No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

"I'm sorry, sir, could you please make that seat available? It was the seat of one of our regular customers. Although he was a regular, he passed away last month, and I'd like to keep the seat vacant until the 49th day after his death."

Kitahara Masaki simply watched without saying a word. There was indeed a vase of flowers on the seat, along with a bottle of water. Curaçao waited nervously for her ramen. Although she remembered how to use chopsticks, she didn't recognize any of the shops she had seen on her way there. However, Vermouth noticed her worry and held her hand to comfort her.

Although the shop's decor was incredibly old, the ramen was served very quickly. After taking the first bite and then a sip of soup, the chill in my body was completely dispelled.

"Eleanor, how is it? Is it delicious?"

"Mmm! It's delicious!"

Just as Kitahara Masaki was about to finish eating and leave, a customer suddenly entered the restaurant, and the manager shouted loudly:

"What are you doing here? You're not welcome here!"

"Don't do that. How can you treat a guest like that?"

"The reason our store has fewer customers is all because your underlings keep coming to my store and causing trouble!"

"Sorry, they're just a bunch of hot-blooded fools."

The customer was dressed in an expensive suit and wore glasses, appearing to be a refined gentleman, but his conversation with the store manager revealed that he was not a good person.

The gangster plopped down in the specially reserved empty seat and knocked over a vase, spilling water and flowers onto the table.

"Hey, manager, could you wipe the table for me?"

"Since you spilled it, you can clean it up yourself."

Upon hearing this, the gangster took out a handkerchief and wiped the water off the table. However, his actions were not out of politeness, but rather because he softened his tone and tried to persuade the shopkeeper to sell the unprofitable shop. But the shopkeeper remained adamant.

A little while later, just as Kitahara Masaki and his group were finishing their meal, another customer entered. He happened to be the owner of the barbershop next door. He immediately sided with the ramen shop owner, saying that the yakuza had bought their shop to speculate on land, so they would never sell it to the yakuza. He even added, "Even if you had patronized our shop just now, I would never have agreed to sell it."

It seems this gangster just finished trying to persuade the barbershop next door, but found that the barbershop wasn't working, so he came to this ramen shop instead.

When the gangster's tough approach failed, he tried appealing to emotions, saying his company was on the verge of collapse. The manager seemed unimpressed, but still carefully prepared the gangster's ramen. It seems this professional chef wouldn't let personal feelings get in the way of food.

However, Kitahara Masaki suddenly realized that apart from them and Conan and Mori, there were four people left, and there was also a yakuza member who was disliked by the other three.

"Eleanor, let's go."

"I haven't finished eating yet."

"It's okay, we'll go to the convenience store again later."

"Ok."

The amnesiac Curaçao was unusually obedient. Just as Vermouth was urging her to leave the shop with Kitahara Masaki, the yakuza, who hadn't even eaten two bites of ramen, suddenly gasped as if he couldn't breathe, swayed a couple of times, and then collapsed to the ground.

Conan, that brat, immediately rushed over to check his pulse, and then, in his capacity as the Grim Reaper, declared that this yakuza had officially stepped into the Sanzu River.

It seems this gangster wasn't eating some incredibly delicious ramen; it was probably almond-flavored. He likely ingested cyanide, which anyone can get their hands on, and then wasted it after only a couple of bites.

Tsk—

Kitahara Masaki was speechless. In this situation, they definitely couldn't leave. If they left immediately, Conan would probably talk too much to the police. The key issue was that their car was still parked outside the store, and it would be troublesome if the police knew their license plate number.

So now all we need to do is prove that the murderer is one of those three people, which eliminates the need for registration of information and taking statements.

"Eleanor, we can't leave until later."

"why?"

“Someone has died inside the store. If we leave now, the police will likely become suspicious.”

"Police? No way—"

Upon hearing the police's voice, Curaçao suddenly clutched her head and squatted down on the ground, seemingly triggered by some unforeseen reaction.

Vermouth immediately hugged her and comforted her:

"It's okay, it's okay, your sister is here, don't be afraid."

This is troublesome. Conan has definitely noticed us now, but we just need to find the culprit as soon as possible.

Kitahara Masaki lamented that the operation to capture Curaçao had gone too smoothly, and it was only after capturing her that trouble arose.

Chapter 314 The Grim Reaper's Reputation

After a while, Inspector Megure and Takagi arrived at the scene. These two were already bound to the murder scene, but unfortunately, the number of times they were able to deduce the truth and catch the murderer on their own was very limited.

