Volume 32

Chronology
‹ Volume 31	List of Chapters • List of Cases	Volume 33 ›

Volume 32
Information
Release date:	April 18, 2001
Chapters:	318-328
ISBN:	ISBN 4-09-126162-0
Publisher:	Shogakukan
English release date:	November 17, 2009
English ISBN:	ISBN 1-4215-2200-4
English Publisher:	Viz Media
Featured Detective & Keyhole
Mike Hammer Goro Otaki
Aoyama's death & Conan side images

Volume 32 was released on April 18, 2001 in Japan.

Cast

Characters

Conan Edogawa

Ran Mouri

Kogoro Mouri

Ayumi Yoshida

Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya

Genta Kojima

Ai Haibara

Sonoko Suzuki

Heiji Hattori

Kazuha Toyama

Yoko Okino

Tomoaki Araide

Shizuka Hattori

Juzo Megure

Ninzaburo Shiratori

Miwako Sato

Wataru Takagi

Kazunobu Chiba

Yumi Miyamoto

Heizo Hattori

Ginshiro Toyama

Goro Otaki

Shuichi Akai

Osamu Kenzaki

Mrs. Sato

Hiroshi Agasa (flashback)

Shinichi Kudo (photo)

Detective Samonji (Tv)

Gadgets

Gadgets

Wristwatch Flashlight

Earring Cellphone

Chapters

Tiger Scroll Case

File 318 - The Ruler's Treasure

Conan finds a mysterious quadrant-shaped mark on the castle roof.

Kazuha is relieved to learn the shopkeeper had held onto her missing wallet. However, the warm feelings melt away upon learning of the death that had occurred just outside.
Inspector Otaki arrives on the scene and discusses the events leading to the victim's death with Kogoro. The latter explains the victim is Yuji Kato, who played Toyotomi Hideyoshi that day amongst the tour group. He additionally deduces the death is a suicide, given no sane individual would climb onto the Osaka Castle roof in the rain while wearing a flammable fabric.

Meanwhile, Heiji has Conan climb onto the Osaka Castle roof in the rain. Still, he employs a rope as a harness. Conan finds a lighter and a quadrant-shaped mark left on the roof beam.

The rain reveals the scroll's hidden message

Heiji returns to ground-level and shares their findings, disagreeing with Kogoro's suicide-related assessment. He mentions the strange position of the lighter, stating it was found further up the roof instead of towards the ledge. Additionally, a person who immolated themselves would not bother to close the lid of their lighter. These two circumstances paint a picture that suggests murder. Several forensics officers then arrive and display Kato's possessions. Otaki's is intrigued by the peculiar charred scroll and unravels its contents, finding the lone "龍" kanji written in the top right corner. The tour members group all react in shock. Otaki also finds an earthenware shard and takes a closer look. Kazuha appears over the Inspector's shoulder and recounts her father's conversation with Heizo Hattori about the case from thirteen years ago and the associated "incredible treasure left by mortals." Although Heiji is dismissive at first, Conan notices the shard's interior sparkle with gold, giving credence to the idea of a sleeping treasure. The two boys shift their attention to what Kato meant by grabbing the umbrella, believing he was implying something about the rain. After some time, they simultaneously associate the rain with the scroll and swipe the artifact from Otaki's hands. They hold the open scroll to the raining sky and see writing appear on the page.
Observing their discovery from afar, the various members of the tour group begin exhibiting suspicious behavior. Fukushima manically fantasizes about the treasure; Wakisaka pulls out and examines a piece of earthenware of his own; Kasuya calls someone over the phone, directing them to remain on standby; and Katagiri ominously smirks.

File 319 - Across Time...

Kazuha calls her father to help with the investigation.

Heiji shares his findings about the supposed hidden treasure and the mysterious scroll Kato had carried. Otaki and Kogoro stare perplexed at the double-gourd shaped outline illustrated on the page. Ran and Kazuha suggest the shape represents a calabash, citing the calabash as being Hideyoshi's horse insignia. Additionally, the girls point to the earthenware shards and wonder if they belonged to a calabash-shaped container which held gold. Kogoro comments on the treasure's small-scale, but Heiji retorts that according to legend, Hideyoshi would tie an additional gold-filled calabash to his major insignia after each victory—creating the Sennari Byoutan. If such a mythical artifact were to exist, it would be worth a colossal fortune. Kogoro still expresses his doubts about the validity of the legend, but Fukushima and Wakisaka show their opportunism, citing claims of Hideyoshi hoarding vast amounts of wealth in Osaka Castle even after his death. Heiji adds that since the burnt scroll is labeled with the kanji for "dragon (ryu (龍))," there must be a counterpart scroll labeled with the kanji for "tiger (tora (虎))." Ginshiro then arrives and corroborates Heiji's deduction, much to the surprise of the investigating group. Kazuha explains she called her father so they can leave the case to the police, stating her desire to leave the case behind them and enjoy the rest of their trip. Heiji roars at her for interfering with his work, but quickly softens his demeanor after feeling Ginshiro's intense gaze. Seemingly annoyed, Kazuha walks off with Ran to get food. Nevertheless, she fondly looks back at Heiji hard at work and gives a warm smile. The tour group members also state their desire to momentarily depart from the scene; Otaki hesitantly agrees. Ginshiro, having heard one of their voices, is reminded of a horrific scene he had witnessed in the past. He gives Otaki a silent instruction and proceeds to call Heizo.

