[SPOILER DISCUSSION] File 969-971: Swimsuit Murder Case

[Heliotropic 139]

File 970 Text Spoilers translated by Yunnie-chan

 

30 chapters left until 1000 one! In FILE 970 [the message left by the fingers] (PIC: Sera and Conan look at [previous customer]’s both hands).

Ran, outside of ‘do not cross’ police line says it’s all because Sera said ’she’s a type that’s killed first’, and Sonoko answers ’no, I think it’s this brat in glasses called for death...’

Inside Takagi and Megure are getting information from the salesperson, [previous customer]’s subordinate, and a customer with a claim. There were 4~5 people more in store, but they returned as soon as they heard about the murder. 

Upon watching at [previous customer]’s both hands, they realize that her left hand, pointing at left dressing cabin, shows '2’ in eastern sign system and a 'gun’. Her right hand grasped tightly with her thumb smeared in a lipstick, but this doesn’t say anything.

While Megure inquires everybody in separate rooms, Sera said that Conan was a witness to what happened prior to the tragedy and joins the investigation. 

The customer with a claim said that she saw white sandal left in the dressing room to the right. It doesn’t belong to anyone from the suspects, but their descriptions match (lit: even if they were asked to draw a picture, the shape matches). 

Salesperson said that a week ago she served [previous customer], but [previous customer] was not able to remember her, maybe, says she, because she’s easy to forget.

Then Megure asked [previous customer]’s henchwoman whether she helped her with trying clothes on, but she denied it, saying ’I’m not a servant, that’s just clothes, no necessity in that, right?’

When they asked a customer with a claim when did customer with white sandals left, she answered the exact time: between 2:43-2:44 PM.
In the right dressing room, that was not used not by [previous customer] nor by her henchwoman because of the recent dog allergy faint accident, beige portable slippers are found. She asnwered that she wanted to go to the China, thus she has it. 

While Megure was watching at the pictures of a white sandal three suspects drew, Takagi returns from the forensics with a discovery. 

Scissors, cellophane tape’s scrap, straw and scraps…

Sera and Conan find out how the criminal found a way to the middle dressing room. With a face cover (a thing used in Japan’s fitting rooms, to prevent dirtying clothes with make up), left by Sonoko? 

The truth behind the message of left and right fingers will be revealed in the next issue! Resolving arc!

[MeiTanteixX 184]

Detective Conan FILE 969-970 Review/Discussion!

 

Spoiler

Case Discussion

 

The case started with the death of Sashihara(cosmetics company manager)!
She was found dead after being strangled in the changing room.

 

 

The three suspects are:
- Yamaki (Sashihara's assistant)
- Nitsuka (Customer)
- Nanbu (Sales clerk)

 

There were three changing rooms and the victim was found dead in the middle one. Yamaki was in the left room, Nitsuka was in the right and Nanbu was the one who discovered the body. The victim left a dying message through their hand gestures.

 

 

 

The three of them went in to the changing rooms in a certain order. First one was Yamaki, who was guided by Nanbu into the left room.

 

 

By that point, Nanbu and Yamaki noticed that there was a pair of white sandals in front of the right room, indicating that it was occupied.

 

 

After came Sashihara, the victim, who went into the middle room, since the other two were occupied.

 

 

Lastly, Nitsuka came to use the right room, but the white sandals were still there. After waiting for a minute, she went back to check the room, but by then, the white sandals were gone and she finally entered the room.

 

 

The first thing to note is the white sandals. They were obviously planted there by the culprit in order to create the illusion that there is an extra suspect. Since the white sandals were in front of the right room, the murderer must have anticipated that Sashihara would enter the middle one because if she entered the left room, it would be questionable to assume the culprit went from the right to the left  room without being noticed by someone who might be in the middle room(the one in the middle room would be the most suspicious one before the one in the right room as well).

 

Going through the scenarios, first of all, the white sandals were placed in front of the right room. Then Yamaki entered the left room. Yamaki was guided by Nanbu, which means she couldn't have predicted which room she would be in and, in other words, which room Sashihara would enter, which means Yamaki is not the killer. If Yamaki was the culprit, the smartest thing to do is to place the sandals in front of the middle room because then it wouldn't matter which room Nanbu guides her to(the "fake culprit" would still have their room next to Sashihara's).

 

Next one to enter is Nitsuka, but by then, the white sandals were already removed(meaning that the "fake culprit" already fled). Besides, Nitsuka couldn't have killed Sashihara, without risking her fainting again due to her dog allergy(The forensics confirmed that there was dog hair on the floor).

 

This leaves us with the one who has the best opportunity to control who enters which room, and that is Nanbu, the sales clerk!
She was the one that planted the sandals in front of the right room and guided Yamaki to the left room, leaving Sashihara with no choice but to enter the middle one.

 

Then where is the white sandals?
None of the suspects had white sandals, but maybe the question should be, "where is the thing that posed as white sandals?".
What Nanbu could have used to create fake sandals are the big white box(that carries face masks) and the things that were found in the trash can(scissor, tape etc.).

 

 

 

Using these materials, Nanbu could craft a fake pair of sandals, that can easily be disposed of by cutting them into pieces. Since the boxes in the changing rooms seemed untouched, it implies that the culprit used spare boxes that only a sales worker can get their hands on, which further proves that Nanbu has to be the killer.

 

 

 

So to summarize the crime scene, Nanbu prepared the fake sandals, made sure that Sashihara went into the middle room(told her something, or made sure, so that she wouldn't be surprised when she enters her room, beforehand), kills her, takes the fake sandals after Nitsuka leaves, cuts them into pieces, throws away all her materials and leftovers and then finally returns to discover the dead body.

