Detective Conan: Is Miss Haibara planning to assault a police officer again today?

Chapter 8 Investigation into the Counterfeit Money Case

If something is hard to explain, just let it pass naturally.

When Shiho Miyano came out of the room after changing her clothes, Ning Higashino had already left.

"You're really busy..."

The joy and anticipation on Shiho Miyano's face gradually subsided, and she sat down heavily on the sofa, feeling a little lost and unsure of what to do next.

Yes, what should she do?

It's not advisable to think about returning to the organization in this state for now. It's also pointless to talk about causing trouble for Gin. It's even questionable whether you can find out where Gin is.

If her only goal is to eliminate Gin, she needs to make a great deal of preparations.

If the goal is to destroy the organization, then she needs to make even more preparations.

Everything must start from the very basics.

With no money, no connections, no social standing, and still just a little girl, she couldn't even take her first step.

"So, we still need to find Shinichi Kudo first..."

Shiho Miyano sighed softly, then suddenly realized something, "That guy... could he be trying to keep me from leaving by saying he can't come back tonight?"

After saying that, she shook her head vigorously, "How could that be... It is indeed a bit suspicious that she would have time to buy me clothes even though she said she was busy, but it is also very reasonable for her to take time out of her busy schedule to deal with my affairs first."

Strange... Why does she always think of herself as "very needed"?

Shiho Miyano rubbed her inexplicably flushed face, while also noticing the money and note on the table.

She hesitated for a moment, then picked up the note.

I might be back very late tonight, so you'll have to take care of dinner yourself.

Okay, okay, you didn't mention sending me away at all.

Shiho Miyano increasingly felt that Ning Higashino didn't want her to leave.

"But...how can I continue to cause you trouble..."

Regardless of Higashino Ning's thoughts, she should leave now for her own purposes.

As if she had made up her mind, Shiho Miyano tore off a note, wrote a paragraph carefully, and then packed the new clothes into a backpack.

The backpack was quite large, and her small shoulders were strained.

"Sometimes, kindness can be so heavy that it can feel like a burden."

"But......"

Shiho Miyano tightened the backpack strap, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. "It's something you can't bear to throw away, and it even gives you the strength to keep going."

She pushed open the door and left into the sunlight.

Next stop... Beikacho 2-21.

...

the other side.

As Higashino Ning was searching along the street with Takagi Wataru, a sudden unease flashed through her mind.

For some reason, the image of Shiho Miyano standing at the door waving at him vividly appeared in his mind.

"That guy wouldn't have run away, would he...?"

Higashino Ning muttered something to himself and beckoned Takagi Wataru to head to the next shop.

He said that if Shiho Miyano wanted to leave, he wouldn't force her to stay.

The two weren't exactly blindly investigating anymore. After leaving home, Takagi Wataru took him back to the Metropolitan Police Department to retrieve the document he hadn't taken with him.

The above mainly consist of reports from merchants who received counterfeit currency. Routine follow-up investigations and portrait sketching of suspects are now standard procedures.

The afternoon passed quickly.

Higashino Ning and Takagi Wataru returned to the car.

“Ah… just from their descriptions, there are just too many people using counterfeit money.” Takagi Wataru patted his forehead with the heel of his hand. “It seems that those criminals have spread out their operations completely. It will be very difficult to catch the people responsible for selling counterfeit money, let alone the masterminds behind it.”

To be honest, given the current scope of this case's impact, Takagi Wataru feels his future is already in jeopardy, with thick smoke completely obscuring the light.

Higashino Ning sat in the passenger seat, reviewing today's investigation results, and said in a low voice, "Don't be so desperate. There might be problems within their criminal gang now."

"How so?" Takagi Wataru's eyes lit up.

Higashino Ning continued flipping through Takagi Wataru's notebook, noting, "The frequency of receiving counterfeit money in this area has decreased significantly recently."

"If the reason for changing the region is to avoid being caught, then there should be no record of counterfeit currency being used in this area recently, since the earliest date of counterfeit currency use was two months ago."

"Since people are still using it, it means that the use of counterfeit money has not spread to a very large extent. The two areas we investigated today are basically like this, and I think it is quite common."

He snapped the notebook shut and tossed it to Takagi Wataru, then leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. “And the longer the time goes on, the less counterfeit money there is, which may mean that they are slowing down the speed at which they produce counterfeit money.”

"Furthermore, these merchants have not received the newly released currency recently, which seems unreasonable. Even if it is a new currency, there should be quite a few people using it, given its large scale."

