Detective Conan: Developing a younger version of Ran Eri, and the stunning Yukiko.

The strange man coughed violently a few times, quickly put his mask back on, and hurriedly went into the compartment in carriage B.

"Dad, are you alright?" Xiaolan asked with concern upon seeing his condition.

"I'm fine," Kogoro Mouri replied.

"That person is..." Shiraishihara asked.

"I don't know either." Kogoro Mouri shook his head. "Never mind that person, the food on the dinner train tonight is authentic French cuisine!"

"Really? To be able to eat French food on a train is like a dream!" Xiaolan exclaimed with delight.

The group of five found a place to sit down and prepare to eat.

"...Here's what happened. I was asked by Yukiko to investigate a case."

Shiraishi explained why he and Yukiko Kudo were there.

Yukiko, also worried about causing a misunderstanding, said, "That's right. Yusaku was too busy to handle anything, so he asked me to deal with a case. I'm just a woman, not a detective, and my husband and son aren't around, so I thought of asking Shiraishihara, this high school detective, for help!"

Kogoro Mouri immediately flattered her, saying, "Yukiko, if anything happens, you can always ask me to help you! As an old classmate, I won't charge you a commission fee; just treat me to a meal."

Yukiko was exceptionally beautiful, and even after all these years, Kogoro Mouri remains infatuated with her.

"Kogoro, you should just give up."

Yukiko knew Kogoro Mouri all too well; he was completely unreliable.

"Yes... Dad. It's one thing for you to help clients catch their mistresses, but when it comes to big cases, you always mess things up."

This isn't Xiaolan deliberately belittling her father; it's just the truth. Her father is only passable at catching mistresses as a detective; he's really no good at anything else.

"Ran, you should look at me with new eyes after three days of separation. Haven't you noticed that I'm not the same as before?" Kogoro Mouri said shamelessly.

"That will only change when you're asleep, Dad." Ran's assessment of Kogoro Mouri was spot on, leaving Kogoro speechless.

"Ran, Yukiko is right here. Can't you say something nice about your father? Can't you at least be a little more perceptive? Please, I'm begging you."

After saying that, Kogoro Mouri continued to flatter Yukiko: "Yukiko, Eri and I have been separated for many years. If you and Yusaku have a falling out, you can come to me anytime."

"Yukiko, my feelings for you have never changed all these years."

Yukiko looked disgusted; she now loathed Kogoro Mouri.

Ten years ago, Yukiko saw the news that Kogoro Mouri actually shot Eri Kisaki, who was being held hostage by criminals, in order to catch them. She was so angry that she almost fainted.

From then on, she decided to break off her friendship with Kogoro Mouri.

If Conan weren't currently living at Kogoro Mouri's house, she wouldn't even bother with him.

Just as everyone was enjoying a cozy moment after dinner in the dining car, a discordant roar suddenly erupted from a table not far behind them...

"What kind of place is this tiny private room? Didn't I tell you I had to get a royal private room!"

The speaker was a long-faced man with a small mustache, who looked to be around fifty-six or fifty-seven years old. He was loudly reprimanding a man who looked to be thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old and wore square-framed glasses.

Conan recognized the group and said, "I've seen them in the newspaper. The man with the mustache is Izumo Keitaro, a big boss in the jewelry business. The man with glasses is Kagoshi Toshinori, his secretary."

"I'm sorry, boss, this was my mistake."

"But you said you wanted to take the Beidou Star 3 train just a week ago. For such a popular luxury train, it's already quite impressive that you were able to book a regular cabin within a week."

Kawai Rize quickly bowed slightly and apologized in a low voice. Hearing this, the passengers around him in the dining car nodded secretly. The secretary was right. Trying to book a private compartment on the Big Dipper train only a week in advance? Who did he think he was?

Therefore, when the surrounding passengers heard what Kazuki Toshiro said, some of the disgruntled people began to point and whisper about Izumo Keitaro.

Izumo Keitaro noticed the strange looks from the surrounding passengers and immediately felt embarrassed.

"You bastard, what do you mean?"

Do you expect me to squeeze into a hard seat with those lower-class people?

It's already embarrassing enough for a big boss like me to stay in a private room of the same level as you!

My wife is so afraid of being seen staying in such a cheap private room while traveling that she'd rather hide inside than come out in public!

Kagawa Ryori was scolded by her boss and lowered her head in grievance, saying, "Boss, I suggested you take a plane to Hokkaido before. That would save time and avoid all this trouble."

"Stop babbling! You've learned to talk back now? I've already said there's a reason I took this Beidou Star 3 train. What, you want to turn around and make decisions for your boss? If you were that capable, you wouldn't be standing here getting yelled at by me, humph!"

