The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

Kazama Kaoru sneered inwardly. He only cared about this clumsy infiltration technique because he didn't care; otherwise, this guy wouldn't have been able to get close to the scene in a second.

"You brat, how many times do I have to tell you before you understand? You can't touch corpses or enter crime scenes without permission. Go play somewhere else."

Kogoro Mouri is clearly more interested in teaching Conan a lesson. He was just looking for clues, but after finding Conan, he angrily went to teach him a lesson, even putting the case aside. What true love!

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What followed was a tedious interrogation process, with the same question being asked several times, because people often speak incoherently when they are nervous.

Not to mention the person being asked might get impatient, even Kaoru Kazama himself is almost sick of asking.

"Damn it, are you deliberately trying to cause trouble, you stinking cop? This is clearly a case of settling a personal score. I only said a few words to you, why are you being so petty?"

Akie Hatamoto looked indignant as she spoke, her eyes filled with disdain, as if she were some kind of superior being. She already disliked Kaoru Kazama, and being questioned like this only made her more impatient.

"You'd better behave yourself. My patience has its limits. You talk too much nonsense."

This brainless idiot has repeatedly tested Kazama Kaoru's patience. Although the Sharingan trial card is still valid, he has no intention of using it anymore.

"Click"

Kaoru Kazama snapped off the corner of the iron desk, making a clear sound in the room, instantly changing the atmosphere.

The suspects, who had been nonchalant, suddenly became serious. As for Akie Hatamoto, she was helped back by her man after the interrogation ended, as she could no longer stand up.

Kaoru glanced at the stool she had sat on and, seeing no suspicious signs, breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this woman wasn't so easily frightened.

He didn't just use force to threaten her; he also used his mental power to lock onto the woman, making her feel like she was being watched by a ferocious beast, constantly on the verge of being torn to pieces. Otherwise, why would she be so obedient?

Despite his seemingly cold demeanor, Kaoru Kazama has quite a few thoughts running through his mind. He's marveling at how effective Ran's methods are; it's true that you can't stand firm without being ruthless.

Chapter 63 A father-in-law is always a father-in-law

"This incident must have been a homicide, right?"

While Kogoro Mouri was walking into the scene, Conan secretly slipped in behind him. Kaoru Kazama didn't care; in his opinion, Kogoro Mouri might actually be helping Conan solve cases most of the time.

"What? You brat, you're wandering around the crime scene again? Don't you know kids shouldn't meddle in adult matters?"

However, after Conan made a sound and was discovered by Uncle Mori, he still intended to use his iron fist to let Conan know that his father-in-law would always be his father-in-law.

"Uncle, stop arguing. Look, if it were suicide, the bloodstains wouldn't have reached this place. So Grandpa Gozo must have been killed while the door was open, which means it was a homicide."

Conan's calm demeanor at the crime scene was witnessed by everyone present, but since the whole family had their own ulterior motives, they didn't care whether the child was too strange.

For people who only care about money, it doesn't matter if you grow bigger or smaller, as long as you don't bother them.

"Oh, I see. It seems it really was a suicide."

Kogoro Mouri played the role of the straight man very well. When Inspector Megure, the super straight man, was not around, Uncle Mouri would occasionally help Conan with his deductions.

"Name?"

"Ichiro Hatamoto"

"Relationship with the deceased?"

"He is my grandfather!"

With his long, side-parted hair that completely covered one eye, Ichiro Hatamoto appeared somewhat gloomy, giving the impression of a rather introverted otaku. Moreover, while Kaoru Kazama was interrogating him, his mother, Mariko Hatamoto, kept saying things like, "Her son has always been obedient and well-behaved since he was a child. He could never be a murderer."

Although it was quite noisy, Kaoru Kazama could understand it. What mother in the world could remain indifferent while watching her son being treated as a criminal suspect?

"Officer, I think we don't need to continue the interrogation. I know who killed my father!!!"

Seeing that her pleas were useless, Mariko Hatamoto, who had been silent for a while, suddenly calmed down and dropped this bombshell.

"W-what, eldest sister, do you know who killed Father?"

