The Pirated Onmyoji of the Detective World

Page 191

"This, how is this possible!"

To be honest, compared to Shinichi Kudo's answer, Inspector Megure even finds Kogoro Mouri's reasoning that Inspector Shiratori is the culprit more acceptable.

"Nonsense!" Kogoro Mouri immediately moved closer to Inspector Megure, yelling at his phone, "What architect in the world would destroy their own design?"

However, none of the three noticed that Teiji Moriya, who was being identified as the murderer by Shinichi Kudo at this moment, showed no surprise or anger on his face, but was just silently staring at the phone in Inspector Megure's hand.

Shinichi Kudo's voice came through the phone again, explaining calmly, "I think Master Moriya was recognized by his father from a young age as having the talent of an architect. And indeed, he rose to prominence as a young architect shortly after he turned 30."

“Yeah, I was wondering…” Kogoro Mouri said with some dissatisfaction, but was immediately interrupted by Shinichi Kudo’s voice.

"After that, Master Moriya won the Best Newcomer Award from the Japan Institute of Architects for his design of the loop bridge. Since then, he has continued to design many new architectural styles."

Listening to Shinichi Kudo recounting his past honors on his phone, Teiji Moriya remained expressionless, silently looking out the window, lost in thought.

"However, I don't know when he started... no, to be more precise, he started thinking this way a long time ago. He began to want to destroy some of his younger works. This can be seen from what Master Moriya said at the afternoon tea party he hosted not long ago."

After a pause, Shinichi Kudo mimicked Teiji Moriya's tone and said, "There are many young architects nowadays who simply lack an awareness of beauty. They should take a stronger sense of responsibility for their work."

Then, Conan returned to Shinichi Kudo's normal tone and said, "And I think he really did put what he said into practice."

“That’s true!” After hearing Shinichi Kudo’s explanation, Kogoro Mouri stroked his beard and said in agreement.

However, he quickly realized what was happening and jumped up to question his phone: "That's not right! You clearly didn't attend the afternoon tea party that day, how did you know about this!"

"Haha, I heard that from Conan and Aragaki!" Shinichi Kudo chuckled on the phone and continued, "Alright, everyone, please take a look at the photos on the walls of the exhibition room! First, the Kurokawa family's house, the Mizushima family's house, the Yasuda family's house, and the Akutsu family's house. Next, please take a close look at the bridge in the photo next to it..."

Inspector Megure, Inspector Shiratori, and Kogoro Mouri, following Shinichi Kudo's instructions, looked at the photos of various buildings on the wall.

"Although it's a building with a British classical style theme," Shinichi Kudo suddenly asked on the phone, "I wonder if Inspector Megure and the others have noticed something?"

Chapter 247 Arrest

"Huh?" The group took a step closer to the wall covered with photos and began to examine the architectural photos on the wall more closely.

"I think every single one of these pieces is an excellent work of art," Inspector Megure said, somewhat puzzled, not realizing what Shinichi Kudo was referring to.

"Wait a minute!" Officer Shiratori exclaimed, looking at the bridge in the photo. "This bridge isn't a perfectly symmetrical structure!"

“That’s right.” Conan, who was outside the door, continued in Shinichi Kudo’s voice after hearing this. “This bridge is not perfectly symmetrical. Based on my deduction, this may have been the builder’s requirement, or it may have been due to factors such as the Building Standards Act that forced Master Moriya to compromise at the time. But this was intolerable for Master Moriya, who advocated perfectionism. It was from that moment that his previously smooth-sailing life was shrouded in a shadow.”

"But, Kudo, why is he looking for you?" Inspector Megure asked, expressing his own doubts.

"Perhaps it's because the new town development plan for Nishitama City, which took him a long time and a lot of effort to complete, was ruined by my sending the then mayor to prison," Shinichi Kudo explained on the phone.

"So...so this is also a design by Master Moriya!" Officer Shiratori noticed the Nishitama City model deep inside the room and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"This is why Master Moriya declared war on me, isn't it? It's to retaliate by ruining my reputation as a high school detective. I think that's one of his goals. At the same time, it can also achieve another goal, which is to destroy his imperfect design works. Am I right, Master Moriya!"

As Shinichi Kudo finished speaking, Inspector Megure and the others turned their gaze to Teiji Moriya, who had been silently standing by the window.

Although Inspector Megure and the others now completely believed Shinichi Kudo's words, Teiji Moriya remained completely calm.

He smiled calmly, showing no fear, and said, "This reasoning is indeed very interesting, but there is no evidence to support it."

Upon hearing Teiji Moriya's words, Inspector Megure and the others immediately turned pale.

Before Inspector Megure could react, Shinichi Kudo's voice came through the phone again: "You're talking about evidence? Of course I have it, it's right next to that model box!"

Moriya Teiji's expression suddenly changed, and he squinted at the side of the model box.

Inspector Megure and Inspector Shiratori walked over there excitedly.

Officer Shiratori picked up the "evidence" that Shinichi Kudo had mentioned next to the model box, and was surprised to find that it was actually a wig and sunglasses. He said with some surprise, "This... looks like the disguise tools used by the suspect in the bombing case!"

"!!!"

Now it was Moriya Teiji's turn to have a grim expression.

With mixed feelings, he immediately looked at the wig and sunglasses in Officer Shiratori's hand and roared, "Damn it, how is this possible? I clearly hid them in the calligraphy vault...!"

Before Moriya Teiji could finish speaking, Conan, who had put away his voice changer, walked into the exhibition room from outside and repeated to the still-unresponsive Moriya Teiji, "So that's how it is. So the disguise tools used by the suspect in the bombing were all hidden in the vault in the study!"

