The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Chapter 1204: 戻る(return)

Tang Ze had seen this level of brightness before.

On the brooch that was given to him by Haibara Ai and is now almost a permanent part of Joker's attire.

His parents left behind quite a lot of backup plans, and even what Haibara Ai knew was not all of them.

Tang Ze calmly closed his third eye, took the box, opened it, and observed the contents with his naked eyes again.

This is a pair of haori buttons, which are the straps used to fasten the chest of the jacket of a men's formal kimono.

The box contained a beaded haori button with a metal pendant at the bottom center.

Without touching it, Tang Ze could guess its origin. Maybe it was picked from his father's clothes eight years ago.

"It looks like my parents' style." Tang Ze took it out and shook it gently, looking at the swaying small triangle. "But it looks like an ordinary accessory. How did they convince you with this?"

Yuan Hai smiled and told Tang Ze a somewhat mysterious story.

"As long as the owner doesn't take it down and give it to them personally, no matter how many times it's been taken away, as soon as it's out of sight, it will return to its original location?"

After listening to Tang Ze's retelling, even the teammates who were already very familiar with the cognitive world were still shocked.

I have to say that I knew the Tangze family was outrageous, but when I found out they could be even more outrageous, I couldn't help but be shocked.

"Yeah, that's what I mean." Tang Ze looked at the open box in front of him with mixed feelings.

He had seen similar situations before, and now he somewhat understood why his parents gave the brooch to Haibara Ai so solemnly.

His K-shaped brooch had become a permanent piece of jewelry since he put it on. Even when he entered the Velvet Room, it would remain unreasonably fixed on his chest, no matter what clothes he wore.

Just like this haori button, it can’t be taken away or removed. Unless the person who already owns it sincerely takes it down and passes it on, it will be stubbornly tied there.

This may be the most obvious part of the cognitive attributes they have come into contact with. Their research on cognitive psychology has indeed reached a considerable depth.

"So..." Miyano Akemi said slowly, her chin resting on her hand as she pondered, "This is also a very valuable X-alloy product? Then why would they give it to Abbot Yuanhai, whom they only met once?"

"They were already under surveillance by the organization at the time." Zhu Fujingguang shook his head and offered a guess that sounded quite accurate. "Even if they went to Sannoji Temple to investigate the statue, they couldn't let the organization find out. So they had to take advantage of the Gion Festival to go and see it. It's safer to hand it over to a virtuous monk than to the organization."

Tang Ze nodded in agreement.

They obviously realized how sufficient cognition would change reality, but they cleverly packaged this part of the research content as an almost playful approach to faith. Even Haibara Ai thought that they were just going to various religious places and paying their respects as the opportunity arose.

Under the cover of this premise, a haori tie would not attract the attention of the organization at all.

Just as they had hoped, Yuan Hai took good care of the tape and eventually gave it to their child.

If you think about it this way, it doesn't seem like a coincidence that his mother Leona chose to send this yukata to him.

"I guess this thing also helped Sannoji Temple to some extent." Shimabukuro Kimie looked at the things on the table and tilted her head. "For such a serious matter as the loss of the Buddha statue to be concealed by the abbot and Long Yuan for eight years, there must be external influence."

After all, the Medicine Buddha statue is the most valuable asset of Sannoji Temple. The two of them were persuaded by the Tangze couple and chose not to call the police, which would likely lead to other troubles.

Even Kogoro Mouri would instinctively suspect that they were stealing from the inside. Even when Conan found out who the murderer was, he would question whether there was collusion. The cost of not calling the police is still very high.

The Tangze couple may have noticed this and left the laces to them.

Cognitive attributes still have a considerable impact on people. The magician's props will have the effect of focusing attention because of the long-term "deception" of the audience. This accessory may also have a similar effect.

"Indeed," said Tang Ze, who had already tried to add it to his accessories. "Its special properties aren't as strong as my brooch, but it can divert attention to a certain extent. If I keep it in the shrine, it won't easily arouse suspicion."

When it was in the props bar, there was an extremely obvious special entry, which was cognitive bias.

