Detective Conan: I, with my magical powers, am going to destroy the world!

Chi Chufeng's eyes twitched slightly.

It's another one of those melodramatic romance dramas; it only fools young girls.

It seems that Sonoko really likes these kinds of TV dramas; she even took everyone to see similar romance movies before.

Aka Chufeng asked the tourists about the broadcast time of "Winter Autumn Leaves" and learned that it would be broadcast on Gunma Prefecture cable TV every Saturday night from 9 pm to 10 pm, which happened to be tonight.

"Do you also like watching romantic dramas, sir?" The receptionist winked. "You'll definitely be hooked once you watch this series! Especially if you watch it with the girl you like."

Chi Chufeng smiled slightly, saying that if anyone was going to watch, it would be with Sonoko.

It was afternoon, and due to the increase in tourists, hotel rooms were in high demand. The hotel was fully booked shortly after Chi Chufeng checked in.

But we never saw the garden; it was either in another hotel or still up in the mountains.

Just as Chi Chufeng was looking for a place to eat, he suddenly bumped into Yuanzi, who was walking into the hotel lobby.

"Akachu-san?" Before Akachu-feng could speak, Sonoko exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

Chi Chufeng asked with a smile, "Why can't I be here?"

"Because..." Sonoko blushed unexpectedly, "because you're always involved in things!"

Sonoko became quite assertive, her serious demeanor leaving Akatsuka speechless.

Please, the real jinx is Conan, okay?

"So," Chi Chufeng countered, "how did you end up here?"

There are some reasons.

Sonoko stammered as she walked into the hotel lobby. Without checking in, she immediately took the guestbook and started leaving messages.

“A Mr. Hotumi from the mountain asked us to leave a message here, saying that he wanted to meet a fan on the mountain.”

As Sonoko spoke, she wrote in the guestbook: "I've found the tree you're looking for. Please come to the place where the rock was in the last scene of the TV series. Hotumi."

Chapter 554 It's so good to have you here!

Looking at the message Sonoko had written in her notebook, Chi Chufeng asked, "Why would the other party ask you to write a message?"

"They said it would be too tiring to come down again, and they'd forgotten that person's phone number,"

Sonoko replied, "I heard that person checked into this hotel this morning and arranged to meet here, so they could leave a message in the guestbook if anything happens."

Chi Chufeng asked, "How did you two meet?"

"I saw it on the mountain."

"It seems really strange to let a young girl who's just met you leave a message here, doesn't it?"

“But Mr. Hotumi is no ordinary person,” Sonoko argued. “It’s because he recommended this place to the playwright that it became so popular because of the TV series.”

"Is this Mr. Hotumi a staff member of the TV station?" Chi Chufeng asked.

"No, he's just an advertiser. But everyone asks him for the location of the filming location. The most classic idea in the TV series, tying a red handkerchief to a branch of red leaves, was also his idea."

Sonoko got more and more excited as she talked until she noticed Akagi's smiling gaze and stopped talking, blushing as she said, "Anyway, I'm going down to eat on the way. I've been wandering around the mountain for half a day and I'm almost starving."

"Let's go eat then." Chi Chufeng looked at the garden where the guestbook was placed, and finally asked, "But, is this even useful? We don't know when the messages will be seen."

"It should be fine. Mr. Hotumi said that person has been waiting for news, so he will see it soon."

Akatsuka asked no more questions and followed Sonoko out of the hotel.

As evening approached, a rosy glow appeared on the horizon, and together with the red leaves covering the mountains and fields, it looked like a painting, a truly beautiful sight.

Chi Chufeng put his arm around Yuanzi's waist, feeling exceptionally relaxed.

The restaurant where we ate was near the Akagi Hotel, with bright floor-to-ceiling windows offering scenic views, and the food was quite delicious.

However, Sonoko didn't seem to be in the mood for food, nor was she particularly interested in the beautiful scenery outside. She was just annoyed watching Akaso Kaze, who was taking sips of coffee every now and then.

She regretted sending the text message on a whim; now she felt somewhat trapped.

Akatsuki-san must have understood the meaning of the email by now, but what's most upsetting is that she wasn't prepared at all.

The so-called "winter red leaves" refers to red handkerchiefs tied to tree branches to serve as red leaves when the trees have fallen in winter.

This is the most romantic scene in that TV series.

