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

Just then, Hattori Shizuka stopped Shiraishihara and said that she needed him to accompany her to do something, without giving him a chance to refuse.

In the quiet, deserted corner of the corridor in the courtyard, Shiraishi Hara gently lifted Hattori Shizuka's slender waist, a playful smile curving his lips: "Aunt Shizuka, you deliberately kept me here, is it because you have some lingering affection for me?"

"Stop talking nonsense."

Hattori Shizuka feigned anger and glared at Shiraishihara.

"I noticed that the couple who are about to get married seem to get along well on the surface, but there is actually a hidden distance between them. It makes me really uneasy, so I want to find out what's going on."

"You're really kind-hearted, taking this kind of thing so seriously."

"After all, this is the most important event in my life for my late best friend's son. The wedding will be held tomorrow, and I naturally don't want any unexpected changes."

"Then why don't you ask Hattori-kun for help?"

"You know how impatient Heiji is..."

"Indeed."

Given Hattori Heiji's temperament, it would be extremely difficult for him to notice even the smallest clues.

Even Shiraishihara himself found it quite troublesome, as the matter involved other people's privacy, making the investigation fraught with obstacles.

However, digging into other people's privacy is simply a detective's duty in the everyday world.

"How about we go find Morizono Mikio and check things out?" Shiraishihara suggested.

"feasible."

The two were heading towards the study, intending to find Morizono Mikio, when an unexpected turn of events occurred.

The glass in a room on the third floor shattered instantly, producing a sharp, piercing sound.

The sound was as loud as thunder, startling everyone present. They all rushed towards the room on the third floor to find out what was going on.

Heiji Hattori, who arrived first, suddenly pushed open the door and turned on the light. The scene before him shocked him; a murder had indeed occurred.

The room contained the body of a dead man, the housekeeper of the household, Akio Shigematsu.

No. .

111 Eri Kisaki tried her best to defeat...

Chapter 111.

Hattori Heiji's initial assessment is that this is a locked-room murder case.

Just then, Kikuto Morizono made an untimely remark, which enraged the housekeeper, Yuji Sakuraba, so much that he almost hit him. Fortunately, Shiraishihara reacted quickly and stopped him in time.

After all, if Kikuto Morizo ​​were to be beaten up by Yuji Sakuraba in front of everyone, Yuji Sakuraba would definitely be in big trouble.

Not long after, Inspector Megure and his men rushed to the scene.

"Huh? Brother Shiraishi, what are you doing here!" Inspector Megure looked on in surprise.

"It was purely by chance." Shiraishihara smiled awkwardly.

Inspector Megure then asked Shiraishihara to stay with him to assist with the investigation, and instructed everyone else to wait in the living room. Hattori Heiji also wanted to stay, but was forcibly dragged away by his mother, Hattori Shizuka.

Police forensic personnel immediately began a preliminary investigation of the scene.

"Report: The clues found at the crime scene so far include a small hole in the balcony's French window glass and a trace of blood on the door latch."

The forensic team reported to Inspector Megure.

Inspector Megure was completely bewildered. He usually did his job perfunctorily and had no idea what to do with these clues.

Inspector Megure turned to look at Shiraishi and asked, "Brother Shiraishi, what are your thoughts on this?"

"Inspector Megure, don't rush. We don't have enough leads yet."

Shiraishi asked the forensic personnel, "Was there blood on only the door latch? What was the pattern of the bloodstains like? Were fingerprints found?"

"No fingerprints have been found yet. The bloodstains appear to have been caused by a blood-stained glove. Here are the relevant photos!"

"Go check the fingerprints on the balcony railing. Also... find a piece of fishing line and see if you can thread it through that small hole."

"understand!"

Upon receiving the order, the forensic personnel quickly rushed downstairs.

“Brother Baishi, I’ll leave this to you. I’ll go downstairs to ask for the alibi of the person involved.”

"no problem."

Shiraishi nodded in response. He was well aware of Inspector Megure's style of doing things, so he didn't take it to heart.

So, Inspector Megure took his notebook and went downstairs to the living room to begin asking everyone for their alibis.

After questioning, it was found that five people could not provide a definite alibi.

They are: the head of the family, Mikio Morizono, who has been waiting for Butler Shigematsu to arrive; and his daughter, Yurie Morizono, who is taking a bath in her room.

The son, Kikuto Morizono, is reading magazines and listening to music in his room; the servant, Yuji Sakuraba, is wandering around looking for his cat; and Kaede Katagiri is resting in his room.

