40: The Sherlock Holmes of the Heisei Era

"Don't listen to Ryouko-nee's nonsense. There's no such thing."

"According to the Scumbag Law, if a scumbag vehemently denies something, it's usually true."

Suou Yuuki, stroking her dark brown hair, spoke in a faint, melancholic tone.

"Where did you even hear about this so-called Scumbag Law?"

"Of course, Yuuki just made it up!"

"So, it's just you, you little brat, spouting nonsense."

"Akira, it's getting late. This old lady needs to rest now."

"Why don't you see your childhood friends off?"

Kujou Seiko, seeing her grandson being cornered by everyone's stares, quickly stepped in to defuse the situation.

"Akira, remember to come by the National Police Agency sometime."

"I'll arrange for you to be hired as an external consultant."

"Not only will you be able to legally carry a gun, but you'll also be able to build up your credentials."

"For the next few years, you can work with me or Sakurako to solve a few major cases."

"All the credit will go to you, which will help you climb the ranks quickly."

"After all, Sakurako keeps digging up old corpses every other day."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone instinctively took a step back from Kujou Sakurako.

No wonder they rarely saw Sakurako-nee growing up.

Turns out, while she presents herself as an archaeologist, she's actually a corpse digger.

What kind of professional grave robber is this?!

"Don't worry about lacking achievements."

"Yakushiji Ryouko, are you doing this on purpose?"

"Don't make it sound like I'm some kind of professional corpse excavator!"

Seeing the fear and unease in everyone's eyes, Kujou Sakurako couldn't help but fire back:

"Not all the bodies I dig up are human, you know."

"A large portion of them are animal remains."

"Kujou Sakurako, do you know what your nickname is at the National Police Agency?"

"'The Lady with Corpses Under Her Feet.'"

"Your phone number, along with Kudou Shinichi's, has been specially flagged by the police."

"They're marked as top priority."

"Every officer is required to memorize both numbers."

"Every time you call, it's 100% guaranteed that you've found a body."

"And every time Kudou Shinichi calls, it's 100% guaranteed that he's stumbled upon a murder scene."

Holy cow!

This sounds absolutely terrifying!

I've got goosebumps all over.

What kind of absurd talent is this?!

"Ryouko-nee, because you exposed Sakurako-nee's dark secrets, everyone's looking at her differently now."

"It's not like she could've kept it hidden forever."

"What's the difference between saying it now or later?"

"I've heard that Kujou Sakurako built a villa deep in the mountains of Hokkaido."

"It's filled with bone specimens she's collected since she was a child."

"Aside from herself, Akira is the only one who's ever been inside."

"Why don't you take me there sometime?"

Yakushiji Ryouko said with a smile.

Kujou Sakurako, now fully embracing the chaos, deliberately tried to scare her:

"Sure, why not? I'll take you and Akira there one night."

"Some of the bones glow in the dark, you know."

"Colors like green, yellow, and red."

"You can only truly appreciate the unique beauty of bones at night."

As soon as she said this, everyone subtly took another step back, distancing themselves even further from Kujou Sakurako.

Sakurako-nee is absolutely terrifying.

Just listening to her sends chills down their spines.

This hobby of hers is way too creepy.

"Ryouko-nee, let's get back to the main topic."

"I'm still a minor. Can I even join the National Police Agency?"

"As long as we mention that you might return to China or join the FBI in America after graduating high school, do you really think the higher-ups at the National Police Agency would refuse my proposal?"

"Besides, you've got so many influential families backing you."

"Pulling some strings for you would be a piece of cake."

"Bureaucrats are experts at bending with the wind."

"The reputation of the National Police Agency is already in the gutter."

"Everyone in Tokyo knows that the police are useless, just a bunch of salary thieves."

"All they do is maintain order at crime scenes."

"Solving cases always falls to various detectives."

"That's why a high school student ended up being dubbed 'The Sherlock Holmes of the Heisei Era' by the media."

"That brat Kudou Shinichi acts just like Holmes."

"Arrogant, loves showing off."

"In the novels, Holmes constantly mocks Scotland Yard."

"In real life, Kudou Shinichi mocks the Sakurada Gate."

"My boss invited him to join the National Police Agency."

"He flat-out refused and even told the media that he'd never become a police officer in his life."

"His only idol is Sherlock Holmes."

"He'll only ever be a detective, and as usual, he'll hog the spotlight in front of the media."

Akira Sawamura's lips twitched. He hadn't realized Ryouko-nee held such a grudge against Kudou Shinichi.

"Well, Kudou's idol is Holmes, after all!"

"That guy's like a magnet for death. Wherever he goes, there's bound to be a crime scene nearby."

"And it's always some gruesome murder."

"Every time he solves a case, the media goes wild."

"That guy's basically a walking curse."

Yakushiji Ryouko continued her rant.

But this is nothing!

Wait until Kudou Shinichi becomes Edogawa Conan and fully embraces his "Detective Conan" persona.

Then it'll be a case of "wherever he goes, someone dies."

*Clap clap clap!*

"Ryouko-nee, you're absolutely right."

"That arrogant jerk Kudou Shinichi loves nothing more than solving cases and showing off."

"Whenever there's a crime scene, he's like a fly attracted to poop, forgetting everything else and charging straight in."

"Leaving me and Ran behind."

"A guy like that deserves to stay single forever."

*Pfft!*

A fly attracted to poop? What a disgusting analogy!

Everyone couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Sonoko, who's Ran?"

"My best friend in the whole world. She's as kind as an angel."

"Ran, Kudou, and I have been friends since we were kids."

"Ran is also Kudou Shinichi's childhood friend."

"I mean, what kind of person drags their childhood friend to murder scenes?!"

"Any normal person would've cut ties with him long ago."

"But Ran just sticks by Kudou Shinichi no matter what."

"And because of him, Ran's been in life-threatening situations more than once."

Everyone: "..."

This kind of childhood friendship is truly rare. It's almost too much.

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