Volume 26

Chronology
‹ Volume 25	List of Chapters • List of Cases	Volume 27 ›

Volume 26
Information
Release date:	February 18, 2000
Chapters:	254-263
ISBN:	ISBN 4-09-125496-9
Publisher:	Shogakukan
English release date:	November 18, 2008
English ISBN:	ISBN 1-4215-1678-0
English Publisher:	Viz Media
Featured Detective & Keyhole
Inspector Samejima Chris Vineyard
Aoyama's death & Conan side images

Volume 26 was released on February 18, 2000 in Japan.

Cast

Characters

Conan Edogawa

Ran Mouri

Kogoro Mouri

Hiroshi Agasa

Ai Haibara

Ayumi Yoshida

Genta Kojima

Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya

Heiji Hattori

Kazuha Toyama

Sonoko Suzuki

Tomoaki Araide

Juzo Megure

Wataru Takagi

Shinichi Kudo

Yusaku Kudo

Yukiko Kudo

Gadgets

Gadgets

Voice-Changing Bowtie

Stun-Gun Wristwatch

Chapters

Dangerous Cave Case

File 254 - An Infatuated Heart

Ran remains beside Conan as he recovers.

Conan wakes up in his hospital bed—diminished, but still breathing. Kogoro enters the room and informs him of Ran's heroics while he covers his sleeping and depleted daughter with his jacket.
Ten days later, the doctor gladly reports that Conan will make a full recovery and is fit to return home soon, albeit with a mild fever. Relieved, Ran and Sonoko transport Conan back to his hospital room. On the way, Sonoko entertains the idea of Shinichi attending their upcoming play if she informs him that Ran is playing the lead heroine. Ran confidently disagrees and states her indifference, saying that the only attendee she needs is a healthy Conan. While Sonoko voices her puzzlement, Conan asks about the bandages on the girl's wrist. She answers that she sprained it during rehearsal and is now unable to play the Black Knight, but is covered thanks to Araide. As Conan internally grumbles about the development, Ran says she is uncertain about the attendance, but Sonoko assures her that the drama club is organizing a refreshment sale to compensate for the lack of air-conditioning. Meanwhile, a silhouette watches.

Approaching the room, the group hears Heiji and Kazuha arguing about their choice of flowers. The two explain they came to check on Conan after hearing about his injury. Kazuha leaves with the girls to buy a more suitable bouquet while Heiji stays to talk with Conan. The boy question's the ulterior motive behind his friend's visit, leading Heiji to reveal that Agasa had contacted him about Ran's grasp on Conan's secret. He proffers the notion of confirmation bias, but Conan reflects on several moments—after Ran found his childhood photo—which indicate her awareness. He wonders why Ran refuses to confront him, but Heiji reproaches him on his failure to make deductions about his own life, stating that Ran is likely waiting for him to tell her the truth. Caught in a dilemma, Conan asks for his friend's advice.

Betrayal?

On the plane ride home, Heiji ruminates on Conan sarcastically saying that to fix the problem, he needs a clone of Shinichi. Kazuha asks him about attending Ran's play. The boy refuses to attend, citing an important errand.
That night, the silhouette sneaks through the hospital halls and quietly enters a laboratory. They rummage through the cabinets and find a bottle of potassium cyanide before grinning with murderous intent. Meanwhile, Conan reflects on his quandary, remembering Ran's request to not leave her alone. Thus, he resolves to reveal his identity to her. Suddenly, Haibara appears beside his bed and menacingly points a gun at him.

Major Events

• Doctor Araide is revealed to have theater experience.
• Haibara meets Ran and Kogoro for the first time.
• Ran is revealed to have been aware that Conan is Shinichi.

School Play Murder Case

Gadgets introduced

Voice-Changing Face Mask
	Used by Haibara to disguise her voice as Conan's

File 255 - The Intruder's Sudden Arrival

Haibara makes her point.

Haibara states that her cover has been blown. Along with Pisco, was a second agent dispatched to the Haido City Hotel, who, had informed the Black Organization about Sherry's ability to transform into a child with the use of a drug. Consequently, the Organization infiltrated Agasa's house. However, instead of assassinating her, they admitted that her value in the development of APTX4869 was too great to squander, thus they offered her a chance to redeem herself under one condition: kill all associates aware of the Organization's existence. With Agasa held as a hostage, the girl callously sympathizes with Conan's situation, adding that Heiji, Yusaku, and Yukiko will have to be erased tomorrow, but still highlighting the silver-lining that Conan will be spared from witnessing such events. Haibara proceeds to pull the trigger, and a bizarre gun shot rings.

The Black Knight defies the script and embraces the Princess.

