Chapter 39: Hissashi: It's Hard to Be a Snake
"Mr. Zhang Tian, please don't say that!" Yuriko Yuri frowned.
"What? Am I wrong?" Zhang Tian Zhengci exhaled a puff of smoke, seemingly having completely figured out Chi Feichi's background, and deliberately looked at Chi Feichi, sighing. "Bringing a child to see a movie and making the child pay, might as well not come. Men should work hard and always have some responsibility, you know..."
Chi Feichi raised his eyes and looked directly at Zhang Tian Zhengci.
"If you don't want your tongue anymore, just say so. I can help you."
"Uh..." Zhang Tian Zhengci met the gaze of those cold purple eyes that held not a trace of emotion, and a chill slowly spread in his heart. It felt as if, if he said another word, the other person would truly and calmly cut off his tongue...
"Mr. Zhang Tian, haven't I already told you, smoking is prohibited in the cinema!" The staff member, Minorui Furuhashi, walked over, displeased, but then noticed Zhang Tian Zhengci standing there with a pale face.
"What... what happened?"
Chi Feichi had already withdrawn his gaze and picked up the popcorn.
"Nothing, he might have fallen asleep."
Minorui Furuhashi: "..."
Even if he was being perfunctory, he should at least find a good reason!
Who has ever seen someone standing and sleeping with a cigarette in their mouth?
Yuriko Yuri felt the air inexplicably stiffen and didn't know what to say for a moment.
The boss, Akio Muramatsu, wiped his forehead. The air conditioning seemed a bit too strong today...
Zhang Tian Zhengci snapped back to reality, averted his gaze, threw the unsmoked cigarette stub on the ground, and pulled open the nearby door.
"Uh... I'll be right out."
Conan looked at Zhang Tian Zhengci's retreating back, his gaze puzzled and slightly serious. That uncle's facial reaction just now was fear, wasn't it?
Now, Zhang Tian Zhengci still seemed somewhat dazed.
This guy Chi Feichi...
"This guy is just like this!" Minorui Furuhashi stepped forward, picked up the cigarette butt, extinguished it on the trash can, and said with dissatisfaction.
"Every time he comes to the cinema, he doesn't follow the rules!"
Probably the most carefree were the three children. They only felt the atmosphere turn cold for a moment, but Big Brother Chi always spoke in that calm tone, so it didn't seem strange for the air to inexplicably turn cold...
Genta said indignantly.
"That uncle's words were really mean!"
"What he said was too much. It was our decision to treat Big Brother Chi to popcorn. What does it have to do with him?" Mitsuhiko also looked displeased.
"Exactly!" Ayumi nodded in agreement.
"Did he argue with you?" Minorui Furuhashi threw the extinguished cigarette into the trash can.
"This guy comes here every day recently, and he gets into arguments with thugs after every movie screening... Oh, I'm not saying this gentleman is a thug, but he should be deliberately causing trouble."
Chi Feichi had already guessed that he was just being used to target the cinema, but his good mood was still ruined.
Yuriko Yuri felt the atmosphere return to normal and also complained.
"Those thugs must have been hired by him to cause trouble and ruin our cinema's reputation, forcing us to close. But I didn't expect him to still come and provoke other customers when we're about to close!"
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about those things," Akio Muramatsu smoothed things over good-naturedly, and then said to Chi Feichi.
"I'm really sorry that you had to experience something like this."
"It's fine." Chi Feichi's face was calm.
The bespectacled young man with a camera came forward.
"Did something happen?"
"Ah, nothing," Akio Muramatsu greeted him.
"Mr. Iide is here today too."
"Today is the last day, and I asked Ms. Yuri if I could take some photos here as a memento," Iide explained.
"I like these special effects movies the most."
Yuriko Yuri turned to ask Akio Muramatsu.
"Should that be alright?"
Akio Muramatsu smiled and said.
"Of course it is. Mr. Iide has been coming to this cinema since he was a child, like a son to the cinema. Alright, it's about time, I should go out for lunch too."
"Oh no, I forgot to buy bentos for everyone," Yuriko Yuri looked at Chi Feichi again.
"Shall I buy one for you?"
"No need," Chi Feichi refused.
"I'll just eat something casual with the children. You can go ahead."
The next movie screening started soon. Besides Chi Feichi, the Detective Boys, and Iide from before, the cinema boss, Zhang Tian Zhengci, and a couple were also present.
Soon, the couple was driven away by Zhang Tian Zhengci's malicious prank.
Conan turned around to look, then looked at Chi Feichi, and noticed that Chi Feichi was also looking behind him. He said in a low voice.
"That guy does look like someone who would hire thugs to cause trouble."
"Mm..."
Chi Feichi replied softly, withdrew his gaze, and decided he wasn't going to bother with this matter. Let whatever happens, happen.
Haibara Ai tugged at Chi Feichi's sleeve. When Chi Feichi turned to look, she yawned.
"I'm sleepy."
Chi Feichi thought for a moment.
"Shall I carry you?"
Haibara Ai said calmly.
"Just letting you know, I want to lean on you and sleep for a while. Please don't mind if I bother you..."
"The air conditioning got stronger." Chi Feichi moved slightly to the side, lifted Haibara Ai over, and took off his jacket to cover her.
Haibara Ai was silent. If he hadn't lifted her like that, she would have been touched...
