No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

"It's obvious that in order to make the fishing lines tangle, the murderer took advantage of today's trend to make his fishing line flow from left to right. And since Mr. Jiangjue's hook injury is only on his left arm, the murderer is naturally the person fishing to the left of the victim—the murderer is you! Jingu Fengren!"

His modus operandi had been perfectly predicted. Mr. Jin Gu stepped back two paces and once again asked that classic question:

Do you have any evidence to prove what you're saying?

"Of course! Mr. Jiangjue, who was hooked, will definitely cry out. You took advantage of the fishing boat getting close to get your prepared fishing line tangled in Mr. Jiangjue's fishing line. When everyone's attention was on the fishing boat, you immediately pulled out the fishing line with the poisoned hook. I think there must still be Mr. Jiangjue's blood on it. Hehe, you originally planned to deal with this evidence after you left, but you were seen through by Kitahara-san."

Kitahara Masaki hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. He couldn't bring himself to say it was because Conan was there—it wouldn't make sense if someone didn't die.

Chapter 201 My name is Shinichi Kudo, and I'm a Grim Reaper.

This case, which doesn't even qualify as a murder case, was entirely left to Conan to solve. Kitahara Masaki, who only cares about his public image, isn't actually very interested in deduction, so he's been thinking about when he can find a detective to join the Crime Investigation Division to share his workload.

The First Criminal Investigation Division was established to help the First to Fourth Investigation Divisions solve difficult cases, especially those that require deducing the method of murder.

Unfortunately, most of the famous detectives in the world of Detective Conan are high school students. Even those with powerful connections in the Metropolitan Police Department, like Fuchi and Hakuba, would only become trainees for a short period and would never become full-time employees who could relieve Kitahara Masaki's burden.

Despite having ample funding, the First Criminal Investigation Division is currently understaffed.

After returning home from fishing, Kitahara Maki realized that it was still the New Year holiday and had not suddenly jumped to the season of heavy snow.

"Hmm... I wonder how many detectives would be willing to recruit detectives from outside the police force."

"I don't think there are many. I think that kid Conan is pretty much like a high school detective. He's certainly very bright when he's reasoning, but as a detective, he doesn't actually need to be responsible for what he says. The only people who are truly responsible for the investigation are the police. So those detectives who love freedom definitely wouldn't like to be bound by these rules and regulations. Well, it's still too early to ask a group of minors to understand what responsibility is."

A few more days of vacation passed, and there was still no progress in selecting assistants for the First Criminal Investigation Division. Several detectives had applied, but they were all middle-aged men who wanted to become civil servants. Basically, their so-called case-handling experience was limited to investigating extramarital affairs, and they had zero experience in murder cases. Kitahara Masaki didn't want people with that level of expertise. After all, it would be better to find a few from the police academy. However, the Public Security Bureau was always keeping an eye on the good candidates from the police academy, so it was probably not the First Criminal Investigation Division's turn.

Just as he was fretting, he suddenly received a call from Hattori Heiji. After seeing the caller, Kitahara Masaki initially thought he was just visiting Tokyo again, but what he said piqued Kitahara Masaki's interest.

The story goes that Yomiuri TV was making a program about high school detectives, even going so far as to call it "Detective Koshien." They then claimed to be staff from Yomiuri TV and invited Heiji Hattori to appear as the representative detective of western Japan. The most suspicious part was—they actually sent a group of high school students to a deserted island to film the program.

"I understand. I'll ask around for you later."

After hanging up, Kitahara Masaki immediately called Okino Yoko, after all, she was a star entertainer on Yomiuri TV. However, her feedback revealed that Yomiuri TV didn't actually have a program called "Detective Koshien." Realizing that this so-called program was a setup, Kitahara Masaki fell into deep thought. He considered which alias he should use. If he used "Napoleon," he would inevitably arouse suspicion afterward, since only a few people knew about "Detective Koshien." Using "Kitahara Masaki" was inconvenient, as he, as an adult, had no excuse to infiltrate the network.

correct!

Thinking of this, he immediately thought of someone he could manipulate and chuckled to himself.

"What nasty thing are you planning now?"

"Ah, I just discovered that an interesting person is gathering famous high school detectives from Japan. How could I not get involved in something like this?"

"Ahem, Shinichi, the First Crime Investigation Division needs adult detectives, not underage high school students."

"I know, just let me try my luck..."

Seeing Kitahara Masaki's pitiful state from slacking off, Vermouth sighed. Remembering the mission was on a deserted island, she said:

"I'll buy a yacht just in case."

"Okay, please."

