Chapter 28: The Strange Killing Intent Has Increased

Jiang Xia looked at the package sent by Sherry and took a second to express his gratitude in his heart.

Then, he skillfully processed a return.

The courier arrived with the package and left with it exactly as it was.

...

After dismissing the visitor, Jiang Xia picked up his coat, originally intending to head to the detective agency.

But after a moment of thought, he put the coat back down.

Instead, Jiang Xia went into the study, walked to the bookshelf, and rummaged through it to find a medical record.

Whenever Sherry was mentioned, he couldn't help but think of health supplements.

Thinking of medicine made him think of the hospital.

And thinking of the hospital...

He couldn't help but think of his attending physician—Kyosuke Kazato.

When Jiang Xia had first transmigrated and was still lying in a hospital bed, he had recognized him—this refined, gentle doctor seemed to be a minor boss.

Once, Kyosuke Kazato had been a surgical genius.

However, during a surgery, his hand was slashed by a colleague, leaving him unable to hold a scalpel, forcing him to transfer to the Department of Psychotherapy.

A year ago, Kyosuke Kazato suddenly learned that his colleague had intentionally slashed his hand back then.

In a fit of rage, he killed the colleague and staged the scene as a suicide, successfully evading the police.

...

A year ago, when Jiang Xia was hospitalized, he heard his attending physician was Kyosuke Kazato. Consequently, he cooperated fully with the treatment, hoping to take advantage of the chaos to pick up a ghost.

However, just like everyone else he had met since arriving in this world—there was no ghost on Kyosuke Kazato, nor was there any murderous intent.

Jiang Xia was instantly disappointed.

So, after being discharged, he never went back for a follow-up.

But now...

...

Flipping through the old medical records, Jiang Xia remembered yesterday.

After the world changed, even people who died five years ago could turn into Shikigami.

So, on Kyosuke Kazato... perhaps there might be a harvest?

Jiang Xia thought about it and felt a bit tempted—since he was idle anyway, he might as well try his luck at the hospital.

...

Soon, he opened his computer and logged into an email account he rarely used.

Although Jiang Xia had been skipping his appointments.

At the same time, Sherry perhaps felt that Jiang Xia's parents had lost their lives while saving her a year ago, and since Jiang Xia's subsequent hospitalization was directly related to that incident, she had been persistently helping him make appointments.

The hospital where Kyosuke Kazato worked would send patients their appointment date and hospital precautions one week in advance.

Jiang Xia opened his inbox, his gaze sweeping past a large amount of advertisements before stopping on an email starting with "Beika Yakashino Hospital."

A quick glance revealed that the appointment date was exactly today.

...A miraculous and convenient coincidence.

He had a feeling that after discovering he could pick up ghosts, his "lucky emperor" attribute was also quietly reviving.

In a good mood, Jiang Xia stood up, grabbed his coat, and walked out quickly.

...

On the way, Jiang Xia's phone chimed.

He tapped it open and found that Amuro Tooru had thrown another part-time job his way.

This time, it was working odd jobs at an izakaya.

Jiang Xia expressed sympathy for the boss's busy life.

Then, he decisively requested time off, ghosting him.

Kyosuke Kazato was a famous doctor with a full schedule; if he missed this appointment, he might not be able to get another one for a month.

While he could also follow Dr. Kazato after work, throw a sack over his head, and have a "chat"...

But picking up ghosts wasn't purely a physical job.

Sometimes, using the right method could yield twice the result with half the effort.

Since there was a rare opportunity for a peaceful exchange with the target, he certainly couldn't let it slip.

...

Upon arriving at Beika Yakashino Hospital and entering the consultation room.

Jiang Xia's gaze lingered slightly on Dr. Kazato's calf.

Then, with a hint of pleasant surprise, he discovered that a Shikigami was indeed clinging there.

Even more gratifyingly, Kyosuke Kazato was actually wrapped in high-quality murderous intent.

—It smelled exactly like hot pot.

Specifically, Jiang Xia's favorite mushroom broth base.

Jiang Xia's eyes brightened slightly. He took a soft breath, managed his expression, and sat down politely.

...

A year ago, after Kyosuke Kazato killed his colleague, he successfully made it look like a suicide, escaping the law.

But the good times didn't last. Due to the persistence of the deceased's family, that case was about to be reopened for investigation.

And one of the officers in the investigation team happened to be Kyosuke Kazato's patient right now.

During the course of treatment, Kyosuke Kazato heard about this. Fearing his crime would be exposed, he planned to strike first by killing all the officers in the investigation team and then framing someone else.

Recalling this, Jiang Xia silently counted the number of police officers being targeted by Kyosuke Kazato.

...There were quite a few.

No wonder there was so much murderous intent, and why the scent was so exquisite.

............

Inside the consultation room.

Kyosuke Kazato maintained a gentle expression, chatting for a few words with the seemingly equally gentle Jiang Xia.

However, the more they talked, the more he felt a chill running down his spine.

As a keen psychotherapist, Kyosuke Kazato instinctively felt that the problem lay with Jiang Xia.

