Chapter 368

Although the serial killer has been arrested, many questions remain unresolved.

For example, where did the person impersonating Matsumoto go? What kind of organization was behind that person, that dared to fire on Tokyo Tower? However, since the murder case was solved and Matsumoto returned safely, the unsolved cases fell under the responsibility of the Public Security Bureau. So the busy First Investigation Division was quickly buried by new work. Apart from occasionally mentioning "they actually fired on Tokyo Tower!" during conversations, it hardly affected anything anymore.

If someone has the energy to overthink things, it definitely means they're not working enough; I suggest they work overtime.

It's normal for Conan Edogawa, who doesn't have a job, to be lost in thought all day.

"Nothing was done in time!" Conan Edogawa lamented. "I had already guessed it was from Tokyo Tower, and I also guessed the organization might be up to something, but Inspector Takagi said they had found Mr. Mizutani, so I..."

He took a detour and went to the location Takagi Wataru had mentioned, and that's when the Tokyo Tower incident happened.

Shuichi Akai comforted him, saying, "There's nothing you can do even if you go. They've already started shooting at Tokyo Tower."

Conan Edogawa paused for a moment: "...It's just a bit of a shame, after all, that memory card contains the organization's list of undercover agents in the police force... If only we could get our hands on it..."

“What’s done is done, and there’s no use in regretting it. I suggest you pay more attention to that Hanukawa Shinryu now,” Akai Shuichi said. “According to you, he has been in contact with the organization and even sabotaged their operation this time… He’s definitely being watched by the organization now.”

Speaking of Shinryu Samikawa, Conan Edogawa also had a headache: "I'm just a kid, I can't really offer any advice, and Mr. Samikawa is also elusive... The good news is that he seems very calm, so he probably knows what's going on..."

But often, personal feelings don't count. How many people think "I can handle this" only to fail? Especially when facing a behemoth like the Black Organization.

He was very curious about what kind of contact Mr. Hanchuan had with the Black Organization, and how Mr. Hanchuan dealt with it, but he had no suitable reason to ask.

Even his usual methods, like using listening devices, were something Conan Edogawa inexplicably hesitant to use on Shinryu Samikawa, always feeling that he would definitely be discovered...

Moreover, ever since Mr. Hanchuan moved, he doesn't even know where Mr. Hanchuan lives now!

Officer Hagiwara knew this, but at this point in time, he should be very wary of anyone associated with the organization. If he went to inquire about Mr. Hanchuan's residence without a plausible excuse, even a child would be suspected... In fact, Officer Hagiwara was already somewhat suspicious of him!

When Inspector Hagiwara was present at the scene, he would occasionally turn around during his investigation and catch a glimpse of Inspector Hagiwara's thoughtful expression, which was terrifying.

Conan Edogawa sighed, while Hideaki Akai drank his coffee without changing his expression.

They are not currently at the Kudo residence, but in a shopping mall, having been asked by Professor Agasa, who has suddenly run into trouble, to help look after the children.

The children were playing games in the arcade. Ai Haibara didn't come because she didn't like Shuichi Akai. Conan Edogawa played with them for a while, then came over and chatted with Shuichi Akai in the cafe across from the arcade, while watching the arcade exit.

Conan Edogawa was feeling down when Ayumi Yoshida suddenly called out to him using her detective badge: "Conan-kun! Come quick! Guess who we've run into?"

Conan Edogawa briefly thought of Ayumi Yoshida, someone he knew but didn't seem to see often, and absentmindedly re-entered the arcade.

Following the information given by Ayumi Yoshida, he guessed the direction, squeezed through the bustling crowd, and finally saw a familiar figure.

"Ms. Judy?"

Conan Edogawa was somewhat surprised. Although Jodie-sensei had always loved playing video games and her presence here was not unexpected, Mr. Akai had only recently faked his death. According to Mr. Akai, only his superiors at the FBI knew about it... So it seemed rather strange that Jodie-sensei, who thought Mr. Akai was completely dead, would still be in the mood to come to the arcade.

However, it's also possible that she's just too heartbroken and wants to do something she enjoys to distract herself.

Ms. Judy's answer indeed matched his guess: "I wasn't in a good mood, and my colleagues advised me to play games to relax."

Conan Edogawa: "Oh..."

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Ms. Judy does seem to be in a bad mood, but something just doesn't feel right.

Conan Edogawa was somewhat puzzled.

The initial clues were incorrect, preventing Conan Edogawa from guessing the correct answer.

Ms. Jodie already knew that Shuichi Akai had faked his death and had been waiting for him to contact her.

As the days went by, Shuichi Akai was still playing dead. The FBI couldn't get involved in any of the Black Organization's actions the other day. Everything was going against expectations, which made Jodie very frustrated.

Cameron, still unaware of the situation, saw that she was in such a bad mood and assumed she was still grieving over Shuichi Akai's death. After all, their relationship was definitely more than just friendship, so he advised her not to dwell on her sadness and to go out and do something she enjoyed, like playing video games, especially boxing games, to cool off...