When Izumo Keitaro saw that Kagoshi Toshiro dared to talk back, he was immediately enraged and began to mock him.

Kogoro Mouri also pursed his lips: "Yeah, I've seen them in the newspaper too."

That guy named Izumo Keitaro is the owner of a well-known jewelry company in Tokyo, and he's quite famous in the jewelry industry.

Moreover, his jewelry store was recently in the news for being robbed at gunpoint, but for some reason, the robber inexplicably turned around and ran away.

Just then, a man in a suit and tie, with gray hair, walked through the dining car aisle. He looked to be about sixty-seven or sixty-eight years old. He went straight to Izumo Keitaro's table and said meaningfully:

"Isn't this the big boss of the jewelry store who's been in the news? I've heard so much about you."

Izumo Keitaro stared at the old man before him, startled at first, then exclaimed in surprise, "Mayor Ishihammer, what are you doing here?!"

"I happen to be on vacation, so I'm taking this train to Hokkaido for a trip..."

"But speaking of which, Mr. Izumo, your appearance on the news this time has really boosted your election campaign, that's impressive! However, your image off-screen seems quite different from your staged performance on the news..."

Mayor Shi Chui delivered a sarcastic and insincere remark with a forced smile.

Izumo Keitaro immediately retorted, "Mayor Ishihama, I was a little angry just now, but seeing you made me feel much better. I never expected that you, a mayor with so much power, would stay in a regular private room just like us ordinary people. You're really 'approachable'!"

Upon hearing this, Mayor Ishihammer, who had been wearing a fake smile, suddenly turned grim, because Izumo Keitaro's sharp words had hit a nerve.

Conan then introduced the old man to everyone: "That old man is named Akira Ishimatsu, and he is the current mayor of Koito City, Tokyo."

Ran Mouri exclaimed in surprise, "Conan, how do you know everything?"

Conan smiled smugly, but was warned by Yukiko Kudo: "Conan, tone it down, don't be too flashy."

"Huh? Yes, yes, yes..." Conan then realized that he was no longer Shinichi Kudo.

Just as Ishitsumi Akashi and Izumo Keitaro were passing by the table where Shiraishihara was sitting, they suddenly stopped.

"Huh? You wouldn't happen to be..."

"The Sleeping Detective, Kogoro Mouri".

When Kogoro Mori saw that the two recognized him, he immediately smiled smugly: "That's right, it is I."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries with Kogoro Mouri before leaving.

Kogoro Mouri was so proud that his nose almost reached the sky: "Yukiko, see? Now I'm a famous detective. Now you know, a person should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation. I'm not the same as before."

Yukiko looked disdainful. She knew in her heart that Kogoro Mouri's sudden transformation into a famous detective was entirely due to her son's efforts, not because Kogoro Mouri had actually changed.

……

It was four in the morning, and Shiraishihara and Kudo Yukiko were sleeping on the left and right sides of the bunk respectively.

"Shiraishihara, you're awake so early?"

Yukiko Kudo got up from her bed and tidied her long, loose hair.

"Yes. I haven't forgotten the task you gave me."

Shiraishihara calmly looked at the married woman in the green dress in front of him.

"boom!"

As the train slowly emerged from the dark tunnel, a loud bang suddenly erupted from the passenger lounge at the front of the train, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet carriage!

"That was... a gunshot! What happened?" Yukiko Kudo was terrified.

"Don't panic, I'll go check the situation." After saying that, Shiraishihara walked straight out of the private room.

"Wait for me, let's go together!" Yukiko Kudo quickly followed.

As soon as Shiraishihara opened the carriage door, he heard someone outside shouting to call the police.

No. .

074 The pitch-black tunnel leads into Kiko's tunnel

Chapter 74.

Immediately, he and Yukiko rushed to the scene.

The train stopped at the entrance of the Seihan Tunnel, and the police on board were investigating the scene.

The Izumo boss sat by the window, a bullet piercing his head, leaving splattered blood and a bullet hole on the glass. A cigar lay beside him, his eyes filled with shock and fear.

"Based on the driver's license and business card found on the deceased, the victim was Keitaro Izumo, who lived in Koshi City, Tokyo. He was the owner of the large jewelry store who was previously robbed by the criminals."

The accompanying police officer reported to his superiors who had arrived at the scene.

"Oh?" The officer in charge, Nishimura, was a middle-aged man with a weathered stubble on his face. He leaned closer to examine the victim's condition.

"The jewelry store owner who single-handedly scared off an armed robber?"

