Judy raised her head and looked at the second-floor window opposite. From this angle, she couldn't see if there was anyone on the other side.
The last time James and Shuichi Akai came to talk to Vince Chin, it seems that they were here...
Mao Lilan next to her looked at Zhibo Detective Agency, thinking deeply in her mind.
Although this office has been around for a long time, I never seemed to notice it when I went to the convenience store where Xiaoxuan worked to buy things.
Looking back, Mr. Qin suddenly became famous recently, just like his father...
...
The three of them entered the automatic glass door and were greeted by the male clerk behind the cashier.
"welcome."
However, Mao Lilan and Yuanzi did not come to see the male clerk. They glanced around the store and asked: "It's strange. May I ask if there is a girl named 'Nanagawa Aya' working in the store?"
?”
"Oh, yes." The male clerk raised his thumb and pointed in a direction, "Actually, she is following the store manager in the back..."
The three of them walked to the warehouse entrance on the side of the convenience store and saw a store manager wearing glasses scolding Nanakawa Aya.
"How many times do I have to tell you before you understand? Our store is always short of manpower during peak periods, but with you like this, I have no choice but to find someone to replace you."
Nanagawa Aya was a small girl, she lowered her head timidly and had to look up at the serious face of the store manager.
When she heard that the store manager wanted to replace her, she quickly said aggrievedly, "No way?"
"Xiao Xuan, what's wrong with you?" Mao Lilan stood up and asked.
Seeing Mao Lilan appear, Nanichuan Xuan's grievance immediately turned into tears. She shouted "Xiaolan" and threw herself into Mao Lilan's arms like a child.
The store manager who was lecturing his employees turned around and saw three unknown people and asked angrily: "Who are you?"
Yuanzi stood up, but also didn't give a good look, "They are friends! We are all Xiaoxuan's friends!"
Judy was more polite and introduced herself: "I am a high school teacher. What happened?"
Facing Judy, a foreign teacher, the store manager's expression softened, but he still didn't have a good tone.
"It's nothing, it's just that our store's turnover and the number of goods in stock don't match up, and it happened to happen when Xiaoxuan was in charge of closing the store..."
Before the store manager finished speaking, Yuanzi immediately retorted.
"What did you say? You mean Xiaoxuan will steal things from the store?"
Mao Lilan also echoed: "How can you put all the blame on Xiaoxuan? I have heard from Xiaoxuan that your store has a lot of customers in the morning and evening..."
The two girls believed in Nanakawa Aya's character. When she was in junior high school, her classmate was timid and kind-hearted. It was absolutely impossible for her to steal or anything like that.
Judy doesn't know this girl named Nanagawa Aya, so she is not in a hurry to take sides at the moment, and will wait and see first.
When Mao Lilan put forward the hypothesis that it might be the customer's "three hands", the store manager also replied: "Yes, actually I thought so at the beginning, so I later installed surveillance cameras in the store."
"But I watched the video carefully and didn't see any suspicious guests. It's also impossible for a thief to break in at night. I parked the car opposite last night, but Xiaoxuan was the only one who came out in the end."
"When I came over to check the warehouse in the morning, the quantity of goods inside was not up to par. Who else could this be besides Xiaoxuan?"
"I didn't steal the things!" With friends behind her, Nanagawa Aya dared to retort.
The store manager wanted to ask, "Who stole it if you didn't steal it?", but was interrupted by Judy.
"May I ask what was stolen from you?"
"There are so many things..." the store manager took inventory of each product, "There are game software DVDs, music CDs, lunch boxes, rice balls, mineral water, oolong tea, cola, and then melon seeds, nuts, and chocolate.
A few snacks like that."
"These things are easily reminiscent of what a group of young people would need to get together and have a party..."
Yuanzi squinted her eyes and thought that this was true. They came here just to buy these things for a party.
However, Mao Lilan still argued, "Let's just assume that the thief is Xiaoxuan. She should be captured on the video camera, right?"
The store manager said: "The surveillance camera in the store will only record the conditions during business hours. After all, the electricity bill is also a large amount of money."
Judy looked above her head and saw that the lights in the warehouse were not turned on. It seemed that the store manager was trying to save electricity.
There is a door in the innermost part of the warehouse, and there is a light on behind the door, which is the toilet of the convenience store.
In Japan, convenience store toilets are equivalent to public toilets. Just like Starbucks in the United States, outsiders can borrow them at will.
