Conan's Distillery: A Semi-Workaholic's Slacking-Off Life

Chapter 44 Hattori Heizo's Suspicion

Bai Yexiu had no interest in listening to Nagato's family and Conan's chatter, so he took the opportunity to go find a restroom.

He knew a murder was bound to happen here, so he decided to go to the restroom to call Peño and chat for a bit, then come out to see what was going on after the incident.

"Wait a moment."

A voice called out to Bai Yexiu from behind, and the smile on Bai Yexiu's face vanished instantly.

"Excuse me, officer?" Bai Yexiu turned around and gave Hattori Heizo a friendly smile as he called out to him.

Hattori Heizo looked serious, holding a photograph in his hand.

"Did you go to Kangjiang Company three days ago?" Hattori Heizo did not soften his tone because Bai Yexiu looked completely innocent. Instead, he looked at him with the eyes of someone interrogating a criminal suspect.

"Officer, you're joking." Bai Yexiu covered his mouth and chuckled twice. "Heh heh, I've only been in Japan for a short time. I don't need to go to those kinds of companies, and I don't even know about this Kangjiang Company."

Bai Yexiu didn't understand. He had already blown up the Kangjiang Company, and he did it in the early morning. Moreover, he had confirmed that no one was nearby before the bombing. So why would the police officer come looking for him?

“Recently, there have been a series of gas explosions and fires. In three of these incidents, the surveillance cameras at nearby shops all captured a single figure.” Hattori Heizo stepped forward and held up three photos in front of Byakuya Xiu.

The photos appear to have been taken from surveillance footage. Each photo shows the back of a person wearing a trench coat, but perhaps due to the shooting angle, the person's head is not visible in any of the three photos.

Upon seeing the three photos, Bai Yexiu thought back carefully. It seemed that there were shops opposite the three office buildings he had bombed, so the photos must have been taken by the surveillance cameras of those shops. However, it couldn't be roadside surveillance cameras, because he had already destroyed all the roadside surveillance cameras near the office buildings.

Damn, that was a fatal mistake. I should have destroyed all the security cameras in the nearby shops before blowing up the building.

"Officer? Are you suspecting me of being involved in those gas explosions and fires?" Bai Yexiu tried to remain calm, attempting to deceive Hattori Heizo with a smile.

Because his smile truly looks pure, innocent, and naive, he has used that smile to deceive countless people.

Unfortunately, as a professional, serious, and unsmiling police officer, Hattori Heizo didn't seem to be swayed by this.

Hattori Heizo continued, "The trench coat worn by the person in the surveillance footage is exactly the same style as the one you're wearing."

"Pfft." Bai Yexiu couldn't help but laugh. "Officer, this trench coat of mine isn't anything special."

Indeed, the trench coat he wore in these three photos is the same one he's wearing today. Given the coat's distinctive style, it's no surprise that he was recognized.

This trench coat is a limited pre-sale item from an American brand. Not only is the design unique, but it also has a "Z" logo about half the size of a palm on the back. The boss bought it for him a few days ago. Although the surveillance photo is blurry, the logo on the back of the trench coat is still recognizable.

Hattori Heizo didn't suspect Byakuya when he first met him, until he accidentally saw the man's back and realized that he looked exactly like the suspect in the photo.

"May I see the tag on this trench coat?" Hattori Heizo asked with a serious expression, as if investigating a case.

"Of course." Bai Yexiu showed him the tag on the inside of the clothes, feeling a pang of regret. After all, this was a piece of clothing that the boss had bought for him a few days ago, and he hadn't worn it many times yet. Now, because of this incident, he couldn't wear it anymore.

Bai Yexiu sighed silently.

After looking at the label, Hattori Heizo took out a small notebook and wrote something down. Just as he was about to ask more questions, Hattori Heiji appeared behind him.

"Father, what are you doing?" Hattori Heiji moved closer to his father, glanced at the photo, and then scanned Bai Yeshu's trench coat: "So this is the case?"

"Sigh~ Your father suspects I'm a criminal." Bai Yexiu said resentfully, leaning against the wall.

“Father, I recognize this outfit. It seems to be a limited edition from an American brand that was released a few days ago. Besides Ryuzawa, quite a few other people own this outfit,” Hattori Heiji said methodically.

"I heard that Ryuzawa only recently returned from abroad and this is his first time in Japan. He shouldn't know much about those companies, and besides, he has no motive to blow them up."

After listening to Hattori Heiji's reasoning, Hattori Heizo lowered his head and thought about it. He realized that he had indeed gone too far. How could he suspect a boy who looked like he was still in middle school just because of the same clothes?

Thus, thanks to Hattori Heiji's persuasive words, Byakuya successfully cleared himself of suspicion.

"Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now." Bai Yexiu waved to them with a smile and continued looking for the restroom.

Looking at the back of the person in front of him, Hattori Heizo's expression gradually became serious again.

"Keep an eye on this Ryuzawa for me from now on," Hattori Heizo whispered.

"Huh? Why?" Hattori Heiji was puzzled. Had his father not listened to his explanation?

Hattori Heizo did not answer immediately. If he wasn't mistaken, there was a hint of hypocrisy in Ryuzawa's eyes, and when Ryuzawa smiled, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease, as if he were facing a ferocious beast.

His intuition told him that there was definitely something wrong with this person.

“There might be something wrong with him. Didn’t you notice anything amiss about him?” Hattori Heizo said.

Heiji Hattori wondered again, "A sense of incongruity? Not really. Although he usually seems mysterious, he's a good person. Maybe his mystery stems from his lack of interest in many things, his quiet demeanor, and his low profile... that's probably the reason..." He stroked his chin, thinking carefully.

Hattori Heizo left without listening to his son continue, leaving Hattori Heiji alone to ponder.