Conan: The Man Behind the Romance

Chapter 303: Hotaru's Recruitment Meeting, the Naive Asai Narimi
Aida Masayo had to swallow back the words that he had not yet said. Hotaru followed Xiaolan to the front deck. All the classmates looked at them with different expressions.

Especially the boy who had been to the back of the deck before. He glanced at Yingsheng and Xiaolan who were walking side by side, and then glanced at Yuanzi who was looking at the scenery at the bow. His expression was indescribably strange.

Yingsheng completely ignored this and looked at the sea ahead.

Above the vast blue waves, an island is visible in the distance, and opposite this side is a small hill, all green and lush.

Yingsheng walked towards Sonoko. Sonoko recognized his footsteps but turned her head to look the other way.

"Is there a yacht?" Yingsheng asked.

"Can you drive?" Yuanzi asked back.

“I learned that in Hawaii.”

"..."

Xiaolan, who came a step later, was speechless. She didn't expect that Shuiyue-jun would actually use this excuse.

Ten minutes later, a red and white yacht broke away from the cruise ship and, like a deep space exploration ship leaving its mother ship, sped towards the other side of Moon Shadow Island.

Masayo Aida sat sideways at the back of the cabin, looked at his long-lost hometown for a while, and talked about the things on Moon Shadow Island with Xiaolan opposite him.

In fact, after she left the island for junior high school at the age of twelve, she rarely came back and could not be sure whether the information she knew was outdated.

But the pace of life on the island was as slow as a snail compared to Tokyo. When they arrived on the island, Masayo Aida found that the island had not changed much since she left.

Each island is a village, which is quite isolated and not even the Heisei avalanche had any impact on it.

Naturally, there is no corresponding investment in infrastructure. The island’s dock is still old, and the gray-black concrete embankment is covered with dried barnacles.

Yingsheng found the dock manager to park the yacht, and Xiaolan also asked the manager about the old policeman on the island.

According to Masayo Aida, the old policeman has lived on the island all his life and was also involved in the investigation of the Aso family case twelve years ago. No one is more suitable than him as the first choice for intelligence search.

Upon learning that the old policeman was still alive, Xiaolan went to the police station on the island under the guidance of Masayo Aida.

Fireflies followed far behind, looking around at the scenery.

The island is sparsely populated and has excellent greenery. It is quite refreshing and pleasant to stroll among the green ivy on both sides of the road.

"Shimizu, Shimizu Masato, please vote for Shimizu Masato."

A white van with a big horn on top whizzed past, causing Yingsheng to curl his lips.

Election canvassing and stuff like that are really annoying.

The police station was not far ahead and was of average size. When Yingsheng went in, Xiaolan was talking to a white-haired old policeman at the reception desk in the lobby.

Yingsheng did not go over to listen. Instead, he looked around and saw a young male policeman lying on the table playing with his mobile phone, so he walked over.

The light was blocked, and the male policeman raised his dead fish eyes and looked at me with a look of indifference.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"I'm a detective. I'm bored, so I want to ask if there are any difficult cases on your island. I want to try to investigate."

Yingsheng glanced at the screen of his mobile phone. He was playing Snake, and the length of the snake was almost filling the entire screen.

"Difficult and complicated disease?"

Boom—beep, beep, beep…

The blue snake crashed into itself and died.

The salted fish policeman didn't care at all and just waved his hand: "How could such a thing happen on this island? I can't even investigate it myself. Ah, my life is over since I was exiled to this island."

"…Then find a way to transfer away."

"...Isn't it just that I can't think of a solution? I'm from a poor family and can't even afford to give red envelopes. I wanted to make some achievements, but this island is completely stagnant and nothing will happen..."

He paused, looked around, waved for Yingsheng to come closer, and lowered his voice.

"Actually, there are people skating on the island. I've been paying attention to this for a long time, but I just can't find the source. If you can help solve this problem, I would be very grateful."

"Ice skating? Number four?" Yingsheng was curious.

The salted fish policeman nodded with a secretive look on his face: "There are not many people on the island, and the news spreads quickly. It is a man from Qianzuru's family, and his location is... Never mind," he stood up and walked around the desk, "Since it has come to this, I will take you with me."

The salted fish policeman twisted his waist, took a breath of cold air, and led the way with a grin.

Yingsheng followed him and chatted casually, and soon they arrived at a small single-family house.

There was only a middle-aged woman at Qianzuru's house, and she was wearing long sleeves and a coat in such a hot day.

The Xianyu policeman told the purpose of their visit, and the middle-aged woman cried to him, saying that her husband had developed abscesses on his legs because of that kind of thing and could not go out to sea to fish. After waking up in the afternoon, he went to the only clinic on the island for treatment.

The salted fish policeman turned around and was about to leave, and Yingsheng glanced into the house.

