Chapter 39: Because I Couldn't Carry It

"Mr. Zhangtian, please don't say such things!" Yuriko Yuri frowned.

"What? Am I wrong?" Masatsugu Zhangtian puffed on his cigarette, acting as if he had seen right through Chi Feichi’s circumstances. He looked at Chi Feichi with a look of disdain, sighing, "If you have to let a child pay for your movie ticket, you might as well not come at all. A man should work hard and take some responsibility..."

Chi Feichi raised his eyes and stared directly at Masatsugu Zhangtian. "If you don't want your tongue anymore, just say so. I can help you with that."

"Uh..." Masatsugu Zhangtian met those cold, emotionless purple eyes and felt a chill creep up his spine. It was as if, should he continue, the man would calmly reach out and cut his tongue off...

"Mr. Zhangtian, didn't I tell you? Smoking is prohibited in the theater!" The staff member, Minoru Furuhashi, walked over, looking annoyed, only to find Masatsugu Zhangtian standing there with a pale face. "What... what’s wrong?"

Chi Feichi had already looked away, picking up his popcorn. "It's nothing. He might be sleeping standing up."

Minoru Furuhashi: "..."
If you're going to brush me off, at least come up with a better excuse! Who sleeps standing up with a cigarette in their mouth?

Yuriko Yuri felt the air grow strangely stagnant, unsure of what to say. The owner, Akio Muramatsu, wiped his forehead; it felt like the air conditioning had been turned up a bit too high today...

Masatsugu Zhangtian regained his senses, averted his gaze, dropped his half-smoked cigarette on the ground, and pulled open the nearby door. "Um... I'm going to step out for a moment."

Conan watched Masatsugu Zhangtian’s retreating figure with a look of doubt and solemnity. Was that look of terror on the man’s face just now real? He still seemed to be in a daze. This guy, Chi Feichi...

"This guy is always like this!" Minoru Furuhashi stepped forward, picked up the cigarette butt, and crushed it in the trash bin. "He never follows the rules whenever he comes to the theater!"

The three children were the most carefree; they only felt the atmosphere turn cold for a moment, but since Brother Chi always spoke in that calm tone, it didn't seem strange that the air felt chilly...

Genta was indignant. "That man is really mean!"

"He's being terrible. It was our decision to treat Brother Chi to popcorn, what does that have to do with him?" Mitsuhiko also looked annoyed.

"Exactly!" Ayumi nodded in agreement.

"Did he have an argument with you?" Minoru Furuhashi tossed the stub into the bin. "This guy has been coming here every day. Every time the movie ends, he gets into a dispute with some thugs... Oh, I'm not saying this gentleman is a thug, but he seems to be picking fights on purpose."

Chi Feichi had long guessed that he was merely being used as a target to harass the theater, but his good mood had still been ruined.

Yuriko Yuri felt the atmosphere return to normal and complained, "Those thugs were definitely hired by him. He’s trying to cause a scene and ruin our theater’s reputation to force us to close down. I never expected him to come and provoke other customers even when we’re already on the verge of shutting our doors!"

"Alright, alright, let's not dwell on that," Akio Muramatsu said, good-naturedly smoothing things over, before turning to Chi Feichi. "I am truly sorry you had to experience this."

"It's fine," Chi Feichi said calmly.

A young man with glasses walked up with a camera. "Did something happen?"

"Ah, nothing," Akio Muramatsu greeted him. "Mr. Ide, you've come today as well."

"Since today is the last day, I asked Ms. Yuri to allow me to take some photos here as a souvenir," Ide explained. "I love these special effects movies the most."

Yuriko Yuri turned to ask Akio Muramatsu, "Is that alright?"

Akio Muramatsu smiled. "Of course. Mr. Ide has been coming to this theater since he was a child; he’s like a son to this place. Well, it's about time, I should go grab some lunch."

"Oh dear, I forgot to buy lunch boxes for everyone," Yuriko Yuri turned back to Chi Feichi. "Would you like me to buy one for you as well?"

"No need," Chi Feichi declined. "I'll just grab something with the kids. You two go ahead and get busy."

The next screening began shortly after. Aside from Chi Feichi, the Detective Boys, and Ide, the theater owner, Masatsugu Zhangtian, and a couple were in attendance. Soon, that couple was driven away by Masatsugu Zhangtian’s malicious pranks.

Conan glanced back, then looked at Chi Feichi, noticing that Chi Feichi was also watching the back row. He whispered, "That guy really does look like the type who would hire thugs to stir up trouble."

"Yeah..."

Chi Feichi gave a soft response and looked away. He didn't intend to get involved; let things play out as they would.

Haibara Ai tugged on Chi Feichi’s sleeve. When he turned to look at her, she yawned. "I’m sleepy."

Chi Feichi thought for a moment. "Should I carry you?"

Haibara Ai replied calmly, "I’m just letting you know. I want to lean over and sleep for a while. Please don’t mind if I disturb you..."

"The air conditioning has gotten stronger." Chi Feichi shifted to the side, picked Haibara up, and covered her with his coat.

