in2ebook Chapter 1298 Shinichi Kudo's Great Enlightenment
Chapter 1298 Shinichi Kudo's Great Enlightenment
Chapter 1298 Shinichi Kudo is in the process of enlightenment.
"Body tube, head tube, tail tube... the body tube is one of the components of a flute, and logically it shouldn't be at the scene of the incident." Hattori Heiji stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Could it be an unrelated accident? In a music academy, practice rooms are used by ordinary students in addition to concert participants, right? Could a student have left it there?"
"That's very strange. Losing other parts is understandable, but leaving the entire body section lying around is no different from losing a whole flute. Won't the owner report it lost?"
"That's the problem. Ms. Akiba, do you think there's any connection?" Inspector Megure turned his questioning gaze to Reiko Akiba.
Reiko Akiba stared intently at that section of the tube.
The silver tube was exposed to the flames and black ash of the explosion. The police needed to preserve the evidence as much as possible. The tube, which should have been smooth and clean, was covered with scratches and stains, which quickly reminded Akiba Reiko of very bad memories.
She quickly averted her gaze, avoiding a direct answer to Megure's question, and said coldly, "You've already taken up a lot of my time. If there are no other questions for me, I apologize for leaving."
Ignoring the police's reaction, she turned and walked quickly toward the stage, as if she were leaving something behind.
"This young lady isn't as unrelated to this as she claims," Shinichi Kudo said, shrugging as he watched her retreating figure.
The police officers who had been left behind looked at each other in bewilderment. However, at this stage, they could not prove any specific connection between Akiba Reiko and the bombing. If she refused to cooperate, the police could only let her be.
Reiko Akiba, who had returned to her seat, took out her thermos from her bag, poured out a cup of light brown liquid, brought it to her lips to smell, and then prepared to drink it all down.
The police's questions seemed to be bothering her, and she was using this action to put those emotions aside.
"Sister, what are you drinking?"
Having recovered, Yamane Shion was led back onto the stage by Domoto Ichiki, and the group of visitors were naturally ushered off the stage.
Kojima Genta, who basically wouldn't move an inch if he saw someone's mouth moving, was about to speak when Tang Ze, who was standing to the side, accidentally bumped into him, and he immediately shut his mouth.
So it was Yoshida Ayumi, who was relatively more civilized and polite among the Junior Detective League, who spoke up.
The little girl, with her clear, crisp voice and polite tone, stared at you with curious blinking eyes. Even Akiba Reiko, whose temper wasn't exactly mild, couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh to such a child. She simply turned her wrist over so the little girl could see the liquid in her cup.
"Tea. This is a specially blended tea; it doesn't taste good, and it's not suitable for children."
"Oh, is it the kind of formula specifically for singers? It makes you sing really well after you drink it?" Ayumi Yoshida was too embarrassed to ask for it directly, but her curiosity grew.
"Pretty much, it's a medicinal tea for maintenance. Not all singers do this. Generally speaking, it's more important to avoid spicy foods, drink less ice water, and pay attention to diet and rest." Akiba Reiko didn't want to spoil the mood and answered casually.
Unlike Genya Domoto, who needed to fawn over investors and their spoiled brats, she didn't seem particularly resistant to friendly inquiries.
"Oh, I see." Ayumi Yoshida's excitement subsided a bit. "I was thinking, if drinking this would make us really good at singing, then we could win first place in the choir competition if you lent it to us, sis."
"A choir competition?" Akiba Reiko looked at the group of children and vaguely understood why they had gathered around.
In Japan, where there is a strong emphasis on basic music education, schools with adequate educational resources typically have their own music clubs, and performances and competitions such as playing wind instruments and singing are considered basic activities.
It is under the influence of this highly systematic and professional teaching system that Japan has taken over from Europe and America to become the strongest region for the inheritance of classical music, possessing both professional institutions and a huge market willing to spend money to support the entire industry.
Sopranos like Reiko Akiba, who have reached the world stage and gained respect at such a young age, are inseparable from the influence of this system. Although she doesn't focus on music education like Ikki Domoto, hoping to pass on musical ideals, she still frequently participates in various educational projects to cultivate the next generation.
These kids probably came to join in the fun during rehearsals for similar reasons.