Shoji Hatamoto looked incredulous. The plump woman in front of him was indeed his older sister. In the past forty years, he had never known that his sister could deduce.

"Are you sure you know that lying can be considered obstruction of official business?"

Kaoru Kazama glanced at Mariko Hatamoto, his eyes completely unmoved. He had sent the two detectives outside to search for clues, but that didn't mean he wasn't investigating the case himself.

The murderer was basically identified, but after hearing what the middle-aged woman said, he was a little curious about what kind of reasoning this pampered rich girl could come up with.

It's important to know that in the world of Conan, there are not only many criminals, but also many highly intelligent detectives. You might bump into an old lady on the street, and she could deduce your behavior over a period of time based on your clothes and appearance, giving you a creepy feeling.

"Before that, I want to ask you something, Xiao Wu, where were you before we found out that Dad had been killed?"

This woman put on airs, crossing her arms as if she knew everything, and turned her gaze to Xiao Wu, who had been standing quietly in the corner since the beginning.

"Auntie, you...you don't suspect me, do you? I've been in my room the whole time."

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, cold sweat slowly broke out on Xiao Wu's forehead.

"That's not right. You were clearly arguing with Dad in your room earlier."

"How...how did you know?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions. Everyone had witnessed the scene of Hatamoto Gozo's death; he had been stabbed from outside the door. If Xiao Wu had indeed been arguing with Hatamoto Gozo in his room before that, then without a doubt, Xiao Wu was the prime suspect.

"Xiao Wu, is this true?"

The one who couldn't believe it the most was Hatamoto Natsue. She stared at her fiancé in disbelief, tears slowly welling up in her eyes.

"I just happened to be passing by and overheard it. Besides, I also know something else: you're Zaijiro Yuu's son, right?"

Seeing the terrified look in Xiaowu's eyes, Mariko Hatamoto seemed to enjoy the feeling of cornering someone, her expression quite smug, especially when the butler brought over the flower she had found in front of Hatamoto Gozo's house.

"Aren't these the flowers I pinned on Xiaowu? How did they end up here?"

With this evidence presented, Xiao Wu's suspicion of murder is almost a certainty.

But at that moment, a voice suddenly rang out:

"Who is Yuujiro Zaijo?"

It was Conan who spoke, while Kazama Kaoru looked at the two people, one big and one small, with an "I knew it" expression. He knew these two would come here. After he took the suspects away, even if Conan found a lot of clues, it would be useless if he couldn't get information from these people.

"Oh, him? He was one of Dad's competitors. After Dad ruined his company, I heard he committed suicide. After that, his wife also died of illness, leaving him with only a son."

Shoji Hatamoto explained to Conan, while looking at Takeshi with a surprised expression. He probably didn't expect that the son of his legendary enemy had been swaggering around right next to him for so long.

"Capitalist society is truly cruel. Capital accumulation is primitive and bloody. But is it really that easy to just change one's name and identity?"

Kaoru Kazama expressed concern about the island nation's household registration system. As an island nation without a so-called ID card, it is indeed easy to change one's identity to do certain things that are not known to others.

Perhaps this is a paradise for criminals, but it's a real headache for Kaoru Kazama, a police officer.

"Xiao Wu, this, this can't be real, right? How could you possibly..."

Xia Jiang's worldview was almost completely reshaped. His marriage partner was actually the child of his enemy. Even a fool could understand why the enemy would marry him.

Overwhelmed with grief, Hatamoto Natsue covered her face and wept uncontrollably, then ran towards the deck.

"Xia Jiang, Xia Jiang, it's not like that, it's not like that, listen to me!"

Xiao Wu struck a pose reminiscent of Er Kang's classic pose while facing Hatamoto Natsue's back, though the area and size of his nostrils were noticeably different.

"Xiao Wu, I originally thought you were a man of principle, but I never expected you to be this kind of person. I am so disappointed in you."

Shoji Hatamoto was the only one who didn't look at Xiaowu with malice. The other members of the Hatamoto family, after hearing the news, all kept looking at them with hostility. It seemed that Shoji Hatamoto was one of the more kind people in the family.