Conan stares aghast at a bouquet of flowers dispensed by the toy gun. Haibara admits she was merely reciting a scenario, but states that she did so to prove a point: if Conan tells Ran about his identity, and if the Black Organization learns the truth, Ran would be added to their list of targets. She provides three options to remedy the situation. First, conceal the truth and continue living with Ran despite its social consequences. Second, tell Ran the truth and pray the Organization forever remains ignorant. And third...
The Teitan High School Festival bustles with activity as Ran and Sonoko look out at a sea audience members. Kazuha meets Ran backstage, saying she came despite Heiji's dissuasion. They are soon joined by Kogoro and a masked Conan who wish her luck before returning to their seats. Out by the concession stands, audience member Mai Kougami buys drinks for Youta Mitani, Yumemi Noda, and Kouhei Kamata. Kougami leaves for the bathroom while her friends distribute drinks. Kamata checks the contents of his drink and has a surprised reaction. He looks over at third year student, Ayako Ninagawa working at the concession stand before the lights suddenly shut off and the show begins.

The play opens with the Princess lamenting about her dreaded arranged marriage before transitioning to a fight sequence involving a group of Imperial saboteurs assaulting the Princess' carriage. The show endures multiple comedic disturbances caused by both a proud Kogoro and an overzealous Kazuha as it approaches its climax. The Black Knight descends onto the saboteurs and saves the Princess from harm. The actor then deviates from the script and immediately embraces the Princess, much to Ran's confusion. In the stands, a teenager with a familiar face takes a seat next to Conan, who, reacts in shock. Ran notices her friends holding a sign urging her to improvise with the Black Knight; the two actors lean in for the kissing scene. However, before their lips can meet, a scream pieces the gymnasium as Kouhei Kamata lies dead on the floor.

The show nears its climax.

File 256 - Concealed Truth

Inspector Megure and Takagi arrive at the gymnasium and inquire about the approximate time of death. Ran responds "around 2:40" and turns to Araide, the Black Knight, for confirmation, but the Knight strangely remains silent. Takagi asks the forensic analyst about the cause of death, but before the man can respond, a teenager with a Kansai dialect correctly answers potassium cyanide—citing Kamata's pink lips and fingernails, and his mouth's almond scent as evidence. Kogoro and Megure grow suspicious of the teenager and asks for an alibi. He points to an uncharacteristically apathetic Conan, who promptly confirms his innocence. Kogoro then says the teenager is bizarrely familiar and Megure asks for him to identify himself. He confidently lifts his hat and proclaims that he is Shinichi Kudo. The police stand bewildered at "Shinichi's" uncanniness, as the boy turns to Ran and Conan explaining that he came to see her show. However, his disguise is instantly foiled by Kazuha who identifies him as Heiji. Under pressure, he ditches his attempt at portraying Shinichi as a separate person from Conan, and resumes cooperating as himself.

Shinichi Kudo revealed?

Megure begins interrogating Kamata's friends. Kougami had bought the four drinks, Mitani received all four, and Noda received hers and Kamata's. They explain that they are alumni members of Teitan High School, now hospital students, who were involved in the drama club with a yearly tradition of attending the annual play. Kogoro asks why they sent Kougami to carry all four drinks. She replies that Kamata was with her but returned to the seats after seeing the concession worker, Ayako Ninagawa. Heiji states that all four had the opportunity to poison Kamata's ice coffee and are thus suspects. Kougami protests, saying that since she ordered the same drink, meaning if she were the killer, she would have ensured Kamata received the poisoned cup instead of leaving for the bathroom. She also dispels the theory of poisoning both cups by proving that she has fully consumed its contents. Mitani and Noda similarly plead innocence, but Megure cites the labeled caps as an easy means of identifying the right cup to poison. Takagi then finds that Kamata had not used the milk and gum syrup attached to his ice coffee, disproving the theory of poisoned condiments. Ninagawa confesses that she purposefully filled Kamata's cup with cola with the intention of luring Kamata back to the concession stand. She reveals that they were formerly betrothed, and she wanted an opportunity to talk to him about why she annulled their engagement. Hearing her words, Kogoro quietly floats the possibility of a suicide motivated by his fiancé's rejection. Kougami and Noda mention that Kamata had suspiciously been rummaging through his car's dashboard during the drive over, prompting the police to leave and examine his car.

Shinichi Kudo revealed.

With the case figured out, Heiji kneels beside Conan to share his deduction, but the boy walks away in indifference. Sonoko looks out the window at the forming rainclouds and bemoans the unfortunate turn of events. She turns to Araide who agrees. Meanwhile, the Black Knight approaches the concession stand and inspects a condiment container. Takagi returns with a bottle of potassium cyanide he found in Kamata's dashboard, giving credence to Kogoro's theory of suicide. Before Megure can declare the death a suicide, the Black Knight emerges from the masses and voices his disagreement, asserting that Kamata's death was a calculated murder. As he slowly steps into the spotlight, his friends and colleagues gradually begin to realize who is behind the mask. The crowd then witness Shinichi Kudo dramatically appear before them. Everyone stands in disbelief, including Ran, who, turns to look at Conan—her supposition shattered. Conan blankly stares at Shinichi, greatly disapproving of his supposed true identity's theatrics.

