Chapter 360: Outrageous Behavior of Directly Flipping the Table
Twilight Mansion.
Qiang Tian Yu Mei returned to the Lobby and found only Chi Feichei and Conan standing Beside the Stairs. Chi Feichei was looking down, writing in a Notebook, while Conan immediately looked up at her. She understood at once that Conan had something to say. "Aren't you suspecting me of being the Culprit?" she asked. "By the way, where are Miss Yaji and Young Master Hakuba?"
"Miss Yaji went to make Coffee, and Brother Hakuba went to the Dining Room to verify Brother Chi's Idea," Conan explained, looking up at Qiang Tian Yu Mei with a smile. "Actually, it's the opposite. If Brother Chi's Reasoning is correct, then Miss Qiang Tian couldn't be the Culprit."
"Oh?" Qiang Tian Yu Mei lowered her eyes, pondering and retracing the entire sequence of events, trying to find any Clue she might have missed. It seemed Chi Feichei had found the Answer first, and then this little kid and Saguru Hakuba had also understood. She had no reason not to figure it out...
"As for another thing I wanted to ask Brother Chi," Conan looked up at Chi Feichei beside him again, a bit Speechless. "I wanted to ask, how many Mysteries have you already solved? The Culprit, the Method of Poisoning Mr. Oogami, the Cipher... Never Mind, just tell me directly, what haven't you solved yet?"
Chi Feichei was silent for a moment. The mention of the Cipher reminded him of Conan rolling around in the Car, clutching his head, the last time... He knew the Plot beforehand. If they were really having a Fairness Competition, he wasn't sure how far he could get on his own. Would telling him directly discourage Conan?
Seeing Chi Feichei suddenly hesitate, Conan immediately understood. Before Chi Feichei could speak, he said directly, "You've solved everything, haven't you?"
"As for another thing I wanted to ask Brother Chi..." Saguru Hakuba walked out of the Dining Room. "I wanted to ask if there's a Method to solve the problem of leaving."
Qiang Tian Yu Mei: "..." These People are going too far. Especially Chi Feichei. From the moment Mr. Oogami collapsed until now, it's only been about twenty minutes, and that includes the time to examine the Corpse and go out to check the Car in between. He's already figured out the Culprit, the Method, and the Cipher. If even the Method to leave...
Chi Feichei tore off the page from his Notebook where he'd written the Request for Help. As he put the Notebook into his Coat Pocket, he also summoned a Crow, making it look like a Magic Show where he pulled a Crow from his Pocket.
"Oh?" Qiang Tian Yu Mei watched the Crow fly up and land on Chi Feichei's shoulder. Guessing that Chi Feichei intended to send the Crow out with a message, she said thoughtfully, "That's a very skillful Magic Trick."
"Brother Chi isn't Kaito Kid," Conan explained. "He's also a Magic Enthusiast, and he has a Magician as his Teacher."
Qiang Tian Yu Mei, her thoughts exposed, felt a little embarrassed, but then she smiled and said, "Little Kid, you can't be so confident. Kid is a mysterious Phantom Thief Kid who can take on thousands of Appearances."
"I already confirmed it," Conan said confidently. "It was when we were playing cards. I mentioned that Brother Chi said on the Sea Star that he didn't like playing cards, and Brother Chi corrected me, saying it was at Sea, which was true. I think back then, Brother Chi was Intentionally approaching you to see if you were Phantom Thief Kid in disguise..."
Chi Feichei didn't explain. He folded the Paper Strip and took out a small, transparent Evidence Bag from his Pocket. He also took out the Handkerchief he'd used to pick things up earlier and placed the contents of the Handkerchief, along with the Paper Strip, inside, sealing it to protect the Paper Strip from Rainwater.
