Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 313 Hongzi's Business

March 3st, night, 1:20, Aomori Prefecture, Akabane Farm.

"Father, a witch or something... that's too suspicious, isn't it?" Akabane Tadao looked at his father helplessly.

Tadao Akabane took over his family's apple-growing and cider-making farm five years ago, but not only has there been no improvement in the past five years, but the income has been shrinking and is about to start running into deficit.

For this reason, Akabane Tadao wanted to renovate the farm, but this move was strongly opposed by his father, who had long since stopped caring about these things!
Moreover, the reason for the opposition made Akabane Tadao feel helpless - there has always been a legend that "the souls of samurai wander around the Akabane family", and Akabane Tadao opposed the reconstruction in order to "avoid disturbing the souls of samurai."

Young Akabane Tadao certainly didn't believe any of this, but not only did his father strongly oppose it, but even several farm workers hired by the family believed in the legend and did not dare to carry out any construction on the warehouse that was rumored to be haunted.

just now……

He even created a "witch" farce - his aunt Akabane Mi recommended a "famous witch" to his father Akabane Tadao, saying that she could summon the "ghosts of samurai" and ask them whether they were willing to leave.

"Your Majesty Koizumi will be here soon, don't talk nonsense!" Akabane Tadao scolded in dissatisfaction.

"Your Majesty...that's a witch, or even a shrine maiden..." Akabane Tadao complained in a low voice.

"Shut up! You're a loser! Isn't it because you're managing the farm poorly that you're thinking about changing this and that? Why didn't I have so many things to do when I was running the farm before?" Akabane Tadao was sitting in a wheelchair and picked up a cane to hit him.

Zhongfu quickly dodged and said unconvincedly: "Times have changed, Dad..."

"You young people always blame the environment when you encounter a little setback!"

Tadao:......

Obviously, the conversation could not continue. Zhongfu looked at his sister Hezi and said helplessly: "Hezi, why don't you talk about Dad too..."

Tsuruko was sitting on the sofa at this time, looking like everyone owed her money. When she heard her brother calling her, she said stiffly: "What? I've already said that when I was ten years old, I saw the undead warriors. But I support you to demolish those, so that there won't always be undead ghosts... I hope the witch who comes here has some real stuff and can get rid of 'it'!"

Tsuruko is the type of person who believes in the existence of ghosts, but also believes in exorcism.

"Have you broken up with that athlete?" Zhongfu was still wondering why his sister had such a bad attitude recently.

"Mind your own business!" Hezi said unhappily.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"I'm here... Uncle Qinggu, thank you for coming all the way here." Zhongfu went to open the door and saw that it was Qinggu, the farm's winemaker and an old friend of his father.

"Hahaha, has Miss Witch arrived?" Qinggu obviously didn't believe in the so-called "witch" and asked with a hint of joking.

"Not yet. My aunt has gone to pick her up. I hope she doesn't fly back on a broom." Zhongfu always expressed his disdain for the "witch".

Upon hearing this, Qinggu patted his shoulder and signaled him to speak less.

"Where is that old guy Huang Chuan?" Qinggu asked.

"Uncle Huang Chuan went to catch up on his sleep. He had been watching over the soil turning during the day and must be exhausted." Zhongfu replied.

Huang Chuan is also an old man on the farm and his father's right-hand man. The workers hired from other farms are also managed by Huang Chuan.

Not long after, my aunt Akabane Miwa came back, and... she was accompanied by a woman with long burgundy hair - she looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, but with a cold expression.

"Aunt, is this the so-called witch?" Zhongfu looked at the overly young girl with scrutiny.

"Zhongfu! Be polite to the witch!" Meihe, who was in her forties and unmarried, scolded with a stern face. Then she turned back and said apologetically: "Witch, I'm really sorry..."

Obviously she had seen Hongzi doing business before, but... it was just "business" - all skills, without any magic.

