Volume 27

Chronology
‹ Volume 26	List of Chapters • List of Cases	Volume 28 ›

Volume 27
Information
Release date:	April 18, 2000
Chapters:	264-273
ISBN:	ISBN 4-09-125497-7
Publisher:	Shogakukan
English release date:	January 20, 2009
English ISBN:	ISBN 1-4215-1679-9
English Publisher:	Viz Media
Featured Detective & Keyhole
James Bond Misao Yamamura
Aoyama's death & Conan side images

Volume 27 was released on April 18, 2000 in Japan.

Cast

Characters

Conan Edogawa

Ran Mouri

Kogoro Mouri

Ayumi Yoshida

Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya

Genta Kojima

Ai Haibara

Hiroshi Agasa

Sonoko Suzuki

Eri Kisaki

Juzo Megure

Ninzaburo Shiratori

Miwako Sato

Wataru Takagi

Misao Yamamura

Makoto Kyogoku (background)

Tomoaki Araide (background)

Mrs. Yoshida (hand)

Gadgets

Gadgets

Detective Boys Badge

Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes

Stun-Gun Wristwatch

Voice-Changing Bowtie

Criminal Tracking Glasses

Chapters

Suspect Kogoro Mouri Case

File 264 - A Taste of One's Own Medicine

Eri angered by Kogoro's inappropriate antics

Kogoro lasciviously observes women at a hotel pool in Karuizawa while listening to music on Ran's MiniDisc. His daughter soon catches him in the act, and confiscates the music—forcing Kogoro to follow her into the hotel. While the two bicker about Kogoro's deplorable actions, they coincidentally run into Eri. She appears to be on a shopping date, holding a tie up to a younger man's neck.

The dysfunctional family unites along with Conan and Eri's companion, Norifumi Saku, at a cafe table. Despite Eri's insistence that she is merely on a trip with her colleagues from work, an unease fills the air. They are joined by fellow lawyers: Ritsuko Usui, Kenzo Shiozawa, and Yuji Mikasa, who sing Eri's praises as the "Queen of the Legal World." Though the group's initial discussion is mainly a snarky exchange of insults between Kogoro and Eri, their companions reveal that the two secretly cherish each other's victories, making the couple sheepish. Unfortunately, the rosy atmosphere sours after an inebriated Kogoro begins to flirt with Usui, causing Eri to storm off. Ran chases after her mother in an attempt to salvage the situation, leading to a conversation about the necktie Eri was shopping for with Saku. Eri explains that in light of their upcoming wedding anniversary, she considered moving back in with Kogoro, presenting the necktie as a gift. Ran tries to forcefully incite the gifting by offering to deliver the necktie in her stead, but Eri demands she stop, realizing her desire to present the gift herself. They return to the cafe but find that everyone has returned to their rooms.

Kogoro wakes up at the crime scene.

Joined by Conan, the three search for Kogoro who was absent from their room. They inquire Usui about his whereabouts, but she denies any knowledge. However, after the trio leave, Usui nefariously returns to her room where she gazes upon a sleeping Kogoro. She internally reflects on her plan to sabotage Eri's superior prowess as a lawyer by damaging her mental state through seduction of her husband—ruining her marriage. Suddenly, her doorbell rings.
The clock strikes 2:00 with no signs of Kogoro. Eri calls Kogoro's phone and hears it ring from within Usui's room, which now has a door hanger. She opens the door, but to her horror, she finds Usui lying on the ground. Conan asks for a cutter to bypass the chain-locked door, but instead Saku rams the door open and rushes to Usui. Eri takes her vitals but finds no pulse. While the group come to grips with the woman's death, Kogoro drowsily emerges from the blankets, clearly oblivious to the situation.

File 265 - An Important Witness

Based on the marks on Usui's neck, Conan identifies the phone cord as the killer's weapon. Kogoro remains confused, as Eri cites the penal code, insinuating Kogoro will receive the death penalty for his crime. Assistant Inspector Yamamura soon arrives and, based on the recommendation of his crew, decides to escort Kogoro to the police station. Eri coldly refuses to be Kogoro's pre-indictment attorney, seemingly reveling in her husband's misfortunes. Instead Saku steps forward and agrees to council Kogoro.
Once the door closes, Eri immediately turns to Yamamura and begins her investigation—having refused to represent Kogoro in order to remain and prove his innocence. She begins by highlighting three suspicious points:

• The phone and outlet remain largely unharmed, an improbability if Kogoro had drunkenly wrenching off the cable to use in his murder.
• Kogoro's phone was found near the doorway.
• There were no marks on Kogoro's hands which would likely appear if he had recently exerted the force required to strangulate someone.

