Volume 20

Chronology
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Volume 20
Information
Release date:	July 18, 1998
Chapters:	191-200
ISBN:	ISBN 4-09-125050-5
Publisher:	Shogakukan
English release date:	November 20, 2007
English ISBN:	ISBN 1-4215-0885-0
English Publisher:	Viz Media
Featured Detective & Keyhole
Jane Marple Wataru Takagi
Aoyama's death & Conan side images

Volume 20 was released on July 18, 1998 in Japan.

Cast

Characters

Conan Edogawa

Ran Mouri

Kogoro Mouri

Ayumi Yoshida

Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya

Genta Kojima

Ai Haibara

Kaitou Kid

Hiroshi Agasa

Sonoko Suzuki

Juzo Megure

Wataru Takagi

Hideo Akagi

Ramus

Yoko Okino (dream)

Shinichi Kudo (background)

Gadgets

Gadgets

Stun-Gun Wristwatch

Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes

Voice-Changing Bowtie

Button Speaker

Hang Glider Cape

Chapters

Stadium Threatening Case

File 191 - The Eye From Far Away

The soccer match rages on while the police scramble to organize their investigation with only thirty minutes left on the clock. Inspector Megure becomes increasingly desperate as his options gradually evaporate. Conan suggests reviewing the broadcast footage of when the culprit identified the undercover officers, believing the culprit must be scouring the crowd while on the phone.

"One cannot resist against the stream of time, and those who forcefully do are punished."

Unfortunately, after reviewing the footage, Takagi states there is no such individual. Megure demands he check again, focusing on spectators operating a zoomable camera device. Kaneko's colleagues from Nichiuri TV then arrive with ¥100,000,000, only a tenth of the demanded total. As Megure and Kaneko brainstorm ways to deceive the culprits, Takagi relays Conan's previous theory, suggesting that the culprits had always intended to shoot someone with the ringing of the final whistle. After confirming from Kaneko that the caller has remained the same individual throughout their interactions, Conan infers that the caller's accomplice must have given his gun to the caller after initially shooting the ball since he did not possess the weapon when he picked up the money.
The police frantically search the footage in an attempt to find the moment where the two culprits exchanged weapons. All eyes are glued to the screens as the second half's lost time begins. With no other options all Conan can do is pray, wishing time could stop. Seeing the boy's spiking anxiety, Haibara tells him to calm down, saying that "one cannot resist against the stream of time, and those who forcefully do are punished." As Conan is caught off guard by her words, he is distracted by the Detective Boys who appear to be focused on the match. However, they claim to be on task, only voicing their annoyance that the camera is repeated losing sight of the caller's accomplice as he traverses the stands. Taking notice, Conan figures out the caller's identity. With little time remaining, Megure deploys his officers to cover the stadium exits upon the game's conclusion.

  Show spoilers »

Conan confronts camera 13 operator, Hiruta.

Meanwhile, the operator of broadcast camera 13, Hiruta, looks on ominously as he records the remaining few seconds of the match. Suddenly, a boy's voice sounds from behind him. He turns around to see Conan standing calmly, labeling him as the caller. The boy accuses Hiruta of connecting his headset to his phone to make the call and using his broadcast camera to maintain visual over the stadium activity. Additionally, he sabotaged the recording of his accomplice's movements by making it seem like the operator had coincidentally swapped focus to other sights. Lastly, the undercover officers highlighted by the caller were all positioned on the front-facing stands, meaning the only camera who could have seen them was the one and only camera stationed on the back-facing stand, camera 13.

Conan uses Ramus' cleared ball to incapacitate Hiruta.

Impressed, Hiruta removes his gun from his pocket. Conan attempts to tranquilize the man with his wristwatch but the needle deflects off of the metal of the gun. The boy remarks that he possesses a Beretta M9, to which Hiruta says his partner possessed the TT pistol and has since thrown it away. He says the guns were originally prepared for a bank robbery he had planned a year ago. However, the robbery was aborted after Nichiuri TV had spontaneously conducted a television program at the bank. Hiruta's girlfriend, who was counting on the money, eventually fell into depression and subsequent suicide. Thus, he joined the broadcasting company to exact his revenge.
Conan asks if he intends to shoot him in broad daylight. Hiruta remains confident in his ability to escape, stating that he desires tomorrow's headlines to paint Nichiuri TV as a stingy corporation who caused the death of an innocent child. Suddenly, a soccer ball strikes the pavement. Conan smiles. He quickly activates his shoes and fires the ball into Hiruta's face, incapacitating the man. The referee then blows the whistle, ending the game in a 2-1 BIG Osaka victory. Conan calls out to Ramus, thanking him for the clear.
Soon, the police would arrive and arrest Hiruta. Thirty minutes later, the authorities also manage to detain Hiruta's accomplice who was waiting at their safe house, putting an end to the wild events at the Emperor's Cup.