Chi Feichi saw Ayumi also dozing off and said.
"Ayumi, if you feel sleepy, you can come over and sleep with Ai for a while."
Ayumi rubbed her eyes, got up, and groggily walked towards Chi Feichi.
"Why did you lift me?" Haibara Ai couldn't help but ask.
Chi Feichi calmly explained.
"Ayumi is two seats away from you and Conan. I couldn't lift her."
Haibara Ai: "..."
Does that mean he would lift her too if he could reach?
Couldn't he just carry girls?
Chi Feichi got up and went to Haibara Ai's original seat, letting the two young girls sleep leaning against each other under his jacket.
Conan got up and said in a low voice.
"I'm going to the restroom."
Chi Feichi nodded, noticed his phone vibrating, took it out, and saw it was from his cheap dad.
[The person picking you up will be there tomorrow afternoon at 1 PM. Mr. Mamiya will pick you up, and then you'll go to Aoyama Fourth Hospital together to complete the procedures.]
[Understood.]
Chi Feichi replied with a short message, looked up, and continued watching the movie.
Conan also returned from the restroom.
The villain monster killed someone, and then Aimeira appeared and called out Gomera, Gomera stood up...
Gomera didn't have time to stand up. When the camera switched to a close-up of Aimeira's face, a swaying black shadow suddenly appeared on the screen.
"What's happening?"
Genta and Mitsuhiko exclaimed in surprise.
Conan immediately sat up straight and turned to look behind him.
"Something seems to be hanging in front of the projection window!"
"What's going on?" Akio Muramatsu also quickly got up.
When the lights in the projection hall turned on, the group finally saw Zhang Tian Zhengci hanging there.
More than twenty minutes later, the police arrived, and the two sleeping young girls were also woken up by the noise.
Chi Feichi, who had been watching nearby, then brought the two over.
After Ayumi got closer and heard Juzo Megure's questions, she asked confusedly.
"Did someone die?"
Juzo Megure turned around and saw Chi Feichi.
"Brother Chi, you're here too!"
Chi Feichi: "..."
Inspector Megure seems to have many 'brothers'.
Last time, he called him 'Mr. Chi', but this time, it immediately became 'Brother'...
"Inspector Megure!"
At the entrance, Chiba walked over.
"Oh, Brother Chiba," Juzo Megure turned and asked.
"Any findings?"
Chiba looked at the testimony record and said.
"According to the testimony of the woman at the ticket booth, during the estimated time of the victim's death, the people present were these children, those four individuals, and the young man who brought these children."
"Can the testimony be confirmed?" Juzo Megure asked again.
Chiba confirmed.
"Yes, because since the movie started, this woman has been chatting with people near the entrance until just before the black shadow appeared, so she can confirm this."
Haibara Ai yawned and looked at Chi Feichi.
"The young man who was mentioned, aren't you going to quickly clear your name?"
"Do you have morning crankiness?" Chi Feichi asked back.
Haibara Ai froze for a moment, then decisively denied it.
"No."
"Ahem," Conan couldn't stand it anymore. A case had just happened, and these two were chatting calmly with the tone of 'Have you eaten?'. It's really strange, isn't it? "Inspector Megure, Big Brother Chi has been sitting in the front row since he came in! Although Mitsuhiko and I went to the restroom during that time, and Ayumi and Haibara were asleep, he was sitting in the middle, and Mitsuhiko and I didn't go to the restroom at the same time. No matter which side he left from, we would have noticed."
Upon hearing "restroom," Mitsuhiko's expression became strange, looking as if he wanted to speak but was holding back. Finally, he lowered his head.
Juzo Megure nodded and said.
"Furthermore, no one would bring children to commit a crime, right!"
"Excuse me, Officer," Minorui Furuhashi said.
"Isn't this guy a suicide? To hang a grown man like that, an old person, a woman, and that skinny bespectacled young man are all impossible. Even this gentleman..."
"I can," Chi Feichi said.
"But I didn't have time to commit the crime."
Conan gave a dry laugh. Indeed, Chi Feichi doesn't look strong, but he's tall. Wearing long sleeves and long pants makes him very deceptive. However, Conan knows Chi Feichi carries weights on him. He probably also had weights on when he single-handedly lifted Genta up the ladder at the old castle. Hanging a man with Zhang Tian Zhengci's physique would be easy for him...
"Uh, then there's me," Minorui Furuhashi continued to explain.
"But I didn't have time to commit the crime either. At that time, I was in the projection room, right, Yuriko?"
"Right," Yuriko Yuri nodded.
"At that time, Mr. Furuhashi was in the projection room. I happened to buy him a bento and made him tea, and I stayed in the room outside the projection room until just before the black shadow appeared, so I can be sure."
"Then, where were the two of you at that time?" Juzo Megure looked at Akio Muramatsu and the bespectacled young man.
The bespectacled young man showed the photos taken by his camera. Because the photos captured unexpected people like Chi Feichi and the Detective Boys, it could be confirmed that he didn't have time to commit the crime.
As for the elderly Akio Muramatsu, if he didn't have an accomplice, he couldn't have hung Zhang Tian Zhengci by himself, so his suspicion was also low.
"Mitsuhiko, do you have something you want to say?" Chi Feichi watched Mitsuhiko hold back and hold back, and even he felt uncomfortable from the tension.
End of Chapter