Ke Xue: I picked up a bottle of sherry at the beginning.

The wound he had seen before was much larger than he had imagined. It was just that he could not see it clearly because of the angle of observation: in the middle of the skull, a long and thick wound that penetrated most of the frontal bone and most of the parietal bone suddenly came into view. Perhaps it was because of such a hideous trauma that the bleeding was so severe.

No, not one...

Examining the mark in the middle of the wound, Bai Quanyi changed his initial idea - there was an area with less damage, which meant that this might be the result of two precise consecutive blunt blows acting on the same line, but because the hitting object was too straight, it could not match the curvature of the skull and exposed a flaw.

There was a knife wound right in the middle of the parietal bone, and another knife wound right in the middle of the frontal bone... The positions of these two knives were very straight, which meant that the murderer attacked the victim from the front or the back.

"Excuse me, do you have a map of the deceased's skull injuries?" Bai Quanyi raised his head and asked the police officer who stayed behind. "It's a data map that measures the damage to the deceased's skull."

"As for the numerical data, the forensic experts left some, but nothing like the drawings," the officer immediately pulled out a copy from his file bag. "These things may be a bit obscure. If you need more intuitive data..."

"It's okay, this is enough for me." Bai Quanyi took it directly.

Because the central portion was less damaged, the four front and back edges of the skull, the marks left by the two blows, were relatively intact. Judging from the current state of the nearby bones, the wound on the frontal bone was caused by the killer's downward blow from the front. Strangely, the wound on the parietal bone was also shallow in front and deep in the back, suggesting this was also a blow from the front—but that seems unlikely, doesn't it?

Bai Quanyi showed a somewhat confused expression and looked at the shape of the wound carefully again: If there really was a posture that could reasonably inflict such a wound, the only possible answer that flashed through Bai Quanyi's mind could almost be regarded as a stunt.

If... the murderer jumped up in front of the deceased, did a front flip over the deceased who was over 1.7 meters tall, and hit the deceased's head with a beautiful chop at the moment of the flip, then it would indeed be possible to create such a beautiful wound.

The bleeding from the front wound primarily flowed backwards, but the bleeding from the back wound, while also primarily backwards, had a more obvious, teardrop-shaped stain flowing forwards. What does this trace indicate about the circumstances of the crime?

First, the victim was hit on the top of the head while leaning forward, causing the blood to flow forward. Then, the victim fell backward and was hit on the forehead, causing the blood to flow backward due to the same posture.

If we apply this conclusion back to the previous traces of the parietal bone injury, we will probably realize that the strange posture is not the real answer.

If Mr. Yajima was kneeling in front of the murderer at the beginning, and the murderer chopped him from above, the wound would be very reasonable.

Kneeling... What does this posture mean?

Shiraizumi Mashi's eyes accidentally flashed across the ground in the distance, and he caught a glimpse of something that gave him inspiration - it was a karuta card on the ground.

If he was playing competitive karuta at the time and the murderer was hacking at him from the opposite side, it would be reasonable to create such a wound.

There was no doubt that this was a premeditated murder that the killer had attempted to disguise as an accidental homicide caused by a common property crime. Furthermore, the killer was likely a member of the same competitive karuta team as Yajima Yahiko, and they had a considerable personal relationship.

Just as Shiraizumi was thinking this, Hattori Heiji suddenly spoke with a hint of surprise. "This is... the video disc of the last five Satsuki Cups kept by the Satsuki Club?"

When everyone turned around and looked over there, they saw Hattori Heiji holding a CD that had been broken into two halves.

"Is this the disc in the projector?" Shiraizumi leaned over first. "Ah... It's broken in two. It's quite badly damaged. But it doesn't look completely irreparable."

"It can probably be repaired, and at least 90% of the content can be salvaged. But that's all business for the Satsuki-kai, not something we outsiders should waste our time on." Hattori Heiji wasn't too concerned about the property damage. "But... I really don't understand why appliances like the TV and VCR were vandalized like this. If they were trying to disguise a burglary, that's really over the top, isn't it?"

"A man was beaten to death while playing competitive karuta, and the projector and television he had installed to record the karuta were destroyed," Conan said, gently turning over each karuta with his gloved hands. "I think the fake burglary might be a cover-up for not only murder but also vandalism."

"That's what I was about to say," Shiraizumi added. "My view is that the deceased was killed while playing karuta, and his murderer may have even been a close friend in the karuta club. Considering these interpersonal circumstances, the deliberate destruction of this karuta disc can no longer be considered a common practice. Therefore, the next step will likely be to determine whether there are truly sensitive elements in this video that warranted such deliberate destruction by the murderer..."

