Solving cases with Detective Conan's science? No, I'm a cultivator!

Kitagawa Taki nodded. "I know him. We can go up together."

……

As you approach the door, you can hear Kogoro Mouri cheering from inside.

Kitagawa Taki didn't knock; he simply pushed the door open.

Hearing the noise, Xiaolan looked towards the door and saw Kitagawa Taki. She exclaimed with delight, "Taki!"

Then, a beautiful woman followed them into the house.

He couldn't help but ask, "And who is this?"

"I am Ikebab, who called you before. Please forgive my sudden visit, as I heard that if I contact Detective Mouri, I will definitely be able to find the person I want to see."

As she spoke, Ikeba Shizuka bowed deeply.

Kogoro Mouri immediately turned off the television that was showing horse racing, tidied his messy hair and clothes, and stood up, gesturing, "Miss, please have a seat!"

He had initially thought the caller was a middle-aged woman and hadn't paid any attention to it.

Who would have thought she was such a classical beauty?

Xiao Lan then went to make tea for everyone.

Ikeba Shizuka briefly explained the purpose of her trip.

The person she was looking for was her classmate from junior high school.

Shizuka Ikenami added, "We were both members of the kendo club at the time."

Kogoro Mouri asked, "In that case, his address should be in the graduation yearbook, right?"

“He suddenly moved when he graduated, so the address he left behind was no longer needed,” Ikeba Shizuka explained.

After saying that, she took out a photo from her handbag. "This is a group photo from back then. The one in the middle holding the winning trophy is him. His name is Shibata Shiro."

Shibata Shiro had thick eyebrows and a buzz cut. Kitagawa Taki only glanced at him before his gaze was drawn to Ikenami Shizuka next to him.

At that time, she wore a high ponytail with a few strands of hair hanging down beside her ears. Her eyes were bright and spirited, and she had a faint smile on her lips. Coupled with her kendo uniform, she looked quite heroic and dashing.

Kogoro Mouri suddenly asked, "Is this Shibata Shiro your first love?"

"No, I'm looking for him because he has a very important photo." Ikeba Shizuka waved her hand, explaining the situation:

"That photo was taken when we won the semi-final championship in the summer sports competition in our third year of secondary school. It's the only photo I have to remember it by."

Upon hearing Shizuka Ikenami's denial, Kogoro Mouri was overjoyed.

When Ran saw Kogoro Mouri reverting to his old ways, she gave him a sharp look while serving tea.

Kogoro Mouri coughed twice and then asked, "Then why is your photo with him?"

Ikeba Shizuka said, "I once borrowed a book from him, and the photo was accidentally tucked inside. I didn't notice and returned the book to him."

"Hmm..." Kogoro Mouri pondered, "I wonder if there are any other clues?"

Upon hearing this, Ikeba Shizuka fell into deep thought.

Kitagawa Taki interjected, "Since he was able to win the swordsmanship competition, we can investigate from that perspective. Maybe he won some other awards in competitions afterward."

These words were like a wake-up call. Kogoro Mouri immediately got up, went to his desk, and began contacting acquaintances by phone to help with the investigation.

Leaving aside Kogoro Mouri's situation, Taki Kitagawa and the other two chatted while waiting.

"Miss Ikenami, what happened to your hand?"

Kitagawa Taki had just noticed that she had several band-aids on her left hand, one on her ring finger and two on the tips of her thumb and index finger.

"Oh, this?" Ikeba Shizuka raised her left hand and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Last night, I wanted to cook a dish, but I accidentally cut my hand. I can't help it, my cooking skills are really terrible."

Xiaolan said with a smile, "I was like that when I first learned to cook, but I got better after practicing more."

Kitagawa Taki didn't say anything, and Ikenami Shizuka's fingers weren't injured at all.

Chapter 270 Actually, my family sells fish.

About ten minutes later, Kogoro Mouri's surprised voice came through.

"Mr. Shibata Shiro participated in the Shizuoka Grand Prix's social division? Yes...yes..."

Kogoro Mouri took notes as he spoke.

After the call ended, Shizuka Ikenami asked, "Did you find him, Mr. Mori?"

"Yes, it is said that Mr. Shibata Shiro often participates in various competitions and can achieve good results. He is currently working as a physical education teacher in Shizuoka and lives in a rented apartment with his wife."

Kogoro Mouri briefly explained the situation, and then said, "I'll go rent a car first."

Kitagawa Taki offered, "No need, I'm free anyway, I'll drive."

