Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 452 Ayari
"Ah, the director is here too." Zongfang wasn't too surprised to see Shiraishi.

Munakata originally planned to go home after picking up the child, since the detective team's "team building" always carries a lot of danger!
but……

Of course, when Munakata heard that they were going to visit an injured police officer and that Detective Mouri was also there, he couldn't just leave.

Although he wasn't very close to Megure, they were still colleagues. It wouldn't be right for an adult to pretend not to know that a child wanted to visit.

"Hmm, with the recent incident of someone injuring people with crossbows, Beika Town will also be stepping up patrols. It might not be an isolated case," Shiraishi casually remarked.

"By the way, Shiratori, how's the search going?" Inspector Megure asked after exchanging pleasantries with Mori and Munakata.

At this point, Shiratori not only didn't ask Shiraishi to leave, but even started reporting to unrelated people like the Mori family without any attempt to avoid it.

"The prisoner used a crossbow. It's still unclear whether it was a targeted ambush of the section chief, an indiscriminate attack, or an accidental wound from a stray arrow. We've already taken statements from several people who were exercising nearby at the same time, and we haven't found any enemies they had that they were determined to kill..."

"However, this was found at the scene. Although we don't know what it is, it had fingerprints wiped off and was left in the bushes where the arrow was fired. It's possible that it was left by the murderer."

As Shiratori spoke, she took out a transparent evidence bag containing a "paper sword." It was shaped like a sword, but it was made of cardboard and was short and compact, only about fifty centimeters long, with a very cute, chibi-style design...

If it weren't for the location where it was found and the fact that the fingerprints had been deliberately wiped off, it would most likely have been assumed that a child had just thrown it away!
Even now, it's not certain that it was left by the criminal...

Shiraishi glanced at it twice, memorized the shape, and then ignored it—even if it was left by the criminal, it was clearly not a "clue accidentally overlooked," but more like a "deliberately left hint."

If it's the latter...

Maybe it's just a charade!

Conan, the detective, looked thoughtful—as if he found the "big sword" familiar.

"Could it be something a child threw away?" Another detective, Mori, suggested, using the process of elimination.

Just as she finished speaking, Xiaolan's phone rang.

"Oh, sorry." Xiaolan apologized after seeing the incoming call and turned to go out to answer it.

"Is he your boyfriend? He's deliberately avoiding you," Shiraishi said to Mori on purpose.

"Tch! Boyfriend or something..." Mori thought of the brat's face and looked quite disdainful.

Conan, however, became nervous, but just then...

"What? Mom... how could she... um, um, we're coming right away!" Xiaolan exclaimed in surprise.

Ran quickly opened the door and came in, saying to Mori, "Dad! Mom has just been poisoned... she's being treated at the East Emperor Hospital!"

"Eri? Poisoned?" Mori was also taken aback upon hearing this, and then immediately became anxious.

Upon seeing this, Inspector Megure immediately said, "Has something happened to Attorney Kisaki? Brother Mori, you'd better hurry!"

"Okay!" Mori didn't have time to be polite and ran out immediately, with Ran and Conan following right after him.

The three little ones wanted to follow, but Zongfang stopped them.

Shiraishi frowned, realizing that things were not so simple—first Inspector Megure, then Eri Kisaki… was this really just a coincidence?
"Excuse me, I'll go check on Attorney Fei too," Shiraishi said, standing up at that moment.

"Yes, let me know if you have any news," Inspector Megure said with concern.

When Shiraishi came out, Mori had already disappeared. However, since he already knew it was Tou-tei Hospital, Shiraishi drove over by himself.

The people at Dongdi Hospital already know Shiraishi...

"Excuse me, Eri Kisaki..." Shiraishi asked at the information desk on the first floor, but then changed her mind and said, "Um, there was an emergency patient who came in with poisoning. Which operating room is she in?"

In this situation, there might not be time to register names!

"Please wait a moment, let me check... It's in the operating room on the 3rd floor of the gastroenterology department," the nurse at the service desk replied immediately.

Upon hearing that it was the gastroenterology department, Shiraishi breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed they were just pumping his stomach, which meant... it wasn't anything too fatal!
Outside the operating room, Shiraishi saw that in addition to the Mori family who had just arrived, there was another man and a woman.

