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"Ah!" Genta exclaimed after snapping back to his senses, pointing at Director Suzuki who had fainted, "He... wasn't he already killed yesterday?"
Ayumi and Mitsuhiko also looked at the burial site with terrified expressions. The corpse was not buried deeply, and Hissashi had already dug out the hand. In the dim light, the pale and slightly purplish back of the hand stood out against the black mud.
"There's a Director Suzuki here..." Ayumi said in a trembling voice. Mitsuhiko turned his head to look at the man who had fainted at the base of the tree, "T-there's also a Director Suzuki over there..."
"You guys are mistaken," Conan, getting goosebumps from the eerie atmosphere the three of them created, saw Hissashi continue digging up the corpse as if nothing was wrong, and took over the explanation, "The one who was killed yesterday was actually President Kurata, not Director Suzuki. The ashtray in that truck was filled with cigarette butts, and those cigarette butts were the same as the cigarette butt Director Suzuki put out in that photo."
Hissashi squatted down, dug away the soil from the head of the corpse, and pulled the cloth covering the corpse aside. Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko saw that the corpse was President Kurata, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I See..."
"Whoop—"
Police sirens sounded nearby. A few minutes later, Inspector Megure arrived with people, woke up the fainted Director Suzuki, and took him into a Police Car. The work of completely digging out the corpse was also taken over by the Police.
...
"What? You think Xiao Shu, like you guys, shrank after taking that medicine?!"
The Next Day morning, Doctor Agasa's House.
Doctor Agasa looked at Conan in surprise.
"Yeah," Conan said, sitting on the Sofa with a thoughtful expression, "Doctor, don't you think it's a little suspicious for a one-and-a-half-year-old Child to speak so logically? And from the start of the investigation... no, I should say, from the night before last when Brother Chi brought them back to Mouri Detective Agency, his reaction has been very calm. Whether it was just witnessing a Murder Case, the investigation, or seeing the Corpse, or even later when Director Suzuki tried to sneak attack Brother Chi and was knocked down by Brother Chi, he was very calm, just watching quietly..."
Doctor Agasa stroked his chin, "Say So, it does seem unlike a one-and-a-half-year-old Child."
"APTX-4869 has always been used as a Poison. In experiments, there is a Mortality Rate of 99.9% or even higher," Haibara Ai said, leaning against the Sofa with her arms crossed, "Shrinking is just an exception. At least so far, the only ones who have shrunk after taking that Medication are the Laboratory Mouse I observed in the Organization, you, and me. If Xiao Shu is like us, has an Intersection with the Organization for some Reason, took APTX-4869, and like us, his Body shrank to an Infant State, the Probability of this guess being true is less than 0.01%."
"But it's still a Possibility, isn't it?" Conan asked back.
"Then the second Problem, after you and I took that Medication, our Bodies both shrank by about ten years. Although it's still not certain whether Body shrinking is fixed at ten years, or shrinks according to a certain Age Ratio, there's one Point I can be sure of," Haibara Ai continued, "If Xiao Shu shrank to one and a half years old after taking that Medication, then his Age before shrinking would be no more than 15 years old, probably in the range of 10-12 years old. Generally, children aged 10-12 might be able to express themselves logically, but to achieve the kind of photographic Memory, strong Observation Skill, and Analytical Skills you mentioned, it doesn't seem easy either."
"If such a Person exists, then he must have been a Genius before he shrank?" Doctor Agasa speculated.
Haibara Ai did not deny it, and lowered her head to ponder. What she just brought up was not to deny Conan's Speculation, but to raise Key Points that needed to be considered. She always remembered the Person who brought her out of Beika Hotel. During this time, no one around her seemed capable of doing that, but there was one before... Chi Feichei! Her escape that time must be related to Brother Hichiji. The more she recalled, the more she felt that what she vaguely saw that day was the Ring Necklace Hissashi wore.
Even if Hissashi couldn't get away from Beika Hotel at that time, the Person who took her away must also be related to Hissashi, or even everything was assigned by Hissashi. Afterwards, Hissashi didn't react at all, and didn't seem curious about why Masuyama Kenzo caught her. Either Hissashi didn't know why she was locked in the Wine Cellar, or Hissashi knew about the existence of the Organization, and even had some Connection.