------------------

On the day Hattori Heiji had mentioned, Kitahara Masaki and Conan arrived at the boarding location Hattori Heiji had indicated.

"Hey, Kitahara-kun, are you sure it's okay? You're wearing my face right now."

"Hehe, of course there's no problem, that's why I'm borrowing your face."

After all, I'm a member of the Black Organization. Just as Kitahara Masaki was about to board the ship, a loud shout came from behind:

"Kudo! You're not..."

Shh! It's me! It's me!

"Brother Kitahara, this isn't right."

"What's wrong with that? Don't worry, I've taken care of everything. There won't be any problems."

Conan and Heiji Hattori both understood that the disguise was merely to lower the guard of the person who hosted the show. After all, if Officer Kitahara Masaki were to arrive at the scene, the mastermind behind it all might not dare to make a move.

"Um, I'm a director from Nichiri TV. Could you tell me who Heiji Hattori is among you?"

"That's me! And this is Shinichi Kudo, the Kanto detective. Let him join the show too."

The imposter director appeared very embarrassed, while Kitahara Masaki, disguised as Shinichi Kudo, pulled out 10,000 yen and stuffed it into his hand, saying:

"I just wanted to come here to compete for the Detective Koshien championship. Anyway, it won't hurt to let one more person participate."

The director, who introduced himself as Tsuchio Hiroki, nodded quickly after seeing the money and readily agreed to Kitaen Masaki's request.

"Oh, right, this child..."

"Ah, if I were Sherlock Holmes of the Heisei era, then he would be my assistant Watson. Anyway, we should be fine sharing a room, right?"

"No problem, no problem! This way please."

"Hey, aren't we going there on a large cruise ship?"

"Haha, this is just the meeting point. We'll take this small boat over there."

Then, Kitahara Masaki and the other two walked from a cruise ship to a small boat. The difference between them made Kitahara Masaki shake his head. If this fake program wasn't a prank, then the mastermind behind it must be broke.

Upon entering the small boat, three people were already waiting: a girl and two boys.

Oh, by the way, I'm a boy now too.

Kitahara Masaki shook his head again. He now had to play a high school student who was more than ten years younger, which was really taking a lot of effort.

"Ahem, although our program won't officially start recording until tomorrow, the test will begin as soon as we arrive on the island. So please introduce yourselves and get to know each other."

Kitahara Masaki, being a police officer who wanted to observe everyone, naturally volunteered and spoke first:

"I am Shinichi Kudo from Kanto, and I am a Grim Reaper."

Chapter 202 Your clothes don't fit, why don't you take them off?

Hearing this unconventional self-introduction, everyone was taken aback, especially Hattori Heiji, who almost shouted, "Kitahara-sensei, what are you doing?"

Then, after rubbing Conan's head next to him to calm down, he thought that Kitahara Masaki must have had a deeper meaning in doing this. Little did he know that Kitahara Masaki only wanted to say that line once.

"Because of my death-dealing constitution, there have been thousands of cases around me, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries."

The fake director, Tsuchio Hiroki, took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, thinking to himself, "Are all high school students these days so audacious? Their self-introductions are as outrageous as if they were writing a novel."

"Ahem, it seems Detective Kudo enjoys joking. If there have been over a thousand cases, that means you've solved over a thousand cases. That's impressive. Oh—my name is Koshimizu Nanatsuki, a third-year high school student from Fukuoka. Although I'm the representative from the south, I've only solved about a hundred cases. I'm still a novice. Please take good care of me."

After taking off her headphones, Nanatsuki Koshimizu introduced herself in this way, then put them back on, seemingly lost in thought. This girl with short, brown hair dressed in a somewhat androgynous style, but her throat, chest, and legs clearly indicated that she was a woman.

"My name is Tokitsu Junya. I grew up in Hokkaido, so I was invited to be the representative of the north. I have participated in about three hundred incidents, and only two hundred and fifty people were arrested. After all, it is inevitable that some people will escape or commit suicide."

After the detective, who addressed himself as "this humble scholar," introduced himself, it was Hattori Heiji's turn to begin his Versailles speech:

"I'm considered a fairly well-known detective in Kansai. As for the cases I've solved, let me think... haha, I stopped counting them after a thousand."

The last person was Hakuba Saguru, who had been keeping an eye on Kitahara Masaki and Hattori Heiji, especially Hattori Heiji.

"So you're Hattori Heiji, huh? I've often heard my father say you're a very sharp detective. Ahem, my father is the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police Department, just like the father of your Osaka Prefectural Chief, both high-ranking officials in the department. But I only rely on my own abilities to solve cases, so I hope we can have a good competition this time. Oh, by the way, I've probably solved over a thousand cases."