"If that's the case, I can provide a potential suspect," Hattori Heiji immediately remembered something - among all the people here, he actually knew the most about karuta.

"Koushi Sekine" - this is the name given by Hattori Heiji to everyone.

A former member of the Nagoro-kai, he is a senior of Ooka Koye, holds the rank of 5th dan, and is a photographer.

"He and the deceased, Toshiya Yajima, were both members of the Satsuki-kai and had a considerable conflict of interest. Toshiya Yajima's death means that Yasushi Sekine is likely to become the champion of the upcoming competition."

"Isn't it a bit too frivolous to kill someone for the championship of a competition?" Bai Quanyi frowned - in his eyes, such a reason was not the kind that could convince others that this person was the murderer.

"Karuta is a very complicated thing," Hattori Heiji said, spreading his hands. "Some people are very moderate, but some others... For example, didn't we just talk about the Nagoro-kai? Their leader, Nagoro Shikao, is a very petty person. It's said that every time someone on his team makes a mistake, they get berated by this competitive leader. If it weren't for their excellent training, I'm afraid the Nagoro-kai wouldn't even be able to maintain its size of 10 members."

"Besides that, there's another type of killing that's not premeditated, but impulsive. Let me give you an example. If someone drinks a lot of alcohol..."

"Well, if Sekine Kosuke does fit the bill as 'Tō's close friend,' there's another question we need to answer, and this is what we were clearly confused about just now: Why did the murderer specifically destroy the TV and projector?"

"We won't know for now. I'm afraid we'll have to wait for the technicians to restore the disc first." Conan looked at the scattered pile of karuta. "Also, we might need to have them examine the pile of karuta scattered on the ground. I counted 100 karuta here, and at least 30 of them are stained with blood."

"It's stained with blood, and then what?" Bai Quanyi didn't understand what Conan meant. "This is a crime scene, it's not very..."

"The problem is, I just found blood marks from friction on his right hand, which means that it is very likely that someone pulled something out of his hand. If you ask me, it might be a death message or something?" Conan explained.

"Because this is a set of 100 karuta, you suspect the death message might be a karuta, which the killer discovered and tossed into the deck, mixing it with the other blood-stained cards?" Shirakuzumi finally understood. "But I'm not entirely confident... What if he dipped the blood-stained card into the pool of blood? The entire trace would be completely hidden, impossible to find."

"Yeah, that's true," Conan nodded, but then reminded Shiraishi of the current situation. "But look, none of the karuta cards here seem to be completely soaked in blood. Perhaps the murderer, in his panic, didn't have time to properly destroy them and simply pulled them out and tossed them aside."

"With so many cards, it would be a massive undertaking for forensics to figure out which one Mr. Yajima had grabbed before his death," Shiraizumi said. "Hmm...it might actually be a massive, futile undertaking."

When he said this, Shiraizumi Mashi had a complicated expression - there was no bloodstain on any of the karuta cards here that matched the marks that should have been left after Yajima Shunya had grasped them during his lifetime.

The investigation of the Yajima residence came to a temporary end, and the three left the crime scene.

Karata card that records death messages

In order to move around Kyoto more conveniently, Hakuizumi rented a car.

The Gaoyue Cup competition is held in Achiwa Athletic Park - the preliminary round is held in Achiwa Hall, while the final is held in Gaoyue Hall, a special building in the athletic park that is suspended above the water beside the waterfall.

"Before this, a serious attack had actually occurred," Hattori Heiji said to Conan and Shiraizumi Masu while sitting in the co-pilot's seat. "You should also know that Kazuha was not originally the regular player sent by Kaikata High School to participate in the competition. The original player was injured and could not participate normally due to a broken hand.

"But the question is, do you know why she had a broken hand?"

"I think I've seen a report on this," Conan muttered suddenly. "During the warm-up show hosted by the Satsuki Cup, there was a sudden explosion while recording a karuta competition, and she collapsed inside the venue. After being rescued, it was discovered that her hand was broken by a falling rock."

"Yes, that's right," Hattori Heiji nodded. "During the attack, the venue actually received an immediate warning letter - it was delivered about 5 minutes before the explosion.

"There's a karuta card inside." Hattori Heiji pulled an envelope from his pocket. "Open it and take a look. There's a copy inside."