"It's okay. If you're ready, I'd like to start quickly." Hongzi said that her time is precious.

Tadao curled his lips at this time, but Tadao had already controlled the electric wheelchair to come over and greeted this "too young witch" enthusiastically.

Hongzi had previously arranged the preparations for the "exorcism" with Meiwa, and they were already prepared - this was also to end it quickly.

On the first floor in the southwest corner of the villa, in the narrowest storage room, there was a round table with a hexagram painted on it facing south and north, with a white candle in the middle. The armor that was said to be haunted was also placed in the southwest corner of the room.

"Five people come in with me afterwards." Hongzi said seriously.

"Um...then it'll be the five of you." Huang Chuan had just woken up, and in order to show off, he said, "I'll make tea for you!" After saying that, he wiped himself and left.

What makes Zhongfu helpless is that, like those older workers, Uncle Huangchuan also believes in the legend of the "ghosts of samurai".

The four people from the Akabane family, along with the winemaker Aotani, came into the dim little room with Hongzi, drew the curtains, turned off the lights, and lit the only candle...

After Hongzi glanced at Baizhu, she instructed the six people to sit around the table.

"Next, everyone hold the hands of the person next to you... Remember, no matter what you hear or see, do not let go until the end of the ceremony. As long as everyone's hands are held together, the ghosts will not harm you." Hongzi said seriously.

Perhaps because of the atmosphere, Zhongfu, who had previously said he didn't believe these things, also swallowed hard.

"The ghost of the sorcerer wandering alone in the Akabane family... please follow the guidance of the candlelight..."

After that, Hongzi started to act weird and started to play tricks.

Just when the atmosphere was about to be created, suddenly...

hula-

The only candle on the table went out by itself, and the room suddenly became dark!
Hongzi couldn't help but pause in her singing, and her left and right hands were clenched tighter. Tsuruko and Miwa couldn't help but sob softly.

"The dead have arrived. Next..." Hongzi was about to move on to the next step.

puff-

what--

boom--

It wasn't someone laughing, but the sound of a sharp blade piercing into the body!

The next moment, a cry of pain was heard, and then something fell on the table...

"Dad? What's wrong? Dad!" Zhongfu suddenly realized something.

"Ah!" Hezi screamed at this time - she vaguely saw a sharp blade reflecting on her father's bent back.

creak-

The door opened and Huang Chuan asked at the door: "What's wrong? I heard...ah!"

At this time, light from outside came in, and everyone could clearly see that Akabane Tadao was lying on the table with a short knife stuck in his back...

In the panic, Qinggu was the first to react and rushed forward to check, only to find out...

No need to call an ambulance, just call the police!
……

Soon, patrol officers stationed at the station arrived to protect the scene, and soon after, the Aomori Prefectural Police's Investigation Division arrived.

The murder scene was too bizarre. Although the victim was not alone, it formed a secret room - everyone present held hands and provided each other with "alibi".

And when the murder happened, these people were actually still... communicating with spirits?

In this case, the witch naturally became the first suspect of the police!

"First of all, I'm a witch, not a miko. Secondly... I don't have anything to say. I'm just summoning the dead."

"I didn't say the undead killed people, you guys are saying the undead killed people."

"The failure to solve the case is your incompetence, not my fault, and my alibi is the most conclusive."

"Yes, I understand your process of handling cases. My disciple is Shiraishi Kuro police officer Shimamoto from Toudou."

The Aomori Prefecture detectives did not dare to say anything when they saw Koizumi Akako's behavior - a witch who even claimed that a senior police officer from the Metropolitan Police Department was her disciple... You know, many "cults" in the East Island Country are also related to politicians!

There are some high-ranking police officers who have converted to the shamanic religion, and they are likely to be the guests of honor of some politicians...

After all, not everyone has Shiraishi's courage, and local county police are most afraid of this.

