The taxicab stopped at the cemetery. Kansuke, Komei, and Yui got out.
"We'll only be a few minutes," Yui told the driver, who nodded.
They walked around until they found the tombstone. They stopped and gathered around it.
"...Here's to a good man whose life was cut short," Komei said.
"Yui, you brought it, right?" Kansuke asked.
Yui nodded. She reached into her purse and took out some flowers, a pack of cigarettes and a can of beer. She laid them down on the grave.
They stood there and contemplated on their memories of Kusao. Out of the corner of his eye, Komei noticed that Kansuke was...
"Kansuke-kun, are you...crying?" Komei asked.
Yui, in turn, was a bit startled to see her usually stoic comrade cry.
"...I can't do this," Kansuke said, and he hurriedly walked back to the car. Komei followed after him, leaving Yui by herself.
Yui sighed.
She didn't notice the man coming at her from behind, until he had grabbed her and held the chloroform-soaked rag to her face. Within seconds she was out like a light.
Komei and Kansuke returned to the grave just in time to see the masked man dragging Yui into a black van.
"H-HEY!" Kansuke said. The two of them ran after the van, but it was too late.
Just as the car was speeding off, one of the masked men opened the window and threw out an envelope. Kansuke and Komei rushed to pick it up.
"W-we need to call the police!" Komei began.
"Hold on," Kansuke said. "This is probably a ransom note. If one of their demands is for us not to contact the local police, then you could be putting Yui in even greater danger than she is now."
Realizing Kansuke was right, Komei put the phone back in his pocket. "What does it say?"
Kansuke took it out and read it:
Like all men I could not withstand the passage of time
My body wasted away, my soul scattered by the winds
Nothing remains of your friend, except this one thing
A fragment of me lives on in your heart, your memories
"This is..." Komei began.
"The death poem of Kusao Shiramata," Kansuke confirmed.
"There's something at the bottom," Komei said. "It says, 'I am the ghost of Amakusa Shiro. After 100 days I have returned to take revenge on my killer, Yamato Kansuke.'"
He looked at his one-eyed comrade. "Kansuke-kun, surely it wasn't you that...?"
"We don't have time for this!" Kansuke barked. "Look, there's something written on the back. It says..."
Opening
(Cup of Trembling by B'z)
(Each fresh breath of life is a fresh chance to start anew! The three Nagano detectives in Shimabara! Detective Yui is kidnapped by...the ghost of an Edo-era legend? Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is...DETECTIVE CONAN!)
Above all, I'm afraid of you seeing me like this
The youthful vigor sapped from my bones
Too afraid to proceed, too afraid to turn back
A wretch, recoiling from my own shadow
Wallowing in self-pity like a pig wallowing in its crap
I can't check my phone, lest you might try to call
I can't live at home, lest you might try to visit
All I have left is the clothes on my back and
That dreaded bottle, whose contents I dare not drink
Oh I'm going nowhere, a pinwheel spinning in circles
This Cup of Trembling I now raise to my lips and swallow
So I may face the demons haunting my restless nights
I can't show my face to you until I can call myself a man
Until I've walked a full moon carrying my cross
The Vengeful Martyr Kidnapping Case! Part Two!
He could hear the turning of the doorknob. He turned his head to see who it was. Maybe an orderly? No, this was...
"Uh, hi," Kusao said, a bit awkwardly.
Kusao was wearing a red coat and blue jeans. He sported a mustache on his chubby face.
Kansuke sighed. "Didn't I tell you already to shave that gross caterpillar thing?"
"It suits me," Kusao said with a grin.
"If you say so."
"So, uh, I heard from Uehara that..."
"Yeah, they say I'm never gonna recover full function in my leg."
"I was talking about your eye," Kusao said.
Kansuke scoffed. "I can get by just fine with one eye. It's my leg that really bothers me. These days, I can't even go to the bathroom by myself. But I don't imagine you know what that's like."
Kusao sat down. "When I was ten years old, I went swimming by myself in a pond on the grounds of the family country home. It was stupid. I mean, at the time I hadn't even learned how to swim."
"What happened?" Kansuke asked.
"When they pulled me out of the water, supposedly I was brain dead for fifteen minutes. After I regained consciousness, it took me two and a half years to regain motor function to my lower body. I had to be pushed around in a wheelchair."
"Naturally, after that, I was terrified of the water," he continued. "But when I knew that I wanted to be a police officer, I knew I had to learn how to swim. So I hired a coach and spent an hour in the water every day for a month."
