I'm a Pokémon Master from School City (by mistake)

This was the first time he had faced such an inquiry and fingerprinting. Even though he knew the other party had the right to do so, the feeling of having his roles reversed—he being the teacher and the other party being the student—still made him very uncomfortable. But no matter how uncomfortable he was, he still stamped his fingerprint.

He then went along with the arrangement and called over three other people who were on good terms with the girl.

Chiyo then questioned him as well, but the main questions focused on his recent spending, where he went and what he spent.

After asking the questions, the procedures were all followed.

Finally, the victim was called over, and this time the questions were relatively simple, mostly focusing on his financial situation.

Instead, regarding the case, they only asked how much cash was stolen that day and why the person was carrying so much cash.

Feel...

"It seems like it has absolutely nothing to do with the case."

After asking the questions, Hei Zi held the transcript and asked, puzzled.

“Kuroko.” Chiyo didn’t say anything directly, but asked in return, “Have you noticed that all the victims have one thing in common?”

"At least from the written records, they all share a fairly obvious characteristic."

"What?" Hei Zi flipped through the previous notes, but after a brief look, he still couldn't figure it out.

“Cash,” Chiyo explained. “Those who were robbed, and those who have clear records of the cash they were robbed of, generally had large sums of money involved.”

"As for the rest who are unknown, let's assume they were also robbed of a lot of cash."

“Then two questions arise.” Chiyo pointed to one of the statements and asked, “Why did they carry so much money? That’s the first point. The second point is, how did the robbers determine that these people had so much money?”

"So here's something we need to figure out: do these people always carry this much money on them, or do they intentionally carry this much money? If they intentionally carry this much money..."

"Then why? Figuring this out might be the key to solving the case."

"And that's how solving a case works; you have to ask a lot of seemingly unimportant questions."

Chapter Fifty-Seven: That's How the Case Is Solved

The dormitory outside the Tokiwadai school.

"Forehead..."

Hei Zi, who had just returned to the dormitory, collapsed onto the bed as if all her strength had been drained.

"Huh?" Mikoto, who had just come out of the shower, was a little surprised.

In the past, this would definitely have been a battle of wits with the black-hearted guy, and the matter wouldn't be resolved until the dormitory supervisor was brought over.

As a result, as soon as Heizi came back today, he went straight to bed.

They were so exhausted, as if they had fought a hundred thousand rounds of battle, that every last bit of energy was completely drained.

While combing her hair, Mikoto asked, "Didn't Kuroko go to investigate the case with Chiyo? Why are you so tired?"

"It's hard to describe at a glance." Hei Zi was so tired that he didn't want to move at all, and he didn't even have the strength to speak.

"Huh?" Mikoto asked, even more curiously, "What? Isn't Chiyo quick at solving cases? She can solve a case with just a glance."

Mikoto remembered that Kuroko had mentioned the explosion, and she also saw Chiyo catch the person who had drawn her eyebrows.

It felt really fast; two cases were solved in just one day.

This efficiency is quite impressive from any perspective.

Why do you look so exhausted today?

"I feel like..." Kuroko said, forcing herself to stay awake, "Big Sister isn't investigating a case, she's investigating a person."

"Huh?" Mikoto asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Hmm..." Kuroko sighed and said, "Shouldn't we be investigating the suspect? Or looking for clues in places where the suspect might have committed the crime? Instead, we've spent the whole day running around with Big Sister, investigating only the victims."

"They investigate everything about the victim, from their economic situation and interpersonal relationships to their recent spending habits, trying to find out exactly what kind of private clothes they wear every day."

Kuroko kept rambling on and on about Mikoto.

I originally thought that investigating cases with my older sister would be such a wonderful thing.

The older sister seems very experienced. If I can help her, especially if I can offer my opinions on key points, I will definitely leave a very deep impression on her.

It could even be described as an impression that made them look at themselves with new respect.

Isn't that how emotions are cultivated?

Can...

The investigation revealed that the case was not at all what he had imagined!

There was no sudden flash of inspiration like in detective anime, nor did they find any clues. Instead, they followed Chiyo and investigated one student at a time.

Upon arriving at the school, the perpetrators questioned and took statements from the teachers. They also questioned and took statements from the victim's friends. Finally, they met with the victim again, questioned and took statements from them.

There were no particularly exciting moments, and they didn't go to any place that was suspected to be the primary crime scene.

It's all kinds of tedious, boring, and mechanical work.

Although the teachers, relatives, and victims they faced were all different—some cooperated, some did not, some needed persuasion, some were only reluctantly cooperated after being warned by Chiyo using her disciplinary committee powers, and some were completely uncooperative.

Can...

But there was absolutely no sense that it should be the process of solving the case.

"Although Kuroko has said it countless times," Kuroko said, puzzled, "it feels like a complete waste of time, and I don't know why we need to investigate these things."

"But my elder sister said that this is what solving a case is all about, this is called visiting people, and it's a necessary part of solving a case."

Kuroko lay back down and said, "But..."

"I don't understand it at all..."

Hei Zi buried his head in the pillow.

"Dudududu~"

Just then, Kuroko's phone rang. Kuroko wearily pulled the phone out of his pocket.

"Eh?! It's Big Sister!"

Instantly, Hei Zi perked up again. She jumped out of bed and answered the phone, saying, "Big Sister~ Hei Zi's here!"

This is quite rare; it's the first time our eldest sister has ever called Heizi.