Ran and Kazuha watch as Katagiri falls into the river while on fire.

At a restaurant, Ran deduces that Kazuha's true intentions were not for her father to takeover the investigation but rather for him to assist Heiji with information about the previous, related cases. Kazuha blushes and confesses she is attracted to the joyous smile Heiji gives after solveing a case. Ran says she feels the same way about Shinichi and the two girls bond over their romantic similarities.

Back at the castle, Conan discovers a battery near the structure's base, believing it proves Kato's death was a murder.

A powerful punch.

The girls return from the restaurant, having realized they had forgotten to take Conan with them. On their way to the crime scene, they notice a fire rapidly spreading across the arm of nearby person—a fire they had lit with their own lighter. The girls watch in shock as the individual climbs over a railing and falls into a river. Their screams alert the authorities, who manage to pull a deceased Katagiri from the water. They note her primary cause of death was not due to drowning or burning but rather blunt force trauma to her head. Meanwhile, Heiji harshly questions Kazuha about the events she witnessed, fiercely doubting the possibility of a suicide. Heiji rushes over to the victim's corpse and frantically searches for clues. Suddenly, a firm hand grabs the boy's hood and strikes him with a powerful punch. Heiji tumbles to the ground and sees his father, Heizo, standing before him.

File 320 - Naniwa Kanjinchou

Heizo diminishes his son's contributions, likening his actions to sabotage.

Heizo callously admonishes his son, stating his investigative actions only result in the destruction of important evidence. Otaki attempts to step in, believing Heizo's actions are too severe, but is stopped by Ginshiro, who reminds him of the task he was assigned. Now understanding of the Superintendent Supervisor's intentions, Otaki condones the act. Heizo then quickly disbands the investigation after hearing Otaki's premature assessment categorizing the two incidents as suicides. Meanwhile, a silhouette calmly watches from amongst the crowd.
Otaki and Kogoro attempt to console a seemingly devitalized Heiji. Kazuha wonders if Heizo had removed Heiji from the case to protect him from a nefarious gang, who committed several murders and robberies in the wake of the discovery of the first burnt corpse. If such a gang (who is still at-large) is also behind the most recent string of murders, the case could prove perilous down the stretch. Heiji, on the other hand, smiles—never having been more motivated to continue his investigation.
Despite Heiji's enthusiasm, Otaki reminds him that Katagiri's death is almost certainly a suicide. However, Heiji disagrees, pointing to several parts of her trench coat which bear peculiar marks. Kogoro identifies the marks as blood, allowing Heiji to specify they are the result of the culprit picking Katagiri's unconscious body up from the ground after bludgeoning her with a hard object. He explains Kazuha and Ran had seen Katagiri's unconscious body catch fire shortly before falling into the river—making her death appear like a suicide. The girls disagree, stating they saw her physically squirm while burning. In response, Heiji simply assumes their perceptions were hampered by the darkness. The group is then approached by the three surviving tour group members: Kasuya, Fukushima, and Wakisaka, who are still oblivious to Katagiri's death.

After being given a briefing on the situation, the three men are asked about their most recent actions. Kasuya and Wakisaka both claim to have dined—at different restaurants—while Fukushima says he returned to the hotel to change clothes. Kogoro suggests the culprit leveraged the power dynamics of the role-playing to instruct both Kato and Katagiri to immolate themselves, but the theory is immediately dismantled by the suspects, who assert that their given roles were in no position to give Hideyoshi and Nene orders. A forensics officer then shows Otaki two curios found on Katagiri's person: an earthenware shard and a photograph depicting Kato, Katagiri, and three other individuals holding the dragon scroll. Fukushima recognizes one of the three unnamed individuals as Hirano, the man who proposed the Hideyoshi tour. The suspects explain he was unable to attend the tour due to a sudden commitment.

Ran's umbrella spurs a major realization.

The three suspects leave the scene once again, while Conan and Heiji discuss their current deductions. Their conversation touches on a strange zipper-shaped blood mark left on Katagiri's right side. After some thought, the two simultaneously come to the same conclusion about the culprit's method but remain unsure of the culprit's identity. A sudden gust of wind blows through the group and carries Ran's umbrella out of her hands and into the air. The two boys watch the parasol float through the air and realize they both made a massive mistake in their previous deductions. The two boys rush off as Kazuha proudly remarks on seeing Heiji's confident smile.
The two boys run through the streets of town, desperately searching for the three suspects, one of whom they believe may be intending to claim another life. Conan notices Kasuya mundanely meandering the sidewalk across the street and attempts to call the police. Heiji, however, stops him. Not wanting the police's presence to scare their target, he lunges over the guard rail and begins tailing Kasuya. Conan expresses his concern while a large group of menacing men quietly observe the boys from down the street.