After all, in typical public elementary schools, these competitions are less about skill and more about connections and family background. Having a famous singer listed as an advisor significantly increases their chances of winning.
"Yes, a choir competition! Our school is holding a class choir competition soon." Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya nodded eagerly, "Um—"
He was about to call her "Auntie" as before, but after looking at Ayumi Yoshida who hadn't been scolded, he changed his tone and his words immediately became much more pleasant.
"Sister, could you please give us some pointers? It won't take you long, and if you're busy, you can teach us remotely via video call—"
Judging from her previous blunt reprimand of Yamane Shion, Akiba Reiko is not a kind older sister.
If you touch a nerve at this point, forget about getting help; you'd be lucky if you didn't get a cold shoulder from her.
"No one in the class can play the piano. We finally found Sister Xiaolan who was willing to accompany us, but the person who taught us to sing seems a bit off." Genta Kojima scratched his head.
"What do you mean by 'very problematic'?" After exchanging pleasantries with Genya Domoto, Sonoko Suzuki abandoned her demure lady persona, hands on her hips, and leaned in. "Please, I'm very busy with work right now, okay? Taking the time to come and help you is already a huge favor!"
"Uh, but it's because you're so busy that you don't have time to practice with us." Genta Kojima scratched his head.
"You should have figured out how to practice yourselves. The parents on your parent committee are really quite carefree—" Sonoko Suzuki said irritably.
The practice issues for this kind of project should generally be the responsibility of the students' parents. If it weren't for the fact that Conan's parents registered Ran Mouri and Kogoro Mouri, this task wouldn't have fallen to them.
"What's your duet piece? If it's a waka, I can't offer any suggestions." Akiba Reiko's tone softened considerably, but she was still not very enthusiastic. "If it's 'The Ninth,' I'm even less interested. That's my least favorite song."
"What song is 'Ninth'?" Genta Kojima looked completely clueless. "It's the school song of Teitan Elementary School. We don't know any other songs."
"?" Akiba Reiko paused, then looked at the group of children again. "Are you from Teitan Elementary School?"
""
"Yes, it's a bit far from the concert hall." Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya sighed, realizing his request was hopeless.
"Alright, I can teach you to sing. Considering I graduated from Teitan Elementary School too," Akiba Reiko finally nodded with a softened expression. "However, I'll decide the practice time so it doesn't interfere with my upcoming performance."
"Alright, since we agreed not to disturb you, you should leave now. You still have some rehearsal tasks to complete." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Yamane Shion walking back onto the stage. Akiba Reiko said rather rudely, "You guys are really noisy and a nuisance."
"yes----"
This time, the children's voices weren't as loud as before; they lowered their heads, hushed their voices, and followed Ran Mouri outside.
"Yes"
The police officers, who had also come up empty-handed after asking around, had packed up and left, and the detectives who had gone to investigate the case returned to their side.
"Didn't get anything out of me yet," Hattori Heiji said, his hands behind his head, his tone relatively relaxed. "I'm planning to go to the music academy later to check things out. Kudo, what about you?"
As he spoke, he gestured with his eyes to Ran Mouri, who was holding Sonoko Suzuki's arm.
It's rare for him to be able to move around in this form. If he doesn't spend more time with Xiaolan, their relationship is really doomed.
"Me—" Shinichi Kudo withdrew his gaze from Domoto and his group, quickly glanced at Ran Mouri, and then looked at Karasawa, who had a very low profile, like a ghost. "I would like to have some more contact with Ms. Akiba."
I feel like she probably knows something.
Akiba Reiko's gaze as she looked at the flute's body didn't seem to be without any thoughts. Although she was unlikely to be the murderer, she probably knew quite a bit about the inside story of the case.
Considering the doubts surrounding Tang Ze's current identity, Tang Ze did not choose to follow Kogoro Mouri to the police for questioning. Instead, he kept circling around Domoto and the other performers who participated in the concert, which seemed to explain something to some extent.
He has meticulously reviewed Tang Ze's actions in many past major cases in the form of notes.
Referring to the case involving Ireland, a series of murders across multiple prefectures, Tang Ze also did not contact the special task force. Instead, for some reason, he became acquainted with one of the suspects in the case, Mizutani Kosuke, the boyfriend of the fire victim. Kudo Shinichi felt that paying more attention to Tang Ze's movements might be the key to breaking through.
