Phantom Thief of Heart!but conan

Chapter 1274 Just a Detective's Toy

Under Tang Ze's vigilance, they did not immediately mistake the guy who was pulled up for Shinichi Kudo. After all, they could neither confirm nor disprove it, and they could not simply watch a living person with amnesia running around naked.

So in the end, this guy with yet another Kudo face was taken back to the Okuho Inn by them.

With two high school students of similar height, Hattori Heiji and Karasawa, there shouldn't be any problem getting him a set of clothes.

"Heiji's clothes fit you perfectly..." Kazuha Toyama nodded as she watched the person walk in while adjusting their cuffs.

When she turned around to let Ran Mouri see for herself, she found that Ran Mouri wasn't waiting there at all. Instead, she was holding her phone and whispering something to Karasawa and Hattori.

"Tang Ze, there must be a reason why you think he's not Shinichi, right?" Clutching her phone, which had no signal, her expression was full of worry. "Then where do you think Shinichi is? Is he still outside?"

Tang Ze glanced quickly in that direction and nodded slightly: "Hmm, I do think he's not Kudo. Hattori, after watching this whole journey, what do you think?"

Compared to someone like him who relies on cheat codes, Heiji Hattori's intuition and observation skills speak for themselves better.

Sure enough, Hattori Heiji shook his head slightly with a serious expression: "The more I look at him, the more something seems off. His face does look like that guy's, but I always feel that his build, gait, and everything else are a bit different... Well, although I've certainly never seen a normal Kudo many times..."

Without the preconceived notion of his identity, it would be a gross overestimation to think that Makoto Yata could fool Heiji Hattori with his limited skills.

Although Hattori Heiji may not be very familiar with the older Kudo, he has long been acquainted with Kudo's personality and temperament, and can always detect a slight sense of incongruity.

"Yeah, I also have a strange feeling about it." Thinking of Conan's phone in his hand, Ran Mouri sighed with worry. "We can't rule out the possibility that Shinichi really has amnesia, but..."

But the more she looked at that familiar face, the harder it was for her to feel any normal concern, as if her subconscious was warning her to stay away from this guy.

If it really were Shinichi Kudo himself, having endured such a profound ordeal as falling into the lake and losing his memory, how could she possibly need to convince herself to care for him...?

“If he’s not Kudo, then it means Kudo might be in his hands now.” Tang Ze shook his head. “Don’t make any rash moves. Keep your distance and see what this guy is up to.”

"What are you all discussing here?" Kogoro Mouri, who walked in from outside, rolled his eyes at their appearance. "We'll have to wait until we get back to Tokyo to find out who this kid who fell into the water is. There's no point in discussing it now. It's time to go eat."

Despite what Kogoro Mouri said, judging from his expression and stance, Tang Ze's questioning had indeed alerted him, and it was clear that he didn't want to get too close to this person of unknown identity.

Standing in the corridor waiting, Koshimizu Nanatsuki looked at the strange scene in the room and a smile crept onto her lips.

“They pulled up a Kudo Shinichi, but we can’t even be sure if he’s really Kudo Shinichi… How interesting. It seems the real mystery isn’t the case from a year ago.” She nudged Hoshikawa Teru beside her with her elbow. “Is this why you insisted on coming along?”

"Probably." Hoshikawa Teru observed Tang Ze's expression for a while, and after confirming that Tang Ze was actually quite confident, he looked away. "Do you think 'amnesia' can be considered a form of mental injury?"

"That's an interesting point of view. Most cases of regressive amnesia are pathological, right?" Koshimizu Nanatsuki looked at the young man who was standing there blankly, seemingly at a loss. "What, you're planning to 'cure' him?"

It was a bit strange for the detectives to discuss whether amnesia was a good thing or not, but she tacitly agreed that Akechi had brought up this point to her, intending to try the methods of the Phantom Thief of Hearts.

Strictly speaking, Phantom Thief of the Heart can indeed be seen as a psychologist who takes an unorthodox approach, only his treatment method is physical therapy, which is somewhat brutal.

Of course, there's not much they can do about truly pathological mental illnesses that have already resulted in organic lesions, but they've actually managed to correct quite a few cases of depression.