Haibara reveals that she is eighteen years old.

The Detective Boys lament their inability to both watch the game and contribute to the investigation. However, Conan consoles his friends, informing them that they were instrumental to the success of the operation. Haibara congratulates Conan for his brilliant deductive skills, labeling him as a truly interesting specimen. Conan retorts that he wishes to not be patronized by an eighty four year old. Haibara corrects him and reveals that she is eighteen in a flirty manner, much to Conan's confusion.

People

Kaneko
	Director with Nichiuri TV

Man #1
	Criminal

Hiruta
	Cameraman for Nichiuri TV Cameraman #13

Major Events

• Haibara is revealed to be eighteen years old.
• First appearance of Miwako Sato, an assistant police inspector for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

Magic Lovers Case

File 192 - Run Away!

Sonoko's superficial image of "Katsuki Doito" is shattered.

While driving through a snowy mountain pass, Sonoko demonstrates a rudimentary magic trick to a mesmerized Ran. The pair are joined by Conan and Kogoro who agreed to drive Sonoko to an internet forum gathering. Specifically, the forum is called the Magic Lover's Club and is dedicated to magic and legerdemain. The girl explains that she has become infatuated with a forum regular named Katsuki Doito, a man who is brimming with wit and speaks with a charming prose. She imagines him as a handsome light-haired man and fantasizes about impressing him with her magic trick. Conan, however, immediately calls out the trick for its simplicity and shatters the girl's hopes. Nevertheless, Ran encourages her friend's romantic endeavors but remains skeptical about whether she should be attending such a gathering. Sonoko assures her, revealing that she has been posing as a man on the forum with Ran as his girlfriend. Ran is surprised, asking how she could conceal her gender with a name like "Sonoko Suzuki." Sonoko answers that each member uses a username: her's is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," Doito's is "Red Herring."

Unbeknownst to everyone, Nishiyama is already dead.

The group cross a small draw bridge and arrive at their destination, a large lodge. Despite Kogoro's concern about a strange smell, Sonoko knocks on the door and is greeted by Yoshinori Ara, "The Silent Ventriloquist," who immediately recognizes her as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. To Sonoko's chagrin, all of her forum-mates were aware of her attempts at portraying a middle aged man purely from her choice of language. She is soon introduced to Kikue Tanaka, "The Fake Child;" Toshiya Hamano, "The Disappearing Bunny;" Naoko Kuroda, "Illusion;" and part-time housekeeper, Kiyohiro Sugama. Sonoko then asks if Doito is present. She soon hears the sound of descending footsteps but to her disappointment, a rotund college-age man appears before her, introducing himself as Katsuki Doito. As Kogoro and Conan take their leave, the magic enthusiasts question the whereabouts of their board leader, Tsutomu Nishiyama. Ara decides to call him on the phone but receives no response. Unbeknownst to the group, Nishiyama is seen dead in his abode—his head bludgeoned and his body slumped on his desk before a computer screen with the words "first one down." The message is signed by the username "Shadow."

Conan brazenly sprints across the burning bridge.

Kogoro and Conan discuss Ran's safety on the drive home, with Kogoro revealing that his ulterior motive for leaving his daughter for the night is to party free from her criticism. The two notice a disturbing news story over the radio detailing Nishiyama's death. The report describes how Nishiyama was preparing for the same Magic Lover's Club gathering that Ran and Sonoko are attending. Alarmed, the two quickly decide to turn the car around.
Back at the lodge, Ran and Sonoko marvel at pristine winter landscape. The two are startled by Sugama who alerts them that dinner is prepared. The cohort discusses their favorite Japanese magicians over their meal. Ara and Doito name Toichi Kuroba, Tanaka chooses Yoshiro Kinoshita, and Hamano picks Motoyama Tsukumo. Kuroda comments on the deceased status of her friends' idols and shares her adoration of Kazumi Sanada. Lastly, Sonoko confidently states her love of Kaitou Kid.
Meanwhile, Kogoro and Conan speed forward across the icy road and notice a bellowing smoke rising in the distance. To their horror, they discover the small draw bridge connecting the lodge to the road is consumed by a raging fire. Conan instructs Kogoro to call the police and brashly sprints across the burning wood. All the boy can think about is Ran's safety as the bridge begins to collapse. Ran senses her name being called and irrationally decides to check the front door. To her surprise, she finds Conan unconscious on the ground, his fever having accelerated.

File 193 - In The Middle Of The Snow...

The group lays an unconscious Conan on a bed and ponder about his motivations. Doito provides the boy with medicine, revealing he is a medical student. Though an air of uncertainty circles the event, Ara suggests trying to contact Nishiyama once more.

Meanwhile, Kogoro desperately pleads with Megure to dispatch officers to the lodge. The Inspector tells him of the transportation difficulties but still promises to arrive as soon as he can.