File 321 - The Tiger Scroll of Sadness

Heiji and Conan observe Kasuya pull open the doors to an abandoned factory and step inside. Despite Conan's qualms about the situation, Heiji pushes onward and into the factory. His attention is soon consumed by his target to the point where he fails to notice Conan's abduction at the hands of a tailing silhouette.

  Show spoilers »

As Kasuya ascends the dark staircases to the factory's upper level, he sees Shigehiko Wakisaka patiently awaiting his arrival. Kasuya asks for the tiger scroll; Wakisaka points to a box placed at the edge of the platform. Kasuya rushes over and excitedly opens the container, finding dozens of various items. He complains about the darkness, unable to discern the various items in the box. Wakisaka ominously grins and suggests using the flashlight placed beside the box. Heiji then steps forward and yells for Kasuya to halt his actions, stating he will combust if he turns the light on.
The Method:
Heiji explains that Wakisaka had murdered Kato and Katagiri by claiming to know the location of the tiger scroll, allowing him to lure them to their deaths. In the case of Kato, he informed him that the tiger scroll was hidden beneath one of Osaka Castle's roof tiles. Kato would logically wait to investigate at night to minimize the chances of being seen by bystanders, meaning he would lack visibility. He used his lighter to illuminate his surroundings, but after finding a flashlight left on the roof, he would place his lighter down and switch to the flashlight. Little did he know it was a trap set by Wakisaka, which exploded onto the man's flammable clothing, lighting him ablaze. The quadrant-shaped mark left on the roof was due to the flashlight creating a circular dry mark on the roof during the rain. Kato then placed his lighter, covering only a quarter of the circle, leaving only a dry quadrant when Conan found the mark.
In the case of Katagiri, the individual Kazuha and Ran had witnessed fall into the river was not Katagiri but Wakisaka. Katagiri was bludgeoned sometime prior and thrown into the water. Wakisaka poured kerosene onto the portion of her body that remained floating about the water level and returned to the main road. He then waited for a witness to pass by before lighting his trench coat on fire, dropped his lighter onto the Katagiri's flammable body below, and dropped himself into the river—successfully extinguishing the flames on his body. Kasuya questions how Wakisaka's hair remained dry after falling into a river. Heiji replies that he wore a dry suit under his clothing to both mitigate burns and prevent wetness. Additionally, the dry suit is equipped with a zipper, which pressed against Wakisaka's role-playing pin and created the circular zipper mark left on Katagiri's body. Therefore, by examining his pin, forensic analysts will be able to recover traces of Katagiri's blood, serving as undeniable evidence for his crimes.
Additionally, Wakisaka likely murdered the Hideyoshi tour's creator, Hirano. Heiji explains he had Agasa check Hirano's website where he would publish daily entries on his blog. He had mysteriously stopped uploading entries roughly three weeks prior, lining up with the discovery of the second burned victim found in the castle's outer moat.
The Motive:
Wakisaka explains he desired to kill Hirano, Kato, Katagiri, and Kasuya to avenge his murdered grandfather, Masakiyo. He was the old man pictured in the center of the photograph carried by Katagiri, and was a proud fan of Hideyoshi's history. Thirteen years ago, he wished to end the search for Hideyoshi's treasure and donate the dragon scroll to the state. A rift soon formed between him and those who remained committed to the hunt. One day, Masakiyo traveled to Osaka to convince his colleagues to yield their commitment; he never returned. Wakisaka recognized Masakiyo as the first burnt victim because he recognized the recovered shard as an artifact his grandfather kept secret, along with the tiger scroll. He admits he had difficulties locating his four targets because "one of them" had changed their appearance. Heiji then realizes the fifth individual pictured in the photograph is Arihiro Kasuya.

He turns to the old man only to see him joined by dozens of armed men. Kasuya, the leader of the gang, explains they are in the process of locating Wakisaka's home—where he assumes he stored the tiger scroll. Before he executes his two victims, Kasuya asks how Heiji determined Wakisaka as the culprit, as the tricks outlined could have also been performed by Fukushima or himself. Conan's voice then echoes through the factory, stating: "the umbrella." The parties look up in shock as they see the boy confidently perched atop the platform above them. He explains that when Kato grabbed the umbrella, he was referring not to the rain, but to Oda Nobunaga's horse insignia, which takes the form of an umbrella. Since Wakisaka was role-playing as Nobunaga, Kato was pointing to him as the culprit. Impressed, Kasuya demands that the boy join his friend below. Despite Heiji's warnings, Conan appears to oblige, hopping over the railing and landing directly in front of Heiji. However, instead of a small seven-year-old boy, the Osaka Prefectural Police Superintendent Supervisor Heizo Hattori stands before the gang of criminals. Bright lights blast the scene, revealing swarms of police officers and riot guards closing in around the gang members. Upon Heizo's command, the police quickly subdue the criminals and put a swift end to the thirteen-year-long case.
As Wakisaka, Kasuya, and the gang members are carted off in the police bus, Kasuya comments on Wakisaka's ostensible success (his enemies vanquished and his family in possession of the tiger scroll). Wakisaka denies the assumption, stating the tiger scroll was nothing more than a humorous note written by the famous historical thief, Kajisuke, about stealing Hideyoshi's treasure. Shocked, Kasuya demands to know why Masakiyo never divulged such information to his colleagues. Wakisaka, with a saddened expression, says his grandfather did not want to ruin his friends' dreams.

