Yui Uehara asked urgently, "Hoshimiya-san, do you think the case from six years ago is related to the Tatsuo family case?"
"I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete yet."
"I'll tell you everything I know if it helps the case."
"As long as we can solve it, I will cooperate fully with whatever you need!"
It was clear that Yui Uehara had already begun placing her hopes on Yuu Hoshimiya.
Beside them, the one-eyed detective Kansuke Yamato felt a twinge of jealousy, his lone eye narrowing.
Driven by his pride, he spoke up, "Investigate all you want. So what if you're from Tokyo? So what if you have a big reputation? I don't believe you can find anything we haven't."
"Yui, the reason I came here was to ask you: Six years ago, when Officer Kai Nagato fell to his death, you were the first witness. Do you remember seeing a centipede near him?"
Yui Uehara frowned, her pale blue eyes blinking in thought.
"A centipede... I remember there wasn't one. The senior's body was mostly covered by fallen leaves, and there was a dead horse next to him. There was black, oxidized blood everywhere, but definitely no centipede. Kansuke, did you find something?"
Having gathered the information he wanted, Kansuke Yamato turned on his cane and began to walk away, having no intention of sharing his leads.
"Nothing."
A cold smirk curled on his lips. "Just hurry up and end this incident, or I'm afraid there will be more victims, 'Great Consultant'!"
Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of Kansuke, Yui turned back to Yuu Hoshimiya.
"Hoshimiya-san, do you know what the centipede signifies?"
Seeing that Kansuke hadn't gone far, and combining his past life memories with the intel gathered from monitoring Heiji and Conan, Yuu raised his voice.
"Stop acting tough. The centipede was also known as the 'Hundred-Legged Corps.' During the Warring States period, scouts and messengers on the battlefield would carry centipede banners. Specifically, Takeda Shingen's elite 'Red Cavalry' used the centipede as their herald."
"Therefore, the appearance of a centipede signifies that the battle is not yet over."
"Aside from Officer Kai Nagato's death six years ago, in the recent deaths of Yoshiro Takeda—who fell after being swept up by a tornado—and Koji Tatsuo—who was buried in a rock pile and bashed to death—someone placed a centipede on the blood before it clotted, causing it to stick to the body."
"This is clearly a signal of a serial murder case. That's why that guy came to ask you if there was one six years ago. If there was, he could link them all together."
After hearing Yuu's analysis, Yui Uehara immediately looked at him with a face full of admiration.
Kansuke Yamato's footsteps faltered for a moment, and he let out a resigned sigh.
As expected, the man lives up to his fame.
He quickened his pace and walked toward the distant woods.
Once they were out of sight, Kansuke pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Takaaki, I've met the guy you've always spoken so highly of. If you want to test yourself against him, get over here to the Takeda house!"
An excited voice responded immediately from the other end!
Now that it was just him and Yui Uehara in the stables, Yuu Hoshimiya let out a light laugh.
"Madam, what you just said—about being willing to cooperate with anything as long as the case is solved—was that the truth?"
Yui Uehara didn't catch the hidden "wickedness" in his tone and nodded seriously.
"Of course it's true. I must get justice for the Senior's death."
A wicked grin appeared on Yuu's lips. "It seems Madam is truly determined. How about this? Let's go outside, and you can tell me everything you know."
Yui led Yuu outside, and the two sat on wooden stumps as she began her story.
She started from the beginning, bringing the events of six years ago vividly to life.
Six years ago, at a joint festival between the two villages, Kai Nagato and the Tatsuo family's younger son, Akira Tatsuo, were competing for the role of the Yabusame archer.
(Yabusame: A ritual of Japanese horseback archery where riders shoot arrows at wooden targets to pray for world peace.)
During the selection trials, both sides were flawless, hitting every single target.
However, on the very last target, both of them missed, causing the selection to be postponed to the next day.
After the match ended, Kai Nagato rode his horse into the forest to continue practicing, while Akira Tatsuo went home early due to exhaustion.
But that night, Kai Nagato never returned.
The village knew something had happened. Everyone searched the forest—after all, Kai was a highly respected and well-liked police officer.
Despite searching every inch of the woods, they found no trace of him.
Seven days later, after a typhoon had passed, Yui Uehara—who had refused to give up the search—finally discovered Kai Nagato's body at the bottom of a cliff.
Because his body had been hidden under a thick layer of leaves, no one had seen him until the typhoon winds blew the leaves away.
His leg had been pinned under his dead horse, making escape impossible. Since it was the bottom of a deep ravine, his cries for help never reached the top.
Kai Nagato had been trapped in that dark ravine and had slowly starved to death.
Later, by pure chance, Yui Uehara overheard a drunken Yoshiro Takeda talking about entering the forest after that selection match.
To investigate the truth, and because her childhood friend Kansuke Yamato had gone missing in an avalanche, Yui had resolutely resigned from the force and married Yoshiro Takeda—a man she didn't love—just to stay close to the source of information.
