Volume 31

Chronology
‹ Volume 30	List of Chapters • List of Cases	Volume 32 ›

Volume 31
Information
Release date:	March 17, 2001
Chapters:	307-317
ISBN:	ISBN 4-09-126161-2
Publisher:	Shogakukan
English release date:	September 15, 2009
English ISBN:	ISBN 1-4215-2199-7
English Publisher:	Viz Media
Featured Detective & Keyhole
Toyama no Kin-san Ginshiro Toyama
Aoyama's death & Conan side images

Volume 31 was released on March 17, 2001 in Japan.

Cast

Characters

Conan Edogawa

Ran Mouri

Kogoro Mouri

Ayumi Yoshida

Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya

Genta Kojima

Ai Haibara

Hiroshi Agasa

Sonoko Suzuki

Heiji Hattori

Kazuha Toyama

Shizuka Hattori

Juzo Megure

Wataru Takagi

Heizo Hattori

Ginshiro Toyama

Goro Otaki

Sango Yokomizo

Misao Yamamura

Makoto Kyogoku
(photo)

Gadgets

Gadgets

Stun-Gun Wristwatch

Voice-Changing Bowtie

Earring Cellphone

Chapters

Pottery Class Case

File 307 - The Hidden Word

Sergeant Takagi returns with the information tipped by Mino and shares it with Megure. After considering the new information, Megure confronts Kasama about the ten million yen debt she incurred after purchasing an expensive apartment unit. He adds that Motoo had designated her as the sole life insurance beneficiary of exactly ten million yen upon his death. Such circumstances, along with Kasama's dubious statement about not seeing Motoo's body in the locker while retrieving the first-aid kit, paint a clear picture of her guilt. Thus, the police prepare to arrest her for further questioning, much to her ardent protests. Megure, used to hearing an objection from a sleeping Kogoro, finds his expectations fulfilled after seeing Sonoko enter a similar trance-like state and raise a strong objection to the arrest.

  Show spoilers »

The apron piece becomes visible after opening and closing the locker door.

Sonoko reminds the police about the difference in Motoo's sleeve length, stating that it is a sign he was killed while rolling up his sleeves. Consequently, she names Muneyuki Mino as the true culprit, who murdered Motoo while he prepared his attire. Megure objects, mentioning Mino's alibi. Still, Sonoko asserts he is guilty, calling his murder trick a form of magic which utilized the indirect actions of Ran and Kasama.

Sonoko begins with a demonstration, pointing to an ordinary locker with no apron showing from beneath the doors. Takagi is instructed to open and close the right-side door. Though initially skeptical, Takagi performs the action and suddenly sees a napkin sticking out from under the door. The sergeant now understands that Mino had cut a piece of apron and taped it to the interior-side of the right locker door. Therefore, when someone would open and close the door, the piece of cloth would come out from under the door, making itself visible. Mino broke the plate on purpose to attract the others’ attention and have them witness apron cloth's absence. He then deliberately cut his finger to send Kasama to the locker and have her unknowingly open and close the door, completing the trick.

The "knot" is wedged by the left-side door, which needs to be simultaneously opened with the right-side door for Motoo's body to fall.

Megure reminds Sonoko about Motoo's missing corpse, to which the girl answers by instructing Takagi to reopen both locker doors simultaneously. The demonstration proceeds and Takagi finds a previously non-existent mop suddenly fall from the locker. Sonoko explains that Mino had tied Motoo's forward-leaning body to a form of "string" which leveraged him against the horizontal hanger bar. The other end of the "string" would have a "knot" which ran against the locker partition and sandwiched into place by the closed left-side door. Thus, Motoo's body would remain in place as long as the left-side doors remain shut. When the left-side doors are opened in tandem with the right, the "knot" is released and the body is free to fall forwards from the locker's right-side. Sonoko then reveals that the "string" was Motoo's necktie, and the "knot" was the necktie pin, explaining why the pin was pulled so low down the tie's blade.

Mino discovered Motoo's affair shortly after his daughter's funeral.

Megure follows, but says the police found no piece of apron cloth under the right-side door, questioning Mino's ability to collect the piece without being noticed. Sonoko states that by crouching to the body's right-side and fully opening the locker door, the apron piece will fold into an easily collectable triangle. Mino empties his pockets in response, showing he possesses no such artifact. Sonoko says that Mino likely intended to use scissors to cut the apron piece to shreds and flush the fragments down the toilet. However, since the killer's trick is replicable by anyone, and because the cloth has left the possession of Mino, it cannot act as sufficient evidence for Mino's guilt.
Instead, Sonoko points to the necktie used to strangle Motoo. She highlights fingernail marks stained with clay left on the tie beside the pin. In order to hook the pin onto the left-side door without leaving fingerprints on the pin, one must tightly grip the portion of the tie slightly above the pin's position. A prolific ceramic artist like Mino would naturally have pieces of clay stuck under his finger nails.
The Motive:
Reflecting on Mino's methods, Sonoko says he should have used gloves and forgone the tie for a normal string. Mino retorts by expressing that he wished to not dirty the precious tie with unclean gloves, revealing his daughter had bought the tie for Motoo as a Christmas present.
Shortly after his daughter's funeral, Mino had found the necktie, still in its box, crushed into the trashcan of his daughter's room. Believing it was some form of mistake, he went to deliver the tie to Motoo, who he believed was fighting through his grief to attend his business trip. However, at the airport, he witnessed Motoo joyously spending time with Kasama. Since then, he believed his daughter was not killed in an automobile accident, but rather purposefully stepped into oncoming traffic after discovering her fiancé's adultery.
Megure questions how Mino could be sure his daughter intended the tie as a present for Motoo. The man remembers a conversation he while shopping with his daughter, who said she wanted to offer her fiancé a beige tie since beige is the color of clay, the color of her father.

