Volume 33
| ‹ Volume 32 | List of Chapters • List of Cases | Volume 34 › |
| Volume 33 | |||
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| Release date: | July 18, 2001 | ||
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| Chapters: | 329-339 | ||
| ISBN: | ISBN 4-09-126163-9 | ||
| Publisher: | Shogakukan | ||
| English release date: | January 9, 2010 | ||
| English ISBN: | ISBN 1-4215-2884-3 | ||
| English Publisher: | Viz Media | ||
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Volume 33 was released on July 18, 2001 in Japan.
Contents
Cast
Gadgets
Chapters
Sato's Omiai Case
File 329 - Sato's Odds
Sato confirms her deal with Shiratori, agreeing to set the time limit with the setting of the sun. Her boldness surprises her spies in the room next door, as Ran and Sonoko question her end game. Internally Sato hopes for Yumi's dispatch, likely Takagi, to rescue her from the omiai.
Meanwhile, Takagi and Chiba discuss the conflicting witness reports about the thief's characteristics. They decide to interrogate their three suspects. Kamieda is a tutor, Zama is a freeter/band member, and Koshimizu is an office worker. Takagi notices Koshimizu wearing two wristwatches, which she explains is because she is tracking her boyfriend's time zone. He also asks Zama about his band, which he answers is a visual kei group.
Back at the omiai, Shiratori receives word from Megure about Takagi's quandary and relays the news to Sato. She attempts to call the sergeant, but is stopped by Shiratori, who says making contact is unfair. He adds that Takagi cannot abandon his duties as a police officer, as such an act, coupled with his previous failure to prevent an interrogee's murder, will undoubtedly amount to a discharge.[1] Therefore, Sato has no choice but to hope her "savior" will solve the case before time runs out. Hearing their exchange, Conan decides to act.
As the three suspects grow increasingly restless about their detainment, Takagi surprisingly receives a phone call from Shinichi Kudo, who informs him about Sato's omiai. Takagi stares aghast at the expository message, unable to properly comprehend his predicament. Once the sergeant regains his composure, he shares the case details with Shinichi, who begins by instructing him to revisit the third witness: the cafe owner. Takagi complies and enters the establishment, taking the man outdoors. The owner's glasses begin to shade, transforming into sunglasses and revealing themselves to be transition lenses. Shinchi explains that such a lens will naturally warp one's color perceptions. He then directs the sergeant to inspect where the second witness, the school girl, saw the suspect. If the road was crowded during the time of the robbery, one would logically stray from the main path and run on the curb to circumvent obstacles. Therefore, the girl likely saw the culprit running on a raised platform, which would make them appear ten additional centimeters taller than their true height. The "puzzle" slowly begins to fit together.
Tomoaki Araide notices Conan's absence. Ran believes he is still using the bathroom and goes to check on him. As she walks through the venue's corridors, she happens to see Akai exit the men's bathroom. His face catches her attention as one that she had seen somewhere before. She shrugs the feeling off and calls for Conan, who panics and is forced to leave Takagi to solve the case on his own.
Dusk nears, and an orange hue begins to tint the world. With about forty minutes left, Shiratori turns to Sato, saying that if he wins, he would like a kiss as a sign of commitment.
File 330 - Sato's Feelings
Takagi returns to his vehicle and informs Chiba about his failure to make meaningful progress on the case. He sighs, saying they have plenty of time, mentioning that it is still currently 15:00. However, the suspects are quick to correct the sergeant about the time, raising their wrists to check their watches. Takagi shoots his arm into the back row and grasps the culprit's arm.
Takagi solemnly sits on a grassy ridge with the apprehended culprit beside him. Chiba catches up to him and commends him for his work. Yet, Takagi remains pensive, stating he had "failed to catch the one he should have." Chiba, however, states his dismay in his colleague's resignation, and gives a fiery speech which inspires Takagi to sprint to the omiai.
Shiratori notices Sato's gloomy expression and pulls her close to comfort her. Their four spies express varying emotions, ranging from vicarious bliss to deep concern. Conan stands in blank silence before calling Araide to the side. The boy quickly swipes his glasses and places the pair by the entrance to the omiai room. As the two officers lean in for a kiss, Sato begins to realize the true depth of her love for Takagi, and feels immense remorse. Suddenly, the two hear a familiar voice, Takagi's voice. Sato and Shiratori turn to the sliding door and see a masculine profile visible between the frames, along with a report about a nearby crime. Sato bursts open the door but only sees Conan, with his bowtie, and a confused Araide. She asks about Takagi's whereabouts, to which Araide answers that he has already left the venue. As Sato runs to join her true love outside, Araide gives Conan a sly wink.
