Chapter 118
Usuha Izuki earned a wave of suspicion values just by lying at home, and under the press club's guidance, it was much safer than direct exposure.
Though he couldn't make ordinary people suspicious too, Usuha Izuki was already very satisfied. As for the system, it had thought nothing would remain, but suddenly there was an unexpected harvest. Instead of feeling sad about losing 5 million, it was pleasantly surprised by this windfall.
The system's motivation returned: [What do you plan to do during your vacation?]
[Lie at home.]
[With such a good opportunity, you're just going to lie at home?!] The system was heartbroken. [Strike while the iron is hot! Go for a walk on the street! Visit a few Organization locations! The suspicion values would come flowing in!]
Usuha Izuki sighed: [People don't just live to live, they also need to learn to enjoy life. My originally planned vacation had no task of farming suspicion values. Now I've already farmed more suspicion values than expected—can't you let me rest properly? I'm just one person, yet I'm constantly running between two sides. Last New Year I was still in the Middle East and didn't get to properly celebrate. This year I can't even give myself a vacation?]
System: [You're working so hard because you haven't bought the Body Double Puppet. Otherwise you could save travel time, and it's New Year now with promotional activities...]
Usuha Izuki ignored the system.
Did it think he was an idiot? If he got two bodies, he'd definitely feel that spending big money on a Body Double Puppet only to have both bodies sleep at the same time would be wasteful. There would always be one body in action... Wouldn't that mean never having real rest time?!
The permanent residence permit wouldn't open exchange slots for several more years. Thinking that he might not sleep for years with his brain constantly active made death seem preferable.
Unless his points really had nowhere else to go, then exchanging for a Body Double Puppet to play split personality might be interesting...
Usuha Izuki sat on the sofa, using the TV as background noise while checking his emails.
Hagiwara Kenji had sent greetings, suggesting they travel together again next vacation, then mentioned following up on the interrogation over there. It seemed the suspect's bomb purchasing channel was the same as that previous Police Academy failure who went around bombing, but unfortunately the contact methods were all one-time use, so they couldn't find the bomb seller yet. The crime consultant was the same—only online contact, so they didn't know his real identity. This case would probably need further investigation.
Though Chief Odagiri had given them vacation, Hagiwara Kenji showed no intention of resting properly. Instead, he was concerned about the case's follow-up—clearly unlike Usuha Izuki, he was a standard police officer with justice and responsibility.
Matsuda Jinpei's email was complaining about why everyone helped solve the case but only his vacation wasn't extended, since his superior wasn't Chief Odagiri.
Yes, though Matsuda Jinpei still called him [Samukawa] by surname and always spoke rudely as if he had issues with him, their relationship had actually improved somewhat since Matsuda Jinpei furiously scolded him for arbitrarily defusing a bomb in a criminal's hands.
They often communicated privately now, starting with bomb talk but gradually discussing everything. Otherwise, just meeting occasionally, Matsuda Jinpei wouldn't have realized so deeply how terrible Samukawa Shinryu's personality was...
Looking at Samukawa Shinryu's phone from a few days ago, there were New Year greetings from Mobile Investigation Unit people, but today only these two had messaged him.
But compared to Usuha Izuki's main body's phone, two was already quite lively, since the Organization probably avoided Usuha Izuki like the plague and would never contact him without cause.
They were afraid Usuha Izuki would find excuses to cause trouble—some acquaintances wouldn't even send New Year greetings.
So Usuha Izuki was quite surprised when he discovered a new email.
Opening it, he found it was from Hattori Heiji.
[The criminal you identified last time as a copycat was caught, right? Now the real serial killer has also been caught, so this case finally concluded...]
Usuha Izuki looked through it. Since he'd never replied to Hattori Heiji's questioning emails about why he disappeared, Hattori Heiji initially contributed many suspicion values. But as time passed, perhaps Hattori Heiji had self-explained all the suspicious points and gradually just treated him as an acquainted detective, not giving much suspicion value anymore.
Feeling that leaving it alone wouldn't be effective anymore, he should reply.
So Usuha Izuki replied: [Any interesting cases recently?]
Hattori Heiji was also on vacation and shot up from his chair when he suddenly received a reply.
He'd sent several emails to that strange detective before, but the other party never replied. Hattori Heiji initially suspected the other couldn't show his face, then thought maybe the other was too lazy to play with kids. After sending a few without response, seeing the other's unwillingness to acknowledge him, he stopped planning to send more.
But since they finally caught the serial killer today, completing the full circle, he thought about it and sent one final email, planning to let this number lie dormant in his phone as a memorial to the first detective he'd met.
He hadn't expected a response when he'd given up hope, but the other suddenly emerged!
