Detective Conan: The Literary Genius is Actually a Great Scientist

"What? Another one!"

In Beika Town, in the office of the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division, Inspector Megure looked at the report his subordinate had just delivered, then slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup on it jump.

"Yes, Inspector Megure."

The subordinate reported cautiously, afraid that his boss would take his anger out on him: "This morning, at the Mihana Central Building, a 25-year-old company employee jumped from the top floor... This is the 23rd case this week..."

On average, there are more than three such incidents every day.

This only includes the successful ones; those that were attempted but were rescued in time are not included.

"23 cases..." Inspector Megure frowned. "And that's just the number we've counted in the Beika area?"

"Yes, the figures for other regions are not yet clear, but according to private conversations with other departments, the situation is likely similar..."

Hearing this, Inspector Megure was completely bewildered.

There haven't been any large-scale economic crises or social unrest recently, the stock market hasn't crashed, and the employment rate is still okay. So why has the suicide rate suddenly soared to such an abnormal level?

That's almost matching their usual murder rate!

Is there some new type of cult secretly spreading ideas of despair? Or is it an organized scheme to induce suicide?

Upon considering this possibility, Inspector Megure's expression instantly turned serious. If this were the case, the problem would be serious, and it would be necessary to report it immediately and conduct an in-depth investigation in conjunction with other departments.

"Immediately establish a special task force to investigate the connections between all recent suicide cases, check for any suspicious individuals or organizations operating covertly, and at the same time issue a safety warning to the public, reminding everyone to pay attention to mental health and stay away from suspicious propaganda!"

"yes!"

The subordinate immediately obeyed and left.

Inspector Megure sat back down in his chair with a furrowed brow and began to review the preliminary reports on the suicide cases.

Meanwhile, Sato Miwako, known as the "Flower of the Metropolitan Police Department," looked at her boss's expression and glanced at the book on her seat that she had queued for two hours during her break yesterday to buy, then hesitated to speak.

She seemed to have guessed the truth behind the rising suicide rate in Mika...

That book is called Snow Country.

With its blue and white cover and minimalist yet cool design, this is currently one of the most popular books. She even took notes for the author of this book.

Thinking of that bookish young man, Miwako Sato couldn't help but twitch her lips.

She clearly thought the boy was quite sunny and confident, with two shallow dimples when he smiled; he seemed like a positive and promising young man.

How could a book be written to be so depressing...?

She stayed up all night to finish reading "Snow Country" yesterday. As she closed the book and looked out at the early morning night, she was inexplicably struck by a feeling that "life is truly futile."

You know, even a police officer with such strong mental fortitude is like this. What about those who are already depressed and have lost hope in life? Would they feel...?

Sato Miwako watched as Inspector Megure was still racking his brains over "cult" and "suicide inducement," opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed her words.

Forget it, let's not talk about it.

What if it isn't? What if it's just a coincidence?

And even if it really was because of "Snow Country," what could she say? "Inspector Megure, the suicide rate may be rising because a bestselling book is too depressing?"

Even she herself found it outrageous to say that.

Let the professionals handle this.

……

Afternoon, at the Lin residence.

Lin Ran leaned back comfortably on the sofa, with a thick stack of today's newspapers in front of him. Almost every one of them had a front page or culture section with reports about "Snow Country" and him.

To be precise, it's been like this for a period of time.

"Stop praising me, stop praising me, I'm getting a little embarrassed."

Not only are Japanese media praising him, but even domestic media are doing so, with some using even more exaggerated language than local Japanese media, leaving ordinary people in both countries somewhat confused.

No?

Is this your author or mine?

In fact, the domestic media were also confused, but since the higher-ups had given the order to report more about Late Summer and Snow Country, they had no choice but to comply.

I flipped through more than a dozen newspapers in one go.

Lin Ran was enjoying his reading when his joy froze instantly when he picked up another newspaper and glanced at an inconspicuous news item in the lower right corner.

[Metropolitan Police Department Urgent Reminder: With a recent surge in suicides, the public is urged to cherish life, pay attention to mental health, be wary of suspicious information, and stay away from suicide threats. If you experience mental distress, please seek professional help immediately or call a mental health assistance hotline…]

Lin Ran: "..."

He silently put down the newspaper, picked up his teacup, and tactically drank water.

Could this have anything to do with me?

Thinking of her premonition that day, Lin Ran rubbed her forehead, looking helpless.

The beauty of Snow Country is undeniable, but its core themes of sorrow and futility can be too heavy or even dangerous for readers in certain psychological states.

Do you even know what it means to say, "Death is the ultimate beauty"?

Damn it!

He's become a prophet himself.

"My apologies, my apologies... This was truly not my intention..."

He wrote Snow Country to explore beauty and express his thoughts on life and emotions, not to make people want to commit suicide after reading it!

It definitely wasn't my fault!

