No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

"Well then, sir, I recommend you check out our company's loan program. The interest rate is affordable even for students working part-time at convenience stores, so you don't have to worry about not being able to repay it. Plus, we don't require you to use your factory as collateral; we can give you the money right away—"

"Then why don't you just give me the cash directly! You bunch of bloodsuckers, you all talk a good game, but when it comes to repayment, you show your true colors. I've seen through you hypocrites, and I'll beat you all up!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the man grabbed the salesman by the collar, and the two immediately began to wrestle. The contents of the salesman's briefcase fell to the ground, revealing it to be full of brochures for various loan products...

Even the companies they belong to are different; it seems like he's a fraud.

"Come on, both of you calm down. There are still many people in the waiting room, so let's not make a scene here."

The traveler, carrying bedding, squatted down and picked up the flyers from the conman's briefcase. Judging from his methods and his discerning eyes, could he be a pickpocket?

I'm truly impressed. How could such a small waiting room house so many hidden talents? There's an old man who's lost his way in life, a professional conman who scams people everywhere, and a pickpocket addicted to stealing. Kitahara Masaki coldly observes the people in the waiting room, but on the surface, he looks drowsy, leaning back in his chair enjoying the air conditioning.

"Hey, old man, why are you still here? Get to work! Look at how lazy you are, it's really unacceptable. What if the children see you?"

An old woman suddenly walked up to Kitahara Masaki and started talking to herself. She probably had Alzheimer's, otherwise she wouldn't have mistaken Kitahara Masaki, who was disguised as a middle-aged man, for her husband.

While Kitahara Masaki was pondering how to respond to the old woman, she walked away on her own, then went to the staff office next to the waiting room and called out to the ticket seller:

"Why isn't dinner ready yet? You useless daughter-in-law, all you do is sit around all day and never do any housework. I've already washed the clothes and blankets, so hurry up and hang them up to dry."

It seems this old lady has been talking to herself the whole time and doesn't need anyone to respond to her. So, there are now four suspects: a conman in a suit, a pickpocket posing as a traveler, a bankrupt and decadent middle-aged man, and a member of parliament's secretary collecting flyers.

While Kitahara Masaki was observing the four of them, the weather outside suddenly turned bad. The rain started without warning and came down suddenly. The only place around where they could take shelter from the rain was this place, which also had a vending machine.

"Oh no! Why is it suddenly raining? I still need to pick up my teacher, the councilor."

"Sir, you'd better wait here for a while. The road conditions around here aren't very good, and you might slip and fall if you're not careful. You'd better wait here for a bit."

There were two staff members in the office next to the waiting room. One was the young woman being scolded by the old lady, and the other was an ordinary middle-aged man who had probably worked for decades and was very familiar with all kinds of situations. So the atmosphere in which he spoke convinced the secretary who was originally planning to leave.

"Could I see that leaflet listing the councilor's political views?"

"No problem, I did this myself. The higher-ups have already summarized what the councilor wanted to say to the public."

Is the contact number above yours?

"Yes, if you have any questions for the councilor teacher, you can call me anytime."

"It seems you enjoy the trust of Representative Oowei."

"Haha, I've been working hard under the councilor teacher, and it's all thanks to the councilor teacher's trust in me."

Although they were talking about the councilor, Kitahara Masaki noticed that the experienced staff member didn't seem very interested; instead, they were talking more about the secretary.

However, it is highly unlikely that the ticket office staff member was a member of Tsukuyomi, since ticket sales are a real job that cannot be faked.

So although their conversation was a little awkward, Kitahara Masaki didn't pay too much attention to it.

The conman and the pickpocket seem to know that the other is not a good person because they have the same 'double', and they are both testing each other.

As a result, the two of them quickly became friends and suggested going to a hot spring together.

Yes, this waiting room leading to the countryside has a hot spring, though it's more like a hot tub than a hot spring. It's probably there to attract more people to the countryside. While this kind of waiting room hot spring looks unique at first glance, to be honest, it's nothing special. However, most Japanese people enjoy hot springs, so it probably helps some people learn more about the countryside.

The pickpocket patted the conman on the shoulder with a smile, and then the two of them went to soak in the hot spring. The dejected middle-aged man also went along, since it was free, and he might as well go.

Next, the parliamentary secretary and the ticket office staff also went. Is it really okay to openly slack off while on duty?

However, I don't think I have the right to judge others.

