The suspects grow restless of the stalled investigation and begin heading for the exit. Suddenly, Professor Agasa's voice booms, demanding the three remain. Even Agasa himself is taken aback, twirling around to ask what Conan is doing with his bowtie. The boy reveals he has solved the case and intends to use Agasa as his deductive conduit.
The pawn formation topples and the notebook lands atop the key.
The Method:
Agasa explains the culprit circumvented the locked door by using voicemail, a cassette tape, and a chess piece. Conan appears from behind the Professor to lead a demonstration. He begins by unraveling the cassette's tape to create a large loop that stretches out of the container. Then, the cassette is inserted into the landline phone with the large loop left outside of the phone. Conan then pulls on the loop until he is outside of the room before passing the key-ring through the loop. Leaving the key outside, the boy returns to the landline with the remaining length of the loop. He approaches the position of the notebook and positions three chess pawns in a triangle formation, balancing the notebook atop the three. Finally, he passes the tip of the loop around the pawn closest to the landline and concludes his contraption. Ultimately, the contraption is designed to pull the loop of cassette tape into the landline by recording a voicemail. In doing so, the key is pulled through the locked door and collides with the chess pawns, toppling the three pieces and leaving the key stuck under the notebook. Haibara ridicules his deduction, stating that the base of the pawns are sturdy enough to resist toppling. Conan states that the pawns are to be placed on their heads, thus significantly decreasing their structural stability. The boy commences the experiment and the desired outcome is achieved.
Based on the results, Sango deduces that the culprit must be Akira Shirakura, who had left over ten voicemails on Hirota's landline. Shirakura is named as the culprit.
The Evidence:
Shirakura retorts, asking why he would return to the scene of the crime. Agasa answers that he came to retrieve a vital piece of evidence: the cassette tape that is laced with his finger prints. Agasa infers that Hirota's murder was not pre-meditated. Instead, Shirakura likely killed him in a moment of passion. Therefore, he did not bring gloves to the crime scene and only by luck did he manage to think of and perform the demonstrated trick. Shirakura hoped to be the one to discover and report the murder, giving him ample time to replace the cassette, but he was beat to it by Conan's company. With no other choice, he had to follow through on his voicemail's promise and arrive at the scene. Lastly, Agasa suggests looking for Hirota's missing floppy disks at Shirakura's abode, noting that he likely stole them on-mass given his time constraints. Defeated, Shirakura admits they are stashed in his car parked outside. The Motive:
Shirakura wished to obtain a photograph of himself cross-dressing beside Hirota, a photograph he intended to include in his magazine. However, the professor sent him a photograph of the two together before Shirakura had plastic surgery. When Shirakura went to Hirota's office to directly inquire about the correct disk, the inebriated professor said he did not know which disk housed the requested photograph. Furthermore, he also slyly said he can easily locate the pre-surgery photograph, jokingly offering to send it directly to the magazine on his behalf. Not wanting the magazine publisher to see an unsightly image on himself, Shirakura was flooded with a sense of intense rage. When he came to his senses, Hirota was bludgeoned.
As Shirakura is taken away by the authorities, Agasa suggests that Hirota sent him his pre-surgery photograph not as a means of mockery but rather as a message supporting his self esteem. Shirakura acknowledges the sentiment, wishing Hirota told him so in person.
Haibara's true tears.
Sango congratulates Agasa on his brilliant deduction, though refuses to hand over the requested floppy disk as it is classified as investigative evidence. Before Conan can leave, he is stopped by a teary-eyed Haibara. She asks why he did not save her sister, Akemi, who operated under the alias "Masami Hirota" during her missions for the Black Organization.[1] The girl breaks down in front of Conan, who can only stand there silently while thinking on both his past regrets and the authenticity of Haibara's emotions.
One week later, the police return the floppy disk to the Agasa residence. Haibara inserts the disk onto Agasa's desktop, explaining that all Black Organization files are password encrypted, thus allowing for the contents of the disk to remain untampered by police investigation. She adds that not only does the disk contain data on APTX4869 but also contains critical information about the identities of several Black Organization members as well as sponsors of the pharmaceutical research.
The Night Baron Computer Virus wipes the floppy disk's data.
Meanwhile, Gin and Vodka drive through the streets of town while discussing Haibara's whereabouts. Gin remains confident about their chances of locating her and remains unconcerned about their floppy landing in the hands of the police, hinting towards a special property of the disk.