Yamamura makes an imbecilic prediction about Kogoro's motives.

Eri notices a torn page from the hotel notepad. Conan finds the page crumpled and discarded in the trash can; the note reads "Hayashi (ハヤシ)." Eri explains that Usui was scheduled to partner with a lawyer named Hayashi for a trial about factory pollution. She expresses her skepticism as she had not yet informed Usui about Hayashi's scheduled involvement. A hotel worker then states that he had connected two phone calls from Hayashi to Usui's room. He adds that he could not connect the second call, and was directed to check on Usui's room. After not getting a response at the door, Hayashi asked him to check again in case she was taking a bath. Upon his second arrival, the worker found a door hanger with a message about promising to pay back debt.
Conan voices his intrigue about the door hanger, which causes Yamamura to recognize him from a previous encounter. Conan panics as Yukiko had introduced him to Yamamura as her second son. While the boy prevents Ran from learning about the discrepancy in his identity, an officer enters the room and reports that Kogoro's fingerprints were found on the phone cord. Yamamura quickly labels Kogoro the killer, fearfully theorizing that he was motivated to commit murder after being overexposed to it via his profession. Fearing the inspector's overwhelming incompetence, Conan goes to point out a 3cm string by the door. Eri states that she had given the string to forensics, and adds that she found it next to a broken chain link. With sights on the culprit and method, Eri and Conan still lack evidence. Eri asks Ran for her MiniDisc, believing the music will help her focus. However, she accidentally hits record instead of play, a mistake caused by her being used to recording discussions as a lawyer. Conan has an epiphany and rushes to the bed-side table to inspect the memo book. When Ran goes to scold him, he guides the discussion towards "room service," helping Eri to connect the dots.

File 266 - Unwavering Resolve...

Kogoro asks Eri to move back in with him.

Saku returns from the police station and shares that there is little hope for Kogoro—especially since in his drunken haze, he fails to remember how he entered Usui's room. Eri ostensibly accepts Kogoro as the likely culprit, despite Ran's demurral.

  Show spoilers »

The string tied the already broken chain lock together.

Eri asks Saku to come to Usui's room with her as she wants his opinion on the case. Saku struggles to find Usui's room, but after recognizing some room-service dishes at the door, he correctly guesses the right one. Conan opens the door for him and informs him about the broken chain link and 3cm string found by the entrance. He entertains the idea of the chain-lock having been broken prior its destruction, and that the link was held together by the string. Eri accuses Saku Norifumi of ramming into the door to sell the illusion that the room was properly locked.

He deliberately used the phone cord to both strangle Usui and prevent its ring from waking up Kogoro. He also placed Kogoro's phone near the door to alert the group to his presence in Usui's room—to better sell the narrative of Kogoro's guilt. Saku denies this allegation, stating there is no evidence for his crime. Eri reminds him that he has incriminated himself by identifying Usui's room via the hayashi rice dishes at the door. She explains that the hotel worker likely knocked on the door while he was tying the chain lock together. Based on the "Hayashi" memo on Usui's desk, Saku mistakenly believed that she had ordered room serve for hayashi rice, and not wanting the worker's calls to wake Kogoro up, he discarded the memo and placed the door hanger to prevent further disturbances. Saku spins his explanation, saying he identified Usui's room by the room number. Eri achieves a checkmate by revealing that the room they stand in is not Usui's room, but rather an unrelated adjacent room they borrowed from the hotel. In that moment, the police step out from their hiding spots, having witnessed the entire exchange.

Saku springs Eri's trap.

