The Price of Illiteracy

Fujino: "..."

That move was so practiced.

I bet you've knelt down a lot before, haven't you?

Sure enough, disciplining a disobedient brat still requires real action.

When Odagiri Toshiro saw his son kneel down at lightning speed, he took a deep breath, loosened his grip on the hilt of the sword slightly, and placed the sword on the sword rack to the side.

Seeing that Old Deng had put the knife away, the little bastard was quite shrewd. He stood up in a flash, patted his knees, and acted as if nothing had happened.

"..." Fujino thought that it would be better to give this bastard a good stab.

Odagiri Toshiro ignored the boy's actions and turned around as if it were commonplace, handing a golden lighter to Jinno Tamaki: "This is something I found in my good-for-nothing son's room a month ago."

"T·JINNO".

Jinno Tamaki read out the name engraved on the lighter, then looked at Odagiri Toshiro: "This is indeed my brother's, but why is it in his room... Could it be that he blackmailed me?"

Odagiri Toshiro with some surprise, "You already knew about this?"

"Yes, I had already heard about it before I came."

Jinno Tamaki nodded, then looked at Odagiri Toshiya with a cold gaze. "It's all thanks to Detective Fujino. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have imagined that my brother would be blackmailed..."

"But speaking of which, Minya, what do you need a lighter for?"

Fujino suddenly brought it up with some curiosity.

If it were cash, luxury watches would be understandable, but a lighter... he doesn't think it's made of pure gold.

What's the point of extorting this thing?

When there's no work, don't you perform a talent like biting a lighter?

"Well, actually I don't quite understand either..."

Jinno Tamaki was speechless and complained, "As the son of the head of the Criminal Investigation Department, he actually tried to extort lighters from other people. It's really shameful."

Hakuba Saguru nodded without saying a word.

As the son of the Superintendent General of Police, Odagiri Toshiya one grade below him, but the difference shouldn't be too great.

Furthermore, he genuinely didn't understand why Minya had managed to leave behind evidence of his extortion.

Upon hearing this, Odagiri Toshiya was speechless for a moment.

I really feel like a pig.

I even vaguely sensed a damned contempt in their eyes...

Damn it, all he did was extort a lighter.

Is it really that embarrassing?

After a moment of silence, he explained with a strange expression, "I just thought this lighter was pretty, so I put it away... But how are you sure it's Jinno Tamotsu's lighter?"

"Isn't his name engraved on it?"

Jinno Tamaki raised the lighter and pointed to the English letters engraved on it. "T·JINNO, these are the initials of my brother's name."

Odagiri Toshiya: "..."

He thought it was the name of some brand.

No wonder he searched for so long without finding it.

Damn it, I've suffered from my lack of education again.

"..." Odagiri Toshiro's expression was somewhat unpleasant.

I feel like my lifelong reputation has been ruined by this son of a bitch.

He took a deep breath to calm himself before changing the subject. "A year ago, Officer Youcheng suffered a sudden heart attack while on duty. This name appeared in the last case he investigated, so it left a very deep impression on me..."

"After you asked about allergies, I discovered that he had been blackmailing you by claiming that he knew about your secret sale of illegal drugs."

Fujino picked up the thread. "After you learned about this, you asked Officer Narisawa to investigate the case, right?"

"Have you already deduced all of this?"

Odagiri Toshiro was somewhat surprised that Fujino knew what he wanted to say.

But then I thought, since this Great Detective has already appeared here...

So it seems this matter has already been deduced...

He's a real talent.

Odagiri Toshiro sighed inwardly and nodded, saying, "After learning about this, I investigated the case file, but I didn't find Toshiya. So I asked Officer Narisawa to reinvestigate the case."

"You were the one who ordered him to investigate this case?!"

Jinno Tamaki frowned slightly; clearly, this answer was very different from what she had expected.

"But I didn't expect that Officer Nara would be killed."

Odagiri Toshiro's expression immediately darkened. "This case has now been handed over to Inspector Megure for investigation. Hakuba and Fujino have also been invited to participate in the investigation, so they should know about the details of the case."

