The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Compared to Shinichi Kudo, who is young and unpopular with the villagers, Kogoro Mouri's image as a detective is much more reliable.

He used to be a police officer, had extensive experience in handling cases, and had received recognition from all sides. He was also a middle-aged man of some age, so he seemed more reliable than the remaining high school students.

So even before they started investigating the case, they had already learned some things from the residents' chatter.

The letter was sent by Makoto Yata, the adopted son of the Hihara couple who died a year ago.

Takitoku Nihara was the village chief at the time. He was humble, cheerful, and charitable. He served as the village chief of Higashi-Oku Village for 20 years and was well loved by the villagers.

So when this tragedy happened a year ago, the villagers were heartbroken and naturally cooperated actively with the investigation in order to find the real culprit.

As a result, the detective, who was expected to assist in the investigation, ultimately concluded that the village chief had coerced his wife into committing suicide with him.

"Even if she was diagnosed with cancer, with a temper as good as that of the village chief, it's impossible for him to do something so cruel to Mrs. Zhongzi, right?"

"Yes, even if he's afraid he can't be cured, he'll only leave a will, asking someone to take care of his family, before leaving alone..."

"That's strange, isn't it? There wasn't a will found at the scene."

"That's right, the scene was smashed to pieces... What an irresponsible detective..."

The attitudes of those around him were clearly conveyed, and they roughly understood just how unpopular Shinichi Kudo was.

Kogoro Mouri listened for a while longer, and it was unclear whether he genuinely wanted to understand the situation or simply wanted to hear people berate Shinichi Kudo. He finally managed to calm down from the crowd's agitation and raised his hand to press it down.

"Alright everyone, I understand the general situation. However, since I want to question a case conclusion that has already been established, I need to understand the specific details of the case. Does any of you know about this?"

This time, the surrounding noise was much quieter.

From their back-and-forth conversation, it's not hard to see that these villagers didn't really understand the specifics of the case, nor were they clear about Shinichi Kudo's line of reasoning in arriving at this conclusion.

More importantly, the police station at the time accepted Shinichi Kudo's answer, so they couldn't openly exchange this information. They could only ponder and discuss it secretly, and everyone's version was different.

The staff member who had initially received several people walked around the table and came out, earnestly suggesting, "I think you should go to the police station and find the officer who handled the case at the time. He definitely knows more than we do. Besides, if you want to overturn the original conclusion, you should have already explained the situation to the police station..."

“I see. Could you please have someone who knows the relevant information contact us? We might need to investigate the case.” Kogoro Mouri nodded in agreement, then made his own request.

This sounded like a serious reassessment of the situation, and the surrounding residents were naturally very cooperative.

This large group of people left the office amidst everyone's eager anticipation, exchanging glances and seeing a subtle sense of amusement on each other's faces.

“Hearing them say that, it seems that Kudo’s reasoning might not be wrong after all.” Hattori Heiji shrugged. “They are simply refusing this answer because they believe that the deceased, Hihara Takitoku, is not the kind of crazy person who would kill his wife and then commit suicide in a fit of emotional outburst.”

Although he didn't interact with the villagers like Kogoro Mouri did, he had already guessed the general situation from the discussions he overheard.

After giving an unbelievable answer, the police station simply accepted Shinichi Kudo's conclusion, but for some reason, they did not inform the villagers of the details of the case, nor did they explain and disclose the entire chain of their reasoning.

Therefore, this counterintuitive answer was naturally not accepted. It was an answer given without showing the calculation process, and people who couldn't calculate it would only think that the reference answer was printed incorrectly.

"It's hard to say. But I think I understand why Kudo-kun hasn't mentioned this case much to others." Koshimizu Nanatsuki looked at the office behind her with a somewhat amused expression. "We detectives are, after all, a consulting service industry. He came up with his own reasoning but didn't get recognition. I imagine he must be feeling pretty bad."

"...It feels like you've been working at your firm for a while now, and you've caught a bit of that vibe." Hattori Heiji sensed a familiar tone in her voice and couldn't help but glance at Akechi Goro.

“This is the kind of philosophy and wisdom that people who make a living in this industry should value.” Hoshikawa Teru received his gaze and answered bluntly, “Is it a good thing to end up like this, where no matter what the truth is, all the blame is piled on the detective?”

"Alright, let's go to the hotel and tidy up first. This is probably going to be a big project." Kogoro Mouri was too lazy to get involved in the argument of these brats, so he waved his hand. "It's almost lunchtime, and we still have to go to the police station and the scene of the incident this afternoon, so let's hurry up."

The group got back into the car and drove towards the hotel.

Conan sat in the back seat of the car, gazing at the lush green hills outside the window, his thoughts already drifting to the letter he had received.

The villagers said that Makoto Yata had disappeared, but in the letter, Makoto Yata asked him to meet him alone at the cabin in the mountains.

The most likely scenario is that Makoto Yata did not actually leave the village, but for some reason moved to a more secluded place where the villagers could not find him.

Considering his background, Conan felt both helpless and pitying, and vaguely guessed what the other person was thinking.

Noticing his absent-mindedness, Ran Mouri gently patted his back, silently casting a concerned glance at him.

The villagers harbored resentment towards Shinichi Kudo because of the case from back then, and this group of people acted as if they were complete strangers to Shinichi Kudo.

This group of people made no attempt to hold back in their words, almost openly expressing their hatred, their speech filled with slander and anger.

She believed that Shinichi's reasoning, even if flawed, was definitely not as these people described. How could Shinichi, who placed such importance on evidence and the chain of reasoning, possibly present the police with a case's conclusion without verification?

Having to confront this malice alongside them must have been incredibly painful for Shinichi...