 

So what is the dying message?
I don't know much about japanese keywords and such, but I can definitely guess what might be involved in the message. First of all, I have come to the conclusion that none of the suggested ideas(in file 970) are the dying message(which is quite obvious). Her pointing to the left room is obviously wrong, since the culprit is Nanbu. The purpose of the number counting was just to give more hints regarding the country that Sera actually came from. The last one that was about the Japanese police guns did point to Nanbu being the culprit, however Sashihara wouldn't have known anything regarding gun names. The only conclusion I'm getting to is that the code has something do with "dogs" and "China". Sashihara seems to own dogs(since her clothes are full of dog hair) and when Nitsuka said "China", Conan and Sera reacted to it, possibly indicating that it might have something to do with the dying message.

 

Finally, What is Nanbu's motive?
This part is probably gonna be the interesting part of the case. One thing I noticed is that Nanbu doesn't seem to have any memory of meeting Nitsuka the previous week(at the time when Nitsuka collapsed due to her allergy). She was acting as if she was there, but ended up guessing the cause of Nitsuka's fainting wrong. Even Sashihara didn't recognize Nanbu, even though she is a regular customer, but Nanbu still claims that she was hired a month ago.

 

 

 

This seems to be indicating that Nanbu is lying and that she is probably trying to pose as someone else that was previously working there. Her motive could be revenge for whoever she took over(maybe a sister), that might have been verbally abused by Sashihara, which drove the person to commit suicide. Another possibility is that Nanbu killed the former worker in order to take their place, hence why Conan and Sera claimed that this was a "second murder" at the end of file 970, but that feels a bit far-fetched for a typical case.

 

Edit: 
After rereading this, I realized that maybe Sashihara gave two presents for Yamaki to deliver to the manager because the second one was for the the former salesgirl(that might've committed suicide), as an apology for her behavior...

Plot Discussion

 

At the beginning of file 969, Sera intentionally shows off a swimsuit that she used to wear as a kid. This triggers Conan's memories of when he met the Akai family for the first time. 10 years ago, he met all the members, excluding the father, and everyone seems to have reacted to his intelligence.

 

 

So, Conan's question is, "Who is the woman and the boy?". He already recognized Sera and Akai, but the others are unclear to him. The DC fandom already knows by now that the woman is Mary, the Akai mother, and the boy(who is the middle brother) is Haneda Shuukichi. Mary, who is now shrunken adult, was already confirmed by Sera to be the mom, and Shuukichi's marriage registration revealed that he is the middle brother. The middle brother does seem to look a bit young for his age(18), judging by the body frame, however, everything beyond that looks exactly like Shuukichi.

 

 

Another question that has been asked since post-MT-case, in the Bourbon arc, is "Who is the brother on the phone that was talking and texting to Sera?"(specifically during file 858, 860 and 861)
I think it makes the most sense(considering the content of the text conversation between "mid-bro" and Sera in file 860 and 861), that it was Akai.... but that would imply that Akai never saw Shinichi when he talked to him in the flashback. 

 

Here's the reason:

 

- Sera showed a photo of Conan to "mid-bro". He replies, "If it's him, then there's nothing to worry about"(implying that he has seen his deductive skills before)[Shuu has seen it in Haido Hospital but it isn't confirmed yet that he saw him 10 yrs ago. Kichi saw him in his first intro case and most likely 10 yrs ago]

 

- Sera wonders how "mid-bro" knew about Conan(implying that they never met him at the same time 10 yrs ago)[both Shuu and kichi seemed to be separate from Sera when reacting to Conan]. She asks him about it, he replies, and Sera thinks to herself "I see, so that's how it is"...
[if "brother on the phone" is Shuu(and Sera lied to the others to hide the fact that he is alive), then he could have told her that Conan worked together with the FBI in the past. If it's truly Kichi/mid-bro(like Sera claimed), then he must have told her about his first meeting with Conan 10 yrs ago, since we know for a fact that he has an excellent memory]

 

- "Mid-bro" says(as if he's trying to change the subject) "P.S have you met the wizard yet?"(implying that Sera must have talked about the wizard a lot, starting from 10 yrs ago in the beach, where both Shuu and Kichi was involved). Sera thinks to herself, as she looks at Conan, "well, you can kinda say that"(implying that she knows Shinichi is Conan)...
[If "brother on the phone" is Kichi, then it wouldn’t make sense for him to not realize that Conan is the "wizard"/"possessed boy", and ask Sera about the "wizard"(when they were just talking about Conan/the "wizard"). How often can you meet an overly intelligent 7-year-old after all? One as intelligent as Kichi would already assume that the "wizard"(who Sera met) and "possessed boy"(who Kichi met) are the same person. If "brother on the phone" is Akai however, than it makes perfect sense why he would ask about the "wizard"(as if it's not Conan), since he might've not seen Conan in the past(we can only see him looking up in the flashback)]

 

So the conclusion of my long analysis is that Akai has a stronger chance of being the bro on the phone(which explains why Sera seemed rather excited when mentioning "Akai Shuichi" to Conan in File 938) and that Akai most likely didn't see Conan 10 yrs ago.

 

 

In file 970, we get another hint to Sera lying about living in the US for three years. She argues with Conan regarding how Europeans counts with their fingers, as if it's from her personal experience living in Europe.

 

 

We have gotten tons of hints regarding where she actually came from, and all of them have pointed to the UK. It has already been speculated, from her fashion style(in her intro), and how she says "Football" instead of "Soccer", to the way she holds her fork and knife, that it all points to her having British influence. We already have some indications that Mary is British(making Sera and her brothers half-Japanese) so it's not surprising that they could have moved to Britain.

 

 

 

Can't wait to finally get the flashback that has been teased for so long!