Haibara Ai remained silent. If he hadn't "picked her up" like that, she might have been touched...

Chi Feichi noticed Ayumi was also dozing off. "Ayumi, if you’re sleepy, you can come over and sleep with Ai."

Ayumi rubbed her eyes and got up, wandering groggily toward Chi Feichi.

"Why did you pick me up?" Haibara Ai couldn't help but ask.

Chi Feichi explained calmly, "Ayumi was two seats away, separated by you and Conan. I couldn't reach her."

Haibara Ai: "..."
Does that mean if he could reach her, he would have done the same? Can't he just carry a girl properly?

Chi Feichi moved to Haibara’s original seat, letting the two girls lean against each other under his coat.

Conan stood up and whispered, "I'm going to the restroom."

Chi Feichi nodded. He felt his phone vibrate, pulled it out, and saw a message from his father.

[The person picking you up will arrive at 1:00 PM tomorrow. Mr. Mamiya will come to get you, and then you will go to the Aoyama Fourth Hospital together to complete the paperwork.]

[Understood.]

Chi Feichi replied to the message and looked up to continue watching the movie.

Conan returned from the restroom.

On screen, the monster killed someone, and then Emera appeared, calling for Gomera. Gomera stood...

Before Gomera could finish rising, the camera cut to a close-up of Emera’s face, and a swaying black shadow suddenly appeared on the screen.

"What’s going on?" Genta and Mitsuhiko exclaimed in confusion.

Conan straightened up immediately and turned to look toward the back. "Something seems to be hanging in front of the projection window!"

"What happened?" Akio Muramatsu also hurried to his feet.

Once the lights in the screening room were turned on, everyone saw the body of Masatsugu Zhangtian hanging there.

Twenty minutes later, the police arrived, and the two sleeping girls were woken up by the commotion. Chi Feichi, who had been guarding them the whole time, brought them over.

As Ayumi approached, she heard Megure Juzo’s questions and asked in a daze, "Did someone die?"

Megure turned and saw Chi Feichi. "Brother Chi, you're here too!"

Chi Feichi: "..."
Officer Megure sure has a lot of "brothers." Last time he called him "Mr. Chi," and now it’s straight to "Brother"...

"Officer Megure!" Chiba walked over from the entrance.

"Oh, Brother Chiba," Megure turned to ask, "Did you find anything?"

Chiba checked his notes and said, "According to the testimony of the woman at the ticket booth, during the estimated time of death, the only people here were these children, these four individuals, and the young man who brought the children."

"Is the testimony reliable?" Megure asked.

Chiba confirmed, "Yes, because ever since the movie started, the woman has been chatting with people near the entrance."

Haibara Ai yawned and looked at Chi Feichi. "You've been named, young man. Aren't you going to clear your name quickly?"

"Are you grumpy when you wake up?" Chi Feichi asked in return.

Haibara was stunned and firmly denied it. "No."

"Ahem," Conan couldn't watch this anymore. A murder had just occurred, and these two were chatting as casually as if they were asking "Have you eaten?" It was very strange, okay? "Officer Megure, Brother Chi has been sitting in the front row ever since we entered! Although Mitsuhiko and I went to the restroom during the movie, and Ayumi and Haibara were asleep, he was sitting in the middle. Since Mitsuhiko and I didn't go at the same time, no matter which side he left from, we would have noticed."

Upon hearing the word "restroom," Mitsuhiko’s expression turned odd. He looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated, finally lowering his head.

Megure nodded and added, "Besides, nobody would bring children along to commit a crime!"

"Excuse me, Officer," Minoru Furuhashi said, "couldn't this guy have committed suicide? To hang a grown man like that with a rope—an old man, a woman, and that skinny guy with glasses couldn't have done it. Even this gentleman here..."

"I could," Chi Feichi said, "but I didn't have the time to commit the crime."

Conan gave a dry laugh. It was true; Chi Feichi didn't look particularly muscular, and his tall frame covered by long sleeves and pants was very deceptive. But Conan knew Chi Feichi carried hidden weights. He estimated that even when he carried Genta up a ladder with one hand at the castle, he was likely wearing those weights. Lifting a man of Zhangtian’s build would be easy for him...

"Uh, that leaves me," Furuhashi continued, "but I didn't have the time either. I was in the projection room at the time, right, Yuriko?"

"That's right," Yuriko Yuri nodded. "Mr. Furuhashi was in the projection room. I had just bought him a lunch box and tea, and I was staying in the room outside the projection booth until the shadow appeared, so I can confirm that."

"Then, may I ask where the two of you were at that time?" Megure turned to Akio Muramatsu and the man with glasses.

The man with glasses showed the photos he had taken with his camera. Because the photos captured Chi Feichi and the Detective Boys—people whose presence could not have been predicted—it confirmed he had no time to commit the crime.

As for the elderly Akio Muramatsu, without an accomplice, it would have been impossible for him to hang Masatsugu Zhangtian alone, so he was no longer a major suspect.

"Mitsuhiko, do you have something you want to say?" Chi Feichi asked, seeing Mitsuhiko struggling to speak. Even he felt uncomfortable watching it.