File 257 - Revival Under the Threat of Death

Shinichi's appearance astounds everyone, especially Ran, who he briefly pulls aside. After telling her to meet him after his deduction, he turns to Heiji and asks for a ¥10 coin. Megure approaches and asks for clarification. And so, Shinichi's deduction begins.

  Show spoilers »

The poison was in the ice, not the liquid.

Shinichi explains that the culprit did not poison the drink, but rather the ice. They had known Kamata had a habit of eating the ice after finishing his drink. Thus, by inserting a potassium cyanide capsule in an ice cube, Kamata's poisoning would be delayed, and no poison will remain in the cup as it will be consumed in its entirety as an ice cube. Mitani and Noda are absolved due to their limited access to Kamata's cup, and Ninagawa is absolved since she intended for the soda to be returned and could not predict which soda Kamata would receive. Therefore, the culprit must be Mai Kougami.
Kougami had preserved the ice cubes in her coin purse along with pieces of dry ice. When leaving for the bathroom before the play, she flushed the dry ice in the bathroom and discarded the purse in a trash can outside. Kougami applauds Shinichi's deduction but asks how she could have guaranteed Kamata's poisoning if she had not distributed the drinks. Shinichi answers that she had prepared two poisoned ice cubes and contaminated both drinks. By quickly drinking her soda, Kougami managed to consume the liquid before the ice could melt and release poison. Megure interjects, stating there were no traces in Kougami's cup either. The detective states that Kougami had pretended to consume the ice, in doing so, she transferred the poisoned ice cube from her mouth to her hands and then finally into her hood.
Shinichi, with Heiji's assistance, flips the ¥10 coin in the air and into Kougami's hood. Heiji pulls the coin out of the hood and shows its deoxidation, a property of potassium cyanide has on bronze corrosion. Megure, astonished, asks how he knew the poison was in her hood. Kougami confesses, stating he likely became suspicious after she abstained from wearing her hood while running through the rain.
The Motive:
Kougami wished to avenge the death of an old cancerous man Kamata was treating. He had purposefully accelerated his death by changing his treatment, all to add quick results to his PhD thesis. Kougami recalls how Kamata had once drunkenly whined about how an eighteen-year-old dumped him despite him being a doctor with mastery over the fate of those he treated. Enraged by his statement, Kougami stole the potassium cyanide from the hospital and planned her murder.

Megure expresses his amazement of Shinichi's abilities and offers him the opportunity to attend the culprit's interrogation. The boy declines, clearly more interested in speaking to Ran. Still, the boy urges Megure to keep his involvement in the investigation a secret from the public. As the police wrap up their operation, Heiji notices Shinichi's rapidly worsening fatigue. Soon, he begins to steam and topples to the ground—understanding that the antidote's effects are beginning to wear off. Ran and his classmates swarm around him in concern, but before he can remove himself from the room, he loses consciousness.
Some time later, Shinichi gradually regains consciousness and sees his friends worriedly monitoring his condition. He defeatedly assumes their apprehension is due to them witnessing his transformation back into Conan, however, he quickly learns that his form has somehow maintained, he is still Shinichi Kudo.

The antidote begins to wear off, causing Shinichi to collapse.

People

Youta Mitani
	27 years old Audience member Beika General Hospital guard

Mai Kougami
	28 years old Audience member Beika General Hospital clerical employee

Yumemi Noda
	27 years old Audience member Beika General Hospital nurse

Kouhei Kamata
	Victim (poison) 28 years old Audience member Beika General Hospital doctor

Ayako Ninagawa
	18 years old High school senior

Major Events

• Conan successfully convinces Ran that Shinichi and Conan are two separate individuals.
  • The effect is sold by simultaneously presenting the two at the play.
• Major romantic development between Shinichi and Ran.
  • Shinichi returns, and Sonoko secretly has him play the Black Knight in order to manufacture a kiss between him and Ran.
    • However, a murder occurs before Sonoko's plans can come to fruition.
• The APTX4869 antidote's effects wear off and Shinichi collapses before his classmates, but somehow his form remains unchanged.

