"That is actually quite interesting. Suddenly, I feel a bit eager to give this a try myself!" Furuyo Senma remarked after listening to the maid's description of the manor's owner.
"To be honest, I was thrilled to death the moment I saw that bizarre handle on the front door," Mogi Harufumi said with a grin.
Near the inner handle of the main gate, there were traces of a large blood spatter. Although it had likely been there for a long time, the stains were faint but unmistakable.
"F-Fake… It's fake, right?" Ran stammered, looking at the marks.
"What he says is true. According to my analysis, those are blood spatters that struck the door at a 45-degree angle of incidence."
"Besides that door, there are bloodstains running down the walls and dripping onto the floor. Although someone likely tried to wipe them up at the time, almost every corner of this manor bears traces of blood."
A woman wearing a white lab coat walked slowly toward them. Standing by the staircase, she sprayed an unknown reagent onto the surfaces and spoke to the group.
Clearly, this amount of blood couldn't have come from just one or two people.
Who knew what kind of massacre this manor had witnessed?
"Luminol. When sprayed on bloodstains, the reagent reacts with the active enzymes in the blood to produce a special blue-purple fluorescence. I didn't expect you to bring such a thing with you."
"Former coroner, Miss Ikumi Soda."
An elegant young man in a blue suit stepped down the stairs.
"My pleasure, young master," the beautiful coroner in the white coat said with a smile, glancing at him.
"My name is Saguru Hakuba. It is a pleasure to meet you all!"
Saguru Hakuba greeted the crowd.
"Ha-Hakuba Saguru?"
"You mean, related to Superintendent General Hakuba?" Uncle Mouri was visibly startled upon hearing the name.
No, perhaps he had been shocked the moment the boy appeared.
"That is correct. Superintendent General Hakuba is indeed my father, Mr. Mouri," Hakuba said as he descended the stairs, glancing at the oddly dressed Tsuneo and the little boy with glasses.
He had heard of these two before; after all, their main area of activity was within Tokyo.
Hakuba let out a whistle, and a hawk flew down from the second floor, landing on his arm.
"His name is Watson. I don't know if it's because he's spent so much time with me in England, but he seems to be particularly sensitive to the smell of blood." Hakuba introduced his companion.
"Do I smell like blood?" Tsuneo asked, noticing the hawk staring intently at him, unsure of what was going on.
"No, perhaps it is just an animal's instinct for detecting danger?" Hakuba smiled meaningfully at Tsuneo.
"Danger?" Mogi Harufumi and Furuyo Senma looked curiously at Tsuneo, who was still holding a shopping basket.
We can't tell at all…
By the way, who buys groceries and then walks around carrying the shopping basket with them?
Conan twitched his lips in speechlessness.
Believe me, Watson's intuition isn't wrong. This guy is dangerous to a ridiculous degree.
Just last night, using physical abilities that were practically supernatural, he single-handedly crippled over a hundred men…
"In any case, my long trip back to Japan was not in vain. To be able to visit this site of tragedy—one that has been deliberately covered up for years and only whispered about in rumors—means that the secret kept for forty years is about to be revealed!"
Excitement was palpable in Hakuba's voice.
"I'm afraid the 'truth' you find will only be the truth someone else wants you to know," Tsuneo remarked, walking past him with his shopping basket.
Watson flapped his wings violently.
Never mind the bloodbath or how many dignitaries died in this manor back then.
The name Karasuma Renya alone was enough to give anyone a headache.
Hakuba soothed his feathered partner while casting a glance at Tsuneo.
He really isn't simple…
"What was with that look in his eyes?" Conan asked, clearly bothered.
He felt there was something strange about the way Hakuba looked at Tsuneo, and that smile of his was odd.
"I don't know." Tsuneo looked up at the ceiling, thought for a moment, and honestly shook his head.
Who knows what he meant by 'danger' that Watson sensed.
Does that guy think I'm Kid the Phantom Thief?
"Oi, oi, oi… he didn't figure out your identity, did he?" Conan looked at the mechanic speechlessly.
It's all your fault for being so flashy with everything you do.
If this Young Master Hakuba actually found out, you're going to be in hot water!
His dad is a big shot at the Metropolitan Police Department.
"I don't have nearly as many loose ends as you do," Tsuneo shook his head, not believing it for a second.
Every time he went out for that kind of work, he wore gloves and a hat; he didn't even show his eyes. Who could possibly recognize him?
"From now on, we need to be careful what we say." Conan tilted his head and suddenly noticed surveillance cameras hanging from various spots along the upper corridor.
Is the master of this manor monitoring everyone this way?
"Yeah. Even if Gin suddenly jumped out of one of these rooms, I wouldn't be surprised." Tsuneo glanced at the rooms along the hallway, then turned and walked back to the lounge as if nothing had happened.
"Gin?"
Conan was a bit confused.
What on earth is this guy talking about???
"Conan, do you guys want to play cards?" Ran asked the two as they entered the room.
Inside the lounge, Saguru Hakuba was playing billiards with Mogi Harufumi.
Furuyo Senma was playing chess with Uncle Mouri.
Ran and Ikumi Soda were holding a deck of poker cards, looking ready to kill some time as well.
As for the Gourmet Detective, Ogami Shukuzen, he was likely busy in the kitchen preparing dinner.
"Play what?" Tsuneo and Conan sat down at the table.
"How about Texas Hold'em?"
Ran began shuffling the deck.
"Am I allowed to cheat?" Tsuneo asked with a very straight face.
Don't forget, I can do magic tricks!
"No, you are not!" Ran placed the cards in the center of the table and sternly refused him.
"Heh, it is rare for someone to blatantly ask to cheat in front of a detective, Mr. Mechanic," Ikumi Soda said, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly as she looked at him.
What a strange man. He's clearly a detective, yet the business card he hands out lists all sorts of repair services.
"I'll show you a magic trick later." Tsuneo was the first to reach out and draw cards.
Conan: "..."
Miss Former Coroner, I advise you, absolutely do not try to figure out his methods…
Three rounds later.
"I told you, I really have to cheat to win this," Tsuneo said, glancing at Ikumi Soda and her black curly hair.
Just moments ago, Ran had annihilated the three of them yet again.
She had already swept up more than half of the chips used for fun.
"..." Ikumi Soda remained silent and continued to draw cards.
I don't believe it. How can anyone's luck be this good?
"Yay! Look, everyone, I got a straight!" Ran held up her hand of cards, showing them to the group with a happy smile.
Conan, Ikumi Soda, and Tsuneo: "..."
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