Phantom Memories
Things are tensed after the death of Roka and that our detective heroes think that someone else is the Mask Dopant, but Kindaichi is determined to get to the bottom of this and will do what he can to protect Kyuu and the other students in Hiroshima High, feeling he is getting close to tackling the case.
Fujimaru is also getting close as he gets more lead on the behavior of his "targets".
An hour later, Roka's remains was taken away as the school was closed for the day pending investigation as Hiroshima Police arrived 20 minutes after Roka's death and are interrogating those who were there: Kyuu, Kindaichi, Otome, Kumi, and Natsumi. He lead inspector kept on pestering them as he believes that one of them is the culprit as they were the only ones there and doesn't believe that a "Dopant" did this.
"Dopant? Dopant? Sure…there's a dope who moves like an ant…baloney! Why not admit that one of you killed that girl…!"
"As guidance counselor…I'm willing to put my life and my job on the line…and I'm telling you we're all victims here. Someone used explosives at us!"
"Shut up! I'm booking you in! You're all coming to the station for questioning! Men…take them away!"
The school's principal came to the students and Kindaichi's defense, telling the inspector he is wrong and that they all got attacked and were the only ones who survived, but the arrogant inspector wasn't backing away and threatened to have the principal arrested for obstruction, but then his subordinate told the inspector that they cannot just take them by force, and then some witnesses came and said they saw something like a 6-footer in a costume running the hallway and disappeared. One of the students managed to take a picture and showed it to the inspector, though he dismissed it at first, another officer saw it and confirmed it as the one he and his colleagues encountered a few days ago.
"That's definitely the one, inspector…that's the thing that caused multiple deaths at the road a few days ago…even the SWAT team couldn't bring that thing down…and uses explosive masks to kill its targets. Insist on bringing the students to the station…you'll be put on heat from the public…and that would cost you your job."
Sighing, the inspector left and the officer apologized to the victims and soon all were sent home. As Kindaichi inspects the crime scene, Kyuu notices that Otome, Kumi and Natsumi left together, and though he is tempted to follow them, he went to another place as he has other plans…find Fujimaru and get some info regarding their "hit list" and see if there are others who are involved seeing that the three are there when the Dopant struck.
-x-
Much later, somewhere within Hiroshima High, Kyuu found Fujimaru and both hide inside a school cafeteria when the staff left after the school closed, and both hide themselves and there the hacker showed to Kyuu the school's computer and downloaded the names of the students involved in the school play. As Kyuu glances at the list of names he starts to get a breakdown on who would be the one using the Gaia memory disk.
- Makoto Itou (dead)
- Kotonoha Katsura (dead)
- Setsuna Kiyoura
- Taisuke Sawanaga
- Minami Obuchi
- Otome Katou
- Natsumi Koizumi
- Kumi Mori
- Yuuki Ashikaga (dead)
- Roka Kitsuregawa
- Kyouichi Kasannoin
- Nanami Kanroji
-x-
"Hmm…so these are the names from our "class"…and yet the trio got a good alibi as someone else is using the Gaia Memory and even tried to hurt Otome while Natsumi and Kumi were struck down…"
"But Kyuu…I'm sure that Otome, Natsumi and Kumi are the ones…"
"Hmm…alright…show me what you discerned so far…"
At Kyuu's urging, Fujimaru started toggling with his laptop and the Class Q leader is now glancing at the screen where the list of names are shown, and he reads on the info that Fujimaru has made and there he started to form a theory. He hoped that he could get a lead on their undercover work as he had a feeling that their "suspect" has a "third party" involved since the Dopant attacked while the trio are right in front of them.
Makoto Itou
- A generally mannered and composed student in year one of class three, his life becomes complicated when he begins to unfaithfully initiate polyamorous relationships with girls that he is unable to singly commit to. Though he is initially casual, gregarious and understanding, his addiction to sex over time corrupts his personality and he instead becomes more apathetic, rash and egotistical towards others, regardless of interpersonal harm or later consequence. It is hinted on multiple occasions that he's aware of the negative consequences of his actions, but makes no real attempt to remedy them. Makoto lives with his divorced mother and has a younger sister name Itaru who lives with their father. He is good friends with Taisuke Sawanaga and Otome Katō.
"So he's the original lead and yet he got killed off…no wonder …I'm guessing that his murder has something to do with his two-timing…but…if he's good friends with Otome…why'd would she kill him…?"
"Something to do with Kotonoha…"
"Really, Fujimaru…?"
"Read on and you'll get the meaning…"
Kyuu then glances back at the laptop as he reads the next person on the list.
