Now, let's rewind time three minutes.
Conan sprinted towards Mr. Himano's room.
His lively demeanor didn't seem like someone who had just recovered from a cold.
‘Mr. Suzuki is so powerful, when will I ever have such keen observation skills? ’
During his inspection, Kaito Kuroba, disguised as Toei Taketsugu, also arrived at the scene.
Both of them were searching for clues, harboring the same question.
Why did that man so confidently point out the suspect, when it seemed like an impossible crime?
What exactly was the clue he was referring to?
Mr. Himano died from suffocation, with no signs of blood found at the scene.
The furniture was limited, leaving no visible signs of the deceased struggling.
Seeing no leads inside, they turned their attention to the balcony.
On the outer side, there were three rope-shaped indentations, perfectly aligned with three crossbow bolts.
Conan and Kaito Kuroba exchanged glances, and spoke in unison:
“I understand!”
Based on the details of the indentations, they had cracked the seemingly impossible crime.
If nothing else, the culprit was most likely Miss Tanaka.
She had colluded with Mr. Himano, performing the paper-drawing activity, and arranging for herself to boil water.
If she had prepared the hot water beforehand, she would have had ample time to commit the crime.
First, she sneaked into Mr. Himano's bedroom and strangled him with the prepared rope.
Then, she took out a hand-made crossbow and fired three crossbow bolts towards the left, front, and right.
The hooks behind the bolts were attached to three ropes, forming a simple load-bearing tool.
Next, she just needed to lift Mr. Himano's body onto the ropes.
With this arc, his body would slide down and eventually fall onto the snow.
The surrounding area was covered in snow, leaving no footprints.
Thus, an impossible crime was completed.
Ah, it seemed like such a complex case at first, but it turned out to be so simple.
Mr. Suzuki is truly brilliant, he saw through the façade and discovered the hidden truth.
Ever since they met, Conan had lost to him many times, almost becoming numb to it.
However, that competitive spirit, like a raging fire, never extinguished.
Now, he needed to adjust his mindset. If he couldn't beat him, he would learn humbly.
There’s a saying in China, “When three people walk together, there is always a teacher among them.”
Conan had already accepted the “fact” that his abilities were not as good as Mr. Suzuki's.
But he wouldn't give up, one day, he would definitely make a comeback!
Thirty years in the East, thirty years in the West, never underestimate a young man!
There was one more suspicious point in the whole case.
The villa only had a staircase on the first floor. How did Miss Tanaka, who went to boil water, get up to the second floor?
Conan and Kaito Kuroba exchanged a glance, seemingly reaching a tacit understanding.
The former left first, rushing towards the outside.
As long as he checked the water boiler area, he would be able to determine the specific situation.
After Conan left, Kaito Kuroba stopped pretending.
He jumped off the balcony, confirming that the roof of the water boiler room could be used to reach the second floor.
With the last piece of the puzzle filled in, the whole case became crystal clear.
Kaito Kuroba's participation in this magic enthusiasts gathering was actually for another purpose.
He had an old friend, magician Harui Kazumi, whom he knew for many years.
A few months ago, due to a design flaw, he died in an escape magic trick.
He had discovered his friend's chatroom account was logged in again, so he came to investigate.
Kaito Kuroba had long known that Tanaka Kikuko was Harui Kazumi's granddaughter.
He even knew that she had communicated with Himano in advance, and performed the magic trick together.
But he never imagined that Tanaka Kikuko would commit murder.
This was unexpected, making Kaito Kuroba feel very guilty.
If he had known earlier, he would have stopped her!
Ah, if Harui Kazumi knew that his granddaughter had killed someone, how would he feel?
Forget it, don't think about those things, it's almost time to leave.
Suzuki Byakuya is a pretty interesting guy, I’ll remember you.
Hopefully, we can meet again next time.
…
Conan rushed downstairs and, upon seeing the roof of the water boiler room, instantly completed the case information.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, he looked up.
On the balcony of the second floor, a figure stood.
He was wearing a white top hat, a white suit, and exuded an air of a gentleman.
If he took off his monocular lens, his face would be the same as Shinichi Kudo.
“Kaito Kid, have you finally dropped your disguise?”
Kaito Kuroba knew that this kid was no ordinary child. He smiled:
“How did you figure it out, little detective?”
Conan remained calm, his lens reflecting a bit of light:
“Rearrange the letters of Toei Taketsugu, and you'll get the name Kaito Kid.”
Kaito Kuroba nodded, with a hint of sadness in his expression:
“Ah, I came here to mourn my friend, but a murder happened. I'll leave the rest to you. By the way, tell Mr. Suzuki for me. When the bell that heralds the end of the century rings, we will meet again.”
He finished his words and unfolded his hang glider, flying farther and farther away in the snowy world.
“When the bell that heralds the end of the century rings, is this a challenge?”
Conan shook his head, returned to the villa, and headed towards Suzuki Byakuya's room.
Ara Yoshi and Kuroda-san were also there at this time:
“Kid, have you seen Mr. Toei Taketsugu?”
Conan replied in a childish voice:
“Uh-huh, big brother just told me how he did it.”
“Where is he? We looked everywhere but couldn't find him.”
“He said he was Kaito Kid. He changed into a younger big brother and flew away.”
“What? He’s Kaito Kid!”
Suzuki Sonoko was completely stunned. The handsome guy she had a crush on was actually her most admired idol.
And because of his appearance, she had alienated Toei Taketsugu, missing this opportunity…
Tanaka Kikuko, with her arms crossed, was still looking for an opportunity:
“Hey, it's stuffy here, can I leave now?”
Without the weapon to support her extreme last stand, she couldn't kill Ara Yoshi to avenge her grandfather.
“No, Miss Tanaka, you are now a criminal.”
Conan, pretending to be Kaito Kid, recounted the entire modus operandi.
Then, based on the reenactment of the case, he quickly found the rope in the woods that hadn’t been disposed of.
At this point, Tanaka Kikuko had no way to defend herself and confessed to the crime.
【The culprit confessed to their crime!】
【Points obtained: 100】
【Current remaining points: 300】
Byakuya kept 100 points in reserve, which could be used to exchange for “Temporary Beginner-Level Karate” in an emergency.
The remaining 200 points were just enough to buy “Magic Fast Hand”.
From today on, I am a man with a cheat!
Who’s the next cheat? .jpg
Agile fingers, targeted pressing, powerful stimulation…cough cough.
“Suzuki-niisan, Kaito Kid asked me to give you a message.”
Tsk, why does it sound like Chen Peisi?
“What message?”
“He said that when the bell that heralds the end of the century rings, we will meet again.”
The bell that heralds the end of the century, what is that?
Byakuya wasn't good at solving puzzles, and was very confused by this.
Seeing everyone looking at him, he answered to save face:
“Uh-huh, okay, I understand.”
I understand what? What is he even talking about?
Conan, seeing his calm demeanor, thought to himself that he probably had solved the riddle.
Mr. Suzuki is really amazing!