Detective Conan 731

Chapter 731

01

Sonoko: Now is the time for Japan to be washed!
Ran: Eh?
Text: Conan, Ran, and Sonoko are getting along well on the way home from school...

Sonoko: Now, who said that?
Ran: Hmm? I know I've heard it before...
Ran: Who was it?

Conan: It was Sakamoto Ryoma!
Conan: On June 29th of the third year of the Bunkyuu era, 1863, Ryoma wrote that in a letter to his older sister's daughter...

Conan: ...is what they said on TV!
Conan: They're in a Ryoma Boom right now after all...
Sonoko: Y-yeah...

Ran: But why were you quoting Ryoma?
Sonoko: Next week, they're doing a Ryoma Exhibit at Uncle Jirokichi's Suzuki Museum.

Sonoko: And guess who sent out a note saying he'd be there?
Sonoko: My beloved...

02

Sonoko: Kaitou Kid-sama!
Sonoko: 'Twas him!!
Text: Kid will play an active role in the movie opening April 17th, too!
Title: File 731 Ryoma

03

Ran: "'Twas him"...?
Ran: Why are you speaking like that?
Sonoko: Oh, that!
Sonoko: That's how Ryoma spoke and I kind of like it...
[TN: She actually used the Tosa dialect that Ryoma used.]

Conan: But I don't really think there's anything in the Ryoma Exhibit that Kid would want to steal...
Sonoko: There is! There's a gun belt that he got from Takasugi Shinsaku along with the pistol!!

Conan: A-a gun belt?
Sonoko: That's right! It's a really fancy one that has a huge ruby on the buckle!!

Conan: ...Was it actually his?
Sonoko: There's a letter by Ryoma that talks about it.
Sonoko: And a famous appraiser certified that it was the real one!!

Ran: Well, it must be real...
Ran: if Jirokichi-san bought it!
Sonoko: Actually...it isn't his...

Sonoko: The person doing the exhibit with the belt as the prize piece refuses to sell it.
Sonoko: So Uncle had no choice but to tell them to do the exhibit at his museum.
Sonoko: Apparently, he's only lending them a place to have the exhibit.

Ran: But if Kid's after it...
Sonoko: Oh, he actually isn't...
Conan: Hey, now...

04

Nakamori: Ehh!?
Nakamori: He's coming to return things that he stole!?

Nakamori: Did Kid really write that on his card!?
Man: Yes...

Man: I will be appearing in a few days to return 3 items to the Ryoma Exhibit that is currently open.
Man: Kaitou Kid.

Nakamori: Th-three items...?
Man: The man sponsoring the Ryoma Exhibit, Tarumi Shishihiko-san, did a Ryoma Exhibit 20 years ago, too.
Man: There were 3 items stolen then.

Man: An unfinished letter by Sakamoto Ryoma from the night before he was assassinated addressed to his wife, Oryo.
Man: A sake cup from Omiya inn that has a blood-stain from Ryoma's blood from when he was assassinated.
Man: And the pistol that was hidden in Ryoma's pocket at the time, a Smith & Wesson No. 1.

05

Man: See, they're listed on the back of the card.
Nakamori: S-so they are...

Nakamori: B-but Kid wasn't the one that stole them...
Nakamori: Wasn't it...?
Man: Yes. The thief from the Showa era said to be a woman in her twenties...

Man: Phantom...
Man: Lady!

Man: We don't know what connection may be between Kid and Lady...
Man: but, after she stole those 3 items, Lady stopped stealing and 2 years later Kid appeared, so they may have been teacher and student.

Nakamori: And? When is he showing up!?
Man: Who knows...
Man: The card only said "in a few days".

Nakamori: Then we need to shut down the Ryoma Exhibit right away and get the visitors out of there!
Nakamori: Not knowing the date or time puts us at the disadvantage!

Nakamori: And if he's just returning things, he could easily just blend in with the crowd!
Man: But Nakamori-kun...

06

Man: He's actually returning things.
Man: Why should we stop him?
Nakamori: Ah, but, sir...

Man: Also, in order to capture Kid, he has to show up first.
Man: When he received the card, Mr. Suzuki Jirokichi said...

Man: that making the entrance large and the exit small...
Man: is the trick to capturing a rat.

Sonoko: Uncle...!
Text: The Great Suzuki Museum

Sonoko: Long time no see...!
Suzuki: Oh! I haven't seen you since the Iron Tanuki incident.

Ran: There sure are a lot of visitors lined up!
Suzuki: Yes! It's both because of the Ryoma Boom and because of Kid's announcement.

07

Suzuki: But if I were the sponsor, I would have put out a lot more announcements in the papers and a lot more TV ads. The crowd would've been at least double!
Sonoko: This is unusual.
Sonoko: You don't normally let people use your museum for their exhibits.

Suzuki: I didn't want to at first, but, once I knew Kid was coming, I couldn't leave it to amateurs.
Sonoko: Amateurs?

Suzuki: Yes. Tarumi, the man sponsoring the Ryoma Exhibit, opens exhibits for each new historical boom. His Yoshitsune one and Nobunaga one are two examples.
Suzuki: His security was sloppy and things got stolen...

Sonoko: Then you should've just bought Ryoma's gun belt!
Sonoko: Are they overcharging for it?
Suzuki: No, what they're asking is actually quite a bargain.

Suzuki: But before I buy it I need my appraiser to look at it to determine if it's real or not.
Ran: But didn't a famous appraiser certify it was real?

Suzuki: Yes...
Suzuki: but I'm not sure if it can actually lure in Kid with just that.
Tarumi: But it did, didn't it?

08

Tarumi: Although, it seems his aim isn't the gun belt.

