Detective Conan: Knifeman? I'm a good citizen of Beihua

Just when Shirakawa Akane was about to say the name, Sanfang Anzi suddenly stood up and interrupted him.

"Oh, I almost forgot. The stew that the nun asked me to look after should be almost ready."

Maori Kogoro was already rubbing his hands in anticipation: "Great! I'm really looking forward to Miss Anzi's cooking skills."

Sanfang Xingzi said embarrassedly: "Actually, I am just helping the monk, it can't be considered my skill."

"Haha, Miss Xingzi, you're too modest." Baichuanqiu also changed the subject. "I remember you said before that you often come to help the monk. I guess your cooking skills must be very good..."

Sanfang Xingzi smiled and said, "I'll go take a look. You guys should stay for dinner tonight."

Maori Kogoro: "Okay, that's exactly what I wanted! Thank you so much, Ms. Anzi!"

Naturally, others had no objection.

After the sumptuous dinner, everyone lay lazily on the cushions, rubbing their stomachs contentedly.

"Ah—I haven't even left Kyoto yet, and I already miss it," Toyama Kazuha sighed. "I really love this kind of craftsmanship!"

I can't bear to leave.

If their stomachs were full, Yuanshan Heye would really like to eat enough at once.

Sanfang Xingzi: "You are welcome to dine here next time."

Yuanshan Heye nodded heavily: "Yes! I will definitely do it!"

At this moment, the door of the Japanese-style room was pushed open again.

The nun stood in front of the door, and behind her was Officer Ayanokouji Fumimaro.

"Eh?"

Both sides expressed doubts.

"Why are you here?"

People on both sides looked at each other.

After a few minutes, everyone figured out the situation.

"Someone died again?" Hattori Heiji and Conan were shocked.

"Yes." Ayanokouji Fumimaro said solemnly, "The deceased this time was named Iwae Masato, one of the main managers of the geisha house. When he was found, he had already hanged himself from the beams of the geisha house."

Everyone frowned.

Sanfang Anzi covered her mouth and murmured in astonishment, "It was Director Yanjiang? He, he is actually... dead..."

"Has the possibility of suicide been ruled out?" asked Kogoro Mouri.

Ayanokouji Fumimaro nodded. "Yes, the murderer wasn't disguising himself at all. The victim was hanged alive. Judging from the traces at the scene, the murderer was extremely strong. He simply went around the beams and used brute force to lift the victim. It's likely a man."

Hattori Heiji: "Could it be that some kind of mechanism was used?"

Conan nodded as well.

He once solved a case where a murderer hanged a man on a stage. The murderer was a female suspect who was relatively weak. She had built a simple pulley mechanism on the spot, using the pulley theorem to reduce the pulling force and easily hang an adult man.

Therefore, before the murderer is identified, do not make any conclusion about this matter.

Ayanokouji Fumimaro shook his head. "The scene was just an ordinary room, with no extra traps. Judging from the wear and tear on the beams, the murderer certainly hung the man. The possibility of a trap is low."

Baichuan Qiu: "Could the two cases that happened today be committed by the same murderer?"

Ayanokouji Fumimaro: "The murderer left no obvious signs, but judging by the style of the two crimes, it seems likely that it was the same person."

Everyone fell into deep thought.

Conan: "Then what brings Officer Ayanokouji here?"

Ayanokouji Fumimaro looked at Mikata Kyoko and said, "Oh, there are some things I want to know from Miss Mikata Kyoko."

Sanfang Xingzi quickly stood up and said, "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I hope I can help you."

Hattori Heiji pulled Ayanokouji Fumimaro in and said, "Come on, Officer Ayanokouji, please take a seat—"

Ayanokouji Fumimaro glanced at Maori Kogoro next to him, thought for a moment, but didn't stop him. Instead, he sat down businesslike and took out his notebook to ask about Mikata Kyoko's situation: "Excuse me, Ms. Mikata Kyoko, when did you arrive at the geisha house today? When did you leave?"

Mikata Anzi recalled carefully, then said, "I arrived at the geisha house around two in the afternoon. I had already started to prepare for my makeup, but then Director Iwae suddenly came in and told us that all the upcoming shifts were canceled and we could take a break. So, I left the geisha house before three o'clock."

Ayanokouji Fumimaro glanced at his notebook. Mikata Kyoko's confession was largely consistent with the other geisha's at the geisha house, but he still asked, "Do you have a detailed time?"

Mikata Kyoko shook her head regretfully: "Sorry, I don't quite remember."

"but--"

She turned to look at Maori Kogoro: "I came back here from the geisha house, which usually takes fifteen minutes. When I came back, Mr. Maori was already awake. I wonder if Mr. Maori has any impression of me?"

Maori Kogoro immediately remembered: "Oh, yes, when Miss Anzi arrived at the restaurant, it seemed to be around 3:12."

Ayanokouji Fumimaro nodded: "I understand."

"So, when was the last time you saw Iwae Masato before you left?"

Mikata Anzi tried to recall: "I think it was when we were notified that our shift was cancelled, around... 2:30? The sisters were all there at the time, so someone should remember it more clearly."

Conan looked up from behind Ayanokouji Fumimaro at the notebook in his hand, and sure enough, he saw someone else's confession written on it, with a clearer timeline.

2:27 PM: Last public appearance

He stood on tiptoe and continued to look down——

[He received a phone call at 3:00 PM. The call lasted approximately three minutes and was normal. The preliminary estimate of his death time is between 3:30 PM and 3:30 PM.]

3:30 p.m. was the time the body was found.

Hattori Heiji also placed his head on top of Conan's head and followed him to look at the records in Ayanokouji Fumimaro's notebook, and on top of his head was Shirakawa Akane's head.

A little squirrel crawled out from nowhere and stood on top of Ayanokouji Fumimaro's head, looking at the three people in front of them in surprise.

Ayanokouji Fumimaro felt a chill on his head. He looked up and said somewhat speechlessly, "You three, if you want to watch, just sit on the sidelines and watch!"

"Cough-cough-"

The three of them coughed lightly and sat down separately.

Mikata Anzi chuckled.

After discussing these three guys, Ayanokouji Fumimaro continued, "Ms. Mikata Anko, have you noticed any problems with Iwae Masato recently? Or is there anyone who has a conflict with him?"

Mikata Kyoko shook her head: "Sorry, I don't know much about this."

Ayanokouji Fumimaro's eyes turned strange: "You don't know either?"

He then snapped his notebook shut, his expression growing cold. "I've heard this answer from at least ten people. I assume he's your supervisor, after all. You can't be completely unaware of him, right? Miss Sanfang, can you give me a reasonable explanation?"

Mikata Anzi curled her lips and said in a calm voice, "He's just the supervisor and rarely shows up at the geisha house, so it's normal that we don't know him, right? If he hadn't come to inform us of his leave today, I'm afraid we wouldn't have seen him on weekdays."

"But from what we know, Mr. Iwae Masato often takes some of you out for team-building activities, and they have regular dinners together on holidays and weekends. Your understanding of each other shouldn't be that superficial."

"hehe."

Hearing the word "team building", Sanfang Xingzi sneered, and her smile was particularly sinister. Then she said directly and indifferently: "I don't know."