"I have to go into the forest." Conan, who had been jolted back to his senses, turned around and saw Ran Mouri's expression, but lowered his voice and gave an unexpected answer, "Ran, please."

This means he wants to leave the others and act alone, and he needs Ran Mouri to help him find a suitable reason to appease people who don't know his identity, such as Kogoro Mouri.

...Upon careful consideration, it seems that among this large group of people, only Kogoro Mouri and Kazuha Toyama are completely unaware of the connection between Conan and Shinichi Kudo.

I have to come up with so many excuses just to appease Kogoro Mouri. Suddenly I feel like I'm getting ripped off.

"Are you all alone?" Ran Mouri's eyebrows furrowed immediately. "Isn't it unsafe...?"

Putting aside the inherent dangers of the forest environment, the people in this village were not friendly to Shinichi Kudo.

If Conan reveals any connection with Shinichi Kudo, he might only attract more malice and targeting.

"I can only go alone," Conan insisted. "If I don't go by myself, I'm afraid that person won't want to come out and meet us."

That way, it would be impossible to know what the other party had done or why they had been invited over in the first place.

The best way to expose a problem is to turn the tables on it, observe what the other party does, and then respond accordingly.

"Wouldn't that be very dangerous?"

"Don't worry, it'll be fine."

Conan raised his wrist, gesturing to his watch, and smiled reassuringly.

Putting aside the anesthetic needle, a magical device for controlling people, this watch also has a locator left by his friends who always hide in certain places. If something really happens, he can always find someone to come to his rescue.

Right now, he's more worried about Makoto Uta than about his own safety.

If the other party does not emerge from the shadow of the case, but instead falls into a more complete emotional breakdown and enters a dead end in their thinking, no one knows what extreme choices they might make.

Looking back on how he handled the situation, concealing some information was definitely out of good intentions. At the time, Makoto Uta was a senior high school student about to take his college entrance exams, and he didn't want the harsh truth to hurt the other person's feelings. It was absolutely a white lie.

But having experienced so much and with his views having changed a lot, he believes that a well-intentioned but clumsy lie might cause more harm than the cruel truth.

It's time to correct this mistake.

So after lunch, when the group stepped out of the hotel to go to the police station in Higashi-Osui Village to learn more about the situation, Conan did not go with them.

“He has a bit of a cold and isn’t feeling well,” Ran told her father. “It’s probably because it’s colder in the mountains, so he’s not dressed warmly enough. Let him rest alone in his room.”

Kogoro Mouri scrutinized his daughter's expression, then glanced at the group of young detectives exchanging glances and seemingly discussing something, before rolling his eyes.

"Kids are such a hassle. Oh well, we don't need him to come to the site investigation anyway."

That was a rather subtle remark, and Tang Ze couldn't help but glance at Kogoro Mouri's expression a few times.

If we consider Conan Edogawa as an ordinary elementary school student, then it's not a problem for him not to go to the scene for investigation; but from another perspective, no one present knows the details of the case better than Shinichi Kudo, so Shinichi Kudo himself really doesn't need to go to the scene for inspection.

It makes sense both ways, making it very difficult to figure out exactly how much Kogoro Mouri knows...

"He's going to the scene and getting criticized for his reasoning in person, and he's too embarrassed to let anyone come with him," Hattori Heiji whispered to Tang Ze. "In that letter, the sender specifically requested that he meet with them alone."

"It's less about saving face and more about considering the feelings of the person involved." Tang Ze shook his head and defended Conan a few times. "There is another murderer, and the other party is still at large. He hastily closed the case with the excuse of suicide. I don't think Kudo would make such a low-level mistake."

Japanese police might do something like that, but Shinichi Kudo wouldn't. That's why he's considered the savior of the Japanese police.

In other aspects, one might have some dissatisfaction with Shinichi Kudo, who is still an immature young man. But on this level, no one can criticize him. Shinichi Kudo would never choose to be superficial.

They have a conceptual god-level understanding of the truth. Look at their record of being able to get all the answers right even when their reasoning was completely wrong, when facing Tang Ze and the organization. Absolutely amazing.

“If he really wronged someone, there’s no need for anyone to point it out; he himself would find it hard to live with himself,” Tang Ze said with certainty. “Kudo’s pride isn’t in this aspect.”

"Wow, do you really trust Kudo that much? That sounds a bit cheesy." Hattori Heiji rubbed his arms exaggeratedly. "Then what do you think he went off to do alone?"

"To correct mistakes, I suppose. Just because he solved the case without problems doesn't mean he handled everything perfectly. I think his choice was partly driven by guilt." Tang Ze, noticing the residents on the roadside subtly casting glances at their group, stated confidently, "The deceased had two underage children, one around eighteen or nineteen, the other only six or seven. The deceased committed suicide, ending it all, leaving the children to face a broken life. These kinds of cases require careful handling, and he was probably feeling guilty about that."

The problem with this case lies precisely in Shinichi Kudo's lack of maturity. He tried to show sufficient humanistic concern, but missed the mark, causing the person involved even more pain.

If he were to handle this situation again now, he would definitely do a better job. Therefore, he really wants to change this part to prevent the damage from escalating further.

This is the choice that Shinichi Kudo would make now, regardless of reputation or right or wrong.

"You've already given him such a high evaluation?" Hattori Heiji made a strange expression.

"Hasn't Kudo always been this kind of person?" Tang Ze spread his hands.

“No, no, I mean, you’ve come to believe in Kudo to the point that you don’t think he can make a mistake…” Hattori Heiji’s expression became increasingly subtle.

"Not quite, but the vast majority are indeed correct, only some of them need to be considered... Why do you look like that?"

"No, it's nothing..."

Kudo has recently been questioning your true relationship with the Joker. What you're saying is practically a confession...