Hamano's body is impossibly discovered on an untouched field of snow.

The members of the Magic Lover's Club find that the phone lines are bizarrely inoperable. They then decide to designate an interim board leader, Hamano suggests competing for the title via magic demonstration. He begins by placing a blindfold over Sonoko's eyes and asks for a pen and paper. He instructs Tanaka to write the names of each person on individual slips of paper and hand them to Sonoko. Then, he instructs Sonoko to write O X and ∆ on the back of three cards of her choice. Hamano designates the O to mark the leader, X to mark the entertainer for their party, and ∆ to mark the individual responsible for preparing the bath. After Sonoko lays her cards out onto the table, Hamano claims he can predict which task was assigned to which person. Although his colleagues are skeptical, Hamano correctly calls Kuroda and Tanaka as leader and bath maker. He then declares Doito the entertainer but appears to have made a mistake, as Ara turns the card over to reveal Hamano's name. The man gracefully accepts his error and the group splits off to perform their assigned tasks.
Some time later, the table is set for their party. Tanaka returns from readying the bath, Ara returns with the selected wine, and Hamano remains upstairs finishing his impromptu performance routine. The group discuss when Escape Artist (Nishiyama) and Shadow will arrive, noting the tumultuous relationship between the two. Conan then bursts onto the scene declaring that Nishiyama will not come. He relays the news he had heard over the radio, believing that Shadow is planning on executing more members of their group.
Worried, the cohort enters Hamano's room to inform him of the troubling news but find him missing. Noticing the open veranda door, Conan rushes over to investigate. Ran then notices Hamano lying in the snow at least ten meters away from the building's base. Conan looks on in disbelief.
Everyone rushes out of the lodge and heads for Hamano's location. Doito manages to reach the site first and confirms Hamano's death. He then instructs everyone to keep their distance from the body, stating that he does not want to further ravage the site of the crime. Though Ara initially expresses confusion, the group gradually realizes the impossibility of Hamano's death as they stand atop an immaculate field of snow free of footprints.

File 194 - Suspect Behaviors

Doito notes that Hamano was strangled before being transported to the middle of the field. Sugama floats the possibility of the culprit being the missing member, Shadow. With the bridge destroyed, the phone lines cut, and their cellphones without service, the Magic Lover's Club find themselves helplessly ensnared in the culprit's web.

Megure informs Kogoro that the police have tracked Shadow's IP address, linking it to a technologically abstinent individual with no connection to anyone present in the lodge. He states that the operator of the Shadow account had obtained the owner's password and gained access to their computer, using it to send messages to the internet forum. Additionally, the Inspector mentions the police have discovered that an unknown member present at the lodge had been using an undocumented IP address.

Shadow had accused the Magic Lover's Club of causing Fuden Harui's accidental death.

At the lodge, the group quietly sits at the dining table. Sonoko begins to feel immense guilt about writing the X on what turned out to be Hamano's card. Doito assures the girl that she was merely an assistant and cannot be blamed for the subsequent events. Ara then wonders about the motivations of Shadow, mentioning the argument that took place in the chatroom. The group explains that Shadow had accused members of the Magic Lover's Club of causing the supposedly accidental death of legendary escape artist, Fuden Harui, last month. Six months earlier, the chatroom had hosted a discussion about wanting to see a retro-style escaping act, which Shadow believed had motivated Harui, who was potentially present in the chatroom, to perform the precarious stunt that resulted in his death. Ultimately, Nishiyama could not confirm whether Harui was present or not. Ara then reveals that Nishiyama had invited the members of the Club who were present in the chatroom that day to confirm whether Harui was present. Feeling the chill of the outdoors slowly creep into the room, Conan, Ran, Doito, and Tanaka head upstairs to find warmer clothing.
While putting on a larger sweater, Ran informs Conan of the events prior to his awakening which leaves the boy with more questions than answers. Suddenly, Tanaka notices a strange sound coming from the window followed by a crossbow bolt darting across the room. The bolt strikes the wall and Tanaka brashly opens the window to check who was responsible. Sonoko's scream then echoes throughout the lodge alerting everyone to the bathroom. The group discovers her in a crouched position with another crossbow bolt harmlessly embedded in the bathroom mirror. Tanaka reaches her breaking point and sprints outside to find the culprit. She ignores her colleagues' warnings, forcing them to pursue her into the frigid snow. Both Tanaka and Sonoko stumble and fall in the deep snow, and Ara manages to find the culprit's dropped crossbow. Although a sense of relief permeates the group, Conan notices Doito plunge his fist into the snow in frustration.

File 195 - Search

Conan discovers a strange circular hole in a tree.

Tensions begin to flare as the group makes its way back to the lodge. Conan notices that only one tree had dumped the snow it carried on its branches to the ground. Inspecting it closely, he finds a small circular hole carved into the trunk. Still, the bigger picture continues to elude the boy and so he decides to collect information on each suspect's alibi.

