Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 383, Section 377: The White Bird Sensed Something
"Inspector Yamato, what's going on?" Shiratori asked curiously.

Inspector Yamato Kansuke is a detective from the Nagano Prefectural Police Headquarters. What could he possibly say to a detective from the Metropolitan Police Department?
Could it be that a fugitive from Nagano Prefecture has fled to Tokyo? That's impossible.
“There is a wanted criminal who may have fled from Nagano Prefecture to Tokyo. I have an informant who said he seemed to have seen him in Beika Town.”

"A wanted criminal who fled from Nagano Prefecture to Tokyo? Who is he, and what crime was he wanted for?"

Shiratori never expected that his words would actually come true, and upon hearing the news about the wanted criminal, he couldn't help but ask further questions.

"The wanted criminal is named Minoru Fukase. A year ago, he stabbed Shuhei Jinno, the first victim of the Tanabata Oriole Hotel serial murders, and was subsequently wanted by the Nagano Prefectural Police Headquarters."

This serial murder case, which had troubled police in many places for a long time, also had its own code name. The Qixi Weaver Girl Hotel was the most likely motive for the murders, so it was simply used as the code name for the serial murder case.

"Originally, I planned to investigate Fukase Minoru as the serial killer, but Officer Shiratori's deduction convinced me."

I agree that it's more likely that Miss Ben's family members committed the crime.

"We really can't just sit idly by when a suspect in an intentional assault case is at large." Shiratori knew the gravity of the situation.

If a perpetrator of an assault case travels from Nagano Prefecture to Tokyo, it's highly unlikely that he simply got bored in Nagano Prefecture and came here for tourism.

It's obvious that they couldn't stay in Nagano Prefecture any longer and came to Tokyo to make a living.

The problem is, Tokyo has never been a tolerant place. How can a wanted criminal with a warrant on his head possibly survive in Tokyo without anyone's help?

Even normal people without a criminal record would find it difficult to find a satisfactory job in Tokyo, let alone a wanted criminal like Minoru Fukase.

What would a wanted criminal with a history of assault do if he had no income and desperately needed money?
Highway robbery, home invasion robbery, bank robbery, jewelry store robbery. Since he has injured people before, stealing is definitely not a skill that a novice like Minoru Fukase is good at.

But robbery is second nature to a violent offender like Minoru Fukase.

In short, Minoru Fukase is an unstable factor who came from Nagano Prefecture to Tokyo, and what's more, he's hiding in Beika Town.

Shiratori wouldn't be surprised if Fukase Minoru joined a bank robbery gang or a jewelry store robbery gang the next day.

Beika Town has this absurdly inclusive nature that allows criminals from all over the country to find their place on this stage.

"By the way, Inspector Yamato, didn't you tell Superintendent Matsumoto about this?" Just as he was about to send someone to Beika Town to connect with Yamato Kansuke's informant, he suddenly remembered something.

Theoretically, the organizer and "decision-maker" of this joint investigation meeting should be Kiyonaga Matsumoto.

Yamato, who is helping this out-of-town police officer, should have reported any issues to Matsumoto Kiyonaga first, and then Matsumoto Kiyonaga would have assigned the task to him.

How come Yamato Kansuke found him so easily? That's not "the rule".

Shiratori knew perfectly well that no matter how outstanding he performed at the meeting, no one would dare to break such an "unspoken rule."

Moreover, those attending this meeting were mostly the backbone of the First Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department of each prefecture.

They're either police inspectors or police inspector assistants, and even if they're police inspector assistants, they'll become police inspectors in a few months.

In short, by the time someone reaches the level of a police inspector, even the most naive person will be well aware of these unspoken rules.

"I told the Matsumoto manager," Yamato Kansuke said, his voice trembling with anger.

Because Yamato Kansuke lacked sufficient manpower in Tokyo, upon learning of the situation from his informant, he immediately approached Matsumoto Kiyonaga, hoping to borrow some officers from the Metropolitan Police Department to apprehend the wanted criminal. Although the criminal was now in Tokyo, he clearly hadn't yet adapted to life in Beika Town; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so easily discovered.

If we don't catch them now, where will they find people to arrest when the wanted criminals are living a life of ease in Beika Town?

"But Matsumoto was very indifferent, as if... as if he didn't care about this wanted criminal at all."

Yamato Kansuke hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke his mind.

Anyway, he's basically spent his whole life working at the Nagano Prefectural Police Headquarters, so he probably won't have another chance to see Matsumoto Kiyonaga.

He kept these words to himself, which only made him feel worse. Yamato Kansuke really didn't expect the officer in charge of the First Investigation Division to be this kind of person.

It's truly illogical that such a manager would be promoted to head of the First Investigation Division.

If Yamato Kansuke were in charge of this Metropolitan Police Department, then Shiratori Takashi would have to be promoted to the head of the First Investigation Division today.

His friend, Morofushi Takaaki, was a criminal investigation minister.

As for him personally, he's at least a Superintendent General of Police!
As Shiratori listened to Yamato Kansuke's complaints, he grew increasingly puzzled. Was Inspector Yamato really talking about the same person he knew?
According to Yamato Kansuke, Matsumoto Kiyonaga should have been a typical office bureaucrat, completely ignorant of practical matters, but proficient in all types of reports and self-praise documents.

But actually?
Kiyonaga Matsumoto was a police officer who came from the front lines. Back then, he was someone who could snatch the murder weapon from the murderer and then "hunt down" the murderer.

How could someone like that be incompetent in everyday affairs?

Matsumoto is one of the most pragmatic officers in the entire First Investigation Division; otherwise, he wouldn't have been promoted to the head of the First Investigation Division by the Chief of the Bureau of Investigation.

But the Nagano Prefecture police inspector, Yamato, didn't seem to be lying.

Shiratori was a little distracted at this moment, his thoughts suddenly drifting back to when he had talked with two consultants at Yixin Consulting not long ago.

At the time, the two consultants of Isshin Company were very surprised that Matsumoto Kiyonaga had "ordered" them to seek help from a detective.

At the time, Shiratori thought that Matsumoto Kiyonaga made the changes to make his promotion easier.

But it wasn't until he returned to the Metropolitan Police Department and had some free time that Shiratori gradually began to understand what was going on.

Matsumoto Kiyonaga is quite different from Shiratori. Shiratori was only vying for the position of Superintendent of the First Investigation Division.

He was at most the candidate with the best chance of winning, but as long as the position wasn't announced, Shiratori couldn't calm down.

Matsumoto Kiyonaga's position as section chief is different. His is already settled; the old section chief is already going through the retirement process.

As soon as the position becomes vacant, Matsumoto Kiyonaga will take office immediately; it's a foregone conclusion.

So here's the question: given such certainty, would Matsumoto Kiyonaga still have to suppress his disgust and ask his subordinates to "beg" the detective for help?

Why would anyone want to make themselves uncomfortable?!

This Matsumoto manager seems a bit off!
(End of this chapter)