Meanwhile, the real Takagi arrives fatigued at the venue entrance and laments his failure. He then hears Sato's voice yelling at him to board her car, reminding him about the "nearby crime." Conan gleefully watches the two drive off, remarking that the couple's clumsy nature reminded him about his relationship with Ran, which impelled him to push the odds in their favor.
People
Major Events
- Major romantic development between Takagi and Sato.
- Sato accidentally finds herself in an omiai with Shiratori.
- Takagi rescues her from her unwanted marriage.
- Sato realizes that she is in love with Takagi.
- Sato accidentally finds herself in an omiai with Shiratori.
- Akai continues his search for his target at the omiai venue.
- Ran passes by Akai and inexplicably recognizes him.
Valentine Chocolate Case
File 331 - Bloody Valentine 1
Conan voices on his distaste for Valentine's Day, diminishing it as a corporate ploy to increase chocolate sales. Conan's opinion, coupled with Haibara's explanation about the holiday's gruesome origin, shatters Genta and Mitsuhiko's rose-tinted impression of the festivities. Still, Ayumi interjects and expresses her enduring positivity for the chocolate-based event. Curious, Haibara asks Conan what the "girl at the detective agency" plans to do. Conan denies any knowledge, adding that their plans are occupied by a visit to a chalet Mount Suito. Haibara wishes them safety, mentioning Al Capone's Valentine's Day massacre, which reminds Conan about James Black's bizarre description of Chicago.[2]
The next day, Conan joins Ran, Sonoko, and Kogoro in the drive to the chalet. Sonoko reveals that Suito Chalet's chocolate-making experience is renowned for its ability to enable romantic success, leading Ran to assume she will bake a batch for Makoto. Instead, Sonoko appears downcast, explaining that Makoto has not been returning her calls lately. She also mentions her aborted plan to "make a hand-woven sweater for an ambiguous recipient" to elicit feelings of jealousy in Makoto, saying she had actually employed the gimmick this time using Valentines chocolate instead.[3] She wishes she had made clear intentions and lets Ran comfort her. Sonoko then turns to her friend and calls her strong, citing her ability to remain cheerful without Shinichi. Ran laughs the notion off, replying that she is used to it.
Once there, they meet the chalet's owner, Chiyoko Yuasa, who mentions her declining business as the result of a spreading ghost story. She warns Ran about venturing into the blizzard, implying the existence of the supernatural. A guest, Yoshitaka Nigaki, explains the authorities occasionally find strewn chocolate around the corpses they discover on the winter mountain. After amply scaring Ran and Sonoko, he announces his departure into the forest to his friends, Mika Konagawa and Ako Amari. As the man sets off, Conan asks his friends about his profession. They explain he is a journalist who is searching the mountains to take photograph evidence of the Japanese Wolf's enduring existence, adding that he claims to have seen the supposedly extinct canine five years ago. The group is then passed by a rifle-wielding, Yuzo Sakami, a hunter who wishes to capture the animal. He asks Yuasa to accommodate his incoming friends, a task the owner delegates to Kogoro, stating she must visit her late husband's grave. She calls her shikoku dog, Saburo, and walks into the forest. Kogoro speculates Nigaki mistook a roaming Saburo for a wolf, but the two women deny the notion, explaining that Saburo was in his pen during his late-night expedition. Amari then suggests they start preparing the chocolate baking process.
In the kitchen, Konagawa and Amari lead the workshop. The former tells Ran that Yuasa's husband had perished in an avalanche about three Valentine's Days ago. He was buried alongside Amari's brother, whose body is yet to be found. Amari says she has volunteered annually at chalet ever since, hoping he is somehow still alive. Sonoko manages to complete a beautiful chocolate piece dedicated to Makoto. Ran gives a melancholic smile which Conan observes from afar. The group notices the worsening weather, and Amari and Konagawa rush into the forest to call Nigaki back.
Sometime later, the two return frightened, saying Nigaki is nowhere to be found. Kogoro, Ran, and Yuasa join a second search, while Conan disobeys Ran and creates his own search party with Saburo. With the chalet now empty, an unknown fatigued individual enters through the kitchen door and approaches the completed chocolates.
The searching group suddenly hears a gunshot, and are joined by another hunter named Hajime Itakura, who joins their search. Meanwhile, Conan manages to locate Nigaki. He steps closer and finds him deceased via bludgeoning, along with Amari's chocolate laid on his lap.
File 332 - Bloody Valentine 2
The main group follows the sound of Saburo's barking and unites with Conan, who regrettably shows them Nigaki's corpse. Kogoro holds back Nigaki's horrified friends and examines the body, finding a large bloodied tree branch which likely served as the weapon. Kogoro notes the confounding effects the snow can have on the investigation. Conan notices Nigaki's missing right contact lens through his worn goggles and hints that it was likely lost when he was bludgeoned—meaning the culprit deliberately placed his goggles over his eyes to make the murder appear like it was committed during daylight. He then shows the group Amari's chocolate, confirming that the corpse was visited recently. The group is suddenly joined by Sakami, who says they are temporarily disconnected from the police since a crucial tunnel was hit with a small avalanche. Left with no choice, the group decides to return to the chalet.