 

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

17 hours ago, MeiTanteixX said:

Detective Conan FILE 969-970 Review/Discussion!

 

 

Case Discussion

 

So what is the dying message?
I don't know much about japanese keywords and such, but I can definitely guess what might be involved in the message. First of all, I have come to the conclusion that none of the suggested ideas(in file 970) are the dying message(which is quite obvious). Her pointing to the left room is obviously wrong, since the culprit is Nanbu. The purpose of the number counting was just to give more hints regarding the country that Sera actually came from. The last one that was about the Japanese police guns did point to Nanbu being the culprit, however Sashihara wouldn't have known anything regarding gun names. The only conclusion I'm getting to is that the code has something do with "dogs" and "China". Sashihara seems to own dogs(since her clothes are full of dog hair) and when Nitsuka said "China", Conan and Sera reacted to it, possibly indicating that it might have something to do with the dying message.

 

Finally, What is Nanbu's motive?
This part is probably gonna be the interesting part of the case. One thing I noticed is that Nanbu doesn't seem to have any memory of meeting Nitsuka the previous week(at the time when Nitsuka collapsed due to her allergy). She was acting as if she was there, but ended up guessing the cause of Nitsuka's fainting wrong. Even Sashihara didn't recognize Nanbu, even though she is a regular customer, but Nanbu still claims that she was hired a month ago.

 

 

 

This seems to be indicating that Nanbu is lying and that she is probably trying to pose as someone else that was previously working there. Her motive could be revenge for whoever she took over(maybe a sister), that might have been verbally abused by Sashihara, which drove the person to commit suicide. Another possibility is that Nanbu killed the former worker in order to take their place, hence why Conan and Sera claimed that this was a "second murder" at the end of file 970, but that feels a bit far-fetched for a typical case.

 

 

 

 

A theory posted on a Japanese blog posits that the left hand's dying message (the finger, pointing) is referring to cardinal directions (E, W, S, N)... in this case, the southern direction. The first kanji in her name (Reia Nanbu) means "South," so perhaps this is the hint. Else, it means that Nitsuka is either lying or letting slip something she shouldn't have known.

If Nanbu did it, the motive is probably related to her senpai—her senpai may have been murdered, herself, by the victim (Sashihara).

 

 

17 hours ago, MeiTanteixX said:

Detective Conan FILE 969-970 Review/Discussion!

 

 

Plot Discussion

 



 

The boy... does seem to look a bit young for his age(18), judging by the body frame, however, everything beyond that looks exactly like Shuukichi.

 



 

Another question that has been asked since post-MT-case, in the Bourbon arc, is "Who is the brother on the phone that was talking and texting to Sera?"(specifically during file 858, 860 and 861)
I think it makes the most sense(considering the content of the text conversation between "mid-bro" and Sera in file 860 and 861), that it was Akai.... but that would imply that Akai never saw Shinichi when he talked to him in the flashback. 

 

Here's the reason:

 

- Sera showed a photo of Conan to "mid-bro". He replies, "If it's him, then there's nothing to worry about"(implying that he has seen his deductive skills before)[Shuu has seen it in Haido Hospital but it isn't confirmed yet that he saw him 10 yrs ago. Kichi saw him in his first intro case and most likely 10 yrs ago]

 

- Sera wonders how "mid-bro" knew about Conan(implying that they never met him at the same time 10 yrs ago)[both Shuu and kichi seemed to be separate from Sera when reacting to Conan]. She asks him about it, he replies, and Sera thinks to herself "I see, so that's how it is"...
[if "brother on the phone" is Shuu(and Sera lied to the others to hide the fact that he is alive), then he could have told her that Conan worked together with the FBI in the past. If it's truly Kichi/mid-bro(like Sera claimed), then he must have told her about his first meeting with Conan 10 yrs ago, since we know for a fact that he has an excellent memory]

 

- "Mid-bro" says(as if he's trying to change the subject) "P.S have you met the wizard yet?"(implying that Sera must have talked about the wizard a lot, starting from 10 yrs ago in the beach, where both Shuu and Kichi was involved). Sera thinks to herself, as she looks at Conan, "well, you can kinda say that"(implying that she knows Shinichi is Conan)...
[If "brother on the phone" is Kichi, then it wouldn’t make sense for him to not realize that Conan is the "wizard"/"possessed boy", and ask Sera about the "wizard"(when they were just talking about Conan/the "wizard"). How often can you meet an overly intelligent 7-year-old after all? One as intelligent as Kichi would already assume that the "wizard"(who Sera met) and "possessed boy"(who Kichi met) are the same person. If "brother on the phone" is Akai however, than it makes perfect sense why he would ask about the "wizard"(as if it's not Conan), since he might've not seen Conan in the past(we can only see him looking up in the flashback)]

 

So the conclusion of my long analysis is that Akai has a stronger chance of being the bro on the phone(which explains why Sera seemed rather excited when mentioning "Akai Shuichi" to Conan in File 938) and that Akai most likely didn't see Conan 10 yrs ago.

 



 

In file 970, we get another hint to Sera lying about living in the US for three years. She argues with Conan regarding how Europeans counts with their fingers, as if it's from her personal experience living in Europe.

 



 

We have gotten tons of hints regarding where she actually came from, and all of them have pointed to the UK. It has already been speculated, from her fashion style(in her intro), and how she says "Football" instead of "Soccer", to the way she holds her fork and knife, that it all points to her having British influence. We already have some indications that Mary is British(making Sera and her brothers half-Japanese) so it's not surprising that they could have moved to Britain.

 

 

 

Can't wait to finally get the flashback that has been teased for so long!
 

