I, the Buddhist who raises leopards in the Conan world

"Senior tried her best to explain, but..." Fukatsu Harumi's voice choked, "but no one believed her!"

"A week later, people accused my senior sister of being involved in drug trafficking, and finally..." Fukatsu Harumi couldn't continue and pushed a photo over with trembling hands.

In the yellowed picture, Suzuka Sakurako was hanging under the beam, with a blood-stained furisode belt wrapped around her body, like a butterfly trapped in a spider web.

"The police have ruled it suicide," Kogoro Mori said as he looked through the documents.

Fukatsu Harumi retorted, "No, the handwriting in the suicide note is totally wrong..."

"This is too suspicious. This is definitely not as simple as suicide. I must find these two people and ask them tomorrow!" Kogoro Mouri stood up suddenly, and the coffee table shook.

The tea spilled onto the photo, and Suzuka Sakurako's smiling face was gradually soaked.

Outside the window, the sound of distant bells came from the shrine on a snowy night.

At 22:45 at night, a shrill scream broke the silence of the hot spring hotel.

Conan suddenly jumped out of the bed, put on his shoes and rushed towards the source of the sound.

Kogoro Maori drank the wine that Shen Yuan brought specially and was sleeping soundly.

When I pushed open the heavy wooden door of the women's bathhouse, thick steam hit me in the face, blurring my vision.

He waved away the mist with his hand, and his pupils suddenly contracted - Shibasaki Asuka was lying on her back at the edge of the bathtub, the front of her yukata was wide open, and an ancient sword with a cold glow was stuck in the center of her chest.

Blood dripped down the hilt of the knife, creating a glaring red on the milky white stone slab.

Her right hand was tightly grasping a blood-stained furisode belt, her nails digging into her palm, as if she was desperately trying to grab something before she died.

The strangest thing was her expression - her eyes, which were always domineering, were wide open, but the corners of her mouth were twisted into an arc that was almost a smile.

"Don't come in!" Conan stopped Xiaolan and Harumi Fukatsu who were following closely behind, but he took a step forward.

His sneakers stepped into the puddles, making a slight "click" sound.

When I looked up, I saw a stuffed animal wearing a red furisode kimono swaying in the wind in the gap between the ceiling beams.

The doll has no facial features, but there is a shocking mark of strangulation drawn on its neck with ink.

"This, this is..." Fukatsu Harumi staggered back two steps, pointing at the doll with trembling fingers, "The curse of the Sleeve God! It's exactly the same as in the legend..." Shen Yuan and Amuro Toru arrived almost at the same time.

Toru Amuro's yukata belt wasn't even tied properly, revealing an old scar on his collarbone.

His purple-gray eyes quickly scanned the scene: "The time of death should be between 22:00 and 22:30, but..."

"There's something wrong with this doll!" Shen Yuan squatted down and lightly touched the kimono doll that fell beside the bathtub with his fingertips.

Conan noticed that his movements suddenly paused - "It's still very cold, like it was just taken out of the freezer!" At this moment, Conan keenly caught a slight "rustling" sound coming from the distance.

He quietly retreated to the back window of the bathhouse and lifted a corner of the curtain.

In the moonlight, there were two shallow drag marks on the snow-covered slope, and several blood-stained belts were sliding like snakes towards the ancestral hall on the west side of the hotel.

What was even more eerie was that on the snow where the belt slid, the outlines of several melting footprints could be vaguely seen - as if something transparent had just walked by.

"What's wrong?" Shen Yuan stood behind him without him noticing.

Conan was about to answer when the power in the entire hotel suddenly went out.

In the darkness, a soft "click" sound came from the ceiling of the women's bathhouse - the strange doll disappeared.

At 23:20, another terrified scream was heard from the direction of the shrine.

When everyone arrived at the ancestral hall, Anzai Ema was kneeling in front of the shrine, his hands tightly gripping the hilt of the sacred sword inserted in his chest, as if he was performing some strange ritual.

Her face was frozen with an expression of extreme fear, and there were still traces of tears in the corners of her eyes.

The most chilling thing is that she is wearing a pure white furisode kimono, which is exactly the attire of the legendary "sode god".