Elevator Murder Case

File 258 - Momentary Rest

The next day, Ran and "Conan" arrive at Shinichi's house before school. Ran anxiously rings the door bell, and is eventually answered by an ostensibly annoyed Shinichi, who is still in the process of preparing for the day. While Ran rejoices in the return of her friend, Conan sneaks into the house and confronts an elated Shinichi in his bathroom. Conan is revealed to be a disguised Haibara using a Voice-Changing Face Mask. She scolds him for deviating from the plan to quietly meet Ran backstage, and informs him that Heiji had called for everyone's silence regarding the murder at the school play—mitigating word spreading about Shinichi's involvement. Seeing Haibara's incredible commitment to maintaining the integrity of his secret identity, Shinichi asks why she goes to such great lengths for him. The girl's eyes widen for a moment, but she quickly regains her composure and says that if he was exposed, she too would be put in danger. She also states that she is merely using him to test and observe the effects of her antidote. Shinichi seems to accept this explanation.
On the road to school, Shinichi and Ran discuss the play, leading to Shinichi complimenting Ran on her appearance as the Princess, albeit in a back-handed manner. The three are soon joined by the Detective Boys, who Shinichi accidentally greets. He is expectedly met with confusion, and so Conan explains that he lives in the mansion next to Agasa, which Mitsuhiko remembers as the "haunted house." Shinichi sentimentally reflects on his time as one of them, internally commenting that "it's like a dream."
Once at school, Ran and Shinichi banter with their classmates, who tell Shinichi about their voluptuous new English teacher. Ran resignedly interrupts and reminds Shinichi that he is yet to tell her about “the important thing” he mentioned at the school play. Shinichi shoos his eavesdropping classmates before instructing her to meet him at the Bird's-Eye View Restaurant in the Beika Center Building at 20:00.
At the restaurant, Ran and Shinichi sit at a window seat. Ran admits that she had thought Shinichi was Conan, believing that Shinichi had asked Agasa to invent a shrinking drug to hide his identity after running into trouble during a criminal investigation. Shinichi, surprised by the accuracy of Ran’s conjecture, has no choice but to laugh awkwardly. After a while, the topic of the conversation returns to “the important thing.” Shinichi remains hesitant, and is unable to summon the courage to get to the point.
Meanwhile, the CEO of a game company, Taiji Tatsumi, declines to attend a party held at the restaurant, stating that he feels ill. He comments on the dimness of the elevator hall, to which a department head, Satoru Ooba, explains that it is for a "performative entrance." Tatsumi leaves on the elevator. Soon after, Tatsumi's daughter, Sakurako, enters the elevator hall and meets with Ooba. The latter explains that he has received Tatsumi's blessing to marry her, sparking joy in the woman. They share a deep kiss as Tatsumi returns to the floor on the elevator. However, the man is shocked not by the sight of his daughter in Ooba's arms, but by a gun he is pointing at his head. The shot rings with the release of the party confetti in the room next door. The elevator doors shut in time for Ooba to present Sakurako with a necklace, whom she gladly cherishes.
Shinichi struggles to make his statement; his heart begins to pound. Suddenly, someone's scream pierces the room. Despite his best attempts to ignore the murder and finish his date with Ran, the girl sees through his conflicted heart, and tells him to go investigate—adding that unlike someone, she won't run away. Shinichi, grateful for her understanding, springs up and runs towards the exit of the restaurant, promising Ran that he will come back soon.

Translation changes

• In File 258, Shinichi is shown to still retain some of his habits as Conan. One such example is him referring to Ran as Ran-nēchan. As the Viz Media versions of the manga tends to omit the usage of Japanese Honorifics, (save for the manga version of "Solitary Island of the Princess and the Dragon King's Palace" in Volume 36 and "A Friendship That Can't Be Bought" in Volume 39), Shinichi instead is asking for Ran to hold his hand when they cross the street on the way to school.

File 259 - A Tranquil Time

Megure and Takagi are already at the crime scene when Shinichi arrives. The deceased is Taiji Tatsumi, the CEO of a game development company, who was shot in the forehead in the elevator. Takagi reports that the company occupies from the 24th to the 36th floor of the building (the restaurant is on the 38th floor), and that the elevator in question can only be used by company employees. In addition, the company is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the restaurant that day, but Taiji said at the last minute that he was feeling unwell, and that instead of hosting the party, he would go home. Since the Taiji’s suit is slightly messed up, Takagi deduces that he met an armed robber. However, Shinichi, who now is examining Taiji’s body, begs to differ. He points out that since others could enter the elevator, no robber would rob there and risk being caught in the act; also, Taiji’s suit is messed up partially because his sleeves are unbuttoned, but no robber would bother unfastening the victim’s buttons. Megure, who is surprised to see Shinichi come out of nowhere after months missing, yells “Kudo”, and Shinichi tells him to shush and to introduce him to others as a junior police agent. Megure agrees, although he does not understand why Shinichi suddenly wants to associate himself with the police (before, he always liked pointing out that he was not affiliated with them).

At this moment, the three company employees who saw Taiji briefly before his death, along with Taiji’s daughter Sakurako (who met the three employees right after Taiji had entered the elevator), are brought to Megure. He asks whether any of them knew the time when they saw Taiji, and Sakurako said while crying that it was 8:30 sharp, as indicated by the wristwatch of her boyfriend Satoru Ooba (he is one of the three employees mentioned above, and he stayed with Sakurako in front of the elevator while the other two headed to the party) and by the bang of the confetti cannon that signaled the commencement of the party (which was supposed to start at 8:30 sharp). Sakurako further explains that she was able to see Ooba’s wristwatch because he was touching her earrings and telling her that his present for her - a pink necklace - would combine very well with her pink earrings. Shinichi finds it suspicious that Sakurako could see the dial of the wristwatch in the dark (for Taiji ordered his subordinates to keep the lights in that part of the building off until the start of the party) and when the dial was facing outwards instead of inwards (i.e. towards the face and eyes of Sakurako). Ooba explains that his wristwatch would light up automatically in the dark, and that Shinichi has wrongfully assumed that he was touching Sakurako’s left earring with his left hand: in fact, he was touching her right earring with his left hand; in this way, the dial faces inwards and the time can be read easily. Shinichi accepts this explanation, but points out that in order to touch the right earring, it is more natural to use the right hand, unless it is occupied at that moment. This insinuation renders Ooba speechless, stunned and slightly frightened.