Just as Inspector Megure was worrying about how to proceed with the case, Shiraishihara appeared.

"Brother Baishi, you've come at just the right time..."

Inspector Megure proceeded to explain the details of the five suspects to Shiraishihara in great detail.

Shiraishi nodded to indicate that he understood, and then led Inspector Megure to a tree next to the house.

“Inspector Megure, look over there,” Shiraishi said, pointing to a tree.

"What's there?" Inspector Megure asked, looking completely bewildered.

Shiraishihara could hardly believe that the Japanese police were so incompetent that they had completely ignored the murder weapon hanging so conspicuously in the tree.

"Take a closer look," Shiraishi Hara said, pointing to the exact location of the tree.

Inspector Megure took out his walkie-talkie and sent someone to investigate what was on the tree.

Forensic investigators, armed with specialized tools, retrieved evidence from the tree and discovered it was a blood-stained garment discarded by the murderer. Inside the garment, they found a blood-stained dagger and thin threads held together with duct tape.

"We found the murder weapon!"

Upon seeing that the blood-stained clothes belonged to a servant, Inspector Megure immediately concluded: "These blood-stained clothes belong to the servant, Yuuji Sakuraba. The murderer must be Yuuji Sakuraba! There is no doubt about it."

Shiraishi glared at Inspector Megure with annoyance: "That's not necessarily true. It's also possible that the murderer was wearing Yuji Sakuraba's clothes when he committed the crime."

Upon hearing Shiraishi's words, Inspector Megure was stunned: "Brother Shiraishi, in your opinion, who is the murderer?"

"Inspector Megure, look at this blood-stained shirt, it's soaked in blood."

It's easy to imagine that after committing the crime, the blood would have seeped onto the perpetrator's skin. During this time, the perpetrator would have had no time to shower.

Therefore, simply administering luminol reagent to the suspect's body to check for any blood reaction will reveal the truth.

"good idea."

Inspector Megure immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and instructed his subordinates to carry out the plan.

Most of the suspects cooperated, except for Kikuto Morizono, who resisted but was forcibly restrained by the police for testing.

With the evidence irrefutable, Kikuto Morizono had no choice but to plead guilty.

After the incident was resolved, Shiraishihara received a Persona as a system reward.

[Water Demon: One of the four demons controlled by Fujiwara Akane, capable of causing floods, and ultimately falls into the abyss and disappears.]

Specific ability: Causes floods.

Yuji Sakuraba suddenly rushed forward and punched Kikuto Morizono hard in the eye socket, roaring angrily, "You bastard, why did you kill Uncle Shigematsu? Your company went bankrupt, and it was all thanks to Uncle Shigematsu that you were able to keep it afloat!"

Kikuto Morizono sneered:

"It's all your fault. If you hadn't been having an affair with my fiancée, that old bastard Shigematsu wouldn't have made me cancel the wedding. He thinks that discovering I embezzled company funds will give him control over me and dictate my life. How utterly foolish! You're just a servant, yet you never seem to know your place."

I'm telling you, Shigematsu's death was all because of you, hahaha!

Even as he was being put into the police car, Kikuto Morizono couldn't resist mocking Yuji Sakuraba.

Yuji Sakuraba's expression shifted several times before he finally lowered his head, while Kaede Katagiri looked at him with concern.

When Morizono Mikio realized that it was indeed his son who had killed the household steward, he couldn't help but sigh deeply, his face turning terribly grim.

When Yurie Morizono saw her younger brother being arrested, she sighed helplessly, and the wedding was naturally canceled.

The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. Hattori Shizuka comforted Morizono Mikio with a few words and was about to leave when Morizono Mikio stopped her.

It was getting late, and Shiraishihara was also kept behind.

However, Shiraishihara had no intention of sleeping peacefully. Taking advantage of the beautiful moonlight, he planned to have a secret rendezvous with Aunt Hattori Shizuka.

The silvery moonlight cascaded down, and Shiraishihara stood there upright, exuding an extraordinary aura.

"What does such an outstanding young man want from me?"

Hattori Shizuka pondered for a while and decided to go and find out what was going on. She was completely devoted to her training and always held herself to extremely high standards. Since she had already been invited by Shiraishihara tonight, she thought she might as well go and hear his thoughts.

Hattori Shizuka glanced at Toyama Kazuha, who was sleeping soundly in bed, put on a long robe over her pajamas, and went downstairs toward Shiraishihara.

