Oritis in the world of Detective Conan

Chapter 240 The Neighbor at the Scene is My Ex-Boyfriend (Part 4)

On the other side, Inspector Megure and Officer Takagi, who had examined the suicide note, were also thoughtful.

"It seems that this suicide note is also very suspicious. It needs handwriting identification."

"Also, it's inconceivable why a person with a broken wrist would choose to end their life by hanging, which is difficult to do with one hand."

At this time, Officer Chiba ran into the house: "Inspector Megure, someone has seen a suspicious person."

"According to the building manager in the first-floor lobby, a strange man wearing a mask and glasses to hide his appearance once visited the building."

"What? When did that happen?" Inspector Megure asked hurriedly.

"It seems to have happened after the man of the house and the maid left."

"Then why didn't the administrator stop him from coming in or out?"

"Because the man used a key to open the building's door, the administrator assumed he was also a resident. Also, the administrator said the family's son had been there before, but he couldn't remember the exact time of day."

At this time, there was a commotion outside the door. It turned out that the son of the family had returned, and Genta and Mitsuhiko were holding his legs tightly.

"What are you doing?"

Yuantai said that this was the suspicious person he caught, but then the man gave an explanation that he was peeking through the peephole because he thought it was fun and wanted to scare people.

The little girl looked up at the cat's eye and said, "Hey, big brother is such a childish person?"

The atmosphere suddenly became very awkward, but fortunately Mr. Itami came out and explained that this was his son Yasuie Itami.

Yasuie Itami skipped the driving lessons when he came back this time, wanting to come back early to let his parents see the car model, but he was shocked when he learned that his mother had committed suicide.

Considering that Itami Yasushi's family was a suspect, Inspector Megure began to ask him some questions. Taking advantage of this time, Conan deliberately said that someone's cell phone rang, and then observed while everyone took out their cell phones.

Then, after getting the information he wanted, Conan started to laugh: "Ah, it turns out to be my own phone, sorry."

"Come to think of it, you three are all using the same phone."

"Ah, because it's a popular style right now, but our phones are different colors, so it's easy to tell them apart."

Conan then asked Miss Sakurako why she was so sure that the sound of the door closing came from the bedroom door. Miss Sakurako said that was because the other doors were slightly open.

"Then the bedroom window was open?"

"Hey, why do you know that?"

The little girl realized something: "So the bedroom door was blown shut by the wind? That phenomenon is called a draft."

While Conan was gathering clues, Inspector Megure was also busy collecting alibis for other people. When he got to Haneda Hideyoshi, he refused to speak, so Inspector Yumi started to fight with him again.

However, Haneda Hideyoshi's eyes fell on Conan. In his opinion, someone was about to be the checkmate in this game.

After thinking it over, Conan called the three little ones, Huiyuan, and the little girl to his side: "Listen up, everyone, that thing is definitely still nearby. If you find it, please ask the people nearby to take a look at the photo file that was just sent."

Since the little girl didn't have a cell phone, she and Conan stayed where they were while the others scattered to look for clues. With Huiyuan watching over the three little ones, Conan felt more at ease.

Looking at the little girl fiddling with a butterfly-shaped hairpin beside him, Conan became curious about the content of the new novel by the novelist that the little girl had mentioned before, so he pestered the little girl to tell him.

The little girl giggled: "Conan, only at times like this do you really look like a child."

Conan blushed: "Alright, alright, I'm really curious about the content of that novel. I'm not afraid of spoilers, after all, you said before that the novel is not finished yet."

"Okay."

So the little girl began to tell the story that happened on the ice field.

"A new warden has been appointed to the ice plain, used for the imprisonment and exile of criminals. While managing the prisoners, he has brought the latest news. He will select a permanent resident of the ice plain on behalf of the jurisdiction. He will serve as a role model for reform and will grant him wealth and the opportunity to return to the jurisdiction."

"The seven people who qualify are the prison governor, the jailer, and five prisoners. To gain this sole qualification, they begin by speaking of the virtues they espouse."

"Ant (the surveyor) spoke of his generosity, sharing his precious food with prisoners who hadn't completed their daily tasks."

"The 'Scorpion' (perfumer) considers herself the most forgiving person, always accommodating when others make mistakes."

"The 'worker bee' (batsman) has bipolar disorder and would rather put himself in chains to endure it all."

"The fisherwoman is so hardworking. She is always the first one to arrive at work and the last one to leave."

"'Centipede' (Jack) is the most restrained. While he hunts creatures on the ice to provide extra food for the prison, he also protects those creatures from being slaughtered."

"The five prisoners behaved with great piety, and they all hoped to return to a prosperous jurisdiction rather than remain in this cold wilderness."

"The governing official, 'Ice Butterfly' (the priestess), has spoken. She believes that maintaining the status quo is fine. While life in prison is difficult, it's pure enough to overlook the sins beneath the glitz and glamour of the jurisdiction."

The jailer, Winter Cicada (the prisoner), raised the beacon in anger. He believed that being humble before authority had lost its meaning. The real place of sin was the jurisdiction, and the icy plain before him, the isolated prison, was the true pure land.

"'Winter Cicada' is noble. He believes that all the prisoners here possess a certain virtue. The cicada's weak wings are not enough to blow away the wind and snow, so he decided to use himself as fuel to melt the ice. So he volunteered to be the first torch of this rebellion."

"The flames began in the administration area and gradually spread throughout the prison, but the warden took no action. He simply watched silently as the prisoners, seemingly determined to rebel because of Winter Cicada's words, began to protest."

"The warden is fully aware that the jurisdiction has long been corrupted, and the prisoners on the ice field are equally hypocritical. The so-called amnesty is nothing more than leading these people from one quagmire to another. This false hope ultimately ignites the flames of madness."

"In the light of the fire, the five prisoners each recounted what they had experienced."

"The 'ant' gave everything she had, yet was still convicted for not being generous enough; the 'worker bee' endured the harassment of others until she was sent to prison; the 'mayfly' worked day and night, but she never received any reward or praise..."

"'Winter Cicada' watched all this in disbelief. The prisoners were partying beside the flames, celebrating the prison's breakout. The governor huddled in the snow, trying to stay away from the noise. And the warden stood quietly in the fire, gazing at everyone with compassion."

"At this moment, they are all 'moths' deceived by the false light of the fire."