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

"Edogawa Conan is a detective!" Conan's expression turned serious. "Kaito Kid, what are you doing here? And what role are you playing in this murder case?"

"Hey, hey, hey, this murder case has absolutely nothing to do with me. I'm just here out of curiosity about why the 'Deceitful Child' who died long ago is still communicating with me."

Kaito Kuroba tore off his disguise.

Conan asked, "Already deceased?"

Kaito Kuroba explained, "'Deceitful Child' is the famous magician Harui Fuden, and Tanaka Kikue is his granddaughter."

"Little detective, how's it going? Did you find anything after searching everywhere?"

Conan said in a deep voice, "It's certain that Toshiya Hamano was killed by Kikue Tanaka. I've figured out the method, but I don't have direct evidence yet."

"Is that so?" Kaito Kuroba pulled out a flashbang. "Goodbye, little detective."

With his identity exposed, Kaito Kuroba is no longer willing to stay.

"Damn it!" Conan was stabbed so hard he couldn't open his eyes for a moment.

When he opened his eyes again, Kaito Kuroba had already flown away from the balcony of the next room using a hang glider.

After the last equipment upgrade, Kaito Kuroba's glider has an additional thruster at the back, allowing him to take off even from a low position.

"Phantom Thief Kid, I won't let you get away so easily!"

Conan picked up the pen holder from the table, activated his power-enhancing shoes, aimed at the thrusters, and kicked the pen holder away.

Kaito Kuroba was caught off guard by Conan's move and exclaimed, "I'm doomed!"

Kaito Kuroba, who had just taken flight, slowly fell back into the forest.

Chapter 78 The Two People Frozen to the Bone

"Conan, what was that noise just now? Where's Mr. Doi Tou?"

Conan met the group of people who had come to check on the situation at the bottom of the stairs.

Conan replied, "That was Kaito Kid. He escaped using a hang glider."

"Kaito Kid?" everyone exclaimed.

"The rearranged and reordered Doi Taku Tree is Kaito Kid."

Conan glanced at Kitagawa Taki, feeling that Kitagawa Taki must have discovered Kaito Kid's identity long ago.

Naoko Kuroda speculated, "Could he have killed Mr. Hamano?"

"No, he's here to investigate the 'deceiving children' incident." Conan pointed the finger at Kikue Tanaka.

"Deceiving a child? Miss Tanaka?"

Everyone turned their attention to Kikue Tanaka.

Conan questioned, "Ms. Tanaka, isn't the 'Deceiving Child' your maternal grandfather, Harui Fuden?"

Kikue Tanaka didn't hide anything: "Yes and no, 'Deceitful Child' is indeed my nickname, but my maternal grandfather used it for a while."

"Harui Fuden?" Araki Yoshinori and Kuroda Naoko were somewhat dazed, not expecting that the person they were chatting with was the famous magician, and also the maternal grandfather of Tanaka Kikue.

Araki suddenly remembered something, "Ms. Tanaka, could it be that Mr. Harui... did it because he was talking to us about escape magic..."

“It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing that led to the accident.” Tanaka Kikue’s eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. “Little friend, you don’t suspect that I killed Mr. Hamano, do you?”

"Ms. Tanaka, could you please take off your coat and boots?"

Conan suspects that Kikue Tanaka has hidden the arrow on her person.

Kitagawa Taki almost burst out laughing. If Conan hadn't shrunk, he might have gotten a slap in the face.

When Ran heard Conan's impolite request, she shouted sharply, "Conan!"

Sonoko glanced at Conan and said, "Ran, when you get back, you should ask Uncle Mori to teach this brat a lesson."

Kitagawa Taki agreed wholeheartedly and nodded in agreement.

Conan rolled his eyes. Sonoko was really meddling too much. She wouldn't be polite to a murderer.

"It's alright." Kikue Tanaka smiled, taking off her coat and over-the-knee boots. "Little one, is this alright?"

Conan checked it out but found nothing.

Kikue Tanaka appeared calm on the surface, but she was not inwardly so. If Kitagawa Taki hadn't interfered, she would have indeed hidden the arrow in her boot according to her original plan.

"Ms. Tanaka, I'm sorry." Ran said apologetically.

"It's alright," Kikue Tanaka waved her hand.

"Ah, could it be that 'Shadow Mage'?" Sonoko suddenly said. "Didn't that 'Shadow Mage' say something like, 'Harui Fuden's death was all your fault'?"

“Indeed…” Araki Yoshinori and Kuroda Naoko’s expressions darkened.