"Mystery Geek (Ōbakasuirinosuke)"

Three days later, Sonoko tells Ran about a letter she received from Makoto containing a photograph of him joyfully holding her teacup in his hand. However, instead of the cup containing tea, it contains a pretty set of flowers—defeating the purpose of Sonoko's labor. On the other hand, Sonoko inquires about Ran's teacup for Shinichi, mentioning that she had it sent to Kikuemon to be fired and glazed. Ran says the project was a failure; she decided against wrapping it as a present. She then asks Conan to fetch a bag of potato chips from her room, which he obliges.
The boy enters the room and notices a slightly off-balance teacup siting on her desk. He inspects the labeling and finds "Mystery Geek (Ōbakasuirinosuke (大バカ推理之介))" inscribed on the side. As he returns the cup to its original placement, he notices additionally engravings on the bottom of the teacup reading, "I'm waiting for you," which makes him feel over the moon.

People

Muneyuki Mino
	62 years old Potter

Kikuyo Kasama
	29 years old Muneyuki's assistant

Motoo Mino
	Victim (strangled) 31 years old Office worker Married into Muneyuki's family

Ms.Mino
	Deceased (Traffic Accident) Mineyuki's daughter Motoo's late wife

Major Events

• Romantic development between Ran and Shinichi.
• Romantic development between Sonoko and Makoto.

Fake Kogoro Mouri Case

File 308 - An Impostor Appears

"Kogoro Mouri" checks into the ryokan.

A venerated man approaches the front desk of a ryokan and collects a briefcase which the establishment had stored for five years. Curious, the ryokan owner, Yoshiro Onda, asks the man about the contents of the container. The man confidently assures him that once he cracks the mystery behind it, he will share its secrets, swearing on his own name, on "Kogoro Mouri."

Conan, Ran, and the real Kogoro traverse the beautiful wilderness on their way to the Aoiya ryokan. While Kogoro fantasizes about meeting attractive female fans at his destination, he stumbles and falls over a toppled statuette of Kṣitigarbha. Ran attempts to restore the statuette to its proper position, but is stopped by Assistant Inspector Yamamura, who warns she will be cursed. The two parties recognize each other and realize they are both headed for the Aoiya ryokan to conduct an investigation. Yamamura offers to drive them to their destination, an offer Ran immediately accepts after learning the forest is a well-known suicide location.

Ran is frightened by the disturbing reports about the case.

Kogoro and Yamamura discuss the case details in the car. The unidentified remains of an individual wearing a red jacket was found deep within the forest. He possessed car keys, but no driver's license; cigarettes, but no lighter; and died four years ago in the summer while wearing a sweater (deduced via the receipts carried by the victim). Yamamura adds that the victim was hanged before eventually falling to the ground after some time. Kogoro reveals he was called to Aoiya ryokan after the owner, Onda, claimed to have met the victim five Octobers ago. A long-haired man offered Onda ¥100,000 (~$1000) in exchange for storing his briefcase and envelope, stating that he will return for the materials in a year. He also instructed Onda to give the letter to anyone other than himself who came asking for the briefcase. The next day, a bearded individual, claiming to be the long-haired man's representative, arrived at the ryokan and asked for the briefcase. Onda followed instructions and gave him the envelope, which the representative read and angrily tore to shreds. Curious, Onda salvaged the pieces and reconstructed the original message, finding that the letter wrote: "I'll curse you to death." Ran lets out a deafening scream, and hugs Conan for comfort—clearly terrified by the described events.
Upon arriving at the ryokan, the group meets Eiji Urakawa, the worker who discovered the victim's body while foraging for vegetables. He explains he is one of three staff members who takes turns foraging, adding that he is more prone to discovering corpses since he is always first to forage after their company vacation—where suicide rates increase due to the decrease in regional commercial activity. Noticing Kogoro and company behind Yamamura, Urakawa assumes they are "Kogoro Mouri's" associates and welcomes their delayed arrival to the establishment. The four guests stand confused.

Kogoro is shocked to hear that "Kogoro Mouri" has already checked into the ryokan and took the briefcase. Ran goes to protest the identity thief, but is stopped by Kogoro, who wishes for a dramatic showdown between the impostor and the true hero. With Yamamura pledging to support him on his pursuit of grandeur, Kogoro checks into the ryokan as "Mitsuemon Echigo." Another worker, Masao Jinbo, interrupts the conversation and hands Kogoro Ran's phone which she had left in the car. Onda, Jinbo, and Urakawa watch as "Echigo" and Yamamura merrily walk off to enjoy their stay.

The group discovers the Eternally Sleeping Kogoro.

As the group finishes their dinner, Kogoro grows increasingly impatient with the impostor. At an end, he storms towards "Kogoro Mouri's" room but finds the door unlocked and the lights off. He brazenly enters the room only to find his impostor dead, his body dangling from the ceiling.

File 309 - Truth of the Impostor

Ran's scream alerts both the ryokan staff and Yamamura, who rush to the crime scene. Believing the hanged individual is the true Kogoro, Yamamura comically expresses his sadness for the Detective's death. His lamentations are soon interrupted by the real Kogoro who proceeds to open his investigation.

Yamamura finds strands of hair sandwiched between the newspapers.

