you were framed, but that does not mean you have an alibi."

After saying that, Fujino turned to Sonoko and asked, "Sonoko, how many fireworks did you hear at the time?"

"The sound of fireworks?"

Sonoko thought for a moment, "It should be the first tone."

"Just one sound?"

Upon hearing this, Fujino twitched his chin, recalling his memory of the fireworks earlier, and then asked again to confirm, "Are you sure it was one sound?"

"I'm sure!" Sonoko nodded firmly. "Besides, I wasn't the only one waiting at the bathroom door; others should have heard it too."

Fujino then asked, "Did you see fireworks blooming in the sky?"

"No."

Sonoko shook her head. "We rushed over when we heard the sound, but when we got to the window, we didn't see any fireworks."

"That's right."

Fujino nodded. Although he was surprised that Sonoko couldn't pinpoint the direction of the sound, he continued to deduce, "The sound Sonoko heard must have been the gunshot when the murderer killed Ms. Itami... because I remember that the first round of fireworks consisted of three shots, which bloomed in red, blue, and yellow in sequence."

"So, the murderer actually committed the crime before the fireworks started, and faked the sound of the fireworks exploding in the sky?"

Juzo Megure nodded in agreement, saying, "Even if we didn't see the first firework, we should have been able to see the rest. We shouldn't have missed them all."

"Even so, I might not be the murderer!"

Sano Izumi continued to retort, "If the crime was committed before the fireworks went off, then everyone except me should be a suspect!"

"Is that so? Since the killer already left an obvious code, why would they leave another code on the phone? Even so, it wouldn't really matter..."

Fujino narrowed his eyes, glanced at Sano Izumi's skates, and said, "Actually, you probably didn't notice that the blades of your skates are stained with Miss Itami's blood, did you?"

"Ice skates?"

Sano Izumi glanced at the ice skates she was carrying, and her face immediately turned ugly.

"On the floor at the crime scene, there was actually a scratch made by an ice skate, and there was a lot of blood at the scratch..."

Fujino turned around and pointed to the crime scene not far away.

"Scratches?"

Upon hearing this, Takagi quickly walked in the direction Fujino was pointing, squatted down to examine it, and said, "Inspector! There is indeed a scratch, and it was made after the blood stained the ground."

"Really?!"

Conan followed, and was immediately stunned when he saw the scratches on the ground.

He turned to look at Fujino, his eyes somewhat dazed.

How did this guy even find out?

It must be because that guy was able to get close to the crime scene, right?

If he could have gone to the crime scene and taken a closer look, he would have discovered it immediately!

Yes, that's right, that must be it!

Conan tried to comfort himself.

Ai Haibara stood still, glanced at Conan's complicated expression, and calmly enjoyed the deduction.

Fujino turned to Sano Izumi and said in a deep voice, "If you're not the murderer, can you hand over your ice skates to the police for testing?"

"..."

Sano Izumi's expression grew increasingly grim, and the roller skates in his hands fell to the ground.

"Koizumi... is it really you?"

Komatsu Raiko asked Sano Izumi in disbelief, "Why...?"

"Because of Narita, I want to avenge Narita, who committed suicide because of that Chihiro guy."

Sano Izumi took a deep breath, lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "After Narita was dumped by Chihiro that day, he pulled the trigger himself... I told that guy before not to associate with that kind of woman, but he said something like, 'Let's try talking to her and see.'"

Komatsu Raiko, standing to the side, didn't quite understand Sano Izumi's actions. "But you don't have to kill her over something like this!"

"If it were just because of something like this, I wouldn't have done something so foolish!"

Sano Izumi shouted, "What I can't stand the most is that woman's despicable behavior of two-timing!"

"Playing both sides?"

Everyone was taken aback by what they heard.

Fujino was also taken aback when he heard this.

He silently pulled out Sunflower Seeds from his pocket, as if he could hear the flamboyant saxophone playing of old man Katsuo Ohno echoing in his ears.

Just watching the show.

It's time for the Mikado Man's wonderful confession again.

Fortunately, this time the murderer wasn't a particularly evil person, not someone who would pull out a knife and stab him to death.

Fujino also felt something was amiss.

Conan always finishes his deductions and then kneels down to admit his mistakes.

After some reasoning, he had someone use a knife to...

Meanwhile, Conan, who was trained by Fujino, naturally took out Sunflower Seeds at almost the same moment.

Ai Haibara: "..."

Could these two be from the same school?

Why does this feel a bit inappropriate?

"That's right, it's about having your cake and eat it too, Oda, you should know that, right?"

Sano Izumi crossed her arms, her gaze turning coldly to Oda Kunitomo beside her. "That day I was home with a cold, and Narita called me from the shooting range, gritting his teeth and with tears in his eyes, telling me: 'It's no use. I've been betrayed by my friends. Chihiro has already had sex with Oda. I really don't understand...'"