"I suppose you're about to tell me the moral to your story," Kansuke said.
"Yeah. It's this: that you can't let fear and circumstances hold you back. One day, you'll recover. If not, you'll adjust. You're the best cop I've ever had the pleasure of working alongside, so I have faith you'll be back on your feet and at work in no time."
Kansuke chuckled. "I can picture myself one year from now trying to chase after a criminal with a walking cane in hand."
Kusao chuckled. "Yeah, well, that's what you have a gun for."
Kansuke chuckled again. "'Hold it, you! Let me catch up with my one good leg or I'll shoot!'"
"And that's when they just start laughing, because they know you don't have it in you to shoot a man in the back," Kusao said.
There was a silence. And then...
"Listen, man, I really appreciate you dropping by," Kansuke said. "I haven't had a whole lot of visitors. Just Uehara, and Komei once."
"Speaking of which, I hear he got in trouble, for that," Kusao said.
"...Yeah. I guess that's just the way this world works. You save a man's life and get demoted for it."
"That's why the police exist," Kusao said. "To combat injustice wherever it exists, at the highest levels of government if necessary. And that's why you need to get better. That fight is so much harder without you at our sides. Well, I'd better be going now. I've got another shift in forty minutes."
"Alright, bye."
He slammed the door a bit too hard as he went, leaving Kansuke to his thoughts.
Scene Transition
The first floor of Shimabara Castle housed Christian artifacts.
"Ehh? Conan, do you know what this is?" Nancy asked. "It doesn't look Christian."
Conan took a look at the figurine cased behind glass. "That's the Virgin Mary with child, disguised as Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy in order to evade detection by the authorities. Hence, they're referred as images of Maria-Kannon."
"Very perceptive, Conan-kun."
Conan and Nancy turned around to see Ryan Jackson, the African-American CIA agent, standing there.
"I have another question for you," Ryan Jackson said. "You see that tea cup on display? What's special about it?"
Conan took a good look at it. "Uh, well...too be honest, I'm not sure."
"When about to drink tea from cups like that, Japanese Christians would turn the cup three times to symbolize the Holy Trinity," Jackson answered. "It was a subtle gesture that most Japanese wouldn't pick up on. It's one of those things you have to be keeping an eye out for to notice. In some ways those people were like secret agents, I guess."
"I take it you just came to Shimabara to enjoy the local attractions?" Conan asked.
"Well, I guess in a way. Actually, in college I wrote my senior thesis paper on the history of Christianity in Japan, so when I got an opportunity to come here I just couldn't pass up. But while I have every intention of taking full advantage of my time spent here, I also came here to talk to you."
"You want to talk about Shiro Ayamori," Nancy guessed, referring to Ryusuke Higo, AKA Rum, who had recently entered the Witness Protection Program and was given a new name after being shrunken by the apotoxin and enrolled in Teitan Primary School.
Ryan Jackson looked her in the eye. "And you must be Ran Mouri. I met you back in the Folding House, but we didn't really get a chance to mingle then. You're correct, by the way. Conan-kun, how is he doing?"
"He's adjusted pretty fast," Conan said.
"To date, have you noticed him doing anything...suspicious?"
"You want to know if he's tried to get in contact with his people," Conan guessed.
"His former people, hopefully. Has he?"
Conan shook his head. "Not that I've seen. In fact, he acts like he plans on staying there for a long time. He's already taken steps to socialize with the students. It certainly helps that he's a world-class soccer player. He's a pretty popular guy already, I must say."
"At the same time, though, him becoming renowned for his soccer abilities could be a way to help his people locate him easier," Ryan Jackson said. "If you can, try to dissuade him from drawing attention to himself."
"Huuh? Ryan Jackson-san? I haven't seen you since-"
"Mouri-san. It has indeed been a while."
Kogoro approached him. He extended his hand and Jackson shook it.
"How are you and your wife holding out?" Jackson asked.
Kogoro looked kind of uncomfortable. "Who told you...about that?"
"Word gets around," Jackson said.
He took a card out of his pocket and handed it to Kogoro. "If you want to talk, about anything at all..."
"Uh, I'm sorry but I'm not a Christian," Kogoro said.
Jackson shrugged. "Nonetheless, one of the basic duties of a pastor is to listen to the troubles of the people in his community, and I guess you could call Tokyo that right now. Please, take the card. You don't ever have to actually use it, I just ask that you keep the option open."