Following Higashino Ning's train of thought, Takagi Wataru thought for a moment and found it quite reasonable. "So what kind of problems do you think have arisen within them?"

"If we can identify the type of problem, we might be able to trace it back to its source by observing sudden changes in equipment, personnel, and other aspects of society."

Higashino Ning couldn't help but look at Takagi Wataru with new respect, and said haphazardly, "It's possible that there's a problem with the new coin's printing plate, or it could be that the person responsible for drawing the counterfeit coin samples has a problem. I'm not really clear on the specific process of manufacturing coins."

Takagi Wataru nodded. "Well, let's end today's investigation here. It's getting late, I'll take you home first."

As he spoke, he winked at Dongye Ning as if he were somewhat sentimental, "After all, you still have a little girl to take care of."

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"Speaking of which, how long will she stay at your house? It's not exactly a holiday now, is it?"

Higashino Ning turned her head to the side. "I don't know how long I'll stay."

He opened the car door and said, "You go back first, I want to walk around here a bit more."

To be honest, he's a little reluctant to go home now, afraid that his afternoon prediction will come true and he'll find an empty house.

Although the Shiho Miyano he encountered was quite different from the original character, it must be said that this version of Shiho Miyano was more suitable for living together.

Because the other person brings energy and happiness.

There's no real difference between screwing in screws and being a policeman; it's just a different identity to experience the emptiness of adult life.

Higashino Ning's long-standing numbness was also touched by Miyano Shiho's actions.

Once a person has experienced something new, it's hard to go back. Even if they do go back, it's normal to miss it all the time.

Takagi Wataru pursed his lips and stared at Higashino Ning.

Although he didn't know exactly what the other person was thinking, he knew that his good friend was a little unhappy at the moment.

The car went from starting to turning off.

bang~

The car door closed gently.

Takagi Wataru sighed, feigning a helpless smile, "You really have defeated me. Do you have to work this hard for a promotion?"

"Right now, you're my only subordinate. I don't want to become all alone too soon."

Higashino Ning glanced sideways and couldn't help but reveal a genuinely helpless smile.

"Hey! You used counterfeit money!"

"Help! Someone's using counterfeit money!"

Just then, a shout came from a convenience store a dozen meters away on the street, and two figures ran out one after the other.

Takagi Wataru and Higashino Ning exchanged a glance and chased after them without hesitation.

Chapter 9 The Evening Breeze Was Cool

Chasing criminals is nothing new to Higashino Ning, as he has relevant memories to support his actions.

The other party was running very fast, so he and Takagi Wataru chose to split up, one chasing after them and the other taking a detour to intercept them from the front.

Higashino Ning was the one responsible for taking the detour.

The reason is quite simple: he runs faster than Takagi Wataru and has better stamina.

As a patrol officer, familiarity with the terrain is essential.

There are many alleyways on the right side of the road ahead, giving Higashino Ning a lot of room to maneuver.

The quiet alley was gradually filled with footsteps, and Takagi Wataru kept shouting, both to put pressure on the prisoner and to provide Higashino Ning with location information.

Soon, Higashino Ning, who had been holding his breath and accelerating again, finally found an opportunity. He rushed out of the alley and tackled the criminal from the side.

"You...are under arrest!"

Following his body's instincts, Higashino Ning pinned the prisoner to the ground, tied his hands behind his back, and then took out handcuffs.

His movements were so fluid and natural that even he was somewhat surprised.

At the same time, a sense of accomplishment arises from successfully capturing criminals.

This feeling... is amazing!

Dongye Ning gasped for breath. Seeing that the other person was still struggling on the ground and uttering rude words, he immediately pressed down on the other person's face and continued to increase the force he exerted.

Fueled by adrenaline, he was using too much force, and in a moment of distraction, the other person's face was scraped raw by the ground, and he was yelling in pain.

"Higashino, don't go too far!"

Takagi Wataru, who arrived shortly after, leaned on his knees, panting, "Let's... take him back to the Metropolitan Police Department first."

Detain the prisoner, then find the convenience store owner from before and ask him to go to the Metropolitan Police Department with you.

Shortly after, at the Metropolitan Police Department.

Megure patted Higashino Ning hard on the shoulder and praised, "Not bad, Higashino, how's your exam preparation going? You should be able to become a department head in about three years, right?"

Higashino Ning smiled and said, "The preparations are going well. Let's start interrogating the prisoner. This guy is very stubborn, so it will probably take some effort."