However, six years had passed, and Yui had found almost nothing.
She only knew that her husband Yoshiro, his younger brother Shigeji, and the Tatsuo family's eldest son Koji, second son Akira, and his wife Ayaka had formed a secret treasure-hunting team.
These five had been searching the nearby woods and mountains for the "100,000 Gold" treasure hidden by the legendary general Takeda Shingen.
They had grown up together, were close friends, and all believed the treasure was real, so they never gave up on the hunt.
Yoshiro Takeda was extremely vigilant and guarded against Yui, fearing she was after the treasure, which resulted in her investigation stalling completely.
However, in the eyes of the Takeda and Tatsuo patriarchs, this treasure-hunting team was just a bunch of kids messing around.
Now, Yoshiro Takeda had died by falling after being swept up by a tornado, and Koji Tatsuo had been buried and bashed to death. The five-person team was down to three.
After hearing Yui's story, Yuu Hoshimiya actually developed a bit of interest in Takeda Shingen's treasure.
Finding the treasure would be a nice bonus.
Though he wasn't short on cash, no one ever complained about having too much.
Besides, it was an easy task for him.
"Hoshimiya-san? Hoshimiya-san?"
Hearing her call, Yuu snapped back to reality.
"I've told you everything I know. Have you discovered anything, Hoshimiya-san?"
Yui Uehara looked at Yuu with a face full of expectation.
This is a bit rushed. Do you really take me for a god?
Fortunately, Yuu had watched this episode in his previous life and knew some of the inside details. Since the timeline hadn't shifted much yet, he actually had some information to offer.
He crooked his finger, signaling Yui to lean in.
Yui obediently pressed her ear close.
"Madam, I don't think those blue-and-white stripes really suit you. I think you should try something lacey and transparent instead!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Yui Uehara's face turned as red as a furnace. She knew exactly what Yuu was referring to.
He definitely saw them earlier!
Yui spoke with flustered indignation, "Hoshimiya-san! Please don't say such rude things. I was asking if you found a lead!"
Yuu let out a light laugh.
"It was just a little joke. I just feel that at your age, wearing such a 'girly' style doesn't quite match. Black lace would suit your 'young matron' image much better."
"Though, it was actually quite cute—surprisingly 'kawaii'!"
This was pure flirting. With steam practically rising from her cheeks, Yui snapped, "Hoshimiya-san!"
"Wait, do I look old to you?"
"I'm only twenty-nine! I'm not even thirty yet! It's none of your business what I wear!"
Women are very sensitive about age, and Yui Uehara fired back without hesitation.
"Hoshimiya-san, did you come here to mock me or to investigate the case?"
As she spoke, she gave Yuu a look reserved for lechers and began to back away slowly.
However, her wrist was caught by Yuu, who pulled her closer.
His warm breath hit Yui's earlobe as his magnetic voice reached her ears.
"Madam, you really don't have a sense of humor. Alright, I'll stop teasing. Let's talk about the case."
"Your husband Yoshiro Takeda dying in a tornado was an accident."
"But the fact that a dead centipede was placed in the blood proves someone was nearby, watched it happen, and chose to let him die."
"After that, Koji Tatsuo's death was very deliberate. Why specifically bury his body in earth and stone before hammering him to death?"
"Why?"
Yui Uehara asked urgently, her face very close to his.
Yuu could see the fine, soft hairs on her skin. He couldn't resist reaching out to flick her cheek.
Quite bouncy and soft!
"Hoshimiya-san, if you do that again, I won't be—"
"I only thought of it when that detective Kansuke mentioned the centipede."
Hearing Yuu speak seriously, the annoyed Yui stopped and listened intently.
"The centipede banner belonged to Takeda Shingen. But besides that, Shingen had another famous banner: the 'Furinkazan' flag!"
"'As swift as the Wind, as gentle as the Forest, as fierce as the Fire, as unshakable as the Mountain.' It comes from The Art of War, but Shingen adopted it as his ultimate creed."
"The killer likely worships Takeda Shingen. After your husband was killed by the 'Wind' (the tornado), the killer devised a plan to murder based on those four lines."
"That's why Koji Tatsuo was buried in the earth—representing the 'Mountain'."
"Now we have 'Swift as the Wind' and 'Unshakable as the Mountain.' That leaves 'Gentle as the Forest' and 'Fierce as the Fire'."
"In other words, the killer has at least two more people they want to murder."
Yui Uehara rested her chin in her hand, lost in thought, completely forgetting that Yuu had just been hitting on her.
"Then Yuu-kun... do you know who the killer wants to hit next?"
Yuu rolled his eyes. "Please. I just got here. How could I know that much?"
"But it's almost certainly someone from the Takeda or Tatsuo families. There is a lot of bad blood between them."