"Actually, I think this case is somewhat related to you."

Fujino looked at Odagiri Toshiro and said calmly.

"Yes..."

Odagiri Toshiro seemed to have misunderstood something. "If I secretly commissioned them to conduct the investigation, then I could also be a murderer trying to cover up my crime."

"Forehead..."

Fujino glanced at Toshiro speechlessly.

Good, they're all quick to answer.

However, this attempt to answer the question was somewhat inappropriate.

Don't steal it next time.

Pulling himself back to his senses, Fujino rubbed his chin, organized his thoughts, and explained, "What I really wanted to say is that this case is related to the Officer Narisawa, but there are no other actual connections."

He paused, then continued, "As for suspicion, I have already ruled both of you out."

"Rectified?"

Odagiri Toshiro frowned slightly.

He also didn't quite understand Fujino's actions.

"I've cleared you of suspicion, and you seem a little unhappy about it?"

Fujino glanced at Odagiri Toshiro and said, "If you and your son killed him, there's really no need for all this trouble. If you really want to protect him, there's no need to order Officer Narisawa to reopen the case. The case is already closed anyway, and there's no need to return the lighter to Ms. Jinno Tamaki."

"The same goes for Ms. Jinno Tamaki. Although she might have targeted the police, judging from the information left by the two dead officers, she has little to do with it."

At this point, he turned his gaze to Odagiri Toshiya: "As for Toshiya... well, I don't believe he's the murderer. After all, he left behind evidence when he blackmailed Jinno Tamotsu. To put it bluntly, even if you asked him to kill him, he might not have the means."

"Yes, that's right."

Odagiri Toshiro nodded. "As far as my son is concerned, he simply doesn't have the means or the guts. You're absolutely right. There's nothing unpleasant about it. If he had any brains, I would have arrested him long ago."

Fujino: "..."

You really don't hesitate to take any opportunity to insult your own son.

Odagiri Toshiya: "..."

Why do I feel like I'm being looked down upon by my own father again?

So why were you able to so decisively rule me out of the murder suspicion?

This reminded him of the phrase, "You really are a pig."

Although I was somewhat annoyed, I also felt somewhat helpless.

"If Ms. Tamaki Nino and Toshio Odagiri are not the murderers either..."

Hakuba Saguru then pondered, "Then the only suspect left is Tomonari Shin."

"NONONO".

Fujino shook his finger, interrupting Hakuba Saguru's unfounded speculation. "Tomonari Shin isn't actually the murderer either."

"Huh?" Hakuba Saguru looked at Fujino in surprise.

However, he immediately realized what Fujino meant. "Could it be that the murderer is not among the suspects the police are looking for?"

"That's right."

Fujino nodded and reasoned, "Actually, we've all fallen into the various traps set up for us by the murderer. Whether it's Odagiri Toshiya or just Toshiya, they're all just decoys."

"A cover story?"

"If you look closely, Mina is actually only involved in a case from a year ago, which involved extortion of Jinno Tamotsu, but Tomonari Shin is not related to that case."

"If Tomonari Shin wanted to kill someone, he could have done it long ago. There was no need for him to wait until Chief Odagiri ordered a search before he ran into it."

At this point, Fujino glanced around at everyone present. "If none of the suspects we're looking for at this stage are the murderer, then who is the real murderer?"

"The real killer?"

Hakuba Saguru continued to ponder, "The murderer certainly didn't kill those two police officers without a purpose. Both officers were killed after receiving orders from Chief Odagiri to reinvestigate, so it must be related to that case from years ago. If Odagiri Toshiya the murderer either, then the murderer must be someone else. But apart from the murdered police officers and Chief Odagiri, no one has mentioned this matter..."

For a moment, my thinking hit a dead end.

Criminal investigations are sometimes like this.

Once all suspects' criminal culpability is ruled out, it means that the real killer never came into the police's sights, and all previous investigations became futile.

"Given the current situation, finding the murderer shouldn't be too difficult."