Hakuba Saguru had finished his declaration of war against Hattori Heiji, then looked at Kitahara Masaki, who was disguised as Kudo Shinichi, and asked:

"The reason I received the invitation was because the director said they couldn't reach Shinichi Kudo, so they invited me. Then they asked if I could replace Kudo and represent the East, but the current situation doesn't seem like they can't reach him. Director, could you please explain?"

"Well, Hakuba-kun, I only found out about this after receiving a text message from Hattori. And I didn't come here to compete; I just wanted to see who the winner of this competition would be."

As the real Shinichi Kudo, Conan observed the other two detectives and the director. He already knew from Masaki Kitahara that there was no such program as "Detective Koshien," so he suspected that the person who organized this fake program was likely among them. In fact, when he heard Masaki Kitahara, with his own face on, say "I am the Grim Reaper," he was almost suffocated with embarrassment. Fortunately, Masaki Kitahara promised him that he would tear off the face after finding the real culprit. So, at this moment, he could only silently search for who had orchestrated this farce.

However, it now appears that everyone present is a perfectly normal high school student. The small boat soon arrived at the deserted island, only to find that there was only one person there to greet them—an old man.

"Welcome everyone, I am Renzo Kotani, and I am in charge of your meals and accommodations."

There's only one wooden hut on the entire deserted island, but it does have electricity and running water. They went to such lengths to prepare for such a fake show...

"Ahem, everyone must be tired. You can go back to your rooms to rest for a while, and then change into clothes that match Koshien before coming out for dinner. Mr. Kakuya is almost ready to prepare dinner."

When Kitahara Masaki went to one of the rooms, the director apologized and said that they hadn't prepared his high school uniform, but Kitahara Masaki wasn't going to wear it anyway, so it probably wouldn't fit him.

The group, now dressed in their school uniforms, went to the cafeteria. At this point, Nanatsuki Koshimizu took off her sunglasses and headphones. Wearing her high school uniform, she was the only girl among the high school detectives. Masaki Kitahara looked at her intently, and she asked shyly:

"Ahem, Kudo-kun, is there something on my face?"

"No, I just think you have a great figure, Koshimizu-kun."

Of course—in reality, Kitahara Masaki's years of experience in disguise allowed him to immediately tell that Koshimizu Nanatsuki wasn't used to wearing a high school uniform. Although she was petite as a woman, ill-fitting clothes always created an awkward movement, just like she was now—holding her skirt and taking smaller steps. Most importantly, despite claiming to be a high school student, she had pierced ears, though they were covered by her hair, which he had noticed during his careful observation.

So, does that mean the detective Koshien is actually her masterpiece?

Nanatsuki Koshimizu, who was praised by Masaki Kitahara, was surprised. The Shinichi Kudo she had seen on TV before was different from the one she had met in person.

When everyone arrived at the restaurant, they found that the director was missing. The high school detectives unanimously assumed that a case had come up. Only Kitahara Maki looked at the steak, oysters, and salad on the table and wondered why they couldn't finish their meal before the case came up.

After questioning Renzo Koya, everyone rushed to the door of director Hiroo Tsuchio. After knocking on the door and receiving no answer, Heiji Hattori reached out to open the door, but suddenly felt something on his hand. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was blood!

"There's blood on the doorknob! Sir, where's the spare key?!"

"No, this place was originally built by a rich man, and he later rented it out at a low price. And all the bedrooms here are the same, so you can only lock them from the inside."

Hakuba Tan then said:

"Let's check the situation from outside the window first."

As a result, Hattori Heiji immediately started banging on the door.

However, due to the problem with exerting force, he appeared quite disheveled. It seems that even though this is an old house, the door locks and such are still quite sturdy.

"Hattori, please move aside."

Kitahara Masaki kicked the door, creating a hole with a bang. After pulling his leg back, he reached his hand through the hole and unlocked the door.

The director, who hadn't responded, was lying on the ground with tape over his mouth and ropes tied around his body. Surprisingly, he was still alive.

Chapter 203 Playing the Minor Card

"Hey, sir, what's going on?"

"I heard someone knocking on the door, and when I opened it, my mouth and nose were covered, and that's how it happened."

The director, who had been helped up, looked completely dazed. Just as all the detectives were about to ask further questions, Renzo Koya, who had only been guiding the way, suddenly spoke up:

"Detective Koshien, Question 1—Unravel the truth behind this locked room mystery. Whoever solves it, please submit your reasoning in writing. Only those who answer correctly can advance to the second round of the competition."