Kogoro Mouri's intuition could be wildly off or eerily sharp.
The next afternoon, the school bell rang.
Kogoro grabbed his schoolbag and bolted for the gymnasium, where the judo club's activity room was located.
Hayashi Shuichi didn't head home right away. Instead, he went to the library with Eri Kisaki.
He'd already finished most of his homework during breaks and planned to wrap up the rest in the library.
They'd barely found a seat when Kogoro burst through the library door, shouting, "Shuichi! Shuichi!"
"Student, keep it down!" the librarian scolded, frowning.
Ignoring her, Kogoro scanned the room. Spotting Shuichi and Eri, he yelled again, "Shuichi, something happened! A senior from the judo club hanged himself in the gym!"
"What?"
His words sent a shockwave through the quiet library, sparking instant chatter.
"No way, someone died at school?"
"Let's go check it out!"
"Judo club? Who was it?"
The explosive news killed the students' desire to study. They packed up and headed for the gymnasium to see the commotion.
The librarian grabbed Kogoro. "What happened? Did someone really die?"
"It's true," Kogoro nodded firmly. "It was Hayato Doi, a third-year. Dr. Kobayashi from the health room checked him and confirmed he's dead."
Hearing this and seeing Kogoro's sincerity, the librarian hurried to the gymnasium.
Shuichi, Kogoro, and Eri followed. When they arrived, the gymnasium was surrounded by students in three layers.
Word of the hanging had spread across the school, drawing everyone who hadn't yet left to gawk.
Kogoro had rushed to find Shuichi, hoping his friend could uncover the truth.
But at the gymnasium entrance, the Dean of Academic Affairs stopped them.
"The gymnasium's sealed off!" he said sternly, gripping a bamboo sword. "No one's allowed in."
"Teacher, Shuichi's really capable. He helped the First Division solve two cases yesterday," Kogoro pleaded. "Let him in…"
The Dean cut him off impatiently. "The police have been called! They'll handle it."
"Go home and stop loitering!"
"But…" Kogoro tried again.
"Go home now!" the Dean snapped, waving his bamboo sword. "This isn't for students to meddle in!"
With a senior from Kogoro's club dead, Shuichi wasn't about to walk away.
He pulled Kogoro and Eri from the front entrance, planning to find a back door or window into the gymnasium.
But Teitan's teachers were prepared. The back door was guarded, and all windows were locked from inside.
Unable to enter, Shuichi first asked Kogoro for details.
"After school, I grabbed my bag and ran to the gymnasium," Kogoro recalled. "I saw the headmaster with a key, about to open the activity room. When he did, we saw Doi-senpai hanging. We rushed in and cut him down."
"The headmaster gave Doi-senpai CPR and told me to get Dr. Kobayashi from the health room."
"When I brought her back, she checked and said Doi-senpai had been dead for a while."
"I remembered you said you'd be in the library doing homework, so I came to find you."
"Suicide?" Eri asked curiously.
"I don't know," Kogoro said, shaking his head. "But Doi-senpai didn't seem like someone who'd kill himself."
"Yesterday, when I joined the judo club, he was really encouraging. Shuichi, what do you think?"
"We'll have to wait for the police," Shuichi said helplessly. "Without seeing the scene or the body, we can't judge anything."
Despite the Dean and teachers urging the gathered students to leave, no one budged. A death at school was too big to ignore.
Twenty minutes later, sirens blared as two police cars pulled onto campus and stopped at the gymnasium.
Inspector Samezaki and Officer Megure, whom Shuichi and the others had met the previous day, stepped out.
Seeing them head for the gymnasium, Shuichi, Kogoro, and Eri hurried over.
"You again?" Samezaki said, smiling. "I forgot you're students here."
"Inspector Samezaki, we want to go in too," Shuichi said.
Samezaki raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say last night you don't want to be a detective?"
"Not wanting to be a cop doesn't mean I'm not curious about cases," Shuichi replied. "If I can't become a civil servant, maybe I'll be a detective."
"Detective…" Samezaki frowned, clearly displeased.
In the Conan world, detectives are influential, but their work overlaps with the police's, breeding rivalry. Many officers, including Samezaki, disliked them.
After a moment's thought, Samezaki nodded, figuring Shuichi, a high schooler, could still be steered away from the "wrong path" of becoming a detective.
"Fine, you three can come in, but follow the officers' orders. No wandering or touching anything."
"Yes!" Shuichi, Kogoro, and Eri agreed in unison.
The Dean of Academic Affairs rushed over. "Officer, these are our students—minors. They shouldn't be allowed in!"
"Under Japanese law, the First Division can request cooperation from those involved in a case," Samezaki said coolly. "These three are connected to the case, so I'm bringing them in."
"But…" the Dean protested.
Officer Megure stepped forward, pointing to the police cordon outside the gymnasium. "Excuse me, teacher. The First Division is in charge now. Please stay behind the cordon."