"Mrs. Chizuru, do you still have that kind of thing at home?"

Mrs. Chizuru said that there might be, but she didn't know where her husband was hiding.

After obtaining her consent, Yingsheng went into the house to search. After a while, he found a small iron box in the gap behind the cupboard. In addition to some syringes, iron spoons and other smoking tools, the most eye-catching thing was a small sealed bag containing white powder, about five grams.

Yingsheng handed it to the salted fish policeman and left.

As soon as he went out, the salted fish policeman looked at Yingsheng in confusion.

"What do you want this for? Smoking is not illegal. You don't want to send Chizuru to jail, do you? This won't count as an achievement, it's just a waste of effort."

Yingsheng chuckled: "Tell me, if you find a drug dealer suspect but can't find any evidence, what should you do?"

The salted fish policeman had a look of "knowingly asking questions" on his face: "If there is no evidence, of course I will find evidence. What else can I do?"

Yingsheng patted the pocket where he had just put No. 4: "Yes, this is your evidence. Lead the way to the clinic."

The salted fish policeman was a little confused and led the way in a daze. Halfway through the way, he suddenly came to his senses and looked back at Yingsheng with shock on his face.

"You mean to frame someone?!"

"This just makes things simpler, Mr. Policeman, don't be so rigid." Yingsheng said with a smile.

"But...but..."

The salted fish police officer was quite conflicted: "What if I arrest the wrong person? I will be held accountable."

"Why think so much about something that has not even been decided yet? The worst that can happen is that we will return empty-handed." Yingsheng glanced at him and said, "I don't know the people on this island at all. I won't use you to harm them."

The salted fish policeman chuckled and felt that there was some truth in it.

Anyway, Number Four is with him, so whether to frame someone... no, whether to use a simple method or not is also up to him.

After walking for a distance, he suddenly remembered that he didn't know Yingsheng's name yet, so he hurriedly asked.

"Suiyue, what about you, Officer?" Yingsheng asked.

"Hatake."

The salted fish policeman said his last name and hesitated for two seconds: "Are all detectives like you, Mr. Shuiyue?"

"No, I actually learned this from you police officers."

Yingsheng came closer and said, "There is also a simplest way. Are there any hooligans or Yakuza who are not doing their jobs properly and are hated by everyone on your island? If you can't find the drug dealers, just go find them directly."

Hatake was slightly stunned, but after what happened before, he quickly understood, his eyes full of disbelief.

"Mr. Shuiyue means to frame someone?!"

"Tsk, look at you, you're talking nonsense again."

"No, this is definitely a frame-up! And since we can't produce any solid evidence, they will probably change their testimony in court!" Hatake looked a little anxious.

"That's too easy. Just make sure they don't have a chance to change their confession."

Yingsheng really wanted to say this.

But he estimated Hatake's sense of justice in his heart and just smiled: "Why are you so nervous? I didn't really ask you to do it. I was just talking about the case. It was the policeman I saw before."

Hatake let out a long sigh and was silent for a while, but he couldn't help but ask curiously: "What happened to the policeman later?"

"I think he became Chief Superintendent. You know where that is."

"what?!"

Hatake cried out in shock, feeling something in his heart slightly shaken. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Yingsheng walk past him and move forward.

He looked back quickly and found that they had arrived at the clinic.

The clinic was not very large, just a white two-story building. After looking around the lobby on the first floor, Yingsheng walked towards an office with an open door.

The space inside the office was divided into two by a blue curtain. At the edge of the curtain, a figure in a white coat was leaning over, moving his arms back and forth, probably wrapping a bandage.

The light from the door was blocked, she looked up and saw a pretty face.

"Wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."

She thought Yingsheng was a patient, and Yingsheng did not refute. He nodded and walked to a display board in the hall.

The sign had a picture of the only doctor in the clinic, with her name and contact number below.

Asai Narimi.

Yingsheng’s mind moved slightly, shallow well?
He immediately recalled in his mind the two black hairs that he had found in the floor drain in the bathroom of Asai's house this morning.

The Asai Narimi he had just seen had black hair in a single ponytail, which was not too long, only about 25 centimeters.

Comparing the lengths, they are roughly the same.

Oh, is that really the possibility?
Mr. Aso actually has a hobby of women's clothing. The person who puts on makeup in the bathroom is himself, so the style of the bedroom can also be explained. And the things he stuffed into his suitcase, making it quite heavy and leaving traces on the floor, are those her many women's clothing and cosmetics?

If that was the case, then it was completely understandable that he kept it a secret from Miss Aida.

But Ms. Aida studied psychology and is very receptive, so she wouldn't mind even if he confessed.

Maybe the two of them could call each other sisters, go shopping and watch TV shows together. Hotaru thought about it and asked Hatake who was sitting next to him about Asai Narimi.