At this moment, Shiraishihara was sitting in the courtyard, completely bathed in moonlight.

“Shiraishihara.” Hattori Shizuka sat down next to him.

When Shiraishihara saw the elegant Hattori Shizuka arrive, he smiled and said, "Aunt Shizuka, you really came."

Hattori Shizuka pretended to be serious and said in a dignified manner, "I just had some trouble sleeping, so I came out for a stroll and thought I'd chat with you while I was at it."

Shiraishi Hara gently grasped Hattori Shizuka's hand and said sincerely, "Aunt Shizuka, I have always respected you greatly and always felt that you have sacrificed too much for the family."

The night sky resembled a vast, dark blue velvet curtain, with countless stars twinkling incessantly, creating a tranquil atmosphere that drew the eye in. Soft moonlight gently spilled down, blending perfectly with the stillness of the night. The occasional chirping of crickets drifted through the air. The air was filled with the unique scent of the night, as if woven into a gentle, giant net, enveloping all things in the world.

Like a close friend, Shiraishi Hara chatted with Hattori Shizuka about her past.

Shiraishihara learned that Hattori Shizuka's original surname was Ikenami, and she came from a prestigious family in Kyoto. Although she and Hattori Heizo were married, their marriage stemmed more from affection. They had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, but their relationship was more like that of family than romantic love. Hattori Heizo was injured at work and became disabled. Out of compassion, and also because she herself longed to devote herself to spiritual training, Hattori Shizuka chose to marry him. She treated Hattori Heizo with the care and concern of a younger sister for her older brother, not with romantic love.

After they got married, they adopted Hattori Heiji, who was of mixed Japanese and African descent, and treated him like their own son.

Hattori Shizuka received a traditional Japanese aristocratic education and diligently played the role of a virtuous wife and loving mother. She had a deep understanding of family affection, but had never truly experienced any emotions other than romantic love.

Shiraishi realized that, as Hattori Heiji's friend, he should show more care and respect for Hattori Heiji's mother.

Hattori Shizuka remained steadfast in her spiritual practice, even after marriage when she mostly cultivated her skills alone, yet her progress surpassed that of the average person. For instance, she displayed extraordinary abilities on several occasions, such as deflecting a katana with a folding fan—seemingly unbelievable feats that clearly demonstrated she was no ordinary individual.

“Aunt Jinghua, I think your spiritual achievements are particularly remarkable. I am also very interested in these things. Could you tell me more about them?”

"Why are you suddenly interested in these things, kid?"

"I really think it's amazing. How about we find an opportunity to exchange some skills? I'd like to see how skilled you are, Auntie," Shiraishi said with anticipation.

"Better late than early. Let's not look for another time. Let's go to the Mori family's place now for a spar." Hattori Shizuka's lips curled up slightly. She also wanted to take this opportunity to see just how capable Shiraishihara really was.

0 ······Requesting flowers 0 ·

"At the Morizono residence?" Shiraishihara asked, somewhat puzzled.

“That’s right. Morizono Mikio’s deceased wife was my classmate and also a kendo enthusiast. The Morizono family has an indoor dojo. I’ll take you there.”

"Okay, let's go then."

The two arrived at the Mori family's kendo dojo. Although the Mori family did not use the dojo often, the servants cleaned it every day, so the dojo was very clean and tidy, and all kinds of kendo equipment were readily available.

Bai Shiyuan suddenly said, "Aunt Jinghua, it's so late, and it's just the two of us here. If someone sees us, won't they say some unpleasant things?"

Hattori Shizuka declared righteously, "Who dares! I am the wife of the Superintendent General of the Osaka Prefectural Police!"

"Alright. Since Auntie wants to have a friendly spar, then I'll gladly accept!" Shiraishi Hara was quite confident in his skills.

"Very good. This is a good opportunity to see what you're really capable of."

Hattori Shizuka smiled, recalling the subtle challenge in Shiraishihara's previous words, and felt that this was a good opportunity to test him.

Soon, the two put on their protective gear, got into position, and prepared to start sparring.

Shiraishihara had his own understanding and practice of kendo, while Hattori Shizuka was even more experienced.

Shiraishi assumed the starting stance for kendo, staring intently at Hattori Shizuka.

Hattori Shizuka shouted, "Noodles!"

Shiraishi responded: "Little hands!"

The two shouted at the same time!