第41話: 修学学園の優勝旗が切り裂かれ、コナンと小五郎による謎の調査が始まる

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Ran, Sonoko and Conan attend a high school baseball game. The reigning champions, Shukou Academy, are playing against Beika High School for a chance to get into the playoffs. Shukou High's star pitcher, Kaji Kenya, is shutting out Beika High when he notices something in his direction. The umpire calls a ball and the game resumes, only this time Kenya's pitches are failing. The coach changes pitchers and Kenya runs in the school. The game continues and Beika High continues to score runs. Suddenly, the storeroom manager alerts the principal of Shukou Academy that last year's championship flag had been slashed. The game stops and the players and principal pile into the school. Kogoro examines the flag and discovers that the flag was cut with short slashes primarily to the left side near the stave, the window had been smashed and a ladder is outside against the school wall. The principal states that because of this incident, Shukou Academy will withdraw from the playoffs. The storeroom manager says that the office and storeroom key are gone. Kogoro realizes the ladder was planted and this was an inside job. With these clues, he labels the suspects, Kenya, ex-pitcher Etou, the principal of Shukou High and Kenya's mother. Kenya confesses that he cut the flag. His mother steps in, saying he is just protecting her. He cuts her off and presents Kogoro with the Xacto-blade used to commit the crime. Kogoro calls the case closed but Conan isn't satisfied. After Conan talks to Sonoko about the school's academic history, he puts the pieces together and solves the case, lures Kogoro into the office and puts him to sleep. Using Kogoro's voice, he calls everyone over the intercom to the office. Using earlier evidence, the guilty party had to have been short, left handed and was in the building at the time of the crime. Kenya is right-handed and fairly tall, taking him off the suspect list. Etou is too tall to the commit the crime, and Kenya's mother is right-handed. Only the principal is left-handed, short and was in the building at the time of the slashing. He confesses and says the chairman of the school wanted the baseball team disbanded because he thought it was getting in the way of the students' studies. The storeroom clerk shows up once again to report the chairman, who was thought to be ill, has died, making the principal's actions useless. Six months later, under the management of Kenya's mother, Shukou Academy wins the championship flag once again. (Source: Wikipedia)