"Alright." Since it would save him some money, Kogoro Mouri was naturally happy to accept.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Kitagawa." Ikenami Shizuka bowed slightly; this was the outcome she had hoped for.

Then, seemingly casually, he asked, "By the way, I heard that the famous detective Shinichi Kudo often visits your detective agency?"

"How could that brat be coming and going here so often?"

Kogoro Mouri was extremely annoyed. If Shinichi Kudo really frequented this place, he'd break his legs.

Ran quickly explained, "You've misunderstood. Shinichi hasn't been seen for a long time."

Seeing their reactions, Ikeba Shizuka felt a little confused and apologized to them, saying, "I was mistaken. My apologies."

Kitagawa Taki could roughly guess that Hattori Heiji had probably let it slip to her.

"let's go!"

Ran called out to Kogoro Mouri, "Dad, aren't we going to invite Conan?"

Kogoro Mouri waved his hand dismissively: "It's just looking for someone, no need!"

Kitagawa Taki asked curiously, "What do you want with Conan?"

Xiao Lan gave an explanation.

Kitagawa Taki nodded slightly. So that kid hadn't given up on the Mouri Detective Agency line after all.

……

It was a little after 6 p.m.

The group finally arrived at the apartment building where Shibata Shiro was renting.

"This should be it."

Kogoro Mouri glanced at the house number, rang the doorbell, but there was no response for a long time.

Xiao Lan guessed, "Maybe they're not home?"

"Let's go outside and find a place to sit and kill some time, then come back later," Kogoro Mouri suggested.

Kitagawa Taki gestured for the others to look at the door lock: "Look, the door isn't locked."

He's experienced; usually, in this situation, if nothing unexpected happens, then something unexpected does happen.

A quick scan with his divine sense confirmed his suspicions: Shibata Shiro was indeed dead.

Just then, a bald man came up to them.

"Are you all here to see Mr. Shibata?" the man asked, sizing them up.

Kogoro Mouri explained, "Yes, but it seems like no one is inside, and the door isn't locked."

“They must be sleeping. We made plans to play mahjong together later.” The man walked to the door, then turned back and said, “By the way, my name is Yoshikawa Takezo, and I’m a friend of Shibata.”

As he spoke, he pushed open the door and shouted loudly into the house, "Shibata!"

The group took off their shoes and followed them into the house.

"The TV's still on!" Yoshikawa Takezo glanced at the still-playing TV and walked straight into the bedroom.

Xiaolan noticed there was still a half-eaten bowl of rice on the table. She touched the bowl with her hand and said, "The miso soup is already cold."

"What a pity, it's such a waste to have such a good Gu Ci!" Ikeba Shizuka glanced at the dishes next to her.

"Kuji?"

Shizuka Ikenami explained with a smile, "Actually, it's just tilefish."

Kitagawa Taki glanced at Ikenami Shizuka and said, "Miss Ikenami, you can tell the type of fish just by looking at the flesh, so your cooking skills must be pretty good!"

Kogoro Mouri and Ran also cast inquiring glances at her.

Ikeba Shizuka said calmly, "Actually, my family sells fish."

Fish seller? Sure.

"I see." Kitagawa Taki said as he walked towards the bedroom.

A woman's voice rang out from behind, "Who are you people? How dare you trespass into someone else's home!"

The woman, carrying a golf bag, adopted a defensive stance.

Just as Kogoro Mouri was about to explain, he heard Takezo Yoshikawa's exclamation from the bedroom.

The group rushed to the bedroom to check on the situation, only to find Shibata Shiro lying unconscious on the floor, with Yoshikawa Takezo shaking him incessantly beside him.

"Stop shaking him, he's already dead."

Kitagawa Taki observed the expressions of the two. Yoshikawa Takezo was anxious and uneasy, while the woman seemed to be stunned and slowly sat down on the ground against the wall.

"Xiaolan, call the police!"

Kogoro Mouri squatted down, checked the pulse, and after confirming that the person was dead, he said to Ran with a grim face.

"The body is stiff, and the person has been dead for some time," Kogoro Mouri made a simple judgment.

Kitagawa Taki then picked up the object Shibata Shiro was holding in his right hand with a handkerchief, opened it, and saw that it was a photo of Ikenami Shizuka.

The woman in the picture above is holding her second-place medal, looking as if she's about to cry, giving off a pitiful feeling.

"Ms. Ikenami, is this the photo you were looking for?"

"Yes." Shizuka Ikenami was also somewhat surprised that her photo was in the hands of the deceased Shibata Shiro.