 

 

 

 

That and the jaw—at whatever age we've seen him, he always has a square jaw, not a pointed one, like this character has. My bet is on Shukichi, but I won't be too surprised if it turns out that this character is someone else.

The "Shuichi/Subaru has been in contact with Masumi, while Masumi tells everyone she's in contact with her other brother" theory is one I can get behind, but I'm still unsure. The middle brother's sleeve seems to match more with Shukichi's shogi outfit (to be specific, the one from 945–947, not the one from 899–902/785–786), rather than either of Shuichi's/Subaru's brown suit jackets (the default one, and then the one with part of the collar colored black (700–704/578–581)), in tandem with either his white dress shirt (775–777/656–657 and 898/783—both times he wore this, his suit jacket was black), or the white shirt he wore at Beika Department Store (700–704/578–581). While Shukichi's shogi outfits seem to be more solid and lacking in a pattern, Shuichi's/Subaru's brown suit jackets have a pattern that doesn't match the pattern seen on the middle brother's sleeve. Shukichi also has two phones, for some reason, and we haven't seen the front of his black one—which is the same color as the middle brother's, which we haven't seen the back of—as far as we know, Shuichi/Subaru has only one (841–843/722–723 and 898/783), and it doesn't match the middle brother's... and he also has that ear piece he used in Detectives' Nocturne (796–800/671–674... it was also used in Movie 18 to contact James, which leads me to believe that's who contacted him at the end of Detectives' Nocturne... we still don't know who called Masumi, at the end of that case—was it Mary or Shukichi? One thing's for sure—it couldn't have been Shuichi/Subaru, as he was receiving a call, and this was pre-Mystery Train, too.), which he can use as he would another phone.

 

About "the wizard" P.S.:

 

1) Given that Shuichi kept inquiring about Shinichi/Conan during the Kir arc, even asking who he was and teasing Jodie about relying on him, after already connecting Ai Haibara's and Shiho Miyano's physical similarities, it's unlikely he saw him when Shinichi actually met him for the first time, ten years ago, and was just overly hesitant in connecting Conan Edogawa to the boy he'd seen, ten years ago... but this only applies to the pre-Clash of Red and Black part of DC. During Clash of Red and Black (595–604/495–500, specifically), they actually got to properly interact for the first time since their first encounter (Bus Jack – 287–289/230–231) after their initial meeting, ten years ago (Upcoming flashback case – 972–97X). Perhaps, it was then that Shuichi began to remember... and then he discovered Shinichi's/Conan's identity (812–814/690–691)... and this was all before Mystery Train, and before the middle brother's first appearance (that we know of, at least) in the Adultery Case (856–858/740–741). Who's to say that Shuichi/Subaru hasn't remembered meeting Shinichi/Conan ten years ago—he could've remembered between discovering Shinichi's/Conan's identity (812–814/690–691) and sending that text to Masumi about "the wizard" (859–861/744–745), if he's the one contacting her.

 

2) If this character from 969 turns out not to be Shukichi, then it may very well turn out that he wasn't at that beach, ten years ago, where Mary, Masumi and Shuichi met Shinichi and Ran.

 

If Shukichi was at the beach and met Shinichi and Ran—regardless of who's contacting Masumi—Shuichi could've made a similar choice that Shukichi might have (in terms of asking about "the wizard"), because, he, too, could've remembered that meeting at the beach. If Shukichi was not at the beach—again, regardless of who's contacting Masumi—then, like Shuichi, if Shuichi doesn't remember meeting Shinichi, he could've asked about "the wizard," and been oblivious to who "the wizard" was.

 

Do British people count like Europeans or like Americans? I would assume the latter, since Masumi seemed to be getting awfully nervous over such a small thing, and since she changed the subject so quickly—it's like she doesn't want anyone to know she's actually half-British. That scene was really the only one with plot in it, in 970—it was the most current case-focused chapter since 940.

 

 

[MeiTanteixX 184]

3 hours ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

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A theory posted on a Japanese blog posits that the left hand's dying message (the finger, pointing) is referring to cardinal directions (E, W, S, N)... in this case, the southern direction. The first kanji in her name (Reia Nanbu) means "South," so perhaps this is the hint. Else, it means that Nitsuka is either lying or letting slip something she shouldn't have known.

If Nanbu did it, the motive is probably related to her senpai—her senpai may have been murdered, herself, by the victim (Sashihara).

 

 

Spoiler

Sounds very plausible. Just thought that the victims usually use things connected to their interest as "dying message"(like the "usagi" hint in File 817).

 

I was hesitant to mention that, since I felt like most(not all) arrogant characters aren't usually murderers in the DC universe,  but it's just as likely to be the truth. 

 

3 hours ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

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That and the jaw—at whatever age we've seen him, he always has a square jaw, not a pointed one, like this character has. My bet is on Shukichi, but I won't be too surprised if it turns out that this character is someone else.

The "Shuichi/Subaru has been in contact with Masumi, while Masumi tells everyone she's in contact with her other brother" theory is one I can get behind, but I'm still unsure. The middle brother's sleeve seems to match more with Shukichi's shogi outfit (to be specific, the one from 945–947, not the one from 899–902/785–786), rather than either of Shuichi's/Subaru's brown suit jackets (the default one, and then the one with part of the collar colored black (700–704/578–581)), in tandem with either his white dress shirt (775–777/656–657 and 898/783—both times he wore this, his suit jacket was black), or the white shirt he wore at Beika Department Store (700–704/578–581). While Shukichi's shogi outfits seem to be more solid and lacking in a pattern, Shuichi's/Subaru's brown suit jackets have a pattern that doesn't match the pattern seen on the middle brother's sleeve. Shukichi also has two phones, for some reason, and we haven't seen the front of his black one—which is the same color as the middle brother's, which we haven't seen the back of—as far as we know, Shuichi/Subaru has only one (841–843/722–723 and 898/783), and it doesn't match the middle brother's... and he also has that ear piece he used in Detectives' Nocturne (796–800/671–674... it was also used in Movie 18 to contact James, which leads me to believe that's who contacted him at the end of Detectives' Nocturne... we still don't know who called Masumi, at the end of that case—was it Mary or Shukichi? One thing's for sure—it couldn't have been Shuichi/Subaru, as he was receiving a call, and this was pre-Mystery Train, too.), which he can use as he would another phone.