The next day, Heiji is flabbergasted to learn his father was using him as bait for a sting operation. Conan says that after Heizo "abducted" him in the factory, he rationalized his actions by saying the culprits were well accustomed to the "scent of the police," and thus Heiji was the perfect tool for luring out the catch. Conan also reveals that Heizo knew the murderer's identity immediately after hearing about Kato's dying message, further sparking Heiji's anger.
Meanwhile, at the Hattori residence, Shizuka scolds her husband for putting their son in danger.

People

Arihiro Kasuya
	64 years old Tourist Role of Tokugawa Ieyasu

Toshiaki Fukushima
	32 years old Tourist Role of Akechi Mitsuhide

Maho Katagiri
	Victim (bashed) 39 years old Tourist Role of Nene

Shigehiko Wakisaka
	35 years old Tourist Role of Oda Nobunaga

Yuji Kato
	Victim (burned) 36 years old Tourist Role of Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Hirano
	Deceased Tourist

Major events

Kazuha and Ran discuss their feelings for their respective detective boyfriends.

Wounded Idol Case

Characters introduced

Osamu Kenzaki
	26 years old Actor

File 322 - A Long-Awaited Gathering

Kogoro Mouri gets an invitation for an engagement party from his favorite idol, Yoko Okino. Kaoru is the one who is getting engaged is another star and a former member of a group they all used to be in. She is a fan of Kogoro Mouri and wanted him to find out who was stalking her. Kaoru decides to take a bath. And the rest of the girl group decide to dress up and sing their old song to surprise her. Conan discovers blood leading to the door and they find her attacked. Bloody clothes are found outside which were made to make it seem like it was Kaoru's stalker but really is someone at the party.

File 323 - The Secret of the Idols

Megure searches everyone for the murder weapon but it isn't found. Though they discover a listening device and find drawers tampered with.

File 324 - The Idols' Regret

  Show spoilers »

The hospital calls and informs them that Kaoru's surgery went well. Meanwhile, Conan confronts the culprit, Yuki Takeno, Yuki used her sharp filed nail as a weapon and used a fake nail to cover it. She then bit it and spat it out into the sink. She had chloroformed Kaoru beforehand, tried to kill her, and then left fake blood splatters in front of the door, and threw the bloody raincoat outside the apartment, to make it believe she had been attacked by the stalker.

Her motive is that she has a crush on Kenzaki and she thought that the fake engagement was just Kaoru playing prank on her emotion. She attempted to commit suicide to pay for her crime of trying to kill Kaoru with hypoglycemic drug (since her dad's got diabetes), but Conan saved her life using sugar sticks. When Yuki woke up in the hospital Kaoru said that she testified wrongly to cover for Yuki and felt sorry that she wasn't aware of Yuki's crush on Kenzaki. Kaoru revealed that the rumor of the engagement was to get her manager Atsushi Makuma to have enough courage to confess her and later they become engaged (Kaoru wants to get married at age 20 like Yukiko Kudo).

It is later revealed that Terumi has idolized Shinichi.

People

Osamu Kenzaki
	26 years old Actor

Kaoru Kusano
	Victim (throat slit - injured) 20 years old Actress Osamu's fiancée

Yuki Takeno
	22 years old Variety performer

Terumi Hoshino
	23 years old Actress

Atsushi Makuma
	23 years old Kaoru's manager

Major events

It turns out that Terumi Hoshino knows one of our heroes!

Kidnapped Tourist Case

Characters introduced

James Black
	Mysterious man from Chicago

File 325 - Something the Lion Dropped

Professor Agasa and the Detective Boys are at a circus (named "The Animal Show with Paul & Annie"), and they enjoy it very much. After the show, they leave the venue and notice a man who appears to be Randy Hawk (the show's sponsor, Paul and Annie's father and a businessman from the U.S. state of Oklahoma who is currently taking the circus on a worldwide tour) surrounded by reporters. Since the man seems very tired of and upset about the swarm of questions from them, Haibara comments that he should have hired bodyguards, and Conan explains that Hawk never does because, according to him, he "comes from a lineage of cowboys and cowboys know how to defend themselves". The man finally loses his temper with the reporters and lashes out by saying "Can you give me a break!?" Conan notices his British accent, realizes that he is not actually Randy Hawk and quickly comes up with a rescue plan. Conan tells the reporters that the man is a friend of his grandfather (Haibara points at Agasa at this moment) called "Thomas" and the rest of the Detective Boys takes advantage of their confusion to drag the man away, claiming that they have planned to have lunch with "Thomas".

