After the Undercover System Went Haywire, I Switched to Grinding Suspicion Points Chapter 294

Akai Shuichi had indeed returned to Japan not long ago, because his FBI partner Judy seed to have discovered Vermouth's whereabouts. As the FBI's ace and soone quite familiar with the organization, it was reasonable for him to co help.

Although theoretically he was still being hunted by the organization, he had lived well these past few years. Especially after the organization's failed attempt last year to send combined forces including executives like Gin and Vermouth to Arica to kill him, they probably realized the cost of silencing him was too high and had quieted down considerably.

Otherwise, he might not even be able to leave Arica, the FBI's ho base, right now.

According to FBI intelligence, organization executive Vermouth was currently disguised as Dr. Niide, the school physician at Teitan High School, for unknown purposes. So Judy, to get closer and observe the situation better, had also gone to Teitan High School as an English teacher.

As for Akai Shuichi himself, he was operating discreetly.

Neither he nor Judy had actually been in Japan very long, so Usuha Izuki's sudden exposure of his presence in Japan gave Akai Shuichi the feeling there was a traitor in the FBI.

Akai Shuichi imdiately reviewed his recent activities.

Indeed, he had been very low-key, rarely going out.

Especially having spent a long ti in Japan before, he had his own thods for avoiding trouble... Though there was one case a few days ago he couldn't escape.

Since he had been listening to Judy's reports, Akai Shuichi also wanted to observe the disguised Vermouth up close, so he calculated "Dr. Niide's" travel route and caught the sa bus.

Originally planning to follow to the art museum for closer observation, but just taking this one bus ride, there was both a bus hijacking and a bomb about to explode... Akai Shuichi was speechless.

When the bus exploded, it attracted quite a few onlookers, so even took photos that might be posted on social dia... Although he tried to avoid caras and hide his face in various ways, if it was soone with Usuha Izuki's eye for people, recognizing him seed plausible.

...Of course, he couldn't rule out other people in the FBI having contact with Usuha Izuki.

But what did Usuha Izuki an by sending him this email now?

A warning? Or just notifying him after casually discovering he was in Japan?

Akai Shuichi couldn't figure it out, but considering Usuha Izuki had let him go despite unclear allegiances, and had also spared his mother's MI6 colleague... At least it was certain that Usuha Izuki wasn't completely loyal to the organization and had his own agenda.

For such exploitable characters, the FBI's tradition was recruitnt, relationship-building, or at minimum achieving good communication.

Although starting relationship-building now after several years was a bit late, he had been blacklisted before. Now that the other party had finally given him an opening, of course he had to seize it!

So Akai Shuichi composed an email.

Clicked send.

Send failed.

Akai Shuichi: "............"

How was he blacklisted again!!!

What exactly did Usuha Izuki an?!

Akai Shuichi was sowhat speechless, but after thinking it over, he set this email to scheduled sending, planning to send it once daily to see which day Usuha Izuki would unblock him.

While Usuha Izuki was lying in bed repeatedly blacklisting Akai Shuichi, Edogawa Conan was still at the police station writing his statent.

From this trip to "Twilight Mansion," if he had to say what he gained, there didn't seem to be much, but if he had to ntion doubts, he had harvested a pile of them.

He was still puzzling over Samukawa Shinryu's comnt about "the old crow's golden nest," feeling the information was a bit too advanced, almost like he knew everything from the beginning...

But even Karasuma Renya, the Karasuma family heir, didn't know—where would Samukawa Shinryu learn it?

It seed only the generation that built the house would know, but those people had been dead for so many years...

Then there was the gun incident.

When Samukawa Shinryu pulled out the gun, Officer Matsuda's reaction was quite strange too.

It wasn't surprise or suspicion, but helplessness, annoyance, and taking it for granted... The information content of that was rather terrifying.

It felt like Officer Matsuda might know about Samukawa Shinryu being close to certain yakuza, but didn't consider it problematic and thought the impact was minimal.

But what would lead Officer Matsuda to such a conclusion?

Recalling his repeated misunderstandings about Samukawa Shinryu, Edogawa Conan wondered with existential doubt: could there be so misunderstanding again this ti?

Although Haibara Ai felt Samukawa-san seed like an organization mber, although people often ca to consult Samukawa-san about how to commit cris, although Samukawa-san was very close to yakuza, although Samukawa-san often obtained guns through illegal channels, Samukawa-san was actually a good person?!

Could such a thing happen?!

Since Matsuda Jinpei was also giving a statent, Edogawa Conan specifically found an opportunity to quietly ask him.

"Um, Officer Matsuda." Edogawa Conan asked with feigned innocent curiosity, "What you said earlier when taking Samukawa-san's gun was really strange. Does Samukawa-san often get guns? Even as a consultant, does tropolitan Police provide guns?"

