Volume 24
| ‹ Volume 23 | List of Chapters • List of Cases | Volume 25 › |
| Volume 24 | |||
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| Release date: | July 17, 1999 | ||
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| Chapters: | 232-242 | ||
| ISBN: | ISBN 4-09-125494-2 | ||
| Publisher: | Shogakukan | ||
| English release date: | July 15, 2008 | ||
| English ISBN: | ISBN 1-4215-1676-4 | ||
| English Publisher: | Viz Media | ||
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Volume 24 was released on July 17, 1999 in Japan.
Contents
Cast
Gadgets
Chapters
Innocent Suspect Case
File 232 - Finding Evidence
The Detective Boys are still investigating.
File 233 - Countdown
People
Major events
- Sato and Takagi's romance is once again explored.
- Takagi is relieved when he learns that Sato only thinks of Megure as a father figure.
Blackout Murder Case
Characters introduced
| Tomoaki Araide | |
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| Hikaru Yasumoto | |
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File 234 - Another Half Year...
Conan notices that Ran is increasingly becoming more aloof towards him (Shinichi) during phone calls. Additionally, she spends more evenings outside, citing a rigid practice schedule for an upcoming karate tournament. Conan remains skeptical; he keeps an eyes open.
One day, Kogoro, bringing Ran and Conan, attends an appointment with his physician, Yoshiteru Araide. The doctor tells Kogoro that he has "just half a year”, which Kogoro and his company misinterpret as him only having half a year left to live. Kogoro erupts on Yoshiteru about his callous tone, only to learn he was referring to reducing alcohol consumption for a six month period to prevent further damage to his liver. Yoshiteru's wife, Yoko Araide, enters the room and informs the doctor about a phone call from a persistent "patient." Yoshiteru sighs about the case and exits the room. As her husband leaves, Yoko mutters derisively under her breath that the case is more sexual than medical, believing her husband to be engaging in an extramarital affair.
While looking for the bathroom, Ran runs into the doctor's son Tomoaki Araide. They introduce themselves to each other; Tomoaki mentions that he will take a job in a hospital in the Aomori Prefecture starting the following month. The household maid, Hikaru Yasumoto, breaks a flower pot and is reprimanded by a furious Yoshiteru. Tomoaki attempts to calm his father down while Kogoro prepares to leave. Yoshiteru laments the lifestyle of Kogoro, saying that he does not want to see Kogoro dead while still in the prime of his life, especially when he shares a name with Detective Kogoro Mouri. Kogoro corrects Yoshiteru, affirming that he is the famous detective, which sparks astonishment in the doctor. He believed his patient was too uninformed about medicine to be the real detective, and assumes he was feigning his ignorance during the examination. Yoshiteru then invites Kogoro and company for dinner. Conan protests, not wanting to reveal Kogoro's true ignorance, and looks to Ran for reinforcement. However, the girl uncharacteristically bends her tight schedule and agrees to stay, adding to Conan's wariness.
At the dinner table, much to Conan’s consternation, Ran stares at Tomoaki, and both Kogoro and Yoko say that the two would make a good married couple. Yoko then leaves the room to make a phone call about an alumni reunion with a friend. With Yoshiteru nowhere in sight, Kogoro questions his whereabouts. Mitsu Araide (Tomoaki’s grandmother) then enters the room and explains Yoshiteru has a habit of taking his bath before dinner. She also reveals her bitterness towards Yoshiteru as he married into the Araide name before remarrying with Yoko. As the old woman leaves to eat alone, Araide apologizes to his guests, explaining Mitsu's bad temper as the result of Yoshiteru's recent Western bathroom renovations to the otherwise Japanese house.
Suddenly, the lights go out, causing Hikaru to accidentally drop a dish. After finding a flashlight, Hikaru rushes off to switch the fuse box back on. The lights flicker, briefly sparking back on before shorting again. A few seconds later, the lights return permanently. Conan and Kogoro find Ran tightly holding onto Tomoaki. She explains she mistook him for her father; Conan does not seem entirely convinced. Yoko and Hikaru go to the bathroom to check on Yoshiteru, who they suppose is furious about the power outage. While the remaining members discuss causes for the blackout, they hear the screams from the direction of the bathroom. Everyone rushes over only to find Yoshiteru's lifeless body half submerged in the bathwater.
File 235 - In the Darkness...
