Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

Seeing her older brother's casual demeanor, Senior Kagami looked at Ryūno and Ran and laughed, "You didn't expect this, did you! My brother is more interested in cooking than treasures~"

Upon hearing his sister's words, Kyodo Tsutomu smiled and said, "That's right, I prefer cooking these green vegetables to any treasure!"

Ryuno and Conan exchanged a glance, their expressions revealing an "I see" look.

No wonder I heard from my senior that the Jingtang family has gradually declined.

Currently, there is no one in this family who can stand up for the "Kyōdō family".

Although I haven't met my senior's father yet, who is the current head of the Jingtang family.

But I heard from my senior that although her father really wanted to restore the Jingtang family to its former glory, he was powerless to do so.

And his two children...

The son, Kyodo, is passionate about cooking and has no intention of getting involved in the family company's affairs.

The daughter, Nanami Kyodo, also known as the upperclassman, is currently just a high school student. While it's unclear whether she's suited for business, she's not currently able to help the family much.

Moreover, her outspoken and straightforward personality might make things difficult for her in the business world...

"Big brother, let's tell them about that. Maybe they can discover something from it!" Senior Sister Jingtang said earnestly to her brother.

“I understand. I remember when I was 7 years old, I had a severe cold and a fever of nearly 40 degrees Celsius. At that time, my mother and grandfather came to take care of me. They whispered in my ear, ‘Myoko, I will only tell you about the treasure of the Kagami family.’”

"After they finished speaking, they suddenly disappeared. When I woke up, I immediately ran out of the room to look for them, and then I collapsed on the ground."

"When I regained consciousness, my mother and grandfather were already by my side taking care of me. They seemed to have talked about something about the treasure, but I can't quite remember it."

"The only thing I remember is that Grandpa said I had to press one of three colored buttons. If I pressed the blue one, I could find the treasure. Wait... wasn't it cyan? I can't quite remember~"

Seeing her brother's unreliable behavior, Senior Jingtang shook her head helplessly.

Just then, a clap of thunder suddenly rang in everyone's ears.

—"Boom!"

Upon seeing the lightning outside, Jingtang Qin suddenly frowned: "Wait, I just remembered something! I remember when I went to chase after my mother, I suddenly 'disappeared'! Yes, 'disappeared' is the only word to describe how I felt at that time."

"Disappeared?" Senior Jingtang asked in confusion.

"Yes, that's right. I remember walking and crying, and then I kept getting bigger and smaller. Soon after, I actually started to increase in number!"

Upon hearing this, Senior Jingtang finally couldn't hold back any longer. She stood up abruptly from her chair and shouted, "Stop! That must be a hallucination you had while you had a fever, right? How could such a dreamlike scene happen?!"

Jingtang Qin scratched his head and looked at his younger sister embarrassedly.

He actually felt that his words were a bit strange, but this was indeed the scene from his memory.

Hearing this, Longye chuckled and said, "Senior Jingtang, I don't think what your brother saw was an illusion."

"Huh? Why?" Senior Jingtang asked in confusion.

Xiaolan and the others looked at Longye with curiosity, their brows furrowed slightly.

Longye continued, "What he just mentioned about getting bigger, smaller, and more numerous can all be achieved with a mirror, right? A 'Distorting Mirror,' also known as a funhouse mirror."

Upon hearing this, Conan's eyes widened and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

So that's how it is! What Jingtang Qin saw was himself in a funhouse mirror!

"Brother Longye, what is a funhouse mirror?" Mitsuhiko asked, frowning.

Before Ryūno could answer, Conan chuckled, "It's a mirror with an uneven surface that reflects and focuses light irregularly, creating scattered images. It allows people to see a 'changed' version of themselves in the mirror. Generally, the most common effects are height, weight, and build..."

Just as Conan was about to continue, he suddenly saw the astonished looks on everyone's faces.

He immediately chuckled a few times, then turned around and scratched his head, saying, "Hahaha, that was exactly what happened in the cartoon a few days ago~"

Conan only breathed a sigh of relief after everyone's attention shifted away from him.

Jingtang Qin looked at Longye and asked curiously, "Then what about my 'disappearance' back then?"

“My senior once said that your grandfather liked mechanisms, right? The so-called ‘disappearance’ should just be some kind of mechanism. Aren’t there similar mechanisms in the courtyard? Since the Kagami family is famous for mirrors, these mechanisms should all be hidden around the mirrors,” Ryūno said calmly.

As soon as Longye finished speaking, Senior Jingtang excitedly said, "In that case, let's split up and check the mirrors in the room! Big brother, come and help too!"

Mitsuhiko and the other two also got up from the sofa, rubbing their hands together in anticipation.

"No, I'm not interested in treasures or anything like that. Green vegetables are my favorite!"

Senior Jingtang waved her hand helplessly and led Longye and the others out of the room.

After walking a distance, she sighed and said, "It seems the Jingtang family is doomed to be ruined in our generation..."

Just as Xiaolan was about to comfort her, a woman's scream suddenly came from outside.

—"Aaaaaah!!!"

