Ghost Detectives in the Detective World

Page 91

"Actually, when I discovered that 'Blue Country' was not like Chikako's work, I thought of Atsuko's suicide. I also considered contacting Officer Matsuda at that time."

“During those days, I watched your mystery show on Nichiri TV every night, and I kept hesitating whether to ask you to find out the truth about Atsuko’s suicide.”

"Before I could make up my mind, I heard from Sonoko that she invited you to our club gathering,"

Ayako sighed deeply.

"Perhaps this is fate."

……

Meanwhile, on the stairs, Conan was engrossed in eavesdropping.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Sonoko-neechan, why did you hit me again?" Conan said, holding his head in indignation.

"Who told you to guess right!" Sonoko gritted her teeth and snorted. "You, an outsider, actually understand my older sister's thoughts better than I do!"

The two, one big and one small, seemed ready to cause more trouble, but Ayako and Matsuda, who were in the living room downstairs, noticed the commotion on the stairs.

"Is that Sonoko?" Ayako called out.

"Sis..." Sonoko peeked out with an embarrassed smile, "I'm going down to use the restroom."

"Me too," Xiaolan nodded awkwardly.

"And you? Conan, you're not going to the toilet too, are you?" Matsuda asked irritably.

"I... right, Ran-neechan is scared, so I got up to keep her company!" Conan quickly found a reason.

"Sis, you told me before that you misjudged Ms. Chikako!" Sonoko complained as she walked down the stairs. "I didn't expect you to be saying that you had suspected her of stealing other people's work all along. I thought you were talking about misunderstanding her before."

“If I don’t say that, and you find out about it, won’t you spread it everywhere?” Ayako shook her head.

At this moment, the remaining two people also came down the stairs.

Unlike Sonoko, Xiaolan wasn't careless. As soon as she entered the living room, her eyes were drawn to the clasped hands on the sofa.

Ayako noticed her gaze, her fair cheeks flushed, and she quickly broke free from Matsuda's hand and stood up.

"Since you're up, let's have a cup of coffee together."

"Sis, it's late at night, you want us to drink coffee?" Sonoko's eyes widened instantly.

"Just drink it! I don't think you'll be able to sleep tonight anyway." Ayako glared at her sister before heading to the kitchen.

"That's true,"

Sonoko plopped down on the sofa opposite Matsuda and sighed.

"How could I possibly sleep after something like this happened? Every time I close my eyes, all I see is the image of Chikako dying."

"Sonoko! I thought I was the only one afraid of ghosts, turns out you're afraid of them too!"

Xiaolan complained, "You're clearly scared yourself, but you deliberately tell ghost stories to frighten me."

"Who can blame me? Ran, you look so cute when you're scared." Sonoko laughed heartily.

"Garden!"

Xiao Lan complained and was about to tickle her.

Sonoko quickly protested. The two girls wrestled on the sofa, while Conan sat to Matsuda's left.

"I didn't expect you to notice something was off about Takahashi the moment you saw him," Conan said, his head down and face grim.

"Was he hit hard?" Matsuda thought with amusement.

"Anyway, you did save me today," Matsuda said, patting Conan on the head.

"what?"

Conan was taken aback, somewhat confused by Matsuda's meaning.

“It was when I was climbing up the rope,” Matsuda explained. “If you hadn’t shouted, Takahashi might have already cut the rope.”

"That's not necessarily true. We were all on the edge of the cliff, and he was the only one standing on the wooden stake. If the rope had a problem, he would definitely be the first suspect."

Conan shook his head and said, "At the time, he believed that there were no flaws in Chikako's crime. Even if he did have the idea of ​​cutting the rope, he might not have actually done it in the end."

Although that's what he said, Conan's expression clearly improved after hearing Matsuda's thanks.

Ayako quickly made the coffee and brought it over.

After pouring a glass for everyone, she took her own glass and naturally sat down to Matsuda's right.

Sonoko, oblivious to the danger, didn't notice, but Ran glanced at the empty single sofa to the side.

She remembered that Ayako had always sat there indoors.

None of the five of them were sleepy to begin with, and after drinking coffee, they were even more unable to sleep, so they simply chatted together.

As they were chatting, Conan suddenly spoke up: "Officer Matsuda, how's that detective Koshien you mentioned before going?"

This little devil...

Bringing this up at the perfect time!