Kogoro calls the police via the landline and confirms Sakami's story, while Ran confirms the absence of Amari's chocolate from the kitchen table. Kogoro searches through Nigaki's video camera, but only finds one used film roll. Konagawa offers to develop the film for him using the bathroom as a darkroom; Ran joins her. When asked if there is any additional footage, Amari points to the several rolls Nigaki used to record scenes last night. Conan asks if they can see the contents, and Amari agrees to display the recordings on the chalet television, despite Sakami and Itakura's qualms.
As the tapes display moments of standard banter between friends, the display begins to glitch. Kogoro to angrily shakes the screen and accidentally topples a daruma doll which rolls off the side. Saburo catches the daruma, while Yuasa says her antiquated television is a treasured artifact her late husband bought with his first wife, Reiko, who had died due to illness twelve years ago. With the conclusion Nigaki's tapes, Kogoro comments on the lack of meaningful information.
Ran and Konagawa then return with a photograph depicting Nigaki's final moments: an extreme low-angle shot of a tree at noon with three large blurred marks in frame. Konagawa explains that Nigaki's blood likely tainted the lens, creating the large marks. Conan internally remarks on the strangeness of the photograph. Kogoro's suspicions are directed at Yuasa, Sakami, and Itakura, who are the only three individuals without an alibi. The hunters object, stating they would not have the time to both kill Nigaki and steal Amari's chocolate. Yuasa on the other hand, floats the idea of an external threat still lurking in the blizzard. In response, Itakura mentions seeing an unsettling large man wearing a beanie on his way to the chalet. His description cannot help but conjure images of Akai in Conan's mind. Meanwhile, in the storm, a man perfectly fitting Itakura's description boldly observes the chalet from afar.
File 333 - Bloody Valentine 3
Ran asks Itakura for clarification about the mysterious man's appearance, saying she might be acquainted with him—a statement which astounds Conan. Konagawa trembly suggests he is Natsuya, Amari's missing brother. She manically heads for the outdoors to look for him in the storm, but Amari holds her back and shouts that her boyfriend, Natsuya, is dead, restoring clarity in the crestfallen woman. The hunters then reiterate their innocence and blame the murder on the prowling man in the beanie. Seeing the group's dissatisfaction with their answer, Sakami accuses Amari, stating that she could have baked a second identical piece of chocolate. By placing one piece on Nigaki's lap and discarding the original left on the kitchen table, she could create a false alibi. Konagawa disagrees, reminding them that Nigaki was killed hours before they went searching for him. She also compares the chocolate found at the crime with a photograph of Amari's original chocolate, proving they are identical. The hunters acknowledge their flawed logic and return to their respective rooms to sleep.
Conan asks if all the developed photographs were truly taken between today and yesterday, as the film roll could have been swapped. The group decides to compare the footage and finds that, indeed, the subjects' clothes are exactly the same between the videos and the photos, suggesting both were taken on the same day. Given that the last photograph had the bloodied frame, Nigaki's time of death at noon is largely confirmed. Ran also confirms that Konagawa did not tamper with the equipment in the darkroom. She does, however, mention there were two completely black photographs taken prior to the last photo. Although Konagawa assumes it was Nigaki's error, Conan remains dubious of the photo's credibility. He then notices the television display footage of Nigaki throwing a toy ball to Saburo; the dog unexpectedly shows disinterest in playing. Conan asks Yuasa about the reason for Saburo's name, and she replies that it is because he was her husband's third dog, following Taro and Jiro, who have both since passed. Per Conan's request, Amari and Konagawa head for Yuasa's late husband's room (currently a guest room assigned to Nigaki) to retrieve a photo album containing pictures of Jiro. As Yuasa informs Conan about Saburo's strange eating habits during snow storms, the group hears a piercing scream cut through the chalet.
Kogoro and company join Konagawa and Amari at Nigaki's room where they find Sakami and Itakura rummaging through his belongings. The hunters explain that they were looking for clues, but acknowledge their mistake and agree to be frisked for stolen items. Conan notices a sweater stained with a line of blood disrupted in the middle. Konagawa says Nigaki wore the sweater yesterday when he accidentally cut himself while cutting chocolate. Yuasa then shows Conan a picture of Jiro and Saburo, two identical dogs whom even their owner struggles the tell apart.
