Detective Conan - Episode 1146

In Episode 1146, Komachi Ami visits the Tamaki Book Café to retrieve the book "The Lonely Sea," a precious memento of her deceased father that was accidentally sold. Despite her plea, the bookstore owner Tamaki Yujiro informs her that the book has already been sold to regular customer Kirishima Kenichi. Ami is devastated, while Conan and his friends begin investigating the unusually high selling price of 200,000 yen—a far cry from the original 200 yen Yujiro paid for it.

Haibara points out inconsistencies in the book's valuation, leading Conan to suspect that the book might have been used for black-market dealings. Tamaki explains that "The Lonely Sea" is not a rare book, further fueling suspicion. Conan eventually discovers that the book served as a cover for illegal transactions, using a book code to discreetly sell stolen jewelry. A safe in the victim's apartment contains jewels and watches from a recent burglary, confirming the victim's ties to organized crime.

The investigation reveals an encrypted code consisting of number sequences. Tamaki explains that it is a book cipher, using page and line numbers to decode words. With the help of Tamaki's purchase records, Conan narrows down the list of possible key books and deciphers the code. This leads to the identification of the culprit—a deliveryman who discovered the black-market operation and began stealing the goods. A confrontation between him and the victim turns fatal when the deliveryman strikes in a fit of rage.

Ami finally gets "The Lonely Sea" back and thanks Conan and his friends. In a humorous twist, Genta admits to hiding snacks using a book cipher but forgot the key book. The episode ends with a teaser for the next case, centering on a bombing incident at an amusement park.