"Amadai fish?"
Ran clearly didn't quite get why amadai fish would be called "square-headed fish."
So, she turned into a curious kid and asked, "But why do they call amadai fish square-headed fish?"
"That's because amadai fish have square-shaped heads," Conan stepped forward, glancing at the tai (snapper) fish on the table before explaining, "In some places, people also call it horse-headed fish or other similar names."
"Judging by the name, it's probably a term used in western Japan, like Kyoto, Osaka, or Kobe," Fujino chimed in. "After all, Ms. Ikenami was speaking with a Kansai accent just now, and she mentioned that such fine amadai is considered a top-notch ingredient in places like Kyoto or Osaka."
"Detective Fujino's right. I did go to school in Osaka back in the day," Shizuka Hattori said, slightly surprised but agreeing with Fujino. She then added with a hint of frustration, "Even after all these years, my Kansai accent still slips out unconsciously. Honestly, it's caused me some unnecessary trouble at times."
"But…" Conan eyed Shizuka Hattori suspiciously.
Her explanation seemed fine at first glance.
But when you factored in her earlier mention of "iced coffee," things got fishy.
This lady was definitely off!
Just as he was about to speak, a loud shout came from behind: "Who are you people?! How dare you barge into someone's house?!"
Everyone froze and turned to see a woman standing at the door, fuming. "I'm calling the police!"
"Wait!"
"We're just…"
Uncle Mouri and Ran panicked a bit.
It was only then that they realized something was wrong.
Following a neighbor into someone else's house without permission? Yeah, that wasn't exactly okay.
Fujino, on the other hand, stayed calm, quietly sizing up the woman.
She was wearing a long-sleeved athletic top, khaki shorts, and had short black hair with round-framed glasses. She looked to be around forty. The golf club bag slung over her shoulder suggested she'd just come back from a game.
From her behavior, she was likely Shiro Shibata's wife.
If Fujino remembered correctly, this woman was actually the murderer.
The motive? Gambling.
Shiro Shibata was a gambling addict, and Yoshikawa, the neighbor, was the one running the games.
These people were playing high-stakes mahjong.
Shiro Shibata had gotten hooked on it.
As everyone knows, gambling addicts rarely end well, and Shiro was no exception.
After losing all their savings and starting to sell off their possessions, Mrs. Shibata finally snapped and "exploded coins" on him.
Let's just say gambling addicts get what they deserve—this coin explosion was well-earned.
But as a murderer, this lady's acting skills were subpar.
Compared to "Ms. Ikenami," Mrs. Shibata's performance was noticeably worse.
With a bunch of strangers in her house and no one else around, her reaction seemed normal enough.
But only if her husband wasn't home.
If her husband *was* home, and she saw a beautiful woman in a kimono, two men in suits, a teenage girl, and a kid…
Wouldn't a normal person assume they were guests, not intruders?
Yet Mrs. Shibata immediately labeled them as burglars. Clearly, she already knew her husband wasn't home—or that he was dead.
For someone to reveal themselves as the murderer right off the bat like that…
Even if Fujino didn't know the details, he could instantly peg her as an immature killer.
"Shibata, what's wrong?! Snap out of it!"
As the Mouri father-daughter duo tried to explain, an anxious shout suddenly came from the study behind them.
"What?!"
Conan froze, feeling like the voice sounded oddly familiar. Snapping out of it, he bolted toward the room first.
Uncle Mouri followed a bit slower, catching up only after Conan reached the scene.
Fujino, Ran, and Shizuka Hattori leisurely trailed behind, heading toward the study.
Pushing open the half-closed door, they saw a spacious study. At the entrance, a man in black pants and a green sweater lay sprawled on the floor, his head stained with blood.
"Shibata, come on, wake up!"
The neighbor, Yoshikawa, was crouched beside Shiro Shibata's body, shaking him in a panic.
"Mr. Shibata, he…" Ran took a step back, her face showing a trace of fear as she saw the scene.
Fujino pulled out a pair of white gloves from his pocket and turned to Ran and Shizuka. "I'll check it out."
"A photo?" Conan, already at the crime scene, squinted at Shibata's body.
At a glance, he noticed the deceased was clutching a photo in his hand.
He pulled out a handkerchief, intending to slip the photo out for a look, but before he could, he felt himself being lifted off the ground.
"Little Conan, don't go messing up the crime scene," Fujino said casually, picking him up and setting him aside.
"???"
Conan stared at Fujino, utterly baffled.
He didn't get Fujino's move at all.
They hadn't even confirmed if the guy was dead yet, so how was Fujino already calling it a crime scene?
Sure, it *looked* like the guy was dead, but Conan still thought Fujino was jumping the gun.
…
Fujino ignored Conan's confusion and reached out to check Shibata's neck.
The system mission had already popped up—whether the guy was dead or not, he was done for. That was the rule.
Still, even if he was sure the guy was gone, Fujino had to go through the motions.
"Fujino, my man, what's the situation?" Uncle Mouri crouched down and asked, "How's Mr. Shibata?"
Fujino shook his head, pulling out another pair of white gloves and handing them to Mouri. "Mr. Shibata has no pulse. Judging by the body's rigidity, he's been dead for a while."
Uncle Mouri's face darkened as he sighed, expertly slipping on the gloves. He turned and shouted, "Ran, go call the police!"
"I'll handle it," Fujino said, standing up and cutting Mouri off.
…
About ten minutes later, a coral-haired officer arrived with his team.
The coral-haired officer was none other than Mouri Kogoro's fanboy, Sango Yokomizo.
After a quick chat with Yok10:00 PM WIB - Officer Yokomizo briefly greeted the group before the forensics team began investigating the study.