Putting everything else aside, just considering Koshimizu Nanatsuki herself, Kaoru's situation can be seen as an acute treatment for depressive symptoms, saving her from a dead end.

However, whether someone who suffers from amnesia will also lose their psychological problems and distortions simply because they forget their past is a topic worth discussing...

“Of course.” Hoshikawa Teru twitched the corner of his mouth. “If he really has amnesia, maybe he can be treated. If he has other motives, then he needs to be treated even more.”

"That sounds really creepy..." Koshimizu Nanatsuki exaggeratedly rubbed her arms.

"I'm really sorry. I just tried it, and the name 'Shinichi Kudo' didn't register at all."

What Hoshikawa Teru was referring to was, of course, testing within the otherworld navigation, but no feedback was received.

"Oh?" Koshimizu Nanatsuki raised an eyebrow. "What do you think is the reason? Is it because he doesn't have any trauma, or is it because amnesia has caused him to lose even his identification with his name..."

"Or, his name might not be that at all."

Hoshikawa Teru glared at the person who followed Tang Ze and the others out, his tone extremely impolite.

Tang Ze had never explicitly told anyone about his ability to sense certain people, but Hoshikawa Teru was aware of it.

On many occasions in the past, such as when he went to the Noah's Ark Hall, Tang Ze demonstrated that even though he was not physically present, he could accurately sense their condition and provide support from a great distance.

Therefore, Hoshikawa Teru has reason to believe that Tang Ze's questioning must have been based on accurate judgment, but Tang Ze's status prevented him from revealing this basis.

This person is not Shinichi Kudo, so using Shinichi Kudo to test will obviously yield no results.

“The way you describe it makes it sound like a horror story.” Koshimizu Nanatsuki stroked her chin, but her expression was quite the opposite of what she was saying – she was very interested. “Then I’ll go and test him out later.”

Walking at the back of the group, Makoto Yata, who was casually dealing with Kogoro Mouri and Kazuha Toyama, suddenly felt a chill run through his body and couldn't help but raise his hands to hug himself, trying to ward off the cold.

"What's wrong, Kudo?" Kazuha Toyama, who was still treating him as Shinichi Kudo for the time being, looked at his movements strangely. "Are you still feeling cold?"

"...Yeah, it's pretty cold. Maybe you've been in the water for too long." "Then you should find somewhere to buy some cold medicine later. Judging from your voice, you really do sound like you have a cold."

"Okay, thank you."

That being said, Makoto Uta still felt the cold air seeping in from all directions. It didn't feel like a cold or fever; it felt more like being stared at by some ferocious beast, causing his entire body to tremble with fear.

All I can say is that if Makoto Yata truly understood detectives, especially the urban legends surrounding Kogoro Mouri, he really shouldn't have made such a rash decision to attack Shinichi Kudo.

After all, the people who have their eyes on him are not just Koshimizu Nanatsuki.

After a brief discussion with Karasawa and Ran Mouri, Heiji Hattori's suspicions reached their peak.

Not to mention Tang Ze, who had anticipated the situation and even considered him as the main dish for the Phantom Thieves' team building activity.

A schemer? A cunning strategist? A pretender?
No, it's just a detective's toy.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Go directly to the crime scene and see if you can stimulate his memory?" Upon hearing this suggestion, Kogoro Mouri's expression became extremely strange. "A murder scene is not suitable for a patient with amnesia to see..."

According to the police's previous description, the place was not only covered in blood, but also extremely gruesome.

A year ago, Shinichi Kudo concluded that of the two victims, the wife was first killed by her husband with a sharp weapon, after which the husband climbed to a high place and fell to his death. Before their deaths, the two had a fierce argument, fighting and entanglement, leaving several rooms in a mess and covered in blood.

This amnesiac detective kid has even forgotten his own name, let alone his past glorious achievements. Making him face the crime scene directly would only drive him crazy.

"Isn't this the treatment we tried when Miss Ran had her condition last time?" Hattori Heiji insisted on making the suggestion. "Going to see places that might leave a deep impression could gradually awaken memories. Since it was such a terrible case, Kudo should remember it, right?"