When the reporter arrived at the filming location, they discovered that the trees near the location were covered with red handkerchiefs.

She still carries her red handkerchief with her and doesn't know what to do with it.

The meal lasted until sunset.

Chi Chufeng looked at the embarrassed Sonoko with a smile on his face.

Sonoko just sent an email on a whim, imitating what she saw in a TV drama; she certainly didn't expect to actually come.

"Something seems to have happened!"

A sudden commotion broke out outside, and the faint sound of police sirens could be heard.

Soon news came that tourists had found a body on the mountain, and the local police had already rushed over.

Sonoko's curiosity was piqued.

"Chichu-san, let's go take a look."

“Okay.” Chi Chufeng led her toward the scene of the incident.

"The estimated time of death is around 5 p.m. today. He was stabbed in the abdomen and then stabbed in the chest, which was fatal."

As night fell over the red maple forest, when Chi Chufeng arrived, the police had already secured the scene. There weren't many onlookers, only a few tourists who happened to be nearby.

"The identity of the deceased is still unclear, and it seems that the murderer took away everything that could identify them."

A man lay under a tree with a knife stuck in his throat. Officer Misao Yamamura stood solemnly beside the body, waiting for the forensic team to begin their work.

"Any discoveries found nearby?"

"Local police found some tents belonging to tourists, as well as this notebook stained with blood."

The criminal police at the scene handed a notebook with a bloodstained cover to the village.

"It looks like this person's notebook. The name 'HOTUMI' is written in Roman letters on it. The notebook was found about 100 meters away from here."

"HOTUMI?"

Yamamura Misao raised an eyebrow and looked at the man's corpse.

"Is he an idiot who can't even write the Chinese characters for his own name? His face always looks a bit silly."

Sonoko followed behind Akatsukaze and looked inside upon hearing this. When she saw the blood-stained corpse, she exclaimed in shock, "It's Mr. Hotsumi!"

Chi Chufeng also saw the body illuminated by the police car lights, a square-faced man wearing a woolen hat.

The sleeveless down jacket was covered with red leaves mixed with blood, looking strangely tragic. It was really a wonder that Yamamura Misao, a guy who would faint at the sight of a corpse, was still in the mood to joke.

However, this rookie policeman was already rather dim-witted.

"Huh?" Yamamura Misao noticed Akatsuki and the others, and exclaimed with delight, "Isn't this Lord Akatsuki? It's so good to have you here!"

"We happened to be at the foot of the mountain and came over when we heard that someone had an accident," Chi Chufeng said speechlessly, looking at the village worker who was excited as if he had seen a savior.

Chapter 555 Detective Queen Sonoko

Under the expectant gaze of Yamamura Misao, Aka Chufeng walked to the body.

The corpse was just like that; it wasn't particularly attractive.

No normal person would feel good seeing a corpse, especially in a dark forest with only one light shining on it.

However, it is precisely from such corpses that a lot of information can be gleaned.

The time of his death, around 5 a.m., coincided with the time he was having dinner with Sonoko, meaning it was very likely not an accidental murder.

After discovering the message, someone immediately rushed up the mountain to meet Mr. HOTUMI.

"Was it him who entrusted you with this?" Chi Chufeng turned around and asked Yuanzi.

"Yes."

Sonoko was still a little scared and dared not approach the corpse, so she stayed a little further away.

The victim was indeed the stranger he had met during the day.

"Wait a minute," Yamamura Misao said, still a little confused, "What request? Does Sonoko-san know this man?"

"I don't know him. This is the first time I've met him here today."

Sonoko explained, "He asked me to pass on his message, so I went to the Akagi Inn in front of the station, where I met Akachu-san. After passing on the message, I went to eat."

"Send a message?"

"It was in the hotel guestbook that Mr. HOTUMI said he was an advertiser for the TV series 'Winter Autumn Leaves,' and a fan wanted to know where the tree where the red handkerchief was originally tied during the TV filming was located."

"Winter autumn leaves?" Yamamura Misao's attention was immediately drawn, and he excitedly interrupted:

“I know this drama series. It’s still being rebroadcast on cable TV in Gunma Prefecture. My grandma in the countryside recommended it to me. After watching the rebroadcast, I was immediately captivated! I watch it every Saturday night from 9 to 10 pm.”

As he spoke, the villager excitedly pulled out a small television.