The reinforcements from the Gunma Prefectural Police arrive, as Kogoro is forced to anticlimactically reveal his identity to the staff. Meanwhile, Yamamura finds the briefcase with the key still inserted into the keyhole; he decides to inspect the contents. Upon opening, he finds a series of sports newspapers dated five years ago. As Kogoro flips through the pages for clues, Yamamura notices several thin black threads leaking out of the paper. He tugs at the substance and realizes they are strands of long black hair, frightening Ran who lets out yet another ear-piercing scream.
Based on the given circumstances, Kogoro proposes an explanation about two men who made a personal bet, wagering large sums of money on the retirement status of a famous rikishi. While Yamamura is convinced by his theory, Conan objects, saying a curse must be involved. He points out the diversity in the strands of hair, and questions how hair could remain damp after being stored in a briefcase for five years. With Kogoro still not following, Conan mentions how Ran could not bathe during the afternoon as the women's bath was closed for cleaning. Kogoro asks Onda for confirmation, but the owner denies, stating the ryokan schedules its cleaning hours late in the night. Hearing Conan's hints, Kogoro is able to piece together that someone must have closed the women's bath, lifted large amounts of long hair from the drain filter, and stuffed it between the newspapers in an attempt to confuse the investigation. Therefore, Kogoro relabels the case from a suicide to a murder. Additionally, given how the culprit had the ability and resources to close the women's bath, Kogoro declares there is a high probability that the killer is amongst the ryokan staff.
A forensics officer then finds a phone in the impostor's pocket and finds it only has one number listed in its records. Yamamura calls the number and listens to the caller refer to the phone owner as "Tatsuo." The caller asks about the effectiveness of his latest scam, and also talks about Tatsuo's landlord threatening imminent eviction if he fails to pay his rent. The caller then says he has a customer before hanging up. Yamamura deduces the deceased impostor's name is "Tatsuo Mori," citing the childish name sticker on the back of his phone as evidence for his surname. After learning that Ran has a similar sticker on her phone, Conan has a realization, and immediately asks Yamamura for details about the discovered remains of the long-haired man. The Assistant Inspector shows him photos of the man's belongings, confirming Conan's suspicions about the culprit's aims. With a clear picture in his mind, Conan struts around the room and finds his evidence on the room's shogi board and table.

File 310 - The Time of Lies

Conan points out how only the eighth circle is shaded on Akagimaru's win-loss row.

As the investigators and suspects exchange ideas about the case details, Conan reads the sports newspapers that were contained in the briefcase. He turns to the sumo-related news and asks what "Mae 5 (前５)" means. Yamamura says "Mae" is short for "Maegashira (前頭)," the lowest of the five Makuuchi ranks. The number 5 means the rikishi is fifth in the order. Conan continues to feign his ignorance by highlighting the Mae 5 rikishi, Akagimaru's, win-loss column, noting that only the eighth circle is shaded. Ran explains the shaded circles represent losses, while the white circles represent wins. Believing the boy to be off-topic, Yamamura turns back to the suspects and announces they will conduct interrogations for all staff members.
Later that night, with the interrogations completed, Yamamura concludes there were few individuals with solid alibis during Tatsuo's time of death. As the staff members grow increasingly restless, Ran cuts through the crowd and asks where Conan and her father are. Yamamura then receives a phone call notifying him that Kogoro was mistakenly arrested for suspicious activity while surveying neighboring households, and was taken to a nearby police box with Conan. The Assistant Inspector then tells the staff members they are excused before heading out to pick up Kogoro.

  Show spoilers »

Yamamura catches Jinbo red-handed.

A silhouette trudges through the woods with a flashlight and shovel at hand. They come across the fallen Kṣitigarbha statuette and check their compass before leaving the main road and into the wild. They arrive at their destination: a seemingly inconspicuous patch of ground. They begin frantically digging. They eventually exhume a vase, but to their confusion, it only contains rocks and pebbles. Suddenly, powerful lights illuminate the forest, catching Masao Jinbo red-handed.
Yamamura emerges holding up a bag filled with stacks of bank notes. He names Jinbo a culprit responsible for the 100 million yen extortion case which occurred five years ago. He explains that two men, Jinbo and the long-haired man, had extorted large sums of money from a candy company and hid the money within the forest. The sports newspapers within the briefcase acted as a makeshift map leading to the exact location the treasure was buried.
Yamamura explains that Maegashira rikishis are divided into two categories: East and West. The highlighted rikishi, Akagimaru, belonged to the East and was in position Mae 5. Thus, one is to arrive at the forward fallen Kṣitigarbha statuette ("forward fallen" in Japanese is "Maedaore (前倒れ)." Maedaore (前倒れ) shares a kanji with Maegashira (前頭)) and take five steps to the East. Then, one is to turn right (the direction of the win-loss column relative to the name column) and move eight steps forward, denoted by the one shaded circle where Akagimaru had lost on the eighth day. When done correctly, the map user is placed directly above the buried money.
Yamamura turns to Kogoro who sits in a car (knocked out by Conan). The Detective deduces the long-haired man buried the money alone and entrusted the briefcase to the ryokan because he suspected Jinbo intended to betray him and claim his half of the money. His fears eventually came to pass after Jinbo murdered him and approached the ryokan, claiming to be a representative. Jinbo would ultimately fall directly into his partner's scheme as he would receive nothing more than the envelope containing the provocative message. Not wishing to give up, Jinbo took a job at the ryokan and continued his search throughout the forest.

Fast-forwarding to the present-day, with the long-haired man's remains discovered, Onda told his staff about the existence of the briefcase and that he intends to hire Kogoro Mouri to uncover the truth behind it. Wanting to circumvent the planned investigation, Jinbo hired a man, Tatsuo Mori, to steal Kogoro's identity and collect the briefcase. Using the case's key he had lifted from the long-haired man's corpse, Jinbo opened the briefcase, only to find the sports newspapers. Tatsuo grew angry at the sight of their measly discovery, expecting to receive a great sum of money. He likely then threatened to expose Jinbo's operation. With no choice, Jinbo murdered his actor and hoped the real Kogoro would crack the case for him.