I became more certain when I learned that she came to this island three years ago and returned to Tokyo every weekend.

Three years ago, wasn’t it the year when the Asai couple who adopted Aso died in a car accident?

After his adoptive parents died, he felt empty and without support, so he released his nature and ran away to a small place to live in women's clothing.

Yingsheng sighed inwardly, this person indeed had some psychological problems and needed some help from a psychological counselor.

Well, Ms. Aida is just the right person.

Hotaru plans to sneak into Asai Narimi's residence later to verify it again. After confirming it, he will tell Aida Masayo and end this rather strange misunderstanding.

As for Xiaolan's investigation of the case, we'll have to wait until next time. Anyway, the homicide rate in Tokyo is very high, so we probably won't have to wait too long.

"Come to think of it, not long after Dr. Cheng Shi came here three years ago, another incident happened."

Hatake said casually, looking at Hotaru.

As an excellent supporting actor, Yingsheng pretended to be curious and asked, "What's the matter?" even though he was not interested in it.

Hatake smiled and lowered his voice, speaking in the tone of a student telling a horror story in the dormitory: "Three years ago, on a full moon night, the former village chief, Mr. Kameyama, died of a heart attack in the community center. The piano in the community center started to play by itself without anyone playing it, and the piano that played was the Moonlight Sonata. You know, it was Moonlight."

Yingsheng shook his head quickly: "I don't know."

"Oh, it's that piano sonata by Beethoven, and there's a story behind it, did you know?"

Yingsheng shook his head again: "What story?"

Hatake showed the smugness that gossipers often see, and whispered, "I also heard it from other people. Twelve years ago..."

What he was talking about was naturally the story of Keiji Aso, and at the end the conversation turned back to three years ago.

"I had just arrived here not long ago, and I heard from people on the island that it was Keiji Aso's ghost that had returned." Hatake said with a sigh.

As a listener, Yingsheng was completely speechless. Compared to the fact that the piano moved by itself without anyone playing it, it was more likely that there was another person in the community center.

Add to that "Moonlight" and Keiji Aso.

Is there any need to wonder who that person is?
No, Mr. Aso, you just returned to the island not long ago, don’t you want to pretend?
You are just wearing women's clothes, you haven't become a completely different person. Even the surname of your adoptive family has not changed. Why do you have to be so arrogant?

However, considering the suicidal tendencies Ms. Aida mentioned, it seems understandable.

Just giving up on yourself.

Yingsheng sighed softly: "Didn't the police conduct an autopsy? That way of death is too suspicious. What kind of heart disease did Mr. Kameyama have? There are many factors that may cause this, such as physical activity, emotional excitement, etc. Human factors cannot be ruled out."

If Mr. Aso asked Mr. Kameyama to do something exciting there, and then tell him a horror story when he was high.

Hey, it's not impossible to scare Mr. Kameyama to death on the spot.

And, judging from the fact that Asai Narimi did not flee the scene but instead played the piano with great interest, that horror story is definitely related to what happened twelve years ago.

It seems that Keiji Aso did not go crazy and set himself on fire. The murderer was Mr. Kameyama.

"Ah, this..."

Facing Yingsheng's question, Hatake scratched his head: "It has been confirmed that his heart was not good, he suddenly had an arrhythmia, and finally died of cardiac arrest. Is there anything else to investigate? His family members think that is normal."

"..."

Even though he had seen the police's outrageous behavior many times, Yingsheng still didn't know what to say. He slapped Hatake's shoulder hard, causing him to tremble inexplicably.

"This won't work." Yingsheng said in a deep voice.

"What?" Hatake looked confused.

"If you want to climb up, you have to keep a clear mind, Hatake-kun." Yingsheng's eyes were burning, "Let me ask you, isn't it suspicious that Mr. Kameyama went to the community center alone in the middle of the night?
Is he on a date with someone?

Does the person who asked him out know how to play the piano?

Since that person played the song "Moonlight" that all the islanders believed was related to Keiji Aso, is he himself also related to Keiji Aso?

Even if he wanted to mislead the direction of the police investigation, and Mr. Kameyama died as a result, could he be related to the death of Keiji Aso?
There is also physical evidence.

The keys are so smooth, have you ever tried to extract fingerprints?

How long has the piano been there? Is there any dust on the pedals? Can I use this to determine the size of the suspect's feet?"

Hotaru asked questions one after another, and Hatake felt confused.

what?
What is this person talking about?
Snapped--!
Yingsheng slapped him hard again, and Qi Mu's heart trembled. He jumped up and stood at attention, lowering his head and not daring to look at Yingsheng.

"Hatake-kun."

Yingsheng had a serious face, and his tone was full of disappointment: "For a lazy guy like you, it's probably unrealistic to climb up. It seems that those people in the Metropolitan Police Department are smart enough to throw a scumbag like you on a remote island to rot slowly."