[The fifth waka poem: A deer treads on red leaves, wandering alone in the deep mountains, its cries incessant. This is the saddest moment of autumn.]

"It's a karuta card. It looks like the other party is also a karuta player." Shiraizumi raised an eyebrow. "But what's the point of showing this to us? Do you think this incident is related to the Yajima murder case..."

"I think there might be some connection between the two. After all, public security in this society isn't so bad that two random disasters could strike the same small group at once." Hattori Heiji spread his hands. "Only after identifying these two incidents as related did I come up with the idea of ​​taking you to Achiha Athletic Park for a thorough inspection, to see if it's truly safe and potentially vulnerable. Even apart from other places, that little suspended structure in Satsuki-do gives me a headache; it would be incredibly easy for someone to sabotage it."

"Hattori, I don't mean to discourage you, but how can we, the three of us, inspect an area as large as Achiha Athletic Park?" Conan warned. "If we just give it a quick look and then go back to the Satsuki-kai's president, Mr. Achiha, and say something like, 'It's dangerous here, you should hold the tournament somewhere else,' anyone would say that. We wouldn't even have to do an on-site inspection. But the problem is, if we want to conduct a thorough and sincere inspection, it's definitely not something the three of us can do to properly inspect every location. Furthermore, even if we inspect it now and conclude it's safe, the tournament will be in a few days. By then, a would-be attacker could easily find a loophole and sneak in, rendering our inspection completely useless."

What Conan said made sense. After hearing what he said, Shiraizumi Mashi looked at Hattori Heiji with an expression as if seeking a reasonable explanation.

"Ah... this..." Hattori Heiji panicked, as if his previous suggestion hadn't been carefully considered, but was just a product of impulse. "Well... if that's the case... then we shouldn't check that place yet..."

"Hattori, did you take the wrong medicine?" Conan looked at Hattori Heiji's expression and suddenly raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't seem like a mistake in your reasoning, but rather... it seems like you're confused. Is it important for you to go there for a checkup?"

"No, no, no, how could that be!" Hattori Heiji hurriedly defended himself, but his expression was more of an attempt to cover up his own guilt than to prove his innocence. If Shiraizumi Mashi had been skeptical just now, he was now absolutely certain that Hattori Heiji had some personal ulterior motive, which had led him to offer such a strange and unwise suggestion.

"Tell me again, what's your reason for finding fault with Achiha Hall in every possible way?" Shiraizumi Mashi tapped his palm lightly with his cell phone, his face speechless.

"You really do like to mess around in some special places." Conan was not surprised at all.

"What's wrong?" Hattori Heiji said, his face filled with the despair of a man who had just died socially. "I'm laying it all out. I've been trying every possible way to prove that the Achiha Arena is unsafe, just to get them to move the match to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, which is second on the priority list."

Achiha Athletic Park.

Searchlights, walls, the only opening is the main gate, with multiple rows of barricades and multiple security personnel on standby, and multiple security machines are placed between the entrance and the outermost protective measures to ensure that no dangerous goods can be delivered into the park.

"This place... seems to have been put on full alert. I'm guessing the Satsuki-kai has deployed all its security." Standing at the edge of the athletic park, Shiraizumi Mashi said to the grim-faced Hattori Heiji beside him. "Do you still have any confidence in convincing President Achiha to move the venue to a place like Kiyomizu-dera?"

"I'm a little reluctant, but I think it's indeed a bit difficult," Hattori Heiji said after a long pause. "This guy has really put a lot of effort into the security here. Even if it's not perfect, it's definitely better than a well-known tourist attraction like Kiyomizu-dera Temple with a lot of visitors."

In principle, it would be quite difficult to provide security for a large complex like Achiha Athletic Park - but during their investigation this time, the Gaoyuekai prepared unprecedentedly strict security measures for the park.

"They're already starting this kind of intense control with more than half a week left before the competition. President Achiha is really generous," Conan sighed. "Anyway, I've never seen other karuta competitions with such a big gimmick."

"I used to think this was just fake news spread by reporters loyal to the Satsuki-kai, but now, after experiencing it firsthand, I realize their claims are true... Perhaps it's precisely because of this kind of courage and financial resources that the Satsuki-kai's reputation has soared, to the point where the Satsuki Cup has surpassed many more prestigious A-level tournaments and become a recognized designated tournament." Hattori Heiji nodded. "At least in terms of both publicity and financial investment, the Satsuki-kai, with the unwavering support of a series of wealthy karuta enthusiasts like President Achiha, is developing a growing base and public recognition, and is already poised to become the largest karuta association in Kansai."