The Motive:
Saku was from the village which was polluted by the company Usui and Hayashi were representing, thus he wished to portray her death as a suicide. However, after finding a sleeping Kogoro in the room, he knew a suicide would be impossible to sell, so he presented her death as a murder committed by Kogoro. He could not tolerate Usui trying to win a landmark case by representing the corporation—perpetuating the village's suffering—solely to surpass Eri in recognition. Saku also says that he intend to turn himself in after the court's decision was made, presenting his one-of-a-kind pliers and the marks it left on the chain link as evidence for his involvement. Finally, he admits that he too was interested in pursuing Eri romantically, which perhaps motivated his desire to frame Kogoro.

The next day, Kogoro endures Yamamura's antics as he gushes over Eri's deduction. After spotting Eri quietly reading a newspaper by the pool-side, he unenthusiastically approaches her. He expresses his gratitude for proving his innocence before sheepishly saying that he has become tired of Ran's cooking and that he wishes to taste Eri's bizarre, yet nostalgic, food again. Finally, he earnestly admits that he has reached his limit, and wants her to move back in with him. Eri remains unmoved. Kogoro tugs on her only to realize that she was listening to Ran's MiniDisc and had failed to hear a single word of what he just said. Ran runs over to the two of them and asks what they are talking about. The couple's conversation devolves into its usual squabbling and Eri walks off, however, not before asking to borrow Ran's MiniDisc.
Sometime later, Eri listens with delight to Kogoro's confession that she had recorded, but stil declares his apologies insufficient.

People

Norifumi Saku
	35 years old Lawyer

Ritsuko Usui
	Victim (strangled) 32 years old Lawyer

Kenzo Shiozawa
	41 years old Lawyer

Yuji Mikasa
	37 years old Lawyer

Major Events

• Romantic development between Kogoro and Eri.
  • Kogoro asks Eri to move back in with him.

Sato's Father Case

Characters introduced

Kazunobu Chiba
	Police detective

Mrs. Sato
	Miwako Sato's mother Masayoshi Sato's wife

Masayoshi Sato
	Miwako Sato's late father Former Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Senior Superintendent

File 267 - The Man from 18 Years Ago

The arsonist constructs his conflagration.

A man ominously strikes a match and sets a pile of inflammable goods ablaze. As he walks out of the alleyway, he passes by Ayumi, who notices him get into his car.
The next day, the news heavily reports on the arson, and Ayumi is brought into the Police Headquarters to answer Assistant Inspector Sato's questions. After listening to the girl's description, Sato proudly presents a very rudimentary sketch of the arsonist's face, and is subsequently ridiculed by the Detective Boys. Takagi and Shiratori concur with the children's assessment, but state their skepticism of Ayumi. However, Conan gives credence to his friend's claim by saying that only the arsonist would wear a trench coat in the summer, wear fire-proof gloves, and smell of kerosene. Convinced, Sato sets out for the crime scene, but says she will have to visit somewhere on the way.

Once the group arrives at a street intersection, Shiratori realizes that it is Senior Superintendent Masayoshi Sato's (Miwako Sato's late father) death anniversary. He explains that eighteen years ago, Masayoshi Sato was accidentally hit by a truck while pursuing a robber at the intersection. The heavy rainfall had delayed the ambulance, and the Superintendent died beside his family on route to the hospital. Conan adds that the case was dubbed the "Shuushirou Case (愁思郎)" as Masayoshi Sato had repeatedly murmured those words before his death. The case remains unsolved. Sato returns from paying her respects and reveals an additional piece of evidence, stating that the words "Kan o (カンオ)" were written in her father's notes. She looks up at the sky and says that she would do anything for the person who solves the case, sparking thoughts about marriage in Takagi and Shiratori, wishes about impractical fantasies in the children, and desires for materialist possessions in Conan and Haibara. The group then notices four people visit the roadside. Sato greets the group, composed of Hiderou Saruwatari, Shuji Kano, Mitsuo Inomata, and Chouko Kandori, who are her father's high school friends.

Takagi is silenced before he can reveal the culprit.