"I really don't understand what that Ms. Akiba is thinking." Sonoko Suzuki continued the previous topic with Ran Mouri with a helpless sigh. "She's quite kind to agree to the children's requests, but she's also very mean and rude."
"I think she genuinely cares about the performance and feels that our presence would disrupt Ms. Yamane Shion's performance," Ran Mouri thought for a moment, choosing to believe Reiko Akiba's good intentions. "Ms. Yamane Shion is so nervous she's almost neurotic, isn't she?"
"It's not as good as you say."
"Really? I don't think I'm overthinking it. Being aggressive and not being a bad person are not contradictory."
"Xiao Lan, you just lack vigilance so much —"
"Yamane Shion? Hmm, I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before."
Upon hearing Tang Ze's question, Yuhe Xiangfu, who had already handed him the water, paused for a moment to recall before nodding uncertainly.
"She seems to be a performer who's been making headlines lately. Is she your new target?"
"No, not at all." Taking the water he offered, Tang Ze pulled his hood down a bit. "I guess you could say she's someone involved in the case. I'm just a little curious about her skill level. You probably know, right? She filled in for the violinist at the opening ceremony of the Domoto Concert Hall, and she was going to be playing a Stradivarius. That concert was no small affair."
Yuga Kyosuke paused in his hand as he twisted the bottle cap, then quickly shook his head helplessly: "—I'm almost allergic to this name."
"What's wrong? I saw you met with Shirakawa Renki a few days ago to give her performance guidance. Are you still bothered by this?"
"It's hard not to mind, isn't it? I'd like to be as carefree as you guys."
He sat down next to Tang Ze, took a deep breath in the shade of the trees, inhaling and exhaling the fresh air filled with the scent of earth, and followed Tang Ze's gaze to the tennis court in the distance.
Shinichi Kudo, who chose not to go to the crime scene to investigate, naturally stayed with Ran Mouri. At this moment, the two of them, along with Sonoko Suzuki, were relaxing by playing tennis on the park's tennis court.
"What's so 'cool' about it? I'm busy to death." Tang Ze waved his hand. "This is part of the job."
It is inherently dangerous for someone to act outside as the famous detective Shinichi Kudo, rather than as Conan.
Tang Ze had to ensure that the suspects wouldn't see him as a threat and try to eliminate him first, while also making sure that nothing unexpected happened that would involve Shinichi Kudo and draw the organization's attention to him again. Even without an invitation, he could only dutifully follow behind and keep watch.
Bourbon's plan to create a real and fake Akai has already begun. Gin's refresh rate is relatively high, so we still need to be careful.
"That's not bad either. Being able to shed the shackles of the past and embrace a new identity is also part of being lucky." Haga Kyosuke twitched the corner of his mouth.
While the series of deaths in the Shitara family may have involved elements of deliberate provocation and stimulation by Kyosuke Haga, the entire incident occurred in full view of the public. Rather than blaming Kyosuke Haga for being aggressive, it would be more effective to ask the elders of the Shitara family what they themselves are feeling guilty about.
Therefore, although Kyosuke Haga did not offer any explanation or cover-up for his actions of deliberately provoking them, he was ultimately let off lightly because his father was likely killed by the Shitara family's failure to come to his aid, and Shitara Renki was willing to testify that Kyosuke Haga had a strained relationship with his family and had been bullied.
Normally, he wouldn't be guilty of intentional homicide, but he could be charged with participating in suicide. However, with everyone working together, the prosecution couldn't prove that his questioning constituted intentional incitement to suicide, and the deceased was an elderly person with many underlying health conditions. So in the end, he was not prosecuted.
However, the media inevitably used it as a topic for discussion and hype, which caused Haga Kyosuke to not take on any work for quite some time in order to avoid these voices.
"Being able to retain your identity here is considered lucky." Tang Ze raised his hand and punched him on the shoulder. "If Cheng Shi hears you talking like that, he'll beat you up."
"Leader, stop spreading rumors about me. I'm not that bad-tempered." Asai Narumi, who had come back after circling around, kicked Tang Ze twice in annoyance, making him make room. "Alright, I've checked, the area is pretty safe."
Let's talk about the concert.
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