Jinbo stepped on the shogi board barefoot, leaving his toe prints.

As Yamamura calls for Jinbo to surrender, he denies the allegations, stating he merely solved the long-haired man's map and came to confirm his theory. He also reminds Yamamura that the long-haired man had died four summers ago, exactly when Jinbo, along with the rest of his colleagues, were attending the company vacation. However, Yamamura counters that the long-haired man instead died five autumns ago, shortly after he gave the briefcase and envelope to Onda. Jinbo had planted false belongings, dated four years ago, alongside the man's corpse—items he purloined from another deceased body he found in the forest—explaining the bizarre mismatch of possessed items. On a related note, Jinbo placed the long hair into the newspapers in order to push the investigation into linking Tatsuo's death to the long-haired man. In doing so, Jinbo would be absolved via the alibi he manufactured using the planted items.
Jinbo asks for evidence which proves the long-haired man's possessions were planted. Stumped, Yamamura turns back to Kogoro who continues the deduction. He admits too much degradation has occurred for the police to point to any remaining evidence sufficient enough to link Jinbo to the murder five years ago, but he does have irrefutable evidence that Jinbo had murdered Tatsuo. Kogoro explains that to lift Tatsuo to the height necessary to hang him, Jinbo would need to stand atop a base. He thus used the room table and shogi board as stepping stools, removing his socks to prevent slippage. Therefore, his toe prints must be present on the shogi board's surface. Panicking, Jinbo objects yet again, stating that he had previously used the shogi board's as a stepping stool to repair the ceiling light, claiming that his fingerprints must also be on the light. Kogoro acknowledges his claim, but adds that the forensic analysts found his fingerprints beneath a considerable coat of dust—pointing to his repair having taken place much earlier than his most recent step atop the shogi board.
Defeated, Jinbo asks how Kogoro knew he was the culprit. The detective explains that when Jinbo returned Ran's forgotten phone, he knew she was Kogoro's daughter because of her name sticker reading: "Ran Mouri." Since Kogoro was still undercover at the time, the only way Jinbo could have known he was Ran's father was if he knew that the previously present Kogoro Mouri was an impostor.

The next day, Yamamura sings Kogoro's praises with respect to both his deduction and his ruse to lure out the culprit. As the group drives through the forest and away from the Aoiya ryokan, Ran asks why the staff constantly referred to them as "Echigo." The car is then pulled over by a group of attractive young women who ask for directions to the Aoiya ryokan, stating they are headed to meet the famous Sleeping Kogoro. Kogoro, having restored his sunglasses disguise, commandeers the vehicle and invites the girls to ride with them, saying they are on their way back to the ryokan. The girls thank him for his generosity and ask for his name. Kogoro answers: "Kingoro Toyama," and his usual antics resume.

People

Tatsuo Mori
	Victim (hanged) Kogoro Mouri's impostor

Long-haired Man
	Victim (hanged)

Eiji Urakawa
	37 years old Aoiya staff

Yoshiro Onda
	58 years old Owner of Aoiya

Masao Jinbo
	40 years old Aoiya staff

Netted Man Murder Case

File 311 - Warm Ocean

An unexpected meeting.

Conan drifts idly atop the sea surface, complaining about his lackluster beach experience as someone trapped in a child's body. However, after accidentally colliding with two attractive girls without facing any consequences, he changes his mind. Genta pops up beside Conan and asks about his opinion on the girls' bodies. Conan dismisses the two, instead pointing to a different girl in a blue-bordered bikini, whom he says he likes more. Haibara joins the conversation and determines that Conan's attraction is because she resembles a certain someone. Before Conan can object, the girl turns around, revealing herself to be Ran. Conan is dumbstruck by the coincidence. Haibara blankly watches as Ran amicably invites the Detective Boys to play with her and Sonoko.

"A shark stands no chance against the popular dolphin."

Sometime later, Sonoko outclasses Genta at beach ball games, while Conan and Agasa help tend to Haibara who has suffered heat exhaustion. Ran arrives with a bucket of ice and gently gives words of encouragement to an aloof Haibara before returning to the sea. Conan and Agasa ask why Haibara chose to sit alone on the shoreline under the searing sun, away from the playing group but not under the shade. Having felt like she has been "running away" from Ran since their introduction, she implies that she wanted to stop the trend. She woefully says her opponent is the dolphin, the popular and beloved sea mammal. A shark from the lightless depths would have no chance against such competition. Conan and Agasa fail to grasp the meaning behind her implicit words.
The trio suddenly hear a lifeguard, named Noboru Shimojo, scold Sonoko and the Detective Boys for riding a small boat through the crowded beach. Shimojo's colleague, Yuta Yoshizawa, apologizes and says his friend's irritability is due to a recent break-up. As the two lifeguards help return the boat to shore, a man named Giichi Aramaki calls out to them, ridiculing the lifeguards for being failed fishermen. Shimojo and Yoshizawa are upset by Aramaki's remarks and remind him to attend their meeting at the Tonpuu restaurant in the Queen Hotel at 20:00. Having listened to the men's exchange, Sonoko and Ran, having booked a table at the same restaurant, prepare themselves for what may become a tense dinner.
That night, Sonoko and Ran once again encounter the Detective Boys, who are also staying at the Queen Hotel. Ran notices Haibara is missing and wonders if she is being disliked. Ayumi denies Ran's concerns, gleefully saying that she overheard Conan and Haibara talk about her having "childbearing hips." Ran is deeply embarrassed by their conversation topic, confusing Ayumi who believed it was a compliment. Shimojo then arrives at the restaurant early and sits at a nearby table. Sonoko remarks that they should finish their dinner before an argument erupts, causing Shimojo to retort by saying they simply want to make Aramaki understand the rules of nature.