Qiang Tian Yu Mei saw the items in the Evidence Bag alongside the Paper Strip and was momentarily stunned before understanding dawned on her. It was a Ten Yen Coin! Connecting it to Qian Jian Jiang Dai deliberately choosing a Ten Yen Coin that was further away from herself earlier, and Da Shang Zhushan's every action during dinner... All the Clues quickly linked together into a single thread.
"It seems I need to go to the Dining Room to confirm something too." Qiang Tian Yu Mei's Expression turned serious. After saying a word to Chi Feichei and the others, she hurried off towards the Dining Room.
"Looks like she understood too," Saguru Hakuba watched Qiang Tian Yu Mei leave and then turned back. "But Brother Chi, where are you planning to send the Letter? Will it get lost? I want to know if you're confident. If it's not reliable enough, we should think of another Method and have a backup plan."
"Crows are very smart," Chi Feichei said, tying the Evidence Bag securely to the Crow's leg with a String. "It knows the Cherry Blossom Mark of the Police Department. Unless someone shoots it down, it should definitely get there."
"Straight to the Police Department? That's actually pretty good," Saguru Hakuba mused, stroking his chin. "Looks like I can teach Watson to recognize those Logos in the future. It's just a pity that Eagles don't have a strong homing instinct. I'm not sure if it can deliver the Letter accurately. Hmm... I'll have to train it more later."
"Watson?" Conan asked, puzzled. "He has an Eagle," Chi Feichei replied, walking to the Window, opening it, and waving his hand to release the Crow.
Conan: "..." Was this his way of claiming to be Holmes, with 'Watson' as his Assistant? This Fellow was really narcissistic. If he had to say who among them was closest to Holmes, besides Chi Feichei, he wouldn't acknowledge anyone else...
"I was originally planning to bring it with me this time," Saguru Hakuba said, a smile returning to his face, relieved. "But a Few Days Ago, Feimo suddenly ran to my Home and they got into a fight. They both ended up with Injuries."
"Feimo's injured? No wonder that Crow just now didn't have red eyes," Conan said, suddenly sounding a little worried. Then he remembered the Courtyard he'd seen at the Senyuan Family's place and turned to Saguru Hakuba, his Expression like an innocent and straightforward Child. He asked seriously, "Brother Hakuba, is your Home's Courtyard alright?" Serves him right for being so narcissistic!
Saguru Hakuba thought of his own Courtyard, now a ruined mess, and felt a pang of heartache. He glanced at Conan. "It's fine. I'll just have the Servants trim it. If that doesn't work, I'll just replant everything." This Kid... He's Intentionally gloating, isn't he?
"I see..." Qiang Tian Yu Mei returned from the Dining Room, timely preventing the tension from escalating further. Taking off her Gloves, she explained, "The Culprit applied Potassium Cyanide to the Handles of everyone's Teacups, including ours. But Mr. Oogami had a habit of biting his right Thumb. He touched the poisonous Teacup Handle first, then bit his Finger. It was almost impossible for him to avoid Poisoning..."
"The reason the Culprit could pinpoint Mr. Oogami's Death Time," Saguru Hakuba continued softly, "was because they timed it so that the Black tea would be served just as the Recording Mystery was playing, prompting Mr. Oogami to think and bite his Finger."
Conan's Expression turned serious as well. "And Miss Yaji, the Maid, said that when she arrived this morning, a Mercedes-Benz was already parked there. It's impossible for one person to drive a Car up here and then walk down the Mountain. The Culprit must have an Accomplice. Two people drove two Cars up the Mountain together. After parking the Mercedes-Benz, one of them drove the other person back down. If I'm not mistaken, the Culprit's Accomplice is Mr. Oogami himself."
"They haven't even started targeting Detectives yet, and they're already killing each other?" Qiang Tian Yu Mei said with a Sigh, stroking her chin. "Looking at it this way, anyone could have done it. But Ms. Qian Jian specifically chose the Ten Yen Coin that was furthest away from her earlier because she was worried that if someone else picked up that Coin, it might cause a redox reaction with the Coin, right? After all, Potassium Cyanide is on the Handles of all our Teacups. She knows that and can avoid it, but our Fingers are all contaminated with the Toxin. If someone picked up the Ten Yen Coin and noticed a Toxin reaction on their Fingers, they'd guess the Method..."
