Chapter 251: Jiang Xia, Come Down

In Hijikata Kozaburo's flawless masterplan, the distance between Jiang Xia and the opposite balcony was perfectly calculated: from that far, it was impossible to tell whether Mrs. Hijikata had fainted… or kicked the pot.

So the correct response, naturally, would've been for the guests to rush to the front door of the "Okita residence" next door and pound on it, trying to get Okita to open up.

Of course, since there was no living soul actually inside the house across the way, that door was destined to stay shut.

This was when Hijikata Kozaburo could shine: once everyone else was out of the way, he could volunteer to "guard" the door and make sure the "perpetrator" didn't escape.

Getting rid of Jiang Xia and Mouri Ran was easy. One of them would go ask the apartment manager for a spare key to Okita's house, the other would run to the police station down the block and report the incident. Without needing to remember the station's direct line, running there in person was faster than dialing 110, and they could explain the situation on the way.

As for the extra bear child tagging along... in a dangerous situation, any kid would instinctively stick with someone they knew. So naturally, they wouldn't be staying behind to guard the door with Hijikata.

In the script: with all three nuisances gone, Hijikata Kozaburo would use a rope to lower the corpse from his balcony onto Okita's. He'd then wipe the ink off the elevator buttons, swap the floor numbers back to normal, and head from the sixth floor down to the fifth. All that was left was to show up at the door of "Okita's house" to stage the discovery and nail the performance.

Hijikata Kozaburo ran the whole thing through in his head. It was airtight.

Meanwhile, the three guests were still gazing idly at the river scenery.

Hijikata gave them a casual glance… then quietly pressed the button in his palm.

In the apartment next door — the one masquerading as "Okita's" — a phone rang suddenly.

Mouri Ran perked up. "I think I heard a phone ringing."

Hijikata waved it off with a casual smile. "Not mine. Must be Okita's. He lives next door."

"Oh, really!" Mouri Ran's eyes sparkled. She looked toward the other balcony with newfound interest — what had seemed like a normal, boring apartment was actually a celebrity's home!

She was still admiring it when — thud — a corpse suddenly flopped out onto the balcony.

Mouri Ran, still smiling: "..."

Mouri Ran, no longer smiling: "..."

Mouri Ran, pulling out her phone and smashing the "1" key: "!!!"

At the same moment, Hijikata Kozaburo sprang into action. He yelled his wife's name — "Isami!" — and in a move that would've earned points for realism, he suddenly climbed halfway over the balcony railing like he was about to leap to the neighboring unit.

Startled, Mouri Ranlunged to grab him. "Don't! That's the fifth floor!"

"Why shouldn't I be impulsive?! That's my wife!" Hijikata Kozaburo shouted, clinging to the railing with drama club-level intensity. "Isami! What's wrong? You—"

His voice cut off.

…Because the railing wobbled beneath a sudden new weight.

Hijikata looked down in confusion — and saw a black boot standing next to his hand.

His heart gave a buzz of dread. Slowly, mechanically, he lifted his head…

…and found Jiang Xia perched lightly on the railing.

Jiang Xia leaned forward slightly, eyes locked on the corpse on the opposite balcony.

Hijikata Kozaburo: "…"

Wait.

Wait wait wait.

This isn't what he thought it was.

This is the sixth floor!

Hijikata's expression twisted. He lunged, grabbing for Jiang Xia's ankle—

But before he could even close his fingers, Jiang Xia stepped lightly onto the edge of the balcony and hopped across to the opposite side.

He landed smoothly.

In the absolute silence that followed, Jiang Xia walked over to the corpse, crouched, checked the pulse and breath—

Then stood up and exhaled softly. "She's been dead for a while. Call the police."

Hijikata Kozaburo stared at him like a fool who'd just watched his entire plan run face-first into a truck.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

He should've been pulling Jiang Xia back. The guests should've been rushing to bang on Okita's door. Instead...

His plot… his glorious setup…

At that moment, another balcony door opened with a bang one floor below.

Okita stepped out in casual clothes, pulling off his headphones, looking up in confusion at Hijikata's balcony. "I thought I heard shouting? What's going on?"

Conan and Mouri Ran turned to look at him, jaws dropping in perfect sync.

"Mr. Okita?" Mouri Ran said, stunned. "Don't you live in 502, opposite Mr. Hijikata's place? Why are you on the fourth floor?"

"Huh?" Okita blinked, even more confused than she was. He patted his balcony railing. "What are you talking about? This is 502."

...

Conan leaned over the balcony, starting to count floors with a very Holmesian squint.

Hijikata Kozaburo's face went from pale to sheet-white. The world felt like it was slipping away from him.

No, this wasn't right.

All his exquisite craftsmanship, his meticulous floor renumbering, his hand-picked clueless detectives...

Mouri Ran stared blankly between Okita and Hijikata, then glanced over at Jiang Xia across the way.

Jiang Xia met her gaze, nodded lightly, like a solemn shikigami confirming a curse had landed.

That was all Mouri Ran needed.

Without missing a beat, she whipped out her phone, tapped in 110 at light speed, and pressed call.

Hijikata Kozaburo had barely enough brain cells left to notice the dial tone.

Survival instinct kicked in. He reached for Mouri Ran, trying to snatch the phone—

Mouri Ran, though she might seem a little naive, had been through so many murders and watched so many deductions unfold in real time. Something about Hijikata's behavior had started pinging her danger radar.

Especially that moment when Jiang Xia jumped across and Hijikata grabbed his leg—like he was trying to yank him mid-jump. Sure, you could say he was just worried about safety. But if Jiang Xia had lost his balance, that could've ended very badly.

In short: Mouri Ran was not buying it.

So when Hijikata lunged for her phone like a yinbi about to self-destruct, she let out a startled shriek—and kicked.

Hijikata Kozaburo went flying. He slammed into the balcony railing with a resounding bang. The whole sixth floor gave a sympathetic shudder.

Jiang Xia, and Okita — who'd gone back to munching on metaphorical melons downstairs — both looked up.

The railing was a bit bent now.

Okita blinked at the sight.

After a long pause, he silently stepped away from the balcony and retreated to the safety of his living room.

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

Progress: 26/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS

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

Progress:2/10*