Back in the restaurant, Ran keeps wondering what Shinichi wants to tell her, but all that appears in her head are absurd candidates. A waitress interrupts her guesses and brings desserts, but Ran tells her to come later, as she wants to have it with Shinichi. Upon learning that “her detective friend” is tackling the case now, the waitress giggles and tells Ran that 20 years ago, another murder case took place in the restaurant, and a young man, who had come with his girlfriend (who was of Ran’s age) and had sat at Shinichi and Ran’s table, rushed to the crime scene, solved the murder case quickly, came back and proposed to her. The waitress tells Ran joyfully that it might happen again, and for a moment a blushing Ran believes so as well, but soon reason tells her that she should abandon this line of thought.

We now return to the case. Ooba finally fires back at Shinichi, and Sakurako defends her boyfriend by saying that he was with other employees before seeing Taiji and was with her (in the party venue) after their encounter. Shinichi presses her and asks whether they went anywhere else, and Sakurako concedes that they did go to the bathroom (so that she could hang Ooba’s present on the neck and put the lipstick back on) before heading to the party. However, she argues that since she was in there for only a few minutes and that he was talking to her from outside the bathroom, Ooba could not have done anything. Shinichi disputes her narrative, contending that since the police have found a pistol (with silencer) and an empty bullet shell in the garbage pipe near the bathroom, Ooba could have taken advantage of those minutes to dispose of the weapon.

Ooba, seeing that Shinichi is suspecting him and only him (he still thinks that Shinichi is a police officer), says that the police are free to perform a gunshot residue test on him to see whether he really murdered Taiji. He is thus led away by some police officers (while confidently saying that the police will find no residue whatsoever), leaving Sakurako with the police and Shinichi. Once he is out of sight, Shinichi asks Sakurako quietly whether she and Ooba were kissing after the other two employees had gone away. She starts blushing immediately and asks, in embarrassment, whether he saw them do so. Shinichi, who does not seem to notice that he is asking very intimate questions to a stranger, explains that Yukiko once told him that only after kissing or eating would women go to the bathroom to put the lipstick back on. He proceeds to enquire how the two kissed, and learns that Sakurako’s back was facing the elevator, that Ooba’s left arm was positioned on her right shoulder and went around her neck such that his hand could reach her left ear, and that before meeting in secret at 8:30 (for they the relationship is secret) they had not seen each other that day. Shinichi finally asks whether the earrings were a present from Ooba as well, and Sakurako replies in negative, and details that she has bought them on a whim earlier during the day.

After obtaining this piece of information, Shinichi becomes certain that Ooba was the murderer, but he remains stuck on why Taiji would remain on the same level without going down, and on how Ooba managed to keep all gunshot residue off him. The people that help him resolve these two mysteries turn out to be a few company employees, who are chatting beside him. They mention that Ooba oversaw the planning of the party, that the party featured the appearance of the new company mascot, that unexpectedly Ooba was inside the mascot costume, and that he was all the while blinking to the employees (perhaps he wanted to be friendly). Upon hearing this, Shinichi asks whether he can see the costume, and after that being shown to him, now everything seems clear.

Despite the progress that he has made on solving the case, Shinichi is extremely worried (and frustrated with himself); he has just been hit by sudden acute pain in the chest, a clear signal that he will soon shrink back to Conan. If this happens, he will be unable to tell Ran “the important thing” and risk having Conan’s identity exposed.

File 260 - The Memorable Place

  Show spoilers »

Yusaku's confession to Yukiko.

Takagi tells Megure (and Shinichi) that Ooba has passed the gunshot residue test; Shinichi, who is fully expecting this situation, tells Megure that regardless of this, Satoru Ooba is still the murderer. After a protesting Ooba is dragged before him, Shinichi begins the deduction. He reveals that the murder happened during Sakurako and Ooba’s kiss in front of the elevator (during which Sakurako’s eyes were obviously closed): Ooba’s left hand covered Sakurako’s ears during the kiss, and he used his free right hand to reach the pistol in his pocket and press the “go down” button on the elevator. Taiji, who was waiting in the elevator, was shot as soon as the door opened, and then Ooba put the gun back into his pocket and ended the kiss. Megure remarks that although the silencer and the covering of Sakurako’s ears would have drastically reduced the amount of noise entering her ears, she would still have heard something; Shinichi replies (while panting heavily and sweating) that this is not a problem, as, by letting Sakurako know that it was 8:30 immediately after the kiss, she would naturally think that the noise had been the bang indicating the start of the party.

