Chapter 708

Fujino naturally agreed to Megure Megure's request.

This joint search is the best opportunity to demonstrate one's value.

Moreover, with the Kyoto police involved, he naturally had to get involved.

If he were to go there, he would definitely become closer to the police in Tokyo and Osaka.

After all, they had cooperated with the police in both places before.

In contrast, the Kyoto police, apart from the Shinkansen incident and the Numabuchi Kiichiro incident, have had no other contact with the police.

Regarding the investigation, the police in both locations will provide him with more assistance, while the police in Kyoto will not offer him much help.

In this way, with the help of Tokyo and Osaka, the clues he finds will ultimately be attributed to the efforts of both places.

The Kyoto police, who did not assist him, naturally did not receive any credit.

If a joint operation fails to find a single clue in Kyoto, wouldn't those guys in Kyoto lose face?

The relationship between Kyoto and Tokyo is so-so, neither good nor bad, but the relationship between Osaka and Kyoto is really not good.

Although the counties and districts are adjacent, for various reasons, the people from the two places are never on good terms, and basically neither side can stand the other.

It's unlikely to escalate to the point of mutual discrimination among police officers, but since the police force was drawn from the local area, there's bound to be some mutual disdain between the two sides.

Thinking about it more deeply, there was probably something else going on in inviting him to join the joint investigation.

Well, even if he didn't have one, he definitely will after he goes there.

I rode my motorcycle all the way to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Fujino parked his motorcycle in the Metropolitan Police Department's parking lot, took out his work ID and hung it around his neck before entering the Metropolitan Police Department building.

The Metropolitan Police Department was busier today, with various staff members dressed in plainclothes, carrying cameras, and wearing news media arm sleeves, moving discreetly through the first floor.

Following the crowd, he arrived near the press conference room on the second floor. Just as he went upstairs, he heard someone calling him, "Fujino, over here."

This voice actor's voice sounds very familiar, and if I'm not mistaken...

Fujino followed the sound and saw Sato Miwako, wearing a pink suit with a light yellow sweater underneath and black and gray stockings on her calves, walking over. She stopped in front of him, put her hands on her hips and said, "I just heard from Inspector Megure that you were coming. Considering that there are a lot of people at the press conference today, I came out to meet you. Aren't you touched?"

"You're so gentle, I'm going to cry."

Fujino gave a deadpan look. "I'm so touched that they call people to work at the Metropolitan Police Department on weekdays and don't even pay overtime."

Sato Miwako sighed helplessly, "Why do you always think about these things..."

Fujino crossed his arms and said seriously, "If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it. Are you talking about feelings instead of money when you're working?"

Sato Miwako's eyebrows twitched slightly, sensing something was off about what she was saying, but then she thought it made sense. Without thinking too much about it, she turned and led the way. "Alright, let's hurry up. The press conference is about to start. Inspector Megure and the others are in the press conference lounge over there."

Following Sato Miwako, Fujino arrived at the conference room's lounge.

Inside the conference room, there were many familiar faces. Osaka Prefectural Headquarters Hattori had a good relationship, as did Goro Otaki a scar on his eyebrow.

Megure from the Metropolitan Police Department, and Shiratori Ninzaburo.

However, among the group, there was a man that Fujino had never seen before.

The man was wearing a gray suit, which looked like a custom-made designer brand. He had his hair slicked back, with a small tuft of hair obscuring his narrow, sharp left eye. His pupil was unusually small, and it was impossible to tell what color it was.

Juzo Megure noticed Sato leading the way in, stood up, and greeted Fujino, "Hey bro!"

Fujino felt that these words sounded familiar. Having been persecuted by the internet in his previous life, he felt that something was off about them. After a moment of adjustment, he stepped forward and greeted him, "Inspector Otake, when did you get here? Didn't that kid Heiji come with you?"

"They arrived around yesterday."

Goro Otaki stood up from his seat. "That kid Ahei always talks about you, and he wanted to come along this time too, but as an amateur, he can't participate in the joint investigation of the case."

"Yes, that's true."

Meanwhile, Fujino was exchanging pleasantries with acquaintances.

The man sitting in the lounge squinted at a young man who had suddenly entered, chatting and laughing with a group of middle-aged people in their thirties and forties. He looked bewildered, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion.

Metropolitan Police Department Press Office.