"Impossible..." Sakaki Tokyo stumbled back two steps, his back slamming against the door frame. "This is simply..."

"The Sode God has appeared!" Yasuda Raiko pushed her glasses up tremblingly, the lenses reflecting the flickering candlelight, "It's exactly the same as five years ago..." Conan's sharp eyes swept across the scene.

Seven or eight kimono belts were scattered on the floor of the ancestral hall, two of which were extremely stiff and had an unnatural icy luster under the candlelight.

He quietly retreated to the back door and carefully observed the snow in the moonlight - the footprints on the left were obviously much shallower than those on the right, as if... "Someone was walking on something hard!" Amuro Toru appeared behind him at some point, and his voice was very low, "A frozen belt!" At this moment, Shen Yuan suddenly said: "Ms. Akechi, what's wrong with your foot?" Everyone turned around when they heard the voice, only to see Akechi Eri standing in the corner with a pale face.

Her right foot landed on a dark red mark—melted snow mixed with... blood? Even more striking was the snow stains on the hem of her light gray kimono. Her right foot was awkwardly raised slightly, and a few wisps of ice crystals still clung to the cuffs of her kimono.

"I... I was just resting in the room," Akechi Eri tried to remain calm, but her voice was obviously trembling. "I came here after hearing the screams... No, I accidentally fell!" Shen Yuan approached slowly. Moonlight slanted in through the crack in the door, illuminating a barely noticeable golden flash on the sole of Akechi Eri's right sock - it was an earring inlaid with broken diamonds, exactly the same style as the one worn by Fukatsu Harumi.

Chapter 44 Hot Spring Tourism Incident 5

The morning light poured into the room through the paper window. Kogoro Mouri sat up on the tatami, rubbing his temples. The headache caused by the hangover made him grimace.

"Uncle, you finally woke up!" Conan's voice came from the side.

Kogoro squinted his eyes and looked towards the source of the sound, only to see Conan and Amuro Toru kneeling beside him with serious expressions, which instantly made his confused mind clear up a little.

"What happened?" Kogoro shook his head to dispel the remaining drunkenness.

Toru Amuro handed over a cup of hot tea and said, “Mr. Maori, two murders occurred last night and this morning.

Ms. Shibasaki Asuka was murdered in the bathroom, and Ms. Anzai Ema was killed in the village ancestral hall!"

"What?!" Kogoro almost knocked over his teacup, "This happened while I was asleep?" Conan pushed his glasses up, the lenses reflecting the morning light: "Yes, uncle.

Miss Shibasaki's body was found last night. She was strangled in the bathroom.

Miss Anxi was found dead in the ancestral hall this morning, also strangled to death.

Then they were strangled to death and a knife was stuck in their chests!" Kogoro's expression became solemn. He put down his teacup and crossed his hands before his chin: "I'll go check out the scene!" When the group arrived at the lobby, the hotel door was pushed open and three people walked in on the snow.

The leading man was about forty years old, with a stern face. His epaulettes showed that he was a deputy inspector of the Yamagata Prefectural Police. Behind him followed a young detective and a local patrolman.

"Excuse me!" The leading police officer bowed slightly, "I am Inspector Fuma Kenji of the Yamagata Prefecture Police, in charge of this case.

This is my subordinate, Detective Tamura, and the local Inspector Ogura!" Kogoro quickly returned the greeting: "I am Maori Kogoro!" Masaki's eyes suddenly lit up: "Mouri Kogoro? Could it be the 'Sleeping Kogoro'?" Kogoro smiled with some pride: "It's me!" Masaki excitedly stepped forward and shook Kogoro's hand tightly: "Great! With you here, the case will be solved quickly! I'll leave today's case to Mr. Maori. I believe that Mr. Maori will catch the real murderer!" Kogoro was a little overwhelmed by this sudden enthusiasm, but he quickly straightened his back and stroked his beard proudly: "Don't worry! With Detective Ben here, the murderer won't get away!" Detective Tamura whispered to Inspector Ogura: "I heard that this detective will enter a dormant state when solving a case, and then reveal the truth..." Ogura nodded: "I've heard of his name too!" Amuro Toru stood aside with a faint smile on his face.

