| Volume 42
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| Information
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| Release date:
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July 18, 2003
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| Chapters:
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425-435
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| ISBN:
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ISBN 4-09-126169-8
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| Publisher:
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Shogakukan
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| English release date:
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April 10, 2012
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| English ISBN:
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ISBN 1-4215-3608-0
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| English Publisher:
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Viz Media
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| Featured Detective & Keyhole
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| Aoyama's death & Conan side images
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Volume 42 was released on July 18, 2003 in Japan.
Cast
Gadgets
Chapters
Bathroom Murder Case
Anime Episode 340-341:
Hidden Bathroom SecretFile 425 - The Hidden Truth
The culprit is Tetsuo Imai.
People
Major events
- Agasa remembers about Miyano family, revealing crucial details of them.
- Vermouth is shown listening on the planted bugs on Agasa household.
- Ai receives voice recordings of her mom.
- At the end of the episode Vermouth is talking on the phone with Calvados.
Convenience Store Case
File 426 - Goodbye Jodie
Jodie is resting at her desk in Teitan High School’s staff office, with her eyes closed. She recalls that many years ago, when she was still a little child, a stranger broke into her house on a rainy day. She (was completely in black, by the way) murdered a man, and proceeded to grab the pair of glasses that the man was clutching. At this moment, Jodie entered the same room, and asked innocently who the woman was. The woman put her index finger on her lips and was about to respond when Jodie’s recollection is abruptly terminated by a fellow staff member, who calls her name several times and asks in a caring manner if she is tired and if her students have been causing her headaches. Jodie answers in negative, saying that they are all good students; then she attributes her apparent tiredness to being saddened by the fact that she has to leave them.
In the next panels, Jodie is seen telling her students about her impending resignation, much to their surprise and disappointment. After school, Ran and Sonoko catch up with Jodie to ask for a more detailed explanation of her sudden resignation (what she told the class was that there were “family issues” that she had to attend to). Jodie tells them that the “family issue” explanation is inaccurate and that the real reason behind her departure is that she has found a long-sought and very important treasure map. The girls, bewildered by these words, demand elaboration, but Jodie replies that the topic is a secret of hers, and that “a secret makes a woman woman”. Ran, knowing that Jodie does not intend to divulge information, switches the topic by saying that, regretfully, she has never taught Shinichi. Sonoko comments that there is nothing to regret about, as, in her opinion, a person who focuses so much on some boring case that he leaves “his wife” behind cannot appreciate the novel teaching methods of Jodie anyway. Ran puts up some mild objection about the usage of “wife”, and says with a reddened face that Shinichi will not come back before solving the case, as he is not someone who gives up easily and will try everything within his capabilities to finish what he has started. Sonoko, apparently noticing Ran’s blushing face, picks up where Ran leaves off and says in a fangirly manner “Oh! That is what I love about him, let’s kiss!”. This embarrasses Ran considerably, and she proceeds to downplay her previous comments by retorting that she just wanted to say that Shinichi is a stubborn and overly persistent person.
At this point, Jodie comments that Conan seems to be a stubborn person as well. Ran mentions that he has been staying at Agasa’s lately because he wants to take care of Haibara, whom Conan believes is sick because of him, until she recovers completely. This comment gets Jodie thinking, while Sonoko changes the subject and proposes that they go to Jodie’s apartment for a farewell party. Jodie and Ran agree, and therefore they decide to first head to the convenience store where one of Ran and Sonoko’s friend (called Aya Nanakawa) currently works to buy drinks and desserts.
Upon arrival at the store, they see a furious store manager shouting at Aya and threatening to replace her with someone else. Sonoko and Ran intervene and try to soothe an upset and crying Aya while the store manager reveals that he suspects Aya of being a thief. Sonoko is quick to come to the defense of her friend (and former classmate), and the manager explains that he was initially unwilling to believe that Aya was the culprit either, but a series of events, including that the loss of goods only happened on days when Aya was on watch, that surveillance cameras failed to reveal wrongdoing by any customer and that theft happened even when nobody but Aya came and left the store, forced him to come to his present conclusion. The store manager further reveals that a myriad of items have been stolen, including game softwares, CDs, DVDs, many types of beverages, box lunches (whose best before date was always near), bars of chocolate and so on.
As learning these is insufficient for Ran and Sonoko to prove Aya’s innocence, they turn to Aya to listen to her opinion. Aya tells them that she finds three customers suspicious: the first is likely a university student, and this person sometimes come to the store to read gaming magazines until the store closes at night, and usually buys fast food and instant noodles; the second is a very quiet office worker who never starts a quarrel even when being cut in line and usually buys things like toothbrushes, towels and batteries; and the third is an elderly woman who likes spending as little money as possible, often lectures the manager on how to save electricity and usually does not buy anything at all. Aya also says that all three suspects have in common that they frequently use the toilet of the store, which is located behind the storage area at the back of the store.