He explains that local fishermen practice sustainability, but Aramaki, having moved into the region, exploits the lack of enforcement of fishing regulations and has decimated the marine populations his trawler. Yoshizawa then arrives and says their third companion will arrive late as he is visiting their fathers' tombs. Sonoko asks what they mean by the plural expression: "fathers.'" The two fishermen recount that all three of their fathers died exactly eight years ago when they were overwhelmed by a storm while fishing.

The waves roll Aramaki's tangled corpse by the shore.

The somber scene is flipped around after some time as Sonoko joins the fishermen in their drunken conversation. Their third companion, Nobutsugu Nezu, arrives and disputes Yoshizawa’s account of their collective tragedy by saying their fathers' boat was sabotaged by Aramaki. With the three fishermen gathered and Aramaki still not in sight, Nezu calls his phone. Despite Shimojo and Yoshizawa previously not getting responses, Nezu's call is received. However, the only audible sound is of light waves. Unimpressed with Aramaki’s attitude, the fishermen decide to set out and look for him.
Meanwhile on the beach, a lumpy object tosses and turns in the undulating current of the sea. The objects then flips around, revealing itself to be Aramaki's lifeless body tangled in a fishing net.

File 312 - Caught in a Net...

Sometime after the discovery of Aramaki's body, Inspector Sango Yokomizo arrives and interrogates Shimojo, Yoshizawa, and Nezu—suspecting their collective involvement in their nemesis' demise. Ran and Sonoko confirm their story, while the Detective Boys name each fisherman's arrival time to the restaurant: Shimojo at 19:10, Yoshizawa at 20:00, and Nezu at 20:40. Conan then questions how Aramaki received the cuts and bruises on his body if he was drowned, prompting Sango to remove him from the crime scene. Sango also denies the suspects' request for release, as he questions how they knew to look for Aramaki on the shore. Nezu answers that he made a phone call to Aramaki that produced wave sounds. A forensics officer locates the victims phone which corroborates the fishermen's story, showing: an unanswered call from Yoshizawa at 19:02; three unanswered calls from Shimojo at 19:47, 20:03, and 20:18; and one answered call from Nezu at 20:41.

The Detective Boys question Sango's qualifications.

Ayumi then notices the boat she rode earlier that day drifting aimlessly through the night sea. Believing it may have some connection to the murder, Sango orders his men to obtain the vessel. Agasa criticizes the Inspector for his unwillingness to lend a hand to his subordinates. Despite Sango's attempt to justify his orders, the Detective Boys immediately deduce that he cannot swim, much to the his chagrin.
The police discover a sandal, a bottle of sake, and a singular shirt button aboard the boat. Noting that Aramaki was specifically missing a sandal and one button, Sango speculates the culprit brought an inebriated Aramaki onto the boat, wrapped him in a net, and pushed him overboard. However, Conan's opinion differs, stating that the items seem deliberately left on the boat—believing the culprit would logically have disposed the items into the sea. As a frivolous quarrel breaks out amongst the Detective Boys over the culprit's ethics with respect to the environment, Ayumi notices an empty can on the shoreline and rushes to retrieve it. On the way, she falls after stepping on a sharp object which Mitsuhiko assumes was a seashell. Observing the interaction, Conan has a realization and rushes to a forensics officer and asks if Aramaki's phone was damaged in any way. The officer answers in the affirmative, and shows him the victims severely scratched phone.
With the pieces coming together, Conan's train-of-thought is disrupted by Sonoko who presents Sango with her deduction about the culprit's trick. She suggests the boat was merely a distraction and that the culprit restrained the victim in the net and placed him on the shoreline. Sometime later, the high tide would carry the inebriated and entangled Aramaki into the sea to drown—completing the murder without the culprit's presence. Sango respectfully rejects her hypothesis, saying the fishing net did not severely limit Aramaki’s ability to move. On the other hand, Conan feels enlightened by Sonoko's flawed deduction, having fully cracked the case.
Meanwhile, a slightly bored and tired Haibara watches the film Titanic in the hotel room.

File 313 - A Courageous Decision

Conan prepares to present his deduction using Agasa as the detective. However, he realizes he forgot his Voice-Changing Bowtie in the hotel room. Fortunately, Haibara arrives with his gadget in hand, having located the group by assuming a murder had occurred and thus asking the hotel front desk. The Detective Boys then arrive with the items they had been tasked with gathering: a large seashell, a dried starfish, a bucket, and a wooden basin. With the pieces in place, Conan, via Agasa, begins his deduction.

Haibara musters the courage to formally introduce herself to Ran.

  Show spoilers »

Aramaki was restrained by the weight of the boat, and subsequently drowned with the rising of the tide.

Agasa announces that he will conduct an experiment, which he claims is analogous to what had occurred during the murder. He fills the wooden basin with sand (representing the beach). He then digs a large hole in the sand and places the dried starfish (representing Aramaki) into it before covering the starfish with the bowl-shaped seashell (representing the boat). Then, when pouring the water (representing high tide) into the basin, the starfish remains submerged but the seashell rises due to its buoyancy. Therefore, the culprit restricted Aramaki's movements by placing a boat over his partially buried and tangled body before leaving. The high tide subsequently swept in, drowning Aramaki while raising the boat and drifting it away. Additionally, the sandal and button left in the boat's hull were placed to push the investigation into believing Aramaki was atop the boat, not below it.
Agasa then names Noboru Shimojo as the culprit. Shimojo demands incriminating evidence, but Conan has none, much to the surprise of Agasa who is suddenly left without answers to his own presentation. Shimojo explodes on a bumbling Agasa, asserting that he was a witness to his presence at the restaurant at 20:00, the time when Aramaki had died. Sango interjects, asking how he became aware of Aramaki's time-of-death, especially when the police were only aware the death took place between the broad timespan of 18:00–21:00. Panicking, he says that Yokomizo must be joking, as a more exact time-of-death can be determined by looking at the livor mortis and the degree of corpse stiffness. Agasa states that making an inference based on these features requires the corpse to be kept relatively stationary and at a constant temperature. Since Aramaki's body was constantly rolled by waves, the police were unable to determine an exact time-of-death. Therefore, the only person who can be sure of the victim's time-of-death is the culprit.
The Motive:

"Bravery is a word of justice where one dares to do what is right. It should never be used to justify murder."