Conan warns that the water is electrocuted by a connected electric razor. Once unplugged, Tomoaki attempts to resuscitate his father, but to no avail. Conan notices an electric burn on Yoshiteru's right shin. Inspector Megure and Takagi arrive and open their investigation. Yoko shares that Yoshiteru often shaved while he bathed while Mitsu adds that her deceased daughter and Tomoaki's mother, Chiaki, often warned him against doing so. Kogoro and the police label the death an accident caused by the razor's extension cord junction touching the bathwater. Conan points out both the body's improper orientation and that the chargeable razor was set to "off"—the latter indicating the water was electrocuted by the extension cord and not the razor. Megure considers someone could have shorted the house's electricity with a timed contraption, and then sneaked into the pitch-black bathroom to surreptitiously move the extension cord junction into the bathtub, which would electrocute the water once the fuse box was pulled. With murder now on the table, the police begin interrogating the four suspects.
Yoko recounts her phone call, noting she was momentarily interrupted by a different call but the line was silent. Tomoaki's alibi is confirmed by Ran, while Mitsu recalls sensing the presence of something upstairs, but its significance is quickly dismissed. Tomoaki notices a burn on Hikaru's left arm and urges he treat the wound. Before the pair can leave, Megure questions him about his absence between 17:00–19:00. Tomoaki explains his role as the interim basketball coach at Teitan High School. Ran confirms. Conan begins to suspect that Ran's ostensible evening karate practices were instead a facade for visiting Araide.
File 236 - The Unbelievable Link
Tomoaki also notices Mitsu has wounded on her left foot. She confesses that she stepped on something in the darkness. Takagi arrives with a report from Yoko's caller who states there was roughly one minute between when she heard of the blackout and when the lights returned. The sergeant asks to cross examine his findings with Yoko, causing Ran to offer to treat Mitsu in her stead. Conan wishes to follow her, but is stopped by Kogoro. The investigation continues as Yoko mentions Hikaru met the family through Tomoaki who treated her late-stage cecum. Additionally, she mentions she was classmates with Yoshiteru's first wife, Chiaki, at medical school, and that she had died due to drunk driving despite being averse to alcohol. As the police are unable to piece together the mystery, Megure accepts Conan's proposal to simulate the blackout with the suspects. Conan thus goes to call Ran and the others.
At the treatment room, Ran tells Tomoaki that her skills with a bandage comes from constantly having to treat a rambunctious friend as a child. She then accidentally cuts herself with a pair of scissors. As Tomoaki takes her had to examine, Ran blushes and prepares to say something to him. At that moment, Conan and the police arrive to request their simulation. Conan checks the floor plans and finds where Hikaru previous broke the vase. He has an epiphany but is distracted by Ran's relation to Tomoaki.
The simulation reveals that Hikaru took an exceptionally long time to turn on the lights, suggesting the faultiness of several alibis. Tomoaki, on the other hand, does not see that the simulation has led to any new information and slams the investigators for unreasonably suspecting his family without consideration for their mental wellbeing. Conan is still unconvinced the death was an accident but still without an answer. This changes when he stumbles across a fragment of something on the second floor and sees something in Hikaru's room. With the case cracked, he tranquillizes Kogoro and makes Megure carry him to the bathroom. Conan then announces to everyone that Kogoro solved the case and that he will reveal the truth behind the murder once he finishes taking a bath.
File 237 - From the Bottom of the Heart
Conan announces that Kogoro will demonstrate a relevant alibi trick. Twenty minutes pass. Conan notices Ran glancing at Tomoaki again and tries to ask her a question. Before the boy can finish, another blackout occurs and Hikaru is sent to flip the fuse box again.
Kogoro reveals the reason he set a trap was to perform the confrontation in private, with the ulterior motive of concealing the truth from Hikaru. Ultimately, Hikaru had effectively pulled the trigger on Yoshiteru's life by pulling the switch on the fuse box. Knowing she would sustain irreparable trauma to her soul if she were to learn the truth about her involuntary role in her employer's death, Kogoro proposes an alternate story: instead of the fuse box triggering the electrocution, Yoshiteru was drugged and electrocuted by the extension cord which was sparked by a timer; the blackout was only used to shroud the culprit's actions. Kogoro says for this plan to work, the culprit must agree to uphold this fabricated narrative in court. Not wanting to harm Hikaru, both the police and the culprit agree.
With the case resolved, Kogoro and Conan prepare to leave but realize Ran is missing. The two track her to a hallway where she converses with Tomoaki. The latter wishes for Ran to relay a message to Kogoro—an act which Conan fears is a request for betrothal. Instead, Tomoaki apologizes for his obstructionist attitude and he commits to cooperating with the detective going forward. Conan's relief is short-lived as instead, Ran begins blush. She musters up the courage to ask if she could borrow Tomoaki's hand-woven sweater. Conan is confused. Tomoaki accepts.
Some time later, Ran is seen with her mother, Eri, where she attempts to knit a copy of Tomoaki Araide's sweater. Eri offers to fix an error but Ran refuses, insisting she knits the final product herself. Eri rolls her eyes and tells her to "dispose" of the two copies she knit as demonstrations. One month later, Professor Agasa delivers Shinichi's sweater to Conan who thanks Ran on the phone. Behind Ran, Kogoro is seen wearing Eri's copies.
