Detective Conan: The System Takes Me to Zero's World

The gaps in the awning cut the afternoon sunlight into strands, which slanted down onto the rest area outside the jewelry store.

Mao Lilan stood beside Conan, her eyes fell on the photo in his digital camera, and she whispered softly: "That ring is..."

"Based on what Conan said, I think it's most likely a gift her deceased lover prepared for her." Kudo Yuki sat on a chair in the rest area, her fingertips lightly resting on the folded case report on her knees.

The hydrangea beside the bench was half wilted, with traces of morning dew still on its petals. It was slightly curled up in the sun, just like her fingers holding the case report at the moment, hiding an imperceptible tension.

Kudo Yuki's gaze swept over the woman who was gently stroking the ring not far away.

Officer Megure sat on the chair opposite, frowning slightly, and looked at Officer Sawatari with a serious face: "Is that so?"

Officer Sawatari clasped his hands in his lap, his voice heavy with repression: "One of my seniors was unfortunately murdered a few days ago. That was the ring he was going to give her."

"Your predecessor was murdered!" Conan looked up at Sawatari, his clear childish voice full of surprise. Ran Mouri beside him also opened her eyes wide at the same time. The two people's unanimous reaction made the atmosphere instantly solemn.

"Senior?" Kogoro Mouri sat up from the bench and exchanged a puzzled look with Inspector Megure beside him. He was obviously curious about this relationship.

Officer Sawatari's Adam's apple rolled, and a look of guilt appeared in his eyes. "That senior took great care of me when he was alive, so I'm responsible for sorting out his personal belongings."

"While sorting, I found a receipt for a women's ring from a jewelry store. I know my senior is dating someone, and I think he must be planning to use this ring to propose to his girlfriend... When I thought of this, I..."

There was an undisguised choke in his voice.

Officer Megure sat up straight and said solemnly, "According to regulations, all the victim's belongings must be handed over to the legal family without exception."

"I understand." Officer Sawatari nodded immediately without hesitation. "But this is the only ring I feel I must give to her. So I went to the jewelry store to explain the situation and wanted to collect the ring on your behalf."

The woman sitting next to him raised her hand and gently stroked the ring she had just put on her ring finger. The metallic luster flowed between her white knuckles, and her eyes were full of cherishment.

Officer Sawatari observed her movements and recalled, "The first time I went to the jewelry store to inquire, the clerk said, 'The store has a rule that only the purchaser or a relative can pick up the goods.' So I explained the situation to her and went to the jewelry store with her again today.

"The waiter said, 'The measurement of your finger circumference matches the ring size you ordered. We need to confirm with the head office whether we can deliver the product to you. Please leave your contact number so that we can contact you.' And just like that, I finally got the ring."

He took a deep breath, stood up and bowed slightly to Officer Megure: "I admit that I have violated the regulations of the Metropolitan Police Department, and I am willing to accept any punishment."

The woman quickly stood up as well, grabbing his sleeve with a worried look on her face. "How can this be! You're only trying to help me..."

"Inspector Megure," Maori Kogoro also stood up and said in a persuasive tone, "Is there nothing else you can do? This young man has good intentions."

Officer Megure stood up, put his hands behind his back and paced for a few steps. After thinking for a while, he stopped and said, "Since this is the case, I will talk to the higher-ups and try to get you lenient treatment."

"That's great!" A smile instantly broke out on Mao Lilan's face, and the curve at the corner of her eyes was as warm as if kissed by the sun.

Officer Sawatari glanced at Kudo Yuki, Conan, and Mao Lilan, and bowed solemnly: "Thank you very much for your help."

The woman also bowed, her eyes as gentle as moonlight immersed in water: "That's great, I will treasure this ring he gave me for the rest of my life."

Maori Kogoro touched his chin with a relieved expression: "But it's really good that he didn't cheat. I was worried before whether there was something else, but now it seems that we were overthinking it."

Officer Megure waved his hand and said soothingly, "It's okay, it's okay. You don't have to worry about those rumors. But Sawatari, I really hope that you could at least tell me in advance about this matter."

Officer Sawatari's face showed an apologetic look. "I'm truly sorry. I was worried that this action might lead to disciplinary action, so I couldn't bring myself to say it. Besides... the matter of Samedani-senpai is a taboo topic in the Metropolitan Police Department."