Defeated, Shimojo murmurs that his friends should thank him for avenging their fathers. He recounts that by interrogating one of the weak-willed crew members of Aramaki’s boat, he was able to learn the truth behind their fathers’ premature death. Their three fathers had sailed into a raging storm to convince Aramaki, who was continuing his illegal fishing operation, to pull his boat back to the port. Believing the three men to be hecklers, Aramaki rammed his boat into the smaller vessel, knocking its crew into the treacherous sea. He then left the three men to drown and returned to shore.
Nezu asks why Shimojo never contacted the police. He replies that Aramaki had a method of committing unprovable murders. He would sail into the open sea with only his victim and himself. He would then push his victim into the open sea and blame their death on an accident. With no witnesses and the body irrecoverable, the police will have no choice but to accept his explanation. Nezu realizes that Aramaki must have used the method to murder the crew member who accompanied him on the day of the storm, leaving no official witnesses of his triple murder.
Nezu criticizes his friend for becoming just like Aramaki, a vicious murderer. Shimojo retorts, stating that he sacrificed his future to exact their collective revenge, and thus should be commended for his bravery. Ran, who has been listening attentively since the beginning, finally speaks up. With some grief on her face and with a very heavy heart, she tells Shimojo that he is completely wrong, as "bravery" only applies when someone dares to fight for a rightful cause, and can never be the justification of a murder. Shimojo is left speechless by her words, and leaves with the police in silence.

The next day, seagulls congregate around Ran as she tells Sonoko about her thought-process when she made her bold statement about "bravery," stating she thought that Shinichi would have said something similar. Haibara then unexpectedly approaches her. With Ran’s words still echoing in her head, she bravely overcomes her apprehensions and extends her right hand, formally introducing herself. Dozens of seagulls swarm around them as the two girls take an overdue first step towards friendship.

People

Noboru Shimojo
	34 years old Fisherman Lifeguard

Yuta Yoshizawa
	34 years old Fisherman Lifeguard

Giichi Aramaki
	Victim (drowned) 51 years old Fisherman

Nobutsugu Nezu
	35 years old Fisherman

Major Events

• Inspired by Ran's speech about "bravery," Haibara overcomes her anxieties and introduces herself to her.
• Romantic development between Shinichi and Ran.

Naniwa Swordsman Case

Characters introduced

Soshi Okita
	Kyoto Senshin High representative

File 314 - The Naniwa Swordsman

Kazuha and Heiji's mother, Shizuka, enthusiastically spectate as the Kaihou Academy Kendo team flies through the group stage matches with ease. They notice Heiji seemingly flirting with girls instead of participating in his match, causing Kazuha to storm onto the floor and scold her friend. However, upon closer inspection, the boy in the Hattori armor is not Heiji but rather his teammate. He explains that Heiji instructed him to wear his armor to intimidate their opponents, and that he is withholding his participation until the strenuous elimination rounds.

Heiji explains his kendo rivalry with Soshi Okita.

Meanwhile, Heiji calls Conan from a bathroom stall, encouraging him to attend the semi-final and final rounds of the tournament. His call is interrupted by Kazuha, who demands to know why he is skipping his matches. Heiji explains he is preserving his energy, wishing to defeat his rival, Soshi Okita, from Kyoto Senshin High School. He also jokes about his abilities being affected by the wound Kazuha gave him with the Dugong Arrow, causing the girl to feel guilt momentarily. The two then hear commotion from the direction of the Shinnai University kendo team. The vanguard, Atsushi Tarumi, says he is unable to fight due to his hangover, incurring his teammates' anger. In retaliation, Tarumi threatens to divulge a collective secret to the public. The captain, Masamichi Hakamada, expresses ignorance, and the two briefly disparage each other about their romantic rivalry. As the group leaves Tarumi to recover, he expresses deep hostile resentment, which Heiji silently observes.

Tarumi seemingly teleports to the shower.

As Kaihou Academy rises into the semi-finals, Heiji overhears the Shinnai University team talk about being unable to locate Tarumi. Hakamada dispatches Mineo Omotani, Noriyuki Doguchi, and Takashi Kotegawa to look for him.
After some searching, the three investigate the storage room and find a bloodied Tarumi leaning against a stack of vaulting boxes. Horrified, the three decide to split up. Omotani contacts the police, Kotegawa calls an ambulance, and Doguchi runs to inform Hakamada.
Back at the floor, Heiji hears Doguchi's claim about Tarumi's condition and follows Doguchi and Hakamada to the storage room. However, upon reentering the room, Tarumi is nowhere in sight. The three are joined by Omotani and Kotegawa, who stand in disbelief and wonder if Tarumi had pulled an elaborate prank on the group. They are then approached by two event workers who relay a phone message they ostensibly received from Tarumi, which requested the members of Shinnai University meet him at the fitting room beside the pool.
Upon entering the fitting room, the boys find Tarumi in the exact same bloodied state as he was in the storage room. Heiji checks his vitals but finds he is dead. As the accompanying police officers report the murder, Heiji begins to collect his thoughts about the case. Kazuha arrives and demands he focus on his match, but after hearing about the murder, she suggests he leave the case to Shinichi, whom she assumed Heiji was calling in the bathroom stall. Annoyed by Kazuha's suggestion, Heiji resolves to solve the case in the hour left before Conan's arrival.