Kotonoha Katsura
- Polite and reserved, Kotonoha Katsura is a student in year one of class four who is on the student council. A cute and noticeably well-endowed bookworm, she becomes the initial love interest of Makoto early into their second term, and with some effort from Sekai Saionji, becomes his girlfriend after she reciprocates her affection for him. While Kotonoha for the most part is calm and gentle, she has a very delicate conscious, which under stress leads to irrational culpability, delusions and even malice. She has a younger sister name Kokoro and lives with their wealthy mother Manami and father somewhere in the area of Haramihama. She is disliked by Otome Katou and is subject to her bullying and duress.
"So she is given the female lead role…but she too is killed off by suffocation of the masks…I wonder why someone would want to eliminate a calm and gentle girl…? Wait…Otome Katou…she's bullying her…? Why would she do that? She never had a bad record or anything…?"
"Like I said…my hunch is that this has something to do with either Kotonoha being Makoto's lover or that she got the female role of the play…still…we have to establish a lead before we move forward and trap her…I'm sure we're getting near our answering hunt…"
Setsuna Kiyoura
- A student in year one of class three, who like Kotonoha, is on the student council as a class representative. One of the more inscrutable characters, Setsuna is a keen, focused and habitually tacit girl who tends to have and keep the most level head of her peers when situations go awry. Having grown up with Sekai the two are best friends, unknowingly half-sisters, and to a considerable degree is overly solicitous of her.
"Yup…she's the one who casts her schoolmates and assigning what role they're playing…and now she casts me to play the Phantom in the play…I guess she's off the hook for now…we'd better go to the next. Person in question…"
"Here we are, Kyuu…"
Taisuke Sawanaga
- A student in year one of class three. A spirited, peculiar and rather hopeless romantic, Taisuke is a close friend of Makoto from junior high school who frequently endeavors to forward his otherwise lonely ambitious love life; oblivious to the attraction of Hikari. He takes a strong interest in Kotonoha, despite her rejection, and only under certain circumstances in a certain situation he actually dates her, though after some time they both agreed to remain friends.
"Fujimaru…keep your "lines" open…I might approach him in order to get some info from him regarding Itou and Katsura's last moments…"
"Got it…"
Minami Obuchi
- Minami Obuchi is a student in class four who is the most obedient friend of Otome and bullies Kotonoha.
"She wasn't there when the Dopant attacked me, Otome, Natsumi and Kumi…"
"Good observation, Kyuu…looks like we got ourselves a leverage in case they tried to use an alibi once we corner them…"
Otome Katou
- Direct and headstrong, Otome Katou is a student in year one of class four, who like Nanami, is a member of the girls' basketball team. She is usually authoritative to her peers, tolerates nothing but her way and opinion, and does not generally associate with anyone but her trio of friends Minami Obuchi, Natsumi Koizumi and Kumi Mori; who together frequently harass and coerce Kotonoha. Despite her difficult behavior and personality however, Otome can be particularly tender and shy, especially around Makoto, who she has known since junior high school and subsequently developed a crush on.
"Okay…so this puts her, Obuchi and Mori in my suspect list…Fujimaru…let's check the others…"
Natsumi Koizumi
- A student in class four who is the most informative and interpersonal friend of Otome and bullies Kotonoha.
"Poor Katsura…what did she do to deserve this…?"
"Easy, Kyuu…just focus on the list…"
Kumi Mori
- Kumi Mori is a student in class four who is the most puerile, yet politest friend of Otome. Like Otome and Natsumi, Kumi also bullies Kotonoha.
"Skip to the next, Fujimaru…"
"Clam yourself, Renjou…I know you're getting pissed…but we need to focus…"
"Right…"
Yuuki Ashikaga (dead)
- Reserved and slightly bashful, Yuuki Ashikaga is the unlikely yt chosen student to alternate roles with Makoto Itou for the school play. A book club member and student in year one of class one, his life at school becomes tangled and confusing when he inquires about, and attempts to resolve, a supposed affair between Roka Kitsuregawa and Makoto Itou, boyfriend of Kotonoha Katsura. Although confident and bright, due to his short height and bespectacled nature, he suffers from an inferiority complex and is easily manipulated, especially by his older sister Chie. Yuuki enjoys reading, playing MMOs and looks up to Kyouichi Kasannoin as his mentor and senpai.
"That's the guy who got killed by the Dopant's attack that was meant for me…"
"And an accidental murder…I doubt if this has anything to do with the play…other than establishing a motive…"
Roka Kitsuregawa
- A student in year one of class two who is a member of the women's basketball team. Tender and friendly, she initially comes upon Yuuki in the school library, and following a more developed acquaintance through his sister Chie, becomes attracted to him. Like Yuuki, Roka herself is also short and petite, standing roughly his height and equally as intimidated and timid. She is friends with Chie, Ion Ishibashi and Youka Kira.