Conan silently enters Saburo's room and drops his favorite ball in front of his pen. The dog Saburo eagerly tries to reach his toy, an action which allows Conan to complete the puzzle; he has solved the trick. He then enters the kitchen, still needing definitive evidence. He notices the various completed chocolates lined on the table and manages to identify Ran's. Seeing the unadorned labeling, Conan cannot help but empathize with her conflicting emotions, and gives a gloomy expression. A strong gust of wintery wind blows into the room as something enters the chalet from the freezing outdoors, making Conan smile. Kogoro then also enters the room and is surprised by the sudden appearance. Conan capitalizes on Kogoro's state of confusion and tranquilizes him. The chalet guests react in shock as Conan informs them that "Kogoro" has solved the case, directing them to the kitchen.
File 334 - Bloody Valentine 4
With the case solved and culprits apprehended, a flustered Sonoko asks why Makoto is at the chalet. He explains that he is here to see if the man Sonoko has been teasing him with is indeed worthy of receiving her affection. Believing his romantic rival has received her handmade sweater, teacup, and now chocolate, he demands he step forward. However, his macho demeanor collapses upon seeing his name written on Sonoko's chocolate. Ran also explains that Sonoko had abandoned her sweater project and that he is her teacup's recipient, having mistaken it for a flower pot.[3][4] Embarrassed, Makoto heads for the exit, but is stopped by Sonoko. Meanwhile Conan watches in shock as the girl's absurd romantic machinations results in a total success.
A few days later on Valentine's Day, Ran tells Sonoko that she did not address her chocolate to anyone. Sonoko eventually rushes off to see Makoto off at the airport, leaving Ran to internally comment that "she is not as strong as Sonoko thinks she is." Upon returning to the detective agency, her tears begin to pour, lamenting her worsening loneliness and helplessness. Conan silently observes her from behind the door.
Later on, as snow begins to descend onto the city streets, Ran wakes up from a long nap she took on the agency sofa. She finds herself covered by a coat and wonders who had blanketed her. Noticing the time, she panics and checks her phone, discovering an unopened message with a photo attachment. To her surprise, the photo is of her sleeping, captioned with a message from "Detective Kid." Suddenly, her phone rings. She picks up, only to hear Shinichi, the "Detective Kid," speaking to her. She rushes to open the window and demands he shows himself. Shinichi explains that he came to the agency but did not dare to wake her after seeing her sleeping so soundly. He also says he was hungry and had eaten her "peach-like" chocolate left on the table, much to Ran's shock. He generously compliments the sweet, asking where she had purchased it. Ran, delighted, comments that its origins will forever remain a secret, a store only she knows. She looks out the window with a satisfied expression and continues her conversation with Shinichi, comically commenting that "Detective Kid" is a rather cheesy title, much to Conan's chagrin.
People
Major Events
- Major romantic development between Sonoko and Makoto.
- Sonoko's long-planned romantic ploy to elicit an emotional response from Makoto proves to be a resounding success.
- Makoto disproves his perceived aloofness and receives Sonoko's Valentine's Day chocolate.
- Romantic development between Ran and Shinichi.
- Shinichi alleviates Ran's loneliness with a mischievous, yet endearing act followed by a long phone call.
- Conan learns that Ran may be familiar with Akai.
Missing Watch Case
File 335 - Memento of a Wife
At Suito Mt., Ran had also baked chocolates looking like each DB's face, along with Agasa, and she gives them to the kids and professor, who say it's delicious. She goes to fetch drinks for them, and Ai, seeing her whistling in happiness, comments on Ran probably trying to conceal her sadness behind a joyful poker face, given how both half-sad and half-happy the chocolates are, which Conan acknowledges. Ai says the hand does what the heart commands to do. She thinks how similar to herself her own chocolate is, on the verge of melting into tears. Conan comments ironically that, sometimes, Ai speaks like a girl at last. Kogoro asks the kids to be quieter since he's trying to get concentrated on his work. Agasa apologises but the DBs ask Kogoro if he is really working, since they were told he usually sleeps a lot. Kogoro replies he's actually listening to a very important client's tape. Ayumi unplugs the earphones and everyone hear the horseracing results. Kogoro tries to take it over, as a client named Hideo Morita rings at the door and comes in, asking Kogoro to find his watch. Kogoro proves he's a very busy and popular detective by accepting the client's request, even if it's not so important - but at least showing he actually never sleeps. Morita says he desperately needs to find his late wife's watch, an old item he had offered to her a long time ago, because his wife haunts his nights constantly asking him what time it is. Morita says he or his wife lost it at home, since neither him nor his wife are very tidy people, and if Kogoro found it, they could be at peace at last. The latter suddenly yells at him saying he doesn't have time to lose with such bullshit, he's not going to search in his stead something he lost in his own flat, even if Morita isn't so good at finding things. He tells him he is the famous Sleeping Kogoro, and Morita understands he made a mistake, he actually entered the agency without knowing who he was. The DBs whisper that Kogoro chooses his clients according to whether he likes their face and if their wallet is big enough, adding there are no "bullshit cases", and he just doesn't want to work at all. Kogoro eventually agrees to find the watch, but Morita leaves, apologising once again. Conan's curiosity is aroused, and he and the DBs go after Morita. The latter watches at the agency in worry, where Kogoro's name is featured in big size, and sighs when glancing at his watch. Suddenly, he meets the DBs who agree to help him find the watch, and free of charge besides.