So, could it be because of Xiao Shu? Someone Hissashi knew was also persecuted and shrank, so he started investigating the Organization, learned some things about the Organization, but not enough Knowledge, and then that day, he targeted Pisco, went to the Memorial Service, discovered that Pisco had caught her, and rescued her along the way?
But In This Case, there are many things that don't make sense. If Xiao Shu is shrunk, then Hissashi is likely to guess that she and Conan are also shrunk. Logically speaking, when Fellow Birds like Xiao Shu appeared, didn't Hissashi intend to Test and confirm it? Or investigate their original Identities to see if they have any Relationship with the Person who caused Xiao Shu to shrink?
But since Hissashi knew them, he hasn't deliberately tried to Test them, hasn't conducted an Investigation, and Seemingly doesn't find them Weird at all.
Conan pondered for a while, and also felt that there were many Suspicious Points in his own Speculation that could not be explained, "Maybe Xiao Shu is just a Genius originally? Being too quiet might be Introversion, not panicking, maybe he has no concept of Death and Corpses, As For his expressive ability being stronger than ordinary Children..."
"It may also be due to his own photographic Memory," Haibara Ai took over, and sorted out her Clues, "If he has had a strong Memory since Birth, then from a very young Age, he can learn to speak and act like the Adults around him. Logical Ability and expressive ability may indeed be stronger than ordinary Children."
"Moreover, Children themselves have very strong Observation Ability," Doctor Agasa also followed this line of thought, "Sometimes, Children can indeed pay attention to Things that Adults cannot. You can understand it this way, for Adults, seeing a Cigarette Butt may be a very ordinary Matter, but for Children, it is a magical Thing that emits fire and smoke, and Adults put in their mouths but don't let them touch. Seeing photos and truck ashtrays, it's not Weird to Subconsciously pay attention to Cigarette Butts."
"And In This Case, why Brother Hichiji doesn't find us Suspicious can also be explained," Haibara Ai said, "Because he himself knows this kind of Genius who is much stronger than many people at a young Age."
"It may also be that he simply doesn't have much Curiosity," Conan said with Half-Moon Eyes, "Or his Method of thinking about Problems is not quite the same as Normal Person. At that time, he actually asked Xiao Shu to decide what to do next..."
"It seems to be the same usually," Doctor Agasa chuckled, "Isn't he very supportive of you solving cases yourself? It's the same for Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, and Genta. He encourages them to decide some Things themselves, solve some Problems themselves, and even entrusts the Junior Detective League with Commissions. He seems to always believe that everyone can do well, so everyone likes him so much."
"My Godmother also told me that Brother Hichiji had very strong Observation Ability when he was a Child, and was much more Keenness and mature than ordinary Children," Haibara Ai said, "Probably in his eyes, our or Xiao Shu's Performance is not very Weird, at least he won't treat us as Monsters."
"Also Correct, Mrs. Kana didn't seem to find it very Weird that the two of us behaved maturely," Conan recalled the Situation of living at Chi Feichei's Home those days, and found that he and Haibara Ai could handle some Matters themselves and not rely on Adults. Chi Kana also didn't react much, just let go and let them do it themselves. This is a bit like his Old Mom and His Dad, just the type who are purely carefree, "But no matter how much we Speculation, it's just Speculation. It's best to confirm it!"
"What do you intend to do?" Haibara Ai defaulted to Conan's Idea. She also wanted to Test and find out what the Situation was. Hissashi's Ability to hide his Emotions is too strong, it's difficult to Test anything, and it's rare to have Xiao Shu as a Breakthrough. We can judge Hissashi's Situation based on Xiao Shu's Matter!
"I intend to Go To Brother Chi's Home, just using visiting Xiao Shu as a Reason," Conan looked towards Doctor Agasa, "Doctor, if you want to go, you can also come with us..."
"I won't go." Haibara Ai said suddenly.
Conan was stunned for a moment, a little puzzled, "Hey, what's wrong with you recently? The day before yesterday, when everyone went to the Detective Agency to see Xiao Shu, you said you had something to do. Yesterday, when we went to investigate, you didn't go either. Usually, when Brother Chi is around, aren't you very willing to go with everyone?"
"If you don't want to restore your original Body and just continue to Life like this, I can give up my Research Time and follow you around all day long, solving cases everywhere." Haibara Ai retorted without changing her expression.