His eyes inadvertently swept over Shen Yuan in the corner of the room, who was leaning quietly against the wall, as if he was not interested in anything in front of him.

"Well, let's go and take a look at the scene first!" Kogoro adjusted his tie and resumed his detective style.

After inspecting the scene, everyone came to the hotel lobby again, and all guests were asked to gather here.

Eri Akechi sat in the corner, her hands clasped on her knees, her face pale; Misaki Fukatsu kept fiddling with her earrings; Shen Yuan leaned against the window, his eyes cast towards the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

After questioning everyone, Kogoro Mouri looked around and suddenly yawned: "Strange, I suddenly feel so sleepy..." His body shook a few times, then fell backwards and sat on the chair that Toru Amuro quickly brought.

His head drooped, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Conan quietly hid behind the chair and took out the bow voice changer from his pocket.

Amuro Toru moved his feet seemingly inadvertently, blocking the path of Shen Yuan's sight where he might see Conan.

"Mr. Maori is about to start reasoning!" Zhen Xianshi whispered excitedly.

The hall was silent, with only the occasional sound of wind coming from outside the window.

Suddenly, the "sleeping Kogoro" spoke in a low and powerful voice: "The murderer of Asuka Shibasaki and Ema Anzai is in this room!" Everyone's eyes were focused on the seemingly sleeping body.

Akechi Eri's fingers unconsciously twisted the corners of her clothes.

"First, let's look at Miss Shibasaki's case!"

Kogoro said, “The doll at the bathroom entrance is cold to the touch, which is unusual.

At the Kotoya Inn, indoor items are usually kept warm by the heater.

The doll's unusually low temperature suggests it was taken outside, likely connected to some kind of automated device! Detective Tamura looked at Makoto in surprise, "We did find some strange traces in the snow outside the bathroom!"

"Secondly, Miss Akechi ordered a large quantity of cakes from the hotel, and she also received a large quantity of dry ice,"

"Kogoro" continued, "...This seems insignificant, but it is actually to cover up a sound - last night Conan and I heard the sound of something sliding down the snow slope. That was the sound of the murderer's belt slipping when he used the automatic device to create an alibi!" Eri Akechi's breathing became rapid and her eyes began to wander.

“The most important thing is,” the voice suddenly rose, “Akechi Eri’s name is spelled 智ち惠え理り, which sounds similar to 樱花 (チェリー).

According to investigations, Suzuka Sakurako once had an older sister.

Akechi Eri, you are Suzuka Sakurako's sister, right?" There was an uproar in the hall.

Akechi Eri suddenly looked up, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.

"This...this is ridiculous!" Her voice trembled. "Just based on the pronunciation of the name..."

"Then there's Anzai Ema's case!"

"Kogoro" ignored her rebuttal and said, "Anxi's footprints on the way to the ancestral hall are unusually deep, which means that something was pressed on them - someone returned by stepping on those footprints.

Conan did an experiment. He walked left from the back door and found only footprints in the direction of Miss Akechi's room..." Amuro Toru noticed that Shen Yuan seemed to want to move, so he immediately pretended to cough and walked up to Shen Yuan: "Mr. Shen, what do you think of this reasoning?" Shen Yuan glanced at him, stopped, his sight blocked by Amuro Toru, and then started chatting with him according to Amuro Toru's words.

"The last and most decisive piece of evidence!" Conan continued through the voice changer, "Miss Akechi was injured when she stepped on an earring that Anzai had dropped while she was killing him.

"Ms. Fukatsu, could you please show me your earrings?" Fukatsu Misaki was stunned for a moment, then took off her earrings and handed them to Detective Tamura.

“These are the same earrings as Anxi’s.

If forensic personnel examine, they should be able to find Miss Mingzhi's blood on Anxi's earrings.

Of course, the injury on Ms. Akechi's right foot is the best proof!" Everyone's eyes turned to Ms. Akechi's feet.

Her right foot shrank unnaturally.

"Please let us check your feet, Miss Akechi!" said Shinzenji seriously.