He welcomes them at home and Ayumi marvels at the beautiful flowers in a big vase. Morita says these are withered, since his late wife did have a green thumb, but not him, and these were bought recently - his wife died three weeks ago. Morita is scared when the DBs enter his amazing home cinema room, with several state-of-the-art hifi devices, huge plasma TV and speakers, many disc players with their respective controls, and so on. Also, Morita loves cinema and has tons of books and magazines on the floor, probably accounting for his or his wife constantly losing their belongings. Suddenly, someone rings at his door and it frightens him. He goes to open the door and comes upon his wealthy friend and building resident Eiko Idetsuki. She asks him if the money's ready, and Morita gives her 5 million yens, saying the 15 remaining millions will come as soon as his flat is sold. She says she is sorry for more or less kicking him out of his home, and Morita says it's perfectly fine, apologising for her waiting so long for him to pay her back the loan. He offers her, as a compensation, to watch "Sakura Sanjuro", a rare movie she loves and has been searching for for so long, in his home cinema right now. Morita asks the children to stop searching and free the room for Idetsuki, and they'll come back later. Morita prepares the cassette, VCR and armchair for her friend, asking her to hand the movie back to the video club they know as soon as she's done with it, which she agrees to do. He wishes her to enjoy the movie, and Idetsuki laughs about it being just like the interest he owes to her. Once she closes the door, Morita looks daggers at her and Conan notices it. He then treats Agasa and co to the other rooms to keep searching for the watch. The movie's volume is too high and this annoys the children, though the movie sounds ace. Ai tells them to keep searching quickly since night will fall very soon. Ayumi says however they've searched every single room of the apartment and found nothing, and Genta says he's too hungry to continue searching. Morita suggests they eat some of his amazing club sandwiches he's excellent at preparing, since he owns a bar not far away from Tokyo, and has all the ingredients at home to make some. He turns down Agasa's offer to help him, and some time after they one and all relish.
Morita gives some tea and sandwiches to Conan and Ayumi for them to bring to Idetsuki. Conan secretly glances at Morita, and also at Idetsuki when coming in the home cinema. The latter orders them to hush since she's watching an important passage, and she tells them to put the food on the table. Once out, they meet Morita who asks them if she's enjoyed it, and when Ayumi tells him Idetsuki's decided to eat them later, Morita replies there's no wonder since she loves movies just as well. Conan spots a peculiar plastic bag with something inside, and Morita says it's dirty laundry to be brought to the laundromat very soon. Though, Conan says he saw a washing machine in the bathroom, and Morita says it's a brand new model he doesn't know how to use, only his late wife did. Morita tells Conan her wife loved that watch and constantly wore it, except the day of her accident, because she had lost it. But Conan said she would most probably take it off to have a bath or shower, and, saying so, he takes them to the bathroom and searches the washing machine, throwing the wife's clothes away here and there. A garment falls down on the floor, and Ayumi finds the watch, saying it's still working. Conan can't believe it's true, as Morita confirms it to be his wife's. She probably took it off and put it on the machine before having a shower/bath, and it fell into it at the end. Though, Conan thinks he's probably lying, it's way too easy, and the watch isn't the wife's. Suddenly, they hear a violent sound of something heavy crushing on the floor, and of someone running in the corridor. Conan thinks about something, and runs towards the home cinema, as he hears someone leaving the flat and slamming the door. He notes with fear that the vase is missing, and when entering the home cinema, they all find Idetuski was killed by someone who's smashed the loud vase over her head.
File 336 - Clean Scent
The police arrive and investigate the case. Takagi says the weapon of the crime is Morita's vase, which was filled with water, and still had the flowers in it, accounting for its heavy weight. The killer probably came in Morita's apartment, grasped the vase, entered the home cinema room and smashed it over Idetsuki's head, as the film was over - since the cassette was rewound - and she was retrieving the video cassette from the player, using the remote control. Morita explains why her friend had come to visit him and what she did before dying. In turn, Agasa and co go on explaining what brings them here, and Megure and Takagi wish Mouri were here since they know something very important related to him. Agasa and the DBs say Morita was in the bathroom with Conan and Ayumi when Idetsuki was murdered, probably by someone from the outside, since they heard someone running away and slamming the entrance door, therefore Morita can't be the culprit. Though, the only time when he was alone was while he was preparing sandwiches in the kitchen, away from Agasa and co's sight. He shows them where the kitchen is, far away from the cinema room. Yet, there is a blind spot which prevents anyone in the lounge to see if anyone leaves the kitchen to go to the cinema room. Therefore, Megure thinks Morita had prepared sound recordings - sounds of broken vase, running in the corridor, door slamming, etc. - beforehand and used a timer or so to set them going after he could have left the kitchen quick as a flash and gone to the cinema room, and killed Idetsuki there, and then come back. He could well have prepared sandwiches beforehand too. None could have heard anything since the movie's volume had been turned very high. Yet, Conan says it's impossible, since himself had come to bring sandwiches and tea to Idetsuki with Ayumi after he had made them, and she was still alive. And then, Morita didn't leave Conan and co until they found the corpse.