Otake, Megure, Shiratori, and the stranger sat in turn on the stage in the press conference room.

Megure down at the speech draft on the table. "Regarding the recent series of murders in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, based on the current investigation results, the five victims have been confirmed to be members of the thief gang 'Genji Hotaru.' Therefore, the Metropolitan Police Department, Osaka Prefecture, and Kyoto Prefecture will be conducting a joint operation to investigate this case..."

The sound echoed through the sound system in the press conference room.

On the left side of the podium, Takagi stood with his hands behind his back, putting on a serious expression. Looking at the unfamiliar man on the far left, he whispered to Fujino and Sato beside him, "Fujino- kun, Sato-san, I heard that Ayanokoji Fumimaro from Kyoto Prefecture is a classmate of Inspector Shiratori."

"Yes, I know him."

Sato Miwako nodded. "A descendant of a prestigious family from a government background, his nickname is the Noble Inspector."

"Ayanokoji ..."

Fujino murmured, "The branch family of the Uda Genji is indeed a noble family. Their ancestors were probably all government officials, and the family is involved in politics. If you offend someone like Takagi, a lowly police officer, you could be fired the very next day just for stepping through the door with your left foot."

Sato Miwako thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "That's right."

Takagi: "..."

What a bizarre analogy!

Why would I be the one to offend him?

What the heck is it now?!

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

"Look at his left pocket."

Sato Miwako gave a reminder, and everyone looked over to see a small, furry animal with a brownish-gray back and a milky-white face suddenly emerge from Ayanokoji Fumimaro's pocket.

Takagi asked in surprise, "What is that thing?"

Sato Miwako explained, "That's his pet chipmunk. It's said that he takes it with him everywhere he goes. He's an even stranger person than Shiratori."

Fujino glanced at it and said, "Thinking about it carefully, it's actually normal. After all, noble families like these, who are officials and have a long history of family discipline, have very strict family rules. Especially since their ancestors were pure Kyoto natives for three generations, they probably don't have many friends. They probably only have the option of playing with rats."

Takagi was speechless for a moment. "Being a nobleman seems like a lot of trouble, huh..."

"Ahem, let's just keep quiet for a bit."

Fujino glanced calmly at the reporters who had noticed them below the stage. "There are still a lot of reporters here. It wouldn't be good if they were caught slacking off and it got reported, especially Takagi, whose slacking off was too obvious."

Sato Miwako: "Shut up Takagi."

Takagi: Why am I always the one who gets hurt?

Fujino remained calm and continued to observe Ayanokoji Fumimaro.

He had some recollection of this police officer from Kyoto Prefecture.

However, he didn't appear many times, and he didn't really know what kind of person the other party was.

At this moment, a reporter in the audience asked, "Could you please provide more details about this organization called Genji Hotaru?"

On the podium, Shiratori glanced at the three people slacking off beside him, then glanced at his speech without making a sound, "Genji Hotaru began around the third year of the Heisei era, mainly operating in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and other places, and continuously stealing famous Buddhist statues and works of art. They addressed each other by the names of Yoshitsune's retainers, and all of them possessed the same Yoshitsune."

After Shiratori finished speaking, Ayanokoji Fumimaro chimed in. "The leader of the Genji Hotaru was Yoshitsune, and he had eight members under his Benkei Ise Saburo. Apart from these three, the other five were killed, Yoshitsune was also kidnapped at the same time."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another reporter, who had been pre-arranged, asked from the audience, "Is the prisoner's information clear now?"

This time, it was Otake's turn to answer, "Based on the information we have so far, the murderer is very likely to be proficient in swordsmanship, archery, and throwing techniques, but we do not currently have any reliable information Yoshitsune, Benkei, or Ise Saburo."

At this Juzo Megure was wrapping up his work according to the rehearsed plan. "In short, this joint operation will allow us to arrest the criminals and the remaining members of the thief gang as soon as possible."

As he spoke, he stood up and looked to his left. "At the same time, our Metropolitan Police Department's special Criminal Consultant, Fujino Doji, who has extensive experience in dealing with organized crime and solving numerous murder cases, will also be involved in the investigation of this case. We will strive to apprehend the real culprit as soon as possible and bring the thief gang to justice."

After the usual official formalities, Fujino stepped forward, bowed slightly, and was immediately met with a flurry of frantic camera flashes from the reporters below.

After the press conference, in the Metropolitan Police Department's conference room.