Tarumi: That gun belt is authentic.
Tarumi: It's the actual one Ryoma got from Takasugi Shinsaku!
Box: Tarumi Shishihiko (58) Sponsor of the Ryoma Exhibit

Tarumi: Isn't that right, Hanamura-sensei.
Hanamura: Indeed.

Hanamura: From the condition of the cowhide, it's clearly quite an antique. And the buckle and ruby are wonderful, too.
Hanamura: Also, Ryoma even made an illustration of the belt in one of his letters.
Box: Hanamura Masanosuke (63) Appraiser

Hanamura: It's clearly genuine.
Conan: Hanamura Masanosuke...

Conan: He definitely has the expertise, but his fees are so outrageous...
Conan: that he almost never has anyone hire him.

Tarumi: If you like, ladies, you can see it with your own eyes.
Tarumi: The exhibit isn't open yet, but I'll make an exception...

09

Sonoko: Ohh!

Sonoko: So this is Ryoma's gun belt!
Ran: It definitely has the feel you'd expect!

Ran: And he really did draw it in a letter...
Sonoko: But I can't read his writing...

Hanamura: "This is the type of gun belt that American men used to wear upon their hips.
Hanamura: It has a place for a pistol and for some ammunition. It is much like a belt with a scabbard for a sword.

Hanamura: That no New Yorkers wear such an interesting and useful item anymore is truly a mystery."
Hanamura: ...I believe is what it says.
Ran: That does sound like something Ryoma would say!
Sonoko: Yeah, yeah!

Conan: Hm?

10

Conan: What's that big vase?
Tarumi: Oh, that's...

Tarumi: the vase that Ryoma hid in during a game of hide and seek but he got stuck and couldn't get out....
Conan: Ohh...

Tarumi: We also have the statue of Buddha that Ryoma said was well made and the kendama that he wanted.
Conan: Ha ha...They've got everything here...

Sonoko: Is this hanging scroll...?
Hanamura: Yes, it's the hanging scroll on which he accidentally wrote his laments over the invincibility of the shogunate!

Suzuki: Although there's a lot of suspicion over whether it's real or not...
Conan: You got that right...

Hanamura: If you really don't trust my judgment, how about you have your appraiser look over it after the Ryoma Exhibit ends?
Suzuki: Okay! That's exactly what I want to do!

11

Hanamura: Of course, that's only if you manage to save these things...
Hanamura: from the evil clutches of the Moonlight Magician.

Tarumi: We leave the security of the exhibit to you, Counselor Suzuki.
Suzuki: Y-yes...

Suzuki: Hmph...
Suzuki: They sure seem suspicious...

Conan: Hey, do the items here have high-paying insurance taken out on them?
Suzuki: I thought the same thing and looked into it...
Suzuki: but they barely have any insurance on them at all!

Suzuki: The entrance fee is cheap, so they would suffer heavy losses if anything was stolen.
Sonoko: By the way, uncle!
Sonoko: What are you doing this time?

Sonoko: You have something prepared, right?
Sonoko: Some kind of Kid counter-measure!
Suzuki: Actually...

12

Sonoko: No way! You're not really doing anything!?
Suzuki: That's right...

Suzuki: If he was coming to steal something, I'd think of some way to stop him...
Suzuki: but we can't keep him from returning something...
Suzuki: and the 3 items are small enough to hide in one's pocket.

Suzuki: It was all we could do to leave that area open...

Conan: Kaitou Kid's Expected Treasure Return Area, huh?
Sign: Kaitou Kid's Expected Treasure Return Area

Suzuki: If he'd at least given us a date or time, we would have more of an idea what to do.
Sonoko: Eh? He didn't write when he was coming on the card?
Nakamori: No, he didn't!

Nakamori: Not only that, but he didn't write anything that seemed to hint towards anything either.
Ran: I-Inspector Nakamori!!

13

Suzuki: So do you think this is a copy-cat criminal pretending to be Kid!?
Nakamori: No. That card was definitely his.
Sonoko: Maybe he's waiting for a good chance before he sends a new card with the date and time on it.

Sonoko: I mean, maybe his schedule is full and he's waiting for a convenient day.

Conan: If so...
Conan: what exactly is he waiting for?

SFX: Chatter chatter

Sonoko: The exhibit sure is a huge success...
Ran: Yeah!
Conan: But the most popular item is...
SFX: Excited chatter

14

Conan: Kid's Expected Treasure Return Area.
Conan: It would make Ryoma cry...
SFX: Excited chatter

Woman: Hey, don't push!

SFX: Toss

SFX: Bounce

SFX: Beeeep
SFX: Beeeep
Man: Eh?

SFX: Grab
SFX: Pull

Man: Wah!
Man: Wait!
SFX: Chatter

15

Conan: I see...
Conan: They only have sensors installed in that area.

Man: I-I'm sorry...
Man: It was just a joke...
Conan: And they have police officers mixed in with the crowd...

Conan: So they're at least immediately capturing anyone who makes any suspicious actions...

Man: C-counselor!!
Man: You just received this in the mail at your house!!
Suzuki: Hm?

Suzuki: Th...
Suzuki: This is Kid's card!?

Nakamori: What!?

Suzuki: Tomorrow at 8 PM, just before the exhibit closes, I will come with the pistol and other items...
Suzuki: and, in the name of the patriot who brought about the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, Sakamoto Ryoma...

16

Suzuki: I will make this the time for that washing.
Suzuki: Kaitou Kid.

Above Crowd: Waah!

Above Crowd: Kid Kid Kid
SFX: Dash

Conan: Washing...
Conan: Water...

Conan: It couldn't be...
SFX: Step step step...

Conan: Rain...
SFX: Rumble
Conan: Is this what Kid was waiting for!?

Right margin: What does Kid plan on washing with the rain?