“Yes,” the officer explained, “according to witnesses, the assailant suddenly ran up behind him and fired a shot.”

"And then? Where did the killer go?" the officer continued.

“The murderer ran past our room,” Kogoro Mouri said, “and after firing a few shots into his own room, breaking the glass, he escaped out the window.”

The police officer looked at Kogoro Mouri with a puzzled expression: "Who are you?"

"Huh? You don't recognize me?" Kogoro Mouri pointed at himself.

The middle-aged police officer glanced at him and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

"I am the famous detective Kogoro Mouri," Kogoro Mouri said shamelessly.

"So you're a detective." Upon learning that the other party was a detective, the middle-aged police officer assigned Kogoro Mouri to the investigation.

According to witnesses, the murderer was the strange man Kogoro Mouri encountered in the hallway, and the murderer was also connected to a previous jewelry store robbery.

At that moment, Yukiko whispered to Shiraishihara, "This incident is exactly the same plot as my husband's unpublished novel..."

"I understand." Shiraishi nodded, indicating that he understood.

After a series of investigations and reviews by the police, Officer Nishimura came to a somewhat disheartening conclusion: neither the other passengers on the train nor the three suspects, Mrs. Izumo, Toshiyuki Kagoshi, and Akishige Ishimatsu, had the opportunity to commit the crime.

Just when the police were at a loss, another shocking piece of news came: the body of the suspected murderer was found in the dark tunnel that Beidouxing-3 had passed through before. It was a burly man wearing a hat, sunglasses and a mask.

When Inspector Nishimura and Inspector Maeda arrived at the scene, they discovered that the deceased was wearing a wig, and even his thick black mustache was fake.

After removing all the disguises, they were surprised to find that the victim, who was suspected of being the murderer, was actually Asama Yasushi, the robber who had previously robbed a jewelry store in Tokyo at gunpoint but then inexplicably turned around and ran away.

Although Asama Yasushi's robbery attempt failed, he was still listed as a fugitive by the police and a nationwide arrest warrant was issued, so Officer Nishimura recognized him at a glance.

The jewelry store that Asama Yasushi robbed in Tokyo belonged to the deceased Izumo Keitaro.

According to news reports at the time, it seems that the Izumo boss's stern shout scared away the robber, which was also the reason why Ishii Kojiro had previously mocked him for putting on a show on the food truck.

Furthermore, Asama Yasushi's cause of death was indeed a severe blow to the head after falling, and the timing seems to match up. Moreover, the motive for the crime is now clear: it is very likely revenge for the failed robbery and killing Izumo Keitaro.

Therefore, Officer Nishimura immediately concluded the case: After shooting his enemy, Izumo Keitaro, in the passenger lounge, the murderer Asama Yasushi, in a panic, tried to jump off the train to escape while being chased by the train conductor. As a result, he accidentally fell to his death, since it was a dark tunnel and the train was still traveling at high speed at the time.

After confirming the identity of the murderer, Officer Nishimura naturally did not delay the journey of Hokutosei-3 any further. He immediately informed the train conductor and instructed the driver to continue the journey.

……

Inside the sleeper compartment of the Beidouxing No. 3 train.

Yukiko Kudo is holding a cell phone, seemingly trying to contact Yusaku Kudo.

However, the busy tone coming from the microphone gradually extinguished her initial anticipation.

"I can't get through to Yusaku's phone, as expected." Yukiko Kudo put down her phone and sighed softly.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi couldn't help but mutter, "The Kudo father and son really are of the same ilk; you can never get through on the phone."

After consulting her husband to no avail, Yukiko Kudo had no choice but to ask Shiraishihara for his opinion: "Shiraishihara, is this case just going to end like this?"

Shiraishi remained noncommittal: "Since the murderer is a copycat, copying Yusaku Kudo's unpublished manuscript, and you've read that manuscript, you should know what's going on."

Yukiko looked somewhat embarrassed: "The person who stole Yusaku's manuscript back then was Asama Yasuji. Now Asama Yasuji is dead, and the situation has completely deviated from the content of the manuscript. Moreover, we can't get through to Yusaku on the phone."

Shiraishi couldn't help but sneer: "Aunt Yukiko, with your level of competence, how dare your husband let you go alone to stop the murderer from committing the crime?"

"That's just how Yusaku is; when he encounters a case, he doesn't care about anything else."

Yukiko suddenly leaned closer to Shiraishihara and asked, "What are you thinking, Great Detective?"

Her long, light golden hair fell smoothly down on either side of her beautiful face, with two small, slightly curled buns hanging down playfully.