Upon seeing an acquaintance, Conan immediately rattled off the relationship between the deceased and the three suspects—the deceased, Mr. Nishizawa, was the president of a real estate company who wanted to buy the shops in the shopping arcade and transform them into a modern shopping center, which was why most of the shop owners were dissatisfied with him. Furthermore, he had gone to the barbershop next door for a haircut before eating noodles.

Ramen shop owner Ogura Kōya was naturally in charge of making ramen, while employee Ohashi Ayāyo was responsible for adding toppings like char siu and preserved egg to the ramen. Finally, barber shop owner Taninaka Masaru would naturally have come into contact with the victim while cutting her hair, so all three are suspects.

Kitahara Masaki was still thinking about whether he could tell Inspector Megure that the three of them were just ordinary diners, thus ruling out their possibility of committing a crime and allowing them to leave.

Then Conan suddenly said:

"Hey big brother, you were thinking of leaving a moment before that uncle fell down. You hadn't finished your ramen yet, right? Why were you in such a hurry? It was like you knew someone was going to get into trouble."

Inspector Megure and Takagi, those two blockheads, believed Conan the moment they heard him say "Oh, right?" and looked at the three of them with suspicion.

"Sigh, I didn't want to say this in front of the child, but in order not to be seen as a murderer, it seems I have no choice but to say it."

Just when everyone thought there was something going on with the man who put on a mask after finishing his noodles, he suddenly said:

"I'm actually a fan of Inspector Kitahara Masaki. We set up a website to collect information about the cases he solved. Then we suddenly discovered that there's always one person at the crime scene—that kid! He's just a kid, but he always manages to show up at the crime scene, so we in the circle gave him a nickname—'Grim Reaper'!"

This answer surprised everyone, drawing attention to Conan. However, Conan, being the little devil, couldn't refute it, since cases were always happening around him.

"Ahem, and also—none of the three of us have ever been near the deceased, and we've never touched anything near the deceased either, so it definitely wasn't us."

Inspector Megure apologized first, then asked everyone in the ramen shop to wait outside for the forensic team to examine the traces of the poison.

Conan, who was outside, was originally planning to investigate the case, but he was also a little concerned about why there were records about him on the website about Kitahara Masaki, so he opened his phone and started looking it up himself.

Kitahara Masaki was secretly delighted; this kid had actually taken his joke seriously, though it seemed Inspector Megure and Takagi were doing the same...

The toxicology test was completed quickly, and Inspector Megure went outside and announced the results to everyone:

"No toxic substances were detected in the ramen, the water the victim drank from, or the vase. However, toxic substances were detected on the victim's left thumb and forefinger, the chopsticks used, and the table where the victim sat, although the toxic substances on the chopsticks and the table were very weak."

Takagi picked up the conversation and continued:

"Furthermore, we also found the same poison powder in the inside pocket of the victim's coat. However, the victim's personal belongings, such as a handkerchief, wallet, glasses, cigarettes, and lighter, did not show any signs of poisoning. Therefore, we deduce that Mr. Nishizawa likely intended to frame the ramen shop with the poison powder he brought with him in order to achieve his goal of acquiring the ramen shop, but due to his own negligence, he ended up getting the poison on his fingers."

That's certainly possible, but it's clearly wrong. Just as Kitahara Masaki was about to speak, Conan had already knocked out Mori with a single injection and begun his deduction show.

“Officer Takagi, that’s clearly a flawed deduction. It’s a trap set by the criminal.”

"trap?"

"Yes, for a poisoning method like this, the most important thing is to determine where the poison was placed. To cover up the real location of the poisoning, the murderer must have switched the victim's belongings, so the murderer definitely has something poisoned in their possession!"

This criminal was really unlucky. If it weren't for Conan and Uncle Mori telling everyone not to move, he probably would have already disposed of all the evidence.

"And that's something the victim, Mr. Nishizawa, would definitely touch!"

Takagi thought for a moment and said:

"Cigarettes and lighters are obviously not used in the store, so it must be a handkerchief!"

"No, that's not right. You only need a handkerchief to wash your hands before a meal or to wipe your mouth after a meal. But Mr. Nishizawa was poisoned when he had just eaten two bites of noodles! So, aside from cigarettes, a lighter, and a wallet, all that's left are his glasses. Even if Mr. Nishizawa doesn't take them off before eating, it doesn't matter. He will definitely take them off the moment he enters the room!"

