Chapter 367: The Pitch-Black Mysterious Train 9
"Sigh, Conan is a smart kid, but he certainly seems to have a terribly weak bladder. It really isn't good for a child to always be rushing to the bathroom in such a panic," Natsume muttered to herself, resting her chin in her hand as she watched the small boy's retreating back sprint frantically down the narrow corridor of the train.
Beside her, Dr. Agasa and Sera Masumi, who had clearly overheard Natsume's dry observation, stiffened. The two of them awkwardly averted their gazes, staring intently at the patterned wallpaper of the carriage without saying a single word.
Kogoro Mouri, however, crossed his arms and let out a loud scoff. "Tsk, Natsume, you hit the nail right on the head. That little brat is always whining about needing the toilet, completely regardless of the occasion or how serious the situation is. Could the kid actually be sick?"
"Then Uncle Mouri, you really ought to take Conan to see a proper doctor when we get back. It is always better to address these things early, rather than letting a real medical problem drag on until it becomes a massive burden," Natsume suggested, her voice laced with a perfectly innocent tone of helpfulness. "That Dr. Baizhu's medical skills are quite exceptional. Why not have him take a look at the boy when you have some free time?"
Kogoro rubbed his chin, nodding thoughtfully as if seriously considering dragging the boy to the pharmacy the moment they disembarked.
Paimon couldn't help but pop her head out from the system space, floating just out of sight of the ordinary passengers. 'Traveler, you are really mean sometimes. Hehe, though I am actually quite curious about the exact expression Conan will make when he is forced to go see Baizhu for a bladder treatment.'
Further down the rattling train, just as he was about to reach the sliding doors of Car No. 6, Conan suddenly let out a violent sneeze. He stumbled a step, rubbing his nose vigorously. He didn't pay the sudden chill much mind, merely wondering if he had managed to catch a cold from running around the drafty carriages, and quickly dropped the matter to focus on his current crisis.
Finally arriving at the door of the compartment where he had originally left the others, Conan didn't even bother to knock. He grabbed the handle and shoved the door open directly.
Just as he had feared, the seats were half-empty. Neither Shikanoin Heizou nor Ai Haibara were anywhere to be seen inside the cabin.
Ignoring Sonoko's disgruntled scolding about his lack of manners and Ran's worried questioning upon seeing his pale face, Conan immediately spun on his heel. He needed to run back out and track down Haibara right this second before the Black Organization got their hands on her.
Thump!
"Oh my, if it isn't Little Brother Conan? If you want to be a great detective, you really can't go around being this reckless," a playful voice chimed from above.
Shikanoin Heizou stood right behind the boy, his quick hands already gripping Conan's shoulders to steady him. The young detective had spun around with such force that he had nearly crashed headfirst into Heizou's chest.
"Haibara!" Conan gasped, his lungs burning. A massive wave of relief washed over him the moment he looked past the young man and saw Ai Haibara standing perfectly safe right next to Heizou.
Although he knew the Teyvat Organization had absolutely nothing to do with Sherry, and that there was likely no actual danger in Shikanoin Heizou taking Haibara away from the immediate area, his heart had still been lodged firmly in his throat the entire time she was out of his sight.
Fortunately, she had appeared safe and sound, without a single scratch on her.
Looking at the situation now, Conan's mind raced to put the pieces together. Shikanoin Heizou must have happened to encounter Mr. Akai just as the man was trying to take Haibara away. Seeing Haibara's terrified expression and naturally assuming that the imposing Mr. Akai was a dangerous criminal, Heizou must have intervened and escorted her away himself.
Conan quickly threw together a casual excuse to pull Haibara aside into a quieter corner of the corridor to exchange information. The situation he managed to gather from her hushed whispers was remarkably similar to his own deductions.
The reason the two of them were a bit late returning to the compartment was simply that Shikanoin Heizou had escorted Haibara to the restroom. While they were at it, the young detective had kindly fetched her some water so she could take her medicine in peace.
"Don't worry, it is just regular cold medicine. I couldn't possibly take the temporary antidote in front of absolute outsiders," Haibara explained, her voice dropping to a cold whisper. She gave Conan a highly complex, piercing look after sensing his lingering hesitation.
Pausing for a moment, Haibara crossed her arms, staring directly into Conan's eyes as she asked seriously, "Edogawa, stop playing games and tell me. Who exactly is Subaru Okiya?!"
Conan swallowed hard. He knew that since Mr. Akai had already appeared directly before Haibara, he could no longer keep the man's survival a complete secret. Under Haibara's intense, unyielding gaze, he finally relented and revealed Shuichi Akai's true identity as an FBI agent.
However, knowing full well just how deeply Haibara hated the man known as Rye, Conan hesitated. He deliberately chose to omit the crucial detail that Shuichi Akai had once been an undercover agent embedded deep within the Black Organization. He only told her that the man was a highly skilled agent sent by the FBI specifically to protect her from the shadows.
Somewhat to Conan's surprise, upon receiving this heavily filtered answer, Haibara didn't press him any further. She simply gave Conan a cold, knowing smirk that sent a chill down his spine, and then turned on her heel. She walked right back into the compartment where Ran and the others were waiting, without uttering another word.
Conan stood in the corridor, deeply puzzled by Haibara's cryptic reaction, but he ultimately decided it was a good thing she didn't try to dig any deeper into the matter. After poking his head into the cabin to give her one last stern reminder that Mr. Okiya would be coming to find her later, and explicitly telling her not to wander off alone again, Conan turned and sprinted back toward the crime scene.
By this time, near the cordoned-off crime scene in Car No. 8, Kogoro Mouri had been left entirely to his own devices. Without Conan there to subtly guide his deductions, the older detective had already managed to point fingers and loudly suspect almost every single passenger in the vicinity, except for the actual culprit.
Shikanoin Heizou, who had leisurely strolled back to the scene a step ahead of Conan after dropping Haibara off, seemed to have already found some rather interesting clues. He stood near the center of the carriage, casually tossing a silver coin into the air. He caught it with a sharp clink, glanced down at the heads or tails resting in his palm, and let a highly satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Everyone!" Shikanoin Heizou suddenly raised his voice, his commanding tone instantly drawing the attention of every police officer and passenger in the carriage. "I believe I have already found our murderer!"
Conan, who had just managed to arrive at the edge of the scene, froze in his tracks.
That fast? He had only just finished listening to the initial statements of all the passengers and crew members in Car No. 8 before he ran off, and he didn't even have a solid suspect in mind yet! Could Heizou have somehow found a piece of definitive physical evidence while he was away dealing with Haibara?
"The murderer is..." Shikanoin Heizou didn't bother keeping anyone in suspense. He raised his hand and pointed his finger directly forward, aiming right at two specific individuals in the crowd. "The mistress and servant from Room D of Car No. 8, Kominosaka Natsue and Sumitomo Hiruka!"
A collective gasp echoed through the carriage. Everyone was entirely shocked by the sudden accusation. Even Kominosaka Natsue and Sumitomo Hiruka themselves looked around in pure, unadulterated confusion, their faces displaying nothing but genuine innocence.
Kogoro Mouri scratched the back of his head, looking utterly puzzled by the young man's claim. "Hey now, why on earth do you think it is them? Besides, take a look at the two of them. One of them is an old lady with severely disabled legs. How could the two of them possibly manage to commit such a complicated murder?"
Conan gave Uncle Mouri a deeply speechless look from the sidelines. 'Even if that happens to be the absolute truth, Uncle, you are being a bit too blunt about the poor woman's legs.'
Shikanoin Heizou merely chuckled, pocketing his coin with a smooth motion. "Based entirely on my intuition, of course!"
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