He was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of Beika" by the mayor himself. What did the rising suicide rate in Beika have to do with him? It must be some big-headed Grim Reaper working his magic again.

They die wherever they go, even the suicide rate gets a boost.

"I knew detectives were all evil..." Lin Ran, blaming Conan, stroked her chin and muttered with lingering fear, "Looks like I definitely can't write this 'healing' kind of story for my next book."

If he kept writing, he felt he was about to replace Conan and become the new "walking Grim Reaper" of Beika...

Just imagining that the headlines in the newspaper's social section won't be "The famous detective solves another bizarre case" anymore, but rather "Bestselling author's new book hits the market, citywide suicide rate hits a new high"...

That would be terrible.

Lin Ran just wanted to be a talented writer and scientist who could quietly make a little money, and maybe enjoy... well, appreciate beautiful scenery.

It's more appropriate to leave the blame for this "unbearable burden" to professionals.

He thinks Conan is pretty good.

Lin Ran finished the rest of her tea in one gulp, got up from the sofa, stretched, and decided to go for a walk.

First, relax your "sinful" mind.

Secondly, I'll take this opportunity to think about what I should write in my next book.

A qualified writer cannot stop writing for too long after finishing a book. He plans to start writing a new book after solving the "Zhou's Conjecture" of the older generation of prophets.

Lin Ran has been reading math books these past few days.

Mersenne primes are truly amazing; they have proven to be a source of puzzles for countless mathematical geniuses throughout history.

"Mingmei, I'm going out to play."

"Alright~ Have fun, Young Master Ran~"

After greeting the little maid who was learning to make desserts in the kitchen, Ai finished her lunch and was then called out to play by Ayumi, who was sent by the three little ones, using her charm.

Change my shoes, head out, off for a stroll!

The weather was nice in Beika Town in the afternoon.

The sun was hidden by the clouds, and the sky was a gentle gray-white. Walking along the road, a cool breeze would occasionally blow by, soothing the summer heat.

There were more people on the streets than usual.

Today is the weekend, a day off, and the weather is nice, so many people are willing to go out for a walk.

Especially girls.

Young and beautiful girls walked together, chatting and laughing. Their skirts swayed with their steps, and their fair legs shone brightly in the gray sunlight, creating a beautiful scene.

Lin Ran enjoyed the scenery along the way.

Don't misunderstand, he was just appreciating beauty. As a writer, observing life and discovering beauty is part of his professional competence.

Of course, while he is appreciating others, others are also appreciating him.

A clean-cut and handsome young man walked alone on the street. He had a tall and straight figure and a unique temperament. The beautiful girls who passed by couldn't help but steal a glance.

If you accidentally make eye contact with him.

A blush would rise on the girl's innocent face, and she would quickly pretend to be playing around with her friend to cover up her shyness, but her eyes would still secretly drift back to her friend.

"Thank you, Mom, long live Mom..." After passing another group of girls who were peeking at him, Lin Ran touched his face and silently thanked his mother for her excellent genes.

Fortunately, he inherited his mother's excellent genes; he's good-looking, has great skin, and even has dimples when he smiles.

If it's inherited from my dad... Lin Ran imagined herself with a square and serious face and couldn't help but shudder.

That would be a real disaster, completely out of character for a scholar.

After strolling around for a while and admiring the "beauty," Lin Ran turned around and headed towards Mihua Commercial Street, intending to find a bookstore nearby to check on the sales of her new book.

Don't just listen to the praise in the newspapers; you have to see the readers' enthusiasm for yourself and satisfy your own vanity.

Soon we arrived at a nearby Tsutaya bookstore.

Hey!

There were quite a few people; at a glance, there were at least several dozen people, all lined up from inside the bookstore onto the street outside, with reporters filming and recording the scene.

Keep in mind, "Snow Country" has been on sale for a week already, and there are still so many readers queuing up to buy it.

This level of popularity is simply outrageous.

Looking at the "Snow Country" hanging in the bookstore, Lin Ran felt smug, but at the same time, she was mentally complaining about the Yomiuri Shimbun. Didn't they see that my readers were getting impatient? Couldn't you speed up the printing process?

Yesterday, editor Ichiro Endo was still reporting to him that the first print run of 100 million copies had sold out, and the company was urgently ordering an additional 100 million copies.

In response, Lin Ran could only say, "What a lack of courage! Such a big newspaper, yet so petty."

If this happened in China, at this rate, you wouldn't even get to drink the soup, let alone eat meat; you'd probably smash the bowl.

While complaining, he started counting the long lines at the bookstore entrance with great interest. Although it was impossible for everyone inside to be there to buy his new book, he was sure that a large portion of them were.

When he reached the middle of the line, he suddenly stopped.

"well?"

Lin Ran blinked.

He seemed to see... another NPC that randomly spawned on the roadside.