Chiba turns up and says he finished questioning the building's residents, who one and all told him Idetsuki would agree to loan enormous amounts of money to them, and if they didn't pay her off on time, she wouldn't hesitate to come in their flats and foreclose a valuable by way of interests, which means she wasn't a very loved person. Moreover, they all know she was at Morita's due to the movie's high volume which could be heard everywhere in the building, and they know she loved movies and would often come at Morita's to watch one. Then it's perfectly possible one of them could have planned a murder knowing she was alone in the cinema room. Megure orders Chiba and some other agents to do a list of all the people to whom Idetsuki had loaned money, especially those who had taken on a big debt to her. Agasa tells Conan he won't have to step in that case this time since the killer probably came from the outside, however Conan says it's entirely false, Morita is the killer. The watch they've found in the machine isn't his wife's : if she'd really lost it there, then since she died three weeks ago, and given it's an old-swing watch, it shouldn't be working anymore, or at least it shouldn't give the exact time anymore. This because a watch especially works with human movement, and this type of watch has a 50-hour or so maximum self-working capacity, and it starts running slow afterwards, since it needs its holder's motion. The watch is probably Morita's or another one he bought and tossed inside the machine today. Morita used that watch story because he expected Mouri or someone else to come with him at home in order to build his alibi for the murder, and have the witness swear Morita wasn't the killer. Yet, Conan says it's impossible Morita could do it since he wasn't in the cinema room when the murder took place, and when he was in the kitchen preparing sandwiches, Conan would keep an eye on him every two or three minutes, and he didn't leave the place. And after the body was found, his behaviour didn't turn abnormal. How did he do it then ?
Takagi asks Morita if he met any suspicious person around Mouri's agency, and he says he didn't. Conan asks Takagi why he asked him that, and Takagi, making sure none is eavesdropping their conversation, tells Conan someone is secretly interested in Kogoro Mouri. They don't know yet if they should tell Mouri about it and protect him. Actually, all the reports and files of the cases Mouri has solved in Tokyo and its department, and that were stored at the Prefectural Police, were stolen recently. Hopefully, the police always duplicate the reports and files, and keep them into their well-protected archives, then there won't be any incidence on the trials. The most surprising thing is that all the files and reports were sent back to them yesterday evening by post, but the sender's name or place wasn't mentioned. As Takagi tells Conan the theft occurred the same day the hijacking bus case (vol. 29) took place, Conan thinks about Shuichi Akai once more. The police have a few leads as far as who among Mouri's "victims" or enemies are concerned and could do it, yet these are only suppositions and they're reaching stalemate as for now. Though, Takagi says this might be some bad joke after all, and anyway if Conan spots someone fishy around, he should come or call the police at once. Conan inwardly comments that Kogoro may not be the one actually targeted, but probably Conan himself, or someone he knows. Conan tells Agasa that what Takagi told him isn't so important, and Ai hints at the fact he's still trying to conceal something from them. Conan says Ai did the same and still does, and actually he has good reasons to do it. Ai inwardly thinks that, constantly trying to fight for justice and truth at all cost without thinking twice about the consequences it could bring about, Conan/Shinichi actually and eventually takes upon himself a whole lot of pressure without people noticing it at all. She finds very attractive the way he always endangers himself for others, though she thinks Shinichi still doesn't get it that this "clean scent" will, at the end of the day, trap Ran and all the people around them, including himself, into a treacherous solitude.
The DBs cut their thoughts saying it smells like something is burning, coming from the microwave or oven, but they find nothing inside it. Conan deduces something and searches the garbage can, only to find dried up and withered flowers, probably discarded by Morita. Then, Conan thinks that there should be "that thing" around here, something very visible, and he goes looking for it. Genta says he's still hungry and eats the remaining sandwiches, Ayumi calling him a foodie. Conan looks at them and thinks about something, and searches the cupboard, eventually finding the object. He then rushes to the cinema room, asking Takagi's help to find his paper plane he lost between the curtains over the plasma TV. Takagi inwardly comments how childish Conan is after all. Takagi pulls the top curtains open and finds nothing, except several hifi devices Morita stores there, since they are old now and he doesn't use them anymore. Conan spots a timer on one of the devices, and switches it on, starting up another device to its left, on whose screen he notices a "cassette symbol", and eventually deduces how Morita killed Idetsuki without being here.
