Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 386, Chapter 380: It's time to bring some warmth to Gin!

After a morning, Ryoma Hayashi, Shiratori, and Kaito Kuroba reunited at a restaurant not far from the Metropolitan Police Department building.

They found a quiet corner where there weren't many people around, ordered some food, and sent the waiter away.

"How is it?" Ryoma asked Shiratori and Kaito Kuroba.

“I went to the monitoring room of the main building and found that the monitoring data from one night about a week ago was missing.”

That night, all the surveillance footage from the entire Metropolitan Police Department building was deleted.

“Before that day, Manager Matsumoto had been living in the headquarters building. I have reason to suspect that Manager Matsumoto was likely switched at birth on that day.”

That's how it is in the monitoring room; although there are staff on duty every day, it's inevitable that they'll become lax.

Especially since this is the Metropolitan Police Department building.

How audacious must that criminal be to commit a crime inside the Metropolitan Police Department building? Well, they actually witnessed it this time.

"What about Black Feather? What did he find?" White Bird felt utterly overwhelmed.

When it was confirmed that Matsumoto Kiyonaga had been "replaced," it wasn't exactly the end of the world, but it was certainly quite absurd.

A counterfeit goods organization, which chaired joint search meetings with criminal police in various regions, even achieved quite good results.

How can the bureaucrats of the Metropolitan Police Department do such good jobs even if they are complete novices with no professional background?

Can one become an outstanding police bureaucrat simply by learning to utilize detective skills?

Shiratori couldn't even imagine how much face the Metropolitan Police Department would lose if this were exposed.

"I've also found something here." After leaving the Metropolitan Police Department, Kaito Kuroba removed his disguise mask and changed his clothes.

Although Officer Takagi was hospitalized due to overwork, it doesn't mean that Kaito Kuroba can continue to operate under Officer Takagi's identity for an extended period of time.

Going to Matsumoto Kiyonaga's office for a quick visit is already the limit.

Otherwise, what if we go back to the office of the 3rd Division and run into one or two officers who have just finished visiting patients in the hospital?

The first thing they said was, "Hey, Officer Takagi, weren't you just lying in a hospital bed?"
Kaito Kuroba couldn't respond to that; he couldn't very well treat a detective like an idiot.

Fortunately, Kiyoshi Matsumoto has his own independent office, so Takagi doesn't need Matsumoto's approval to take leave.

It's quite safe to just loiter around the area near the administrator's office.

Kaito Kuroba is not only safe, but also highly efficient.

"Officer Shiratori, Chairman Hayashi. If nothing unexpected happens, the manager Matsumoto in the office is probably not the real person."

As a descendant of a magician, Kaito Kuroba has a very clear understanding of his family's disguise techniques.

It's clear that Kuroba's family isn't the only ones in the world capable of such disguise techniques.

They are certainly not the only ones who can combine disguise and voice-changing techniques so seamlessly.

Since you already have the ability to disguise yourself, the next step is naturally to find a way to change your voice.

This is a skill that can be unlocked automatically after completing the prerequisite skill tree.

Otherwise, if you only have a perfect disguise mask but no corresponding vocal techniques, are you going to pretend to be a mute?
There are many schools of thought on voice changing, which can be mainly distinguished by their techniques, talents, and technology.

The skill-based group has the largest number of members, the talent-based group has the smallest number, and the technology-based group is the most expensive.

The Kuroba family belongs to the category of those who possess both talent and skill. The inheritors of the Kuroba voice-changing technique are all a combination of talent and skill.

Although there are many different schools of voice changing techniques, the ultimate expressive power is the same: to produce another person's voice.

It's somewhat difficult to determine the style of voice changing techniques based on timbre. Kaito Kuroba can't exactly place his hand on Kiyotaka Matsumoto's throat to feel his vocalization, can he?
Even if it were possible to do that, Kaito Kuroba wouldn't do it.

Judging from his usual behavior at school, this guy is a complete straight man.

I had no intention of taking the rugged path.

While voice-changing techniques cannot distinguish the school of "Matsumoto Kiyonaga," Kuroba Kaito is not without a way.

If you really want to distinguish the school of disguise practitioners, the disguise mask is the best way.

As the "core technology" of disguise, the method of making a disguise mask has always been a closely guarded secret of each disguise school.

As the inheritor of the "Kuroba-ryu Disguise" style, Kaito Kuroba must be very clear about the flaws and details of his school's disguise masks.

When Binga met Kaito Kuroba, it was like a fake meeting the real deal.