This time it is Ooba who poses a question. He argues that there is no reason for Taiji to stay in the elevator and do absolutely nothing, especially when he had expressed his wish to go home. But Shinichi says that there is a very good reason: Taiji was waiting in the elevator for Ooba to bring him the mascot costume so that he could put it on (Taiji wanted to change quickly in order to get to the party as soon as possible, which is why he unfastened the sleeve buttons and his suit seemed messed up in other ways). Shinichi goes on to surmise that Ooba once suggested to Taiji that he could pretend that to be going home, put the costume on in secret and head back to the party venue so as to give everyone a big surprise. Taiji agreed, and Ooba talked him into accepting his arrangement (which is actually a part of his murder plan). Shinichi adds that since the murder took place around the same time as the commencement of the party, every company employee would be in the party venue at that moment, and nobody would use the elevator that Taiji died in.

Ooba, still defiant, challenges Shinichi to give a proper explanation of the absence of gunshot residue on his body. Shinichi replies that upon learning that Ooba blinked an abnormal number of times during the party, he realized that something was wrong with the eye of the mascot, and subsequently found in the eye a plastic bag containing a glove and four rubber bands. Shinichi explains (while still panting and sweating) that by putting on the glove before the murder and placing the pistol inside the plastic bag (which Ooba closed around his right wrist by using the rubber bands), not only would all the gunshot residue remain in the plastic bag, but also the empty bullet shell would not fall onto the ground (to make a second noise and possibly roll away). Furthermore, since it was dark at the time (and Sakurako was clearly focused on another thing), she would certainly not notice anything strange going on with Ooba’s hands. As for the purpose of giving her the necklace after the kiss, it was to ensure that she would head to the bathroom right away, which would give Ooba time to dispose of the most troublesome items that he had used - the pistol and the empty bullet shell. Shinichi concludes by saying that since Ooba had to touch Sakurako’s earrings barehanded, he must have put on the glove - which was in the plastic bag - afterwards, which logically implies that he must have left fingerprints on the plastic bag when trying to reach the glove.

As soon as Shinichi finishes speaking, he is hit by another wave of acute pain, and now can barely stand up straight. Ooba is still not surrendering, and calmly says that both him and other employees touched the plastic bag. One of those employees explains that (during the party) they noticed that one eye of the mascot was not functioning properly, and thus opened it and found the plastic bag (that Ooba had stuffed into it). They took it out and examined it, and since Ooba (whose standing in the company is higher than the others) concluded that the bag must be an intrinsic part of the mascot, they put it back and left it alone. Ooba continues to say (in a vicious manner) that he believes that someone else committed the crime and tried to place the blame on him, and that he is ready to answer any further stupid question that Shinichi might have. Megure, thinking that the deduction is breaking down, begins panicking, but Shinichi, despite having a bit of trouble breathing and enduring extraordinary pain, manages to carry on. He asks why Ooba knew that Sakurako’s earrings were of the same color as his present, and Ooba, not realizing that this is a trap, jumps right in and says casually that he saw the color of the earrings. As he finishes uttering these words, Ooba becomes aware of the true intent of Shinichi’s question, but the mistake has already been made. Shinichi reminds everyone (with his right hand placed upon his burning chest) that Sakurako bought the earrings earlier during the day and that the encounter in front of the elevator was the first time that Sakurako and Ooba saw each other that day. Given these and the fact that they met in the dark, it was impossible for Ooba to know the color of the earrings unless his eyes were open during the kiss and the light from the elevator allowed him to see properly.

Ooba is rendered speechless again, and finally (and probably to Shinichi’s relief, as he is near dying at this point) admits that he is guilty. He recounts that 20 years ago, Taiji took over his father's company under the disguise of a merger and moved aggressively to steal all his company’s ideas and fire his former employees (Ooba senior himself was made Taiji’s deputy; but this was a nominal position, and he had very little say in anything). This ultimately resulted in Ooba senior’s suicide (which he tried to disguise as a murder committed by Taiji), and Ooba junior swore that he would avenge his father one day.

Megure, who, throughout the investigation, has been sensing that this case bears some resemblance to a case that he dealt with early in his career, now finally recalls that 20 years ago, Ooba senior died in this building, and that while the police believed that it was a murder, Yusaku Kudo (a highschooler back then) gave a breathtaking deduction and concluded that it was a suicide. Megure then turns around to discuss this coincidence with Shinichi, but finds him gone. Shinichi is at present in a bathroom, still trying to defy the inevitable shrinking of his body (there are gaseous substances coming out of his body). He thinks about his sweet, lovely Ran, but it is Haibara (still impersonating Conan) who appears behind him. Shinichi is astonished by her arrival, but before he can ask why Haibara is there, he collapses and falls into unconsciousness. Haibara, on the other hand, smiles for the first time in three files and takes off her glasses, thinking to herself that Conan will be needing them in the near future.