File 315 - The Invisible Swordsman

Kazuha witnesses Okita's incredible skill.

Kazuha relays news of the murder to the Kaihou Academy team and attempts to rally them around winning the tournament without Heiji.
Inspector Otaki arrives at the fitting room and immediately assumes the culprit can be traced via the ownership records of the katana used to slash Tarumi. Heiji objects, stating that the katana belongs to an iaido demonstrator at the event, who reported his missing sword earlier that day. He adds that based on the circumstances surrounding the stolen katana and the transportation of Tarumi's body, the culprit must be an individual familiar with both the tournament and the venue. Suspicious of Tarumi's teammates, Heiji interrogates the group and asks who left the storage room last. Kotegawa steps forward, explaining that the hotline operator asked him to describe Tarumi's injuries over the phone. After the ambulance was dispatched, he ran to the police box to assist Omotani with describing the crime. He notes that his journey to and from the police box, which took about fifteen minutes, was likely witnessed by the dozens of athletes who were eating lunch on the path he took. With the answers nowhere in sight, The four suspects leave to inform Tarumi's parents about his death, however, not before Otaki notices Hakamada is missing his name plate, which he claims he lost.
Meanwhile, Kaihou Academy closes in on their semi-finals victory, leading Kazuha to believe victory can be achieved without Heiji. However, after witnessing Okita defeat his opponent with an explosive strike, her fears are confirmed—believing Heiji is the only one capable of defeating Senshin High School.
As Heiji contemplates the case details, he notices Doguchi walking alone and goes to interrogate him. He asks what Tarumi meant by "collective secret," and about Hakamada "stealing" his girlfriend. Doguchi frantically states his ignorance and runs off, causing two nearby athletes to comment on feeling déjà vu. Heiji asks the two if they noticed anyone suspicious exiting the building around the time they saw Doguchi. They recall seeing someone fully dressed in their armor and helmet while carrying an equipment bag, which Heiji agrees is of note—believing the culprit had transported Tarumi's corpse using the bag. He then receives a call from Conan who reports he is mere minutes away from arriving at the venue. Suddenly inspired, Heiji turns to the two athletes and asks about the number of CPR training dummies kept in the storage closet. After hearing them say "two of different sizes," Heiji rushes to the storage room and opens the vaulting box, finding his answer in the blood-stained interior.

File 316 - The Swordsman of Justice

Kazuha desperately searches the venue for Heiji, but instead finds Conan, Ran, Kogoro, who have just arrived. She informs them about the murder and takes the three to the fitting room. A silhouette calmly watches the group from afar before walking towards the storage room. They retrieve a bottle and a bloodied towel from their equipment bag and ominously smirk. They pour water onto the towel and begin vigorously scrubbing the side of the vaulting box. Suddenly, Heiji emerges from the shadows, catching the culprit red-handed.

  Show spoilers »

Heiji catches Kotegawa placing Tarumi's blood onto the vaulting box

The culprit is revealed to be Takashi Kotegawa. Heiji surmises Kotegawa had spiked Tarumi's alcohol with sedatives and covered him in red paint. He then joined the other members of his team and pretended to search with them. Upon discovering the seemingly slashed Tarumi Kotegawa directed his teammates to perform tasks which would pull them away from the crime scene, leaving Tarumi alone in the storage room.

Tarumi had believed he had killed Hakamada while drunk.

Kotegawa then returned to the storage room, completed his ambulance call, and woke Tarumi up. He then ordered Tarumi to wear a mask and a clean set of armor and travel to the pool-side fitting room. Kotegawa asks what could have made Tarumi follow such instructions, to which Heiji kicks open the vaulting box revealing a CPR dummy wearing Hakamada's armor seemingly covered in blood. He explains that after Tarumi woke up, Kotegawa made him believe he had murdered Hakamada and subsequently experienced alcohol-related amnesia. His drunken haze, coupled with his disorientation, made him believe Kotegawa's story and thus convinced him to follow his instructions to wash off the evidence for his apparent murder in the fitting room. Therefore, the mysterious individual spotted by the two bystanding athletes was Tarumi carrying his blood-soaked equipment in the equipment bag.
Finally, once in the fitting room, Kotegawa ambushed Tarumi, slicing him to death with the stolen katana. He then washed the red paint he used with the shower water, hid the armor and mask Tarumi wore, and joined Omotani at the police box. Heiji adds that Kotegawa returned to the storage room to both retrieve Hakamada's armor and plant Tarumi's blood onto the side of the vaulting box to make it appear as if Tarumi was murdered in the storage room.
He points to Kotegawa possessing the blood-soaked towel as evidence of his crime.
The Motive:

Kotegawa strikes at Heiji.