Hattori Heiji replied frantically—he'd never typed so fast: [You finally replied! Why didn't you reply before?]
Usuha Izuki fabricated without changing expression: [I took a commission. The client was suspicious and afraid I'd double-charge, so they confiscated my phone and prohibited contact with anyone. I just finished the commission and got my phone back.]
Hattori Heiji hesitated, feeling it was somewhat outrageous yet not entirely so, since if he really wanted belief, he could have made up something more credible... But he quickly realized something was wrong.
Wait! This guy had clearly disappeared the moment he turned around—how could he blame the client?!
Finding typing too slow, he couldn't help calling directly: "When did your client commission you? Not while I was going to find police, right?"
Usuha Izuki remarked: "Why do you sound so sarcastic now?"
Hattori Heiji was speechless: "Whose fault is that?! You disappeared the moment I turned around—those who don't know might think you're a fleeing criminal who can't see police!"
Usuha Izuki asked back: "How can you be sure I'm not?"
Hattori Heiji fell silent.
Usuha Izuki watched Hattori Heiji intermittently contribute suspicion values, as if seeing the other's internal struggle.
Hattori Heiji really didn't know whether to believe Usuha Izuki now.
He didn't even know this guy's name, only that he claimed to be the famous Detective Conan. It was indeed suspicious, but calling him a fleeing criminal... seemed excessive, since when he called people over, the other had indeed properly walked to the scene vicinity and dealt with the police who stopped him...
But now the other was saying things that seemed to hint at something... Yet thinking carefully, the other had said more than one thing that seemed to hint at something. His personality seemed terrible, taking pleasure in scaring children.
"Are you joking again?" Hattori Heiji chose to trust his intuition. "If you were a criminal, what crime could you commit? Fraud?"
Usuha Izuki: "...Why is your first thought fraud? Don't you have anything classier?"
Samukawa Shinryu's side was Moriarty! Criminal consultant! Yakuza boss! At worst, a yakuza young master!
His main body was also an executive of an international criminal company—how could this be so pathetic? Didn't he want face?!
"No." Hattori Heiji said. "You'd seem less like one if you stopped making unfunny jokes."
Still worrying about prestige when already suspected of being a fraud... This really was adult chuunibyou syndrome. No wonder he dressed like that. He wouldn't be so childish when he grew up.
Usuha Izuki sighed: "Fine, no more jokes then. Back to the topic—anything interesting happening on your end recently? Share something?"
Hattori Heiji immediately felt conflicted: "So you finally remembered to reply because you've been bored lately?"
"Guess."
"Guess my ass! Don't treat me like a child, I—"
"Shh."
Usuha Izuki suddenly said: "Wait, I think I heard something."
Since he was living in Samukawa Shinryu's house, he'd only switched his voice back without returning to his main body, so Samukawa Shinryu's powerful skills were still normally active, and he could sense anything wrong.
Feeling things suddenly serious, Hattori Heiji obediently shut up. After a few seconds, he heard the other side say:
"I think I've encountered a case."
Hattori Heiji's DNA activated as he began frantically guessing the situation.
It sounded very quiet, only TV news playing. It should be indoors. To encounter a case like this, did something happen to the neighbors?
"Is this detective constitution? Encountering cases even while making phone calls at home? Next time you come to Osaka, can you bring me along? I want to solve cases too..."
Usuha Izuki, having easily farmed a wave of suspicion values, said perfunctorily: "Next time for sure, next time for sure."
Then he hung up.
The system complained: [You said earlier you wanted vacation and didn't want to farm suspicion values...]
[It's just something convenient and not tiring. For me, this is vacation—chatting with kids is so relaxing.] Usuha Izuki began calling Kokonoe Yoto from the Mobile Investigation Unit.
When that guy's apartment was being renovated, he'd moved next door to try to freeload off Samukawa Shinryu's accident-prone constitution to solve some case. Usuha Izuki didn't want to live so close to acquaintances, so he'd quickly helped solve the case. Kokonoe Yoto had moved out long ago, and the place should be vacant now. Hearing sounds was strange.
Kokonoe Yoto quickly answered: "Samukawa-kun, do you need something?"
Usuha Izuki had already left and was standing at his door studying the neighbor's entrance: "Who's living in the house next to mine now? If you know them, call them. Someone picked the lock and got in."
Kokonoe Yoto's tone immediately became serious: "I'll call my friend right away! Please help check the situation next door, Samukawa-kun. If something happens, I'll help you write the self-criticism, thanks!"
Usuha Izuki: "..."
There was no need to assume he'd need to write a self-criticism. He wasn't in the mood to toy with just any criminal! What kind of image did he have in Kokonoe Yoto's mind?!!