Back in the restaurant, the same waitress goes back to Ran’s table and tells her that since the case has been solved, “her other half” will be back at any moment. Ran says that Shinichi is not her other half, and at this moment Conan appears before her. He hands her a credit card, telling her that he was sent by Kogoro to see how the dinner was going, and bumped into Shinichi on the way. Ran asks where he is, and Conan claims that after receiving a call from his previous client (who, according to Conan, told Shinichi that this deduction was problematic), Shinichi hurriedly left the building. Ran, with some sorrow and resignation emerging on her face, comments that she has been left behind again; and Conan, trying to remain cheerful, says that Shinichi has told him that… He is abruptly interrupted by Ran, who covers her ears with her hands, closes her eyes and screams in pain that she does not want to know what Shinichi has said, that she has heard enough excuses. Conan, knowing that the problem is deeper than he has envisioned, continues on: Shinichi wanted Ran to know that he would come back one day and that he would come back even if dying is what it takes; for this reason, Shinichi wanted Ran to wait for him no matter what.

This sincere message consoles Ran to some extent; she realizes that Conan has not done anything wrong, and thus starts smiling at him and asks whether he wants any dessert (while criticizing Shinichi harshly and calling him a “deduction maniac”). Conan agrees, and the two remain there for a long time, with Ran complaining continuously about Shinichi (while blushing) and eating one after another glass of sundae. She still does not seem to understand why Shinichi has taken her to such a restaurant, and Conan thinks to himself that the reason, which Ran must not know, is that this was where his parents decided that they would marry.

People

Taiji Tatsumi
	Victim (gunshot) 58 years old Game company chief executive

Satoru Ooba
	31 years old Game company department head

Sakurako Tatsumi
	26 years old Taiji Tatsumi's daughter

Major events

• Shinichi takes Ran out on a dinner date, at the same place where his Father proposed to his Mother, promising to Ran that he has something important to tell her.
• Unfortunately for Shinichi, time has run out, and before he can tell Ran the truth, he turns back into Conan. As Conan, he tells a heartbroken Ran, that Shinichi had told him to tell her "Wait for me." Although completely heartbroken, Ran understands, and promises in her head that she will wait for him.

Music Box Case

File 261 - Touching the Music Strings!?

Some time after the "comeback of Shinichi", Conan asks Haibara for some more antidotes, as he would like to meet Ran again in his adult form to tell her the whole truth. Haibara refuses and says it's too late, and it could be dangerous for Conan to swallow another prototype that could kill him. Haibara and the Detective Boys seem delighted to see Conan again, though the Boys are completely ignorant of who Conan really is. Conan looks with dejection at Mouri's agency and complains about how he'll still have to play that game with Ran and Kogoro for the moment.

In the stairs, he hears the music of "Haru Yo Koi" ("Oh Spring, Come") and when entering the agency he sees Ran, Kogoro and a client named Haruna listening carefully to a music box. Haruna Yuki, the young fine arts student, explains she had difficulties to make friends at university therefore she sent a mail at random with her messager asking if the receiver would like to befriend her. A man named Shugo then became her new messager friend and he and Haruna proposed to meet each other some day. But on d-day Haruna found none except a bag with a music box and a messager, probably Shugo's one, and thought Shugo wanted to end the relationship by offering her a present. But suddenly Haruna received some other mails on her messager, from an unknown person, calling her a liar, a thief, etc. to the point Haruna went to see Kogoro and wondered if she hadn't done a mistake when she took away the bag with the box. Conan and Ran help Kogoro to figure out the three notes that sound weird in the tune : ACA. Conan points out that this may be a message from Shugo to Haruna, as the music mechanism has got missing pieces right on these three notes' location. He suggests Kogoro calls Inspector Takagi who can easily get the identity of Shugo's messager former owner, by investigating telephone lines. Takagi tells them that the messager's mails originate from the Ogata family, whom Takagi got in touch with, and they agreed to meet Haruna to explain to her.

Haruna and co turn up at the Ogata's and Haruna is cheerfully welcomed by Shiro, the younger son, but quite reticently by the others, Minoru first, the older son, who believes Haruna came to steal the family's treasure : four old hand-made stamps worth 200 million yens. Haruna and co are invited to stay for dinner and the night, and they learn that Shugo Ogata is actually the family's late grandfather, who was ill and felt really lonely, and accepted to chat with Haruna, whose name and character were the same as his late wife, the family's grandmother. Yet, Shugo passed away recently. Haruna still wonders who is sending her abusing mails. During the night, Ran sees a spooky shady figure looking like a bent old man with a stick, moving stealthily in front of her room, and she screams. When everybody rush over to ask what happened and check the rooms to see if an intruder really sneaked into the house, a huge noise of something heavy falling catches their attention and they hurry to the grandparents' room where it came from, to find Minoru severely injured by a koto, probably beaten in the dark by the stranger Ran saw. Haruna is terrified as she receives on her messager a mail from Shugo saying he was waiting for her.