"Wh...what?" Moriya Teiji's face instantly went blank.

Conan took the "evidence" from Inspector Shiratori, and while wiping his sunglasses with a handkerchief, he said, "Actually, these sunglasses are just my glasses. I just blackened the lenses with a water-based pen."

"Ah!?" Moriya Teiji opened his mouth wide in shock. At this moment, he realized that he had been deceived by these guys, and their purpose was to trick him into revealing the location of the tools he had hidden for the crime.

"As for this wig, I just cut off the feathers from the helmet in the study and made it on the spot. These were all Shinichi's ideas!" Conan said with a smile, while also shifting all the blame onto himself.

"Damn it!" Moriya Teiji was now gritting his teeth in hatred.

"Master Moriya, please come with us to the station!" Officer Shiratori walked towards Teiji Moriya.

However, Teiji Moriya was not prepared to surrender so easily. He suddenly took a step back, dodging Officer Shiratori's outstretched hand, and then pulled out a lighter-shaped detonator from his pocket, facing the crowd and saying, "Don't move! If anyone dares to move, the bomb I planted in this house will explode!"

"Ah!" Inspector Megure, Inspector Shiratori, and Kogoro Mouri jumped up in alarm, staring in horror at the detonator in Tei-Hand Moriya's hand.

Only Conan calmly said, "It's impossible for it to explode!"

"what?"

Everyone looked at Conan in confusion, and Kogoro Mouri even raised his fist at Conan, wishing he could teach this brat who didn't know how serious the situation was a lesson.

"Because of that detonator!" Conan quickly pulled out two dry-cell batteries from his back to explain, "There are no batteries inside!"

"This, how is this possible!" Moriya Teiji opened the detonator in disbelief, and sure enough, he found that the place where the battery used to be was now empty.

"You, when did you... no, how did you know that this was the detonator for the bomb?!" Moriya Teiji stared at Conan in front of him with a look of utter disbelief.

Inspector Megure and the others looked at Conan with curiosity, hoping he would give an explanation.

"Of course I know." Conan didn't bother to hide anything, so he replied with a smile, "Because Master Moriya, you don't use a lighter at all. I noticed that when you light your pipe, you always use one of those long matches."

When Moriya Teiji heard Conan's explanation, he was also taken aback, and only then did he realize the oversight he had made.

Conan continued, "As for the fragrant smell that Ayumi mentioned, I think it's the smell of tobacco on you, Master Moriya."

Noticing the increasingly absurd expressions on everyone's faces, Conan realized he had gone a bit overboard, so he quickly scratched his head and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Haha, well, all of this was told to me by Aragaki-nii-san. He said that when he attended the afternoon tea party that day, he also smelled a special fragrance on Master Moriya!"

"Oh, I see!" Inspector Megure's expression finally relaxed, and he snapped out of his confusion, immediately pointing at Teiji Moriya and roaring, "Everyone, arrest him right now!"

"!!!"

Chapter 248 Mika Building, Explosion!

"Excellent! This matter is finally resolved. Congratulations!"

Even though his reasoning was wrong, Kogoro Mouri couldn't help but cheer when he saw the real culprit being handcuffed by Inspector Shiratori.

"What's there to celebrate, Mr. Mori? You've gone too far! You're calling me a suspect!" Officer Shiratori complained to Kogoro Mori, somewhat displeased.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just that everyone has their off days, hahaha!" Kogoro Mouri once again flashed his signature smile.

Conan, standing to the side, could only roll his eyes helplessly at Kogoro Mouri's words, muttering to himself, "I think this isn't just a case of misattribution, but rather a complete misclassification!"

"Hehehe~"

Just as everyone was relaxing because the case had been perfectly solved, Moriya Teiji, who was handcuffed, suddenly sneered: "If you think that's all that matters, you're sorely mistaken. Because there's another building I plan to destroy."

"!!!"

Conan was startled and looked sharply at another photo hanging on the wall next to him, which was a picture of the Beika Building.

"Isn't there perfect symmetry there either?"

"Hmph, saying it was because of the collapse of the bubble economy and the lack of sufficient construction funds is utterly ridiculous. That was the worst project of my life!" Moriya Teiji glanced disdainfully at the Beika Building in the photo, then angrily looked at Conan and the others and continued, "You people simply don't understand my aesthetics!"

"Heh~" Amidst the incredulous expressions of the crowd, Moriya Teiji glanced at the time on his watch and said with a cold laugh, "There's only one minute left until ten o'clock..."

Xiaolan!

In that instant, Conan suddenly realized something, his pupils dilated, and his eyes were filled with terror.

……

Inside the waiting area of ​​the movie theater in the Mihana Building.

Ring ring~

Ran, who was chatting with Akemi Miyano, suddenly heard her cell phone ring.

Xiaolan took her phone out of her bag and immediately answered the call.

"Hello, this is Xiao..."

However, before Ran could finish speaking, Conan's anxious voice interrupted her.

"Sister Xiaolan! You need to get out of there quickly!"

"Hmm?" Ran's brows furrowed suddenly. Just as she was about to ask Conan what he meant, she heard a loud "bang"!

The next moment, accompanied by flames and thick smoke, the entire cinema lobby of the Mihana Building began to shake violently.

The crowd inside the Mihana Building instantly erupted into commotion.

"..."

"Ran-neechan...!? Ran-neechan, are you alright! Ran-neechan!" Conan called out Ran's name anxiously.

He naturally heard the explosion coming from Ran's phone, but the next moment, Conan and Ran's call went dead.

"Ran, are you alright! Ran!" Kogoro Mouri, who was also extremely worried about Ran's condition, snatched the phone from Conan's hand and started calling out.