During combat, its property is that the wearer will not easily become a target of attack. Tang Ze guessed that this was probably invented by his parents to make it easier for them to cause trouble under the organization's nose.

So when he heard Abbot Yuankai's declaration that "I will come back when the time comes", Maori Kogoro just complained a few words in his heart and didn't think anything bad about it.

I started wondering if they were also suspects after I left Shanneng Temple.

This is what those who have directly witnessed the theft of the Buddha statue think. It is self-evident what those who only care about the Buddha statue will think.

"They'd rather hand such an important item over to the abbot than let them call the police," Matsuda Jinpei lamented. "Don't they trust the police? Or do they sense that this place is unsafe?"

They have been cleaning up the Tokyo police for so long that they know whether they can be trusted or not.

There were pests, and they eliminated quite a few of them, but most of them were not ordinary grassroots police officers. And since there were so many police officers in Tokyo, the infiltration was not too serious due to the dilution.

This may be why organizations are focusing more attention on big businesses and politicians.

As we can see from the case of Karasawa, Kyoto has been in a very serious state.

If you call the police at this place, even if the Buddha statue can be found in the end, once its special cognitive effect is noticed, it will be instantly refined by the organization in the next second.

It makes sense that the Tangze couple had some concerns and would rather let the Buddha statue fall into the hands of thieves or black market buyers than let the abbot call the police.

"Maybe both." Tang Ze thought for a moment and made a judgment. "It's best not to attract too much attention to this Buddha statue, so as not to be targeted by the organization. That's probably what they think."

This Buddha statue is only exhibited once every twelve years, and for them at that time, the next exhibition would be eight years later.

Eight years later, the Buddha statue will almost display its own properties, return quietly, and be exhibited normally by the people of Shanneng Temple.

Everything is very bland and will not attract much attention.

The current situation is exactly the same as they judged. Sannoji Temple only invited Mori Kogoro, which did not attract the attention of others. Even the abbot's old friends who practiced kendo only thought that Mori Kogoro came to investigate Genji Hotaru.

Except for the envious member of Genji Hotaru, no one else's attention was on the Buddha statue.

Now some of the thieves are dead and some are imprisoned, and the Buddha statue has been returned silently by the two detectives. Except for Hattori Heiji, who has an overly strong sense of involvement and has used the white hair of the Buddha statue as a token of love for so long, it seems that no one else has been hurt.

"Should we say they have planned everything out?" Miyano Akemi sighed with mixed feelings.

He calculated the deaths of so many uncles and aunts, and even his own death.

Did they also anticipate the setbacks and hardships that Tang Ze would encounter? Did they also anticipate how Tang Ze would feel if he tried his best but still couldn't bring them back?

----

"Xiao Ai, what are you looking at?"

Seeing her companion standing on the side of the road and looking at the sign, Ayumi Yoshida ran over happily.

She put her arm around the former before turning her gaze to what the other person was looking at.

It's filled with dense words, and it makes people dizzy after just two glances. Fortunately, Xiao Ai can still read it...

"This is an introduction to the Li Bridge." Haibara Ai caught Yoshida Ayumi who rushed over and said gently, "According to legend, this is the border between the Yin and Yang worlds."

"Eh?" Yoshida Ayumi was stunned for a moment, and the arm around her tightened unconsciously. "Is this so scary? If we go over there, it means we're in the underworld?"

"No, the sign tells a different story." Huiyuan Ai shook her head slightly. "It's about a man whose father died. The funeral procession was carrying the coffin past here, and the deceased suddenly came back to life and came back to say goodbye to his children."

"Dead father, are you saying goodbye to me again?" Yoshida Ayumi repeated in a low voice, her expression much more relaxed.

It's also about the dead returning to the human world, but it sounds much warmer than ghosts.

Huiyuan Ai nodded: "That's why it's called the Li Bridge. From then on, funeral processions would avoid this place to avoid disturbing the souls of the dead."

"Li" means to return.

In other words, this is the entrance for the dead souls to return from the underworld and travel between the two worlds.