Conan poses the question once everyone settles themselves in the main room. Kuroda says she helped Doito set the dinner table before transitioning to the kitchen to assist Sugama with various kitchen duties. Doito had briefly returned to his room on the upper floor to retrieve a box of crackers for the event. Tanaka and Ara were alone in the wine cellar and bathroom respectively for about eight minutes. When Conan asks Ara about why he spent such a long time retrieving wine, the man says he had forgotten that he replaced the lock and had to return to his room to grab the new key. Sensing his companions' skepticism, Ara offers to show them the cellar.

Yet another crossbow bolt fires through the window and strikes the wall.

The cohort finds the cellar fitted with multiple locks. Ara explains that he had experienced theft recently and had supplemented the cellar's security accordingly. Conan also asks to see where the firewood for the bath is kept. Ara shows him a neatly piled stock of firewood covered by slanted metal awning. He notices a window to the second floor placed directly above the awning and suggests Tanaka could reach the second floor from the exterior of the building. Tanaka agrees, but notes that she entered the house several times to monitor the temperature of the bath, meaning other people also possessed the opportunity to scale the building. Conan walks off in deep thought and soon finds a staple on the ground in front of the bathroom window. Curious, he climbs atop the windowsill and finds two small holes clearly created by a stapler on the building's exterior. Before he can investigate further, he is caught by Doito and returned to Ran and Sonoko.
The group returns indoors as Conan begins to piece together the puzzle. Though without a clear explanation as to how Hamano's body was placed in the field of snow, he cannot proceed with his accusations. Ara then approaches the table and offers the group wine. His actions spark a realization in Conan as he grabs a bottle and flips it upside down. He sees the inverted image of a sail ship on the label of the wine and confidently smirks, having cracked the case. He asks Ara if he can borrow a stapler, a pair of scissors, and a long string ostensibly to make progress on a school assignment. The man agrees and takes the boy upstairs where the requested objects are stored. However, before Ara can accommodate an additional request for a broad sheet of paper, Conan disappears from the room. Panicked, Ara returns to the dining table and reports his disappearance, adding that the spare crossbow bolt he had kept is also missing. Suddenly, Conan's scream bellows from a nearby room, prompting everyone to rush to his aid.
They find the boy in one of the bedrooms standing beside a bed with his back faced to the door. A crossbow bolt then flies through the window and into the wall in the same manner as when Tanaka was attacked previously. Conan peers out the window and claims he can see someone outside. The boy rushes out of the house as the group is forced to chase after him. Ran finally catches him and admonishes him for his reckless behavior. Conan, however, seems unfazed. He turns to Sonoko and happily declares her plan a total success, much to the girl's confusion. After beckoning her closer, Conan uses the opportunity to tranquilize her with his wristwatch, commencing yet another deduction show.

File 196 - From The Sky

  Show spoilers »

Two additional strings are tied to the center of the main string.

A conveyer is formed from the veranda to the middle of the snow field.

The entire contraption is launched away.

The Method (Placement of Hamano's Body):

Sonoko instructs Ran to take the recovered crossbow and head for Hamano's room on the third floor. The girl then explains that the culprit prepared a perfectly measured long string and slid two rings attached to two crossbow bolts through it. Two additional strings are then attached to the middle portion of the main string and are then independently fastened to the veranda's railing. Next, the two crossbow bolts are fired into two trees adjacent to Hamano's final position. Ran reaches the third floor and prepares to execute the demonstration when Doito appears behind her and offers to fire the crossbow in her stead, boasting about his excellent aim. Doito proceeds to perfectly nail the targeted trees, creating a sail-shaped isosceles triangle. Sonoko then orders Doito to untie the central strings attached to the veranda. Using a futon as a stand-in for Hamano's body, Doito wraps another line around the futon's mid-section and connects it to a small ring. Doito passes the ring through one of the untied central strings and reties the two ends back onto the veranda railing. Lastly, the futon is thrown over the railing and slides like a cable car down to the center of the snow field. Sugama questions how the culprit removed the strings. In response, Sonoko tells Doito to untie all strings attached to the veranda and attach the last remaining bolt to one of the central strings. By firing the bolt high and away, all strings are pulled through their rings and fly off with the bolt into the night. Sugama remains skeptical, pointing to the bolts still embedded in the trees. Sonoko explains that the culprit burned the bridge and cloistered the lodge in order to retrieve the bolts before the police could arrive. She then points to Kikue Tanaka as the culprit.

Tanaka had prepared a pendulum-like contraption to break the window.