"As for Kai Nagato's death six years ago... it seems to be linked to this serial murder case too!"
Yui grew frantic. "What link?"
Yuu gave a wicked smile. "I'm not telling. It's not good for you to know too much."
"Besides, you're so 'slow' that you investigated for six years with zero progress. If I tell you and you accidentally let it slip, that would be a disaster."
At this, Yui Uehara glared at Yuu with her pale blue eyes.
But Senior Kai's death was like a demon in her heart. She was dying of curiosity.
Yui's voice softened, and she began to act coy.
"Yuu-kun... just tell me. I promise I won't leak it."
Seeing Yuu remain unmoved, Yui thought back to his earlier comment. She gritted her teeth and spoke.
"Yuu-kun... if you tell me about Senior Kai... I'll... I'll wear that black lace outfit you mentioned for you."
Yossh! This matron was really going all out, willing to pay such a price.
I'd really like to see that. It sounds like it would be quite a sight!
"Black lace? Brother Yuu, what on earth are you two talking about?"
Suddenly, Ran Mouri's voice came from behind them, her tone dripping with suppressed fury.
Yuu turned to see Ran with her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised as she scrutinized him. A faint, dangerous smile played on her lips.
Yui Uehara was instantly mortified.
"You've got it wrong! I am Yui Takeda, the daughter-in-law of the Takeda family. I was just discussing fashion with Hoshimiya-san. He said a black dress with lace would suit me."
Ran's eyes scanned her. "Yoshiro Takeda's wife? A married woman?"
"Yes," Yui nodded.
"Wow, Brother Yuu. You're even making a move on a widow who just lost her husband. You're truly terrible."
Yui Uehara's face became a picture of pure awkwardness.
Yuu stood up and gave Ran a playful pat on the head. "Stop talking nonsense. I'm investigating a case and was asking Mrs. Yui for details. Don't let your mind wander."
Despite his words, Ran remained skeptical.
After all, Yui Uehara was quite the beauty, and she couldn't help but suspect Yuu's motives weren't entirely pure.
Conan and Heiji were following behind Ran. Yuu quickly changed the subject.
"Heiji, how's the investigation going?"
The normally invisible Heiji Hattori spoke up, "We just finished questioning the head of the Takeda family. We have a general grasp of the situation. We came to ask this lady about the case from six years ago."
Seeing so many people, Yui suggested, "It's not convenient to talk out here. Let's head to the tea room."
She turned and led the way toward the side hall.
However, the moment she stepped forward, the groin area that had been involuntarily pulled into a split earlier sent a sharp jolt of pain through her. The sensation of strained ligaments was relentless.
Yui frowned and began to walk with a stiff, awkward gait toward the tea room.
Everyone's gaze immediately fell upon her, then drifted to her hips and groin. A cold glint flashed in Ran's eyes.
Clearly, Ran had the wrong idea!
Yuu hurried to whisper an explanation. "It's a misunderstanding, Ran! It's not what you think!"
But Ran wasn't listening to a word. She assumed that in the short few hours he'd been here, he had already claimed a widow who had just lost her husband.
Naturally, she was furious and ignored his attempts to explain.
Yuu could only sigh and accept the blame.
But to make the "blame" worth it, he became even more determined to conquer Yui Uehara.
Before long, the group reached the tea room.
Accustomed to his ways and seeing Yuu's good attitude, Ran's anger faded as quickly as it had come.
Everyone took a seat. While Yui prepared the tea, Heiji and Conan began to summarize their findings.
"The case involves two families: Takeda and Tatsuo. On the Takeda side, we have the patriarch Nobushige, his wife Kano, the adopted eldest son Yoshiro, his wife Yui, and the treasure-obsessed second son Shigeji."
"On the Tatsuo side, we have the patriarch Tameshi, his mother Shigeyo, the eldest son Koji, the second son Akira, and his wife Ayaka."
"Ten people in total across these two families."
"Coincidentally, when the eldest Takeda son, Yoshiro, fell during the tornado, his brother Shigeji was the first to find the scene."
"And when the eldest Tatsuo son, Koji, was found murdered in the earth, it was his brother Akira who discovered the scene."
"Both brothers finding their siblings' bodies... the coincidence is a bit too strange. Now, both families are down to their last heirs."
"I've already questioned the witnesses. Both said they saw a dead centipede in the pool of blood, which is very suspicious!"
Conan interjected, "And then there's Officer Kai Nagato, who fell to his death six years ago. It seems everyone in both families knew him. I've heard his name mentioned multiple times today."
At the mention of her respected senior, Yui Uehara couldn't help but add, "Of course. Everyone in the village admired Officer Kai. He was kind and gentle; I've never heard a bad word said about him."
"Before he died, he was the one constantly working to ease the tension between the Takeda and Tatsuo families. It's only natural so many people remember him."
Hearing this, Heiji and Conan nodded in agreement.