Of course, he didn't think in terms of the supernatural.

Instead, he thought of certain cases where patients had suddenly turned violent.

"..." Dr. Kazato thus pretended to reach for a water cup, using the movement to secretly shuffle a bit further behind his desk.

At the same time, he glanced at his drawer out of the corner of his eye.

Thinking of the stun baton, the tranquilizer gun, and the police-grade pepper spray inside... he felt much more at ease.

Furthermore, Kyosuke Kazato even had a real gun hidden in his bag.

—He had been a famous doctor for many years and had extensive connections; obtaining such things wasn't difficult.

...

Having confirmed his weapons, he felt more secure.

When Kyosuke Kazato looked at Jiang Xia again, he reverted to his benevolent doctor persona and began the consultation.

Sitting beside him, Jiang Xia felt as if a steaming pot of soup base was bubbling right in front of him.

He occasionally exchanged words with Kyosuke Kazato while thinking privately.

—To get this fragrant, delicious murderous intent, he couldn't let Kyosuke Kazato succeed in killing. Otherwise, once the deed was done, the murderous intent would be "internally digested."

But conversely, if Kyosuke Kazato succeeded, the number of Shikigami on his legs would increase.

...Whether it was murderous intent or Shikigami, it was always a troublesome dilemma for a medium. And there was no "have it all" option.

...

Opposite him, Kyosuke Kazato noticed the patient's distraction.

After chatting for a while and feeling that the effect wasn't great, he wrote out a slip and told Jiang Xia to go for a physical examination first.

...

Jiang Xia walked out of the consultation room with the medical slip, having no intention of returning.

He had already grasped the general state of Kyosuke Kazato.

Next would be free choice time. There was no need to re-read the prompt.

...

As Jiang Xia walked along the hospital corridor, his thoughts gradually became clearer.

In this world, murders were frequent, and death was not uncommon.

Currently, there weren't too many cases, but that might be because Conan had only just become Conan and hadn't fully awakened yet.

After a while, serial murders would be everywhere, and picking up Shikigami wouldn't be hard.

In comparison, rare flavors of murderous intent wouldn't be something he could encounter every time.

Jiang Xia felt that, as a mature medium, he should look further ahead.

...It had nothing to do with whether it was hot pot or not; it was mainly about looking at the big picture.

So, this time, he wanted the murderous intent.

...

After seeing Dr. Kazato, Jiang Xia felt much more refreshed.

As he walked down the hospital stairs, he happened to glance down and saw several familiar faces coming up.

—Ran Mouri, Kogoro Mouri, a strange doctor carrying a pot of morning glories... and, of course, the ever-present Conan.

Jiang Xia paused, his gaze lingering on them, eyes shining slightly.

In his memory, whenever Conan and the Mouri father and daughter were together, cases were bound to happen.

...

The four people walking up the stairs passed a corner and stopped when they saw Jiang Xia.

Conan looked at Jiang Xia, then at the sign by the stairs.

He noticed that the floor Jiang Xia had come from housed Pediatrics, Pediatric Surgery, ENT, and...

Psychotherapy.

Conan was stunned.

He hadn't expected to see Jiang Xia in a hospital, especially an Jiang Xia who was walking alone and seeking medical treatment voluntarily.

"..." A neighbor who never went to the hospital was actually willing to seek treatment?

Conan's finger twitched; he instinctively wanted to pull out his phone to tell Professor Agasa this good news.

As far as he knew, the Professor had been worrying about this for a long time, nearly to the point of wanting to build a psychotherapy robot and drop it in Jiang Xia's yard in the middle of the night.

However, before Conan could report the good news, his gaze shifted accidentally, and he suddenly realized something was wrong.

—The piece of paper Jiang Xia was holding, which had been folded haphazardly, looked like a medical examination slip.

If he remembered correctly, the examination departments were all upstairs.

But now, Jiang Xia was walking downstairs with a very clear destination.

Conan: "..."

This wasn't damn medical treatment.

He was clearly planning to run.

He silently turned to look at Ran Mouri, giving her a hint.

He wondered if Ran's combat strength was enough to catch him and drag him back for his check-up.

If all else failed, adding Uncle Mouri should be enough... probably.

...

Unfortunately, Ran Mouri and Kogoro Mouri were clearly not as observant as Conan.

Neither of them received Conan's signal for help.

Just as Conan took a deep breath, intending to shout, "How strange! Is Jiang Xia-niichan going for a check-up?"

From the top of the stairs, Jiang Xia spoke first.

He casually slipped the medical slip into his pocket, looked at the doctor accompanying the main cast, and asked, "What is that you're holding...?"

...

The doctor was holding a pot of vibrant morning glories.

Jiang Xia naturally recognized the flowers.

He only asked to make small talk.

—Encountering Conan and Kogoro Mouri basically meant he could hitch a ride on a case.

Which in turn meant he could obtain murderous intent or a Shikigami.

For a medium, it was hard not to be tempted.

Jiang Xia: "..." He had to find a way to join them...

(End of Chapter)