The Method (The Bolts Through the Windows):
Tanaka reminds everyone she was almost shot through the window by an assailant stationed outside. Sonoko disagrees, stating that she used a contraption to mimic the result. Tanaka had prepared a pendulum-like contraption using a string attached to the bed, which she cut to send a weight swinging into the window, breaking the glass. While the spectators were distracted by the shattered window, Tanaka fired the crossbow behind her back, lodging the bolt into the wall. Lastly, by approaching the window, Takana could pull on the string again, raising the weight and making it appear as though the bolt originated from beyond the window. Sonoko adds that the second bolt fired into the bathroom utilized a similar contraption. Since Tanaka's room and veranda is directly above the window to the bathroom, a second pendulum could be prepared—this time linked to the opening the veranda door. When Tanaka angrily opened her window to confront the attacker, the string was released, sending the weight into the bathroom window below. The bolt in the mirror had been placed beforehand while Tanaka prepared the bath, selling the illusion that a second bolt had been fired into the lodge. Finally, while Ran and Doito rushed to Sonoko's aid, Tanaka could easily pull out the strings and staples from the building's exterior, concealing the props.
Following the incident with the second bolt, Tanaka stormed outside to find the culprit, using the time to collect the bolts that were still attached to the trees.
The Method (Hamano's Murder):

Tanaka points out a flaw in Sonoko's deduction, stating that her ability to perform the tasks she is accused of is entirely predicated on the random probability that Sonoko would assign her to prepare the bath. Sonoko reveals that the magic trick Hamano had performed is dependent on an assistant in the crowd—on Tanaka. Hamano had inserted paper into the room with pre-written symbols.

Tanaka reveals herself as the granddaughter of Fuden Harui.

As Hamano's assistant, Tanaka would write down the names according to their predetermined plan onto the respective sheets of paper. Tanaka would then swap out the pen for an ink-less pen and hand the tool to a blindfolded Sonoko, who believed she was legitimately writing the symbols onto the sheets. Therefore, Tanaka was directly responsible for the assignments made via the magic trick. Hence, Hamano was assigned to the role of entertainer because Tanaka had deviated from their initial plan. Tanaka would later use the metal awning above the firewood to infiltrate Hamano's room, strangle him, and then slide him onto the snow. Lastly, Ara's wine thief was also likely Tanaka, who had to perform extensive research on the property to properly prepare her contraptions.
The Evidence:
Tanaka remains silent, stunned by Sonoko's deduction. She asks for her evidence and the girl obliges. Sonoko claims to have seen Tanaka in the act of hiding the remaining bolt in her boot while she was collecting them from the trees.
The Motive:
As Tanaka pulls the bolt out of her boot, her colleagues debate about the identity of Shadow. Sonoko states that Shadow is another account operated by Tanaka, who likely gained a second IP address and attended the chatroom through two different computers. Tanaka corrects her, revealing that she is the granddaughter of Fuden Harui and that Fake Child was originally the account that Harui used while participating in the chatrooms. While Tanaka understands that Ara and Kuroda cannot be blamed for motivating Harui into forcing his aged body to perform another daring stunt, she states she could not forgive Nishiyama and Hamano for writing comments making light of Harui's death. After learning that Harui had intended to reveal he was The Fake Child to the chatroom if he had succeeded in the stunt, Tanaka was consumed by rage and resentment. Kuroda then says that if Nishiyama and Hamano were aware of Harui's presence they would not have made such comments. Tanaka acknowledges the sentiment, though reveals that Doito had been aware all along, as Harui had received a letter of encouragement from him shortly before his stunt.
Sonoko, whose voice now resonates from Conan's speaker, explains that it is likely because Doito was also an avid practitioner of magic.

Kaitou Kid reveals himself.

Conan walks through the second floor of the lodge, approaching Hamano's room. He reveals that "Katsuki Doito (ドイトウ カツキ)" is an anagram of none other than "Kaitou Kid (カイトウキッド)." He swings the door open to see the Phantom Thief standing atop the open veranda. Conan asks about Ran's whereabouts to which Kid says she is sleeping in the room next door, free of harm. Kid explains that he came to investigate after seeing Harui's old account reactivated. He had known about the Fake Child's true identity as that was Harui's original stage name prior to his mainstream success. He confesses that after seeing Tanaka's face, he became sure she was Harui's granddaughter. Furthermore, he had seen straight through Hamano and Tanaka's magic trick, yet despite possessing such information, he did not predict a murder would occur and was thus devastated that he could not prevent it. Nonetheless, he commends the boy for his incredible deduction and expresses his hopes to meet him again one day. With the police helicopter approaching the lodge, Kid sets off a cloud of smoke and disappears on his hang glider. With the arrival of the police, Tanaka turns herself in, marking an end to the eventful evening.
Sonoko, however, left the gathering distraught about failing once again to meet her crush, Kaitou Kid, and proceeded to drown her romantic sorrows away through karaoke—dragging Ran and Conan along with her. Even then, not three days later, the frenetic hopeless romantic regained her enthusiasm for finding men of her liking and returned to eagerly telling Ran about the various men she had met across the internet.

