Jiang Xia Is a Good Detective

Luohe, the Librarian, was not actually the owner of the gallery.

The gallery was the bosses' property.

The old librarian was merely a worker who had developed personal feelings for his job. Like a security guard watching over a vault falling in love with the gold inside—an inevitably heavy love that could never bear fruit.

If they had to regard "demolishing the gallery and rebuilding it as a hotel" as a pot, then at least half the blame belonged on the back of the former owner who had sold the gallery.

Yet Luohe, the Librarian, had focused all his fury on Boss Manaka.

...Moments like this showed just how dangerous having a sharp-tongued buff was in this world.

As Jiang Xia spoke, the old librarian's hand, which had been stroking his beard, gradually began to tremble slightly—whether from anger or from nervousness after finally realizing Jiang Xia considered him the murderer, no one knew.

After a moment of silence, Luohe, the Librarian, took a deep breath and prepared to stubbornly deny it—like a knight who fought until the very last moment.

But then, the young man across from him suddenly raised his phone and waved it at him.

On its low-resolution screen was footage of the librarian picking up the pen.

This was a fatal flaw in the librarian's plan.

Watching the old librarian's face turn pale, Jiang Xia nodded to himself.

He was rapidly dragging the Progress Bar of the case forward, hoping to solve it as soon as possible and collect the Ghost sooner.

Jiang Xia said solemnly, "Go surrender. Don't keep clinging to luck. Everything you did, every method you thought was hidden, has been seen by the people."

"..." Luohe, the Librarian, stared at the footage on the phone as the last trace of confidence in his heart gradually vanished.

...It had not even been ten minutes from beginning to end.

He had spent so long devising it, more than a week rehearsing his Murder Case plan... and it had been seen through just like that?!

At the same time, Conan, who had been eavesdropping nearby, was also stunned.

Conan: "..." When detectives deduced a case, they presented the evidence step by step and built up the logic...

But with Jiang Xia, how had they suddenly fast-forwarded to the ending with one click?

...And the librarian really was the murderer?

Conan reviewed the known facts, yet for a moment, he could not figure out exactly how Jiang Xia had reached that conclusion.

He had wanted to ask, but a young boy's pride made it difficult for Conan to open his mouth.

"..."

But after briefly struggling between his pride and curiosity,

Conan suddenly realized that he was currently just a first-grade child.

...What was wrong with an Elementary School Student asking a high schooler a question?

Having figured it out, Conan smacked his little fist into his palm and suddenly saw the light.

He walked obediently over to Jiang Xia's feet. "Um, Brother Jiang Xia, can I look at your phone?"

Jiang Xia: "..."

...Student Kudo, why had your way of talking suddenly become like this?

Jiang Xia gave him an indescribable look, pressed replay, and silently handed over the phone.

There was no one shady saved in this phone.

When contacting the Organization, Jiang Xia used another phone.

The distinction was clear.

There was no need to worry that Gin's Email would suddenly pop up while Conan was watching.

The video quickly finished playing.

Facing the darkened screen, Conan rapidly pieced the information together in his mind.

A moment later, he rubbed his chin and suddenly understood.

"So that's how it was. The note with 'Wada' written on it that the police... ahem, the police uncles found earlier was placed there by the librarian beforehand, right? The pen the victim picked up must have been one that couldn't write, so the Dying Message he left was actually prepared in advance by the murderer to frame someone."

"..." The librarian stared at Conan, and for an instant, an expression of existential doubt appeared on his face.

—Jiang Xia was one thing. At least he was a High School Detective who looked very smart.

But now...

How could even an Elementary School Student so easily see through the key part of his plan?!

Luohe, the Librarian: "..."

His Revenge, his art, his exquisite arrangement...

Had it actually been nothing but a farce on the level of Playing House?

Having cleared up the situation, Conan returned the phone to Jiang Xia and was about to obediently thank him again.

But he suddenly heard an aged, immensely complicated sigh from beside him.

Jiang Xia and Conan froze at the same time and turned their heads in confusion.

Then, to their surprise, they discovered that in just a few seconds, the librarian seemed to have aged ten years.

The librarian gave them a deep look and shook his head dejectedly. "Thank you for helping me see myself clearly."

Then, under their "...?" gazes,

he walked toward Inspector Megure with weary steps, going to surrender.

Inspector Megure had initially believed that, judging from the Dying Message, the murderer had to be an employee here—Wada.

He had not expected a librarian coming to surrender to appear out of nowhere midway through.

The librarian briefly described the course of the murder. At the end, he said wearily that since even a child could see through this method, the police would discover it sooner or later... so he might as well say it himself with some dignity.

Inspector Megure felt secretly guilty from the librarian's praise and was too embarrassed to ask much more.

He cleared his throat as if nothing had happened and glanced in the direction the librarian had come from.

There, he saw Jiang Xia standing beside a first-grade boy wearing Glasses.

Inspector Megure immediately ruled out the Elementary School Student and took the "formidable child" mentioned by the old librarian to mean Jiang Xia.

His eyes brightened slightly as he thought to himself, After Brother Kudo, it seems I've encountered another outstanding High School Detective.

Several officers quickly Took Away the librarian.

The police also departed one after another.

Jiang Xia looked at the police team and consciously followed Inspector Megure.

When the man turned around to look at him in puzzlement, Jiang Xia took the initiative to say, "I'm going to give a Statement."

Inspector Megure froze.

The detectives he had encountered before all charged ahead at full speed when solving cases. But the moment Statements were mentioned, they vanished.

Used to that kind of interaction, Inspector Megure was inexplicably moved upon encountering Jiang Xia now.

Brother Jiang Xia was so cooperative with police work.

Detectives across the country should learn from him!

Of course, Jiang Xia did not enjoy giving Statements.

It was just that after the evidence collection at the scene, the corpse had been placed in a Body Bag and sent to the Police Station.

In other words, the Leg-Clinging Shikigami was now at the Police Station too...

Once something like that had its obsession resolved, it would no longer cling stubbornly to someone's leg and could easily wander off elsewhere.

Jiang Xia was worried that if he arrived too late, he would not be able to find it.

And so, Jiang Xia successfully blended into the police's Work Overtime team.

As soon as he stepped out of the gallery, a burst of dazzling Camera Flash lit up before him.

—A crowd of reporters had actually gathered at the entrance.

Murder Cases in this world attracted a great deal of attention.

Jiang Xia rather awkwardly dealt with the media, as well as several passersby who had taken it upon themselves to add to the drama.

More than ten minutes later, he finally arrived at the Police Station as he wished.

As Jiang Xia gave his Statement, the Ghost Infant looked around.

Then, at Jiang Xia's signal, it furtively floated away, hiding along the way as it slipped toward the morgue.

Jiang Xia silently watched its retreating back, wanting very much to remind it that there was no need for so much theatrics—even if the Ghost Infant strutted over with its hands on its hips, beating gongs and drums, the police would not see it.

...Sigh. Perhaps he should not have let it watch so many dramas before.