The Daily Life of a Salted Fish Assassin in Anime Crossovers

Jiang Hang nodded thoughtfully. Based on Mikami Daisuke's description, he roughly knew what kind of person the other was.

I wonder if there will be any chance to invite him to make a cameo appearance in the Ultraman series after the Dongdu Photography Studio goes bankrupt and closes down.

He gave Daisuke Mikami a look, indicating that he would leave this matter to him.

To this, Daisuke Mikami could only manage a wry smile.

An actor of Ōmiya Jushiro's caliber has no worries about money or fame; all his focus is on honing his acting skills. Even though Toto Studio is on the verge of collapse, he doesn't plan to leave. It's estimated that after filming this last movie, Ōmiya Jushiro will retire from acting altogether. He doesn't have the connections to pull someone into a cameo role in an Ultraman production.

But since his boss had spoken, he had to give it a try.

Afterwards, Jiang Hang went into Shirota Haruhiko's office alone, while Mikami Daisuke and Kinoko Koharu went to visit other places as originally planned.

Haruhiko Shirota, the boss, does indeed fit the description of "uneducated and incompetent" given by Daisuke Mikami.

It's clear that he has absolutely no affection for the photography studio founded by his father. He doesn't seem to care about the movie the studio is currently filming, and he just wants to finish the filming work as soon as possible so as not to delay the demolition work at the end of the month.

Instead of the photography studio's work schedule, his desk displayed the demolition and renovation project schedule for the end of the month.

Jiang Hang also noticed that a notebook labeled "Petition" had been carelessly tossed into the trash can next to Shirota Haruhiko. If he wasn't mistaken, this might be the item that Omiya Jushiro had just brought over, probably hoping that Shirota Haruhiko would change his mind and not close the photography studio.

Now, the petition has been thrown directly into the trash can, and Jiang Hang can guess what just happened in the office.

Haruhiko Shirota seemed to have found out some background information about Jiang Hang, so his attitude towards Jiang Hang was quite good. When discussing the price of the photography equipment, the price he offered was also quite reasonable, basically not much different from what Jiang Hang had learned before he came.

After the basic agreement was reached, Shirota Haruhiko's attitude became much friendlier, and he was almost ready to put his arm around Jiang Hang's back and invite him out for a drink that night.

"These last two days are for the final scene. After filming, Brother Jiang Hang, you can just come and take the equipment away," he said nonchalantly. Just then, his phone suddenly rang.

He frowned as he glanced at the person who called before answering the phone.

"I understand. I'm talking to an important guest right now, I'll be there in a bit... I understand, you guys can rehearse on your own for now."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Hang asked Haruhiko Shirota, "Before I came here, I heard Mr. Toshiro Omiya mention the rehearsals. Mr. Shirota, are you also in this movie?"

Haruhiko Shirota waved his hand dismissively: "When I was young, I also worked as an actor, but only in minor roles. This time, we're filming our studio's last movie, so I'll just play a villain in a cameo role. Anyway, period dramas are outdated, and I doubt many people will watch them."

"If it weren't for those people wanting to make one last movie as a memento before it all ended, and even secretly securing investment from me, I wouldn't have bothered making this movie... I could have just made something random."

Hearing Haruhiko Shirota's words, Jiang Hang couldn't help but frown slightly. He really had nothing to say to such a person, and could only feel sorry for the actors and staff in the photography studio who were still working hard to shoot one last good work.

"Mr. Shirota, why don't you go and settle things with the film crew first? I was just thinking of visiting the studio." Jiang Hang had lost interest in continuing to chat with Shirota Haruhiko; he wanted to check on Mikami Daisuke's recruitment efforts.

Seeing that Jiang Hang didn't seem to want to stay in the office any longer, Shirota Haruhiko smiled awkwardly, then quickly called someone over to show Jiang Hang around the photography studio. He also told Jiang Hang, "If you see anything you want in the studio, just let me know. My rehearsal is quick, only about ten minutes. After I finish rehearsing, we definitely have to go for a drink tonight."

Jiang Hang was somewhat helpless against someone like Haruhiko Shirota who insisted on forging a friendship with him.

Although he verbally agreed, he had already thought of a way to escape. At worst, he would meet with Daisuke Mikami to find out about the poaching situation, and then he would simply use the excuse of having something to take care of to leave with Yuno Kiharu.

Anyway, once the equipment acquisition was completed, he had no intention of dealing with the other party again.

What he didn't expect was that just as he met with Daisuke Mikami and asked him to step up his efforts to find Yuno Kiharu, who was watching the rehearsal at the studio, he received a shocking message from her.

During the recent rehearsal, actor Toshiro Omiya mistakenly used a real sword instead of a prop sword. In addition, Haruhiko Shirota seemed to be in a hurry and did not carefully check the fighting moves with the action director and other actors. Due to a serious error in his positioning, he was accidentally slashed in a vital area by Toshiro Omiya, who was rehearsing according to the script, and died on the spot.

Chapter 325: Chapter 323: Accident or Intentional Homicide?