People

Kikue Tanaka
	28 years old Username: The Fake Child

Toshiya Hamano
	Victim (strangled) 27 years old Username: The Disappearing Bunny

Naoko Kuroda
	25 years old Username: Illusion

Yoshinori Ara
	46 years old Username: The Silent Ventriloquist Lodge owner

Kiyohiro Sugama
	23 years old Part-time worker

Katsuki Doito
	21 years old Username: Red Herring

Tsutomu Nishiyama
	Victim (beaten) 41 years old Leader of the Magic Lover's Club Username: Escape Artist

Sealed Bathroom Case

File 197 - Goodbye...

Kogoro in an exceptionally happy mood.

Mina Aoshima returns to her home with bath detergent, duct tape, and beer as requested by her older sister, Masayo Aoshima. Masayo continues her packing, ostensibly planning to vacate the house for Mina's fiancé to move in. As Mina offers to assist in the bundling process, Masayo offers to share a drink with her to celebrate. Mina reluctantly accepts, unaware Masayo has spiked her beer.

At a family restaurant, Conan and Ran are forced to listen to Kogoro's fantasies about meeting his favorite idol, Yoko Okino, at a concert they have been invited to attend. The man's exceptional state of ebullience is abruptly stunted after finding out he had lost his VIP tickets because of a hole in his pocket. While Kogoro desperately attempts to barter a spare ticket from his children, they notice Masayo fuming over a conversation on a payphone. She hurls a tirade at Mina's fiancé, Kenji, who had expressed his inability to transport Masayo and her sister to the Yoko Okino concert due to sudden illness. As the woman angrily hangs up the phone, Kogoro approaches her with a proposition, asking if he can buy Kenji's spare ticket from her at a low price. The woman unexpectedly agrees to give Kogoro the tickets for free, but on the condition they drive to her house to pick up Mina.

Mina is found dead in the sealed bathroom.

The group merrily heads for the house. During the car ride, they listen to Masayo express her concern for Mina's mental well-being and that she bought the concert tickets to cheer her up. However, when Kogoro mentions he is the famous Sleeping Kogoro, Masayo's face turns blue. Conan takes note of her strange reaction.
Once at her house, Masayo tells her guests to relax in her living room, which the trio soon finds is covered in posters of various idols such as Yoko Okino, Asuka Anzai, TWO-MIX, and Terumi Hoshino. As they assess her progress in moving out, the three suddenly hear loud banging noises coming from the bathroom. They rush to find Masayo frantically calling for Mina through an opaque plastic door with the words "Goodbye (サヨナラ)" written on it with duct tape. Masayo says despite the door lacking a lock it is somehow sealed shut. With no other choice, the group work together to batter the door open. Once through, they discover a bloodied Mina slouched on the bathtub with a razor in her right hand. Kogoro lifts her left hand out of the water to see several slash marks on her wrist. Kogoro confirms Mina's death and calls for the police. Seeing how both the door and the windows were sealed with duct tape and the detergent on the floor, Conan initially agrees with Kogoro's assessment of calling it a suicide. However, he soon changes his mind after closely inspecting the bathtub.

File 198 - Tangible Proof

Inspector Megure arrives at the crime scene, noting that Mina has been dead since last night. He also notices the sealed points of ventilation in the bathroom. Kogoro theorizes that Mina attempted to mix a chlorine-based detergent with an acidic detergent to create a deadly chlorine gas. However, when she realized she had mistakenly purchased two chlorine-based detergents, she panicked and resorted to slicing her wrist to commit suicide. Conan points out the zigzag pattern in which Mina cut her skin, which Kogoro and Megure realize is exceptionally strange considering almost all individuals who attempt suicide in such a manner cut perpendicular to the artery with parallel lines. When Kogoro attempts to brush the oddity off, Conan also highlights the clean demarkation between the clean tub rim and the dripping blood stains. However, just as Kogoro admits a second individual may have been present who forcefully cut Mina's hand, Masayo points to the duct tape. She suggests that perhaps the duct tape roll was placed on the rim of the tub, catching the blood splatters from striking the ceramic. As Kogoro congratulates her for the excellent observation, a forensics analyst informs Megure that only Mina's fingerprints appear on the tape, suggesting that Mina had sealed the room herself. With both Kogoro and the police arriving at the same conclusion, Masayo obliges Kogoro's request for a spare ticket and heads for the living room.