Shiratori suddenly receives an urgent call from Megure, who informs him that they encountered a man who fits the arsonist's description and are currently giving chase. He orders Shiratori and Takagi to support the perusing officers. Takagi notices that the forgot his handcuffs back at the Headquarters, but assures everyone that he will be fine as the horoscope says it is his lucky day. Hearing his words, Sato has vivid flashbacks to her father's death, and decides to give Takagi her father's handcuffs—stating that she has been using them ever since her old pair were destroyed. As the sergeant speeds off, Haibara questions why members of the homicide division are dispatched to pursue an arsonist. Sato reveals that a man was stabbed to death at the site of the fourth arson, likely killed after seeing the culprit's face.
Later, Takagi and Shiratori finally arrest the suspect at Shinagawa Station. The suspect denies he is the serial arsonist, confessing only to burglary. Hearing his words, Takagi notices the station sign and has an epiphany, having solved the Shuushirou case. He immediately calls Sato and states that the culprit was likely one of Masayoshi Sato's four high school friends. Sato expresses her shock, but before Takagi can continue, he leaves the telephone booth to avoid a suspicious Shiratori. He runs to a secluded area and attempts to name the culprit. However, before he can finish, a silhouette sneaks up behind him and bludgeons him with a rock.

File 268 - The Imprisoned Policeman

Sato calls for Takagi to respond but the silhouette carefully reaches down and hangs up. She then calls Shiratori and explains the situation, stating that Takagi was likely attacked by the arsonist. Conan casts doubt on the arsonist's involvement, especially since the four suspects Takagi mentioned had gone to a bar directly across from the station where the arrest was made. Worried, Sato reluctantly brings the Detective Boys with her and heads for Shinagawa.
Once at the bar, Sato leaves the children in her car and heads inside. In the meantime, Haibara pulls out a map of Tokyo and marks the locations of each of the five arson attacks. The group finds no particular pattern in their location. They turn to Conan for his input but find him gone.
Inside the bar, the worker says the four customers had left about forty minutes prior, and at the behest of Conan, recounts their general discussion.

• Inomata had boasted about his company finally turning a profit after fifteen years.
• Kano had just turned fifty, and talked about the success of his Italian restaurant.
• Kandori, a single mother, happily reported that her daughter had recently married a rich man.
• Saruwatari welcomed the birth of another grandchild.

Conan realizes what Takagi had deduced.

Lastly, the worker condemns the culprit of the Shuushirou case, stating that according to one witness report, Masayoshi Sato was pushed in front of the truck.
Back in the car, Ayumi recalls the arsonist talking about a "pre-festival," which sparks an idea in Haibara who re-examines the map. She proceeds to exit the car and head into the bar. Meanwhile, Ayumi notices a familiar figure walking by the car. She identifies him as the arsonist.
Sato and Conan are reviewing their discussion with the worker, when Haibara bursts into the room and confidently states that the next arson will take place in Shinagawa. She pulls out the map and draws lines between the various locations, eventually forming the kanji: "火 (Fire)." She surmises that the arsonist had overheard Takagi on the phone at his planned target site explaining who the "culprit" is, and mistook it as meaning Takagi had uncovered his identity.
With time running out, Sato, Conan, and Haibara return to the car but find it empty. Conan then notices a call on his Detective Badge. He takes the call and angrily scolds the children for their reckless behavior. Mitsuhiko explains that after Ayumi saw the arsonist pass by the car, they quietly followed him into an alleyway where he is currently in the process of starting another fire. Seen as the arsonist is only now starting his fire, Haibara's theory is debunked. Conan asks Shiratori if Takagi had exhibited any suspicious behavior prior to his capture. The Inspector informs him about Takagi's fixation on the station sign, which allows Conan to piece together all aspects of the mystery. He directs Shiratori to retrieve the Detective Boys and apprehend the arsonist, and he tells Sato to head for a different location, a place where she can derive closure.
The Detective Boys watch in horror as the architect of the conflagration completes his masterpiece, with Takagi helplessly trapped inside.

File 269 - Time Limit

Takagi escapes the flames with Sato's handcuffs intact.