"This is like a professional-level attack on the amateur level..." Shiraizumi's mouth twitched. "In short, President Achiha is clearly on the lookout for sabotage at the venue. I personally don't think saboteurs will find any opportunities here. Or... should we just go back? Any further observation here would only serve to extol the wisdom and power of President Achiha."

"Well, that's it. It seems a little too late now."

The three of them returned to the hotel, and Ayanokouji called Hattori Heiji to inform him that the Kyoto police had found new clues.

"What new clues?" Shiraizumi Mashi asked after Hattori Heiji hung up the phone.

"At the scene where Mr. Yajima Shunya was murdered, there were a bunch of karuta cards scattered on the ground. Do you remember?" Heiji reminded Shiraizumi of this. "At the time, we speculated that one of the cards was held by him during his lifetime, and was pulled out by the murderer after his death to destroy the message of his death."

"Yes, but I don't think any of the karuta cards here match the bloodstains on Mr. Yajima's hand, so he might have been holding something else."

"No, we have reason to believe he grabbed karuta!" Hattori Heiji said excitedly. "We found an almost complete deck of karuta in the nearest trash can near Yajima's house. It contained 99 cards from the Hyakunin Isshu, but only one was missing.

"In other words, the death message card does exist, and it was indeed taken away by the murderer, who then used a very ingenious method to conceal it. But despite this, we still found out which card it was!"

Find a wife to replenish energy

the next morning.

Inside the reception room of the main office building of Achiha Athletic Park, the Achiha president of the Satsuki-kai sat at one side of the table, while Shiraizumi Masu, Hattori Heiji, and Conan sat opposite.

"I've already heard what Officer Ayanokouji Fumimaro said. You're the detective who wanted to know about Nagoro Shikao, right?" President Achiba looked at Hattori Heiji. "I have a lot of things to do here, so you don't have much time to ask questions. If you have any questions, please ask them as soon as possible, and I will answer them."

"Okay, let's start with the questions," Hattori Heiji said, sitting in the middle, asking President Achiha his own question. "President, how much do you know about Mr. Nagoro Shikao?"

"Not that many," President Achiba said after a moment's reflection, offering a less-than-optimistic answer. "Compared to the allure of karuta itself, the Nagoro-kai... especially the male players in the Nagoro-kai, place great importance on winning and losing, and they absolutely despise mistakes. Whenever they're around, a karuta match can easily devolve into a chaotic spectacle devoid of aesthetic appeal."

"Of course, what I'm saying next isn't meant to be accusatory, but I think... this is still related to Mr. Nagoro Shikao. The Nagoro Club's competitive style is undoubtedly inseparable from this president, who teaches his disciples by example." At this point, President Achiba shook his head. "Although competitive karuta is a game that determines a winner, pursuing victory in this way... at least I don't think that was the original goal of competitive karuta."

"Is he also this aggressive outside of karuta?" Shiraizumi asked. "Or is it just in karuta that he exerts such intense pressure? From your perspective, is it possible that Nagoro is seeking revenge against those he invested so much energy in cultivating, only to find themselves joining the Satsuki-kai?"

"Then I don't know. After all, we don't usually interact much outside of karuta." President Achiha shook his head. "But speaking of this, I think Sekine probably has a more comprehensive understanding of him. And Ooka trained under her for several years, so I'm sure she has some additional understanding of him."

"By the way, I heard that five years ago, Mr. Nagoro challenged the Satsuki-kai to a match, demanding that the losing team disband the karuta club, right?" Conan asked calmly, glancing at a photo of President Achiha and an unknown, beautiful woman on a nearby table. "It's said that Nagoro didn't show up at the meeting that day. Does President Achiha know what exactly happened then?"

"I don't know either," President Achiha immediately shook his head. "Because Nagoro hyped up the match beforehand, a huge number of media outlets flocked to the event. But Nagoro himself was absent... I think the only way to know why he didn't show up and ruined both his reputation and the Nagoro Association is to ask him. At least we probably can't provide any more information."

"Okay, thank you very much for taking the time to meet us, President. I think we should proceed with the follow-up investigation." Hattori Heiji concluded the meeting. "By the way, do you have Mr. Gen's contact information?"

……

Sekine Yasushi.

Sekine Yasushi muttered to himself as he looked at the people in front of him: "Anyway, what do you want to ask?"

"Has Mr. Nagoro Shikao's personality always been as aggressive as his karuta playing style?"