Fujino broke through Hakuba Saguru's rigid thinking and said, "The root of this case is still the murder of Jinno Tamotsu, not the murder of the police. Perhaps the person who killed Jinno Tamotsu was the real culprit who killed these police officers, and this real culprit must have also been in contact with the two victims."

"That's true, but the target is still too broad..."

Hakuba Saguru his head. "If that's the case, then we'll have to ask Inspector Megure to investigate more related clues."

Odagiri Toshiro nodded in agreement, showing his approval of Hakuba Saguru's idea.

Fujino narrowed his eyes slightly.

Given the current situation, since they don't have the so-called ability to 'predict the future,' it's impossible for them to tell who the murderer is at a glance.

Even Conan, the original Conan, only realized that Kazeo Kyosuke was the culprit after seeing the hole in the umbrella and various other coincidences.

In situations where the perpetrator is uncertain and various pieces of information are still incomplete, it is indeed difficult to identify a suspect like Kazeo Kyosuke, who has not yet come to the attention of the police.

If we keep dragging this out, things will only get more complicated.

Thinking of this, Fujino sighed, "Actually, I do have a suitable candidate in mind for the identity of the murderer."

"Um?"

Everyone present was taken aback upon hearing this, and all turned their gazes toward Fujino.

"Kazeo Kyosuke."

"Ah?"

The people present were clearly unfamiliar with this unfamiliar name.

"He is a psychologist I met at the celebration yesterday, and he is Inspector Shiratori's attending physician."

Fujino thought for a moment, looked at everyone, silently activated his orator skills, and said, "Actually, I didn't pay much attention to him at first, but if I think about it carefully, the code left by Detective Narisawa before he died might be referring to him."

"So, what Narisawa Detective is clutching isn't his police manual, but his heart?"

Hakuba Saguru immediately understood. "If it's him, that's possible. The police handbook in the second murdered criminal's possession might just be used to confuse the case. As for clutching the handbook, it's also possible he heard it from the investigating officer..."

At this point, Hakuba Saguru turned his questioning gaze to Odagiri Toshiro: "Chief Odagiri, besides Inspector Hakuba, is Officer Narisawa also receiving treatment from him?"

"I have indeed heard that he went to see a psychologist because of the death of Officer Youcheng in the line of duty..."

Odagiri Toshiro thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "But I can't be sure if it's actually Kazeo Kyosuke."

Is that so?

Upon hearing Hakuba Saguru had a general idea of what was going on.

At this moment, in his eyes, Kazeo Kyosuke had become the prime suspect's target...

However, he did not feel proud of it.

Hakuba Saguru turned to look at Fujino, his eyes slightly narrowed.

At this moment, his thoughts were exceptionally clear, and his mind was remarkably lucid.

He clearly sensed that from the very beginning, Fujino had been constantly turning the tide of the case.

Whether it's clearing those people of suspicion or bringing up Kazeo Kyosuke.

The other person almost always steered the conversation and offered key ideas...

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask Fujino curiously, "Fujino, how exactly did you determine that Kazeo Kyosuke is connected to this case?"

Fujino replied with a serious expression, "A detective's intuition."

Hakuba Saguru: "..."

Seeing Fujino's serious expression, Hakuba Saguru was speechless.

Why does the detective's intuition always feel a bit like a lie?

Shouldn't a detective rely on evidence and reasoning?

What does intuition even matter...?

Fujino noticed Hakuba Saguru's speechless expression and chuckled, "But this is just my guess. When we met, I felt that there was something wrong with that guy. The more I thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed, so I included him in this case. It would be best if we could find out something."

"So it was intuition all along?"

Odagiri Toshiro, on the other hand, looked serious, rubbed his chin, and agreed, "Although it's a bit unreliable, there is indeed this idea of trusting intuition within our police force... It's unscientific, but very practical. There have been quite a few cases that have indeed been solved by detectives' intuition."

At this point, he looked up at Fujino with an appreciative gaze. "As expected, Matsumoto was right, you're simply born to be a policeman."