At this moment, Misawa Koji, who was standing nearby, asked in surprise, "Wasn't Oda dating you back then?!"

"Yes, he was indeed dating me at the time."

Sano Izumi gritted her teeth, staring fiercely at Oda Kunitomo: "But he clearly knows Narita's feelings, yet he's two-timing us, mocking us with Chihiro!"

"Um?"

Fujino cracked open a Sunflower Seeds, rubbed his chin, and looked at Oda Kunitomo not far away.

Goodness, this guy looks all righteous and noble.

I never expected it to be a minotaur...

The Pure Love Warrior wept bitterly.

"She's lying!"

Oda Kunitomo turned and retorted, "That's just how that woman is! She always likes to use this kind of talk when she's in trouble!"

"Another twist?"

Fujino was taken aback again.

Is the Pure Love Warrior overjoyed again?

"Then why didn't you tell him back then!"

Sano Izumi clearly didn't believe this account. "When he called you, you seemed completely distracted!"

"That's right, I really didn't listen to what Narita said that day."

Oda Kunitomo lowered his head and said, "Because that day, I was worried about you, who was bedridden at home with a cold."

"Well?!"

Sano Izumi was stunned for a moment, then stood there frozen in place.

"Perhaps, the person who should die at your hands today is me."

Oda Kunitomo sighed and murmured a sigh of regret.

"Then, please come with us to the bureau for investigation."

Although Takagi Wataru also had a stomachache, he still stepped forward and led Sano Izumi away.

Can I really trust you?

As Sano Izumi left with Takagi Wataru, she turned to Oda Kunitomo without looking back and asked, "No matter how far apart we are in the future..."

"Yes, don't worry."

Oda Kunitomo said in a deep voice, "I am a man of deep affection and unwavering devotion."

"Thanks..."

Fujino: "..."

Killing someone just for this?

What a melodramatic plot!

Watching Sano Izumi being led away, Fujino couldn't help but sigh softly, "Your circle is truly chaotic..."

Goodness, he finally understands.

In other words, Narita likes Chihiro, Sano likes Narita, and then Oda likes Sano.

Then Chihiro dumped Narita, using Oda as an excuse, and Narita committed suicide. Sano believed that Oda and Chihiro were having an affair, and then Sano killed Chihiro in revenge.

Mihana is such a wonderful place.

Although bizarre reasons for killing are already commonplace in this world.

But this plot... if you didn't know better, you'd think it was some kind of Korean drama that older women like to watch.

As for whether he really had two relationships at the same time...

Who knows?

After all, the only person who could prove this was dead, so one-sided accounts are not rigorous.

Since the dead cannot testify, it is true.

The day ended, and before we knew it, it was past nine o'clock in the evening.

The night sky was dark, and it happened to be a full moon night.

The parking lot at Tropical Land.

Fujino led the two girls and two fake children slowly toward the parking space where his car was parked.

Sonoko was a little sullen. She had originally planned to do a little romance, but not only did she fail to do so, she also encountered a murder case.

Ran, on the other hand, was in a rare good mood. After all, it was a rare opportunity to go out and have fun, so being happy was the most important thing.

Conan, like Sonoko, also had his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

In short, his expression was quite unpleasant.

Ai Haibara followed behind, glanced at Conan's dejected appearance, and murmured sarcastically, "Looks like this time, a certain bumbling detective has lost completely."

Conan: "..."

I know, but don't tell anyone!

After thinking for a moment, he stubbornly replied, "It's just that he had the opportunity to get close to the crime scene... If I were still the way I used to be, I definitely could have done it too..."

"Oh my, even Heisei Era's Sherlock Holmes had his moments of stubbornness."

Ai Haibara scoffed lightly, ignoring Conan's stubbornness, "We lost completely in every aspect."

Conan was speechless for a moment, then looked up at Fujino, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Why does he always feel like he and Fujino are becoming increasingly from different dimensions?

They're both High School Detective...

Afterwards, Fujino drove off with the others, Ai Haibara sat in the passenger seat again. Then, they encountered a traffic jam.

Another black car was blown up ahead.

Fujino: "..."

He realized he didn't drive a Mazda.

How could there be a traffic jam caused by a car explosion?

This place, Mika, is getting more and more chaotic.

After Fujino drove everyone home, he took Ai Haibara to a Convenience Store and bought some bento boxes.

After returning home, I had dinner with Ai Haibara and Akemi Miyano.

It was already 10 p. m.

As soon as Fujino returned to his room and opened the system interface, a system notification sounded in his ears:

[Detective Profession Mission quest: (The Resurrected Death Message) has been completed]

[System Reward: 1 million yen and 100 Detective Reputation have been issued]

Current balance: 4.56 million yen

[Current Detective Reputation: 1310 | 1500]

"Are you still short 190 Detective Reputation?"

Fujino stared at the system interface and murmured, "In just one or two more cases, my detective level will reach three stars..."