Following Jiang Hang's report, Inspector Megure quickly arrived at the long-established photography studio with his team.

"The deceased's name is Haruhiko Shirota, he was 40 years old and the owner of Toto Photography Studio," Wataru Takagi read aloud the information he had obtained, his expression slightly off.

"The cause of death was massive bleeding; the victim had been slashed hard in the front, and the killer was Toshiro Omiya, a star of period dramas."

Upon hearing that the murderer was Ōmiya Jushirō, even Inspector Megure adjusted his hat, looking somewhat wistful.

It's clear that both Wataru Takagi and Inspector Megure probably grew up watching each other's period dramas, and may have even admired the characters they played in movies when they were young. Who would have thought that they would actually meet each other in such a setting today?

"The situation at the scene should be completely clear by now," Inspector Megure asked, then looked around with some concern. "Where's Jiang Hang? Wasn't he here when we arrived?"

“Jiang Hang should be asking his assistant, Ms. Muchun, about the situation at the time. After all, Ms. Muchun was standing below the rehearsal site when the incident occurred and witnessed the victim being murdered up close,” Takagi Wataru explained, then continued recounting the events of the incident.

"Based on the current situation, the murderer, Jushiro Omiya, admitted that he accidentally picked up the wrong prop knife. At the same time, because the victim did not carefully follow the action instructions and Jushiro Omiya's action arrangements, he made a mistake in his positioning and was slashed in a vital area by Jushiro Omiya, who was acting according to the originally set action. Regarding this, since it happened during rehearsal, many people witnessed the process, so it is highly likely that it was an accident."

"Mr. Shirota, who was murdered, seemed to be a person who liked to show off. This film was also the last film they shot, so he appeared as the villain in this final work. Today we are shooting the final battle scene between him and the protagonist."

"According to the security guard at the photography studio, the deceased was probably in a hurry to finish rehearsals so he could invite Jiang Hang for drinks, which is why he refused when the action director was about to explain the specific movements to him."

Takagi Wataru gave a truthful explanation, and also explained why Jiang Hang was at the photography studio.

In his heart, he actually hoped that this case was just an accident. After all, the murderer was his childhood idol. Moreover, after the accident, Ōmiya Jushiro cooperated with the police investigation and questioning. In this respect, Ōmiya Jushiro's attitude was just like those tough guys he played in movies, completely different from other murderers who tried to escape their crimes by various means.

“If it’s an accident, then it’s easier to handle,” Inspector Megure said. Although it seems highly likely to be an accident, as police officers, they must do their job to the best of their ability, so further investigation is still necessary.

"However... there should be a big difference between a real sword and a prop sword, right? Can you confirm that Mr. Omiya didn't intend to kill Mr. Shirota, which is why he deliberately took the real sword before the rehearsal?" Inspector Megure raised his question.

Takagi Wataru's expression immediately became conflicted.

In fact, the place where Inspector Megure was asking questions was the key to this case.

If it can be proven that Ōmiya Jushirō intentionally took the real knife, then this case is undoubtedly a case of intentional homicide. However, if it cannot be proven, then the police can only treat this case as an accident.

“Before we arrived, Jiang Hang had already taken out the real knife and the prop knife and put them together here. Inspector Megure, you should check them yourself.”

Seeing Takagi Wataru's conflicted expression, Inspector Megure probably already knew that it would be difficult to distinguish between the two.

When he saw the two knives placed in front of him, he couldn't help but show a troubled expression.

From the outside, the two knives look almost identical, and even their weight and the feel in the hand are no different.

Inspector Megure picked up both knives and tried them out; at least he couldn't directly tell the difference between them.

Only after careful observation can one discern subtle differences at the cut.

During rehearsals, the lighting conditions on set are not very good, and it is possible that it is impossible to distinguish between a prop knife and a real knife.

"Has there ever been a situation where a prop knife was mistakenly taken from a real knife?" Inspector Megure asked again.

Takagi Wataru nodded: "In the early years, when the technology for making prop knives wasn't as advanced as it is now, veteran actors could easily distinguish between the two. But since we switched to prop knives a few years ago that are not much different from real knives, this situation has become more frequent. There have been several instances of people picking up the wrong prop knife in recent years, but none of them have caused any major accidents. At most, it's just a scratch. This is the first time this has happened."

After observing and investigating the scene, both Inspector Megure and Wataru Takagi seemed to believe that the case was more likely an accident.

"What about... Mr. Omiya, the murderer?" Inspector Megure suddenly thought of this.

"Due to the unexpected circumstances, he also had Mr. Shirota's blood on him. After a brief questioning, he went to change his clothes. We will conduct further questioning on him later to determine the true nature of this case."

As Takagi Wataru said this, he couldn't help but mention Jiang Hang, who wasn't even in the vicinity at the moment: "Perhaps Jiang Hang can discover some key issues that we haven't been able to discover yet."

Now let's turn back to Yoshino Koharu.

When the murder occurred, Yoshino Koharu's mind went almost completely blank.

Although she had seen the death by sword in the art museum before, what she saw then was only the aftermath of everything.