"Why? Don't they want to see their dead relatives again?" Yoshida Ayumi frowned in confusion.

"Perhaps not everyone would like to see this," Huibara Ai said softly. "The more famous legend about this place is that it was one of the barriers to suppress evil spirits, and it is famous for the story of Abe no Haruaki. When it comes to ghosts, most people are still afraid."

The real ancient bridge had long been destroyed over the years, and the model they could see was actually a derivative of the Abe no Haruaki Shrine.

The return of the dead from the underworld can cause anxiety and doubt, even for one's closest relatives.

"I see..." Yoshida Ayumi nodded, not quite understanding.

She didn't quite understand Haibara Ai's feelings, but she could somewhat feel that when discussing this topic, the mood of her friends around her was not high, but rather a little depressed.

"Are you worried about brother Tang Ze, Xiao Ai?"

Seeing the two girls gathered together, the two boys who were looking around to buy snacks also followed them.

"Worried? What does he have to worry about?" When mentioning Tang Ze, Huiyuan Ai curled her lips, "The people who should really be worried are the police."

It is true that the shady manipulation of this case was the work of an organization, but does the Metropolitan Police Department, which was infiltrated and treated it like a child's play, not need to reflect on itself?

The organization is definitely not a good thing. It has harmed so many people and ruined her entire family. In this case, the police can also be considered victims...

But what happened to Tang Ze was not fake. The fact that Tang Ze can stand in front of everyone now is entirely due to his own efforts.

Given all the above, it would be too much to ask her not to vent her anger on the Kyoto police.

"Because the police made a mistake in handling the case?"

"No, no, there's no case at all. I heard from Brother Tang Ze that he hasn't even seen the person involved..."

"Exactly. How can there be a case of injury where you don't even know who you hurt..."

"If this happened in Tokyo, the police officer handling the case would have been punched into the ground by Officer Sato."

Haibara Ai listened to the children's discussion about their sympathy for Tang Ze, curled the corners of her mouth, and turned her gaze back to the sign in front of her.

Souls returning from the underworld to demand retribution from the living? Even a dark one would make for a good story.

----

"Is it okay to just sign here?"

"Yes, just sign here."

"Wait a moment, I need to review the specific interrogation records."

"Of course, it's your freedom."

Ayanokouji Fumimaro watched with mixed emotions as the boy sitting opposite him methodically picked up the records on the table and flipped through them one by one, still with a gentle smile on his face. In his heart, he was already cursing the police officer who had handled the case before.

It has been emphasized many times that arrests must be made with caution.

If this happens, not only the Metropolitan Police Department, but also the court and prosecutors will be reprimanded.

There was a typical case in which there were obvious loopholes in the handling of the case, and it received support from police in other counties and cities right from the start. It was clear that the other party would not let the matter go hastily, but would choose to submit the case to a higher court for retrial.

The case reached Tokyo and the Supreme Court, and Kyoto was considered to have lost face.

Tang Ze picked up the records and read them slowly, not seeming to be in a hurry at all. He was even in a mood to comment: "The conditions here are better than the police station in Kamijyo Ward. Is it because you have more funding?"

This kind of process, which requires overturning the case and starting over from the beginning, is quite troublesome.

Therefore, even for the contents of this informal transcript, Tang Ze had to confirm again and again that there was no embellishment or distortion in the text.

——This was the request made by Eri Kisaki, who called specifically after learning about their situation.

When the case is taken to the Supreme Court, if nothing unexpected happens, his attorney will be Eri Kisaki.

He was definitely not the one who should be trembling right now, so even though he was sitting in this place used to interrogate criminals, Tang Ze was not panicked at all.

As far as he could remember, he had never been to the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department, and when he was arrested, he was first sent to a district-level police station.

The interrogation room there was much more cramped than here, and the glaring incandescent light shone directly on one's face, making it almost impossible to open one's eyes.

In contrast, it is much more spacious here.

Ayanokouji Fumimaro, who was not happy at all despite being praised, said: "..."