"Inspector Megure, you're here. I'll leave the rest of the work to you. Here are the previous interrogation records and the alibis of these people. I have to go out for a bit."

Having heard the swishing sound earlier, Kazama Kaoru guessed that Inspector Megure and his team had arrived by helicopter. The figure that followed Hatamoto Natsue after she ran out further confirmed Kazama Kaoru's guess.

It was Inspector Megure, wearing his ever-present orange trench coat, who arrived at the scene with Sato, Takagi, Shiratori, and Chiba.

On one hand, she didn't want to stay here and watch the scheming women perform their palace intrigues; on the other hand, she was worried about Hatamoto Natsue, who had run away.

Kazama Kaoru quickly handed over his work and chased after Hatamoto Natsue in the direction she had run off to.

(Compared to Kotake, Kaoru Kazama seems more like Natsue Hatamoto's boyfriend!)

Chapter 64 The Children Chosen by the Case

After leaving the rest to Inspector Megure, Kaoru Kazama, like the male lead in an idol drama, chased after Natsue who had run away to the deck. As for Kobu, he seemed to have been locked in the warehouse by Mariko Hatamoto, who had taken it upon herself to do so.

"Inspector Megure is really something, letting that woman do whatever she wants."

Kaoru Kazama glanced back at Mariko Hatamoto, who seemed to be a famous detective, and felt a headache coming on from Inspector Megure's easygoing nature.

"Xia Jiang, it's windy at sea. It's best not to stay on deck so late at night."

On the deck railing, he saw Hatamoto Natsue lying on it. It was understandable that such an innocent girl would find it hard to accept knowing that her fiancé was marrying her for revenge.

"Xiao Xun, why, why, why is it like this? Xiao Wu actually married me for revenge. Did I misjudge him and love the wrong person all along?"

Hatamoto Natsue's beautiful eyes were filled with tears, which had already streamed down her cheeks, and her eyes were filled with endless disappointment.

Kaoru looked into those eyes, said nothing to comfort her, and simply walked up and silently hugged the girl in front of her. Sometimes words seem pale and inadequate; a warm embrace is what truly matters.

Although he is a cross-dressing master, Kaoru Kazama only wanted to comfort the girl in front of him at this moment, and had no other thoughts.

"Sister Xiaoxun, is Miss Xia Jiang alright?"

Ran's voice came from not far away. It turned out that Ran had followed Kazama Kaoru not long after he caught up.

Unlike her father and childhood friend who are obsessed with cases, Ran, who is pure and kind by nature, is very concerned about Hatamoto Natsue, who ran away.

"Thank you, Xiaoxun, Xiaolan. I'm fine, I'm just a little overwhelmed by the news. I'm not dead."

Although that's what she said, her red eyes showed that she wasn't as open-minded as she claimed.

"Things will eventually pass. Besides, nothing is certain yet, and it's not necessarily Xiao Wu who killed him."

"That's right. There's no conclusive evidence yet to prove that Xiao Wu is the murderer. Miss Xia Jiang, you don't need to be so sad. In fact, discovering his true purpose sooner is actually a good thing for you, isn't it?"

Kazama Kaoru naturally knew that the real culprit this time was not Xiao Wu. He had sensed it during the interrogation by observing his micro-expressions and his animalistic intuition.

Although the murderer's timing and method were very clever this time, no matter how flawless the method was, his psychological state could not be changed. After all, it was his first murder, and it was committed in a fit of rage.

No matter how he tried to hide it, his unusually rapid heartbeat remained unchanged, as did his unnatural reaction when Kazama Kaoru cast a suspicious glance at him.

Whether it's his constantly fidgeting right hand or his restless, swinging toes, it all reveals that his inner self is not as calm as his outward appearance suggests.

"Xia Jiang, don't worry, I will find the real culprit. I can tell you that Xiao Wu is not the murderer. He was made a scapegoat."

"Is this true? Mr. Xiaowu isn't the murderer?"

It wasn't Xia Jiang who spoke, but Xiao Lan; the girl was happy for Xia Jiang.