"After she picked up the Coin, she placed a pre-prepared Coin on the back of her hand and pretended to toss the Coin Conan provided, but actually let it drop into the Grass. Then she revealed the Coin on the back of her hand," Saguru Hakuba said, stroking his chin, then suddenly frowned. "So, she used a Cheating Trick beforehand to ensure she could go to the Suspension Bridge. Then, are Mr. Mouri and Mr. Mogi, who went with her, in danger?"
"No," Chi Feichei said. "She still wants the Answer to that Cipher."
"She rode in Uncle Mori's Car and repeatedly emphasized how much she hated Smoke Smell. Mr. Mogi already knew that, and Brother Chi noticed it too," Conan explained. "That way, when everyone was dining together in the Dining Room, those three who smoke wouldn't smoke in front of her. And it would be impolite to leave the table to smoke in the middle of dinner, so they could only Poison Mr. Oogami alone. I also think she still wants to use everyone's Wisdom to solve that Cipher."
"In other words, she went with them because she was worried that Mr. Mogi and Mr. Mouri might accidentally use Fingers contaminated with Potassium Cyanide to handle cigarettes and then put them in their mouths? As for Mr. Chi... well, he doesn't smoke much, and it's inconvenient to smoke when he's with Children anyway, right?" Qiang Tian Yu Mei guessed, quickly dismissing her own idea. "No, apart from her, everyone else's fate was decided by the Coin toss. Who got picked should have been random."
"Let's put that aside for now," Saguru Hakuba said, turning to Chi Feichei. "Brother Chi, have you washed your Hands?" "Not yet," Chi Feichei replied, heading towards the Washroom. "Everyone can check those Rooms again first. Pay attention to the Piano Room on the Second Floor."
Saguru Hakuba raised his right hand to his Forehead and chuckled helplessly. "Wouldn't you say you've just given us the Answer directly?"
"Since I became a prosecutor, this is the first time I've followed someone else's Reasoning," Qiang Tian Yu Mei said with a smile. "Although it's a bit frustrating, I'll still choose to go check out the Piano Room first. I need to keep up with the pace if I want to surpass you, even though there's nothing to compete about anymore. I just wonder if Mr. Mouri and Mr. Mogi can keep up with our pace."
"By the Way, Brother Chi, about that Cipher..." Conan paused, then joined Qiang Tian Yu Mei and Saguru Hakuba in unison, "Don't say it!" Qiang Tian Yu Mei saw that the other two reacted the same way she did and couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed everyone felt the same way and deeply loathed being spoiled. "I'd still rather figure it out Oneself..."
"In the entire Annex, the only place with a Clock is the Dining Room. 'Two travelers gazing at the Night sky' refers to the Clock's Hour Hand and Minute Hand, both pointing upwards to Midnight..." Chi Feichei had already gone into the Washroom, but he still chose to reveal the Answer in a deliberately annoying way. Knowing the Outcome of the Case already, he really didn't want to drag it out. Yes, it was because he already knew the Answer and suddenly felt bored and didn't want to play anymore, so he just directly flipped the table, forcibly ending the game.
"'King, Queen, Soldier' refers to K, Q, and J in Playing Cards. 'Treasure' means Diamond, 'Holy Grail' means Heart, and 'Sword' means Spade. So it's Diamond K, Heart Q, and Spade J. Following the direction of the faces on the Playing Cards, turn the hand 13 clicks to the left, then 12 clicks to the left, and then 11 clicks to the right..." Conan: "..." Saguru Hakuba: "..." Qiang Tian Yu Mei: "..." They told you not to tell them directly, and you still did! Intentionally, right? So outrageous! (End of Chapter)