Kotegawa admits he killed Tarumi because the latter was an out-of-control and immoral kendoka, who would often violently fight against other practitioners. He had once killed a freshman kendoka during practice and had it posed as an accident. Usually, Hakamada would be in charge of preventing such incidents, but he was absent that day. Consequently, Tarumi forced everyone's silence by saying they are all equally guilty for not preventing the freshman's death. He would then blackmail the entire club with this information—most of whom were unable to speak up since such news would cripple their chances at finding a post-university job. Fearing this outcome, Kotegawa silenced his wicked teammate.
Kotegawa then turns to the corner of the room and reveals that he had stolen a second katana from the iaido demonstrator. He unsheathes the blade and lunges at Heiji, slashing him on cheek.
Meanwhile, after hearing the case details, Conan fears the culprit may have returned to the storage room to destroy evidence and instructs Kazuha to lead him to the storage room.
Heiji manages to block Kotegawa's strike with his cellphone, saying Kotegawa's capture is ensured if he were to claim a second victim. Kotegawa disagrees, saying the police will likely attribute Heiji's murder to the same individual who slashed Tarumi, and thus will not suspect him as they removed him from the list of suspects for his apparent inability to transport Tarumi's body to the fitting room. Ready to strike the killing blow, Kotegawa slices through the cellphone but fails to hit his target. Heiji appears above the blade showing off his "Hattori" name plate, allowing Kotegawa to recognize him as the high schooler who single-handedly defeated a gang of police officers. Heiji smirks and quickly dispatches Kotegawa with his wooden shinai.

Kaihou Academy loses to Senshin High.

Kazuha and Conan arrive at the storage closet and find that Heiji has completely resolved the situation. After handing the culprit to Otaki, Kazuha hurriedly pushes Heiji to the arena, but the latter notes it is too late as he sees his defeated Kaihou Academy teammate being carried away. Still, Heiji remains jolly about solving the case without Conan's assistance.

People

Soshi Okita
	Kyoto Senshin High representative

Atsushi Tarumi
	Victim (slashed) 22 years old Senpo (Vanguard) Shinnai University Student

Mineo Omotani
	22 years old Jiho (Second Vanguard) Shinnai University Student

Noriyuki Doguchi
	21 years old Chuken (Center Guard) Shinnai University Student

Takashi Kotegawa
	22 years old Fukusho (Vice-captain) Shinnai University Student

Masamichi Hakamada
	22 years old Taisho (Captain) Shinnai University Student

Major Events

• Introduces Soshi Okita, Heiji's kendo rival from Kyoto.
• Minor romantic development between Heiji and Kazuha.

Tiger Scroll Case

File 317 - The Ruler's Palace

Kazuha falls asleep on Heiji's shoulder at the long-awaited Hattori dinner.

After returning from the kendo tournament, Conan, Ran, and Kogoro have dinner at the Hattori residence. The three are also joined by Kazuha and her father, Ginshiro, the former of whom falls asleep on Heiji's shoulder. Heizo scolds Ginshiro for drinking, but is assured it is not a problem as he intends for Heizo to drive them home.
In the car, Heizo asks Ginshiro to get to the point, understanding his request for transportation was a front for a serious discussion. Ginshiro floats the idea of letting his daughter marry Heiji, which excites Kazuha, who feigns sleep in the backseat. However, Heizo immediately sees through his colleague's jest, much to the girl's disappointment. Ginshiro arrives at the crux of his concerns and pulls out a shard of fired earthenware. He mentions a case from thirteen years ago where an unidentified burnt corpse, who carried the shard in their inner pocket, was discovered in the Osaka Castle moat. He reveals a similar corpse was recently discovered near the eastern ramparts carrying a similar shard with the kanjis for "848" engraved onto it. Ginshiro believes the two pieces are connected, and that their initial theory of an "incredible treasure left by mortals" may be true after all.

The next day, Kazuha enthusiastically gives a tour of the Osaka skyline similarly to how Heiji had done so during the group's first visit. Ran remarks on the castle's beauty, which Kazuha replies is due to the reconstruction efforts about sixty years ago. A man named Arihiro Kasuya interjects, specifying that the reconstruction took place in 1931. He says he is a fan of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and is thus knowledgable on his history. Heiji comments on the pin he wears, pointing out that it represents Hideyoshi's rival, Tokugawa Ieyasu's family. Joined by his colleague, Toshiaki Fukushima, Kasuya explains he is taking part in a Toyotomi Hideyoshi role-playing tour spanning from Nagoya to Osaka. Each day, the participants are given a new role to play. Each role is of an important member surrounding Hideyoshi's life, designated by their pins, and they must treat one another like the historical individual would have during their lifetime. The Tokugawa Ieyasu playing Kasuya and the Akechi Mitsuhide playing Fukushima are soon joined by the Nene playing Maho Katagiri and the Oda Nobunaga playing Shigehiko Wakisaka. Although Ran and Kazuha express interest in the tour's premise, Heiji and Kogoro are unamused and lead the girls away.

A man burns alive atop the castle roof.

Meanwhile, a fifth tour member, Yuji Kato, sits in a bathroom stall while holding an antiquated scroll. He remarks on finally grasping the shining light he had turned his back on thirteen years ago. He stares at a lone kanji on the paper: "dragon (ryu (龍))."
Outside the castle, Kazuha exclaims she had likely forgotten her wallet inside. It then suddenly begins to rain, much to Heiji's annoyance. Conan suggests Ran and Kazuha search a nearby store they had visited before entering the castle; the girls agree. Heiji notices the Hideyoshi tour group congregating outside and asks if anything is wrong. They answer that their fifth member is still missing. Suddenly the sound a large pop emanates through the scene. Bystanders notice a flaming object atop the castle roof. Upon closer inspection, Heiji and Conan realize the flame is a burning person, who subsequently slides off the curved roof and onto the hard pavement. Heiji and Conan rush to check on him while Kogoro calls for paramedics. The burned victim grabs Heiji's umbrella and dies shortly afterwards.

People

Arihiro Kasuya
	64 years old Tourist Role of Tokugawa Ieyasu

Toshiaki Fukushima
	32 years old Tourist Role of Akechi Mitsuhide

Maho Katagiri
	Victim (bludgeoned) 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

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See also

• Manga
• Volume 31-40
• Detective Conan