Side Quest

Chapter 5: Side Quest

Lin Maoxian crouched down, patted Conan on the head, and said, "You should know who went into the restroom after the young lady in there, right? Go get them all and tell them there's been a murder and we need their help with the investigation, okay?"

Conan asked in surprise, "Huh? Uncle, how did you know I knew who went in?" But he thought to himself, How did he know? I carefully scanned the café when I was outside, so why didn't I notice him?

Lin Maoxian smiled. "After that girl left, you kept watching the people who went in. I saw it all from over here."

"Oh, then I'll go get them." Conan ran outside. He said he'd been watching what I did from the start. How would an ordinary person notice a child's behavior? Is it just a professional habit, or does he have some other motive?

Lin Maoxian watched Conan leave, then turned to say something to Wakaoji, who was sitting on the floor. Just then, the space issued a notification: "Adventurer 258 has triggered a side quest—Apprehend the Culprit (D-rank)."

"Quest description: Assist the famous detective in solving the case. After apprehending the culprit, hand them over to the police."

"Quest reward: 500 Source Points upon completion."

The reward was average, the same as the first main quest, so the task probably wasn't difficult. Still, every little bit helped. If he found a few more quests, the rewards would add up.

While Conan was out, Lin Maoxian carefully examined the area, hoping to find some useful clues.

Ever since Megure Juzo received the call reporting a murder, he had rushed to the scene with his subordinates. Sitting in the car, Megure Juzo was troubled by his own thoughts. He didn't know what was going on lately, but murders seemed to be happening more and more often. Solving each case added another accomplishment to his record and increased his chances of promotion. But if he ever failed to solve one, he'd be in for a rough time. He really missed the days when Kudo Shinichi was around!

"Chief, we're here." The voice of the officer beside him interrupted Megure Juzo's thoughts.

"Oh, we're here? All right, have a few officers seal off this café. Don't let anyone in or out." Megure Juzo gave the order to the officers following him.

Megure Juzo entered the café, looked around, and called out, "Who's the owner or manager of this café?"

The owner hurried over and said anxiously, "Officer, I'm the owner. I was the one who called the police."

"Oh, then take me to the crime scene," Megure Juzo said.

Conan, who had been standing off to the side, quickly stepped forward and looked up. "Officer Megure, I know where the crime scene is. I was the first to find the body. It's in the restroom over there. The person inside just kicked me out." He pointed toward the restroom.

Megure Juzo looked surprised to see Conan. "Conan, it's you. What are you doing here? Never mind. Since you were the first to find the body, come with me." He led the way to the restroom.

"Crime-scene technicians, examine the body and the area around it. Try not to disturb anything. Understood?" Megure Juzo stood on tiptoe to look at the body, then checked the lock and gave instructions to the officer beside him.

Megure Juzo turned to Conan and asked sternly, "As for you, Conan, can you tell me why you're here? And how did you find the body?"

Conan replied, "I came because my big sister Ran had arranged to meet someone here, so I followed her. But Big Sister Ran went to buy me a cake, and the cash register at the cake shop was broken, so she hasn't come back yet. As for the body, when I heard Wakaoji scream, I ran in. The door was locked, so I jumped up and looked over it."

Megure Juzo was about to ask another question when an officer handed him a photograph and said the scene had been processed and photographed.

Megure Juzo took the photo, looked at it, then turned to Conan. "Hmm. So the victim fell against the door just like in this photo, right, Conan?"

"Yeah. The door wasn't locked at the time, so I jumped up to take a look."

Megure picked up the report an officer had handed him and said, "The murdered woman was named Himeno Yayoi. She was twenty-four years old. She was killed by a single stab wound to the heart."

The officer examining the body pointed to the victim's neck. "Chief, there seem to be marks on the victim's neck, as if something was used to strangle her."