Sigh, unfortunately everyone knew Mouri Kogorou was completely absent this ti, entirely impersonated by Phantom Thief Kid, otherwise he could use Mouri Kogorou's na again, which would be safer...

Matsuda Jinpei was startled, but didn't brush it off just because Edogawa Conan was a child, since he felt this was quite a serious issue that needed proper explanation.

"Not all police positions are issued guns, so just being a consultant certainly wouldn't get one... Samukawa is a special case."

Edogawa Conan pressed: "Special case?"

Matsuda Jinpei irritably scratched his hair: "How should I put it... He's not just tropolitan Police's consultant, he also runs an information office, dealing with all sorts of people..."

Edogawa Conan: "...!!!"

He had just asked casually, not expecting to get this level of intelligence! From Officer Matsuda's tone, it seed many people knew about Samukawa-san privately consulting for others, and it wasn't sothing that needed hiding?

Matsuda Jinpei was still explaining for his friend who was now relaxing at ho: "So people might bring guns directly to him, and Samukawa would confiscate them. He once turned in three guns to tropolitan Police in one month, but with his personality, tsk."

He was saving face for his friend and didn't continue, but from Matsuda Jinpei's expression, it was clear he thought it was normal for Samukawa Shinryu to privately keep a gun for himself.

Edogawa Conan: "............???"

How did this sound like fishing for evidence?!

And from this account, tropolitan Police was clearly well aware of what kind of people ca and went from Samukawa Shinryu's place...

Edogawa Conan wanted to continue asking, but Matsuda Jinpei was no longer cooperating. As a police officer, he was much busier than these outsiders who just needed to give statents. When colleagues called him, he left Edogawa Conan to go help.

With only half his questions answered, Edogawa Conan could only continue his process of thinking—suspecting—thinking.

While Edogawa Conan contributed suspicion values here, Usuha Izuki was winning just by lying around every day. He had been slacking off for several days, not even holding his late-night consultation sessions, happily eating, drinking, and having fun daily.

Regarding the "Twilight Mansion" case, since there was still a corpse there, the police went again later.

But "Twilight Mansion" itself suddenly beca popular online, since such a large castle gleaming with gold could be seen by people below without having to climb the mountain.

Everyone expressed that if it were converted into a tourist attraction or hotel later, they'd be willing to stay a night.

The current owner of "Twilight Mansion" was the deceased Gourt Detective. With the person gone, it was unclear who would inherit the rights.

But Usuha Izuki casually took a screenshot of the news and posted it in the group, then shared his opinion.

Botanist: [If this "Gilt Mansion" opens as a tourist attraction, I'd also like to stay a night.]

Bourbon: [Has it been confird as gilt? Actually, real gold applied as just a surface layer should still be decent, right?]

Botanist: [Don't know, since the appraisal report isn't out yet, but everyone's already defaulting to gilt. If you search online, it was originally called "Twilight Mansion" but now everyone's calling it "Gilt Mansion."]

Vermouth: [If it were pure gold and opened as a tourist attraction, they'd have to worry about tourists scraping off gold to take... Managing that would be quite troubleso. Gilt is more convenient.]

Organization Boss Karasuma Renya, lurking with his alternate account, felt a bit heartsick seeing the group chat records.

After forty years, the puzzle of that old residence was finally solved. Even though ownership wasn't in his hands now, he felt sowhat relieved.

The problem was, although it was now soone else's property and he had sold it cheaply back then, if it were all pure gold he'd have lost big, but "Gilt Mansion" sounded too awful... And gilt made the whole scale seem suddenly smaller... It would be like a joke if ntioned...

Now ntioning the Karasuma family would probably get responses like "Oh, that nouveau riche family that gilt-plated their castle, haha"...

But he was used to being stabbed in the heart by Botanist, so seeing these comnts didn't anger him. He just felt those "smart people" from back then weren't smart at all, otherwise why would this puzzle wait forty years to be solved?!

Sigh, there weren't enough smart people in the organization either. When would Botanist recruit soone with a good brain... Setting other things aside, he still quite trusted Botanist's eye for recruitnt.

Having remotely dissed the Karasuma family in the group, thinking about how depressed the Boss must be but unable to say anything, Usuha Izuki laughed uncontrollably and started rolling around on his bed.

Even the system couldn't watch anymore: [Why don't you go out? If you keep staying ho playing gas, I think you're going to waste away.]

Usuha Izuki was getting a bit tired of staying ho recently, so he pulled out the lottery cylinder he'd used several tis and drew out a paper ball.

When he was bored and didn't know what to do, he'd draw one from it and act accordingly.

Unfolding it, he found "Osaka" written on it.

"Alright." Usuha Izuki stretched. "Might as well go play with Hattori Heiji."

System: [...???]

—The lot just told you to go to Osaka, not to find Hattori Heiji! Just admit you enjoy ssing with people for your own amusent instead of making excuses!