File 262 - The Vanishing Sound

Minoru is actually alive and the Ogata call the police who search for the intruder but finds none. Ran believes it was Shugo but nobody seems to believe her ghost stories, Conan in first, who thinks it has to do with one of the family members, especially as it happened in the grandfather's room where the family's treasure supposedly is. After a deep investigation, Conan eventually finds out what happened.

File 263 - Spring Has Come?

  Show spoilers »

Conan tranquilises Kogoro and reveals that Shugo was already dead when Haruna found the bag with the box that day, the misunderstanding was deliberately maintained by Shiro, for Haruna not to discover the truth. Conan remarked Shiro was very eager to meet Haruna and knew many things she or even his family didn't know about her and about Shugo. Shiro was actually Shugo's closest confident and Shiro decided to keep on chatting with Haruna after his grandfather's death in remembrance of his grandfather and not to pain Haruna. But he decided some day to stop it and brought Haruna the bag with Shugo's messager and the music box Shugo had given Shiro (and that he expected Shiro would give to Haruna some day) for her not to be too sad when learning the truth, something Haruna didn't.

But he's not the one who sent horrific mails to her. Indeed, that person is actually Kazuko, the family's mother, who resented Haruna for getting some inheritance from Shugo and who didn't want her to meet her family and search for the treasure. When she saw Haruna eventually turned up to her house, she decided a plan to frighten her with the koto, but she'd never have expected her son Minoru to search the stamps instead of Haruna, as Minoru wanted to find them and put them away from Haruna. Kazuko cut a old-man-like figure in black paper and taped it outside on the window of the corridor in front of Ran's room. She then opened the gate, waiting for a car to drive past her house and lighting the window with its front beams, making it as if a man was walking past the room. Maybe Kazuko herself used her car to do it. When Ran shouted, she hurried with the others and pretended to open the door right next to Ran's room to search for the intruder. She therefore released the tack she used for her plan to make the koto collapse : she had tied the grandfather's room's lamp on the ceiling and tied it as well to another thread that passed through the koto's strings and held it in the air. She then pulled the threads through each room's door's interstices up to Ran's one, where she tied them to a tack to hold them, waiting for the door to be opened afterwards. She did this because the person entering the grandfather's room and looking for the stamps would probably need light and as the light cord was tied to the ceiling, the person, Minoru, groped for the stamps in the dark, on all fours, explaining why when the threads were released the koto fell from very high on Minoru and almost had him pass out. Of course when the koto fell the light cord was close at hand again. When everyone rushed to the grandfather's room, Kazuko stayed some time behind to remove the black paper of the window, invisible in the dark, and she taped the end of the threads to the blades of a fan, and when switching on the fan, the threads would be reeled in and vanish from anyone's sight.

As there are probably Kazuko's fingerprints on the tape, she eventually confesses trying to frighten Haruna to have her stand away from the family's house. Kazuko needed the stamps to be reserved for the family, as she realised they were overburdened with debt, to the point she had to pawn the koto in order to get some money, revealing the koto used in the plan was actually a cheap copy of it. Shiro suggests to sell the music box to get some money as Haruna doesn't want it anymore, but Conan reveals the box's secret : the ACA notes are actually to be undertsood according to the Japanese musical note system, that makes "I-HA-I" meaning "funeral tablet', hinting at the tablet on Shugo's memorial altar, inside which they find the four stamps.

Shiro decides to leave the box and the stamps to his family and instead resumes the "Shugo" role by dating Haruna for real, and Ran thinks about her own love relationship with Shinichi, hoping "spring" to come soon as well.

People

Haruna Yuki
	21 years old Art student

Kazuko Ogata
	50 years old Tsuneo's wife First lady of Ogata family

Shirou Ogata
	22 years old Second son of the Ogata family Tsuneo and Kazuko's younger son

Tsuneo Ogata
	53 years old Kazuko's husband Current head of Ogata family Shuugo and Haruna's son

Minoru Ogata
	Victim (beaten - injured) 28 years old Eldest son of the Ogata family Tsuneo and Kazuko's eldest son

Shuugo Ogata
	Deceased Tsuneo's father Haruna's husband Former head of Ogata family

Haruna Ogata
	Deceased Shuugo's wife Tsuneo's mother Former first lady of Ogata family

Major events

Conan asks Haibara for the antidote, but she says that it still needs to be fully tested, and that he may be resistant to it.

Cover in other countries

• 

  China
• 

  China (2020 reissue)
• 

  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
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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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  Singapore (Chinese)
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  Spain (Spanish, Volumen 2, part 1)
• 

  Spain (Spanish, Volumen 2, part 2)
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  Spain (Spanish, New Edition, combined volumes 25-26)
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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 21-30
• Detective Conan