"The first case occurred at Tokyo West National University in the Kanto region. The victims were Kataoka Hachiro, Kamei Rokuro, and Washio Shichiro. They died from being shot in the heart with an arrow, and from being slashed in the neck with a samurai sword. Judging from the condition of the wounds, the murderer should have slit their throats with a single sword."

Sato Miwako placed a file folder on the table and began to describe the cases. "The second case occurred in a dormitory in Kansai. The victim, Bizen Heishiro, was stabbed in the chest with a dagger and died. The third case occurred in Higashiyama, Kyoto, where the victim was also killed by a thug using a samurai sword."

"Just like what was said at the press conference, the murderer is a guy who is proficient in swordsmanship, archery, and throwing knife skills."

Fujino Goro Otaki sat directly opposite. "Advisor Fujino, I've heard from Chief Heizo that your swordsmanship is exceptional. I wonder if you can tell what style this guy is using?"

Fujino examined the photos in the file folder and shook his head. "You can only tell what style this guy uses by seeing him in person. Just the styles that kill with a single sword strike are just too many."

"That's true."

Juzo Megure replied, "That guy was a thief, very cautious. He didn't leave any clues at the scene to identify himself. He practically lured the victim out and then killed him under the cover of night."

"What about the investigation into the victim's interpersonal relationships?"

Fujino asked, "They must have some connection, right?"

"We've already investigated this without you, our consultant, having done so."

Ayanokoji Fumimaro, who was sitting to the side, suddenly spoke up, his tone somewhat impolite. "As a gang of thieves, they are very cautious in their actions, and there is almost no connection between them. The only person with a connection is among the five who died. We deduce that they may have offended an enemy, or it may be due to internal strife. However, the most important thing now is to find Benkei Yoshitsune Ise Saburo in the Genji Hotaru organization. We have already begun our investigation."

Fujino: "..."

They have the nerve to say they couldn't find it.

Does this prove that Kyoto Prefecture is useless?

As expected, the Kyoto police are no good people.

Well, except for a certain young lady.

Ayanokoji Fumimaro Juzo Megure at Fumimaro Ayanokoji, then changed the subject and asked Fujino, "Fujino- kun, what are your thoughts?"

"It is very likely that they had an internal conflict, otherwise, no one would have been able to easily find out their identities and lure them to a secluded place to kill them."

"As for the reason for the infighting, it is very likely that it was due to the unequal distribution of the spoils, or that someone wanted to keep the treasure for themselves."

Fujino rubbed his chin. "If that's the case, then this case will be difficult to investigate. If the Kyoto Prefectural Police's intelligence network can't find those people, then we'll probably have to wait until they commit another crime. At least we need to determine their current location."

Juzo Megure sighed, "It seems this is the only way."

After learning more about the case, Fujino left the Metropolitan Police Department and returned home.

The police didn't have much information, which fits the stereotype of the Japan police being incompetent.

As for this case...

As a great prophet, he did have some recollection of it.

In his memory, the only thing Yoshitsune was the crossroads of the labyrinth.

However, he didn't have a very deep impression of this theatrical version.

I vaguely remember that Mouri-niisan was asked to go to Kyoto for help at a temple, and then Conan Heiji solved a bunch of cases, eventually fighting a group of people with knives while searching for a Buddha statue or something...

In other words, the breakthrough still lies with Mouri-niisan.

After parking his car in the underground garage, Fujino was just about to go to Mouri-niisan's house to see if Mouri-niisan had received any requests.

Then, passing by Snow King Ice City, I saw a familiar figure.

Mori Ran and Suzuki Sonoko.

Yes, they came directly without even coming to my door.

Fujino entered the Snow King Ice City, greeted the two men, and after a brief conversation, he determined why they had come to see him.

In short, Mouri-niisan received a request from a temple. After Ran heard about it, she blurted it out to Sonoko, Sonoko then wanted to go to Kyoto with him.

Basically, they all match up with what Fujino remembers.

As for why they came to find him...

The main reason was that Ran thought that Fujino had been to Kyoto several times and should be very familiar with Kyoto, so she planned to take him along as a guide.

And thinking back to when I used to go out with Sonoko, I always brought Fujino along, forming a trio. Now, if I don't bring Fujino along, I feel a little out of place.

To this, Fujino could only say that these two friends are truly good friends.

If there's something you really need, just call him.