 

About "the wizard" P.S.:

 

1) Given that Shuichi kept inquiring about Shinichi/Conan during the Kir arc, even asking who he was and teasing Jodie about relying on him, after already connecting Ai Haibara's and Shiho Miyano's physical similarities, it's unlikely he saw him when Shinichi actually met him for the first time, ten years ago, and was just overly hesitant in connecting Conan Edogawa to the boy he'd seen, ten years ago... but this only applies to the pre-Clash of Red and Black part of DC. During Clash of Red and Black (595–604/495–500, specifically), they actually got to properly interact for the first time since their first encounter (Bus Jack – 287–289/230–231) after their initial meeting, ten years ago (Upcoming flashback case – 972–97X). Perhaps, it was then that Shuichi began to remember... and then he discovered Shinichi's/Conan's identity (812–814/690–691)... and this was all before Mystery Train, and before the middle brother's first appearance (that we know of, at least) in the Adultery Case (856–858/740–741). Who's to say that Shuichi/Subaru hasn't remembered meeting Shinichi/Conan ten years ago—he could've remembered between discovering Shinichi's/Conan's identity (812–814/690–691) and sending that text to Masumi about "the wizard" (859–861/744–745), if he's the one contacting her.

 

2) If this character from 969 turns out not to be Shukichi, then it may very well turn out that he wasn't at that beach, ten years ago, where Mary, Masumi and Shuichi met Shinichi and Ran.

 

If Shukichi was at the beach and met Shinichi and Ran—regardless of who's contacting Masumi—Shuichi could've made a similar choice that Shukichi might have (in terms of asking about "the wizard"), because, he, too, could've remembered that meeting at the beach. If Shukichi was not at the beach—again, regardless of who's contacting Masumi—then, like Shuichi, if Shuichi doesn't remember meeting Shinichi, he could've asked about "the wizard," and been oblivious to who "the wizard" was.

 

Do British people count like Europeans or like Americans? I would assume the latter, since Masumi seemed to be getting awfully nervous over such a small thing, and since she changed the subject so quickly—it's like she doesn't want anyone to know she's actually half-British. That scene was really the only one with plot in it, in 970—it was the most current case-focused chapter since 940.

 

 

 

Spoiler

Gosho doesn't usually draw those square jaws for teens though(especially "important characters" since random characters can look like just anything that breathes :P)... shuukichi does seem to have it in File 900 though(if his time estimation is accurate) so your argument still holds...

I wouldn't be surprised either if it turned out to be someone else or something like a shrunken father... (if that's case, then Elena has truly cursed the Akai family with her research :P)

 

It has got be James,...probably telling him about his sister returning to Japan. As for Sera, it's most likely Mary, since shuukichi does not seem to go out of his way to contact her himself that often.

 

that's just as possible too(no matter how convoluted it may seem), however, Akai asking about "the wizard" wouldn't make sense in that case, just like with Shuukichi.

 

...Again, that part where they ask about the "wizard", when they were just talking about where they met Conan(who they should already assume by his appearance to be the same boy("wizard") from 10 yrs ago, like Sera does) is what doesn't make sense. Sure, it might seem absurd to think that he didn't age, but Kichi showed signs of being fully confident in Conan's capabilities in his first intro(as if he's judging from experience) and Shuichi "might have" met the "wizard"(and at this point knows that Conan is Shinichi).

 

that's true, Gosho controlled the plot amount of this file to the point where I think that the case will be dealt with quickly in file 971 and leave room for some teasers/prologe for a flashback case(hopefully).

 

After rereading the "official" translation, I realized that maybe Sashihara gave two presents for Yamaki to deliver to the manager because the second one was for the the former salesgirl(that might've committed suicide), as an apology for her behavior...

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

1 hour ago, MeiTanteixX said:

 

It has got be James... probably telling him about his sister returning to Japan. As for Sera, it's most likely Mary, since shuukichi does seem to go out of his way to contact her himself.

that's just as possible too(no matter how convoluted it may seem), however, Akai asking about "the wizard" wouldn't make sense in that case, just like with Shuukichi.

...Again, that part where they ask about the "wizard", when they were just talking about where they met Conan(who they should already assume by his appearance to be the same boy("wizard") from 10 yrs ago, like Sera does) is what doesn't make sense. Sure, it might seem absurd to think that he didn't age, but Kichi showed signs of being fully confident in Conan's capabilities in his first intro(as if he's judging from experience) and Shuichi "might have" met the "wizard"(and at this point knows that Conan is Shinichi).

that's true, Gosho controlled the plot amount of this file to the point where I think that the case will be dealt with quickly in file 971 and leave room for some teasers/prologe for a flashback case(hopefully).

 

 

If so, that'd be a quick conversation. Any other ideas on what James would call Shuichi/Subaru about? 

 

I'm still waiting for Gosho to explain what happened, in terms of phone calls and conversations, on that stretch of road in File 800/Episode 674.

Uh, why is it Mary, and not Shukichi? I missed your point. And what would she be calling Masumi about?