Sato reflects on what Conan told her about the station sign—how Takagi had noticed the romanization of the name "Shinagawa." She approaches her destination.
At the site of the arson, the Detective Boys restlessly wait for Conan and Shiratori to arrive, but are caught by the arsonist. He maliciously unsheathes his knife and pursues the children through the alleyway beside the burning building. The commotion causes Takagi to regain consciousness. He searches his pocket and is relieved to find that his gun was not confiscated. He points his weapon at the handcuff chain when he notices something that prevents him from pulling the trigger. Back in the alleyway, the arsonist catches Ayumi and attempts to coerce Mitsuhiko and Genta into staying put. Suddenly, Haibara appears behind the arsonist and tells him a joke, punctuated by a flying trash can to the face. Shiratori soon arrives and finally arrests the violent criminal.

  Show spoilers »

Masayoshi Sato thwarted Kano's suicide attempt at the cost of his own life.

Sato enters Shuji Kano's Italian restaurant and warmly greets the restaurateur. She takes a seat and mentions that once the clock strikes 00:00, Kano's crime will become unprosecutable due to the Statute of Limitations, referring to the shocked man as "Kan o." She explains that the romanized spelling of "Kan o (カンオ)" is "KANO" which reads as Kano. She adds that after calling Saruwatari about the name, he revealed that "Kan o" is a nickname Masayoshi had given Kano when they were baseball teammates. Kano had an unorthodox batting stance, which Masayoshi had recognized when he reviewed the camera footage of the robber bludgeoning the guard with a hunting rifle.
The clock arms hit 00:00, officially signaling the expiration of Kano's crime. He opens up about the crime, saying that he did not intend to kill the guard. He swung his bat with the intention of discouraging the guard's advance but accidentally struck him in a fatal manner. Sato inquires about her father's death, to which Kano responds that Masayoshi immediately knew he was the culprit and had arrested him on that rainy night. Feeling hopeless about the situation, Kano attempted to commit suicide by jumping in front of an oncoming truck, but Masayoshi had pushed him out of the way and took the brunt of the force instead. Feeling guilt about his friend's death, Kano reveals that he has not touched the money that he stole and that he intends to return it now that his crime has expired.
With his confession verbally stated, Sato contacts her colleague, sergeant Kazunobu Chiba, if he has received the incriminating audio from the control room. She directs him to seize the money from Kano's house and cross reference serial codes with the stolen bills. If the codes match, it will be irrefutable evidence of Kano's guilt.
Sato turns to the confused man and explains: years spent abroad do not count towards the Statute of Limitations. Kano had spent three years in Italy and timed his return to Japan in a way that his fiftieth birthday would align with the expiration of his crime. However, the day he returned from Italy, a typhoon had delayed the plane's landing past midnight, meaning his crime would technically expire one day after his birthday. Thus, Kano will face justice.
The man slumps in his chair in defeat. Sato explains that her father refused to name him as the culprit while he died the ambulance because he had faith that he would turn himself in. The words he murmured in the noisy rain were not "Shuushirou," but "Jishyu Shiro (自首しろ)" meaning "turn yourself in."
Lastly, Sato asks where Kano confined Takagi. To her horror, he names the same abandoned building which was coincidentally targeted by the arsonist—a building which is now engulfed in flames.

Sato arrives at the burning building and informs Megure and Shiratori that Takagi is trapped inside. However, with nothing they can do, Sato tearfully exclaims Takagi's name, calling him an idiot. To her surprise, Takagi appears behind her with his hand still handcuffed to a destroyed metal bar. He explains that he escaped but blended in with the crowd. He then collapses from exhaustion in Sato's arms. Conan notices Takagi was trapped using the same handcuffs Sato had previously given him. He deduces that he refused to destroy the manacles with his gun because the handcuffs were a memento of Masayoshi Sato.
Sometime later, Sato fulfills her promise about doing anything for the person who solves the Shuushioru case and goes on a date with Takagi. Although the date ostensibly appears casual in nature, Takagi soon learns that Sato is using it as a front to stakeout more criminal activity, much to Takagi's annoyance.

People

Man
	Serial arsonist

Hiderou Saruwatari
	50 years old High school teacher

Shuji Kano
	49 years old Italian restaurant owner

Mitsuo Inomata
	50 years old Financial executive

Chouko Kandori
	49 years old Boutique owner

Major Events

• Romantic development between Sato and Takagi.

Arcade Murder Case

Characters introduced

Jodie Saintemillion
	28 years old English teacher

File 270 - Game Start

Ran and Sonoko spot their game addicted English teacher.