File 337 - Life of a Flower...
Conan calls the agency but none picks up the phone, which worries Conan, since neither Ran nor Kogoro told him they would be out tonight. Agasa comes up to Conan saying Megure and co agreed to do as he told them, and they added this was a brilliant idea. As for the DBs, they are sent by Conan to do as he told them too. Conan still worries, gazing at his phone, and Ai gets it this has to do with Ran. She tells Conan to continue keeping it silent as far as his true identity and the Black Organization are concerned. She understands though that, just like most boys when they are offered chocolates by their loved ones, Conan feels over the moon about Ran. But Conan denies it, saying he actually didn't answer anything to Ran's present, which astounds Ai. He explains though he accepted the chocolates, deep down, this increased so much his desire to see her again. He says that boy who forces her to wait and suffer, and who's unable to recover his initial appearance, actually wants to see again and even more his dear love, though this sounds rather stupid. He doesn't want to see her cry anymore, and to do so, he'll go up to the point of accepting Shinichi's fading away from her heart forever, if this is needed. Then he already had the intention to do what Ai suggests him to, and knew it way beforehand. He comments on the fact his situation is so childish and ridiculous. Agasa tries to comfort him saying for the moment they're helpless, but it's only temporary. Ai inwardly thinks it's hard not only for him but for everyone actually. The DBs tell Megure many items belonging to Morita have been stolen, very strange items, and this is probably the murderer's work. They tell everyone to follow them to the kitchen, and, running past Conan, they wink at him with a knowing smile, which means this is part of their plan.
People
Major events
- Takagi tells Conan that someone stole the records of Kogoro's solved cases. Conan fears that the Organization is suspicious of Kogoro's newfound powers of deduction.
- Ran sees Shuichi Akai, and believes that she may have seen him before!
Escalator Message Case
File 338 - The Meaning of X
During an English class, rather than listening, Ran thinks about the mysterious man with a knit cap (i.e. Shuichi Akai) and ponders where she could have met him. She also wonders why every time she thinks about that man, the feeling that arose when Shinichi left her at Tropical Land to not come back - the feeling that something is about to be destroyed - is engendered. Her thoughts are interrupted by Jodie, who asks her if she is following the lesson; since the answer is affirmative, Jodie asks Ran about the meaning of the cross on the blackboard. Ran answers hesitantly that it is simply the capital letter X, which causes her classmates to burst into laughter. Jodie, on the other hand, asks Ran to think about it as "homework" and tells her that it is something that cute ladies should know.
On the way home, Ran discusses the symbol with Sonoko (who did pay attention in class) and Conan. Conan comes up with a number of ideas ranging from the unknown "x" encountered in algebra to X-rays while Sonoko comments that Conan, being a child, will not know this. As Ran tells Conan that it is something important for women, Conan recalls that Yukiko often sends him letters ending with "To my little Shinichi - XXX - Yukiko".
Jodie suddenly appears behind them and asks Ran about her “homework”; Ran admits that she still does not know what the cross means. Sonoko suggests that Ran should write an e-mail to Shinichi to ask him and put at the end "If you find the answer, I will give you my precious X". Conan, apparently bothered by Sonoko's words, starts thinking hard again, but gets nowhere. Jodie suggests that the four go to a café because she has something important to ask; the others agree.
After being served drinks, Jodie asks whether Ran and Sonoko have recently been stalked or harassed, and explains that she asks because it has happened to several female students of Teitan High School on public transport. The girls say that this has not happened to them, and that because of Ran's martial abilities they do not have to worry. Jodie still advises them to be cautious, and says in a stern tone that such a person would prowl around where they live and wait patiently for them to lower their guard. The girls repeat their previous answer, and Jodie restores her casual and joyful tone to say that if they ever notice someone suspicious tailing them, they should call her, as Japanese people do not take stalkers seriously, but she thinks that such people should be taught a lesson. Conan notices the change in Jodie's tone and turns serious.
At the table next to theirs sits a company executive called Norihisa Kisugi. He startles them as he shouts in his call to Katsunori Chujo, a detective; he is in the mall where the café is located. In their conversation, Chujo says that the "problematic person" has offered to give him two times of what Kisugi and he agreed on in exchange for Chujo not revealing his findings to Kisugi. Hearing this, Kisugi says in panic that he is willing to pay four times of the previously agreed amount as long as Chujo reveals the name of the problematic person and hands the evidence to him. Chujo accepts, starts walking towards the escalator that leads to the café and tells the problematic person that he is done and that there is plenty of incriminating evidence in the envelope that he is holding.