 

The thing is... Shuichi and/or Shukichi might not know if Masumi knows that Conan Edogawa and the boy they met are one in the same. Thus, that's why he (whichever brother is in contact with her) asked that question—to confirm whether she knows or not.

 

My essential point is that either Shuichi or Shukichi could ask this question and know that Shinichi/Conan is "the wizard," thus allowing for the possibility that either one of them could be in contact with Masumi.

 

[MeiTanteixX 184]

1 hour ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

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If so, that'd be a quick conversation. Any other ideas on what James would call Shuichi/Subaru about? 

 

I'm still waiting for Gosho to explain what happened, in terms of phone calls and conversations, on that stretch of road in File 800/Episode 674.

Uh, why is it Mary, and not Shukichi? I missed your point. And what would she be calling Masumi about?

 

The thing is... Shuichi and/or Shukichi might not know if Masumi knows that Conan Edogawa and the boy they met are one in the same. Thus, that's why he (whichever brother is in contact with her) asked that question—to confirm whether she knows or not.

 

My essential point is that either Shuichi or Shukichi could ask this question and know that Shinichi/Conan is "the wizard," thus allowing for the possibility that either one of them could be in contact with Masumi.

 

 

Spoiler

well, I was thinking maybe while James was bringing up his sister, maybe Subaru told him about Bourbon getting invovled with the Mouris(since he saw him). I was also considering the possibility that Subaru was talking to yukiko beforehand(telling her about about Conan's kidnapping) and then she called back(during that final scene) to see if anything had changed.

 

As for the others,... Bourbon's is already answered... but Sera was most likely called due to her suddenly leaving the hotel room(assuming that she didn't inform Mary) in order to help Conan(Mary was probably worried over her disappearance)...

 

What I meant was that Shuukichi doesn't seem to contact Sera often(unless he is answering a question or asking for her help)...

 

I see your point now.... but although it's not beyond the realm of possibilities, the whole "testing" thingy feels so unnecessary on "mid-bro's"(and even Gosho's) part, creating even more questions then necessary :/ ... I have of course not abandoned the idea that it could be shuukichi, but her behavior when she mentioned "Akai Shuichi" to conan(asking him about how cool his name is) felt as though she already knew that Conan has met Akai before(possibly due to that specific text conversation).

 

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

20 hours ago, MeiTanteixX said:

well, I was thinking maybe while James was bringing up his sister, maybe

Subaru told him about Bourbon getting invovled with the Mouris(since he saw him). I was also considering the possibility that Subaru was talking to yukiko beforehand(telling her about about Conan's kidnapping) and then she called back(during that final scene) to see if anything had changed.

 

As for the others,... Bourbon's is already answered... but Sera was most likely called due to her suddenly leaving the hotel room(assuming that she didn't inform Mary) in order to help Conan(Mary was probably worried over her disappearance)...

 

What I meant was that Shuukichi doesn't seem to contact Sera often(unless he is answering a question or asking for her help)...

 

I see your point now.... but although it's not beyond the realm of possibilities, the whole "testing" thingy feels so unnecessary on "mid-bro's"(and even Gosho's) part, creating even more questions then necessary :/ ... I have of course not abandoned the idea that it could be shuukichi, but her behavior when she mentioned "Akai Shuichi" to conan(asking him about how cool his name is) felt as though she already knew that Conan has met Akai before(possibly due to that specific text conversation).

 

 

One wonders why Shuichi/Subaru didn't tell his allies about Bourbon's identity. How did the FBI not know, beforehand? He must've reported to them while undercover, right? The FBI clearly didn't know, else Jodie would've told Shinichi/Conan about Bourbon's appearance, and might've even shown him a picture. I guess it's another instance of lack of communication in recent DC.

 

Shuichi/Subaru has Hiroshi's house bugged. Ran responded to Masumi's call seconds after telling Hiroshi. Shiho/Ai, seconds later, brought up that Hiroshi's car was out of the question as an option for rescuing Shinichi/Conan. Seconds after that, Shuichi/Subaru showed up. Thus, he wouldn't have had the time to call her, or it would've been a very short call ("Your son's been kidnapped. Bye!")... and the same would apply to anyone else he could've called, not just Yukiko.

 

Maybe James called him to tell him about Mary (her disappearing, perhaps). After all, James would probably assume that Shuichi would've noticed that his sister was back in Japan, at this point.

 

We still don't know if Mary was with Masumi from the beginning, or if she came to live with her at some point after Mystery Train. We don't know if Mary was shrunk in Japan, or abroad—we don't know if she was with Masumi when Masumi arrived in Japan, or whether Masumi came to Japan alone (and for that matter, just when did Masumi come to Japan?). Until we know these things, and how Mary was shrunk and who's responsible for her current state, I'm not sure about her being the one who called Masumi in File 800/Episode 674. I also wonder if Shukichi knows about their mother's condition.

 

Maybe this time was an exception. Maybe Masumi came to Japan because her mother had gone there, and Mary had dropped out of contact. Maybe Masumi came much earlier than File 768/Episode 646 and searched for a time, before (for whatever reason) deciding to look for "the wizard." Maybe, that night, Shukichi called her because he'd found Mary... or Mary had come to him.

 

We haven't seen Mary call Masumi, as far as we know—Mary calling her would be more unprecedented than Shukichi calling her.

 

These are the Akais, after all—we've seen what Shuichi, Shukichi and Masumi have withheld from others... and each other (with Mary likely falling into the latter category)... if Gosho continues on with this lack of communication (due to him stretching things out), then I wouldn't be surprised if whichever brother is contacting Masumi would ask such a question as a test.

