Phantom Thief of Heart!but conan

Chapter 1276 Lord Death Luo Shen

“Your statement is quite different from what the others in the village say.” Because he was still questioning the person’s identity and didn’t feel that her attack had really hit Shinichi Kudo, Heiji Hattori was quite calm and retorted, “If he really is as you say, that he has been out of contact for the past six months because he has died, then who sent us the letters, and what was their purpose?”

Regardless of the entanglements in the village, their reason for coming here was simply that letter, and now Conan's disappearance is also solely due to that letter.

If Makoto Uta is dead, then it's hard to say who sent the letter and what their purpose was.

“Actually, there are only two possibilities now.” Koshimizu Nanatsuki suppressed a laugh, turned her head and held up a finger. “Either, Makoto Yata didn’t die, he couldn’t accept Shinichi Kudo’s original conclusion, and he lured us here to correct that problem, and he himself practically hates Kudo, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he attacked him…”

As she spoke, she cast a meaningful glance at "Shinichi Kudo," who stood frozen in place by the words that had sprouted from the iceberg.

This statement makes sense both ways. Whether he was the one who attacked Shinichi Kudo or Shinichi Kudo who was attacked, his presence here means that Shinichi Kudo is in trouble.

Koshimizu Nanatsuki withdrew her gaze and raised a second finger: "As for the second possibility, he really is dead. The person who sent us the letter at least knew he was dead and wouldn't come forward to expose them. In other words, they might be the murderer. Ms. Hikawa Moe, what do you think?"

After joining Amuro's agency, Nanatsuki Koshimizu appeared in public more and more often, gradually developing her own rhythm and style. As she herself described herself, she is a person who pays great attention to details and logic, and is used to guiding others to follow her train of thought. Her aura has gradually become stronger.

Faced with her uninterrupted explanation, even the highly aggressive Bingchuan Mengsheng was stunned for a moment. After thinking about her explanation for a while, he hesitated and shook his head.

"That's hard to say. The one who killed him might be from the forest, from the forest..."

She couldn't utter the next word, and her face paled considerably.

"In the forest?" Hattori Heiji repeated, lowering his brows in a strange manner.

According to the letter Kudo received, the place where Makoto Uta arranged to meet him was the place where the two of them first met, and after leaving the group, Conan headed towards the forest.

Did they first meet in the forest? In that forest...

Kogoro Mouri coughed twice and offered his assessment from his own perspective: "Whoever this person is, the fact that he so readily concluded that Kudo's reasoning was flawed means he knows the case very well. While rumors can spread quickly in towns and villages, it's unlikely that even the details of the case would be revealed so clearly. I agree with that tomboy's assessment; if this person isn't someone close to him, then it can only be the murderer himself."

This is typical police thinking: if someone knows the details of a case, they can only be the murderer if they are not a relevant person.

"That's hard to say. Quite a few people know that Kudo's reasoning is flawed."

Another voice interrupted their discussion, and the group, who were already somewhat used to such things, looked towards the door again.

The woman who came this time had her hair tied up in a tight bun, wore glasses, and was dressed in a business suit.

"And who are you?" Kogoro Mouri raised an eyebrow, looking at him with displeasure.

"I am Fukasato Kawauchi, a reporter from Dongdu News. I'm sorry, but the door was unlocked, so I came uninvited."

Hanoi Shinri's gaze swept across the room, looking at everyone's faces one by one. The glint in his eyes was something even the least perceptive person could sense.

Anyone who has worked with reporters will know very well that this is the expression of someone who has discovered a big news story and is so excited that they can hardly contain themselves.

"I didn't expect that even after disappearing for so long, Shinichi Kudo's influence is still so great." She finally turned her gaze to "Shinichi Kudo," who had been silent for half a day, "These guys are all famous detectives. With this lineup, you probably couldn't even put together a big case. You guys really 'care' about Shinichi Kudo."

"How we act is our own business, none of your concern." Hattori Heiji, who never had a good impression of reporters, didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point, "You said earlier that everyone knows his reasoning was flawed, so what exactly was the problem?"