Once safe behind closed doors, Masayo lets out a laugh, but is quickly interrupted by Conan who points out that the flat cardboard boxes in the living room are lined with wrinkles, implying they have been constructed before. The boy also notices the sticky texture on the surface of the coffee table which suggests that strips of tape had been lined there. Ran then arrives to collect Conan, intending to leave for the Yoko Okino concert. As the boy walks through the corridor to the door, he remains confident about Masayo's guilt, though remains ignorant about how she could seal the door with duct tape from the outside. Sergeant Takagi then returns from the convenience store where Mina is thought to have bought her supplies. He informs Megure that the clerk reported no "major" concerns about Mina when she purchased the items. Conan questions Takagi, asking about any "minor" concerns. As Takagi tells the boy, Conan notices a blood stain on the interior side of the entrance door. He points the stain out to Takagi who inspects it closely. Suddenly, the door slams into Takagi as Mina's fiancé, Kenji, arrives.

Conan is confident that Masayo is the culprit.

Masayo asks why Kenji is here, to which Takagi explains the police had found a voicemail left by the man around the time of Mina's death and had instructed him to come. Kenji laments the death of his fiancé, stating that he should have intruded into the home if it meant saving her life. Conan asks for clarification. Kenji says he knocked on the door several times last night, but left after receiving no response, having thought Mina had gone to bed. When Takagi asks why he would check on the house after receiving no response via phone call, Kenji explains that Mina has a habit of not answering the phone. Hearing the man's words, Conan smiles, having all of the necessary tools to declare Masayo the culprit.

File 199 - Sisterly Love...

Kogoro declares the death a suicide expresses his intentions of heading for the concert. Before he can leave, he is tranquilized and immediately shifts his conclusions, apologizing for his "jokes."

  Show spoilers »

The door was always open, only appearing as though it was sealed with tape.

He begins by identifying Masayo Aoshima as Mina's murderer.
The Method:

Kogoro instructs Megure to close the bathroom door. The plastic door is transparent enough to show the strips of duct tape around the edges of the frame. Kogoro reveals that Masayo had likely ripped open the taped door shortly after she had killed Mina and left the door in its unlocked state until Kogoro's company arrived. When asking for Kogoro's strength to batter the door down, Masayo had her hand on the door knob, thus controlling when the door would break open—selling the effect that the door was sealed with tape. Ultimately, Masayo needed another individual to discover the body and perceive the locked-state of the room, hence why she invited Kogoro to her home. Megure then asks about the lack of Masayo's finger prints on the tape. Kogoro explains she likely obtained the tape by asking Mina to prepare strips of duct tape during the packing process. Masayo then wore gloves when handling the prepared strips so as to not leave her prints on the tape. She then undid the constructed cardboard boxes to make it appear as though she had not yet completed her packing. Lastly, Masayo had likely attempted to kill her sister via chlorine gas but transitioned to cutting her wrist after realizing Mina had purchased two chlorine-based detergents.

The macron over the "o" in the logo is occluded by Mina's blood.

The Evidence:

Masayo rushes to her sister's body, crying of regret.

Kogoro admits he lacks the evidence to prove Masayo had employed the outlined tricks. However, he does claim to have undeniable proof that Masayo had committed the murder. Kenji had knocked on the house door last night around the time Masayo had completed her murder. The blood stain found on the door was thus placed there by Masayo who had pressed her head against the wall to look through the eyehole. Kogoro claims the blood on the door belongs to Mina, and that the blood was placed there by Masayo's brand new Yoko Okino bandana. Masayo is shocked as she understands the implications of the Detective's claims. Megure questions how Kogoro could be sure that the blood originates from Masayo's bandana. At an end, Masayo confesses that the first "o" in the "Yoko" bandana should include a macron and read "Yōko." Instead, Mina's blood had splattered over the macron and hid it from sight. Kogoro explains he noticed the discrepancy after seeing Masayo's matching key holder which retains the macron.
The Motive:
Masayo says that her sister always had the same interests and hobbies as her. Although she initially did not mind their likemindedness, she drew the line when Mina proposed to Kenji, whom Masayo had dated for five years.
Kenji steps forward and reveals that it was him who proposed to Mina, having been rejected several times. Eventually, Mina accepted under the condition that they change the story to paint her as the one who proposed. She did so to protect Masayo's pride from learning that her lover had instead fallen for her younger sister. Kogoro corroborates Kenji's claim, stating that Mina had always cared for her older sister. She had noticed that Masayo had ordered a chlorine-based detergent and an acid detergent and purposefully swapped out the second bottle at the register in hopes to prevent Masayo from accidentally creating a deadly gas. After learning the truth, Masayo's heart is filled with regret as she rushes back to her sister's body in tears.

Deafening cries for an encore echo from a packed venue as the performer, Yoko Okino sees Kogoro approach her with flowers. She thanks the Detective for following-through with his promise and plants a kiss on his cheek. Kogoro voices his mumbled elation as it is revealed the experience exists only in his dreams. Conan and Ran watch over him, amused by his imagination.