"!!!"

Hatake's face turned pale, and he immediately bowed deeply at 90 degrees: "Please teach me, Mr. Shuiyue!"

"Well, I think you're pretty good."

Yingsheng turned his head and looked at the door of the previous office. Asai Chengmi was standing there without him knowing when, and his face was half hidden in the darkness and could not be seen clearly.

"Doctor Cheng Shi, we are here to see Mr. Chizuru. Is he awake now?"

Asai Narimi took a half step forward and smiled gently, "Mr. Chizuru's treatment does not require anesthesia. He just has difficulty walking now, so he is resting here for a while. I am going to prepare crutches for him."

"I see. Thank you for your hard work."

Hotaru walked towards the office, and Hatake quickly followed. When they entered behind the curtain, Asai Narimi also followed him quietly.

Qianhe was a thin middle-aged man. When he saw a stranger coming in with the police, he was at a loss when he suddenly felt a sharp pain on the wound on his right leg.

"what--!!!"

Qianzuru couldn't help but scream, but the next second, his mouth was also covered.

Yingsheng covered his mouth with one hand and pinched his bandaged wound with the other hand, slowly applying force.

Qianhe was sweating coldly from the pain, veins popped out on his forehead, his face turned red like a cooked shrimp, and he struggled hard.

But no one could match Yingsheng's strength.

Hatake and Asai Narimi who were standing by also had their pupils contracted when they saw this scene. No, this is the detective's style of doing things?
Asai Narimi looked up at Hatake and said, "You are a policeman after all, and you are not going to do anything about this?"

Hatake had a conflicted look on his face. Thinking of what Yingsheng had said before, he gritted his teeth and didn't say anything.

Mr. Shuiyue is right. Isn't my current life just slowly decaying?

If you want to cure it completely, you must take drastic measures!
As a result, the treatment room fell into a strange silence. Fortunately, not long after, Yingsheng let go of his hand and smiled at Hatake.

"Poison dogs are not human beings, Hatake-kun. You are now on the path of justice."

Hatake's heart moved and he nodded silently.

Yingsheng looked down at Qianhe who was panting like an old cow and said, "Where did you get the goods from? I want to know all the details. Don't miss anything."

Qianhe trembled all over, not daring to hesitate for a moment, and immediately told everything.

But to Hatake's disappointment, the distributor on the island was very cautious and never met with Chizuru for trade. Instead, he simply designated a random location on the beach and asked Chizuru to put the cash there and pick up the goods two hours later.

Yingsheng didn't care: "Tell the distributor that if you need more, it's urgent, you can pay more."

Qianhe nodded hurriedly, hesitated for two seconds and said: "The last time I traded with him was two days ago. Normally, it doesn't work so fast."

Yingsheng said: "If he asks, tell him that your wife is also addicted. If he asks further, you can say that your wife loves you very much, and in order to help you quit drugs, she risked her life and ended up falling into it.

Remember to pretend to be more authentic, to blame yourself and feel pain, and to shirk responsibility..."

Yingsheng paused, frowning slightly: "No, your wife seems to be really addicted. When you left today, did you notice that she was wearing two layers of clothes in such a hot day? This is most likely a disorder of body temperature regulation.

And you put it in the back of the cupboard, how could she, a housewife, not find it, and then you tell us she knew nothing about it."

Qianhe looked confused: "Behind the cupboard? I have always hidden those things in the tea box in the bedroom."

Yingsheng raised his eyebrows: "Are you sure?"

Qian He nodded blankly, and suddenly understood something, her lips trembling: "Could it be, could it be that Ah Mei..."

Yingsheng smiled and said, "Call now. I think you can express your true feelings now."

The voice on the other end of the phone was disguised. After understanding the situation on Chizuru's side, he chuckled twice and quickly agreed on a seat with him.

The time was eight o'clock in the evening, after the sun had completely set. After many requests from Chizuru, she finally arrived two hours earlier.

There is still half an hour left.

Yingsheng turned his head to look at Asai Narimi and caught a glimpse of the fleeting complexity in her eyes.

"Doctor Chengshi, since you didn't leave before, now you have no choice but to go with us."

Asai Narimi pretended to hesitate for a few seconds and then nodded.

In fact, his real identity is Kei Aso's second son, and he really wants to get involved in this matter.

Although he was already making his own plan to kill people, he still couldn't make up his mind.

Not only is it because of his father's teachings in the past that told him to be a kind person, but now there is also the factor of Masayo Aida.

Although justice has been delayed for too long, this detective is ruthless, perhaps...

The judgment of sinners will not be easy.

With this thought in mind, Asai Narimi followed Hotaru and the other man to the beach to set up an ambush.

About an hour later, a pungent smell of alcohol wafted in the sea breeze.

(End of this chapter)