Back at the Agasa residence, Haibara, Conan, and Agasa stare in shock at the rapidly corrupting computer screen. Haibara infers that it must be the Night Baron Computer Virus that activates whenever an Organization's disk is accessed on non-approved hardware.[2] With the floppy's data completely wiped, Haibara remarks that she will have to stick around for the long-run.
People
Masami Hirota
Victim (bludgeoned)
61 years old
Professor of Nanyo University
Toshiko Hirota
53 years old
Masami Hirota's wife
Akira Shirakura
25 years old
Model
Michio Morioka
48 years old
Veterinarian
Kazuhiro Hosoya
43 years old
Manager at a Trading Company
Major Events
Haibara is revealed to be living with Agasa after the latter rescued her when she was unconscious in the rain.
Haibara, as Sherry, had designed APTX4869 and had suspected Shinichi survival after inspecting his residence.
She elected not to report the situation out of curiosity.
After learning of her sister's murder, Sherry ceased production of APTX4869, resulting in her capture.
She manages to escape the Black Organization by taking APTX4869, shrinking her physical size.
Haibara states that the Black Organization has destroyed all evidence linking them to the production of APTX4869
Haibara recalls accidentally sending a floppy disk containing information about the project to her sister while she was in the United States.
They deduce the floppy disks must still be in the possession of Haibara's sister's professor, Masami Hirota
The group arranges a meeting with the professor but the latter is murdered in an unrelated incident.
Haibara's sister is revealed to be Akemi Miyano, who used the alias Masami Hirota before her death.
Haibara and company obtain the Black Organization's floppy disk.
The disk's data is destroyed by the Night Baron Computer Virus.
Conan, Ran, and Kogoro enjoy an episode of Detective Samonji as they bicker over the identity of the culprit. Kogoro is surprised to see that the named culprit is different from when he saw the case a previous time. Ran replies that it is because the series is being constantly remade—the culprit being swapped each time. Conan internally remarks on the sharp dichotomy between the peaceful scene of the present and the world-shattering anxieties he recently experienced with the appearance of Haibara.[3] He also recalls the girl reiterating the need for him to remain hidden behind Kogoro's business, as it may eventually lead him to a case involving the Black Organization. Meanwhile, Ran informs the group that the original author of the Detective Samonji novel series, Nintaro Shinmei, has begun writing new volumes again, greatly exciting Conan. The trio's conversation is interrupted by the ringing doorbell. Though Kogoro is adamant Ran request the client to return another time, he quickly changes his mind after being smitten with the beautiful client.
The client introduces herself as Kaori Shinmei, Nintaro's daughter. She states that both of her parents have been missing from their home for the past two months. Despite Nintaro's disappearance, drafts of the new series have continued to be directly sent via FAX to the publisher's office on Saturdays at 00:00 on the dot. Kaori adds that the publisher's FAX machine does not record the senders address, and that the police have largely relaxed their investigation due to the continual flow of drafts. Still, she remains anxious about her parents' safety, noting their incommunicado is exceptionally strange. Kogoro assures her that he will take up the case.
The group heads to Nintaro's publisher and consult the staff. The editor says he is sure that Nintaro is the sender as the drafts are written in his prose and every draft comes with his unique signature. Kogoro asks if there is anything suspicious about his interactions with the author. The editor recalls Nintaro's long-held stance against continuing the Detective Samonji series that had flipped two months ago with a sudden phone call. Additionally he notes the odd dedication on the first draft: "To all detectives across the nation, if one wishes to surpass me, one must first find the truth hidden in the mystery." The challenge had reinvigorated the fan-base. The editor notes the particular ferocity of the fans, with the publisher once receiving a threat of arson if they did not continue the story. Lastly, the editor says that in the newest drafts, Nintaro inserts himself into the story as a struggling author in France.
Conan asks for the drafts and notices that in one instance, twelve is written in its kanji form (十二) while in another instance, one is written numerically (1). The editor insists it is intentional decision by Nintaro. The clock strikes midnight and the newest draft is printed from the FAX machine. Conan deftly grabs it and superimposes it onto the previous drafts. He states that while there is slight variation in the signature between drafts one through six, the signatures on drafts six through eight are identical. Conan notes that the discrepancy introduces the implication that Nintaro may have passed, to the horror of the group. As Kogoro requests the police, Conan notes that the key to Nintaro's fate may lie hidden within the pages of the drafts.
