Fujino was speechless, turning to look at the security guard beside him, wanting to see the reaction of the one who experienced it firsthand.
What he saw was Yoshio Sadakane, his brow deeply furrowed, his eyes blazing with unconcealed rage. Clearly, he was provoked by Shirakawa's remark, "that little thing." But what infuriated him even more was the phrase, "it wasn't her fault that she hit someone." That sentence brought back memories of the incident from a year ago.
Indeed, the speed in the parking lot wasn't fast; if it were a normal person, they could certainly have stopped the car. But at that time, that despicable person was wearing platform shoes... Even though everyone knew that his son's death was due to delayed braking caused by the platform shoes, because the perpetrator was a minor and had an extremely wealthy boyfriend, in the end, she was only sentenced to one year of probation. That's right, aside from getting a criminal record, she barely spent a day in jail! And what he lost was his own flesh and blood, referred to as "that little thing"!
Thinking of this, the anger in Yoshio Sadakane's eyes burned even brighter. However, in a moment, the murderous intent in his eyes gradually subsided. He wasn't a psychotic killer; everything he did was merely to rid society of harm. Apart from Tae Aizawa, who killed his son, which was an act of revenge, he merely taught the others a lesson.
Fujino retracted his gaze and sighed. He could understand the man's actions, but they were just a bit too extreme... though he wasn't really in a position to judge.
Meanwhile, Shirakawa was still rambling on. Kogoro Mouri, having been a detective, wouldn't be as reckless as Fujino, engaging in a shouting match with an emotionally charged, irrational person. He turned and walked towards Juzo Megure, whispering, "Inspector, I think the department store owner is highly suspicious!"
"Huh?" Juzo Megure frowned at that. "Young Mouri, did you figure something out?" Even though Young Mouri usually drove them straight into trouble, given his recent track record, he felt it was worth listening.
"Think about it," Kogoro Mouri reasoned. "He must have known the victim was in this parking lot. Plus, based on his behavior just now, he didn't want his son to marry a woman like that, so he killed her."
"..." Juzo Megure stared blankly at Kogoro Mouri. *As expected, early-stage Mouri is still unreliable.* Having been in the force for so long, he had gained some experience. So he sighed and said, "Young Mouri, how does that make any sense?"
"Indeed, the killer shouldn't be the owner." Fujino naturally wouldn't continue to entangle himself with someone as irrational as Shirakawa. He followed them and echoed, "This time, the culprit is a serial assailant. From the motive, that old man shouldn't have any. Furthermore, it doesn't make sense for him to commit murder in his own underground parking lot, both emotionally and logically."
After hearing this explanation, Kogoro Mouri clearly paused in thought, then laughed awkwardly, "It seems so."
"Still the same, Uncle Mouri!" Conan also looked at Kogoro Mouri, feeling a bit helpless. Then, he looked at Tae Aizawa's corpse again, examining it, and suddenly thought of something.
Juzo Megure, meanwhile, fixed his gaze back on Fujino. Compared to Mouri, he trusted that Young Fujino could lead them to the culprit. So, he leaned closer and whispered to Fujino, "Young Fujino, what do you think?"
"What do I think?" Fujino rubbed his chin. "I'm thinking while standing."
"I think it's better to think while sitting..." Juzo Megure cleared his throat. "Ahem, Young Fujino, let's be serious."
"If we're being serious, I do have some thoughts," Fujino mused, analyzing. "Normally, that assailant has attacked four people. The first three were not killed, but Miss Aizawa was. If it were on a whim, it wouldn't make sense..."
"Brother Fujino!" Just then, Conan suddenly came over, acting childishly. "Don't you think that lady's outfit is a bit strange?"
"What's so strange about it?!" Kogoro Mouri picked up Conan. "You brat, why do you always like to get close to corpses!"
"Because that lady's outfit is really strange!" Conan, seeing that he was about to be struck out by Uncle Mouri, immediately pointed to Tae Aizawa's corpse and said, "I remember the second lady who was attacked also seemed to be wearing a men's jacket."
Upon hearing this, Takagi pulled out a photo from his inner pocket, examined it, and then chuckled, "Her jacket is mine. I saw the weather was too cold, so I lent it to her."
"Then why was she wearing such thin clothes to the park?" Conan continued. "Isn't it strange for her to go to the park's restroom alone in such cold weather?"
"She was probably driving before the attack," Fujino glanced at Conan, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Because she drove here, suddenly needed to use the restroom, and found the park's toilet, only to be attacked by the assailant. Is that right?"
"Well..." Conan felt a sense of unease under Fujino's gaze.
"Wow, Brother Fujino is amazing! He immediately realized she was in the car earlier..." Realizing he might have overstepped and caught Fujino's attention, Conan immediately played dumb, acting like a child with incomplete brain development.
"Car... I see." Juzo Megure stroked his chin, as if something clicked in his mind. "The first assault case and the third assault case victims both just got out of their cars, and this assault case occurred in a parking lot."
"Every case is related to a car." Miwako Sato took over. "If the second person was also attacked right after getting out of a car, then just as Fujino said, the assailant's target might be '109 girls' who drive."
Juzo Megure's thoughts became clearer, and he immediately ordered Takagi, "Young Takagi, go investigate the second girl who was attacked immediately!"
"Yes, sir!" Upon receiving Juzo Megure's order, Takagi immediately sprang into action.
But no sooner had Takagi left than a hearty laugh came from the surrounding crowd: "Hahaha... It seems I've troubled you again this time, Young Fujino."
Everyone turned to look.
Along with the familiar address, Kiyohaga Matsumoto made a grand appearance.
"Both famous detectives are here today," Kiyohaga Matsumoto said with a sigh, walking slowly towards them.
"Manager Matsumoto," Fujino greeted him.
"It seems you're adapting very well..." Kiyohaga Matsumoto familiarly patted Fujino on the shoulder, but then leaned in and said in a low voice to Fujino and Juzo Megure, "However, Fujino and Megure, let's put a temporary end to this matter for now and investigate tomorrow... The reporters outside are already speculating this is an indiscriminate serial murder case. If this continues..."
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