"You mean Samedani?!" Inspector Megure and Kogoro Mouri raised their voices at the same time, their faces full of astonishment.

Mao Lilan covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes wide open: "Sametani! Could it be..."

Officer Sawatari's face showed pain, and he nodded. "It was the one who was killed a few days ago... No, it was Samedani-senpai who died in the line of duty."

His brows furrowed slightly, his tone serious and solemn, "According to reason, the senior should have been promoted two levels and buried with the highest burial allowance for a police officer."

Inspector Megure lowered his head and clasped his hands together in front of his chest in silence: "Yes, but the case he was involved in made it impossible for us to handle it that way."

"That's why, not only Samedani-senpai's parents, but also his girlfriend, must be heartbroken, right?" Officer Sawatari said, tears trickling down his cheeks. "So, at the very least, we should give her the ring Samedani-senpai left behind. That's my thought."

Maori Kogoro suddenly covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking violently. He tilted his head back to hold back his tears, but he couldn't help sobbing: "Crocodile, crocodile, crocodile..."

"Dad!" Mao Lilan hurried over and patted his back gently to comfort him.

The woman paused stroking the ring, her voice low and gentle, "Crocodile... that's his nickname. He always said he was as stubborn as a crocodile, and once he made up his mind, he wouldn't let go."

Inspector Megure also lowered the brim of his hat to hide the tears in his eyes, and only his trembling shoulders revealed his emotions.

"Mr. Mori, do you know Samedani-senpai?" Officer Sawatari's eyes were filled with tears when he saw this.

Kogoro Mouri choked up and couldn't speak complete words, he just kept repeating the nickname.

Kudo Yuki sat aside, holding a report on the case of Inspector Sametani in her hand. Her fingertips turned slightly white from the force. She lowered her eyes and mourned silently.

Conan stood there, his eyes behind the lenses reflecting a cold light. He murmured softly, his voice carrying a heaviness that did not belong to a child: "If something like that hadn't happened, there wouldn't be so many people crying. If it weren't for that case that happened in Nagano covered in snow..."

Inspector Megure took a deep breath, raised his hand to hold the brim of his hat, and his gaze from under the wide brim scanned the faces of everyone in the office, finally settling on Kogoro Mouri, who was still sobbing.

"Brother Maori," his voice was three times deeper than usual, as if it was coming from deep within his chest, "Take a look at this first."

As the manila envelope was handed over, Maori Kogoro's fingers were still shaking uncontrollably. He sobbed and looked up, his tearful eyes blurring with the gold-plated words "Metropolitan Police Department Special Approval Document" on the envelope. His fingertips trembled even more violently as they touched the edge.

The moment they were opened, two pieces of paper slid onto the table - the top one was a copy of the supplementary provisions of the "Amendment to the Criminal Procedure Law", with "Trial Article 3" marked in red pen next to the title, and below it was a note written in beautiful handwriting by Officer Kuroda Heibei, with the key clauses circled one by one.

"This is..." Kogoro Mouri's Adam's apple rolled violently, and his voice was hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.

"After the Sametani case was concluded, we discovered that the old law had a gap in the 'ownership of special relics'." Inspector Megure leaned over and pressed the edge of the document, pressing his fingertips heavily on the words "specific items belonging to non-relatives."

"This supplementary clause is a trial version issued just last week. It clearly states that personal belongings designated by the victim to non-relatives before their death can be transferred to the victim through a special application, as long as it can be proven that this is a genuine intention and does not involve evidence in the case."

He turned to look at Kudo Yuki who was still standing in the corner. The afternoon sun cut out light and dark stripes on her white shirt.

"Behind the scenes, Miss Kudo sorted through Samedani-san's diary and call logs for six months, even searching through his apartment's trash can. She pieced together half a ring size conversion chart from crumpled scraps of paper, and found a coffee-soaked sticky note next to an expired milk carton, with the words 'Her ring finger is thinner than her index finger' written on it in pencil."

Finally, I found the proposal plan in the drawer."

Kudo Yuki then took a half-step forward and gently placed the folder on the table with a soft "pa" sound. "The surveillance footage from Sametani-senpai's apartment showed that he sat at his desk until the early hours of the morning every night for three days before his murder."

