The cause and effect unfold like this:
During the boy detective team's haunted house adventure, a case was accidentally discovered at an old castle.
It was a tragic situation: the son had accidentally killed his father, and the mother, desperate to protect her son, kept him locked away in a cage.
In the end, the son managed to persuade the mother, and the two decided to surrender to the authorities.
As for Tang Ze—the "tool" brought in by Conan to handle the finishing touches...
"You're not allowed to do something so dangerous again, got it?" Tang Ze chided the four little ones, his voice stern but composed.
Although his lecture sounded a bit routine, Tang Ze still handled it like a responsible adult.
After getting their assurance, Tang Ze asked his colleagues to escort the children back home while he took Conan and the two who had surrendered to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Another case wrapped up, and Tang Ze had acted as the detective's tool once again.
After finishing the necessary paperwork, Tang Ze drove Conan home, but not without a little frustration. "What about the promise you made to me? Did you figure out who contacted me?"
"I'm sorry, Tang Ze, they were too busy exploring the haunted house. I didn't expect things to escalate like that..." Conan said with an apologetic but bright smile. "By the time I found the clue, it was already too late to call you."
"You need to remember next time, okay?" Tang Ze urged again, shaking his head slightly.
"Understood," Conan replied, taking the scolding in stride.
Tang Ze didn't press further. After all, the case had been urgent, and Conan couldn't have known how things would turn out. He reminded him to be more cautious next time and let it go.
After dropping Conan off at the Mouri Detective Agency, it was almost dinner time. Tang Ze grabbed a quick bowl of ramen, enjoying the solitude and the rainy, overcast evening as he drove back to his apartment to start organizing.
Tomorrow, he planned to drive to the dormitory prepared by the Metropolitan Police Department for single officers. With a car, it would be easy to move all his belongings.
Che, the officer in charge of the department, had given him the go-ahead to borrow the car for the night, understanding that Tang Ze had no major cases at the moment.
---
The night passed quietly, save for the soft sound of rain against the window.
The next morning, Tang Ze woke up twenty minutes earlier than usual, feeling a bit more motivated. After a quick wash-up, he decided to go out and buy some tamagoyaki for breakfast.
Though most Japanese families make breakfast at home, office workers and single people still have places to grab a meal on the go. Tang Ze, having just arrived in Japan, was always curious about local food, so he lined up to get the freshly made tamagoyaki.
"Thank you," he said to the vendor as he received his order. He grabbed the hot milk from his fridge and ate his breakfast in the car.
The tamagoyaki was delicate and tender, perfectly to his taste.
As he was finishing his meal, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw "Officer Megure." Quickly, he answered.
"Oh, Tang Ze-kun, where are you right now?"
Officer Megure's voice was urgent.
"I'm in the car, on my way to the Metropolitan Police Department," Tang Ze replied promptly.
"Don't come to the department," Megure said immediately. "There's been a murder at the Qiandao Apartment in the 23rd block of Chishima-cho, 3-chome. Go directly to the scene!"
Tang Ze's expression shifted to seriousness. "Got it," he responded before hanging up.
Tang Ze put the phone back in his pocket, finishing the last of his tamagoyaki and taking a final sip of his milk. He immediately drove to the scene of the crime.
---
Upon arriving at the scene, Tang Ze noticed the yellow police tape marking the boundary of the apartment. Patrol officers from the local police box were already present, maintaining order around the scene.
The police box was part of the basic system of Japanese police—small offices set up in communities and on main roads. These officers worked in shifts and were once required to endure harsh conditions, often standing outside in the elements. Now, they operated out of small, simple buildings similar to the one Tang Ze worked in.
After parking, Tang Ze showed his ID and, with the help of a patrol officer, made his way into the apartment.
---
"Well, this place is a mess," Tang Ze muttered, surveying the apartment's interior.
The space wasn't large. Upon entering, there was a built-in shoe cabinet on the left side, but the shoes were scattered all over the floor—nothing was neatly organized.
To the right, there was a narrow passage that led to the bathroom. As he stepped inside, Tang Ze noticed the deceased's bag was thrown near the bathroom door.
The apartment's layout was simple: a combined living and kitchen area, a stove on the right side, a small dining table in the middle, and a sofa with a coffee table on the left. The bedroom was located across from the stove, and there was a small balcony connected to the bedroom.
Despite the mess, there were no signs of forced entry, and it didn't appear to be a robbery. The clutter seemed to be a result of poor housekeeping rather than a struggle.
Tang Ze made his way into the bedroom and found the body.
A young woman, with medium-length hair and a hint of brown in the sunlight, was lying on the fleece blanket on the floor. At first glance, she looked like she was asleep.
Tang Ze carefully put on white gloves, folding his hands in respect before beginning his preliminary examination of the body.
---
After inspecting the corpse, Tang Ze opened the sliding door to the balcony. The area was cluttered with clothes drying on strings. Whether any of these items could be related to the murder would need to be confirmed by the forensics team later.
He returned to the living room, where he began checking the deceased's bag. It didn't take long to find a work ID confirming the woman's identity.
"The victim is Kiriko Asamiya, 26 years old, a staff member," Tang Ze said aloud, leading Officer Megure and Miwato Sato into the room. "There's no external bleeding, but there's a clear strangulation mark on the neck. It looks like she was strangled."
"But the most troubling part is..."