After they have left the circus, the foreign man thanks the Detective Boys for having gotten him out of trouble and mentions that he has come to Japan because he adores Hawk's show and knows that only in Japan can he buy a limited edition of Hawk’s lion keychain. Agasa asks why Conan knows that the man is not Hawk, and Conan gives the above-mentioned rationale, and adds that Japanese people cannot differentiate between Westerners very well. The foreign man is impressed by Conan's deductions and bends down to congratulate him for being so perceptive. The man then introduces himself as James Black, and the Detective Boys also introduce themselves to him and show him their badges. James instantly recognizes that Sherlock Holmes is on the badges, and compares them to the Baker Street Irregulars. James further comments that coincidentally, he was born on Baker Street; he adds that he was raised in Chicago, the Windy City where Al Capone (a nefarious gangster active in the 1920s) stormed.

In order to show the Detective Boys his gratitude, James decides to treat his new friends to a nice lunch (he was going to meet with a friend, who he describes as a long-haired man, before being stopped by the reporters, but it appears that he has forgotten about this), and since Agasa's Beetle does not have enough seats, James says that he will fetch his crossover car parked not far away. After he is gone, Haibara asks Conan in a mildly concerned manner what he feels about James; the latter responds with "nothing negative" and is surprised that Haibara finds James slightly suspicious.

James reaches his crossover. As he opens the door, two police officers interrupt him. They explain that his crossover was stolen a week ago, and since they want to know the exact circumstances under which James rented it they have a few questions for him (including his name, where he is accommodated etc.). James agrees to take the questions beside their police car on the other end of the alley, and as they approach the vehicle, James tells the officers that he wants to notify the Detective Boys about his situation first. Upon hearing this, one of the officers takes out a gun; he proceeds to hold it against James’ back and order him, in a menacing manner, to get in the car immediately. James is petrified by the sudden turn of events, so he does not manage to move his body; this prompts the officer to kick James into the car. James' lion keychain falls off as a result, but since the “officers” deem it unimportant, they drive off without further ado (there is another “officer” in the driver's seat). On the way, they reveal to James the motive of the kidnapping: they want James to share with them the money that he earned by "whipping animals". James, knowing that they have mistaken him for Randy Hawk, starts protesting, but this is ignored by the kidnappers.

Agasa and the Detective Boys set out to look for James after waiting for him for 40 minutes, and they eventually spot his crossover (they know that it is his because Mitsuhiko notices that there is a cute lion figure beside the front window). The crossover is in a strange state: the door is open, and the keys are on the door lock. Some children playing nearby tell them that James entered an alley nearby with two men in coats, and with this clue the Detective Boys are able to find the lion keychain of James. They notice bloodstains on the keychain; namely, on the symbols "P", "&" and "A" of "Paul & Annie". Conan deduces that this must be a message from James to them, but he struggles with its meaning. This file ends with a panel in which James is sucking his finger (which has been injured for some reason), looking collected and unafraid, and a smirking kidnapper sitting beside him.

File 326 - P & A

The kidnappers brag about their "good catch", believing that they will get millions as ransom from Hawk's children in exchange for his release, and they completely disregard James' insistence that they are mistaken until they hear Randy Hawk speak on the radio. One of the kidnappers suggests killing James straightaway, but another reprimands him for being hot-headed and suggesting something this stupid and says that they must follow the original plan, drive to the mountains of Gunma Prefecture and dispose of James there. On the other hand, Agasa and the Detective Boys head to a police station nearby to ask for their help, but the policemen there completely fail to grasp that they might be dealing with a kidnap and that the situation is dire. Seeing that they cannot depend on the police, the Detective Boys try to figure out the meaning of "P & A" on themselves, and are unsuccessful. So they are forced to resort to asking pedestrians nearby whether they have noticed anything suspicious, and at this moment Ayumi notices that her detective badge is gone. She hypothesizes that James took it from her to appreciate the silhouette of Sherlock Holmes on it. Knowing that James likely has the badge, Conan changes the plan and uses his criminal-tracking glasses to try to track James' location. This reveals that James is 16 kilometers away from them, going towards Saitama Prefecture (which is located between Tokyo Metropolis and Gunma Prefecture) on Ikumo Highway and in all likelihood on a vehicle.

Conan calls the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and urges Takagi to set roadblocks on Ikumo Highway, on the border separating Tokyo and Saitama. Takagi patiently explains that he cannot do so, but Sato, knowing that Conan is the one calling, grabs the landline and listens to what Conan has to say. She agrees to do what Conan deems necessary and promises Conan that she and Takagi will set out immediately for Saitama. Takagi is astounded by her decision, but Sato justifies it by saying (happily) that cases involving Conan tend to be interesting and that there is not another case at hand anyways.