"My love!" Mrs. Shibata cried out desperately toward Shiro Shibata's body in the study, tears streaming down her face.
"Mr. Mouri, Fujino-kun, what are you doing here?" Yokomizo glanced at the sobbing Mrs. Shibata before turning to Fujino and Mouri.
"We came to see Mr. Shibata about something," Mouri said, his gaze shifting to the body in the study. "But when we got here, Mr. Yoshikawa opened the door, and we found Mr. Shibata already dead."
He looked at Fujino. "That's right, isn't it, Fujino?"
Fujino nodded. "Yup, that's correct."
"I see." Yokomizo pondered for a moment before turning to the forensics team in their white coats. "Can you confirm the time of death?"
"We've got a preliminary estimate," the coroner replied. "The victim died sometime between midnight and morning today. Cause of death was a heavy blow to the head with a blunt object."
"This morning, huh?" Yokomizo mused, immediately ruling out Fujino's group as suspects. His suspicion shifted to Kyoko Shibata.
According to Kyoko Shibata, she left the house before 5 a.m. to play golf with friends. As for Shiro Shibata, he'd returned home around 3 a.m. after playing mahjong with friends and was already asleep when she left.
However, based on the newspaper and breakfast remnants on the dining table, Yokomizo deduced that Shibata was likely killed while eating after waking up.
Security footage narrowed the time of death to between 8:00 and 8:45 a.m.
Conan, meanwhile, paced the scene, shooting Fujino resentful glances.
This guy wouldn't let him touch the crime scene!
How was he supposed to find clues without touching anything?
He was dying to know what was in that photo the victim was holding.
He had a hunch it was a crucial clue.
And that Shizuka Ikenami? She was definitely tied to this case somehow.
But after being yanked away, Conan had no chance to check the photo. All he could do was wander the scene, dodging Uncle Mouri's iron-fist sanctions.
Luckily, his sharp mind didn't fail him. He soon spotted something useful. In his childish tone, he pointed at the shelf of videotapes near the TV. "Huh? That's weird. Look, the shelf is full of tapes, but one slot's empty. And there's no VCR, and only one speaker by the TV."
Shizuka Hattori's attention snapped to Conan.
She gave him a curious look, her eyes narrowing slightly, almost fox-like.
She'd noticed this kid wasn't ordinary.
From suggesting ideas earlier to ordering iced coffee, he was showing smarts beyond his years.
But she didn't dwell on it, figuring he'd just picked up some tricks from hanging around two famous detectives.
By contrast, Fujino had probably already seen through her—maybe even deduced she was from Osaka.
"Good catch," Yokomizo said, stepping forward to inspect the empty spot by the TV and nodding.
"Maybe it's being repaired?" Mouri suggested, hands in his pockets, turning to Mrs. Shibata. "That's the deal, right, Mrs. Shibata?"
"No, actually…" Kyoko hesitated, but before she could finish, Yoshikawa cut in. "Come on, this is trivial. Let's wrap this up so I can go home!"
"Mr. Yoshikawa, you seem awfully nervous," Fujino said, stepping forward as the moment felt right. He turned to Kyoko. "Mrs. Shibata, what were you about to say?"
"Well…" Kyoko sighed. "The VCR and speakers… my husband sold them."
"Sold them?" Yokomizo blinked. "Pardon my asking, but is your family struggling financially?"
"Not exactly…" Kyoko hesitated.
But before she could elaborate, Yoshikawa jumped in again. "Hold on, this is irrelevant—"
"Mr. Yoshikawa, stop interrupting Mrs. Shibata," Yokomizo said, his tone sharp. "Or is there something you're hiding?"
"I…" Yoshikawa faltered, sweat beading on his forehead.
"It's probably tied to mahjong," Fujino mused. "If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Shibata was heavily into gambling mahjong. That would explain the sold-off VCR and speakers."
"Is that true?" Yokomizo's brow furrowed as he turned to Kyoko. "Mrs. Shibata, is Fujino-kun correct?"
"Yes…" Kyoko sighed. "My husband was caught up in gambling games organized by that Yoshikawa guy. Thanks to him, we sold our computer, car, jewelry—even the amplifier."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Yokomizo recovered first, his eyes narrowing at Yoshikawa. "Mr. Yoshikawa, care to explain Mrs. Shibata's claims?"
"I… uh…" Yoshikawa stammered, at a loss for words.
"And if I recall, you were the one who opened the door for us, right?" Yokomizo's expression darkened, as if he'd pegged Yoshikawa as the killer. "You have no alibi. If Mr. Shibata was a regular gambler, you might've killed him over gambling disputes."
"Wait! Sure, we gambled, but I wouldn't kill anyone!" Yoshikawa protested, panicking.
Gambling was a minor crime, but murder? That was serious.
He turned to Fujino's group. "Those people could be suspects too! You seem to know them, but…"
"What? These guys are the *least* likely to kill!" Yokomizo laughed, incredulous. "The Sleeping Kogoro Mouri and the Pitch-Black Detective Fujino as murderers? That's less likely than winning the lottery."
"The Sleeping Kogoro Mouri?!"
"And the high school detective Fujino?!"
Yoshikawa and Kyoko gasped in unison.
"Yup," Yokomizo nodded proudly, launching into introductions. "With them are Mr. Mouri's daughter, Ran, and Conan, who's staying with the Mouris. As for the lovely lady…" He paused, eyeing the unfamiliar woman, then continued, "That must be Mrs. Mouri, right?"
Fujino: "…"
Ran: "…"
Conan: "…"
Shizuka Hattori: "…"
A stunned silence followed.