Conan broke out in a sweat, and immediately smiled ingratiatingly, "Hard work! So you've Decided, you're not going with us today either?"
"There's a pile of Data that needs to be recorded, let's talk about it after I'm done. I'll Call you then." Haibara Ai yawned, turned around and walked towards the Underground Laboratory, muttering 'idiot' in her heart.
She doesn't intend to run to Mouri Detective Agency or Hissashi's Home recently. Now, maybe someone is Staring near Mouri Detective Agency or Hissashi's Home. If she runs over, not only is she in Danger herself, but she will also cause these people to be targeted by the Organization.
This is not evasion, but for now, it's best for her to hide well. She has indeed been Researching Medication these days, but she will also take time to Check Data about that American Child Star Grace Aihara.
If necessary, she needs to take a risk and ask for help from that Child who looks exactly like her, to ask the other party for a favor and completely eliminate the Organization's Suspicion of her eight-year-old Body. If one Person looks alike, the Possibility of her being Sherry is very high, but what about two people looking alike? It's impossible for both to be Sherry, right? Especially when they are two Little Girls.
In the Living Room, Doctor Agasa watched Haibara Ai leave, turned around and walked to the Landline Phone, "Then I'll Call Hissashi first to see if he's Home." Conan also followed.
The Phone Call was connected not long after it was dialed, it was Hissashi's usual speed of answering the Phone.
"Hissashi, it's me, Doctor Agasa," Doctor Agasa saw Conan approaching, and continued to say to Hissashi on the Phone, "I bought too much Fruit this morning, and wanted to send some over to you, and also go to see Xiao Shu with Conan, I don't know if you are Home?"
"I just finished taking a Written Statement and came out of the Metropolitan Police Department. Then are you coming over now?"
The voice on the other end of the Phone was chilly, making Conan break out in a sweat. He went to take a Written Statement again... It should be because of yesterday's Kurata Freight Case. He always felt that Hissashi's Mood wouldn't be too good.
"Come Over to my Home?" Doctor Agasa looked at Conan, and agreed, "Okay, then bring the Child over."
"Half an Hour."
"Beep..."
Doctor Agasa: "..."
It was also Hissashi's usual speed of hanging up the Phone.
End of Chapter
Ayumi and Mitsuhiko also looked at the burial site with terrified expressions. The corpse was not buried deeply, and Hissashi had already dug out the hand. In the dim light, the pale and slightly purplish back of the hand stood out against the black mud.
"There's a Director Suzuki here..." Ayumi said in a trembling voice. Mitsuhiko turned his head to look at the man who had fainted at the base of the tree, "T-there's also a Director Suzuki over there..."
"You guys are mistaken," Conan, getting goosebumps from the eerie atmosphere the three of them created, saw Hissashi continue digging up the corpse as if nothing was wrong, and took over the explanation, "The one who was killed yesterday was actually President Kurata, not Director Suzuki. The ashtray in that truck was filled with cigarette butts, and those cigarette butts were the same as the cigarette butt Director Suzuki put out in that photo."
Hissashi squatted down, dug away the soil from the head of the corpse, and pulled the cloth covering the corpse aside. Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko saw that the corpse was President Kurata, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I See..."
"Whoop—"
Police sirens sounded nearby. A few minutes later, Inspector Megure arrived with people, woke up the fainted Director Suzuki, and took him into a Police Car. The work of completely digging out the corpse was also taken over by the Police.
...
"What? You think Xiao Shu, like you guys, shrank after taking that medicine?!"
The Next Day morning, Doctor Agasa's House.
Doctor Agasa looked at Conan in surprise.
"Yeah," Conan said, sitting on the Sofa with a thoughtful expression, "Doctor, don't you think it's a little suspicious for a one-and-a-half-year-old Child to speak so logically? And from the start of the investigation... no, I should say, from the night before last when Brother Chi brought them back to Mouri Detective Agency, his reaction has been very calm. Whether it was just witnessing a Murder Case, the investigation, or seeing the Corpse, or even later when Director Suzuki tried to sneak attack Brother Chi and was knocked down by Brother Chi, he was very calm, just watching quietly..."
Doctor Agasa stroked his chin, "Say So, it does seem unlike a one-and-a-half-year-old Child."
