Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 378, Section 372: The Consultant's Help

"This is Officer Shiratori from the Metropolitan Police Department, and these two are our company's senior advisors, Advisor Ogami and Advisor Senma."

After dusk at the villa, neither Oogami Shuzen nor Senma Kazuyo returned to their respective hometowns. To be precise, Senma Kazuyo did not go back to her hometown.

Ooshige no Shuzen was originally from Tokyo.

Although she did not return to her hometown, Senma Kazuyo found a beautiful place near Tokyo, built a house, and lived a leisurely life.

Yes, even in a place like the Tokyo metropolitan area where land is incredibly valuable, there can still be beautiful scenery.

With enough money, there's nothing you can't do, especially in a capitalist society.

"We invited the two consultants here because of a case that the Metropolitan Police Department wants to use your expertise."

Oogami Shuzen and Chima Kazuyo exchanged a glance and immediately guessed that Shiratori had come to them because of that case.

But at this moment, both Oogami Shuzen and Senma Kōdai expressed their surprise.

"If I remember correctly, Matsumoto is the one in charge of leading the investigation into this case at the Metropolitan Police Department, right?"

“That’s right, you have a very good memory, Sister Qianjian,” said Da Shangzhushan with a smile.

"That's really strange. It's actually unusual for Matsumoto to ask you to hire detectives like us."

Chima Kōdai sighed at the passage of time; everything had truly changed. Had those stubborn people from back then gradually become more reasonable?
As a representative of the hardliners in the Metropolitan Police Department, Kiyoshi Matsumoto's attitude towards detectives like Ogami Kissen and Senma Kazuyo was far from friendly.

The reason Kogoro Mouri was given a lenient treatment was because he was considered a semi-insider within the police force.

Originally, Mori was also in the First Investigation Division, working under Matsumoto Kiyonaga.

With such a relationship, Kogoro Mouri would naturally receive preferential treatment from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Since the police force is going to end up being a mere supporting role anyway, why not become a supporting role for our own people?

This is also the main reason why the media was still able to obtain detailed information about many murder cases involving Kogoro Mouri, even when Kogoro Mouri "had no recollection" of them and "remained silent."

Since Tokyo is destined to have a famous detective, why can't it be someone from the police force itself?
Since Kogoro Mouri became famous, the public's perception of the police force has indeed become much milder.

After all, if we're really going to be serious, Kogoro Mouri is also a member of the police force. You can't just go against your conscience and say he's incompetent, can you?
All we can do is complain about the police force's inability to retain talent.
.
Shiratori deeply agreed with the comments made by Daikami Shuzen and Senma Furuyo, and although it was a bit strange, Shiratori was able to convince himself.

Matsumoto Kiyonaga is about to be promoted, so isn't it only natural that he wouldn't be as assertive as before at this crucial juncture and in such turbulent times?

As their status rises, some people naturally acquire the skill of seeking stability.

If the two advisors and Shiratori couldn't understand what was going on, how could Ryoma not know?
Ultimately, the Matsumoto Kiyoshige currently in the Metropolitan Police Department is an imposter. It's already quite remarkable that such an eager imposter hasn't been exposed by the police force after so many days.

Expecting him to act exactly like Matsumoto Kiyonaga? You won't achieve that result without several months of observation.

Fortunately, the recent situation is dire, and Matsumoto Kiyonaga himself is facing a promotion, so even if there are some improprieties, it makes it easier for others to find "excuses".

The discussion about Matsumoto Kiyonaga lasted only a few words; Oogami Kissen and Senma Kazuyo did not intend to continue talking about this "unlucky" Matsumoto Kiyonaga.

As detectives, Oogami Kisuke and Chima Kazuyo would naturally be interested in this sensational case.

In fact, both Chima Shodai and Ogami Shuzen kept up with the case in newspapers and on television while at home.

"Officer Shiratori, Ooue and I have learned about the case from the newspapers and television. What we want to know is, what leads or evidence does your police have that you haven't released to the media?"

Both senior advisors are seasoned detectives and are naturally very familiar with police operations.

In cases like this, involving serious and heinous crimes, the police will definitely hold back some information when disclosing details.

Otherwise, if someone imitates the same thing, it will be difficult to distinguish between the real culprit and the copycat, which would be quite a mess.

“Of course there is, that’s the murderer.” Shiratori didn’t have time to be coy and immediately explained the details of the case to the two senior advisors.

After listening to Shiratori's description of the case, Oogami Shuzen spoke first: "The sixth victim mentioned Tanabata and Kyo before he died. Did you find anything?"

"No, Qixi Festival only happens once a year, so its specific meaning is too vague."

Shiratori didn't dare to say too much, because ultimately they hadn't found anything.

Oogami Shuzen and Chima Kazuyo exchanged a glance, their expressions calm. They had long since experienced the police's investigative capabilities firsthand.

With frequent crimes and a shortage of manpower, the police are hit with every kind of detriment to public safety.

Given the ineffectiveness of the forensic police, it would be surprising if the police could handle Tokyo's security problems.

"Alright, Officer Shiratori. We'll give you a direction. Find someone to investigate now. Two days should be enough time for you to find some clues."

As a representative of the senior advisors, Chima Kazuyo spoke to Shiratori, her calm yet powerful words revealing the strong confidence of a veteran detective.

Senma Shigeyo is clearly at the age where he should retire, and even Oogami Shuzen doesn't have another decade before retirement.

Neither of them were young, passionate, or physically strong detectives, so they still left themselves room for maneuver when faced with Shiratori's request for help.

If this happened to Conan, he would definitely do everything he could to investigate it himself, and then notify the police after he had investigated everything.

This approach sounds like it saves the police a lot of trouble, but it also excludes the police force from credit.

As the saying goes, even if you don't achieve great things, you still deserve credit for your hard work. Conan is so tall, yet he doesn't even want to give credit for his hard work to the police.

On the contrary, Chima Shigeyo's mature and cautious approach may have taken longer to uncover the truth, but it gave the police ample face.

Shiratori, who comes from a prominent family, is well aware of Chima's actions; they are giving him face.

Who gave you this face? Wasn't it because of Lin Longma's influence?

The white bird didn't say much, but silently kept the good things in its heart.

"Thank you very much, both advisors. I'll have someone investigate right away! I have official business to attend to, so I'll take my leave now!"

No one in the room objected to Shiratori's departure. On the contrary, after Shiratori left, Ooyama Shuzentsu cheerfully said to Ryoma:

"President, this is all the help a detective can offer in this case. As for how to find the culprit after identifying them..."
Neither Senma nor I could do anything about it.

"However, Officer Shiratori just mentioned Manager Matsumoto's attitude, which makes me quite curious."

(End of this chapter)