“Indeed,” Nanatsuki Koshimizu echoed, swallowing her sushi. “I might not remember many details from the past, but I remember every case I’ve been involved in vividly. I imagine that’s true for Kudo, the famous detective, too.”

“Yes, Ms. Koshimizu is right. Look at our previous program, even someone like Tokitsu Junya remembered the cases he had handled.” Hattori Heiji chimed in, earning a wistful glance from Koshimizu Nanatsuki.

"Ahem." Before Koshimizu Nanatsuki could have an attack, Tang Ze coughed, swallowing his laughter. "What you said makes sense. Kudo is an outstanding detective, and amnesia shouldn't affect his brilliant mind. Since we're going to reinvestigate anyway, having him go through the case from the beginning will be helpful."

"Shall we go see it today?" Kogoro Mouri looked hesitant. "I'd like to soak in the hot springs later..."

"The crime scene isn't far away, and the village chief's house is in the center of the village, right? Take a look around before you relax, that's good too."

"Yeah, Dad, are you here to investigate a case or just relax...?"

"It won't take long. The police might still be waiting for us. At least let them show us around and give us an introduction."

Amidst the insistence and shoving of a group of high school students, Kogoro Mouri was pushed to the police station again, and followed the policeman named Kazuma Shiroyama to the old house of the village chief.

According to Shiroyama Kazuma, the house has been abandoned since the murder a year ago. The two children in the family have moved to other places, and no one has come to this place for a long time.

"It's even more exaggerated than I imagined..."

Looking at the chaotic scene, with almost all the decorations smashed on the floor and the room practically impossible to step in, Kogoro Mori finally understood just how chaotic the scene was, as Kazuma Shiroyama had previously described.

This is beyond what can be simply described as chaos; it's like a typhoon has passed through.

“The youngest child in the family, Da Shu, went to visit relatives that day and stayed there instead of going home. He was lucky to escape the disaster.” Shiroyama Kazuma pointed to a child in the family photo next to him. “It was his request to restore this place to how it was when the incident happened. I specifically looked for photos of the scene where evidence was collected at the time, which took some effort.”

According to normal case handling procedures, the police will definitely come to collect evidence first, and will definitely take away a lot of evidence from the scene.

This will inevitably change the situation on site, so what Shiroyama Kazuma said about spending a lot of time is really not an exaggeration.

"Oh, this is the little kid I met at the office this morning." Looking at the child in the photo, Hattori Heiji recognized him immediately. "The one who said Kudo was a liar."

“He’s the child who survived from the family. No wonder he has such a strong grudge against Shinichi Kudo.” Nanatsuki Koshimizu also leaned over to observe, then pointed to the other people in the photo. “Are these the village head and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Hihara? And this one, is Makoto Yata?”

In the photo, four people with bright, warm smiles are embracing each other amidst a beautiful spring scene. It's clear they have a good relationship and the atmosphere is lovely.

“Yes, Village Chief Hihara is a cheerful and respected man who has served as village chief for over 20 years. The villagers are heartbroken by this tragedy.” Shiroyama Kazuma nodded. “We also helped look after Makoto and Daiki. It’s truly a tragedy that such a perfectly good family ended up like this.”

“I understand what everyone is thinking. If there was no intruder, then the scene looks like this, which means that Village Chief Hihara violently smashed things in his house and then stabbed his wife to death in his home. This is completely contrary to his image, and the villagers cannot accept this answer.”

Looking around the scene, Koshimizu Nanatsuki made this judgment, then turned her head and looked at the person standing blankly at the door.

"Hmm, it's time to see how your investigation went back then. Kudo, you're stepping into a crime scene for the first time, just like us. Do you remember anything? Or, if you were to investigate it again, what would you do?"

Now, everyone's attention turned to them.

Having finally escaped the painful memories, Makoto Uta looked up and was immediately overwhelmed by the pressure from the room full of people: "..."

I asked you all to reinvestigate, but how come you all assume that Shinichi Kudo has amnesia and can still give answers?

Shinichi Kudo, what a hateful guy he is...!
(End of this chapter)