Chapter 227: Jiangxia, What Did You Steal?!

Especially this episode.

Jiangxia Tongzhi spotted a familiar name on the guest list: Kozaburo Hijikata.

Hijikata was a famous Taiga drama actor, well-regarded in the entertainment industry. But recently, his career had been spiraling thanks to a barrage of scandals and some not-so-innocent "negative press." Nothing severe enough to get him banned, but enough to tank his popularity.

To keep the money flowing, Hijikata had started picking up work in regular dramas and random variety shows like any other fading celebrity.

Soon, he was going to appear in a mystery drama—so, in preparation, he'd also signed up to guest on this detective-themed variety show.

…

In Jiangxia's memory, though, Hijikata had another, more important identity:

Potential murderer.

See, the rumors weren't entirely baseless—he really had broken up with his wife.

Kozaburo was known to stir up trouble, and his wife, Isami Nagakura, wasn't one to back down. She'd cheated on him with their neighbor, Okita Hajime, and was now threatening to go after hefty alimony in the divorce. She even had evidence of Kozaburo's own infidelity.

Naturally, Hijikata started thinking about killing her.

In the original timeline, he'd used the excuse of "researching for a role in a detective drama" to invite Kogoro Mouri to his house. Then he killed his wife in front of the detective and tried to pull off a trick that pinned the murder on the neighbors.

…

Jiangxia arrived at the studio and quickly spotted Hijikata Kozaburo among the crowd.

The man was practically radiating murderous aura. It looked like he'd already made up his mind and even figured out a method—now he was just waiting for the right moment.

Jiangxia sat down next to the actor, eyeing the shikigami-like murderous aura pooling beside him, and was a little tempted.

Would be nice to be invited as the "tool person" in this case...

But when their eyes met, Hijikata gave Jiangxia a polite but chilly smile, then turned away to chat with the actor on his other side. No invitation. No "hey, wanna come to my murder party?"

Jiangxia, now just awkwardly lingering: "…"

...Maybe I shouldn't have fast-forwarded the plotline just to save time.

From now on, I'll pace things more "rigorously"… really embrace a slower, more cautious detective style…

But even if he hadn't been invited over, Jiangxia still wanted in on the case.

After all, a murderer was sitting right next to him—what was the difference between that and a wild ghost brushing past your arm? You gotta grab the opportunity when it floats by.

Of course, he couldn't just sit there and wait. Time to take initiative.

…

In the second half of the show, there was a live mystery-solving segment.

Unlike Earth's variety shows, the ones in the Detective Conan universe didn't hand guests full scripts or reveal the solutions in advance. If a famous detective didn't want to look like a loser on live TV, they had to genuinely crack the case on the spot.

Jiangxia thought for a moment, then quietly sent Xiaobai to float backstage.

Xiaobai wasn't exactly an expert script-thief, but it managed to catch a glimpse of the materials. Jiangxia narrowed his eyes, scanned the Q&A sheet through Xiaobai's eyes, and memorized it.

Later, during a break, he slipped out of the studio.

He found an empty hallway, dug out a pen and paper, and began quickly jotting things down.

…

Meanwhile, Hijikata Kozaburo also took the chance to leave the studio and head to a far-off bathroom.

He'd always liked this one—big mirror, good lighting. Perfect for admiring himself and double-checking his costume.

But this time, someone else was there.

Jiangxia had been standing in the corner, muttering to himself while staring down at a piece of paper. When he heard someone come in, he stiffened, hastily stuffed the paper behind his back, and gave a stiff, "Ah… hello."

Hijikata immediately picked up on the guilt in the kid's face.

As a seasoned entertainment industry fried dough stick, Hijikata narrowed his eyes and approached, oozing friendly senior energy.

The bathroom wasn't that big. Soon, Hijikata could see the reflection of the paper in the mirror—something with tiny handwriting and a schematic drawing.

He squinted suspiciously, trying to make it out.

But before he could study it too much, Jiangxia suddenly flinched, shoved the paper into his sleeve, and awkwardly excused himself.

…

As the bathroom door clicked shut behind him, Jiangxia dropped the flustered expression and returned to his usual deadpan look.

He strolled over to the smoking area, pulled out the note, set it on fire, and dumped the ashes down the drain.

Then he casually returned to the studio like nothing had happened.

Hijikata came back shortly after.

Soon, the show's big final segment began—live deduction round.

As the actors performed, a large crime scene diagram popped up on the screen behind them: a schematic of a weird oval-shaped private villa.

Hijikata stared at it. And then suddenly, realization struck.

That drawing—it was exactly what he'd seen on Jiangxia's hidden note earlier!

So the guy had both the question and the answer?!

It all made sense now.

Hijikata rubbed his chin thoughtfully as the others focused on filming.

No wonder Jiangxia always breezes through these mystery shows. He's not solving anything—he's just reading the damn answers ahead of time.

And in all those newspaper articles claiming he solved cases in record time? Pfft. They don't broadcast in real-time. Just re-edit the timeline, sprinkle in a few dramatic pauses, and boom—"Solved in ten seconds!"

Honestly, the cops probably don't care. Whether Jiangxia or his company does the solving, the cases get wrapped up in the end.

The more Hijikata thought about it, the more smug he felt. He was sure he'd figured Jiangxia out.

No talent. No skills. Just a face and a team feeding him answers. He curled his lip in contempt.

Tui. These fresh little celebrities.

But Hijikata didn't plan to expose him.

After all, an overrated detective with a nice face and no real ability? That was exactly the kind of tool person he needed.

His bad luck was finally turning around.

Hijikata still had to get rid of his wife—but he didn't want to pay alimony or have his own cheating exposed in the press. That would torpedo what was left of his popularity.

In that case, who better to serve as his witness than a "famous detective" like Jiangxia?

——

*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.

Progress: 4/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS

Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.

Progress:2/10*

Glossary:

fried dough stick – Slang for an old veteran who's seen everything; seasoned but maybe a little greasy.

tui – A sound effect/spit noise used to express disdain or contempt.