"She got killed…and now we must find out the culprit and stop any or all of them…I can't bear to have someone else get killed because of me…"
"We will, Kyuu…we will…"
Kyouichi Kasannoin
- A student in year one of class one who is the boyfriend of Nanami Kanroji. Enjoys playing eroges, works part-time as a tutor and looks to Yuuki as his kouhai.
"He's off the hook…I see that he's not the kind who'd get into trouble…"
"My thoughts exactly…"
Nanami Kanroji
- A student in year one of class three who is a member of the girls' basketball team, attending the school on an athletic scholarship. A mostly interpersonal character, Nanami is a mature and somewhat quiet individual who really never involves herself with the affairs of others and as such remains for the most part unanalyzed. She is the only girl of the class to have an established boyfriend from the start, a member of the basketball club named Kyoichi; though to her chagrin he is more of a devout otaku. Nanami is good friends with Sekai, who comes from her junior high school, and Otome Katō.
"That's enough for now, Fujimaru…we now narrow our suspects down to four…and this means that we're going to set a trap to make our suspect…or suspects…squeal themselves by mistake so we can produce proof…time is of the essence and we need to move now."
"But how do we know which of the three girls is using the Gaia Memory?"
"Three clues, Fujimaru…"
"Which is…?"
"One…remember what the Dopant said before trying to pin us with the giant explosive masks at the streets a few nights ago…? It started to speak out in an irrational tome and even spoke the lines of the plays of the Shakespeare's quotes…they're on the scripts that I read…and those lines are the ones the female lead is supposed to say…"
"Come to think of it…you're right…"
"Two…Remember when we used the Heat Memory…? We punched the Dopant on the chest…and it started to clutch it in slight pain…I'm sure that one of the four girls would feel the pain now…the blow we landed is strong enough that even the user would feel discomfort…and it would take a week or so to recover…"
"And the third one, Kyuu…?"
"For the person to make use of the Gaia Memory…that person needs to have a tattoo-like USB slot mark where the user would insert the Gaia Memory disk on a certain part of their body…and I think I know how we can use this to our advantage…"
Nodding, Fujimaru and Kyuu got up to prepare their next course of action, but then someone greeted them and it was Hajime Kindaichi…who is posing as the school's guidance counselor and heard everything after seeing Kyuu entering the cafeteria and followed him there, and secretly eavesdrop at the conversation, and there he asked them who are they working for.
"So…playing detective, huh?"
"Mr. Hindaichi! You…you've been here…"
"Yeah…saw you went here…but I didn't expect top see another high school kid…huh?"
Looking down, he saw the DDS notebook and examines it, which surprises him the most and both Kyuu and Fujimaru braced themselves thinking that he is a spy for the Mask Dopant but Kindaichi gave it back to Kyuu and made a confession to the two younger teens, also surprising them.
"Guess you're not the only ones playing detective…so am I. My real name is Hajime Kindaichi… "
Fujimaru stared wide-eyed as his hacking sessions a few months ago led to the discovery of Kindaichi's detective exploits and told Kyuu about it. Kyuu was in awe at learning about this and the trio began to talk, explaining to the elder teen why they came here and wanted to solve this and willingly told them what they gathered so far, and Kindaichi agreed to aid them as they decided to escort the two out of the school.
As they pass by the locker room area, Kindaichi noticed something about a locker which is slightly open and checked it out, where they saw what appeared to be a costume, but this one resembles that of the Mask Dopant and the trio detectives checked on it, but then Fujimaru is sure that this is a fake knowing that this costume couldn't produce explosive masks.
"This proves that there is a third party involved to cover up Otome, Natsumi and Kumi…Mr. Kindaichi…since you're masquerading as a guidance counselor…we'll be needing your help to set up a trap so we can flush the suspects out of hiding…and once they do…we'll use our methods of stopping the suspect. Then you lead the innocent ones out of the room."
"You two against a Dopant…? How can you possibly…wait…you can't be…that armored guy in two sides of colors…are you ?"
Kyuu and Fujimaru smiled at Kindaichi's queries, and the trio reached to an understanding and agreed to work together to put their plan in motion and left the cafeteria, unaware that Nogami and Yako are there…eavesdropping at the conversation, and now they are going to interject themselves in the "play".