Being unable to refute the store manager's impeccable investigation logic, Mao Lilan could only turn around and ask Nanichuan Aya if she had found any suspicious customers.
This question actually revealed three suspects who often come to borrow the toilet.
"The first one is a bit like a college student. Sometimes he will stand in the store and read game magazines, but he has never bought software in the store. All he buys are cup noodles, drinks and the like. And this person also
Quite selfish, he tried to squeeze in front of others to pay first..."
"The second person is a bit like an office worker, like a weak and reserved person. He lowers his head every time. The college student rushes to check out in front of him and is not angry. When he goes to the toilet, he always lets others go first.
The things I bought were towels, razors, dry batteries and other travel supplies..."
"The third person is an old lady who is both stubborn and frugal..."
The store manager spoke at this time, "I actually know the old lady you're talking about. She often buys bento boxes at bargain prices that are about to expire, and she also compares the prices here with those at other convenience stores."
"But the old lady is not a bad person, because she often tells me to turn off the lights when not in use, or what temperature should be set for the air conditioner in the store, and how much electricity bills can be saved. But every time she says it, she doesn't buy anything.
Just left."
After listening to this, Suzuki Sonoko immediately raised her chin, possessed by the spirit of Moori Kogoro, and began to reason.
"College students can't afford software, so they can easily have bad thoughts just by looking at it; office workers will definitely bring some snacks with them if they want to travel; as for the old lady who doesn't buy anything, she might want to try it for free...
..”
However, after all, Sonoko is not Moori Kogoro and does not have the aura of a detective. The store manager does not believe this reasoning and said: "Before doubting the customers, I think it would be more reasonable to first doubt Xiaochan's ethics."
Yuanzi said angrily: "Please, I told you that Xiaoxuan wouldn't be the person to do such a thing!"
After being yelled at by Yuanzi, the store manager also became angry, "Then please explain, last week I told Xiaoxuan about the same thing, and there is no shortage of things in the store."
"I originally thought that Xiaoxuan had been seriously reflecting on her behavior. But after I opened the store this morning, my store was missing a lot of products. I think she has gone numb because of stealing, right?"
"Okay, if you are willing to apologize honestly this time, I will let you go, otherwise I will have to fire you!"
The store manager clasped his waist with his hands and looked at Nanakawa Aya, who lowered his head in aggrieved manner.
After hearing these things, even Mao Lilan and Yuanzi didn't know how to help Xiaoxuan.
But seeing their good friend being suspected, the two couldn't bear to leave.
When the two of them were at a loss what to do, Judy standing behind smiled slightly and made some suggestions.
"Why don't we just consult the famous detective in the building opposite?"
...
In Zhibo Detective Agency, Qin Zhibo has just gone out to look for pets and is lying on the boss's chair watching TV with the ghost.
In daily business, Qin Zhibo mainly receives commissions to find pets.
Unlike the Maori Firm next door, which specializes in catching extramarital affairs, Qin Zhibo's business is a business that can be completed in one breath. Unlike catching extramarital affairs, you have to follow the target all day long.
Coupled with the magical bonus of the Finding Object Spell, this created the illusion that Qin Zhibo was very idle every day.
In fact, he just finished all the work in advance.
This is also the benefit of being your own boss. If you work under someone else, your work will never be completed.
But then again, if the company's work is not completed, it means that the company has begun to decline, and it is time to lay off employees.
Yoko Okino sang affectionately on the TV, and Minase Yomu floating next to her was facing the TV and also showed off her singing voice.
"The autumn wind in September takes away the heat of summer~ The fragrance of flowers comes from the ethereal distance~"
"On the way I walked, petals scattered all over the sky~"
"The lion flower blooms and blooms~The lion flower blooms and blooms~"
"Oh ho!"
Minase Yomu's singing skills are not very good, especially the high notes, she just screams at the top of her lungs.
But fortunately, no one else could hear Minase Harumu's voice, so it didn't matter even if it broke his throat.
She likes Okino Yoko's songs very much and must sing along every time she listens to them.
Most of Minase Harumu's knowledge and cognition come from the believers who use their thoughts to conceive of her. The believers' preferences can also affect Minase Harumu's preferences to a certain extent.
Because of this, Qin Zhibo even doubted whether there was Mouri Kogoro among the believers.
"Yoko——"
"It would be great if I could see Yoko with my own eyes!"