People

Mina Aoshima
	Victim (wrist slit) 24 years old Haido Department Store employee

Masayo Aoshima
	26 years old Beika Bank employee

Kenji
	Mina and Masayo's friend

Blue Castle Case

Gadgets introduced

Wristwatch Flashlight
	Small flashlight

File 200 - Invitation to an Isolated Castle

The Detective Boys find a large Western castle.

Having forgotten to pack a tent for the camping trip, Professor Agasa and the Detective Boys drive through the wilderness in hopes of finding a place to spend the day. As Ayumi expresses her far-fetched desire to stay at a beautiful castle overlooking a lake, her wish is miraculously granted in the form of a large Western-style castle.

While the group marvel at the castle's design, Genta brashly scales the front gate and trespasses on the property. He is instantly caught by the estate's gardener, Katsuo Tabata, who scolds the boy for entering. Despite Tabata insisting they leave the premises, Mitsuru Mamiya, a member of the owning family allows them to stay after hearing Agasa is a scientist.

Portraits of past Mamiya family members.

The Detective Boys happily explore the sprawling yard, where Ayumi specifically takes a liking to a large statue of a horse. Haibara explains the statue is a Knight and part of a larger installation of over-sized chess pieces atop a grassy board. Tabata says he maintains the chess board at the lingering behest of the late patriarch, who died fifteen years ago. Additionally, the eldest daughter's husband, Sada'aki had also died six years prior. Lastly, the second eldest daughter, whom Mitsuru widowed, had died four years ago in a large fire that enveloped the now burnt tower. Tabata adds that the fire occurred the night the second daughter returned to visit the matriarch for her birthday and that the incident also killed dozens of friends, workers, and family members. Only the matriarch, Mitsuru, and Sada'aki's only son, Takahito managed to survive the flames. Tabata notes that both Mitsuru and Takahito had spent most of their lives abroad, only visiting the castle for the first time on the night of the fire. Though ever since the incident, the two have continued to live at the castle.

Conan is struck by an unknown assailant.

As Tabata leads the group into the main hall, he shows them large portraits of the patriarch, Sada'aki, and the eldest daughter—who regularly expressed her aversion for her father's work as a historian. The group is then joined by the matriarch, Mamiya Masuyo. Hearing that Agasa is a scientist, she voices her hope that he will solve the mystery left within the castle by her husband. Tabata clarifies that the patriarch stated shortly before his death that he will give his greatest treasure to whom ever solves the castle's mystery. Conan then asks if he can see the garden chess board from a bird's-eye-view.
The Detective Boys peer out two sets of windows to see the pieces below. Conan takes out a notepad and begins documenting his findings, which Haibara teases him about. The two are interrupted by Genta, who is about to fall out of the window in the room next door. Conan rushes to find that Mitsuhiko had successfully saved him, but notices that the windows in both rooms are placed against the same wall. He questions the large space between the two windows and suspects a hidden passage between the walls. He looks up at a clock on the wall and plays with the hands. After aligning the hands to twelve, the wall suddenly rotates and captures Conan instantly, leaving Genta and Mitsuhiko oblivious to what has happened.
Caught in a dark passage, Conan activates his Wristwatch Flashlight and descends a winding set of stairs. His foot is then caught on a lump in the steps. When he points his light down to investigate, he finds the old remains of a deceased human. Before he can process his discovery, a silhouette approaches him from behind and brings a brick down onto his head.

People

Katsuo Tabata
	41 years old Mamiya family gardener

Mitsuru Mamiya
	49 years old Husband of the second eldest Mamiya daughter

Takahito Mamiya
	25 years old Son of the eldest Mamiya daughter

Masuyo Mamiya
	83 years old Matriarch of the Mamiya family

Trivia

• The title for each chapter are worded as the following in Case Closed:

• File 191 - An Eye in the Distance
• File 193 - In a Snowy Meadow
• File 194 - Suspicious Movement
• File 195 - Investigation
• File 196 - Discovery
• File 197 - Sayonara
• File 198 - Visible Evidence
• File 199 - Sisterly Feelings
• File 200 - Invitation to a Castle

• The castle of the Chinese, German, Indonesian, and Japanese cover is Neuschwanstein.

Cover in other countries

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  China

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  China (2020 reissue)

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  Finland

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  France

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  Germany

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  Hong Kong

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  Indonesia

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  Indonesia (reprint)

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  Italy (Comic Art)

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  Italy (Star Comics)

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  Italy (La Gazzetta dello Sport)

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  Italy (New Edition)

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  Korea

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  Malaysia (Chinese)

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  Malaysia (Malay)

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  Norway

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  Rep. of China (Taiwan)

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  Philippines

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  Singapore (Chinese)

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  Spain (Catalan)

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  Spain (Spanish, Volumen 2, part 1)

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  Spain (Spanish, Volumen 2, part 2)

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  Sweden

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  Thailand

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  United States

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  Vietnam

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  Vietnam (New Edition)

See also

• Manga
• Volume 11-20
• Detective Conan