People
Major Events
- Introduces Tomoaki Araide, a young successful doctor.
- All parties agree to alter the crime report to prevent Hikaru Yasumoto from learning the truth about her role in Yoshiteru Araide's murder.
- Romantic development between Ran and Shinichi.
- Conan suspects Ran has a romantic interest in Araide Tomoaki.
Hotel Party Murder Case
Characters introduced
| Kenzo Masuyama | |
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| Chris Vineyard | |
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| Shigehiko Nomiguchi | |
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| Naomichi Mugikura | |
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File 238 - The Secret Corner of Betrayal
Haibara jolts awake in a sweat, having dreamt of an unexpected reunion with Gin.
In the morning, the Detective Boys gather before class where they witness light snowfall. The falling snowflakes triggers Haibara's memories of her nightmare the night prior, causing her to snap on a well-intentioned Ayumi. Concerned, the Detective Boys ask what's the matter. Haibara responds she is fed up with her predicament and wishes to disappear. Misunderstanding, her friends to beg her not to switch schools. Haibara assures them she will not, instead blaming her outburst on a mild cold. Everyone except Conan appear to accept this explanation.
After school, the Detective Boys leisurely stroll through town on their way home. The group splits at an intersection and Conan and Haibara walk down a separate road. Conan infers Haibara's state-of-mind—assuming her discontent is about performing as an elementary schooler while risking the lives of innocent children via association. He calms her but the girl remains hopeless, truly aware of the enemy's immense scale and might. Suddenly, Haibara stops dead in her tracks as she stares petrified at a black Porsche 356 A parked on the side of the road. She explains that Gin owns this car. After an initial shock, Conan immediately calls Professor Agasa on the Earring Cellphone and directs him to bring a set of pliers and a wire hanger to his location.
Agasa soon arrives with the requested materials as Conan pulls the wire hanger from his hands and slides it into the retro car window, causing the door to unlock. The boy crawls into the front seat and begins to install a Transmitter and Microphone. To her horror, Haibara notices Gin and Vodka approaching the car. The two men cross the street and notice an unusual amount of foot-traffic on the snow around the car. After a brief pause, the two men resume and drive off, leaving Conan and Haibara who had behind the car. The two regroup with Agasa in the Volkswagen Beetle and follow the tracking signal. Conan hears Gin make a phone call with someone named "Pisco." Gin relays orders directing them to eliminate a liability who is scheduled to arrive at the Haido City Hotel at 18:00. Hearing the name Pisco, Haibara shares that she is familiar with the name, but has never met them before. Back in the Porsche, Gin finds both a strand of Haibara's hair and Conan's microphone and transmitter. He destroys the latter and smiles, believing Sherry has made a move against them.
File 239 - The Black Burial Ranks
With their means of spying discovered, Haibara reiterates the severity of their situation. Conan assures her that he scrubbed their fingerprints from the car seats and that the only recoverable information from the chewing gum he used to install the tracker is his blood type. Still, the boy expresses his intentions to infiltrate the Haido City Hotel and sabotage Pisco's operation. Haibara mocks his sense of justice and plans to skip the mission. Conan agrees, citing the Black Organization's knowledge of her face. Instead, he states he will enter the hotel alone and recover a sample of APTX4869.
Meanwhile, Vodka searches the car for more bugs while Gin updates Pisco on the situation. Gin is certain Sherry will be at the hotel as he had purposefully fed her information about the presence of the "Incomplete Detective." Above all, he orders Pisco to bring him Sherry dead or alive.
Haibara, having changed her mind, joins Conan at the Haido City Hotel. The two enter a large banquet attended by countless suspicious-looking individuals wearing dark clothing. Surrounded by danger, Haibara begins to hyperventilate. She tells Conan about the continuation of her dream the previous night, saying that Gin had executed the Detective Boys one after another just for associating with her. As her panic and self-doubt hit a crescendo, Conan places his glasses on her face, saying that its the ultimate disguise worn by Clark Kent himself. She feels a light ease.
Gin speeds towards the hotel, reassuring Vodka that Sherry will come as she is that kind of person. With the knowledge that she is active in the Beika ward area, Gin states it is only a matter of time until they find where she has been hiding.