After the call, Conan asks Agasa to take them to Saitama as well, as they are the only ones besides the kidnappers who can actually recognize James. Haibara says that she finds it weird that James, knowing that whoever kidnapped him was fishy (if he did not know then he would not have time to injure himself and leave the message on the keychain), still went with them. Conan says that she is overthinking and wonders where she is going with this. At this instant, the mysterious man with the black knit hat (i.e. Shuichi Akai) passes the Detective Boys and stares discreetly at them. Haibara immediately reacts to his presence and turns around with an extremely frightened expression on her face, but Akai has already driven off. Haibara screams at Conan in panic, asking whether he has noticed Akai, and Conan says that he has not because of the car's high speed. This response (for some reason) calms Haibara down.

The kidnappers reach the roadblocks and encounter Yumi, who has been instructed by Sato to peep into every passing car to check for foreigners. Since they have made their car resemble a true police car, have covered James with a coat and have prepared a well-crafted fabrication, she allows them to pass without suspecting them in the slightest way and believing that they are police officers transporting a petty criminal. Agasa and the Detective Boys then arrive and are astonished to learn that the police have not noticed a single problematic vehicle. Since the battery of his glasses is dying, Conan knows that he cannot keep tracking James' movement for much longer; thus, Agasa encourages them to try to focus on the message again. After some unfruitful discussions, Ayumi suggests that since James likes animals so much, "P & A" might be related to animals. This inspires Conan, who exclaims at once that he knows where James is and thanks Ayumi excitedly. Meanwhile, more than 8 kilometers from Conan and company (and on a highway of Saitama), James sees through the rear-view mirror that Akai was right behind the kidnapper's car (note that it has never been revealed how Akai managed to find James), and he smirks mysteriously.

File 327 - A Stupid Plan

  Show spoilers »

Sato and Takagi arrive and Conan reveals that the kidnappers are driving a police car, which is why they have managed to bypass the roadblocks. He says that the ampersand ("&") in the message "P & A" represents the English word "and", and so the true message is "panda", which has black and white patches just like Japanese police cars. Sato and Takagi are not entirely convinced, and they say that the fact that panda was once used as a metonym for police cars in Japan is not something that a foreigner is likely to know; Yumi adds that an entirely white car with black wheels can also be referred to as "panda". Conan says that while it is true that an average foreigner might not be familiar with this usage of "panda", since black-and-white was extensively used on police cars in the United Kingdom (starting in 1965 in the county of Lancashire) and the use of panda as an alternative for police car is recorded in some dictionaries, the British-born and elderly James should know this jargon. Yumi now seems more convinced, and she recalls having checked a police car in which someone whose face was covered by a coat was sitting between two supposed police officers; the Detective Boys excitedly shout that that car must be it.

Sato and Takagi set off again to chase the kidnapper's car, and Sato says that the kidnappers might have already realized that the police is after them and thus will become desperate and dangerous and attempt to force their way through the further roadblocks that the police in Saitama have set. She is partially right: one of the kidnappers, by noting that Yumi checked every single car passing, indeed concludes that their misdeeds have already been leaked to the police; but he still stays calm, and tells the others that they simply need to threaten to kill James whenever the police interfere with their escape again. Akai is still behind them at this moment, but he is able to catch up and overtake the kidnappers eventually, and when driving parallel to them grins viciously and gives the driver an extremely chilling and intimidating look.

As Sato tries to figure out a way to arrest the kidnappers without imperiling James and other civilians, Conan, who has left a detective badge on her car unnoticed, tells her and Takagi that he has an idea, which, despite being "stupid", will certainly work if more police forces are willing to cooperate. Yumi, who (like Agasa and the Detective Boys) is also joining the chase, receives a call from Sato in which Sato asks her to use her influence in the Saitama Prefectural Police (as Yumi often organizes singles parties inviting police officers from both Tokyo and Saitama) to do something.

The driver-kidnapper is still recovering from Akai's devilish glare while the other kidnappers see the police approaching, become increasingly upset and demand him to drive faster. He barely finishes his answer ("ok") when Genta starts shouting "Mr. policeman, help" from Agasa's Beetle (which has overtaken the kidnappers as well, but by very little) and Takagi, who is beside him, tells him that as a police officer he should help capture the kidnappers in the Beetle in front of them. The kidnappers decide to pretend to obey and seek escape whenever possible, but not only does such an opportunity not present itself, but more police cars approach them over time, all of which seemingly under the assumption that they are real police officers and can do their part in preventing the criminals in the Beetle from escaping. The kidnappers are dumbfounded by this strategy and two of them begin having an anxiety attack as police cars gradually close in on them. The third kidnapper is able to remain relatively calm and takes out his gun, murmuring savagely that as long as they have control over the hostage the police will be unable to do anything. James seems to have understood Conan's strategy and praises his intelligence, and also remarks that the kidnappers' any further struggle will be futile. He thinks to himself that once the kidnappers are surrounded tightly and from all directions by the police, a commander will signal every car involved to brake simultaneously so as to force the kidnappers to do so as well. Since they are unprepared for this, their bodies will be thrown violently forwards and it will take them some time to regain control of the vehicle, during which he will be free from them and can leave the crime scene altogether and the police agents will surround the car and arrest them. This chain of events happens exactly as he has anticipated, and before anyone knows it the defeated kidnappers have already been carried away.