Ran and Sonoko, along with Conan, are having fun at a photo booth at an arcade hall. They talk about how in the absence of Shinichi, school popularity has shifted to Tomoaki Araide. Indeed, he has received countless love letters from girls at the school. On the topic of popularity, Ran mentions their new American English teacher, Jodie Saintamellion, who is popular with the boys. Sonoko expresses disappointment in the woman's reserved nature, wishing she would instead carry her lessons with a more lively energy.

Coincidentally, the group comes across Jodie skillfully playing a shooting game. Jodie reveals her true self to her students as she tells them in confidence that she comes to play Japanese arcade games everyday after classes. She says she must maintain her restrained facade in school so as to not taint her professional appearance, adding that it is very difficult for a foreigner to find a job in Japan. Jodie then convinces Ran to play a popular video fighting game which translates in-game damage into vibrations that the player can feel, adding to the game's sense of realism. Ran leverages her karate skills to dispatch her first enemy, but is defeated by an experienced player named Kengo Bito. He approaches the girls and arrogantly tells them to move since they took his favorite seat. An arcade employee, Hitoshi Dejima, tells Ran about the specificity of the fighting game and how a beginner has no hope of defeating Bito. Another customer, Toshitsugu Emori, tells Ran that Bito is nothing more than a narcissistic thug who goes by the username "Caesar of Beika," and that martial arts prowess does not equate to winning in a fighting game. Ran notices that their fight was broadcasted on the central screen. Emori states that player-versus-player games are displayed for the entire arcade to spectate, adding that if there was someone who could defeat Bito, it would be Takayasu Shimizu. As if on cue, Shimizu appears and accepts a fight request from Bito.

The rapt audience witness the one-sided battle.

Everyone gathers to watch the fight on the screen, while Ran and Sonoko watch Jodie play a racing game. Bito beats his opponent hollow, but unexpectedly stops before dealing the final blow. Accordingly, he is disqualified and the match ends by via draw. As everyone turns to Bito, Conan realizes something is wrong and runs to him, only to find him dead in his seat.

File 271 - TTX...

Conan suggests Bito was poisoned.

Inspector Megure and Takagi arrive and listen to Ran's witness account of Bito's death. She also introduces the pair to Jodie, who humorously corrects Megure's faulty English pronunciation. While circumstances are discussed and alibis are examined, Conan deduces that Bito was poisoned. He explains that under the arcade's usual cacophony, restrained state of Bito's limbs, and dim atmosphere, the culprit could quietly poison the man without being noticed. Conan's deductions impress Jodie who ominously looks at him with great interest. Conan identifies six individuals who neared Bito prior to his death: their group of four, Dejima, and Shimizu. Jodie notices a security camera facing the fighting game and suggests watching the recording.
The police view the entire scene before, during, and after Bito's death, but find nothing striking. Shimizu went to Bito's right side to ask him how he would play before bending down to pick up a lighter that he dropped, Dejima was emptying the machine's coin box, and Jodie was in the process of achieving the racing game's high score. Shimizu absolves Jodie, stating that no one can the high score is unachievable without constant attention and gameplay. The group then notices another man, Emori, emerge from behind the fighting game. The man is called to explain his actions, he responds he went to Bito's left side to pick up a coin. Emori reveals he, Shimizu, and Dejima all had a motive to kill Bito: Emori had been called a "dangerous taxi driver" by Bito in front of his customers after Bito saw him make a mistake during a simulated race; Dejima was a former arcade game champion who was defeated and humiliated by Bito; and Shimizu's younger sister was trapped in an abusive relationship with Bito.
The forensics return and report that Bito was stung under his right arm and injected with TTX (tetrodotoxin), a deadly poison found in fugu. Conan ruminates on the variables, and suddenly hears a strange scraping-steel-like noise close to him. He tells Dejima that his shoelace is untied and comes to a decisive conclusion.

File 272 - Game Over

With the syringe nowhere to be found, Megure orders his men to frisk the suspects. The three men agree but nevertheless assert that they lacked the opportunity to poison Bito, pointing to Jodie as the only possible perpetrator. Ran and Sonoko protest, the latter rushing to the racing game to illustrate the absurdity of the men's accusation. Suddenly, the girl collapses onto the steering wheel. She expresses her disappointment in the police before Conan uses his bowtie to start her deduction.