Eri Akechi was silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a shrill laugh: "No need... That's right, I killed them!" Her shoulders slumped and tears welled up in her eyes: "Sakurako... my poor sister... She was so kind, but was framed for drug trafficking by these two scumbags! Because their father was powerful, Sakurako had no way to defend herself, and in the end she could only commit suicide to prove her innocence..." Her voice choked: "They destroyed my only family, but lived so freely... When I accidentally recognized them in this hotel, I knew this was the chance fate gave me... They are hopeless, and I must personally seek justice for Sakurako!" Only Eri Akechi's sobbing was left in the hall.

Shinzenmi signaled to Detective Tamura to handcuff her.

Kogoro suddenly "woke up" and looked around in confusion: "Huh? What happened? Why did I fall asleep?" Amuro Toru smiled and patted his shoulder: "Mr. Mori, you just solved the case while sleeping. It was amazing!"

"Ah? Really?" Kogoro was stunned at first, then laughed triumphantly, "Hahaha, of course, I am the famous detective Mouri Kogoro!" Conan quietly put away the voice changer and breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked at Amuro Toru, who winked at him.

Chapter 45 Hopeless Justice

A strange silence filled the lobby of the Kotoya Hotel.

Half an hour had passed since Akechi Eri was taken away by the police, but the heavy air seemed to be frozen in place and lingered for a long time.

Xiaolan sat at the low table by the window, her fingers unconsciously stroking a novel left by Eri Akechi.

The words "Letter from Snow Country" on the cover were particularly eye-catching in the morning light.

"I really like the books written by Ms. Huili..." Xiaolan's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, "The characters she wrote are always so strong, and even when facing injustice, they will insist on fighting in a legitimate way..." A tear fell on the cover of the book, leaving a shallow water mark.

"She is too impulsive...she should seek help from the police..." Xiaolan raised her head, confusion and sadness flashing in her eyes, "If she could wait a little longer, maybe..." Kogoro Mouri patted his daughter's shoulder awkwardly, but didn't know what to say.

Conan stood aside, his eyes behind the lenses flashing with complex emotions - he knew better than anyone that sometimes justice does not come as expected.

In the corner, Shen Yuan leaned quietly against the pillar, his eyes fixed on the snow-capped mountains stretching out the window.

There was neither agreement with what Xiaolan said nor condemnation of Akechi Eri on his face. It was as if he was listening to a story that had nothing to do with him.

Amuro Toru's gaze lingered on Shen Yuan's calm profile for a few seconds, his purple-gray eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'll go make a cup of tea!" Amuro Toru suddenly said, turning and walking towards the kitchen.

A moment later, he returned to the hall with two cups of steaming green tea and walked straight towards Shen Yuan.

"Mr. Shen, have a cup of tea!" Amuro Toru handed over the teacup and sat down on the cushion next to him.

Shen Yuan took the teacup and thanked him softly, but had no intention of communicating further.

"What do you think about this case, Mr. Shen?" Amuro Toru took a sip of tea and asked casually, "I noticed that you don't seem to agree with what Miss Xiaolan said about 'seeking help from the police'!" Shen Yuan's fingers gently slid across the edge of the teacup, and steam swirled in front of his eyes, blurring his expression.

"Mr. Amuro observed very carefully!" He finally spoke, his voice as calm as the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

The two finished their tea in silence, and Amuro Toru stood up and motioned Shen Yuan to leave together.

They walked through the corridor and came to Shen Yuan's bedroom.

The moment the paper door was closed, the noise outside seemed to be completely isolated.

Shen Yuan lay on his back on the tatami, crossed his arms behind his head, staring at the wood grain on the ceiling in a daze.

Toru Amuro leaned against the low cabinet by the window. The sunlight shone in from behind him, casting a long shadow on the ground.

"I just think Miss Xiaolan is too optimistic!" Shen Yuan said suddenly, without any emotion in his voice. "She thinks Miss Mingzhi killed people on impulse and that she should seek help from the police..." He exhaled lightly, as if he was laughing, but there was no smile at all.

"Eri Akechi has been waiting for five years, Mr. Amuro, but she hasn't received the fairness she hoped for.

Suzuka Sakurako's suicide note had so many suspicious points, and the handwriting identification report was also questioned, but the police still quickly concluded that it was 'suicide out of fear of punishment'!" Amuro Toru's fingers unconsciously tightened, making a slight creaking sound.