Kitahara Masaki, who used the system's cheat item to disguise himself, wasn't afraid to go to the hot springs, so in order not to stand out too much, he simply continued to pretend to be asleep.

The waiting hot spring was actually tiny and couldn't accommodate too many people, so Kitahara Maki had no intention of squeezing in with a bunch of big men.

After they finished soaking in the hot spring, it seemed the train was finally about to arrive.

So, Kitahara Maki doesn't have much time left.

Once he boarded the train and arrived in the countryside, the situation became passive.

Ugh, why are the deadlines for solving cases still like those for college assignments?

Chapter 108 Why did you just fire the gun like that...?

"Ah... it's almost time to leave, I need to get ready quickly."

Upon seeing the information on the platform screen and realizing the train was approaching, the secretary, as if being chased by something after soaking in the hot spring, frantically packed his briefcase, seemingly not wanting to wait in the waiting room for even a second longer.

He was scared... He had only gone to a hot spring, but it felt like he was possessed by a ghost.

Did someone who went to the hot springs say something to him? Or did he see something?

As the rain gradually subsided, visibility outside improved slightly. However, since it was already night, and this rudimentary station lacked any streetlights, convenience stores, or restaurants, even a single hot spring for waiting passengers meant that one still couldn't see clearly into the distance if they went outside.

Several people ran out with umbrellas, even the dejected old man went outside with an umbrella to see if the train had arrived. Only the old woman with Alzheimer's was left lingering in the waiting room. It was unclear whether she had run out on her own or if her family was nearby.

Now that we can rule out the dejected old man and the congressman's secretary as suspects, only the swindler and the pickpocket are likely to be members of Tsukuyomi, because Kitahara Maki had Haibara Ai help confirm their identities. The secretary's information is also available on the congressman's campaign website, and the dejected old man has indeed been put on the bank's blacklist and his house has indeed been auctioned off.

With only two people left, we can find an opportunity to check what's in their luggage later, since Kitahara Masaki doesn't believe that someone from a hacker group wouldn't bring a computer.

boom!

Just after Kitahara Masaki finalized the action plan, a gunshot suddenly rang out outside the waiting room.

"What's going on?!"

"Was that a gunshot? That can't be right."

"Hey, you're kidding, right?"

"Why isn't dinner ready yet?"

The people at the station were in a chaotic uproar, staring at each other blankly. Kitahara Masaki put on his straw hat and, instead of foolishly running out, squatted in a corner of the waiting room, using a drone to try and determine who fired the shot, or rather, who was shot.

Even in complete darkness, the drone could still clearly see a body lying on the ground.

It was that secretary. He was holding a briefcase, his eyes still wide, but he seemed to be gripping something tightly in his hand.

"Call the police!"

"Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"

"Isn't that the congressman's secretary? Could it be the work of terrorists?"

They just kept yelling and didn't even bother to call the police. It took the crowd outside quite a while to calm down before they finally called the police.

"Let's all go back to the waiting room. As long as we stay together, the murderer won't make any rash moves."

The ticket office staff member remained calm, showing little fear. This man, who feigned concern for the passengers, actually had a handgun in his pocket, but he didn't seem afraid of the impending police arrival. Perhaps due to the shock of recently killing someone, he kept reaching for the handgun in his pocket; Kitahara Masaki's sharp eyesight allowed him to easily discern the handgun from its outline.

Interestingly, perhaps infected by the Conan 'virus', Kitahara Masaki encountered a new case while handling the Tsukuyomi case. The two cases had no connection whatsoever; they just happened to bump into each other.

Combined with the fact that the dejected man frantically searched his backpack after the shooting, the case becomes very clear: a staff member at the ticket office had a grudge against the councilor's secretary, and in the changing room of the hot spring, this staff member saw that there was a handgun in the dejected man's backpack. He then came up with a plan—first, he slipped a threatening note into the secretary's briefcase, and then he stole the handgun.

Next, the restless secretary walked out of the waiting room and was shot in the dark.

So, if he had stayed in the waiting room, the staff member wouldn't have acted rashly. But because he was so frightened by the note that he lost his ability to judge, he fled into the darkness that would make his death even faster.

While everyone anxiously awaited the arrival of the police, the train instead entered the station first. As soon as the train stopped, many people eagerly disembarked. A short, stocky man, seemingly impatient, loosened his tie and loudly demanded:

"Where did Sasaki go? Shouldn't he be waiting for me at this platform?"