Then, once again, Conan played two roles. After removing his voice-changing tie, Conan ran outside the store and pushed the door open. Everyone saw that his glasses instantly fogged up.

Ah!

Takagi's been working for so long, but he's still acting like a rookie. I have to teach him a lesson when we get back, make him understand that even police officers need to learn how to manage their expressions!

"That's right. When it's cold outside, entering a warm place like a ramen shop will definitely cause your eyes to fog up. I think the poison was probably applied to both ends of the glasses frame, and when Nishizawa took them off, he naturally touched them. Then, the murderer took advantage of the chaos caused by Mr. Nishizawa's death to switch the glasses. Afterwards, when the police investigate the personal belongings of everyone present, they usually don't ask those cooperating with the investigation to remove their glasses. So the murderer is—Mr. Tanaka Masaru from the barbershop. You were the only one wearing glasses at the scene!"

When the hardworking and conscientious Takagi politely asked if he could take off his glasses for a poison test, the barber shop owner confessed to his crime. He said that while Mr. Nishizawa was getting a haircut, he had applied the poison to Nishizawa's glasses and put the poison powder in his pocket.

Then, just as Conan deduced, Mr. Nishizawa's hands, after removing his glasses, came into contact with the poison. While eating, the poison then got onto his chopsticks and naturally ended up in his mouth. While everyone was in a state of confusion due to the news of Mr. Nishizawa's death, he took the opportunity to switch his glasses, placing his non-poisonous pair next to the deceased.

Inspector Megure was very happy this time. Although Mori always showed up at the crime scene, it was a good thing that he helped Kitahara Masaki this time.

"Alright everyone, the case is closed. We... um? Where are the three guests? Takagi! Did you see three guests go somewhere?"

"I didn't see it. I guess they didn't want the hassle and left early."

Conan was so engrossed in the wonderful feeling of deduction that he didn't notice at all that Kitahara Masaki and his group had slipped away while the culprit's identity was being revealed.

Damn it! I also want to ask that guy which website recorded Kitahara Masaki's case. And these fans are really going too far. How can they just call someone a Grim Reaper like their idol? It's so rude.

Chapter 315 Time is Money? You're Going Bankrupt

Kitahara Masaki quickly left the incredibly delicious ramen shop with the two women. They had only gone out for a meal, but it ended up causing a case.

"Sister, is the area this unsafe?"

"Well, this is just an isolated case. You just need to keep an eye out for suspicious people dressed entirely in black."

"What should I do if I see them?"

"Run, run now! Don't worry about who they are, just turn around and run. They killed our parents."

"Is that so! But I don't remember... But my sister and brother-in-law were also wearing black."

"Ahem, we wear black just to keep our clothes from getting dirty. Elaine, you have a very keen eye for detail. When we make this gesture with our left hand, you know it's us."

Vermouth placed her middle finger on the second joint of her ring finger, and Curaçao obediently nodded, indicating that she understood.

"Alright, we'll take you home first. Go and get some rest. If you really can't sleep, take a book from the bookshelf and read it. Your brother-in-law and I have to go take care of some work."

"Hmm, can we go eat ramen again next time?"

"Of course, you can eat as much as you want, from conveyor belt sushi to kaiseki cuisine."

After returning Curaçao to the safe house, Kitahara Masaki and Vermouth went to a bar. Gin's Porsche was already parked outside, along with No-Brain and Unhappy's cars.

Although it was already late at night, Gin was already extremely frustrated because he still hadn't found Curaçao. He had thought that arranging two snipers would be enough to cover Curaçao's retreat, but Curaçao had disappeared. Even Rum had called to question Gin about what to do. This made the usually hot-tempered Gin almost want to grab his beloved Beretta, shove the muzzle into Rum's mouth, and ask him what his relationship was with the former CIA deputy director and why the police department's database contained those photos.

However, the intelligence team is now unable to track down Curaçao's whereabouts by any means, including facial recognition and signal tracking. It's as if this winery employee has vanished into thin air.

Gin sat at the bar, drinking alone, and after seeing Arvind and Vermouth, asked:

"How's the investigation going?"

"While Curaçao was evading the police and the FBI, she and her car fell into the river below the bridge. We have no way of knowing which direction she will swim in. In any case, the police and public security officers certainly haven't caught her yet, otherwise they would have stopped long ago."

"Is it impossible to track the FBI's movements?"

"They've broken up into smaller groups, scattered throughout Tokyo. They'll only really act once they find concrete intelligence about us. Right now, most of the FBI is in a dormant state, making them very difficult to locate."