SailorStar9: With Chapter 109 uploaded, I present Chapter 110 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?
Disclaimers: I do not own Sailor Moon or Detective Conan, I only own this plotline and the pairing.
Pairing: Established!Furuya Rei/Mizuno Ami
Chapter 110: The Kendo Tournament of Love and Mystery, Part One
Time passes...
"Hattori-kun's in the finals now." Ran gushed, Hattori having won his kendo match against his opponent.
"Since only Heiji won in yesterday's semi-final team match, they didn't make it." Kazuha nodded.
"It seems he should be able to win today's individual match." Ran pointed out.
"As long as he's not here." Kazuha remarked. "The boy he'll probably face in the finals: Kyoto Senshin High School's Okita Soshi-kun. Heiji's lost to that five-level strike before. He's strong."
During lunch break...
Nukitani Shido was outside the toilet of the north entrance and was about to pop a breath mint into his mouth when he noticed someone on the side. "You're a Kyoto Senshin student?" he inquired. "If you're planning on to practice here before the match, don't. You'll damage the grass." he swallowed three breath mints. "You'll get into trouble with the groundskeeper." he was immediately killed by a slash across his neck.
"Excuse me." Yasuoka Katsunari who was seated nearby, voiced. "I thought I heard a groan. Did something happen?" his question remained unanswered when the killer strolled off.
"Are you alright?" Ran hurried over to the dead Nukitani, she and Conan finding the referee slumped against the wall.
"It's no use." Conan felt no pulse. "He's already dead. His body is not that cold yet. The killer might be nearby."
"Excuse me." Yasuoka spoke. "Did something happen after all?"
"Ojii-san, are you blind?" Conan realized.
"Since three years ago." Yasuoka nodded. "Did something happen to someone?"
"A man's throat was cut." Conan informed. "He's dead."
"Then, the person who approached me after I heard the groan must've been the killer." Yasuoka gaped. "The killer said something, 'This box cutter is bloody and useless. Bring me another one.'"
"It looks like they were breaking in a new sword." Okita noted. "Furthermore, this looks like the work of a rather skilled swordsman."
"How can you tell?" Conan was confused. "It certainly looks like he was cut down by a single blow."
"It's his clothes." Okita replied. "Navy blazer, grey pants and dark red necktie: he's a kendo referee. If he's a referee, he must be ranked. I figured the killer might be pretty skilled to kill a man like that with a single blow."
"That's my friend's girl." Hattori retorted. "Stay away from her. I just came to get some practice swings in before my match against you. I wasn't expecting you to be here, much less caught up in a murder."
"It sounds like the police are here." Yasuoka heard the police sirens.
"You heard the killer's voice?" Takagi echoed, after Yasuoka related what had happened.
"Probably." Yasuoka nodded. "They called someone on the phone and said: This box cutter is bloody and useless. Bring me another one. They said a bunch of other things, but since they were speaking quietly, I couldn't hear them."
"According to you, after killing the victim, they headed to the bathroom." Sato added. "Later, about two people passed you and also headed to the bathroom. By the time Ran-chan and Conan-kun discovered the body, no one's left the bathroom."
"They must still be inside." Takagi noted.
"I'll check the woman's room." Sato instructed. "Takagi-kun, check the men's room."
"It should be obvious who the killer is." Hattori remarked. "They'll be covered in blood."
"What's going on?" Norimura Nenji blinked, exiting the men's toilet with Yokote Tsuneyuki behind him. Sadamori Akane had also exited the women's toilet. "Nukitani-san?" he spotted the dead body.
"Hold on." Okita stopped the other referee from approaching the body. "That outfit, you're a referee, too. In other words, you're ranked. You sure you didn't kill him?"
"Okita-kun, don't threaten our suspect." Ami rebuked.
"Fine, Hakuizumi-dono." Okita backed off.
"It wasn't me." Norimura protested.
"It's true that you two knew each other." Hattori pointed out.
"We're both referees." Norimura replied. "We frequently faced each other in tournaments. But I've never beaten Nukitani-san."
"I've never seen that man before." Sadamori protested.
"Me neither." Yokote added.
"There was a photo of you with this man on his phone." Conan pointed out.
"Nukitani-san often mentioned that he was being hit on by a student who was a former Self-Defense Force official." Norimura recalled.
"I was only a student for three years in high school." Sadamori defended. "Nukitani-sensei was the gym teacher and adviser of the kendo club. I only denied knowing him because I don't want to get involved in the case. By the time I walked past here, Nukitani-sensei was already bleeding from his neck and dead."
"How about when you came to the bathroom?" Takagi turned to Norimura.
"I didn't have enough time to use the bathroom this morning, so I was in a hurry." Norimura shrugged. "It's possible I didn't notice Nukitani-san."
"How about you when you came?" Hattori turned to Yokote.
"I was in a hurry because I was about to wet myself." Yokote explained. "I've never seen that man before, and I've never done kendo before. I've got nothing to do with this case."
"You're lying." Sadamori cut in. "I saw you bragging to your lady friend while you were having tea at a café in Beika City with Nukitani-sensei. You said 'I once won a kendo tournament.' You said, 'I wish I could've shown you the victory pose I struck after I won.' You were arguing with Nukitani-sensei who was sitting next to you. He asked you which tournament that was."
"You were arguing with him, too." Yokote fired back. "You said you'll kill yourself or someone else if he didn't leave his wife. Not to mention that ref," he turned to Norimura. "Was arguing with Nukitani after yesterday's final team match."
"When I said his refereeing had been a little lax nowadays, he said to hold my breath until after I'd beaten him." Norimura defended. "It made me angry."
"In other words, you all had the motive to kill Nukitani-san." Sato concluded. "Who was the last person in the victim's call history?" she asked the forensics.
"The victim's wife, apparently." Ami answered.
"She's on her way here now." one of the forensics officers added.
"It's possible the killer erased themselves from his call history." Takagi suggested.
"It's crazy back here." Okita called out. "Behind the bathroom. Come check it out. There's a bloody uniform and armor back here." he looked down at the discarded kendo equipment. "Maybe the killer was wearing that when they killed Nukitani-san."
"Isn't that a set of Kyoto Senshin High School armor?" Hattori blinked.
"Come to think of it, after yesterday's team match, a first-year said our spare armor and uniform was missing." Okita recalled.
"I wore that yesterday." Norimura revealed. "I was asked to practice with someone before their match."
"Tell the tournament organizers to put the matches on hold." Sato instructed. "There's been a murder."
"You can't stop the tournament." Hattori protested. "There's something I've got to say to her after I win this tournament. We've got forty minutes before the matches start. We just need to solve the case before then."
SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.