When talking about his expertise, Kaito Kuroba spoke eloquently to Ryoma Hayashi and Shiratori: "Not only is it difficult to make this disguise mask, but there are also many precautions to take when wearing it."

No matter how thin or similar the disguise mask is, it can never be exactly the same as a real person's face.

Therefore, users need to use special techniques to keep the mask at a certain angle when wearing it, so as to avoid any mistakes being noticed.

"Matsumoto Kiyonaga" is also known as Binga. Although he received guidance from Vermouth, such detailed habits are not something that can be cultivated over many years.

It's inevitable that we'll make mistakes sometimes, even in ordinary times.

Furthermore, he directly bumped into Kaito Kuroba's hand. Vermouth's disguise technique was learned from Kaito Kuroba's father.

Leaving aside whether Kuroba Toichi held back any of his skills when teaching his apprentices, let's just talk about how long it will take Vermouth and Kuroba Toichi to learn.
How long has Kaito Kuroba been by Toichi Kuroba's side, influenced by what he's seen and heard?
Kaito Kuroba is a talented person, and as long as Toichi Kuroba is not mentally unstable, he will definitely teach and nurture such a talented successor well.

This meant that, in the blink of an eye, Kaito Kuroba instantly saw through Binga's disguise.

It would be a problem if someone with only a mediocre skill couldn't see through it.

"Because my father disappeared, I have no way of knowing how many people he taught the art of disguise."

"But the one in the office is using our technology without a doubt," Kaito Kuroba confidently concluded.
"Furthermore, he probably isn't skilled at voice changing. The reason he could produce the voice of Manager Matsumoto is likely due to the use of some kind of high-tech voice changer."

After Kaito Kuroba and Shiratori finished speaking, they both looked at Ryoma Hayashi.

"I've also made some discoveries on my end. Inspector Megure, who forcibly committed the crime in the 3rd Division and was Shiratori's former superior, has also noticed something amiss with Matsumoto Kiyonaga."

But he told me a lot of his concerns—”

Lin Longma looked at Shiratori as he spoke: "Directly pointing out that the current Matsumoto Kiyonaga is a fake is undoubtedly the worst choice."

Such a scandal, exposed at this juncture, not only dashes Matsumoto Kiyonaga's hopes for promotion, but also risks jeopardizing his management position. Inspector Megure's suggestion is to handle it discreetly—at least first, find Matsumoto himself, the management officer.

Thankfully, Shiratori was never a righteous ally, and he could understand the good intentions of those around him.

“I understand, this is indeed not something that can be done in a big way, but” Shiratori was really worried at this moment: “But Tokyo is so big, it would be too easy to hide someone.”

Where am I supposed to find Manager Matsumoto?

The issue has never been whether or not to reveal that Matsumoto Kiyonaga was "replaced".

The question has always been how to find the real Matsumoto Kiyonaga.

Just like Shiratori said, this isn't some kind of hide-and-seek contest with a limited area.

No matter how well someone hides, those searching for them will at least know that they are hiding in this area.

No one can guarantee whether Matsumoto Kiyoshi is in Tokyo right now, or even in Japan.

If Matsumoto Kiyoshi can't be found for a day, are we supposed to let the counterfeit goods be the manager of the daily investigation division?
If we can't find it, can we just sit by and watch that fake become the head of the First Investigation Division?
Compared to the fact that a management officer who chaired a joint investigation meeting was impersonated, the scandal of the head of the first division being replaced is far greater.

The most important thing is that if such a thing really happens, these two scandals are not an either-or choice, but rather a combination of both.

If it were really that absurd, then the detectives of the First Investigative Division, and indeed the entire Metropolitan Police Department, would be unable to hold their heads high for many years to come.

"Let me analyze this for you," Lin Longma reassured his friend. "I think Manager Matsumoto should be safe for the time being."

"After that fake agent replaced the supervisor in the First Investigation Division, did he do anything excessive?"

For example, issuing arbitrary orders, or abusing power for personal gain?

“No, absolutely not,” Shiratori said definitively.

After realizing that the current manager might have problems, Shiratori intentionally conducted a side investigation into Matsumoto Kiyonaga.

As an administrative bureaucrat in the First Investigation Division, Matsumoto Kiyonaga would naturally have to issue any orders he wanted to give to his subordinates.

If the counterfeiters really have any ideas, they definitely won't bypass their subordinates.

To Shiratori's surprise, the imposter from the First Investigation Division did nothing out of the ordinary, except for replacing the original Matsumoto Kiyonaga.