"Well…this is interesting…"
"Guess we'll have to gatecrash our way through…"
"Yeah…can't lose to those brats…here…have a spaghetti…"
"Thanks…"
Yako is given a bowl of spaghetti and is about to take a bite when the noodles moved…which turn out to be worms drenched in spaghetti sauce, and Yako shrieks in terror.
"KKKKYYYYAAAAAHHHH!"
"He-he-he…Nogami – three points!"
"YOU CREEP!"
-x-
As the night goes on, everything went peaceful and the trio detectives did not attend school for about three days until classes are resumed and during classes, Setsuna announced that the members of the play will have a general rehearsal later after classes, and Kyuu braces himself as the time is drawing near which he would be putting the trap in motion as Kindaichi is also bracing himself, and then announces that he would oversee the practice which Setsuna agreed to.
Kyuu then notices that the four girls are huddling with each other, but then noticed that one of them is clutching her chest, and her breathing is rather ragged, further confirming that one of them is the user of the Gaia Memory disk.
"I knew one of them is among the class…"
-x-
Somewhere in Tokyo, a 17-year old teenager is walking towards a house which is also a laboratory, and there the person is slowly being shown. Dressed in blue tuxedo, he has a face of a youth which partially hides the fact that he is also a detective. He is Shinichi Kudo, and he appears to be in good spirits. He greeted another person who is his trusted confidante. He is Hiroshi Agase, and he appeared to be in his mid-50's.
"So, master Shinichi…how did the serum I concocted go?"
"It was good…I remained in my true form…and not only that…I was able to switch forms…from Shinichi Kudo to Conan Edogawa…from Conan Edogawa to Shinichi…and it sure is convenient…now I can move well in doing detective work…at least I would make sure to give Kogoro Mori a few verbal kinks if he bullies me as Conan…"
"Good to hear that, sir…but I think you should still lie low…"
"Yeah…huh?"
Shinichi saw a newspaper and read it, which says that another victim is claimed by a "masked bomber" at Hiroshima High and he is tempted to go there and investigate, though Agase advised him that he should put on a wig to disguise his face since the Black Organization is still on the prowl, and if they recognized him and learn he is still alive, they might kill him off for good.
"Thanks, prof…I'll take your word for it…"
Taking the disguise, Shinichi left and took the train bound for Hiroshima to see what he can do to help and solve the case, unaware that the case is already being investigated by four detectives already infiltrating Hiroshima High.
-x-
Elswhere in Tokyo, the scene shifts to the financial district and the scene slowly zooms towards a building, which says "KOUGAMI FOUNDATION", and then down the street at the parking lot, where a van with tinted window is there, with a satellite dish-like device attached to the roof of the van, and the scene shifts inside, where the occupants are shown. They are members of the Black Organization, an a mysterious syndicate that has been known to commit a number of crimes for various reasons which range from blackmail to robberies and assassinations. The members of the organization are given code names based on alcoholic beverages. The occupants are revealed to be Chianti, Korn and Vermouth, and they are listening to a conversation from the Kougami Foundation.
"Mr. Kougami…we found the site where you told us…what do you want us to excavate…?"
"A chest…a chest where several artifacts are there…hidden…dig it out and bring them to the Kougami Foundation…and I will pay you 500,000 Yen for you efforts…and believe me…you'll get a richly reward for your efforts…and it'll be a birthday bash for all!"
"Very well, sir…tell us the place and when will we go there…"
The three Black Organization members glanced at each other, seeing that this is an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss…and that they will wait for that "day" when the hired diggers would go the site and there the Black Organization members will spring onto the diggers and steal the chest. Having doing some research on the Kougami Foundation, they knew that the company is known for its rich resources of money and display of arts and artifacts shown on various museums. They knew that whatever artifacts that they are about to find out, they are sure it would be worth a fortune and once they steal it, it would boost their organization's financial capabilities.
To Be Continued…
Now that Kyuu, Fujimaru and Kindaichi have formed a working alliance after learning each others' identities, they are now commencing on a plan to flush the user of the Gaia Memory disk within a group of students so they can pinpoint the culprit hiding.
Kindaichi Case Files…Detective School Q…Bloody Monday…these three manga series are made by Seimaru Amagi. It'd be a dream come true if an anime version of these three series make an anime crossover…
Nogami's at it again…first cockroach on a sandwich…then worms posing as a spaghetti…things surely get a grossing experience for Yako…
And Detective Conan here? What's going on?
Preview:
The detectives set up a trap to flush out the culprit but the culprit would attempt to use alibis to cover her tracks but then Kyuu points out one thing that would give the suspect away.
The conclusion is nearing and things are heated up.
More Detective Conan cameo coming…