Yumi thanks the police officers from Saitama for participating, and they say that it is not a big deal at all as long as Sato (with whom they all are apparently in love with) comes to the next party that Yumi organizes. Sato, who is oblivious about this conversation and their feelings about her, notices that James is gone before the police can ask him about the incident. Haibara also notices this, which reaffirms her suspicion of James, but Conan is more worried about Akai, and recollects that he was involved in the bus hijacking case.

James shows up in Akai's car and explains that he knew from the very beginning that the two police officers were fake. He elaborates that since they did not even bother to ask him whether he knew Japanese when they approached him, it is certain that they (thought that they) knew exactly who they were dealing with. But later they wanted to ask his name, which is an obvious contradiction. James proceeds by saying that it surprises him to see that Akai has cut his long hair, and Akai responds that it was to commemorate the start of a new period in his life, as his lover (恋人さん in Japanese; this exact same phrase is used in Black Organization v.s. FBI and its true meaning, which is different from the apparent meaning, can be found there) has recently dumped him and he needs James' help to make that person pay and regret it for the rest of his/her life.

People

Randy Hawk
	Animal show sponsor

Man #1
	Fake police officer

Man #2
	Fake police officer

Man #3
	Fake police officer

Unnamed Police 1
	Police

Unnamed Police 2
	Police

Major events

• Haibara says that James Black is giving her a weird feeling and James seems to be acting too calmly being kidnapped plus some other obvious hints.
• James and Shuichi seem to be working together and the former refers to Conan by the name "Cool Guy" because the photo of Conan in the Vermouth room's says this name.

Sato's Omiai Case

Characters introduced

Isokichi Kamoi
	57 years old Shiratori family butler

File 328 - Sato's Omiai

Sato's mother laments that her daughter is spending her day off lying lazily in the living room, after getting up at noon, eating mandarins and watching sports on TV, while this is not a behaviour that suits an important police officer. Instead, she suggests Sato should have a look at the pile of pictures her mother places in front of her, and Sato gets it that here we go again with the Omiai (arranged meeting and/or marriage in Japan) discussion, and as usual she has to force herself to get stuck with all the pictures of potential husbands. She first refuses to do it, explaining she sees enough pictures of corpses as part of her job, but her mother starts crying and tries to have her do it, saying she's been feeling so alone since Sato's father died in action. Miwako then accepts to only meet that person, and she flings a picture at random at her mother with her toes. Mrs. Sato opens the folder and when seeing the picture, she feels overjoyed, saying Miwako is indeed her daughter, given they have the exact same likes.

Meeting them in the street, Yumi tells Ran, Sonoko and Conan about Sato's doing a Omiai and being, at the moment, at the Japanese restaurant in order to meet her "future husband". Conan and the girls can't understand she chose a picture at random. Though, it's really unlikely any men, except unexperienced or serious ones, would accept dating a policewoman, spending most of her time on crime scenes. Yumi says not even Takagi is aware she's doing a Omiai, since all men at the police's are crazy about her, and she didn't want to wreak havoc nor shame herself by revealing it, and anyway she won't say yes to marriage. Moreover, there's absolutely no chance at all she will have to answer a proposal, since actually Yumi was tasked to tell Takagi about it, and she knows he will rush to the restaurant to stop her from saying yes, telling her she has "an unexpected and urgent case to investigate". After that, no groom will ever want to meet her again. Yumi wishes Takagi would at last declare his love to Miwako. Sonoko wants to see the Omiai with her own eyes, but Yumi can't give them a lift there since she's currently on duty. Though, they unexpectedly meet Dr. Araide, and ask him to drive them there. They want to see if Takagi really will come or not, as they know he and Miwako actually love each other.

At the Minatoro Restaurant, Sato, dressed up to the nines in a traditional Japanese outfit, gets annoyed at her "husband"'s being more than 10-minute late, and she's about to leave as Isokichi Kamoi, the "groom"'s butler, comes in and apologises for his young master's lateness. The master's parents are away and couldn't come, and that master comes in too, saying he's late due to taking much time to choose the most suitable flowers to "Inspector Sato", and he's revealed to be Shiratori. Mrs. Sato and Shiratori seem to know and like each other. Sato understands her mistake, though it's a rather huge stroke of bad luck. Sato's mom tells her that, just like herself, her daughter has a crush on police agents. Sato tries to have Shiratori believe she really chose him at random, and he replies fate then decided for them to meet and get married maybe. Miwako secretly hopes Yumi didn't forget her promise to tell "her knight" to go and fetch Miwako before things get worse. Though, Miwako wonders who "Yumi's knight" actually is - she is ignorant of him being actually Takagi.