Kogoro accepted the card and put it in his pocket. "Thank you, Jackson-san."
Jackson turned to go.
"Wait," Kogoro said. "Uh, just out of curiosity, where do you come from? You're an American, if I remember right?"
"Yup. I was born and raised in and am married to a wonderful woman who lives in Metairie, a medium sized city near New Orleans, Louisiana, the birthplace of jazz and Pupeye's Chicken."
"Can you play jazz?" Nancy asked.
Jackson shrugged. "I'm not really sure about that, but they say I'm beast mode with a saxophone, if that's the hip phrase kids these days. Well, I hope to see you guys around."
Scene Transition
They reached the fifth floor and then stepped out onto the observation deck.
They looked out across the city below, a truly panoramic view.
"All the buildings are so small," Nancy said with amazement.
Kogoro looked out at Mount Unzen, which overshadowed the city.
"...Dang," he said. "It's so foggy over there you can hardly see a thing. I'm not sure if we'll be able to enjoy climbing the mountain."
He looked at his watch. "Hey, brats, once you're both through here let's visit the famous samurai district nearby."
They both nodded eagerly. "Okay."
Scene Transition
About a five minute walk away from the castle grounds is the Teppo-Machi Samurai District, a long street built in the 1600s with a small canal running through the middle of it. On both sides of the street are walls made out of local volcanic rock, designed to ensure the privacy of all the street's residents. In the feudal era, the samurai who served the lord of Shimabara resided in this neighborhood, as did the gun wielding foot soldiers under his command. Today, three Edo-era samurai homes remain intact in the Teppo-Machi district: the Shinozuka House, the Torita House, and the Yamamoto House. All three preserved homes are, as of the time of writing, open to tourists.
In the three preserved Samurai homes, the roofs are made out of a thick layer of thatch. The inside of the homes consist of open rooms decorated in traditional Japanese style, with mannequins recreating scenes from the everyday lives of the people who lived there hundreds of years ago.
After they finished touring the three homes, Kogoro looked at his watch. It said 2:49.
"Hmm," he said. "What's left to do before hitting the mountain...?"
"Ah, how about the Shimeiso House?" Nancy suggested excitedly.
"The what?" Kogoro asked.
"That's the house with the pond and the Koi swimming, right?" Conan asked.
Nancy nodded. "We should definitely give it a try."
"MOURI-SAN!"
Komei ran up to him, panting hard.
"Whoa, you look out of breath," Kogoro said.
"Please...you got to help us," Komei said.
"Komei! Mouri-san!"
Kansuke caught up with his friend and the famous Sleeping Kogoro, also panting.
"I take it something's the matter?" Kogoro asked.
"Wait, where's Detective Uehara?" Conan asked.
"That's just it!" Komei said.
"Mouri-san, Yui's life is in peril," Kansuke said, a tone of desperation in his voice.
"What?!" Kogoro said.
"Here, read this," Komei said, handing Kogoro the ransom note.
Kogoro carefully read it and then looked at Kansuke wide-eyed. "I-Inspector, you...?"
"Hmph, it isn't like that," Kansuke snapped. "Anyhow, that matter can wait for later. Look at the back."
Kogoro turned the page.
"If you want to save your friend, solve the meaning behind this riddle," Kogoro read out loud.
The riddle was:
Stand for Flow-san! What? We can go home? Yay!
And then below that, it read, "When you figure this out, make your way to that place. Don't contact the local police or your friend dies."
"What the h*ll...?" Kogoro muttered loudly.
"We were hoping you could figure it out," Komei said. "But it would seem even the great Detective Mouri is stumped."
"Hey, Uncle, can I see that?" Conan asked.
"No way!" Kogoro said.
But then Kansuke snatched it from Kogoro's hand and handed it to Conan. "Here you go, Conan-kun."
Conan read it.
Stand for Flow-san, Conan thought. I don't know who flow-san is, but...What? We can go home...yay? Yay? That's a hint, I think. If it means that, then the idea of standing, and the use of honorifics, is designed to be like a...
Scene Transition
Yui regained consciousness and opened her eyes.
She was tied and gagged, and apparently lying on her side inside the back of a big vehicle.
The last thing she remembered...Her eyes grew big.