Megure looked at the body, then went over to the window and analyzed the scene. "Hmm. Judging by the way the blood splattered, the culprit strangled the victim first, then stabbed her in the heart once she'd suffocated. Pulling out the knife caused her to bleed heavily and die. He originally meant to steal her money, but after she caught him, he decided to kill her. The open restroom window leads to a road where no one passes by. He threw away the victim's bag and emptied wallet, then used her body to block the restroom door. So this culprit, who came in through the window, had been waiting there for prey. After killing Miss Himeno, who happened to come along, he stole her money and hurriedly escaped through the window."

He then ordered his subordinates, "The culprit should still be outside. Ask around and see if anyone spotted someone suspicious."

Conan immediately spoke up. "Wait, Officer Megure. Have you looked at that window? Isn't it too clean?" He pointed at it.

Megure Juzo glanced at the window and replied, "Isn't that a good thing? Restrooms should be clean!"

Conan said in frustration, "That's not what I meant."

Kisaki Eri stepped forward. "This little boy is right, Officer Megure. You're a chief now, after all!" She looked at Officer Megure.

Megure Juzo was surprised to see who had spoken. "Why, it's Attorney Kisaki! What are you doing here?"

"I just happened to be here," Kisaki Eri replied.

Recognizing the beautiful woman he'd seen earlier, Conan asked Officer Megure, "You know her too?"

Megure Juzo smiled at Conan. "Yes, because she's..."

Kisaki Eri interrupted him. She didn't want too many people knowing whose wife she was. Just thinking of that man embarrassed her. Turning to Officer Megure, she said, "Back to the point. Given how much the victim bled, the culprit should have gotten blood on himself. But you're saying there aren't any marks on the window he escaped through. Doesn't that seem unlikely?"

Megure Juzo answered, sounding a little unsure, "But maybe the culprit wiped it clean."

Kisaki Eri replied helplessly, "Do you really think a culprit who left the murder weapon at the scene and fled in a panic would do that? Judging by the fact that the culprit left the weapon here instead of taking it with him, I think the culprit must be someone from the café. He must be one of the customers. That's what you're thinking, isn't it, little boy?" She looked at the child.

Megure Juzo thought it over, then asked, "Then, Attorney Kisaki, the restroom door was blocked by the victim's body, and there are no signs that the body was moved. The adjoining restroom has no window, either. How do you think the culprit got out?"

Kisaki Eri glanced at the restroom. "There's only one way, of course. From above."

Megure Juzo looked at the restroom in surprise. "From above? You mean that gap overhead? But there's no way a person could fit through there..."

Kisaki Eri turned to the officer standing nearby. "Officer, could you climb over and take a look?"

The officer pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Please be careful not to disturb the scene or the adjoining restroom," Kisaki Eri continued.

Megure Juzo also told him to try. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the officer climbed over and called to them, "You can get through."

"See? I knew it was possible," Kisaki Eri said with a smile.

Megure Juzo was still puzzled. "But if the culprit had blood on him, wouldn't he have left blood on the wall while climbing over?"

Kisaki Eri said, "Fortunately, there's some toilet paper here that the culprit used to wipe away the blood. He could have wiped it off as he climbed over the wall."

"But wasn't he afraid someone might suddenly walk in and see him?" Megure Juzo asked.

Kisaki Eri looked at Officer Megure in surprise. "Oh? Didn't you notice the horizontal bolt on the restroom entrance?"

Megure Juzo stared at the restroom door in surprise.

Kisaki Eri continued, "Once the door was locked, this became a sealed room." She shook her head inwardly. Officer Megure still hasn't changed much. He's as muddled as ever when it comes to solving cases, just like that muddleheaded man. I wonder how he ever got promoted to chief. With someone like him leading the police, it looks like there'll be plenty of trouble ahead.

Officer Megure turned to his subordinates and ordered, "All right. Find out who went into the restroom after the victim."

Lin Maoxian, who had been watching for a while, immediately stepped forward and addressed Officer Megure. "Officer Megure, I know who they are. They're all here now. I asked Conan to bring everyone over." If he didn't step in now, he didn't know whether his quest would count as complete. Besides, he wanted to get acquainted with these important people while he had the chance, so he could deal with them more easily later.