However, this murder case was difficult to solve, and in order to verify what she said, the officer in charge of the case had to use Hongzi's mobile phone to contact Shiraishi himself.

……

March 3st, night, 1:21, Toudou, inside the Shiraishi car.

"Sorry to trouble you... How about this, I'll rush over tomorrow morning and help you do her work." Shiraishi quickly said to the head of the Aomori Prefectural Police.

"I'm sorry to bother you so much. You're welcome to come and have a chat!" Uesugi said politely.

After Bai Shi put down the phone, he said helplessly: "It seems that tomorrow's work will also be postponed."

"Aomori... I'll go with you too." Ayako offered, and then immediately added: "The head of Aomori's headquarters is a classmate of Uncle Jiroyoshi."

Ayako found a proper excuse so that Shiraishi wouldn't misunderstand her as a woman who likes to stick to her partner and doesn't let her partner go out independently.

Jiroyoshi graduated from Waseda University and is an alumnus of Chaki from the Second Investigation Section. The chief of the Aomori Prefectural Police Headquarters is a classmate of Jiroyoshi.

The Aomori Prefectural Police Headquarters is not among the nine major headquarters. The head of the headquarters is a "superintendent" police rank, only one level higher than Shiraishi, and generally speaking, the head of the prefectural police headquarters is considered to be of a relatively low status among the "superintendents". For the non-Todai professional group, this is basically the limit.

Anyway, this couldn't be considered "official business", and with Ayako around, it would be easier to contact the Aomori Prefectural Police headquarters, so Shiraishi certainly didn't refuse.

"Okay, then I'll book the ticket for tomorrow morning. We have to be early..." Bai Shi said as he booked the ticket online.

At this time, the last Shinkansen to Aomori has already departed, and the earliest one tomorrow morning is at around six o'clock.

Aomori Prefecture is located at the northernmost tip of Honshu Island in the eastern island country, across the Tsugaru Strait from Hokkaido. It is nearly 800 kilometers away from Tohoku. This section is also the longest national highway in the eastern island country. If you drive there, it will basically be daybreak, so Shiraishi chose to set off tomorrow morning.

"It's too early... I can't get up." Ayako suddenly said coquettishly, and then she gave a solution: "Let's live near Toudou Station!"

"Well, okay..." Bai Shi said after thinking about it.

……

The next morning at around nine o'clock, Shiraishi and Ayako arrived in Aomori City.

At the station, the Aomori Prefectural Police came to pick us up.

"Officer Shiraishi, welcome to Aomori..."

The first time he saw Shiraishi, Uesugi was very sure that it was definitely him and that the witch was not lying.

After all, Shiraishi is now well-known in the police force, his basic characteristics are well known to everyone, and... it is basically impossible to be imitated!
"Hello, I'm Shiraishi from the Metropolitan Police Department, and this is my girlfriend Ayako. She has always wanted to visit Aomori. I hope I haven't caused any trouble to you." Shiraishi introduced Uesugi.

Ayako had already called Uncle Jiroyoshi last night, so Uesugi had also been instructed by the director.

"No trouble, no trouble. Let's go have a quick meal after that!" Although Uesugi was a little anxious, he knew that he couldn't be impatient.

"Manager Uesugi is too polite. Let's go directly to the site in Goshogawara." Shiraishi didn't bother to be polite with him.

Uesugi appears to be a middle-aged man with a buzz cut, slight stubble, and a very capable look.

Although the other party claims to be "Detective Uesugi", he is not an ordinary grassroots detective, but a management officer of the First Investigation Division of the Prefectural Police Headquarters.

Hearing what Shiraishi said, Uesugi also breathed a sigh of relief.

After he reported the witch incident to the section chief, the old man was simply a non-stick pan and refused to give any clear instructions. He just told him to investigate the case with evidence and to have the minimum respect for the police officers of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also said that the niece of an old friend of the head of the headquarters was coming, so he asked him to entertain her while he was investigating the case...