Haibara and Conan scout the banquet, finding it attended by famous and powerful people such as author Mika Nanjou, baseball team owner Yasuo Mihei, music producer Naoya Tarumi, actress Chris Vineyard, university professor Yoshiharu Tawara, and automobile manufacturer chairman Kenzo Masuyama. Haibara asks whether Conan has deduced Pisco's target. The boy affirms, stating that based on Gin's phone call, they must both arrive at around 18:00 and be an individual at risk of arrest. He points to politician Shigehiko Nomiguchi, a man recently accused of engaging in bribery. Haibara notices Inspector Megure and Takagi enter the banquet hall. Conan explains he anonymously informed them about the assassination plot and he anxiously awaits to see how Pisco will act now that their target is guarded by security. A few moments later, host Naomichi Mugikura announces they will showcase a slideshow and motions to turn off the lights. With the dimming of the venue, both Conan and the police lose sight of Nomiguchi. The two parties rush to regain visual. Suddenly a bright camera flash briefly illuminates the room followed by a piercing winding noise and punctuated by an enormous crash. Panic strikes the crowd as Conan finds a handkerchief that had fluttered to the ground. The lights return, revealing the banquet chandelier has fallen on Nomiguchi, fatally crushing the politician.
File 240 - The Sudden Parting
Megure controls the room and upon hearing confirmation of Nomiguchi's death, he immediately begins his investigation. He shares the police intelligence with the crowd, prompting Masuyama to ask about the identity of the anonymous reporter, suspecting they are the killer. The other banquet attendees float the idea of an unfortunate accident, an extreme coincidence which happened to fulfill the anonymous reporter's prophecy. Mihei resumes eating but bites down on something hard. He spits the object out onto the floor before demanding to see the chef. Conan emerges from his hiding spot under the table to inspect the object, determining it is a fragment of the chandelier chain. Haibara unexpectedly grabs Conan's hand and compels him to leave with her. The boy refuses, informing her he has a lead. Upon signing in, each guest was given one of seven handkerchief colors as a prop for the event. The handkerchief which Conan found fluttering to the ground is purple, meaning the culprit must be within the limited number of guests who received a purple handkerchief.
Conan and Haibara attempt to exit the banquet but are ambushed by a flurry of camera flashes from the restless press who are attempting to get a scoop on Nomiguchi's death. The guests, including Pisco, are alerted to the disruption. The assassin catches a glimpse of Haibara's face, suspicious, they pull out a pocket-laptop and enter "Sherry" into the database. Meanwhile, Conan receives the names of those given a purple handkerchief from the reception desk (Mihei, Nanjou, Tawara, Mugikura, Vineyard, Masuyama, and Tarumi). However, before he can proceed with his investigation, the event doors open. The police, unable to quell the agitated banquet-goers, had condoned their departure, leading to a clash between the fleeing guests and the ravenous reporters. Conan and Haibara are swept into the commotion which causes the former lose sight of the latter. As Haibara jostles through the crowd to reach Conan, Pisco snatches her and pushes chloroform to her mouth. She slowly loses consciousness as Conan frantically calls her name.
File 241 - The Bullet from the Past
Haibara is locked in a liquor store but manages to escape through the fireplace after regaining her adult body, thanks to Conan's advice to drink baikal. Meanwhile, Conan deduces the identity of Pisco and how he had the room's chandelier fall over Nomiguchi. Gin and Vodka turn up to the hotel and enter the liquor store, hoping to meet Pisco, but left as none was there. Once out of the chimney, Haibara gets shot by Gin.
File 242 - The White World
Conan rushes to the hotel's rooftop to rescue Haibara, who dives into the chimney and ends up recovering her child body.
People
Major events
- Conan and Ai suspect that a Black Organization, Pisco, is going to be at a hotel to plan a murder.
- Haibara's past is once again explored, and it is hinted that she has some sort of history with Gin.
- Haibara returns to her adult form, Shiho Miyano, after drinking alcohol. Gin kills Pisco, and Vermouth is shown at the end, discussing the situation with both Gin and Vodka.
- Gin takes very special interest in Shiho.
Trivia
- The title for each chapter are worded as the following in Case Closed:
- File 232 - On the Spot
- File 234 - Six More Months
- File 235 - In the Dark
- File 236 - An Unbelievable Connection
- File 237 - The Remains of the Heart
- File 238 - The Street Corner of Betrayal
- File 239 - The Black Funeral
- File 240 - A Sudden Farewell
- File 241 - A Bullet From the Past
- File 242 - A World in White
Cover in other countries
See also
| Volumes of the Manga | ||
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| Volume 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 • 45 • 46 • 47 • 48 • 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 55 • 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • 61 • 62 • 63 • 64 • 65 • 66 • 67 • 68 • 69 • 70 • 71 • 72 • 73 • 74 • 75 • 76 • 77 • 78 • 79 • 80 • 81 • 82 • 83 • 84 • 85 • 86 • 87 • 88 • 89 • 90 • 91 • 92 • 93 • 94 • 95 • 96 • 97 • 98 • 99 • 100 • 101 • 102 • 103 • 104 • 105 • 106 • 107 • 108 • 109 |
