"If the interior of those two ceramic shards also had gold powder on them, then this hypothesis holds a lot of weight."
The number '848,' the shard from the neck of a gourd, and the presence of gold dust.
The four members of the tour group were clearly well-versed in the legends, standing nearby as they joined the discussion.
"But still, this all sounds a bit like a fairy tale, doesn't it?" Kogoro Mouri remarked with a chuckle.
"It's not entirely impossible," Shokei Fukushima replied, shaking his head with a smile. "It's said that after Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, the sheer amount of gold and silver accumulated within Osaka Castle was enough to leave even Tokugawa Ieyasu speechless."
"There's even a legend that Hideyoshi threw a massive number of gold bars into the Kinmeisui Well in front of the Main Tower, supposedly to improve the purity of the water," Shigehiko Wakisaka added in agreement.
"Gold bars and water purity?" Tsuneo asked, looking genuinely perplexed. "Is there a scientific connection there?"
"Hmm… maybe it was meant to lure people with bad intentions into jumping down the well?" Ikumi Kyosuke suggested after a moment of thought.
"…" Conan shot a side-eye at the two of them. Great. Spend enough time with Tsuneo, and you become just as eccentric as him.
"Even if that were the case, how does it relate to a treasure location? This scroll might just be a blueprint for some craftsman," Kogoro said, peering at the evidence bag containing the document.
Right. It could just be an old design for someone who wanted to make some high-end trinkets.
"Oh, please. If it were just a blueprint, would someone hide the gold inside ceramic gourds and then treat the paper with multiple layers to hide the message?" Heiji replied, his face a mask of disbelief.
This old man is impossible to carry. Poor Kudo… no wonder he has to knock him out every time.
"Since you mentioned the Dragon and Tiger Stones earlier, and this scroll only has the character for 'Dragon' on it…" Tsuneo reached into Ikumi's leather handbag, fished out a piece of chocolate, and began eating it as he spoke.
"When did you put that in there…?" Ikumi rummaged through the side pockets of her bag, only to find there were several more tucked away.
"Exactly. Since this Dragon scroll reveals its true form when wet, just like the Dragon Stone, it implies that there must be a second scroll—the Tiger scroll."
A voice suddenly rang out from behind the group. A middle-aged man in a brown suit, holding a black umbrella, walked slowly toward them.
"And that Tiger scroll likely contains the exact location where those gourds are buried. Am I right, Heiji?"
It was Ginshiro Toyama, the Chief of Criminal Investigation.
"Wh-What are you doing here?!"
Inspector Otaki and Heiji both wore identical expressions of pure shock.
"I called him," Kazuha said, holding her umbrella as she looked at Heiji. "The headquarters is right nearby, after all. I figured since my dad was already investigating this case, we should have someone else take over, or else you'd probably never leave the scene."
"…" Heiji's face fell. She's actually trying to force me out of the investigation?
"Kazuha is right. Leave things here to me," Ginshiro Toyama nodded with a calm smile.
"Exactly! I heard a great new restaurant just opened near the Shinbashi bridge at Osaka Castle. Let's head there for dinner!" Kazuha added, nodding enthusiastically.
"What kind of talk is that? A murder happened right in front of my eyes! How could I possibly have the appetite to go to some… some restaurant for dinner…" Heiji started his protest with a roar of conviction, but as he met Ginshiro's eyes, his voice trailed off into a weak mumble.
My future father-in-law's gaze is a bit too 'friendly' right now.
"Tell you what… why don't you just forget about me for a bit and go to dinner with Ran and the others?" Heiji said, placing a hand gently on Kazuha's shoulder with a forced grin.
"Fine! Don't eat then!"
Kazuha snapped, turning on her heel and grabbing Ran's hand to lead her away.
"I'm going too!"
Tsuneo immediately prepared to follow them. Being late for dinner is a moral failing.
"We should stay a little longer," Ikumi Kyosuke said, firmly grabbing Tsuneo's arm to keep him in place.
"…"
Conan watched Tsuneo get held back and rolled his eyes. In the past, if anyone tried to stop this guy from eating—directly or indirectly—they'd be lucky not to get pummeled. People really do change.
"Officer, excuse us, but could we go get some dinner as well?"
The four members of the tour group asked Inspector Otaki.
"No!"
Tsuneo cut in before a hesitant Inspector Otaki could respond. "I haven't eaten yet, so why should you get to?"
Conan also turned to look at the four travelers. Your friend from the same tour group just died in front of you, and you're already thinking about dinner?
Also… please, for your own sake, don't annoy him right now.
"What are you talking about? We haven't eaten a thing since lunch," Arihiro Kasuya grumbled, shooting Tsuneo a look that clearly said: Who do you think you are?
"Think of it as a diet," Tsuneo replied, nonchalantly munching on the chocolate as he glared back at the man who looked like Professor Agasa's twin.
"Hmph."
Kasuya didn't care to argue with the young man. He turned and started to walk away. You're not a cop, you don't make the rules.
"I'd like to head back to the hotel and change. These wet clothes are quite uncomfortable," Maho Katagiri added, following behind Kasuya.
"Wait…" Inspector Otaki reached out to stop them.
"The hotel we're staying at is very close. We'll be back soon," Shokei Fukushima explained with a polite smile as he brought up the rear.
"I thought you'd actually charge in and stop them," Conan said to Tsuneo with a dry, exasperated smile once they were gone.
"I was actually saving their lives just now," Tsuneo said, tossing the last piece of chocolate into his mouth.
If things kept going this way, more people were bound to die. They'd probably be busy until dawn. Tsuneo could recall a few fuzzy details about this case; these people weren't exactly saints. Whether they lived or died didn't particularly matter to him.
"You? Being that kind-hearted?" Conan looked up at Tsuneo's face and shook his head. No way. The Tsuneo I know isn't that altruistic.
Save them? If he doesn't know them, he usually doesn't care. And if the victim deserves it, he's more likely to hand the killer the knife.
"Am I a bad person?" Tsuneo asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he looked down at the 'Great Detective.'
"Ahem…" Conan cleared his throat and stayed silent. Better not to comment.
"You two, did you reach a conclusion?" Ikumi Kyosuke walked over, having finished her brief chat with the forensics team.
"Uh, Tsuneo-niichan says he's hungry," Conan chirped with a fake, innocent smile.
"Yeah. I'm so hungry I'm about ready to eat a kid," Tsuneo said, reaching out and grabbing the Great Detective's head.
"Do you want to stew him with tomatoes?" Ikumi asked with a pleasant smile.
"I'll eat him fresh!"
Tsuneo used his hand to measure the circumference of Conan's head. No wonder he always says it's hard to find hats that fit. His head is big enough to act as an umbrella in the rain.
"…"
Conan, his head firmly caught in Tsuneo's grip, stared at the two of them in speechlessness.
Hey, hey, hey… are you two some kind of cannibal couple?!
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