Chereads / i am just a student? in Conan world / Chapter 190 - **Chapter 187: Two Old Schemes**

Chapter 190 - **Chapter 187: Two Old Schemes**

"Sorry for the weird situation you just witnessed," Mamiya Takahito said awkwardly to Fujino, watching the old hag walk away. "That woman, Mamiya Masuyo, is my grandmother. She hasn't been mentally stable since my mother passed away."

"Understandable," Fujino replied, glancing back at Mamiya Masuyo. 

This old woman must have been the culprit behind the fire four years ago. 

Of course, this wasn't actually the real Mamiya Masuyo but a maid from the castle. The real Mamiya Masuyo had been murdered by this maid, who had then undergone plastic surgery to impersonate her in order to get the castle's treasure.

For years, the maid pretended to be insane, hoping to escape suspicion. But Masuyo's daughter, who had returned from abroad, discovered her true identity. To prevent exposure and avoid arrest, the maid burned everyone in the castle to death, including Mamiya Masuyo and the long-serving maids.

So, this old hag was Fujino's target for arrest.

This case seemed absurdly simple.

...

Fujino followed Mamiya Takahito into a dimly lit room.

"Here are all the results of my four-year investigation," Takahito said, turning on the light and handing Fujino a stack of documents. "To be honest, I haven't uncovered much, but I hope this can help with your investigation, Detective Fujino."

"A newspaper?" Fujino pulled out one of the papers and started reading. 

The article was a report on the fire in the castle four years ago. According to the report, no one survived, and the fire was so intense that it burned everyone to ashes, making identification possible only through their clothing.

Mamiya Takahito genuinely seemed determined to uncover the truth about the fire.

The information was detailed. But no matter how hard he tried, he probably would never have guessed that his grandmother was the mastermind behind the killings.

To be honest, if Fujino wasn't already privy to the plot, he might not have figured it out either.

Killing Masuyo for some mythical treasure and burning a dozen people alive—leaving them in ashes—was beyond cruel.

She even went so far as to mutilate herself in the process. Typical "Beika" behavior, though.

Wait, was this even Beika?

"I've got a good idea of what's going on. Just wait for my good news," Fujino said, setting down his travel bag and pulling out a wooden sword made of peach wood.

"A wooden sword?" Takahito asked, eyeing the sword in confusion.

"It's made from peach wood, to ward off evil spirits," Fujino explained, weighing the sword in his hand.

"Evil spirits?" Takahito looked skeptical.

Good grief, was this detective really that reliable? Did he think the fire from four years ago was caused by ghosts?

Before Takahito could fully process this, Fujino left the studio.

"Detective Fujino, do you need any more help?" Takahito asked, rushing after him.

"I've got everything I need. Just wait for my good news," Fujino said, waving as he walked away, carrying the wooden sword.

After leaving the studio, Fujino began working alone.

For someone who already knew the story like Fujino, this case was incredibly easy.

All he needed to do was lure the snake out of its hole. There wasn't much detective work involved—once he found Mamiya Masuyo's real body, everything would come to light.

He couldn't understand how that kid Conan always managed to complicate things, dragging such a simple case over multiple episodes.

"Detective, have you found any clues?"

As Fujino rounded a corner, about to enter the room with the chessboard, he was met by the old hag, Mamiya Masuyo, wearing a fake smile.

"Yes, I've found some clues," Fujino said, rubbing his chin and studying the hideous face of Mamiya Masuyo. "If my guess is right, the treasure should be hidden within the clues of the chessboard."

"Oh..." Mamiya Masuyo responded, a knowing glint in her eye. "Since the treasure is hidden within the chess clues, I'll take you to the room where you can see the chessboard."

"That would be helpful, thank you," Fujino smiled.

Mamiya Masuyo smiled back.

The two exchanged a knowing glance—both schemers.

Two schemers!

Fujino followed Mamiya Masuyo to a room where the chessboard was visible beneath the castle's courtyard.

After leading him there, Masuyo suddenly reverted to her "crazy" act, wheeling herself away in a fit of laughter.

"This old hag is trying to set me up," Fujino muttered, watching her retreating figure.

If he wasn't mistaken, she was planning to kill him after he discovered the hidden passage.

Fujino didn't expose her plan. Instead, he decided to play along.

Looking around, he spotted a clock hanging on the wall. Walking up to it, he moved the hands to 12 o'clock.

Suddenly, without warning, a hidden door in the wall opened, revealing a dark passageway.

After a moment of silence, Fujino pulled out a flashlight from his pocket and entered the passage.

The door shut behind him, plunging the corridor into complete darkness.

Fujino resisted the urge to shout, "Transform!" Instead, he turned on the flashlight.

Though it couldn't turn him into Ultraman, it did a great job of lighting up the passage.

In the beam of light, he saw old stone stairs and walls. The air reeked of decay, a nauseating stench that Fujino couldn't quite identify.

Holding the flashlight, he made his way down the stairs. At the bottom was a hallway, and just as he stepped into it, he noticed something dark and grim at the foot of the stairs.

Fujino approached, holding up his flashlight.

It was a corpse.

The body was clad in a long black dress, its flesh badly decayed and skeletal. It had clearly been dead for many years, the bones ghastly white.

From the skeletal structure, it appeared to be an older woman. The bones of the legs were thin, indicating she had been unable to walk when she was alive.

"This must be the real Mamiya Masuyo," Fujino muttered, squatting down to examine the remains.

Honestly, this was the first time he had seen a body so old and decayed. The feeling of unease made his skin crawl.

But he quickly regained his composure.

After all, in the world of Detective Conan, things were always strange.

He put away the flashlight and donned his assassin's cloak. 

Once he was fully cloaked, Fujino hid nearby, waiting for the fake Mamiya Masuyo to arrive.

(End of Chapter)

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