"Ah, well, there's no way around it. A year ago, Kudo appeared in the newspapers and the public truth was that the reason the former village chief of Hihara acted so strangely, ultimately choosing to kill his wife and then commit suicide, was because the doctor told him he had cancer, and he suffered a mental breakdown in despair." Kawauchi Fukari put his hands on his hips, a high smirk on his face. "The problem is, that doctor did tell the former village chief he had cancer the day before the incident, but the next day, the medical staff told him it wasn't a serious problem, it was still in its early stages, and he could be cured with surgery. Apparently, the former village chief was very happy after hearing that, not even a little bit upset..."

As he said this, Kawauchi Fukasato kept staring at Yata Makoto, his eyes practically radiating the eager anticipation of spotting prey.

After listening to her explanation, Tang Ze couldn't help but show a subtle expression as well.

Even though they've already discovered part of the truth, they insist on playing the mystery player for the sake of news value and exclusive reporting. That's why journalists are so hated.

The reason why Kawauchi Fukasato was later attacked by Yata Makoto was because she really mistook Yata Makoto for Kudo Shinichi and discovered the real reason why the village chief committed suicide back then.

To extract more news value from this seemingly insignificant case and expand it into a story that would attract public attention, she needed to subtly pressure Shinichi Kudo and find an angle to attack, thus amplifying the explosive aspects. Therefore, she refused to reveal the full truth of her investigation in front of everyone.

This approach might work on the genuine Kudo, but the problem is that the person standing here is Makoto Yata, who already has a guilty conscience.

Makoto Yata didn't think there was anything hidden about this. The more he listened to her riddles, the more he felt that she had discovered her true identity and was now going all in...

Therefore, you shouldn't be a riddle teller; you'll get stabbed in the back.

While Tang Ze was dissecting human nature, the others were shocked by the news brought by Hanoi Shinri.

"What? You mean Kudo made a mistake?" Hattori Heiji's eyebrows furrowed immediately, and he turned and grabbed Yata Makoto's shoulder. "Hey, if you really are Kudo, then explain the situation."

He still didn't think this was Shinichi Kudo—to be precise, judging from his inaction at the scene, Heiji Hattori increasingly felt that Tang Ze's statement was highly likely, and that he might be someone with ulterior motives and other ideas.

But that's precisely why he wanted to press this person for answers.

If this isn't Kudo, then perhaps his presence here was their original purpose. "I...I don't know, I don't know anything..." Makoto Yata broke free from his grasp and took two steps back. "I really want to understand what's going on..."

His words were sincere; to be honest, he really wanted to understand everything.

"So that's how it is. No wonder everyone in the village hates that detective brat Kudo so much." Kogoro Mouri remained relatively calm, only shaking his head speechlessly.

“He turned everyone’s beloved village chief into an emotionally unstable madman and a villain. Who would like him?” Kawauchi Fukasato curled his lips. “You’re Detective Mouri, right? I didn’t expect you to care so much about Shinichi Kudo’s affairs, and even made a special trip here.”

“That’s true.” Kogoro Mouri didn’t respond, but pointed to Teru Hoshikawa standing to the side. “If it’s a formal commission, it would be very difficult for Makoto Yata to afford just the two of us.”

Of the group of detectives present, apart from Hattori Heiji, who was a volunteer working for free, the other three were private detectives working on a commercial basis.

Nanatsuki Koshimizu hasn't been in the industry for very long, but considering her relationship with Goro Akechi and the fact that she made her debut on a variety show as a brilliant revealer, her price is slightly higher than that of other detectives of the same type. As for Kogoro Mouri and Goro Akechi, they are already the top two most expensive detectives in Tokyo.

The fact that such a lineup could be assembled is really thanks to the fact that the case mainly revolves around Shinichi Kudo's old cases. Why would so many detectives want to see other people's fun?

"Many villagers are saying, 'It really was the one hiding in the forest who did it,'" Bingchuan Mengsheng said at this moment, mentioning the keyword "forest" again. "Nobody accepts Shinichi Kudo's answer..."