It's as if he adopted Matsumoto Kiyoshi's face just to indulge in the fantasy of being a manager.

He had no intention of inquiring about any classified files or the detained suspect, Matsumoto Kiyonaga.

The only case he's been involved in these days is this serial murder case.

Surely it's not because some citizen was annoyed by the efficiency of the Metropolitan Police Department's detectives that they stepped in as a supervisor to oversee the detectives' work, is it?

But you know what? With this hint from the fake Matsumoto Kiyonaga, the investigation, which had been at a standstill, actually started to progress smoothly.

The suspects have now been identified, and we're just waiting to find these two hiding suspects.

"Look, isn't this exactly what that counterfeiter's goal was?" Lin Longma interrupted Bai Niao's absurd train of thought and brought his thinking back to the right track.

"He took such a big risk to infiltrate the Metropolitan Police Department and take over the position of head of the joint investigation meeting. He must have something big up his sleeve!"

Although it's still unclear what this person wants, they are definitely a key suspect in the serial murder case.

"We might as well use the suspect's arrest as a time point—if we find the real Matsumoto manager before the suspect in the serial murder case is found and arrested by the police, then everyone will be happy."

Even after the suspect in the serial murder case was found and arrested by the police, there was still no news of Manager Matsumoto.

Then we'll report that this manager is a fake.

The goal of the plan is to ensure that the position of the head of the investigation department is vacated.

If the suspect had found Matsumoto Kiyonaga before being apprehended, everything could have been covered up. Matsumoto Kiyonaga would have been promoted then, and he would have had to repay Shiratori for the favor.

If Matsumoto Kiyonaga is still missing after the suspect is found, then it should be assumed that the manager has been murdered, and the matter should be reported directly to higher management.

It doesn't matter if the counterfeiters are caught or escape; the job has been vacated anyway.

It won't delay Shiratori's promotion.

"Inspector Megure is currently focusing on apprehending the two suspects. All we need to do is try our best to find the real supervisor, Matsumoto."

Shiratori thought Lin Longma was right; this arrangement was indeed the one that maximized Lin's interests.

What about Matsumoto Kiyonaga? Actually, it doesn't have much of an impact.

As Shiratori and Ryoma Hayashi said, Tokyo is just too "big". Hiding someone in this place is as easy as playing a game.

Even if only Ryoma Hayashi and Shiratori's men helped find Matsumoto Kiyonaga, it wouldn't be possible to find him even if the entire Metropolitan Police Department were mobilized.

Finding Matsumoto Kiyonaga without any clues is not easy.

It's hard to hide a living person, so it's even harder to hide a lifeless corpse.
If it's hard to hide a whole person, can't you hide them if you separate them?

In short, whether or not the real Matsumoto Kiyonaga can be found before the suspect is brought to justice depends not on how hard Shiratori and Hayashi Ryoma work, but on whether the forces that captured Matsumoto Kiyonaga are willing to "send" him back.

Hey, what a coincidence! Who kidnapped Matsumoto Kiyonaga? It was the organization!
Lin Longma just happens to be a high-ranking member of the organization—isn't that an incredible coincidence?

For the Executive Department and Gin, Matsumoto Kiyonaga was a hot potato. Killing him was one thing, but not killing him was another.

Kiyoshi Matsumoto was "stolen" from the Metropolitan Police Department and then impersonated by someone for several days.

If we really let him go back, who can guarantee that Matsumoto Kiyonaga won't secretly investigate the organization?
But if we don't release Matsumoto Kiyonaga, killing a criminal investigation officer like this doesn't seem like an easy task either.

Releasing him is not an option, and killing him is also difficult. If someone could rescue Matsumoto Kiyonaga while he was imprisoned, that would be the best of both worlds.

Since Matsumoto Kiyonaga is bound to cause trouble anyway, why not minimize the damage?
If he wants to investigate, let him investigate. What has the FBI figured out after investigating the organization for so many years?

However, Matsumoto Kiyonaga's investigation of the organization after being released by the executive department is not the same as his investigation of the organization after being rescued.

The former is that Gin's abilities are lacking, while the latter was just an accident.

Even robbers sometimes fail when they rob a bank, so who can guarantee that a newly promoted criminal administrator won't cause trouble while in custody?

Now it's time for Lin Kaka to thoughtfully "show his warmth" to his colleagues again. With his kind heart and willingness to go to great lengths for them, who in this organization can say that our Lin Kaka is not loyal?

(End of this chapter)