Takagi has a sneezing fit as if someone were thinking about him. He gets Yumi's phone call telling him to check his text messages since she sent him something. Suddenly, someone screams behind him, saying a robber burglarised the convenience store and is trying to run away. Takagi and Chiba chase him, leaving Yumi's phone call into the car. They tell the crowd to stand aside and free the way for them, and they find an old man who's just been bumped into by the robber. The man says the robber went to hide into the park's public restroom. Takagi and Chiba rush there and find the gloves, helmet and long coat the robber was wearing, along with the booty bag, and they enter the restroom, ordering everyone to leave cabins and show up. Three people emerge : a tall and built man wearing a blue jumper and an earring named Hiroshi Zama, a small woman wearing a black hoodie named Eiko Koshimizu, and a middle-sized man wearing a green pullover. Takagi takes them near the old man, and asks him to tell them which of the three jostled him. He says he can't say for sure since his glasses had fallen during the shock, but he can at least say it was a woman wearing a blue jumper under her coat, smaller than or as small as him. Takagi doesn't understand since the only woman wears a black sweater... The three ask the police agents the permission to leave, since it seems they're out of the picture in that case, but Takagi and Chiba ask them to wait a moment as they need to listen to some other testimonies.

Sonoko and co are told by the restaurant's waitress that Sato is dating Shiratori in one of their rooms. They are astounded and don't know what to do, but Conan says they are old friends of Shiratori's parents, and they came to prepare a nice surprise for the couple, but they need some more time to finish it, and they ask to go into the next room to theirs to do so. In the meantime, the Satos, Shiratori and Kamoi are enjoying a delicious Japanese dinner, since Miwako doesn't appreciate French cuisine. Her mother is surprised to hear that, but Miwako seems to be lost in her thoughts, and Shiratori notices it.

Takagi asks the gathered crowd about any witnesses of the robbery around, and Zama, in the police car with the others, suggests Chiba should ask the convenience store about the robber. Chiba replies they did : the robber came in the place at around noon, when there's usually none or only a few people, and threatened the cashier and the manager with a knife, showing a "Take out money" paper to them. None could tell about his/her voice or appearance then. A high school student tells Takagi she was in a clothes' shop when she heard the scream and saw the robber running past the store : he/she's a very tall person, as he/she was at least one head taller than the other people in the crowd, and he/she wore a green sweater. She'd say the robber is a man, given his/her size and bulk. Takagi says the tallest suspect is Zama, but his sweater is blue. A passer-by then tells Takagi that a close-by bar's manager bragged about seeing the robber running past him. The manager is questioned, but can't say if the robber is a man or a woman, though he knows he/she wore a black sweater under his/her coat, and he/she's about 1.70 meters tall. Takagi says Kamieda is that tall but he wears a green jumper... The inspector is therefore all at sea and can't match testimonies.

In the meanwhile, Mrs. Sato and Kamoi decide to leave the couple alone, and Shiratori casts a glance at Sato who keeps looking at her phone in wait for the "knight" to call her. Shiratori tells her, all of a sudden, that he knew she expects a "valiant knight to come up and rescue her from the ugly ogre". Sato pretends not to understand a word he says, and he answers he agrees to make a deal with her : if Takagi comes along, Shiratori will leave the place and accept things how they are. But if Takagi doesn't, Sato will have to accept his marriage proposal. Sato asks him why he speaks about Takagi, and Shiratori says why not, and bursts into laughter, saying he got her there. Sato starts thinking deeply, while Conan and co are eavesdropping their conversation from the next room, and they suddenly hear Sato saying she agrees to the deal.

People

Mrs. Sato
	Miwako Sato's mother

Isokichi Kamoi
	Ninzaburo Shiratori's butler

Hiroshi Zama
	21 years old Freelancer

Eiko Koshimizu
	28 years old Office worker

Yasuo Kamieda
	32 years old School coach

Old man
	Witness

Girl
	Witness Shopping girl

Mamehara
	Witness Café owner

Cover in other countries

• 

  China
• 

  China (2020 reissue)
• 

  Finland
• 

  France
• 

  Germany
• 

  Hong Kong
• 

  Indonesia
• 

  Indonesia (reprint)
• 

  Italy
• 

  Italy (La Gazzetta dello Sport)
• 

  Italy (New Edition)
• 

  Korea
• 

  Malaysia (Chinese)
• 

  Malaysia (Malay)
• 

  Rep. of China (Taiwan)
• 

  Spain (Spanish, Volumen 2)
• 

  Spain (Spanish, New Edition, combined volumes 31-32)
• 

  Sweden
• 

  Thailand
• 

  United States
• 

  Vietnam
• 

  Vietnam (New Edition)

See also

• Manga
• Volume 31-40
• Detective Conan