"Go to the 177th Disciplinary Committee branch tomorrow," Chiyo's voice came through the phone. "I'll send you a list later; summon everyone on the list one by one!"

“Those who refuse to come will be arrested directly on charges of illegal transactions and possession of illegal items.”

"Huh?" Kuroko was stunned. She said, somewhat hesitantly, "This, Big Sister, this... isn't appropriate?"

“Perfect fit,” Chiyo said. “These people are people I’ve screened. Some marked in red are definitely carrying contraband, those marked in yellow are suspected of having it, and those marked in gray, just tell them the case is progressing and you need them to provide some information, and we’ll do our best to help them recover their losses.”

"Also, pay attention to those marked in red. These people are very likely to violently resist arrest. Their ability level is not consistent with the information, so you have to be very careful when arresting them."

"As for the arrest warrant, I have already applied to the security force, and it will probably be sent directly to your phone in a little while."

buzz~

Just then, as if to confirm Chiyo's words, Kuroko's phone vibrated.

She knew it was a text message.

"Big Sister has already found out?!" Kuroko said incredulously, "Just based on this?"

She remembered that Chiyo had asked her that question.

Can...

That's it?

Heizi doesn't think there's anything wrong with this, right? There's nothing wrong with carrying a little extra cash, isn't there? She carried just as much cash as those other people, so why is there a problem? How did they find out?

"Kuroko~" Chiyo said earnestly, "Forget about Detective Conan, Sherlock Holmes and all that. Criminal investigation is both complex and simple. Many important clues are found through extensive interviews and investigations."

"No doubt about it, this is a case of double-crossing."

"Consolidate your energy; we'll be counting on you to make arrests tomorrow."

Chiyo hung up the phone and put all the documents together.

I investigated all day today, and several people's abilities did indeed show a significant improvement, especially since their improvement coincided with the robbery.

Moreover, when asked why they were carrying so much money, everyone chose to avoid the question.

Some people, when discussing this matter, were initially having a good conversation, but suddenly erupted into anger.

Chiyo can then determine what this money was used to buy, something that cannot be made public.

It also confirms that several of the students were indeed very interested in Fantasy Hunter.

But now, after being asked about the fantasy master, their interest has clearly waned, or rather, they have no interest in this urban legend at all.

Chiyo was certain that these people were either genuinely uninterested in the item after being robbed, or they were lying.

It's almost certain that Chiyo wants to buy the Fantasy Might Hand.

As a result, the seller broke their promise and, relying on their power, decided to rob the seller directly, since they didn't dare to call the police.

That would actually make it easier to arrest people.

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Preparing to Arrest People

177 Discipline Inspection Committee Branch.

Chiyo brought so many people over because some of them had already obtained and used the Phantasm.

Based on what she knew, anyone who used Imagine Breaker was considered a dangerous individual, posing a danger to both others and themselves.

Monitoring them in advance can be considered a form of protection for them.

Chiyo chose the 177th Disciplinary Committee branch instead of Tokiwadai.

Even if it's a summons, it's troublesome to go to Tokiwadai, while the 177 Disciplinary Committee branch is outside, making it easier to call people.

"Tell me," Chiyo said, holding a girl's statement. "Your name is Inoue Mie, right?"

Sitting opposite Chiyo was a very ordinary-looking girl with black hair and an average face—the kind of person you'd call a complete passerby.

She's completely incomparable to Chiyo and the like, who are the "daughters" of authors and fanfiction writers.

If you lose it in a crowd, you won't find it.

Even Chiyo felt that there was nothing on her face except for the character "甲" (jia).

Of course, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but he really was quite ordinary-looking, wearing a very simple, cheap-looking school uniform.

Sailor uniforms with light blue as the main color.

In Japan, school uniforms are not entirely designed by the schools themselves; few schools, like Tokiwadai, provide their own custom-designed uniforms. Most schools specify the uniform style and then have students buy their own.

As a result, the quality of students' school uniforms varies greatly, depending on the students' economic situation.

Chiyo first met this girl named Inoue Mie because, during the initial statement-taking, she noticed that the girl's school uniform was cheap and of poor quality. Moreover, she was clearly short of money; the uniform had been washed many times and was faded and worn.

So, having been robbed of such a large sum of money, she must be living in dire straits now and desperately wants to recover her losses.

Inoue Mie was very nervous, clutching her skirt with both hands, wondering what Chiyo was going to ask.

"Don't worry." Chiyo glanced at Kuroko and said, "Get her a cappuccino to relieve some stress."

Chiyo was happy to show goodwill to people who came over unintentionally, even though they clearly hadn't bought the Mystic Hand.

Kuroko didn't speak. This time, Chiyo was the leading force, while the other members of the 177 Disciplinary Committee branch were just doing odd jobs.

So the clown quickly served the girl a cappuccino.

“I’m glad you came,” Chiyo said. “Although the Phantasm Hand isn’t something that’s sold on the market, it’s not currently a prohibited item either, so you haven’t broken the law. You should also be glad that you bought it and used it; otherwise, I wouldn’t be in this mood.”

"Ah...I..." Miho stammered, dumbfounded, "You..."

He hadn't said anything, so how did this girl know that he had spent money to buy the Phantasm Master?

"It's nothing," Chiyo said. "You're not the only one who bought this and got robbed."

"If you want to recover your losses, you'd better tell me all the information you have."

The girl hesitated for a moment, but she really wanted to recover her losses.