"The first time, I revised the ring design seven times. The second time, I dug out a photo of the woman from my college album. The third time, I called the jewelry store for 40 minutes, repeatedly asking in the recording, 'Would rose gold be too flashy?' and 'Would engraving my initials on the inside be more thoughtful?'"

She flipped open the folder, revealing a dense chain of evidence. "These recordings, surveillance screenshots, jewelry store order records, and the note he hid on page 232 of the Criminal Code—which read, 'March 3, Sakura Avenue, I must tell you,' were all submitted as attachments."

Kogoro Maori's eyes stumbled across the document, his fingertips tracing the words "Proposal Plan" and suddenly stopping. He recognized the handwriting: the characteristic sloppy handwriting of Sametani's investigation reports, but now, beside the sentence "She likes the scent of jasmine, and wants a custom scented ring box," he had drawn a crooked smiley face.

"And this." Kudo Yuki pushed another document over. A red seal stood out in the lower right corner. "The approval result has just come in—the ring doesn't fall under the category of legal inheritance for the surviving family. It's agreed that Officer Sawatari can hand it over."

Her gaze swept over the people in the office who were holding their breath. "Also, the application for reinvestigation of Sametani-senpai's case has been approved."

This statement was like a pebble dropped into a lake, causing the previously tense atmosphere to suddenly waver. "The Nagano Prefectural Police discovered traces of tampering in his old case files. Date Kou and his team have already gone there with the Forensic Science Division, and Supervisor Kuroda has also issued a request for assistance in the investigation."

Kogoro Mouri suddenly looked up, his eyes red.

He knew, of course, that Samedani's case had been hastily concluded, but no one had dared to re-investigate it—after all, the levels involved were too high. The words "Manager Kuroda" struck him like thunder, suddenly reminding him of what Takagi had said that morning: the Metropolitan Police Department's top brass had held an emergency meeting the previous night.

"That Crocodile guy..." He covered his face, his sobs mingling with laughter as he let out his fingers. "It's bad enough he hid his proposal, but he even kept a hand in his investigation..."

The woman was already in tears, and when she pressed the ring against her cheek, the cold metal seemed to still carry the warmth of Jiaogu's palm.

Tears fell on the diamond, reflecting tiny glints of light, much like the fireworks that exploded over the Sumida River on their first date. "I knew it," she repeated, choking back tears. "He said he'd bring the ring when the case was over, and he definitely would."

Inspector Megure turned his back and wiped his eyes with his broad hands. When he turned back, the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth still hid moisture, but his usual seriousness had been replaced. "So, Sawatari's 'violation' this time happened to coincide with the trial implementation of the new terms. He was lucky."

Officer Sawatari's head shot up, his hat tilted halfway. He realized then that the "Sakura Law Firm" phone number printed on the coaster of the hot coffee he'd been handed when he went to pick up his ring yesterday was actually an insider in the Metropolitan Police Department's Legal Affairs Department.

"Ms. Kudo..." He bowed deeply, his voice filled with fear and gratitude, "Thank you..."

Conan looked up at Kudo Yuki, his eyes bright behind his glasses. He certainly remembered that when he woke up in the middle of the night to drink water, the lights in the study were on until dawn. His sister's computer screen was covered with dense legal documents, and next to it were Sametani's diary and copies of the case files.

He also remembered hearing her call Manager Kuroda this morning and saying, "I'm betting that the new terms will be approved today."

The sun suddenly broke through the clouds, leaked through the holes in the awning, and cast a circular spot of light on the documents.

Mao Lilan supported her still sobbing father and watched Kudo Yuki put the documents into the folder. Suddenly, she found a coffee stain on the cuff of her shirt - it was accidentally spilled while staying up late.

"Then I'll go send the re-investigation documents to the Ministry of Justice first." Kudo Yuki closed the folder and nodded slightly to Inspector Megure as she turned around. Her steps were as brisk as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

Officer Sawatari's hand holding the ring stopped shaking, and as the woman's fingertips gently touched his, he heard himself say, "Sametani-senpai would surely smile in heaven."

The crying gradually stopped under the open-air parasols in the rest area, leaving only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the cherry trees outside the window.

Kogoro Mouri looked at the supplementary terms and suddenly realized that the amendment of some rules was never about cold clauses, but to embrace the tenderness hidden in the heart and never spoken out.