What does “entertainment after handling cases” mean?
The case here hasn't been solved yet. Do you have time to entertain the director's guests?
Uesugi also understood that what this meant was that he should be "more polite"!
Seeing that Inspector Shiraishi was indeed determined to handle the case, Uesugi finally breathed a sigh of relief. What he was most worried about was that Shiraishi would go directly to the county police headquarters to greet the chief and then take his men away... As for whether it was a case or not, he could only investigate it himself.

……

The crime scene is on a farm in Goshogawara countryside in the Tsugaru Peninsula area of ​​Aomori Prefecture, a short drive from Aomori City.

On the way, Bai Shi learned about the case...

"A murder occurred at the séance scene, and the six people in the room were holding hands when the victim was killed?" Bai Shi frowned after hearing this.

At the same time, Shiraishi also understood why the management officer of the Aomori Prefectural Police was in a difficult situation.

Because the scene was too weird, it was necessary to question the "witch" who did all this, but Koizumi refused to cooperate at all and even brought out his own "backers".

Of course, what Shiraishi didn’t know was that Uesugi was more worried about the fact that Shiraishi was not her backer but her supporter. After all, she was talking about a “disciple” at the time.

At this time, Shiraishi went over what Uesugi had said to him in his mind.

I can also understand why Uesugi is so anxious - in his heart, Uesugi wants to solve the case, and he thinks the key to solving the case lies in Koizumi Akako, but...

Not to mention the relationship with Bai Shi, even if he wanted to "enforce the law impartially", there is no law to rely on!
Although this ritual was entirely carried out by the "witch", she herself had a detailed alibi - at the time, her hands were held on the left and right by the victim's sister and daughter, and she kept muttering something, and could not get close to the victim who was sitting right opposite her.

Not to mention, Koizumi Akako is still a 17-year-old high school student and a minor...

In the case that the other person has an alibi, even if he doesn't know any senior police officers, Uesugi would not dare to force questioning, let alone apply for an "arrest warrant" or something like that.

"Does Mr. Koizumi have any personal relationship with this family, especially the deceased?" Shiraishi confirmed again.

Uesugi shook his head and said, "At the moment, it seems that there is none. It's just that Akabane Miwa... the deceased's younger sister. I've seen her perform exorcisms before, so we invited her to the farm. She didn't know the other people present before, and she didn't have any friendship with Akabane Miwa."

"If that's the case, then aren't we paying too much attention to this so-called exorcism ritual when conducting our investigation?" Bai Shi pointed out directly.

If Shiraishi was also a police inspector, even if the other party was a police inspector of the prefectural police and his status was definitely not as high as that of the Metropolitan Police Department, he would be more tactful when giving suggestions.

But now that Bai Shi has become a serious police officer, it would be faster to communicate this way. It would seem strange to be more tactful and polite.

Uesugi paused when he heard this, and then said sullenly: "Maybe... But at the moment, it seems that this is an impossible crime. There must be something hidden at the scene."

Regarding the statement of "impossible crime", Shiraishi did not comment, but just nodded and said: "Well, let's see after we get to the scene."

It’s possible or not, it’s too early to say now!

If we follow the conditions given by Uesugi completely, this is indeed an impossible crime, but...

Reality may not be so "theoretical". Maybe there is some mechanism, or maybe there are other people hiding in the house... There are many possibilities before seeing the scene.

……

Before eleven o'clock in the morning, Shiraishi and his group arrived at the Akabane family's farm.

Aomori Prefecture is a relatively backward prefecture in the eastern island country. Not only is its industry and commerce underdeveloped, but due to climate and water reasons, agriculture has not been well developed since ancient times. However, after entering the modern era, the breeding of "apples" has been developed. Now the Tsugaru Peninsula is a well-known apple producing area, and the prefectural flower has been designated as the "apple blossom."

After the murder happened last night, none of the six people present left.