This time, she saw it up close, with crystal clarity, as Shirota Haruhiko was slashed in the body and blood gushed out.

Some of the other person's blood even splattered in front of her.

The incredibly realistic scene of murder appeared before her without warning, leaving her completely stunned.

She even hesitated for a moment, wondering if all rehearsals these days were really that realistic.

It wasn't until all the crew members rushed forward in a panic to try and stop Shirota Haruhiko's bleeding that she realized this was a real problem.

Instinctively, she took out her phone and contacted Jiang Hang, telling him everything that had happened.

Afterwards, Jiang Hang revealed his identity as an advisor to the Metropolitan Police Department, instantly stabilizing the previously chaotic scene.

After that, Jiang Hang briefly questioned the people at the crime scene. After Takagi Wataru and the others arrived, he took her to a nearby lounge and asked her in more detail about the specific events of the incident.

Although he knew that Yoshino was a little confused after suddenly encountering such a situation, at this moment, Yoshino, who had intermediate intelligence capabilities and had witnessed the entire incident firsthand, was someone he could completely trust.

However, it was clear that Yoshino Kiharu hadn't been working as an assistant at the agency for nothing during those few months. Despite not being in the best mental state, she was still able to give quick answers when Jiang Hang asked her questions.

"I remember that at the last moment, Mr. Shirota seemed to realize that he had made a mistake in his positioning. I also heard him say 'I'm sorry' to Mr. Omiya. But Mr. Omiya just looked at him and told him to continue rehearsing, which led to the accident." Yoshino Koharu recalled what happened.

She couldn't help but mutter a complaint to Jiang Hang in a low voice: "See? I told you a long time ago not to make such dangerous promises so easily. This time, things really went wrong, didn't they?"

Jiang Hang hadn't expected that Mu Chun Yuno, with her pale face, would still be able to make a sarcastic remark about him.

Of course, since the other party has this mentality, he doesn't need to worry too much about Yoshino Kiharu.

At this moment, Jiang Hang did not argue with Muchun Yuno, but instead began to think about the situation of this case.

He had already confirmed that the prop knife was the same as the real knife used to kill him.

With his eagle eyes, he could easily distinguish between the two, but without them, it wasn't so easy to tell them apart.

From this perspective, it seems quite normal for Ōmiya Jūjūrō to admit that he made a mistake.

But listening to what Yoshino Kino had just said, Jiang Hang felt that this case was probably not an accident.

Chapter 326: Chapter 324: What is a Conan-style case?

The case is actually quite simple: Ōmiya Jushirō accidentally killed Tōto Studio owner Ōta Haruhiko during a rehearsal.

Everyone present can attest to this, and there was even a camera that captured the entire event on film.

Ōmiya Jushirō's attitude also seemed very sincere, directly stating that it was his own mistake and that all the responsibility lay with him alone.

While Yoshino Koharu possesses intermediate-level intelligence capabilities, there's really not much more to say about the scene at the time of the incident. Jiang Hang cannot determine from Yoshino Koharu whether this case was intentional homicide or an accident.

To be precise, according to the prop master, action director, and even the director, this case seems more like an accident.

Having followed Conan for so long, Jiang Hang hasn't been completely without improvement; at least he still has some sense of self-awareness.

In a world where detectives are naturally more likely to encounter cases than ordinary people, the murder cases that he or Conan encounters don't seem like accidents no matter how you look at it!

Generally speaking, it's possible that Shirota Haruhiko was intentionally injured by Omiya Jushiro under the guise of an accident. However, if we look at it from Conan's perspective, it's more likely that someone replaced Omiya Jushiro's gadgets without his knowledge and then used some factor that is difficult for a normal person to influence the deceased Shirota Haruhiko's actions.

Although it sounds absurd and the probability of it being carried out is very low, it is well known that the murder methods chosen by the murderers in the Conan world, no matter how low the probability seems, will definitely succeed once they are carried out.

For example, in the recent case of a bank branch manager who killed his wife using a kite string and a bookshelf, in the subsequent experiment conducted out of curiosity by Midori Imai and Shizuka Sakaki, even with the correct positioning, the probability of stabbing her in the back and killing her instantly was quite alarming.

Anyway, let's get back to the case.

If this case was indeed orchestrated by someone in the shadows, then they must have considered the following key points: Ōmiya Jushirō was unaware that the knife in his hand was real; Ōta Haruhiko refused the action director's instructions; how to get Ōta Haruhiko to that position; and of course, most importantly, how to get Ōmiya Jushirō to deliver that final blow.

If someone could accomplish all of the above, Jiang Hang would probably have to call that person the Moriarty of Tokyo. Besides, he didn't find any special traces at the scene using Hawkeye, so this most Conan-esque choice was thus eliminated.

If this incident was intentional homicide, then there's not much to say; the sentence could be five years or more, up to the death penalty.

Of course, in Japan, the punishment for killing just one person is usually a prison sentence of up to ten years. Even if someone is sentenced to death, the waiting period before execution may exceed ten years.

However, if this matter ends here, Ōmiya Jushirō will face charges of manslaughter.