Conan was curious about the Detective Koshien tournament that Matsuda mentioned in the coffee shop that day, but Matsuda was also grateful that he brought up the topic at this moment.

He had previously considered asking the Suzuki family to sponsor the Koshien Detective Tournament, but given the ambiguous atmosphere just now...

He simply couldn't find an opportunity to steer the conversation toward the detective competition.

After all, you can't just leave a heartbroken girl alone and then go to her and say, "I have a few plans and I'm short of money, can you lend me some?"

Chapter 112 The Suzuki Family's Upbringing

Now is the perfect time for Conan to bring up Detective Koshien, and the three girls are all quite curious after hearing it.

"Detective Koshien? What's that?"

"Simply put, it is..."

Matsuda briefly explained Koshimizu's plan for the Detective Koshien tournament.

"A competition between detectives? So, that arrogant guy will definitely be there too?"

Sonoko nudged Ran with her elbow.

Xiaolan immediately understood what she meant and simply snorted coldly.

"I'm not Shinichi, how would I know if he'd go!"

“How could that show-off, mystery fanatic not be interested in a competition like this?” Sonoko urged. “Ran, if you just give him a call, he’ll definitely agree to participate immediately.”

Haha, I do really want to participate...

But in the current state, how could we possibly go?

Conan couldn't help but sigh. Matsuda immediately noticed, and while he found it amusing, he also felt genuinely sorry for him.

"Selecting detectives from all over Japan for a deduction competition? That's a great idea!"

Unlike Ran and Sonoko's simple curiosity, Ayako quickly thought of the show's commercial value after hearing this.

"Many famous detectives are already a hot topic in society. Bringing them together to compete will definitely make the show a hit!"

Seeing that the time was almost right, Matsuda finally spoke up and told Rena Mizunashi the good news and the bad news she had given him.

"Although Nichiri TV is very optimistic about this project, the program cannot start filming until it secures sponsorship."

“So that’s how it is,” Sonoko sighed. “This plan sounded quite interesting.”

"It is indeed a pity," Ran said with some disappointment, though it was unclear whether her disappointment stemmed from the Detective Koshien tournament or from not being able to see Shinichi Kudo.

“By the way, sis, how about you…” Sonoko clapped her hands and suddenly suggested.

But before she could finish speaking, she saw her older sister, Ayako, suddenly widen her eyes.

This immediately startled Sonoko, causing her to swallow the rest of her words.

"Sonoko, have you forgotten how your parents raised you?"

Ayako, with her eyes open, always exuded an air of authority even without anger. She looked at her younger sister and began to reprimand her.

"The Suzuki family's money doesn't grow on trees. Every investment must be carefully considered. They absolutely cannot spend money recklessly because of a momentary impulse or their own interests!"

"I'm not doing this for myself. Besides, my uncle often buys random paintings and gems just out of interest..."

Sonoko retorted somewhat defiantly, but was then intimidated by the cold glint in her sister's eyes and dared not speak.

"Did you understand what I just said?" Ayako asked expressionlessly, enunciating each word clearly.

The usually boisterous garden was unusually well-behaved at this moment.

She honestly bowed her head and admitted her mistake.

"I see."

Are the Suzuki family's upbringing really that strict?

No wonder her two daughters are so different; the older one is composed, while the younger one, though carefree and mischievous, doesn't have the spoiled air of a pampered princess.

Matsuda sighed inwardly, thinking that while the world was not lacking in nouveau riche, truly long-lasting zaibatsu families were rare.

The education of children and heirs is clearly considered a top priority.

Judging from Ayako's tone, it seems that Detective Koshien has no hope of getting sponsorship from the Suzuki family.

After disciplining her younger sister, Ayako narrowed her eyes and reverted to her usual gentle demeanor.

"Officer Matsuda, did you orchestrate this Detective Koshien?"

"No, it's a friend of mine,"

Matsuda shook his head and said, "Ran and Conan know each other too. Her name is Koshimizu Nanatsuki, and she used to be a high school detective."

"This idea actually came from Miss Koshimizu?" Ran exclaimed in surprise.

Her impression of Yue Shui was still that of a cool-looking, tomboyish, pretty girl.

Conan, who was standing to the side, had a rather subtle expression when he heard that it was actually Koshimizu who had planned the Detective Koshien tournament.

He recalled Matsuda's earlier statement about exposing the high school detective responsible for the Lavender Villa tragedy to the public.