Except for Koizumi Akako, who left because of the police's instructions, the others were not ready to leave at this time. After all, they were all relatives and friends of the deceased and were still in grief... at least that was the case on the surface.

The Aomori Prefectural Police who arrived at the scene also visited other people on the farm today. Combined with questioning of the six people at the scene, the relationship was probably finally sorted out.

The police officers were shocked to see the huge beast getting off the Uesugi manager's car. Aren't bears common in the southern mountainous areas of the prefecture? How come there is one in Tsugaru as well?

Soon I realized that it was a "senior police officer" from Dongdu who came... Isn't this too high?
"Officer Shiraishi, please come this way," Uesugi led the way.

In theory, Shiraishi is here to assist in the investigation...

When he arrived at the villa and saw Koizumi Akako, Shiraishi discovered that she was calmly drinking tea... and it was black tea!

Seeing the tea set that was completely different from the decoration style, Shiraishi suspected that she brought it herself - as expected, Koizumi Hongzi's style was still too Western, and it felt very out of place when she appeared in the exorcism session of Higashijima...

If the cause of the trouble here was not "samurai ghosts" but "vampires", Shiraishi could understand why she was asked to come.

"What's going on? What happened at the scene?" Shiraishi asked immediately after seeing Hongzi.

"I was talking to the dead and didn't pay attention to anything else." Hongzi said seriously.

Shiraishi:……

"Manager Uesugi, can I talk to her alone?" Shiraishi said helplessly.

"Of course you can, Officer Shiraishi, please go ahead. Koizumi...classmate, is just cooperating with our investigation." Uesugi found out that Officer Shiraishi was not a "believer" of Koizumi, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

With Shiraishi alone present, Koizumi finally told the truth - I don't know!

"Don't know? Weren't you at the scene? Didn't you use your night vision to take a look?" Bai Shi asked suspiciously.

"I was performing an exorcism at the time, so of course I couldn't use real things. This is common sense for us," Koizumi said as a matter of course.

That's right, because of the nature of magic, when you "play tricks" in public, it's best to be pure deception and not have any real stuff. Otherwise, the more magic you use and the stronger it is, the more likely you will be backfired.

Koizumi did the same thing at the time, wholeheartedly "playing tricks" without using any magic.

The only thing she was sure of was...

"In short, the one who killed him must be a human. There are no ghosts haunting here." Koizumi said seriously.

But she couldn't say that to others - there are no dead souls? Then why are you charging such a high fee for consulting the spirits!
"Then how did you design it at that time? Why did the candle go out by itself?" Bai Shi asked.

This is also one of the reasons why Uesugi suspected that the incident was related to this witch - the reason why the murder was so confusing was because it was pitch black at the time, and why did the candle go out...

Either you believe that ghost stories really exist, or... you will think that it was arranged by Koizumi. For the sake of his own photos, Koizumi was completely uncooperative with the police and insisted that it was the work of a ghost!
“I don’t know. I had my eyes closed at the time, and… the candle had been replaced. The one I prepared would begin to burn with flames of different colors after I recited three times, and it would not suddenly go out.

"Before the ceremony started, I found out that the candles were not prepared by me, and I thought they made a mistake. But I didn't say anything because I had a backup plan anyway," Koizumi said calmly.

"Backup plan?" Bai Shi confirmed.

"I have practiced a special breathing technique that allows me to chant the necromancy tune while blowing out air without anyone noticing," Koizumi said confidently.

Then you are really amazing!
Bai Shi rolled his eyes at this kind of deceptive technique.

"But it's not me who's bragging this time. It's not the right time yet," Koizumi added.

"What happens next? How are you going to end it?" Bai Shi further confirmed.

"If everything goes well, I have also prepared a 'Soul-Knocking Bell' that can draw their attention outside. When they open the curtains, they will be able to see the back of Hasko, wearing armor, leaving... After that, I will hint to them that the ghost has left."

(End of this chapter)