Despite these new pieces of information, Sonoko and Ran are not able make progress, and they can do little more than continuing defending Aya ardently. The store manager, seeing that they are not convinced, reveals yet another reason why he believes what he believes. He recounts that exactly one month ago he rebuked Aya as well, and after that theft stopped for a long time. Just when he thought that Aya had learned that her misdemeanors were unacceptable, theft started again, and this time the loss of goods was much more than usual. With this said, he demands an apology from Aya, and again threatens to fire her, but she insists that she has done nothing wrong. Ran and Sonoko, knowing that the situation is spiraling downwards quickly, suggest consulting with Shinichi or Conan, but Jodie says that they should try having a go at the case before turning to others for help, because “he who you rely upon can disappear at any time”.
File 427 - Ran's Deduction
Ran and Sonoko thus start considering the case again. After reviewing all the information at hand and getting nowhere, Ran asks herself what Shinichi would do in this situation. She recalls that he once told her that when there is a case, it is almost certain that something deviating from the norm happens, and such deviations, however slight and apparently insignificant, are clues that can be found by careful observation and that form the cornerstone of a deduction. Ran thus asks Aya whether anything special happened on the days when she was on watch. Neither she nor the store manager can think of anything, but another employee points out that the store is exceptionally clean whenever Aya is on watch. He elaborates that after newly arrived goods are taken into the storage room during the night, Aya will make sure that the boxes are arranged orderly so that they do not block the way to the bathroom. The employee adds that nobody else, including the manager himself, bothers to do that; they usually just leave the boxes all around the place and expect the employee working on the second day’s morning shift to clean things up for them. The store manager grudgingly concedes that the employee’s account is true, but insists that Aya’s good habit does not excuse her and that he will call the police unless Ran and company can find the real culprit.
Ran thinks about Shinichi again at this moment. Conan, who is in Agasa’s house, reciprocates this feeling; it is as if the two were connected by telepathy. Conan does not think too much about Ran though, and he instead asks Agasa about the whereabouts of the still-feverish Haibara. Agasa says that Haibara is probably in the laboratory listening to the tapes that her mother left her, and that since the air conditioner is on, they do not have to worry about her cold worsening. It turns out that Agasa is right: Haibara, with her eyes closed, and with an expression that clearly shows relish and inner peace, is presently listening to the recording that her mother prepared for her 18th birthday. In this recording, her mother asks what Shiho is doing in her life and tells her that as long as she does not regret her decisions, she will fully support Shiho. Haibara, thinking that the recording ends there, tries to press the stop button on the caset player, but her mother suddenly starts talking again. She says that it is probably time for Shiho to know that she is actually… Then, after a panel illustrating that Haibara is surprised by what she is hearing, the file takes a shape turn to show us a continuation of Jodie’s recollections: the unknown woman was bending over to her, her index finger still close to her lips, and then huge flames engulfed the house and reduced it to ashes. This time she is interrupted by her two students, who notice that this is the first time that Jodie has taken off her glasses. Ran additionally notices that they appear very old; Jodie concurs, and adds they are the only trace that someone very important to her left in the earthly world.
Sonoko and Ran fail to grasp the depth of her words, and the store manager, who is unhappy that they are not buying anything, orders them out. It is already night and, as usual, people from the transportation company bring new goods to the store. They tell the employee at the cashier that they will take the new goods to the storage room, but the employee, seeing that there are a lot of customers queuing before the bathroom, tells them to come back later. Ran, having overheard this conversation, starts thinking, and asks Sonoko whether she knows of any quote by Sherlock Holmes resembling “eliminating the impossible things…”. Sonoko is clueless, but Jodie confidently and seriously replies that the quote that Ran is looking for is “whenever you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” After hearing this, Ran seems to have come up with a deduction, but she is afraid that it might be wrong, which she believes will be damaging to Aya, who is already in a perilous situation. She thus remains indecisive and thinks of Shinichi yet again, believing that he knows what to do in such situations. The telepathic connection between the two again manifests itself and Conan, using the voice of Shinichi, calls her at that exact moment.
File 428 - The Unbelievable Conclusion
Conan calls in order to ask whether Ran has recently been to Shinichi’s house to clean (he suspects that someone has been entering his house); Ran says that she has not. Ran then tells Conan that Aya is in big trouble, and she repeats to him all the information available to her. Conan is able to immediately work out the real culprit, but before he is able to tell Ran, she interrupts and says feebly that she also has a deduction, and that she would like to share it with him. Conan agrees to hearing it; thus Ran starts telling him about it, with Sonoko and Jodie listening in attentively. Once she finishes, Conan bursts out in laughter, and tells her that it is a bit funny that even though she has a rather complete and consistent deduction, she still remains hesitant. Ran thinks that this is Shinichi’s way of telling her that the deduction is correct, but Conan replies that since detectives, like other people, are mere human beings with limits in their abilities, they are rarely 100% confident when making a deduction and almost always worry about having neglected some small but crucial detail. He proceeds to say that this element of unknown is what makes detectives twice as satisfied as other people when the deduction hits right at the target, and that in order to not deprive Ran of this sense of satisfaction he cannot tell her whether the deduction is correct, but encourages her to find out by herself by luring the culprit out.