[MeiTanteixX 184]

39 minutes ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

 

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One wonders why Shuichi/Subaru didn't tell his allies about Bourbon's identity. How did the FBI not know, beforehand? He must've reported to them while undercover, right? The FBI clearly didn't know, else Jodie would've told Shinichi/Conan about Bourbon's appearance, and might've even shown him a picture. I guess it's another instance of lack of communication in recent DC.

 

 

Shuichi/Subaru has Hiroshi's house bugged. Ran responded to Masumi's call seconds after telling Hiroshi. Shiho/Ai, seconds later, brought up that Hiroshi's car was out of the question as an option for rescuing Shinichi/Conan. Seconds after that, Shuichi/Subaru showed up. Thus, he wouldn't have had the time to call her, or it would've been a very short call ("Your son's been kidnapped. Bye!")... and the same would apply to anyone else he could've called, not just Yukiko.

 

Maybe James called him to tell him about Mary (her disappearing, perhaps). After all, James would probably assume that Shuichi would've noticed that his sister was back in Japan, at this point.

 

We still don't know if Mary was with Masumi from the beginning, or if she came to live with her at some point after Mystery Train. We don't know if Mary was shrunk in Japan, or abroad—we don't know if she was with Masumi when Masumi arrived in Japan, or whether Masumi came to Japan alone (and for that matter, just when did Masumi come to Japan?). Until we know these things, and how Mary was shrunk and who's responsible for her current state, I'm not sure about her being the one who called Masumi in File 800/Episode 674. I also wonder if Shukichi knows about their mother's condition.

 

Maybe this time was an exception. Maybe Masumi came to Japan because her mother had gone there, and Mary had dropped out of contact. Maybe Masumi came much earlier than File 768/Episode 646 and searched for a time, before (for whatever reason) deciding to look for "the wizard." Maybe, that night, Shukichi called her because he'd found Mary... or Mary had come to him.

 

We haven't seen Mary call Masumi, as far as we know—Mary calling her would be more unprecedented than Shukichi calling her.

 

These are the Akais, after all—we've seen what Shuichi, Shukichi and Masumi have withheld from others... and each other (with Mary likely falling into the latter category)... if Gosho continues on with this lack of communication (due to him stretching things out), then I wouldn't be surprised if whichever brother is contacting Masumi would ask such a question as a test.

 

 

 

You forgot about the time period of him bringing his car outside Agasa's house. In the Anime(I know, it's not reliable, but who knows if Gosho was involved :P) they had those extra scenes with Subaru waiting outside the Agasa house with his earpiece on(that might've been intentionally planted through Gosho's request).

...I almost made that same mistake but Subaru doesn't know that Conan is Shinichi at that time(in other words, Yukiko's son).

 

That very true... I guess one tends to assume by the first implication and forget which facts hasn't been confirmed yet. I still think though that Mary and Sera came together(through James help) since Mary would need someone to cover for her when arriving to Japan(or staying home)).

 

I wish Gosho would just realize that there are far better mysteries to strecht out and tease us with than the whole mid-bro "mystery". I hope we are in for a surprise with the Beach flashback(maybe that it's not kichi, and that all of this "mid-bro tease" was for the purpose of tricking us now).

[Black Demon 466]

971 spoiler pics: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4751930761?pn=1 (scroll down to see others)

 

It seems that Sera has been studying in the UK, not the US like some have suspected.

 

Also break next week!

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

5 hours ago, Black Demon said:

971 spoiler pics: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4751930761?pn=1 (scroll down to see others)

 

  Reveal hidden contents

It seems that Sera has been studying in the UK, not the US like some have suspected.

 

Also break next week!

 

 

After looking at Bash's translation of Shinichi's/Conan's thoughts on one of those pics, I'd say that it's pretty likely that Holmes' Revelation (743–752/616–621) was not the first time Shinichi and Ran visited the U.K.

I'd say this upcoming case will be the Golden Apple (350–354/286–288) of the Rum arc—will the upcoming case, then, be 5 Files? By 973 and/or 974, we should be able to tell.

I wonder if Ran's memory will be triggered, as well, by the end of the flashback...

 

And about the case itself, Page 11 seems to suggest that Nitsuka (the woman with the dog allergy) did it.

 

[Aries Bless 18]

 

I think that the dying message means Yamaki Ayami.

[Jimmy-kud0-tv2 34]

7 hours ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

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And about the case itself, Page 11 seems to suggest that Nitsuka (the woman with the dog allergy) did it.

 

 

How did you get that? on page 11 Conan counts to 8 using the Chinese method (1~5 is the same as Japan so he skips)

6 then 7 then 8. The only suspect with the kanji for 8 in their name is Yamaki Ayami with the "Ya"

 

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

4 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

How did you get that? on page 11 Conan counts to 8 using the Chinese method (1~5 is the same as Japan so he skips)

6 then 7 then 8. The only suspect with the kanji for 8 in their name is Yamaki Ayami with the "Ya"

 

 

I thought that, too. If you can explain how the China part relates to her, then I was wrong to make that statement.

[Aries Bless 18]

'The second murder' might be related to the debts, that victim talked to Yamaki Ayami about.

[MeiTanteixX 184]

3 hours ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

 

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I thought that, too. If you can explain how the China part relates to her, then I was wrong to make that statement.

 

 

 

when you count 8 with your fingers in chinese, it looks exactly like the victim's "L"/"two"/"gun" message. The rest is like how @Jimmy-kud0-tv2 explained...

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

4 minutes ago, MeiTanteixX said:

 

 

when you count 8 with your fingers in chinese, it looks exactly like the victim's "L"/"two"/"gun" message. The rest like what @Jimmy-kud0-tv2 explained...

 

 

 

If the China part only has to do with recognizing which number the left hand is indicating and not, say, with the woman with the dog allergy going to China, then I get it.