The star-chasing girl looked at the starry Okino Yoko on TV and sighed.
Qin Zhibo, who was sitting on the boss's chair, picked up the newspaper on the side and said calmly: "I have met Yoko Okino..."
"What!"
When the girl heard this, her eyes immediately lit up and she drifted to Qin Zhibo's newspaper, "Have you really seen Yoko?"
"Um......"
Qin Zhibo nodded noncommittally, passed the newspaper through the ghost's body, and moved it to another place where his sight was not blocked.
"Although we have met several times, bad things happen every time we meet..."
Before Qin Zhibo finished speaking, the girl said: "If you have a chance to meet next time, be sure to call me out~"
"Yoko! Yoko!"
The next song by Okino Yoko was about to be played on the TV, and the girl faintly drifted to the TV again.
At this time, there was a sudden knock on the office door.
Dude, dunk, dunk.
Qin Zhibo quickly turned off the TV with the remote control, passed through the girl's ghost body, opened the door, and was a little surprised to see that the people outside were Mao Lilan and Yuanzi, and Judy behind them.
"Eh? Why are you here?"
Mao Lilan asked politely: "Mr. Qin, is it inconvenient for you right now? We have questions to ask..."
"It's convenient, come in."
...
Leading the three people to the office, Mao Lilan began to introduce the problem they encountered, which was that the clerk at the convenience store opposite was under suspicion.
Mao Lilan told what happened and said sincerely: "Xiao Xuan was a good friend of ours when we were in junior high school. That child is very well-behaved and kind. There is absolutely no way he could be a thief."
"So we want to ask Mr. Qin to help Xiaoxuan get rid of suspicion and find the real thief!"
Qin Zhibo's expression was solemn and he was deep in thought.
I often go to the Sunday convenience store opposite, and I have a pretty good impression of the clerk Xiaoxuan.
Every time I buy instant noodles, other store employees just provide hot water. Only Xiaoxuan helps me make instant noodles personally, and the service is very considerate.
When I go shopping at night, I will also see this child sorting out the goods piled randomly in the warehouse.
It is indeed strange for such a child to be suspected of stealing.
However, I remembered that when I was shopping recently, the convenience store manager always seemed hesitant to talk to me, so I probably wanted to say this.
"Okay, I don't have anything to do now, so..."
Before Qin Zhibo finished speaking, he saw Minase Yangmeng floating above Mao Lilan's head, spreading his palms and touching the tip of Mao Lilan's "horns" with his palms.
Since she couldn't touch the entity, she curiously gestured with her hand to indicate the length of the "horn", which was roughly the length of her index finger and thumb.
"puff......"
Qin Zhibo couldn't help laughing, which made Mao Lilan and the others confused.
Realizing that he had lost his temper, Qin Zhibo quickly stopped his expression and said, "Ahem, let's go then..."
...
In this way, the four of them came to the Sunday convenience store.
Strictly speaking, there were four people and one ghost. Since there was no time to put Minase Harumu away and she didn't want to go back, she drifted over with him.
As the evening rush hour was approaching, the store started to get crowded, so the store manager temporarily spared Aya Nanagawa and asked her to help at the cashier.
Seeing Mao Lilan and Sonoko go and come back, Nanagawa Aya smiled as if she saw a savior.
When the store manager who was busy working on the shelves saw Mao Lilan and others coming back, he also had a bad expression on his face.
But when he saw Qin Zhibo behind him, his face was a little surprised.
Originally, he had been thinking about whether to tell Qin Zhibo, a famous detective who often came to the store to shop, about Xiaoxuan's theft.
But considering that if things got serious, it might have an impact on Xiaoxuan's future, she never opened her mouth.
But unexpectedly, this group of people found the detective themselves.
With a famous detective on duty, Yuanzi became more rigid and shouted: "Store manager, we are back!"
The store manager came out from behind the shelf, looked at Qin Zhibo, and said, "Mr. Qin, I didn't expect them to find you. You already know about this, right?"
"Well, I understand it almost." Qin Zhibo nodded.
The store manager continued: "I didn't want to make this matter known to everyone, but now that they have found you, please tell us who the thief is?"
Qin Zhibo glanced at the toilet at the end of the warehouse passage, smiled slightly, raised his hand and pointed to the top of his head.
"Mr. Tsukayama, please be patient."
"Actually, the real thief is in this store right now..."