"So that's what happened," said Inspector Megure after arriving at the scene and getting the full story. "Officer Takagi, it couldn't be helped. Don't let it get to you."
"It's not your fault. The killer was too cunning!"
"Who could have known he would try to kill them on the way?"
Just as Chiba had predicted, Inspector Megure did not blame Takagi.
"Officer Takagi, I'm impressed you were able to snatch this sniper rifle from the killer's hands," said Miwako Sato, examining the weapon. She was looking at Takagi in a new light.
Takagi hadn't expected a compliment from Officer Sato. His face lit up, and his mood instantly improved.
However, Ninzaburo Shiratori interjected bluntly, "Officer Sato, this wasn't snatched by Officer Takagi. It was intentionally left behind by the killer!"
"Oh?" Sato's attention immediately shifted to Shiratori.
Shiratori analyzed the situation logically. "The distance from the car to the sniper's position is about five hundred meters. In the time it took Officer Takagi to run over, the killer had plenty of time to get downstairs and escape. Yet, Officer Takagi ran into him on the stairs. This means the killer was waiting for him! I can't think of any other reason why they would collide on the staircase!"
"Huh?" Takagi paused, realizing that Shiratori had a point.
Miwako Sato frowned. "So... why would he do that?"
"It's nothing but pure arrogance. He doesn't take the police seriously at all!" Shiratori stated his opinion. "The killer is confident in his skills. By leaving the gun for Takagi, he's showing that he isn't worried about the police tracing him through this rifle!"
The other detectives listened to the analysis and found it plausible.
Sato frowned. "Is this killer really that arrogant?"
"Looks like this case is going to be a headache," Megure sighed. He could already imagine the reaction from his superiors. Seeing more and more reporters arriving, he quickly ordered his team to clear the scene, restore traffic, and head back to discuss how to handle the situation with the higher-ups.
The next day at noon, Shiraishi E brought his lunch to Class 2-B to eat with Ran, Sonoko, and Shinichi.
Upon seeing him, Shinichi couldn't help but say, "Shiraishi, something big happened! Did you see the breaking news yesterday?"
"Hmm? What news?" Shiraishi E asked curiously, pulling up a chair.
"It's explosive! The two kidnappers you caught yesterday were taken out!" Shinichi's voice grew louder with excitement. "And they were killed inside the police car! Two of them with a single 12.7mm sniper bullet! That killer's marksmanship is incredible!"
"According to Officer Takagi's testimony, the culprit was a man wearing a white shirt, light blue trousers, and a mask that only covered the top half of his face."
As he spoke, Shinichi instinctively began to deduce, "The killer must have been an accomplice of the two kidnappers. As soon as he saw they were captured, he silenced them! He seems very professional, probably not his first time doing something like this. The strange thing is, why didn't the killer make a move when you caught the two kidnappers?"
He frowned, lost in thought.
"That's terrifying," Ran said, too worried to ponder the 'why'. "Even the police couldn't protect them."
"Tell me about it. My mom told me to come straight home after school these days and not to hang out outside," Sonoko said glumly. She had been hoping to go on a few dates with Shiraishi E, but this incident had ruined her plans.
"Looks like everyone should be careful for the next few days," Shiraishi E added, playing along. He had mainly come to see Shinichi's reaction. Seeing that the "Holmes of the Heisei Era" was stumped, he felt relieved.
During their chat, Ran suddenly asked, "Shiraishi-kun, are you free after school?"
"I am. What's up?" Shiraishi E looked at Ran, wondering what she wanted. Not just him, but Sonoko and Shinichi also cast surprised glances at her.
Fearing they would misunderstand, Ran quickly explained, "The competition is starting soon, and I want to train with a strong opponent! I saw how amazing you were yesterday, taking down those two kidnappers so easily. So, I was hoping you could come with me to the karate club after school to practice."
Sonoko and Shinichi nodded in understanding.
"Sure, no problem," Shiraishi E readily agreed. He remembered from the anime that during her final match against Hina Wada, Ran was on the defensive for most of it. If it hadn't been for Shinichi's encouragement giving her a final burst of energy, Hina Wada would have been the champion.
It was understandable that Ran couldn't beat Hina Wada. After all, both Kyogoku Makoto and Hina Wada were students at Haido High. The official stats rated Kyogoku's fighting ability as a special 'A-rank', while Ran's was a mere 'B-rank'. Hina had Kyogoku to guide her, while Ran only had her senior, Tsukamoto Kazumi. No matter how strong Kazumi was, she couldn't compare to Kyogoku. With their "teachers" on completely different levels, it was no surprise Ran's skills fell short.
"Really? That's great!" Ran cheered happily.
"Tch," Shinichi grumbled from the side, clearly jealous. "Why ask Shiraishi? Am I not good enough?"
"Of course not, I was just afraid you'd say no," Ran said, looking at him. She clapped her hands together excitedly. "Since you want to come too, let's all go to the karate club together after school! It's a deal! No running off after school!"
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