The woman wore a professional suit, her capable demeanor somewhat similar to Eri Kisaki's, only younger, with a lower-cut dress, and a hairstyle more like Ran Mouri's, both sporting high bangs. Her features were delicate yet dignified, with a beauty mark under her lip, and a very voluptuous figure…

Normally, Kogoro would have already gone up to chat with him, but he really wasn't in the mood right now.

The man was younger and had a more impetuous demeanor. He was wearing a bright blue suit and his hairstyle... had a jet-like feel to it. At this moment, he looked more like the "sidekick" of the woman with the high bangs.

When Shiraishi arrived, his gaze was immediately drawn to the woman with the high bangs' chest, and he couldn't look away for a long time...

Until the other party seemed to sense something and reached out to cover the jade pendant on the perilous peak and deep valley!

That's right, what Shiraishi was looking at was the pendant, of course.

Not only because of the pendant's unique design, but more importantly... White Stone felt a magical aura emanating from it!

This is yet another "true magical item" that Shiraishi has seen, following Akako's robe and wand, his own battle suit, the Suzuki family's Dark Star, and a certain teacher's collection of Courage Dandelion.

The other person clearly sensed Shiraishi's gaze, but at this moment, he simply nodded slightly to him without saying anything more.

Shiraishi also remembered that there were more important things to do now...

"Ms. Kuriyama, how is Attorney Kiyoshi doing?" Shiraishi asked Attorney Kiyoshi's assistant, who was standing nearby.

"The doctor said... it's probably organophosphate poisoning. Luckily, Attorney Aya was there at the time and induced vomiting in Attorney Kiyoshi in time. She's having her stomach pumped now," Kuriyama said guiltily.

“Organophosphates…” Shiraishi muttered, then nodded.

Common organophosphates, which are pesticides, including the well-known "dichlorvos," are included in this category.

Acute organophosphate poisoning requires immediate induction of vomiting. If only emergency treatment is provided, even if gastric lavage is performed promptly afterward, dialysis may still be necessary, inevitably leading to severe damage to the body. Timely induction of vomiting can immediately reduce the toxin content in the body.

“Attorney Ayari is…” Shiraishi said, already looking at the mature woman in professional attire wearing a magatama pendant.

Having been distracted by something else, Shiraishi only then noticed the badge symbolizing "lawyer" on the other person's collar. "Chief Mika, right? I've heard so much about you," Ayari said, extending her hand to shake hands with Shiraishi.

"Attorney Ayari, who has repeatedly caused the prosecutor's office to suffer defeats in court, right? I've long admired her." Shiraishi said politely as he shook hands with him.

Shiraishi had indeed heard of that name...

Like Komikado and Eri Kisaki, she is a lawyer who has repeatedly managed to secure acquittals from prosecutors.

Because island nations have a conviction rate as high as 99.9% after prosecution by the prosecutor's office, "not guilty lawyers" are extremely rare. Even winning once can bring them fame, let alone winning multiple "not guilty" cases.

Seeing Shiraishi looking over, the man with the pompadour quickly said, "I'm Attorney Ayari's assistant..."

“Naruhodo, didn’t you also get your law license? You just successfully defended your friend who was being prosecuted for murder, didn’t you?” Ayato corrected him when she saw that he still referred to himself as a “lawyer’s assistant.”

Upon hearing this, Phoenix Wright hesitated for a moment, then raised his head and puffed out his chest, saying in a forced manner, "Hello, I... I am Phoenix Wright Ryuichi, and I am... a lawyer."

"Hello." Shiraishi shook hands with him and noticed that his gaze was wandering, clearly indicating that he was still very nervous and indeed seemed like a novice.

but……

A rookie lawyer got an acquittal on a murder charge?

Is the prosecutor's office in such a sorry state now?
"What exactly happened? How did Attorney Fei get poisoned?" Shiraishi asked.

"It's like this... This morning, we received a box of chocolates at the office. When Attorneys Ayasato and Naruhodo came to visit, Attorney Ki took it out to try. She had only eaten one piece when she collapsed in pain. Fortunately, Attorney Ayasato quickly realized that it was probably poisoning from a common pesticide," Midori Kuriyama said, still shaken.

Ayari then asked in confusion, "It's strange... there was no delivery or shipping information on that chocolate, right? Given Attorney Fei's caution, why would she just take it and eat it..."

Aya was well aware that while lawyers help some people, they will inevitably offend others, and it is perfectly normal for some people to harbor murderous intentions towards them. As a senior, Eri Kisaki should be even more aware of this!