"Councilor, perhaps Sasaki was delayed by something."

"Tch! What a useless fellow."

The first to get off the bus were the members of parliament and their entourage. Presumably, they couldn't bear to stay in the countryside for so long. This pleasure-loving member of parliament slipped back to Tokyo under the cover of night. The reason why it can be seen that he is not a person who can endure hardship is from his spotless leather shoes and his watch worth more than a million dollars. It can be seen that he went to the countryside only to campaign for votes, not to improve the rural environment.

"Hello, Mr. Congressman, if it's convenient for you, could you please come and claim this gentleman?"

The seemingly honest and unassuming middle-aged man, who was actually filled with murderous intent, asked the group of councilors this question.

"What happened?"

“A gentleman who claimed to be your secretary has been murdered, and his body is now near the waiting room.”

"What! Sasaki has been killed! Take me there quickly!"

Perhaps recalling some old memory, the senator visibly wavered. Ignoring his bodyguards' attempts to stop him, he spoke loudly to the man in the ticket booth uniform:

"What are you standing there for? Take me there now!"

"Yes, okay, it's right here."

The anxious senator caught up with the man. They turned a corner in the darkness, and the bodyguard behind the senator couldn't see the man, who was hidden by a pillar, take a pistol out of his pocket.

"Wait a moment……"

boom!

The moment the senator saw the gun barrel, he realized that the person who killed Sasaki was this station employee. He had been careless because he saw that the other person was wearing a uniform. In the blink of an eye, just as he was about to beg for mercy, the trigger was pulled. This senator, who may have been a prominent figure in his life, was shot in the head and fell backward before he could even finish speaking.

This congressman was known for his eloquence, which is why his superiors sent him to the countryside to persuade those stubborn old men. But when he faced a life-or-death situation, he couldn't utter a single lie.

When he lost consciousness, he didn't hate himself for what he had done wrong, but for the man who fired the gun. Why didn't you play by the rules?

Chapter 109 You always manage to come up with something new.

After the man fired his gun, the bodyguards rushed forward, but it was too late. The senator, who had been shot in the forehead, fell to the ground with his eyes wide open. The man, who had avenged his grievance, also threw down his pistol and did not struggle at all even when he was pinned to the ground.

Kitahara Masaki maintained his middle-aged uncle demeanor, not interfering in anything. The Tsukuyomi members mixed in with the crowd also made no move. Most importantly, the dead and the murderers had nothing to do with him. His current identity was no longer that of Officer 'Kitahara Masaki,' so he had no need to concern himself with these matters.

Even if Amuro Tooru asked about it afterward... no, someone like Amuro Tooru would understand what happened after seeing his subordinates' briefing, so naturally he wouldn't ask Kitahara Masaki anything more.

However, because of this case, the police will definitely arrive soon. After all, a Tokyo city councilor has been murdered, and the scene will definitely be sealed off. So, the members of Tsukuyomi certainly don't want to stay here to be questioned.

"Quickly, quickly!" Kitahara Masaki used his peripheral vision to lock onto the two suspects, and the drone also focused its attention on them. "Move quickly, let me see what other tricks you have up your sleeve."

Soon after, the police rushed onto the platform, cordoned off the scene, and entered the waiting room to begin questioning everyone.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. Although the murderer has been caught, we still need to refine the account of what happened, so please try to recall the situation carefully."

The conman and pickpocket seemed a little uneasy. After all, being questioned required giving their real names, and the police were also wondering if there were any accomplices. Suddenly, one of them collapsed to the ground and began vomiting white foam, convulsing as if he had suddenly had an epileptic seizure. Meanwhile, the other quietly climbed out of the waiting room window.

Seeing this, Kitahara Masaki had no choice but to take action. He first took out a stun gun and pressed it on the person who was pretending to have a sudden illness. The moment Kitahara Masaki knocked the conman unconscious, he looked up and saw the pickpocket take out a laptop from the bedding, put the backpack down, and then make a quick getaway.

The drone's thermal scan revealed that the backpack, which should have been filled with clothes, emitted a red glow that stained the drone's screen.

That's a high-energy reaction unique to bombs.

Are all these people carrying a bomb? That's incredibly brave! Kitahara Masaki quickly leaned against the wall and watched as the old woman, who was saying "Dinner isn't ready yet," prepared to open the waiting room door and walk out. Kitahara Masaki immediately rushed over and pulled her back.

"That's a bomb! Don't come any closer!"