That's right, she thought, this is a kidnapping! But why, what do they want with me? Is it that they knew I was a tourist? Did they just see me as easy bait, a poor sap to hold ransom for cash? If that's so, then they've probably already been in contact with my family, or they're going to at least. Or is this something more sinister, something aimed at the Japanese police force? In that case, how did they know I was an officer of the law? Unless...these people are connected somehow to the Nagano Prefectural Police Department! That must be how they knew. Maybe they just hate cops? Are they going to kill me? Am I going to die here? I've got to get out of here! Huh? What's that...are my kidnappers talking?
"...I see, not yet, you say? Alright, keep us updated, little bro. We're counting on you."
Little...bro? she thought. Are my assailants a group of brothers working together? Hold on, in that case they might be...is this...?
Scene Transition
Nancy sighed and handed the letter back to Komei.
"Hmph, I told you a little brat wouldn't get it if we adults couldn't," Kogoro said.
"Hey, you two!"
Kansuke and Komei were approached by their taxi cab driver, Konoyuki Aowara.
"Ah, sorry," Komei said to him. "We can't afford for you to leave just yet."
"Please, this is really important," Kansuke said. "I promise we'll make it worth your time."
Aowara shrugged. "Whatever you say pal, as long as you got cash. I'll be waiting in the car nearby."
Then he left.
Kogoro sighed. "Maybe we should just contact the police."
"No!" Kansuke barked. "We can't gamble with Yui's life, you hear me?!"
"Y-yeah," Kogoro said sheepishly.
"Hey," Conan said in a childish voice. "I just remembered something. In school, when Kobayashi-sensei enters the classroom we all stand up. And when it says 'Yay!', that's like something a kid would say, right?"
"H-he's right!" Komei said. "This is a reference to schoolchildren!"
"Or a school," Conan said. "But most telling is Flow-san. When volcanoes, such as the nearby Mount Unzen, erupt violently, they often discharge what's known as a pyroclastic flow, which is a mixture of rock and molten hot gas moving downhill like a river. It can incinerate a person in an instant if said person was caught in one."
They looked at him suspiciously.
"T-there was a volcano documentary on TV the other day!" Conan said sheepishly.
"Hey, if I remember correctly, didn't Mount Unzen erupt frequently in the early 1990s?" Komei asked.
"Yeah, I think there was even one incident that killed 43 people," Kansuke said. "Mostly journalists and volcanologists."
"I got it!" Nancy said.
They all looked at her.
"In the 1990s a nearby school called Onokoba Primary was destroyed by a pyroclastic flow," Nancy said. "The school was evacuated and there were no fatalities, but the inside of the school was largely destroyed, and today it stands only as a memorial to the 1990s Mount Unzen eruptions."
"That must be it," Kansuke said. "Hey kid, while you're online go find us some directions to the school!"
"Hey, Aowara-san!" Komei called out, running off.
Scene Transition
They were all packed inside Aowara's taxicab. They came upon a red light; Conan noticed Aowara putting his head down while wearing a cap.
"Hey, Kansuke, what if that interpretation of the riddle is incorrect?" Komei asked. "The kidnappers might grow impatient with us not showing."
"W-what other leads do we have?!" Kansuke barked.
Komei put his hand on Kansuke's shoulder. "Hey, I share your concern for Yui. But we can't save her by making irrational gambles that serve no purpose but to get someone killed."
Kansuke was silent.
Nancy looked at her phone. "Now take a right, Aowara-san."
The driver nodded and took the sharp turn a bit too fast.
In just a few minutes they'd be there. What did the kidnappers want, and would an exchange take place on the grounds of the old school? Or were the kidnappers lying in wait to carry out some even more sinister plot?
Ending
(Spirit by Rina Aiuchi)
There are only two kinds of people in this complex world
Those who'll fight for what's precious and everyone else
Sometimes I lay awake at night wondering why this is
Is it perhaps that we believe all hope is already lost?
It takes a lot less effort to tap out and forfeit the prize
Hang our heads in shame and defeat, a prisoner of war
Too many voices have cried out "Awaken, thou that sleepest!"
What we need is soothing balm so these bones may stir again
Come, you and me, together let's put on a show for the ages
Hurry, the curtain rises, the epic drama begins to unfold!
Oh you graceful swan, dancing in the middle of the downpour
All the world's your stage, and every eye is fixed on you
You've got heart, and nobody can ever take that away from you
Give them what they came for, the indomitable human spirit!
Next Conan's Hint: Condensation