The black sports car zoomed freely on the streets.
Although its speed was within the normal range, the vehicles ahead always seemed to effortlessly surpass it.
At this moment, Senichi and Conan had already left the art museum and were driving towards the "Future Gadget Lab," a destination that was filled with Chunibyo.
"Hey, is this Lab really reliable?" Conan sat in the passenger seat and looked at the business card in his hand and complained: "Why does the name feel like it's something a primary school kid would come up with?"
"Research is all about walking on the path to the future. I think the name is pretty good because it is looking towards the future."
Senichi didn't mind Conan's remarks. Although if he didn't know their background, he might also feel that the name of the lab wasn't very reliable.
But in the storyline of Rintaro Okabe and Kurisu Makise, they were both genius-level scientists. Even though there was no storyline of them in this world, their talents were legit...
If such individuals weren't reliable, then Senichi truly didn't know who else could be.
That's right, the person Senichi was looking for this time was none other than Rintaro Okabe and Kurisu Makise, whom he had encountered during the case involving esper abilities.
Even he hadn't expected to need their help so soon.
And what was the question that neither he nor Conan could find an answer to? It was about "pigments."
Yes, the essential material required for oil painting.
The raw material of "Mirror Lake" itself was made of various natural pigments, while the fake was imitated using acrylic.
Then there is a problem.
The pigment on the painting "Mirror Lake" had aged over time, with some areas even showing cracks from drying out.
But how did counterfeit artwork manage to achieve this? How did it make it impossible for the naked eye to discern it as a freshly painted forgery?
It couldn't be that they stored the acrylic counterfeit for hundreds of years, letting time complete this final step, could it?
So the person behind this plan is probably not a fool with nothing but air in their head.
Therefore, there must be reactions that Senichi and Conan don't understand.
If they knew how the thief aged the forgery, perhaps they could trace it back to find the answer.
However, neither of them is a professional, and they don't know if such a technique even exists. So they have to seek advice from professionals.
Upon arriving at the Lab, Conan, seeing the building, no longer doubted its reliability.
Because...
Just by looking at the appearance of this lab, it can't be any worse!
Since they had made a phone call to make an appointment beforehand, after Senichi stated his name, a beautiful receptionist quickly led them into the Lab. After passing several security checks, she brought them to an office.
"It's rare to have a visitor. I didn't expect Detective Senichi to come for a visit so soon," Kurisu Makise greeted Senichi with a smile. "So, there must be something you need help with."
"Oh, was it that obvious?" Senichi wasn't surprised and wasn't embarrassed either. "Well, No one comes to the temple without a reason. I do have something I'd like to ask for advice on today."
"Hahaha! Pursuing the unknown is the common trait of intelligent people!"
Rintaro Okabe approached Senichi with an exaggerated laugh. "So, what confuses you? Let Rintaro Okabe answer your questions!"
Conan, who was seeing Rintaro Okabe for the first time, couldn't help but feel skeptical at his exaggerated demeanor. The trust he had just formed disappeared in an instant, replaced by thick suspicion.
However, Senichi was unfazed by Rintaro Okabe's behavior. After taking a seat, he began to slowly recount the case he had encountered.
"Interesting, pigments that skip the aging process and directly reach a level of aging over time?" Rintaro Okabe rubbed his chin after hearing Senichi's account. "This isn't our area of expertise, but I feel like I've heard about such research somewhere..."
"It might be Professor Yamaden," Kurisu Makise took a sip from her tea cup and said. "I remember he once took on a project researching oil paint pigments when he was young."
"So, does that mean we need to visit this Professor Yamaden next?" Senichi raised an eyebrow. "Could you two help with an introduction?"
"No problem," Kurisu Makise smiled. "It's a good opportunity to get out. It's time to get some fresh air after being in the lab all day."
"So, I..."
"You can stay behind. Just behave yourself in the lab," Kurisu Makise interrupted Rintaro Okabe's actions. "To be honest, it's always a headache for me when you insist on arguing with others every time your scientific views are challenged.
We're going to assist Detective Senichi with his case this time. Having you around will only complicate things."
"W-What?" Rintaro Okabe looked at Kurisu Makise with an incredulous expression. "Assistant... Is this how you see me?"
"Just focus on your work." Facing Rintaro Okabe's reaction, Kurisu Makise took off her lab coat and put on her jacket before walking out of the room, completely ignoring him.
Her uncooperative attitude brought him back to his senses from his exaggerated demeanor, and he could only wave his hand. "Take care."
With that, Senichi's team had completed task one, now switching to the secondary task...
It can't be helped. Investigations are like this. Sometimes, for a trivial piece of information or a tiny clue, you had to go out of your way to verify it.
Then, you rush to another place to chase after fragments, eventually obtaining a piece of the puzzle, not knowing if it would be useful.
But countless investigations rely on such methods, step by step, to solve each case.
Fortunately, the intermediary Senichi hired this time had enough influence, so they didn't encounter any trouble and were able to meet Professor Yamaden smoothly.
"I didn't expect you to visit an old man like me."
As Professor Yamaden served the three guests, he poured tea onto the table and said, "I heard over the phone that you wanted to consult me about oil paint pigments?"
"Yes, that's correct. We have a lead pointing to a special pigment, which might be crucial in helping us identify the culprit," Senichi explained. "Can you tell us about your experiments with pigments, especially those related to aging?"
"Do you know the shortcomings of oil paintings?" Instead of answering Senichi's question, Professor Yamaden posed an apparently unrelated one.