Ran, inspired by Conan’s words, quickly comes up with a plan. She runs into the now-empty bathroom and screams “Fire in the store! Run! Otherwise you will be burnt to death!”. The store manager, confused and irate, storms to the bathroom, pounds the door heavily and threatens legal action. Ran comes out of the bathroom and signals him to stop talking, and the reason becomes clear very soon: loud noises are heard in the supposedly empty bathroom, the door is suddenly flung open violently, and a person rushes outside. Jodie stops this person (revealed to be the office worker) at the entrance to the storage room, and Ran says “it is indeed you” coldly. She forcefully declares the office worker to be the culprit, and, when the store manager says that he did not see this person despite having spent a whole night right outside the store watching, Ran reveals that the office worker has been living in the space above the bathroom ceiling. Jodie asks why this person would take game softwares and DVDs, and Ran says that when he sneaks out of the store with these, he can sell them for money, which will allow him to take baths, cut hair and make himself clean. He comes out of his refuge only when the store is packed with people so that nobody becomes suspicious. Similarly, when he needs to go into hiding again, by letting others cut in line leading to the bathroom, he is sure to be the last one entering it, thus again raising no suspicion. Furthermore, with the batteries bought, he can power a flashlight, which is needed for searching for food and other basic necessities in the lightless, closed store during the night. And finally, he steals only when Aya is on watch because only she clears the path out of the bathroom of boxes (and stealing a large amount each time will ensure that he does not starve despite Aya being on watch only a few times a week). Sonoko thinks that this last explanation is not entirely convincing: she argues that the office worker can simply push any blockage away. Ran has not considered this possibility, and is stunned by this remark, but fortunately Conan is there to prevent Ran’s deduction from falling apart. He explains on the phone that the office worker does not dare to move any obstructing box because he fears that the movements, however slight, will be noticed by store employees, who then will infer that something is wrong with the bathroom and proceed to expose him.
The store manager accepts all Ran’s previous explanations, but he has one question remaining: why was there a prolonged period of time when the office worker did not steal at all? Ran answers that the period that he is referring to was right after he reprimanded Aya, and that since the office worker is not a truly bad person and realized that his actions hurt someone innocent, he decided to stop for some time. Ran further says that another piece of evidence supporting the “not so bad thief” theory is that the box lunches stolen were invariably the ones whose best before date was near (this suggests that the office worker wanted to minimize the loss of the store).
The deduction is complete, and the office worker admits straightaway that he is the real thief. He kneels down to ask for pardon, and recounts that three months ago, he lost his job and was evicted from his apartment; just when he was extremely hungry, he walked into the store and ended up in the bathroom. It was night and the light was turned off (potentially because the employee on watch that day assumed that all customers had left). After adapting to the darkness, the office worker suddenly found himself surrounded by loads and loads of food, and, unable to resist the temptation, he started stealing in order to survive, and convinced himself that stealing such a small amount would not cause problems for the store. Upon hearing this, the store manager barks out, telling the office worker that contrary to his belief, the store has suffered terrible losses. He then insists on being compensated. When the office worker says that he does not have a single penny on him, the store manager, for the first time, brings out his merciful side, and tells him that he can compensate by working at his convenience store but with no salary for the first few months. The manager then comforts the office worker by saying that his troubles and feelings are relatable, as he was fired by his company as well before opening the store. The office worker cries in happiness, incredulous that whom he has inflicted huge damage on just saved him from misery and provided him with a path forward. Ran and Sonoko interrupt this warm moment and demand that both parties apologize immediately to Aya. They comply with this demand without any grudge.
With the case solved, Ran and Sonoko part with Aya, who is feeling better, and they and Jodie head to her apartment. When Ran is in the bathroom, she notices something hidden behind the mirror; upon closer inspection, she sees a few photos behind it, depicting her, Shinichi, Conan and a few other acquaintances of hers. Ran is puzzled by this.
People
Major events
- Ran solves a case, with some help from Jodie-sensei.
- Ran discovers pictures of Shinichi, Conan, and Ai at Jodie's house.
Halloween Party Case
Characters introduced
File 429 - The Full Moon and the Trap at the Banquet
File 430 - The Haunted Ship Painted with Blood
File 431 - The Invisible Man Enters!
File 432 - Shinichi Kudo Appears!?
File 433 - The Truth Behind the Mask
File 434 - Rotten Apple
People
Major events
- Jodie and Akai's whereabouts are explored.
- Another encounter occurs in which Vermouth reveals she knows about Ai's true identify and the FBI learns about it.
- Jodie is found to be FBI member which was trying to capture Vermouth along with Akai.
- Vermouth didn't shoot Ran after remembering that she saved her.
Butt Mark Slasher Case
Anime Episode 346-347:
Find the Buttock's MarkFile 435 - Traces in the Rain
People
Cover in other countries
Spain (Spanish, Volumen 2)
See also
