"French Silver Coin Murder Case" (aka "The Burial Franc Case") is the seventeenth case arc in the Files Series of The Kindaichi Case Files.
Tropes include:
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Kindaichi joins the sports committee and insists on having the four-legged race included for the sports festival precisely so he can have such a race with two girls, one of whom being Miyuki. However, the race is difficult at best, especially for someone as athletically uncoordinated like Kindaichi, which results in an unfortunate accident after the three of them bump into three other people that ends with Kindaichi's ankle getting hurt, followed by Kindaichi getting too close towards Miyuki's crotch and Miyuki kicking Kindaichi straight in the nose and him getting a nosebleed in the end. Miyuki states after the fact that he made the same suggestion during the grade school years and similar results happened because of it.
- Blackmail: Present many times throughout the case arc.
- Both Masumi and the murder case culprit are on the receiving end of this from someone in their respective past before the confrontations turned deadly.
- The culprit also uses Masumi's confrontation and the ensuing concealment and dumping of the dead body to manipulate her into doing the dirty work of slipping poison into cups to get the intended targets killed.
- Finally, one of the victims had tried to force Yurie into submission after catching her helping the culprit load and dump the body of the guy who tried to blackmail the culprit. Yurie decided to feign cooperation with him in return, before Poor Communication Kills set in and the culprit mistakenly believed the Yurie would betray her, kick-starting the murder case in turn.
- Brutal Honesty: The police captain, who once assumed Kindaichi was the culprit from the case in which he had to prove his innocence and is now involved in yet another mystery murder case, is not mincing words with Kindaichi over his track records of being a Mystery Magnet, even though he's no longer an Inspector Javert.Whenever you're around, there's always a strange case! Just get the Hell away from Nagano once you're done here!
- Childhood Friend:
- While Hajime and Miyuki encompass this trope from start of the series, the central character is their mutual childhood friend in elementary school.
- The culprit has been acquainted with the present-day sommelier since their own grade school years.
- Forced into Evil: The culprit has Masumi conscripted into doing the dirty work of slipping poison via Blackmail.
- Frame-Up:
- The culprit's plan is to manipulate Masumi into slipping poison into cups to get the intended targets killed before setting the latter up to look like the murderer for the next victim.
- In addition, the case arc starts out with someone from Masumi's rough past showing up for Blackmail, before Masumi kills the guy. It turns out Masumi merely knocked the guy out, and the culprit killed the guy for real while Masumi was out buying a suitcase to hide the guy, in order to force Masumi to do the dirty work of slipping the poison from behind the scenes.
- Generation Xerox: The culprit has been able to manipulate Masumi because of their similar thought processes, which seems to be induced by their eerily similar backstories of being abandoned by their mother, going through a period of "darkness", before being rescued by Yurie, who took them under her wing and gave them a new life as a model and designer under her brand. Later, it is implied that Yurie took so much pity on them because she herself had gone through a similar life experience.
- He Knows Too Much: The last one of the murder victims is targeted for threatening the culprit with secrets said victim has learned from one of the earlier victims in an attempt to get out from the culprit's control. To be fair, even without the threat the victim's doomed from the start anyway...
- History Repeats: Played for both comedy and drama, though not withal.
- Played for Laughs as the case arc starts with everyone in Kindaichi's class having a four-legged race, with Miyuki remarking after the fact that Kindaichi made the same suggestion back in their grade school years and he received injury for getting a bit too perverted during the race, though the one he gets in the present day is a bit worse as Miyuki kicks him on the nose and gives him a nosebleed when he gets too close to her crotch, even if by accident.
- Played for Drama due to Masumi having a confrontational encounter with someone from her past she'd rather leave behind that ends with her killing the guy (though it turns out she only manages to knock him out). Then it turns out that the life experiences between Masumi and the culprit who manipulates her are eerily similar, to Generation Xerox levels.
- In addition, it's implied that Yurie had gone through a similar life experience, causing her to take so much pity on both Masumi and the culprit, though not confirmed due to prolonged time passage.