"APTX-4869 has always been used as a Poison. In experiments, there is a Mortality Rate of 99.9% or even higher," Haibara Ai said, leaning against the Sofa with her arms crossed, "Shrinking is just an exception. At least so far, the only ones who have shrunk after taking that Medication are the Laboratory Mouse I observed in the Organization, you, and me. If Xiao Shu is like us, has an Intersection with the Organization for some Reason, took APTX-4869, and like us, his Body shrank to an Infant State, the Probability of this guess being true is less than 0.01%."
"But it's still a Possibility, isn't it?" Conan asked back.
"Then the second Problem, after you and I took that Medication, our Bodies both shrank by about ten years. Although it's still not certain whether Body shrinking is fixed at ten years, or shrinks according to a certain Age Ratio, there's one Point I can be sure of," Haibara Ai continued, "If Xiao Shu shrank to one and a half years old after taking that Medication, then his Age before shrinking would be no more than 15 years old, probably in the range of 10-12 years old. Generally, children aged 10-12 might be able to express themselves logically, but to achieve the kind of photographic Memory, strong Observation Skill, and Analytical Skills you mentioned, it doesn't seem easy either."
"If such a Person exists, then he must have been a Genius before he shrank?" Doctor Agasa speculated.
Haibara Ai did not deny it, and lowered her head to ponder. What she just brought up was not to deny Conan's Speculation, but to raise Key Points that needed to be considered. She always remembered the Person who brought her out of Beika Hotel. During this time, no one around her seemed capable of doing that, but there was one before... Chi Feichei! Her escape that time must be related to Brother Hichiji. The more she recalled, the more she felt that what she vaguely saw that day was the Ring Necklace Hissashi wore.
Even if Hissashi couldn't get away from Beika Hotel at that time, the Person who took her away must also be related to Hissashi, or even everything was assigned by Hissashi. Afterwards, Hissashi didn't react at all, and didn't seem curious about why Masuyama Kenzo caught her. Either Hissashi didn't know why she was locked in the Wine Cellar, or Hissashi knew about the existence of the Organization, and even had some Connection.
So, could it be because of Xiao Shu? Someone Hissashi knew was also persecuted and shrank, so he started investigating the Organization, learned some things about the Organization, but not enough Knowledge, and then that day, he targeted Pisco, went to the Memorial Service, discovered that Pisco had caught her, and rescued her along the way?
But In This Case, there are many things that don't make sense. If Xiao Shu is shrunk, then Hissashi is likely to guess that she and Conan are also shrunk. Logically speaking, when Fellow Birds like Xiao Shu appeared, didn't Hissashi intend to Test and confirm it? Or investigate their original Identities to see if they have any Relationship with the Person who caused Xiao Shu to shrink?
But since Hissashi knew them, he hasn't deliberately tried to Test them, hasn't conducted an Investigation, and Seemingly doesn't find them Weird at all.
Conan pondered for a while, and also felt that there were many Suspicious Points in his own Speculation that could not be explained, "Maybe Xiao Shu is just a Genius originally? Being too quiet might be Introversion, not panicking, maybe he has no concept of Death and Corpses, As For his expressive ability being stronger than ordinary Children..."
"It may also be due to his own photographic Memory," Haibara Ai took over, and sorted out her Clues, "If he has had a strong Memory since Birth, then from a very young Age, he can learn to speak and act like the Adults around him. Logical Ability and expressive ability may indeed be stronger than ordinary Children."
"Moreover, Children themselves have very strong Observation Ability," Doctor Agasa also followed this line of thought, "Sometimes, Children can indeed pay attention to Things that Adults cannot. You can understand it this way, for Adults, seeing a Cigarette Butt may be a very ordinary Matter, but for Children, it is a magical Thing that emits fire and smoke, and Adults put in their mouths but don't let them touch. Seeing photos and truck ashtrays, it's not Weird to Subconsciously pay attention to Cigarette Butts."
"And In This Case, why Brother Hichiji doesn't find us Suspicious can also be explained," Haibara Ai said, "Because he himself knows this kind of Genius who is much stronger than many people at a young Age."
"It may also be that he simply doesn't have much Curiosity," Conan said with Half-Moon Eyes, "Or his Method of thinking about Problems is not quite the same as Normal Person. At that time, he actually asked Xiao Shu to decide what to do next..."