"So what exactly is in the forest?" Hattori Heiji looked around and then turned his gaze to Shiroyama Kazuma, a policeman who was familiar with the village.

Judging from the way these riddle makers are behaving, they're not going to properly explain this problem.

“Oh, this is a local folk tale. I often heard adults tell it when I was a child, and there are even related nursery rhymes.” Shiroyama Kazuma looked at the others present for a while and shook his head, but he finally answered the question, “Don’t enter the forest casually. If you do enter the forest, don’t look at places you dare not look at. If you do, you will become a prisoner of the god of death.”

"Shirajin? A legend of a yokai?" Hattori Heiji's expression suddenly switched to speechless. "The villagers believe that a yokai killed the village chief?"

“Yes,” Shiroyama Kazuma admitted helplessly, “There are many legends about the God of Death, right? It’s a story where, although he is the guardian deity of this land, he also punishes those who break the rules and harm the local area.”

Heiji Hattori's statement is quite accurate, because in Japanese religion and folklore, the concepts of gods and demons are one and the same, and the gods have never been portrayed as kind and compassionate.

Like many nursery rhymes that fabricate monsters that abduct children, this kind of legend is essentially a warning to locals not to venture into dangerous areas, such as undeveloped woodlands and mountains, or deep lakes and rivers. It can be considered a kind of survival wisdom.

However, it cannot be ruled out that in some relatively isolated and backward places, the veneration of such traditions can easily evolve into extreme superstition, with people actually regarding these sayings as traditions that must be followed, and rejecting and expelling those who oppose these traditions.

“It is indeed a common legend in various places.” Kogoro Mouri glanced at Hikawa Momoki, who was already trembling. “But it’s just a legend, isn’t it? Is it really necessary to be this afraid?”

When it gets to the point where even murder cases are attributed to legends, it's not just ordinary awe; it means that some people actually believe it to be true.

“Because people have really died in this forest.” Shiroyama Kazuma sighed helplessly. “Nine years ago, a girl ran into the forest and never came out again. The villagers searched for three days but couldn’t find her, so they started saying that she had broken the rules by entering the forest at night and angered the god of death, and was punished.”

Ran Mouri, who has always been terrified of ghosts and spirits, rubbed her arms and quietly moved closer to Kazuha Toyama, offering her some warmth as she stood next to her, who also looked pale and sickly.

These ghost stories from villages are really scary things...

“Oh, that? I heard about that too.” Kawauchi Fukasato adjusted his glasses. “Then, after hearing this rumor, the girl’s father ignored everyone’s objections and went into the forest at night to continue searching. As a result, he also disappeared. Two days later, the girl’s body was found in the lake. She must have fallen in shortly after entering the forest…”

The people in the room looked at each other, unsure of what to say for a moment.

The investigation and discussion were going on smoothly, but the atmosphere suddenly shifted to ghost stories and science. This kind of village is really too...unpleasant.

Tang Ze narrowed his eyes and subtly observed the people present.

Hanoi Shinri's statement may well be a deliberate attempt to create an atmosphere.

In fact, a careful analysis of her statement easily leads to another conclusion.

A village girl went missing after entering the forest, and it took the villagers three days to believe it and begin searching the forest.

However, they were unwilling to risk their lives to continue searching the dangerous woodland at night for the girl's sake. So they began to use ancient legends and rules as an excuse, saying that the girl's disappearance must be the result of breaking this rule, and they were unwilling to continue searching at night.

Only the girl's father refused to give up and insisted on entering the forest to search, but unfortunately the girl had already drowned, and his persistence did not yield good results.

By using a bit of legend as packaging, this rather indifferent and even somewhat inhumane approach takes on a completely different form.

In such a small place, legends and stories are really useful. Anyway, if you attribute something to ghosts and gods, the blame will fall on the people.

However, that is to say, the world is not a completely scientific world. Exaggerations and misinterpretations of this legend can genuinely affect people's understanding and thus change many things.

Thinking about this, Tang Ze couldn't help but become curious.

What will the impression space of Higashi-Osaka Village be like?

(End of this chapter)