Conan dismissed this theory in his mind; the "Shadow Mage" must be Kikue Tanaka.

However, he doesn't care about that right now.

"Brother Kitagawa, did you already know that Doi Takaki was Kaito Kid?" Conan asked in a low voice.

“I know.” Kitagawa Taki nodded.

Conan thought to himself, "Just as I thought." "Then why didn't you expose him sooner?"

Kitagawa Taki said casually, "Why should I expose him? I'm not a policeman. Last time it was because he tried to steal the Suzuki family's jewels, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered with him."

Conan choked, realizing that Kitagawa Taki's words seemed to make some sense.

He stopped dwelling on the matter and focused on figuring out the missing tools.

Kitagawa Taki saw that Conan was deep in thought again, and he found it rather amusing. Even if Conan figured out that outrageous method, he wouldn't be able to find any evidence.

At this moment, Araki said, "It's getting late, everyone should go back to their rooms and rest. Make sure to close the doors and windows."

The group nodded; they couldn't possibly sit there idly all night.

Conan took the opportunity to go to Kaito Kuroba's room alone.

After figuring out that everyone had rested, Conan quietly left the villa and went to the forest behind it.

There was no other way; he dared not sneak out in front of Xiaolan. If he really angered Xiaolan, she would just slap him and that would be the end of him.

Using the light from his watch, Conan searched for the last arrow and the rope that had been fired.

Based on his reasoning, with so many ropes attached, the arrow shouldn't have flown very far.

But no matter how hard he searched, he found nothing.

……

Early the next morning.

Huang Yi went down the mountain to call the police, while the others waited at the villa.

Conan had dark circles under his eyes; he hadn't slept much last night. He searched for a long time in the woods, but not only did he find nothing, he almost froze to death.

He couldn't help but doubt that his reasoning was wrong, and that perhaps Kikue Tanaka hadn't actually used this method at all.

About an hour later, Araki returned with the police, including the familiar Inspector Megure.

Inspector Megure also brought news that "Escape King" Tsutomu Nishiyama had died at home, and there was also a message left by "Shadow Mage"—one of them had been taken care of.

Based on the testimonies of other magic enthusiasts, Inspector Megure determined that this was a serial murder case committed by a "Shadow Mage".

To some extent, this conclusion is not wrong.

Conan was still not satisfied. "Inspector Megure, can you confirm the identity of the 'Shadow Mage'?"

Inspector Megure shook his head. "No, we've already investigated. 'Shadow Mage' used someone else's identity information. That person has never even been online."

How outrageous! Are we just supposed to let the murderer get away with it?

Conan glanced at the composed Kikue Tanaka. If this case couldn't be solved, it would become a thorn in his side.

After a brief questioning, Kitagawa Taki and his group were allowed to leave the mountain, while the other magic enthusiasts had to stay behind to cooperate with the police investigation.

No matter how unwilling Conan was, he could not stay any longer. He planned to go back and, as Shinichi Kudo, tell Inspector Megure his reasoning, hoping that the police would make a discovery.

Looking in the rearview mirror, Conan saw Ran still holding that bouquet of roses, and felt a pang of sadness.

He came along despite having a cold, but got nothing out of it. Not only was the case unsolved, but he also got scolded by Ran. In the middle of it all, Kaito Kid appeared and got away.

……

Ekota.

"Ah!"

Kaito Kuroba wrapped himself tightly in the blanket; he had been freezing the night before.

"You wretched brat!"

He never dreamed that he would be kicked down from the sky by a child.

Without his paraglider, with lots of snow on the mountain and it being nighttime, it took him several hours to get down the mountain.

Kaito Kuroba was already sensitive to the cold, and after all that, he got sick from the cold.

Chapter 79 The Queen in the Coffee Shop

"I am back!"

Kitagawa Taki hugged Miyano Akemi, who had come to open the door, and gave her a big kiss.

Now the two of them no longer need to hide their secrets from Ai Haibara.

"Taki-kun, Ai is still here!" Miyano Akemi was still a little reserved in front of her younger sister.

“She’s not a child anymore, it won’t matter if she sees it.” Kitagawa Taki laughed.

Ai Haibara sat on the sofa, engrossed in reading a fashion magazine, pretending not to hear.

Ever since Akemi Miyano confessed to Ai Haibara, she and Taki Kitagawa have stopped acting so secretly, and Ai Haibara's sleep quality has even decreased.

These two people didn't treat her like a child at all.

"By the way, did anything happen at the office while I was away?" Kitagawa Taki released Miyano Akemi.