  Show spoilers »

Takagi had played as the female fighter.

Sonoko begins by absolving both Emori, who appeared on Bito's right, and Dejima, who only interacted with Bito before the latter's conversation with Shimizu. She also absolves Jodie who was busy achieving the high score, leaving Takayasu Shimizu as the only possible culprit.

Sonoko invites Ran and Takagi to simulate Shimizu and Bito's match. As the two accept, Conan quietly whispers something to the two of them. The fight begins and the male fighter gives the female a thrashing, easily winning the game. Megure approaches Takagi and scolds him for not holding back, but finds he was blindfolded under his helmet. Ran reveals that she was the player operating the male fighter, surprising the spectators. Sonoko explains that Shimizu and Bito were playing as each other's favorite characters, thus making the spectators believe that Bito was beating a defenseless Shimizu, when in reality, Shimizu defeated an already poisoned Bito. Sonoko explains that Shimizu injected Bito with TTX before the match, set his character, and returned to his booth. Shimizu then froze his fighter before the decisive move in order to prevent people from rushing to Bito's booth and finding the words "YOU LOSE" on the screen.

The box prevents Shimizu's fingerprints from being on the gum and cigarette.

Shimizu asserts that they would not find a syringe on his person. Sonoko affirms, and asks Dejima to walk towards her. She draws attention to the metallic clicking noise made by Dejima's footsteps. The man inspects the bottom of his shoe and finds a the syringe stuck to it. Sonoko explains that Shimizu hid the needle in a cigarette and attached it to his gum. He then placed the gum on the floor and hoped one of the spectators would step on it and unknowingly take it with them.
Shimizu confidently asserts that both the gum and the cigarette are of a different brand from the ones he carries. Additionally, he states that forensics will not find his fingerprints on either of the artifacts. Sonoko changes her deduction, understanding that Shimizu must have obtained the cigarette and gum from the arcade's ashtray and trash can. He then stuck the contraption into the mouth of his cigarette box and held the box to avoid leaving his fingerprints on the gum and cigarette. Finally, Sonoko states that Shimizu's fingerprints must be on the ¥100 coin in the fighting game's coin box.
Dejima opens the coin box and finds three ¥100 coins. One from Bito's first match, one from Ran and Takagi's simulation, and one from when Shimizu entered a coin to start the match between him and Bito. Defeated, Shimizu admits to his murder.
The Motive:
Bito had gone into severe debt due to his gambling addition. Wanting to alleviate her boyfriend's financial catastrophe, Shimizu's younger sister had taken on several jobs and limited the amount of food she purchased for herself. Despite her hard work, Bito continued to spend his days jobless and playing games at arcades. Bito had told Shimizu that he would agree to break up with his sister if he managed to best him at the fighting game. Despite Shimizu's best efforts, he never succeeded. Accepting his inferiority, he turned to a more definitive way of ending their relationship.

Jodie names her target "Rotten Apple."

On the walk home, Ran and Jodie express her amazement in Sonoko's deduction. Ran states that her deduction's quality might even surpass Shinichi's, prompting Jodie to recount seeing him at the festival play. She says "he is so cool," for parting ways with her students. Her sight lingers on Conan. She quietly says "bye bye cool guy," before turning away with a threatening smile.
Later that night, Jodie speaks to someone on the phone, saying that she is enjoying her time in Japan. She also states that she has encountered one of their "targets," mentioning how they have changed their physical appearance and is going to school. Her caller asks what they should refer to their target as, leading Jodie to decide on the nickname "Rotten Apple."

People

Kengo Bito
	Victim (poison) 21 years old Unemployed

Hitoshi Dejima
	22 years old Arcade staff

Toshitsugu Emori
	41 years old Taxi driver

Takayasu Shimizu
	30 years old Game magazine writer

Major Events

• Introduces Jodie Sanitamillion, Ran's new English teacher from the United States.
  • Jodie takes an interest in Conan.
    • She calls Conan "Cool Guy."
  • Jodie is revealed to be targeting someone who has "changed their physical appearance and is going to school."