"It seems to be the same usually," Doctor Agasa chuckled, "Isn't he very supportive of you solving cases yourself? It's the same for Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, and Genta. He encourages them to decide some Things themselves, solve some Problems themselves, and even entrusts the Junior Detective League with Commissions. He seems to always believe that everyone can do well, so everyone likes him so much."
"My Godmother also told me that Brother Hichiji had very strong Observation Ability when he was a Child, and was much more Keenness and mature than ordinary Children," Haibara Ai said, "Probably in his eyes, our or Xiao Shu's Performance is not very Weird, at least he won't treat us as Monsters."
"Also Correct, Mrs. Kana didn't seem to find it very Weird that the two of us behaved maturely," Conan recalled the Situation of living at Chi Feichei's Home those days, and found that he and Haibara Ai could handle some Matters themselves and not rely on Adults. Chi Kana also didn't react much, just let go and let them do it themselves. This is a bit like his Old Mom and His Dad, just the type who are purely carefree, "But no matter how much we Speculation, it's just Speculation. It's best to confirm it!"
"What do you intend to do?" Haibara Ai defaulted to Conan's Idea. She also wanted to Test and find out what the Situation was. Hissashi's Ability to hide his Emotions is too strong, it's difficult to Test anything, and it's rare to have Xiao Shu as a Breakthrough. We can judge Hissashi's Situation based on Xiao Shu's Matter!
"I intend to Go To Brother Chi's Home, just using visiting Xiao Shu as a Reason," Conan looked towards Doctor Agasa, "Doctor, if you want to go, you can also come with us..."
"I won't go." Haibara Ai said suddenly.
Conan was stunned for a moment, a little puzzled, "Hey, what's wrong with you recently? The day before yesterday, when everyone went to the Detective Agency to see Xiao Shu, you said you had something to do. Yesterday, when we went to investigate, you didn't go either. Usually, when Brother Chi is around, aren't you very willing to go with everyone?"
"If you don't want to restore your original Body and just continue to Life like this, I can give up my Research Time and follow you around all day long, solving cases everywhere." Haibara Ai retorted without changing her expression.
Conan broke out in a sweat, and immediately smiled ingratiatingly, "Hard work! So you've Decided, you're not going with us today either?"
"There's a pile of Data that needs to be recorded, let's talk about it after I'm done. I'll Call you then." Haibara Ai yawned, turned around and walked towards the Underground Laboratory, muttering 'idiot' in her heart.
She doesn't intend to run to Mouri Detective Agency or Hissashi's Home recently. Now, maybe someone is Staring near Mouri Detective Agency or Hissashi's Home. If she runs over, not only is she in Danger herself, but she will also cause these people to be targeted by the Organization.
This is not evasion, but for now, it's best for her to hide well. She has indeed been Researching Medication these days, but she will also take time to Check Data about that American Child Star Grace Aihara.
If necessary, she needs to take a risk and ask for help from that Child who looks exactly like her, to ask the other party for a favor and completely eliminate the Organization's Suspicion of her eight-year-old Body. If one Person looks alike, the Possibility of her being Sherry is very high, but what about two people looking alike? It's impossible for both to be Sherry, right? Especially when they are two Little Girls.
In the Living Room, Doctor Agasa watched Haibara Ai leave, turned around and walked to the Landline Phone, "Then I'll Call Hissashi first to see if he's Home." Conan also followed.
The Phone Call was connected not long after it was dialed, it was Hissashi's usual speed of answering the Phone.
"Hissashi, it's me, Doctor Agasa," Doctor Agasa saw Conan approaching, and continued to say to Hissashi on the Phone, "I bought too much Fruit this morning, and wanted to send some over to you, and also go to see Xiao Shu with Conan, I don't know if you are Home?"
"I just finished taking a Written Statement and came out of the Metropolitan Police Department. Then are you coming over now?"
The voice on the other end of the Phone was chilly, making Conan break out in a sweat. He went to take a Written Statement again... It should be because of yesterday's Kurata Freight Case. He always felt that Hissashi's Mood wouldn't be too good.
"Come Over to my Home?" Doctor Agasa looked at Conan, and agreed, "Okay, then bring the Child over."
"Half an Hour."
"Beep..."
Doctor Agasa: "..."
It was also Hissashi's usual speed of hanging up the Phone.
End of Chapter