[MeiTanteixX 184]

8 minutes ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

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If the China part only has to do with recognizing which number the left hand is indicating and not, say, with the woman with the dog allergy going to China, then I get it.

 

yeah, that's basically the only purpose "China" had(at least I called it's relevance right). In the end, Gosho went with the simple route of making the obvious one the murder....it's a bummer really(at least now, I'm even more interested to see the resolution) :/ Curious to see how she did it.

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

52 minutes ago, MeiTanteixX said:

 

 

yeah, that's basically the only purpose "China" had(at least I called it's relevance right). In the end, Gosho went with the simple route of making the obvious one the murder....it's a bummer really(at least now, I'm even more interested to see the resolution) :/ Curious to see how she did it.

 

 

 

Gosho usually makes the least obvious one the culprit... which makes, in his mysteries, the least obvious one the obvious one. Thus, what would be the obvious one anywhere else becomes the least obvious one.

 

EDIT:

 

971 Text Spoilers are out!

http://tamae.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/ymag/1472184539/173

Will update when Spimer or Yunnie Chan translates.

 

[MeiTanteixX 184]

3 hours ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

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Gosho usually makes the least obvious one the culprit... which makes, in his mysteries, the least obvious one the obvious one. Thus, what would be the obvious one anywhere else becomes the least obvious one.

 

Can't argue with that

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

Here are the 971 Text Spoilers, translated by Yunnie Chan:

 

Resolution chapter! 29 chapters till 1000! FILE 971 - Another Customer. 

[Previous client] lost consciousness before she was strangled. The criminal prepared disposable straw and a chloroform ampoule in advance.

Criminal soaked it into the face mask that was inside the box, making [previous customorer] to breathe it in.  

1 week ago the criminal accidentally made a customer with a claim faint, but this time, they used white sandals so that no one else would enter inside. 

Those sandals were ribbons attached to the insoles, and with making the heels of the appropriate thing, the disguise is complete. 

After that criminal put the insoles to their shoes and used ribbon as a present wrapper, destroying the evidence.

The one who did it was the subordinate of [previous customer], Yamaki.

[Previous customer]’s both hands had one meaning. Right hand’s thumb nail was smeared in lipstick, and had star nail glitter under it, this making it look like a Chinese flag. 

And the left hand showed ‘8’ in Chinese number system.

Motivation is 'harassment’ and 'doubt’*

*TN: Googled a lot, found only that meaning.

The subordinate had to wear clothes that [previous customer] wore for parties. 

[Previous customer] wore another clothes, given re-tailored previous one for her 'pet’.

The subordinate, while being threatened by [previous customer] that ’she’ll be her pet for her eternal life’ decided to kill first, before being turned into slave.

The incident was resolved, but Conan remembers Sera’s words and attitude. At the [Red Woman] case she said that the bat is too thin, maybe she meant not baseball, but a cricket bat?.. When she ate steak, she also didn’t shift the fork to the right hand like people do in America, and continued to use her left hand. In America they also don’t call 'soccer’ 'football’. 

That means that Sera studied not in America, but in England. Why did she hide it?.. He remembered!

Incident resolution chapter… and suddenly! Conan and Sera-chan’s past would be revealed starting from #42?!

Next issue is a break for author to gather material. Will continue in #42.

[Aries Bless 18]

If Conan and Ran met Sera and her family in UK, then it must have been on a trip, which Yusaku and Yukiko brought them on. It sounds more likely than Kogoro and Eri. Perhaps they took Ran with them because it was around the time her mother move out and they wanted to give Ran some time away from the troubles. Yusaku did mention in the big London case that he had friends in Scotland Yard. Perhaps there is a connection there to the Akai-family.

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

21 hours ago, Aries Bless said:

If Conan and Ran met Sera and her family in UK, then it must have been on a trip, which Yusaku and Yukiko brought them on. It sounds more likely than Kogoro and Eri. Perhaps they took Ran with them because it was around the time her mother move out and they wanted to give Ran some time away from the troubles. Yusaku did mention in the big London case that he had friends in Scotland Yard. Perhaps there is a connection there to the Akai-family.

 

In Shinichi Kudo's Childhood Adventure (570–573/472–473), Yusaku says to Yukiko, in one scene, "Why don't we go to the beach?"

 

Perhaps the upcoming flashback case takes place just after Shinichi's Childhood Adventure. Perhaps Ran went with Shinichi (and probably both Yusaku and Yukiko) because Kogoro and Eri had just split up.

[MeiTanteixX 184]

3 minutes ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

In Shinichi Kudo's Childhood Adventure (570–573/472–473), Yusaku says to Yukiko, in one scene, "Why don't we go to the beach?"

 

Perhaps the upcoming flashback case takes place just after Shinichi's Childhood Adventure. Perhaps Ran went with Shinichi (and probably both Yusaku and Yukiko) because Kogoro and Eri had just split up.

I have to reread that chapter(I don't remember him saying that) but I'm definitely on board with this theory.

[Jimmy-kud0-tv2 34]

20 hours ago, MeiTanteixX said:

I have to reread that chapter(I don't remember him saying that) but I'm definitely on board with this theory.

 

Yusaku actually says that they should ""go to the ocean somewhere"" as a clue to Shinichi that he needed to go to Haido port for that "Calm Hyde's anger" message 

 

[MeiTanteixX 184]

2 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

 

Yusaku actually says that they should ""go to the ocean somewhere"" as a clue to Shinichi that he needed to go to Haido port for that "Calm Hyde's anger" message 

 

Aaah, so it had a purpose in the case itself... hmm, so either Gosho thought it would be interesting if he did a flashback-follow-up from that statement, or we are looking too much into it.