Conan's mind suddenly exploded!
The culprit who vanished without a trace, the blond man who claimed he'd never seen Genta, the left-handed detail, and "SOS" being mistaken for "202"... It all clicked into place in an instant.
But he couldn't bring himself to be excited. Fujino had just asked the store clerk if they had "SOS" short-sleeved shirts, meaning he'd noticed the same clue. And once you noticed that, it was just a hop, skip, and a jump to figuring out the rest.
Thinking about it, Conan let out a long sigh. Fujino had beaten him to the punch again.
Out in front of the clothing store...
"We still got nothing, huh?" Mitsuhiko sighed. "Genta, if only you could remember where that place was."
"I was all groggy back then, I didn't pay much attention." Genta scratched his head, looking a bit helpless. "Besides, it's been over a week. How am I supposed to remember that clearly?"
"Could it have been a movie theater?" Ayumi mused. "Or maybe on a train or something?"
"Neither of those are very likely..." Conan glanced up at Fujino. Seeing that Fujino wasn't about to spill the beans, he confidently stated, "Actually, I already know where Genta saw that person."
"Huh?" Mitsuhiko looked at Fujino, surprised. "You already know?"
"Yup." Conan waved them over, motioning for the others to huddle close. He whispered, "If I'm not mistaken, Genta was probably at a hair salon. As for that black-haired culprit, he's actually the same person as the blond big brother, just dyed his hair. He probably thought Genta didn't get a good look through the mirror, but then taking him to the police station exposed him, and from then on, Genta was targeted."
"That's right!" Genta nodded emphatically, recalling, "I did go to a hair salon before, and being chased by the culprit only started after I ran into that blond big brother!"
"He must have wanted to change his appearance, right?" Fujino mused. "His looks were already known. He was probably trying to dye his hair to escape the manhunt. What Genta said about him being there and not being there was probably due to the hair dye."
"And there are mirrors in a hair salon." Haibara also thought for a moment, whispering, "The reason Conan said the person was left-handed must be because of the mirror reflection. The '202' on his shirt was probably also because of that. From a mirror, 'SOS' looks like '202,' and a right-handed person would appear left-handed."
"If that guy has already dyed his hair blond..." Fujino's eyes narrowed slightly as he murmured, "Ever since we left, a blond man has been following us. Looks like he's our culprit."
"Someone's following us?!" The kids gasped, startled.
Conan frowned. He hadn't realized the man had been tailing them the whole time. As for how Fujino could spot him... well, he'd just gotten used to it.
"So, what do we do now?" Ayumi managed to resist the urge to glance around, clearly a bit shaken.
"If you ask me, we should just play along." Conan smiled, suggesting, "The culprit is definitely listening to us right now, so I think we shouldn't let on that we've found him. Later, you three lure that guy to the hair salon, and Fujino, Haibara, and I will leave to call the police and set up an ambush at that hair salon... As for how to lead them there, that's up to you guys."
"Leave it to us!" The kids nodded solemnly, their expressions showing they were taking this very seriously.
"Your plan is way too complicated, and it's risky." Fujino wasn't a fan of Conan's strategy. He had a bone to pick, both personal and public, and his wooden sword was practically throbbing with anticipation. If he didn't give that guy a good thrashing, he just wouldn't feel right. So he proposed, "I say, let's just pull out the wooden sword and go for it. Let's beat that guy senseless."
Conan: "..."
True, if this guy got involved, they probably wouldn't even need the police. He could probably beat someone to death all by himself.
Thinking about that, Conan shook his head. "I think it's better to be cautious. We can't be sure he's the culprit yet, and without evidence, we need to find the salon owner to identify him... "
He paused, then murmured softly, "Besides, the police will go easy..."
Fujino: "...?"
The police will go easy? Have you ever met a fierce woman? You've probably never seen a fierce woman kick someone and break several of their ribs.
After a moment's thought, Fujino nodded. "Alright then, I'll give Inspector Megure a call later and have them set up an ambush at the hair salon."
Conan breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Fujino cooperating. While the idea of letting Fujino handle it directly was tempting, considering Fujino's terrifying strength... the guy's skull might just get caved in. He certainly didn't want Fujino to become a criminal. It was safer to seek help from the police.
Yeah, at least the police would probably be gentler than Fujino. Probably.
"No!" Genta shook his head, playing along. "I've never been to that place. You guys are definitely wrong this time."
"Not there, huh?" Fujino thought for a moment. "If that's the case, finding that guy will be a hassle."
"Yeah..." Conan let out a slow sigh, saying in a comforting tone, "But I really didn't expect you to make a wrong deduction. It's not your fault, the clues are just too few."
Fujino: "..."
This kid had a hidden meaning in his words. He wasn't just acting...
"It's getting late now, we should head home." Haibara pulled out her phone and checked the time. "Akemi must be waiting at home to make dinner."
"Mm-hmm..." Conan nodded in agreement. "Ran is also waiting for me to come home for dinner."
"If you find any clues, remember to let us know." Fujino turned, waved to Genta, and then separated from the three kids, leaving the front of the clothing store with Conan and Haibara.
After walking a good distance down the street, and once the kids were out of sight, Fujino pulled out his phone and dialed Inspector Megure's number.
"Why is Fujino calling me?" Inspector Megure, who was in the office of Division Three, was surprised to receive Fujino's call, then hesitated. "It's not another murder case, is it?"
"It's not a murder case this time." Fujino shook his head and asked, "Inspector Megure, you must have heard about the robber who's been attacking women and elderly people around Beika recently, right?"
"You mean that robber?" Inspector Megure thought for a moment and sighed. "Of course I've heard of that guy. After all, that case has been handed over to Division Three, and I'm getting a headache just thinking about this mess... Wait a minute, Fujino, you don't mean...?"
"That's right, I just happened to run into that robber." Fujino nodded, explaining, "He's probably following a kid to the hair salon on the seventh floor of the station building, planning to silence them."
"Silence them?!" Inspector Megure was stunned for a moment, then quickly recovered and said, "I understand! Fujino, you wait there for a bit, I'll bring my team over right away!"