Bear Hunters Case

File 273 - Stuck on the Same Boat

Mitsuhiko is smitten with Haibara.

Agasa accompanies the Detective Boys in picking matsutake mushrooms in the forest. They receive harvesting instructions from an employee of the lodge, who reminds them to not cross the second mesh fence which separates the property from bear territory. The search begins as Genta starts foraging frantically, but soon becomes frustrated by mushroom's rarity. Ayumi points out that picking matsutakes was Genta’s own idea; she originally wanted to pick apples. Genta responds contemptuously that apples are common and cheap, but Haibara disagrees, noting that the apple is the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, and that eating it resulted in Adam and Eve's banishment; she therefore concludes that the apple is much more intriguing than the matsutake. Witnessing Haibara's deep knowledge and elegance, Mitsuhiko blushes. Conan asks him about his strange expression, which Mitsuhiko responds by claiming that he was merely looking at Haibara. Yet, after hearing Mitsuhiko's lavish praise of Haibara, Conan easily figures out what Mitsuhiko is trying to hide. He thus pats Mitsuhiko on his shoulder and tells him to "choose anyone but her."

The Detective Boys forage for matsutake mushrooms.

The Detective Boys continue their search, but their efforts bear no fruit. That is until Conan informs them about the mushroom's ecology, which helps them find their first matsutakes. The Detective Boys scatter around the forest, each going to a place where he or she believes has the most mushrooms. Sometime later, the group notices that Genta is missing, and Conan deduces that he has climbed the first mesh fence to reach where the matsutakes are exceptionally abundant. Since Genta’s detective badge is undergoing repair, they cannot contact him. Haibara thus proposes that the four Detective Boys split into two teams (Conan with Ayumi, and herself with Mitsuhiko) to broaden their search and have Agasa stay behind in case Genta returns. With everybody agreeing with this plan, the two teams set out.

Once alone, Mitsuhiko asks Haibara whether there is some special relationship between her and Conan, to which she responds that things are not romantic. The pair then notice a hole in the second mesh fence and float the possibility that Genta has entered bear territory. Despite being aware of the dangers, Haibara and Mitsuhiko crawl through the hole and immediately encounter an Asian black bear cub. Haibara approaches the harmless animal, but remains cautious as the cub’s mother might be in the area. Sudden gunfire perturbs the peace of the forest, and the cub runs away in fear. Gunfire explodes again, hitting a nearby tree. Mitsuhiko spots the shooter and shouts to let the him know they are human, but before he can finish, Haibara leads him away, as she discovered human corpse shot in the torso by a bullet. As they run to safety, Haibara explains that the shooter might have committed the murder, and that if he suspects that the two have seen his face, he may try to kill them as well.

Haibara and Mitsuhiko encounter a bear cub.

Conan and Ayumi finally find Genta who had returned to Agasa's location. However, they find that this time, Haibara and Mitsuhiko are missing. Conan tracks their position via his glasses and finds that they are in the hunting ground. As they set out for another searching mission, they meet a hunter named Kiyoshi Yasaka. Conan finds Mitsuhiko’s badge left on the forest floor and some blood marks and bear footprints nearby. They are joined by another hunter, Matasaburo Saika, who claims that a large aggressive female bear nicknamed “Jubei” resides in the forest, who loathes humans. The group is then joined by yet another hunter, Tomoya Negoro, who is thrilled upon hearing that Jubei actually exists, and tells a horrified Ayumi that he will avenge the murder of her friends by killing the ferocious bear himself. Agasa condemns his inappropriate comments as Ayumi is brought to tears. The three hunters agree to accompany the Detective Boys in their search.
Using binoculars, Haibara and Mitsuhiko see the shooter together with their friends. Haibara says that they should stay silent and not make any gesture to alertthe group as the hunter may shoot them and later claim that he mistook them for bears.

People

Kiyoshi Yasaka
	41 years old Hunter

Matasaburo Saika
	67 years old Hunter Former matagi

Tomoya Negoro
	28 years old Hunter

Jubei
	Female Asian black bear

Man
	Victim (gunshot) Hunter

Cover in other countries

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  China (2020 reissue)
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See also

• Manga
• Volume 21-30
• Detective Conan