"No, no, no, of course not!" Sekine Yasushi expressed considerable dissatisfaction with this question. "Nagore-sensei is actually a very gentle person—I mean, I know there's talk of his style being extreme and aggressive, but that's not the case most of the time. In fact, when I first joined the Nagore-kai, it was Nagore-sensei who lectured a member, telling him that the point of competitive karuta isn't the competition, but rather the appreciation of the purpose of karuta itself. Only by approaching this art with a sincere heart will it bestow upon you the laurels of competition."

"Huh?" The three high school students looked at each other in surprise - they had never received such feedback before.

"In reality, Nagoro-sensei's personality was quite good most of the time, and his style was well-received by those who knew him well. Of course, those who say my teacher's fighting style is particularly aggressive aren't entirely wrong, because in the last year before his disappearance, he did indeed suddenly change to that style. His once elegant style became as sharp as a razor."

"The last year? You mean, the entire last year?" Shiraizumi raised an eyebrow. "Can you give me an approximate time when Mr. Nagoro Shikao suddenly began to show such intense aggression?"

"Uh..." Sekine Koji tapped his head in confusion. "Let me think... it must have been around May of 1988? At that time, for some unknown reason, the teacher suddenly took three months off. Upon his return, he consciously shifted his style to a more aggressive one. Thanks to this, his performance improved significantly, and he became the only one recognized below the current Meijin."

Asking for leave... Baiquanyi chewed on the word thoughtfully.

Perhaps most people would not have any special reaction to such words, but for Shiraizumi Mashi, this would trigger a considerable degree of subjective speculation - especially after combining the sudden violent style of play and Nagoro's sudden disappearance.

What if Nagoro asked for leave because of a health problem—and judging from the change in his playing style, it might be a brain disease?

If this is the case, then there is a possible reason for Nagoro's disappearance. For example, after arranging a bet with the Satsuki-kai, his health suddenly deteriorated and he died before the match.

"Excuse me, do you have any videos of Mr. Nagoro Shikao participating in competitive karuta matches during this period? I'm referring to videos of him playing during periods of aggressive play. Of course, it would be best if we could also have some videos of him playing during more normal times, so we can conduct comparative analysis."

"Those things..." Sekine Koshi scratched his head. "Those things aren't actually with me. You should go find Momiji, Ooka Momiji. You know her, right? Mr. Nagoro left a lot of things to her. I think she might have this kind of information."

On a bench not far from Yasushi Sekine's house.

"¨" Hey, do we really have to continue to rush to Miss Ooka's place to investigate?" Conan yawned tiredly and asked Shiraizumi Masu in a trembling voice.

"Probably, after all, I'm just sitting around doing nothing..." When he said this, Bai Quanyi seemed to realize Conan's intention in asking this question. "Why, do you feel like you can't take it anymore?"

"It can't be helped," Conan nodded, his voice a little slurred. "We didn't sleep at all last night. We were all running around... I was already completely dazed when I met Chairman Achiba. The fact that I was able to walk out of Mr. Sekine's house standing up is pure steel."

"That's right," Bai Quanyi took a deep breath and stretched as well. "We've been running a bit too much these past two days... How about we take a break?"

"Yes, because we can't interview Ms. Ooka right now: her daytime schedule is already full of discussion competitions with seniors." Not far away, Hattori Heiji, still looking energetic, hung up the phone and walked back. "But she also agreed to reserve an hour for us in the evening, so before that, we can rest a little and replenish our physical strength and energy to better solve the case."

"Let's go back."

Shiraizumi Masu drove Conan and Heiji back to the hotel.

"I'm going to see my sister."

After saying hello to Heiji and Conan, Shiraizumi Mashi went to find Yukiko's husband.

At noon, Shiraizumi Masu was in the room where Yukiko was.

In the bathroom, Yukiko, wrapped in a bath towel, was rubbing Shiraizumi's back.

Bai Quanyi was very relaxed and still felt comfortable with his woman.

"Yukiko, when I first met you, you were still Kudo Yusaku's wife. At that time, I thought it would be great if you were my wife. Now, you really have become my wife."

"Kudo Yusaku brought this upon himself, so don't mention him anymore."

Shiraizumi Mashi suddenly turned his head, buried his face gently in Yukiko's soft arms, and took a deep breath.

"Well, don't move. I still want to smell you and replenish my energy."

"Hey, why are you like Xiaojing and Xiaoxi?" Yukiko stroked Shiraizumi's head with a doting look on her face.

Lunch is fresh milk