How could they be so unguarded?

"Chocolate?" Uncle Mori suddenly reacted, as if he had thought of something.

Just then, the operating room door opened, and the doctor looked relaxed. Mori, disregarding everything else, rushed forward: "Doctor, Eri, she..."

"Don't worry, the patient just had his stomach pumped and is in stable condition now. However, just to be on the safe side, he will need to stay in the hospital for observation for two more days." The doctor knew that the patient's family must be very anxious at this time.

"That's great... thank you!" Mori finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon after, a weak Eri Kisaki was wheeled out on a stretcher. Although she looked exhausted and lacked her usual vigor, she comforted Ran and Mori.

Mori couldn't resist following them to the ward, but when he saw Shiratori, Gen, and Yamada walking over, and remembered the "chocolate" that Ayari had mentioned before, he stopped in his tracks.

"Director? You're here too..." Yuan was taken aback when he saw this—he had been here before, asking Kuriyama, Aya, and the others about the situation, and had just returned from a trip.

"Um……"

Shiraishi wasn't surprised that Gen and Yamada would come—the East Imperial Hospital wasn't in Beika Town, but Attorney Kisaki's office was!

Since the poisoning occurred when colleagues were visiting and Kuriyama Midori was also present, it is very likely that it happened at the office, so the police station that received the report was naturally the Beika Police Station.

However, Shiraishi then looked at Shiratori and asked, "Inspector Shiratori, is this case... related to the attack on Inspector Megure?"

For a case of this magnitude to occur in Beika Town, the head office detectives shouldn't be assigned immediately.

Moreover, the head of the Third Division had just been attacked, and the Third Division was currently investigating the case—although Inspector Megure was not dead, the nature of the attack on the police was still serious…Logically, the headquarters would not assign any other cases to the Third Division at this time.

“That’s right, I didn’t think it would matter either, but I just found out…” Shiratori said, looking at Gen.

"That's right... We've just tested it, and the poison was indeed injected into the chocolate filling. And along with this box of chocolates, there was this thing." Yuan said, taking out an evidence bag containing a paper craft, this time a flower.

"This is... it really isn't a coincidence!" Mori's face darkened at this moment.

Although the meaning of this thing is unknown, corrugated cardboard handicrafts were found at the crime scenes of both Inspector Megure and Eri Kisaki, indicating that the perpetrator was the same person.

Just now, Inspector Megure was worried about Eri Kisaki, so he had Shiratori call the Beika Police Station. As a result, he learned about the "paper flower" incident and rushed over immediately.

"By the way, what does the chocolate look like?" Mori asked at this point.

“Eh? Oh, it’s this…” Yuan said, looking at Chief Shiraishi. Seeing Shiraishi nod, he then showed Mori his phone—chocolate as evidence. He didn’t take it, but there were photos on the phone.

"As expected, it's Ghicoba chocolate." Mori said, his face growing even more gloomy.

"Hmm? Mr. Mori remembers this chocolate?" Yuan asked quickly upon seeing this.

"Actually... I've given Eri this brand of chocolate many times before, and..." Mori said, sounding a little embarrassed.

Seeing this, Xiaolan added, "Besides, Dad upset Mom a few days ago, so when Mom saw the Chico chocolate today, she probably thought it was Dad's apology gift..."

"I see." Gen nodded first, then asked, "Does anyone else know about Mr. Mori's habit?"

This is not a coincidence, but the result of the murderer's deliberate design!
Mori thought for a moment, then said without any clue, "If they recognize me and Eri... and keep observing, I'm afraid many people will recognize us!"

“However, judging from the items left at the scene, it is undoubtedly the same murderer, and... the murderer deliberately left such clues, which clearly has a provocative meaning.” As Shiratori spoke, he also shared the clue of “corrugated cardboard handicrafts” with the detectives from the Beika Police Station.

Upon seeing the "sword" and "flower," Conan felt an even stronger sense of déjà vu, but he was still just a little short of remembering what they were.

Just then, Phoenix Wright suddenly said, "This... isn't it what the King and Queen are holding in a deck of cards?"

"Eh?"

Upon hearing this, Conan and the others focused their attention on the "physical evidence," comparing it to the patterns on traditional playing cards in their memories...

It really is!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Dongdong: In terms of the setting, the protagonist only knows about "Yakuza" and "Detective Conan", and does not know about "Ace Attorney".

(End of this chapter)