Upon hearing this, the problematic man approaches Chujo, stabs him and tries to steal the documents inside the envelope. A blackout immediately ensues, and when the light comes back on Chujo is found dead on the next floor, sitting on the uppermost stairs of the escalator. He manages to hold onto his envelope, and a few symbols (a circle, a cross and a triangle in that order; they are of roughly the same size) that were previously not there are on it. A large crowd gathers around the lifeless body, and Conan and company are attracted to the murdering scene. They call the police after seeing the body.
Megure, Takagi and Chiba arrive at the mall to investigate. They deduce, despite not knowing what the three symbols mean, that they represent a dying message. Jodie deliberately makes a rather silly comment; she says that the symbols can be found on a games console. The police find that the last call that Chujo made before death was to Kisugi, and they sit down at a table in the café to discuss Kisugi's relationship with the deceased.
Kusugi explains that he is an executive of the company located on floors 8 to 11 of the mall, and that one of its employees embezzled a large amount of money last month. He has been ordered to find the embezzler, and as a result he turned to Chujo (more precisely, the detective agency that Chujo headed). Chujo found the person behind the embezzlement and they arranged a meeting in the café so that Chujo could give his findings to Kisugi. However, Chujo was late (probably because the problematic person was talking to him), leading to the phone call. The police deduce from these pieces of information that the embezzler was the problematic person, that he killed Chujo to not get exposed, and that he took advantage of the accidental blackout to escape to his office in the company. Megure asks whether Kisugi has any idea of who the embezzler is, and the latter hands him a list of the 58 employees that Chujo was suspecting a week ago (the list was the mid-term report of Chujo's investigation). Megure is slightly overwhelmed by the number of suspects and comments that it will take a very long time to thoroughly investigate all of them.
File 339 - OX△□!?
Takagi reports that Chujo's fingerprints have been found on the symbols written by blood, thereby confirming that the envelope does contain a dying message. Conan and the police thus start thinking about things relevant to the symbols, and Ran innocently suggests that the cross in the dying message might have the same meaning as Jodie's cross. Jodie and Sonoko dismiss this idea and laugh out loud, and Takagi joins the conversation (as he also knows what the cross means in that case). Megure overhears their laughter and orders Takagi to explain, but Takagi insists that that interpretation is completely irrelevant to the case. Conan points out that since there is a vertical line on the left edge of the envelope (i.e. on the left of the circle symbol), there must be more to the dying message. He suggests that it might be found on a step of the escalator, as Chujo likely wrote the dying message during the blackout (meaning that he could not see where he was writing; even if he knew that he was writing in the wrong place, since he knew that his death was likely imminent, he probably did not try to rectify it) and while he was being transported by the escalator to the current floor. By using the luminol reaction, it is revealed that the fourth symbol is a square which is slightly bigger than the other three symbols.
Meanwhile, by collecting the alibis of the employees on the list, Chiba is able to reduce the number of suspects to 31 (i.e. there are 27 employees with a verifiable and reliable alibi). Sonoko grabs this renewed suspect list from Megure and Jodie, Ran and she point out that some kanjis on the list can be formed by combining two or more symbols and others represent an object that can be drawn as one of the symbols. For example, the first kanji of the suspect Suzuki Tsubasa (the native form of this name is 鈴木翼) is "鈴", which means "bell" and thus can be simplified to a circle. Since Sonoko and this person share the same surname, she impatiently tells Ran that he cannot possibly be the culprit. Megure, feeling that their conversation has gone astray, gets the list back and orders the girls, Jodie and Conan to leave the case to the police.
Now that Ran can no longer contribute to the case, she approaches Takagi (who left the crime scene to help Chiba, who had returned to the company to conduct further investigations) to ask about the meaning of the cross. Takagi tells her what it means, and says that he knows it because Yumi Miyamoto often sends him messages with multiple crosses at the end as a joke. On the contrary, when Conan asked him the same question a moment ago, Takagi just pat Conan on the head and told him that he is too young for such matters; this response rendered Conan visibly annoyed.
Back at the crime scene, Jodie, who seems to have figured out the meaning of the dying message, gives hints to Conan. She mentions that in the U.S. federal government, one of the most important agencies is the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), and tells him about a saying that goes "you can hide the head (of an ostrich), but not the tail". This saying inspires Conan and allows him to instantly figure out who the embezzler is from the list of 31. As confidence emerges on Conan's face, Jodie, who is gazing at him, smiles.
People
Cover in other countries
References
- ^ Police Escort Murder Case (Manga: Volume 30: 296-298)
- ^ Kidnapped Tourist Case (Manga: Volume 32: 325-327)
- ^ a b Girl Clubbing Case (Manga: Volume 28-29: 284-286)
- ^ Pottery Class Case (Manga: Volume 30-31: 305-307)
See also
| Volumes of the Manga | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