- Hopeless with Tech: The culprit is bad with using computers. This ends up providing solid evidence for Kindaichi to incriminate her.
- Hypocritical Humor: An exchange between Kindaichi and Miyuki takes place after the murder case concludes while they wait for Kenmochi and Masumi to show up:Kindaichi: How long is Uncle gonna make us wait, eh? Is he even gonna come?Miyuki: Just relax. He even got permission from Mr. Akechi, so he'll be here.Kindaichi: It's already been 20 minutes since the agreed time!Miyuki: Have you forgotten you once made me wait for two and a half hours?Kindaichi: That's 'cause some stuff came up!Miyuki: Someone like you has no right to say that!
- I Was Just Joking: When the sommelier suggests for Kindaichi to have some wine while the latter is drawing a blank regarding the murder case, Miyuki offers to treat him a glass of wine, in spite of Kenmochi's disapproval due to Miyuki and Kindaichi both being underage. Kindaichi agrees to Miyuki's offer... before asking for the Romanee-Conti that was served during the earlier part of the fashion show. Miyuki punches him on the back of the head.Miyuki: HE DIDN'T MEAN YOU COULD HAVE THAT SUPER-EXPENSIVE WINE!'Kindaichi: Kidding! I'm just kidding, Miyuki!
- It ends up being zigzagged, however, as the sommelier offers it to them for free.note
- Make It Look Like an Accident: The culprit's final murder plan involves having the tubes being connected to Yurie's life support unplugged with a kick to the table where said life support system is. Unfortunately for the culprit, the whole story of Yurie being on life support is merely a lie to have the culprit Lured into a Trap.
- Murder by Mistake: The killer tries to put a poison in a glass of their intended target. However, the glass is filled with wine the target has an allergy for and the poor guy next to him offers to drink the intended target's wine. Cue the killer's inner panic. It turns out to be inverted: The killer was blackmailed by the intended target and the poor guy was the target all along.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Zigzagged and Played for Laughs at the end of the case arc.
- In order for Masumi to be able to join Kindaichi and Miyuki for the class reunion, Akechi gives Kenmochi permission to allow her to participate in the occasion under the condition of Kenmochi's supervision, and Kindaichi states that it'd be on Kenmochi's neck if anything goes wrong. That part goes well, though.
- On the other hand, the people at the reunion start ordering more expensive food entrees once they confirm Kindaichi is footing the bill, much to his exasperation.Kenmochi: *wink* Good luck with that, Mr. event sponsor!Kindaichi: What the heck? Cut it out, I'm not on an unlimited budget here! THIS IS BULLYING!
- Plot Allergy: The culprit uses her grape allergy to create a poisoning scenario where she ends up being seen as potential victim instead of the killer.
- Poor Communication Kills: The murderer thought Yurie, her boss/mother substitute, was about to betray her. She then discovers Yurie was trying to protect her. Fortunately, Yurie survives and they make amends.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story:
- After the sommelier offers the leftover Romanee-Conti to Kindaichi and Miyuki for free, they prepare to drink it, only for the sommelier to take it away upon sensing something odd while smelling it before he reaches the conclusion that the wine is some local wine being placed inside a Romanee-Conti bottle. That being said, this incident helps Kindaichi to solve the mystery.
- A much more lighthearted example takes place near the end of the case arc. On the way to the class reunion, Kenmochi reveals that the sommelier, who's a Childhood Friend of the culprit's, sent a bouquet of flowers to the culprit as her birthday present, only for the culprit to tell him that her birthday wouldn't come for another month, causing the sommelier to respond with a Big "WHAT?!" and feel embarrassed, much to the culprit's amusement.You're forgetful as ever!
- Sneeze Cut: After a French detective issues a deduction duel with Kindaichi before walking away:Kenmochi: A duel? Somehow that reminds me of a certain annoying superior...
Kindaichi: Well, at least this guy has his funny and quirky side, unlike SOMEONE we know...
(Scene cuts to Superintendent Akechi sneezing while reading a newspaper) - Tampering with Food and Drink: Two of the victims are murdered via poison being placed inside cups that the culprit tricks the victims to drink.
