538

Is the boss the culprit, or am I the culprit?

What the heck is this ultimate "Corporate" scenario!?

Clearly, no matter how you answer this question, it's a trap. If these brats decide to blabber about it to the boss, I might leave the studio...

Moreover, the way these two are bickering right now, Yasuhiro Miyauchi definitely wouldn't just give himself a "Kick" for free.

So, facing Genta's ultimate questioning, Yasuhiro Miyauchi's face darkened even more.

But even if he could silently curse in his heart, on the surface, he didn't dare speak ill of his boss and quickly began the triple denial, "You're thinking too much, don't talk nonsense, there's no such thing!"

"Then who is it?" Genta impatiently asked.

"Anyway, it's none of us!!" Yasuhiro Miyauchi, with a dark face, decisively chose to stay silent and decided not to argue with kids.

"But, it seems like the cameraman didn't notice whether Mr. Kuriki left in the middle."

After the argument, Mitsuhiko had a different opinion on Ayumi's words. "If the cameraman can't prove that Mr. Kuriki was watching the performance the whole time, then the alibi seems a bit ambiguous."

"That would mean we came here for nothing." Genta felt a bit frustrated.

"Not necessarily." Conan smiled and looked at something next to him.

"Uncle, when the camera was filming, did it capture an overall video of the entire performance venue?"

Conan pointed to the camera next to him and asked the cameraman with a smile.

Although it was a question, the tone was extremely certain, as if he had known the answer for a long time.

"Yes, that's right, because we're just doing publicity. Naturally, we can't capture the entire performance; otherwise, everyone would just watch it online, and no one would come."

The cameraman chuckled. "And filming the audience has another advantage, which is to show the lively atmosphere on-site, serving as a promotional effect."

"No wonder!" Mitsuhiko scratched his head. "Before, all the performances I saw online included the audience, and I was wondering why there wasn't a panoramic view..."

"Hahaha, of course, it was intentional!" The cameraman burst into laughter upon hearing this. "If not, why would you come here personally to experience the charm of live-action special effects!"

"Then, Mr. Kuriki should have been captured on camera, right?" Conan, seeing the conversation heading off course, quickly steered it back to the main topic. "I wonder if we can take a look!?"

"Sure." The cameraman prepared to play the video for them. However, the next moment, the camera fixed on the stand was directly taken by Yasuhiro Miyauchi.

"Hey! Uncle, what are you doing!" Genta, seeing Yasuhiro Miyauchi snatch the camera, angrily said, "Are you the culprit, planning to destroy evidence and disrupt the investigation?"

"Hmph! Nonsense!" Yasuhiro Miyauchi said rudely, especially when addressing Genta, the troublesome kid. "You little brats probably can't understand anything; it's just a waste of time! I'll take it directly to Detective Senichi!"

His words were quite impolite, completely underestimating the kids. Even though Genta and Mitsuhiko referred to themselves as the Detective Boys, Yasuhiro Miyauchi still treated them like a bunch of brats, using this to suppress them in the conversation.

Especially when he saw the displeased expression on the chubby kid's face, Yasuhiro Miyauchi couldn't help but feel a bit pleased.

On the side, Conan, who was originally planning to "seize the initiative" and check the video for any useful clues, couldn't help but sigh in resignation. He had intended to examine the video first to see if there were any important insights.

If he could find crucial information, he could gain an advantage in this case and provide a favorable counterattack against Detective Senichi, who treated him like a babysitter and handyman.

However, now it seemed that the situation had already concluded before it even began. If he couldn't even watch the video, how could he turn the tables?

Helplessly, he could only play the role of a peacemaker once again, persuading Genta against arguing with Yasuhiro Miyauchi. Then, they all returned to the backstage room.

Taking advantage of their absence, Detective Senichi also familiarized himself with the layout of the backstage room.

The rooms where Kinoshita and Yasuhiro Miyauchi stayed were at the far ends, meaning the two wouldn't notice each other. In the middle was the hall, where everyone prepared before going on stage.

Opposite Kinoshita and Yasuhiro Miyauchi was the makeup room and costume storage room, also serving as a place for storing miscellaneous items.

That was the basic structure of the backstage room. The victim rested in a corner of the waiting hall, surrounded by a curtain, which was also the current crime scene.

On both sides of the hall are actor passageways. At the beginning of the performance, everyone gathers there, actors ready to go on stage, and staff assisting with makeup touch-ups. The hall is basically empty during this time.

From the current perspective, the situation of the case seems clear: the murderer took advantage of everyone being busy with work, attacked Kujou, who was resting alone, and carried out the crime efficiently and decisively.

But is this really the case?

Senichi discovered some clues in the previous questioning. He felt that these were just distractions created by the culprit.

Unfortunately, crucial evidence is still lacking at the moment. Speculation is merely speculation without concrete proof; it's just a possibility and cannot prove that the culprit committed the crime in this particular way.

While Senichi was pondering if Conan had made any discoveries, he saw Conan and the others returning. Senichi walked up to them and asked Conan, "How was it? Did you find any important clues?"

"Nothing."

Conan rolled his eyes and looked helplessly at Genta and Yasuhiro Miyauchi, who were still glaring at each other. "Genta and Mr. Yasuhiro Miyauchi are a bit difficult to deal with, so... hehehe..."

The last three "hehehe" sounded quite spiritual.

"Then let's take a look together." Senichi thanked Conan and went to Yasuhiro Miyauchi, who was bickering with Genta. He took the camera from him and played the video on the computer.

In the video on the computer, the footage started before the show began, with the audience already seated. Soon, they saw Kuriki approaching from the stage, waving towards the camera as he exchanged greetings with the cameraman.

After that, Kuriki sat down at the backmost seat, and the performance began.

The video playback speed was fast, but everything remained clear under Senichi's keen eyes. Soon, they reached the part where Hiroshi Sanba was in a standoff with the enemy. Cheers and applause from the children around echoed through the recording.

At this moment, Kuriki also leaned forward and started to clap.

Seeing this scene, Senichi and Conan's eyes focused simultaneously.