Upon hearing the voice, Senior Jingtang exclaimed in surprise, "That's Mom's voice!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately ran towards the source of the sound.

Chapter 282 The Strong Scent of Perfume

Before long, the group arrived near the Black Tower.

At this moment, Jingtang Qin, the eldest brother of the Jingtang Academy, had arrived at the foot of the tower. Seeing Longye and the others running towards them, he immediately opened his arms and shouted, "Don't let the children come over! Something's happened!"

Conan understood and immediately called out to Mitsuhiko and the other two.

Then he glanced at Longye's back and nodded to himself.

Although he really wanted to go over and check on the situation, since Takeda was there, he could just ask him later. For now, he should keep an eye on Mitsuhiko and the others.

After Ryūno and the others ran to the foot of the tower, they immediately saw Ms. Kyoudou Momochi lying on the ground.

Jingtang's father, Jingtang Wang, also arrived at the scene. Upon seeing Jingtang Momo on the ground, he immediately squatted down, gently picked up Miss Momo, and called her name.

Seeing that Miss Momo had lost consciousness, he immediately turned to Longye and the others: "Call an ambulance quickly!!"

At that moment, Kensaku Nagase, who served as the "technical advisor" to the Kagami family, also ran over, panting, and said, "I've already called!"

Xiaolan tugged at Longye's arm, saying worriedly, "Longye, Miss Taozhi, she..."

Longye took a close look at Miss Taozhi on the ground, then shook his head.

This Miss Momochi has now passed away.

Shortly afterward, ambulances and police arrived at the scene.

According to the initial assessment by both parties, Ms. Momochi's cause of death was a fall from a height.

Upon hearing this news, everyone in the Jingtang family showed expressions of horror.

So, Miss Momochi died after falling from the Black Tower.

The problem is, this black tower has no entrance at all!

How did Kyodo Momochi fall from this tower?

……

After briefly inquiring with the Kagami family, Inspector Megure spotted Ryūno and the others not far away. As he walked towards them, he greeted them, "Ryūno, my friend! And Ran, what are you doing here?"

Upon seeing Ryūno, Inspector Megure's eyes immediately lit up.

When he learned that the black tower in front of him was the "Dark Tower" that was being talked about everywhere, he suddenly felt that this incident would be very troublesome.

The victim, Momoko Kyoudo, had obvious signs of a fall, and based on the scene, she most likely fell from the tower.

The problem is, this black tower has no entrance or exit!

The members of the Jingtang family all gave the same answer: no one knew where the entrance to the tower was.

While they may be lying, they currently lack evidence to raise suspicion.

With his years of experience in handling cases, how could he not see that this case was somewhat tricky?

After greeting Ryūno and the other two, Inspector Megure suddenly noticed the Junior Detective League behind the Black Tower and immediately shouted, "You guys! This isn't a place for children!"

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Officer Takagi beside him, and Takagi immediately stepped forward and led the Junior Detective League to a pavilion not far away.

After repeatedly instructing the Junior Detective League, Officer Takagi left the pavilion and turned back to ask the Kagami family for details about what happened.

Mitsuhiko and his two friends watched Officer Takagi's retreating figure and began to complain sullenly.

"They actually told us kids to step aside!"

"That's right! It's not easy for us to get a chance to play."

"We are clearly involved in this case, so why won't the police question us?"

Seeing the puffed-up round faces of Mitsuhiko and the other two, Conan didn't say anything, but he smiled knowingly.

There's nothing I can do; I'm still a child myself...

same moment

Beneath the Black Tower.

Inspector Megure stared expectantly at Ryūno and asked seriously, "Ryūno, do you think this is an accident or a murder?"

"Although the current information is insufficient, I think the possibility of an accident is greater," Ryūno said calmly.

"Why do you say that?" Inspector Megure frowned.

"First of all, in addition to the head injury of Miss Taozhi, there are also obvious signs of falls on her limbs, which are clearly different from the marks of being hit with a heavy object."

Of course, this is just my subjective judgment. To confirm this, a detailed medical report from the victim is needed.

"Secondly, from the time we heard Miss Taozhi's scream to when everyone arrived at the scene, less than two minutes had passed. If she had been pushed off the tower, the perpetrator wouldn't have had time to arrive at the scene in such a short time."

At this point, Longye spread his hands and said, "Of course, these are just my guesses. We will need to combine the questions from everyone and the examination reports to confirm."

“That makes sense. Let’s wait until Takagi finishes his questioning.” Inspector Megure rested his chin on one hand, carefully considering Tatsuno’s words.

To be honest, Tatsuno's reasoning is quite reasonable.

Although Ryūno didn't confirm that it was an accident, he felt that Ryūno's analysis was correct.

Next, by combining Takagi's investigation results with the victim's medical report, we can determine the nature of this matter.

With that thought in mind, Inspector Megure bid farewell to Ryuno and Ran, then got up and walked toward Officer Takagi, ready to listen to the Kagami family's explanation with him.

Seeing that Ryūno had finished his conversation with Inspector Megure, Conan immediately found an excuse to pull him aside.

"Takeda, what's going on? What did Inspector Megure and the others say?"