So, while Ms. Jodie may be in a bad mood, it's not sadness or grief, but rather a burning anger that she's pretending to be. It's perfectly normal for Conan Edogawa to feel this subtly.

After greeting Jodie-sensei, Conan Edogawa joked, "I never realized they liked Jodie-sensei so much. They got so excited to see you."

Ms. Judy's expression shifted slightly: "Ah, if it were just me, they probably wouldn't be this excited... but it's someone they seem to really like..."

Conan Edogawa: "...?"

Suddenly, a hand landed on Conan Edogawa's shoulder, and a familiar voice sounded softly from above his head.

"Conan has ignored me for so long... This is the first time I've ever been treated like this..."

Conan Edogawa: "...!!! Usui-san!"

He turned his head in shock and saw, as expected, a person dressed in a strange yet familiar, flamboyant style – the same person as Usakata Saiki.

Perhaps it was because there were too many people dressed in flashy clothes in the arcade, the lighting was too blinding, and Bo Ye was squatting somewhere, so he didn't notice him at all.

Yes, if it were Brother Bo Ye, these little devils would indeed be very happy.

Bo Ye is incredibly generous. Last time they went to see the cat, he gave them gifts and treated them to snacks... That's fine, but the problem is that Bo Ye's house has such a unique style that Yuan Tai and the others treat it like a toy house, always itching to go on an adventure... Just the other day they asked when they could go to Bo Ye's house again.

Yoshida Ayumi said with a smile, "Coming to the arcade today was definitely the right decision! I didn't expect to see Ms. Jodie and Usui-nii here too!"

“Yes…” Conan Edogawa responded instinctively, then suddenly paused.

etc.

Conan Edogawa realized something.

If he remembered correctly, Ms. Judy and Vermouth had a blood feud, while Bo Ye was a friend of Chris Vineyard, Vermouth's social identity...

Although neither of them knew about this, Conan Edogawa, as the only person present who knew the truth, was inexplicably sweating profusely.

He asked Ayumi Yoshida about it and found out that they first saw Ms. Jodie and played with her for a while before Usui Saiki spotted them, came over to say hello, and that's how the two of them got to know each other.

It's alright, otherwise it would feel like a really bad joke.

After understanding the situation, Conan Edogawa breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking about it, it was an opportunity. He remembered that Ms. Jodie seemed to know Mr. Kankawa. He didn't have a chance to ask her in detail last time, but this time he could ask her.

When he turned his head, he found that Usakabe Saiki and Professor Judy were already chatting.

Apart from the two of them, everyone else present was a primary school student. It was normal for two adults to know each other and chat alone... Edogawa Conan convinced himself, but he still felt inexplicably uneasy.

Ms. Judy was complaining to Usakabe Saiki: "What a small world! You actually know these elementary school students."

God knows, when she saw Potts appear in the arcade and walk towards her, she thought he was coming for her. She even wondered if he had forgotten to pretend he didn't know her... Then the group of elementary school students who had just been surrounding her immediately abandoned her and started bothering Potts.

Judy was deeply shocked!

Potts is playing too well with elementary school kids! Something feels off!

Then she had a change of heart, grabbed a little kid and asked, and the kid said that Conan Edogawa met them first, and then introduced them...

Judy understood.

She was well aware of Conan Edogawa's intelligence. During the Rena Mizunashi incident, Conan Edogawa and Shuichi Akai were often chatting mysteriously together. Now that she discovered that Conan Edogawa also knew Potness... she quickly came to a guess.

Conan Edogawa knew about Shuichi Akai's faked death plan, right?! You even told an elementary school student, but kept it from her?!

No wonder she's in a bad mood!

Bo Yezaki raised an eyebrow: "Are you in such a bad mood? Hasn't that guy contacted you yet?"

Ms. Judy didn't want to talk.

Usoya Saiki said casually, "How about we go shopping? Do you want to buy some clothes? There's a shop downstairs, I can help you take a look. Shopping will cheer you up."

Judy: "...?"

She wasn't sure if this was some kind of hint from Potts, or if he wanted to say something to her alone, or find a reason to be alone with her.

Judy figured it was just a short walk downstairs and shouldn't be a problem, so she agreed.

Conan Edogawa had originally intended to ask Ms. Jodie about Shinryu Samikawa, but he didn't want to interrupt the conversation between the two of them. Just when it seemed like they had finished talking, he was about to go up and say something when he noticed that Ms. Jodie was about to leave with Usopp.

"...??? Ms. Judy, Bo Ye, where are you going? Aren't you going to play games anymore?"

Ms. Judy made an excuse: "We went shopping, and I found that this Mr. Bo Ye has a good sense of style, so I asked him to help me choose some clothes."

Conan Edogawa's pupils tremble.

Ms. Judy, are you serious?! Did the news of Mr. Akai's death really affect you so much that it warped your aesthetic sense?! Why did you have to reference Usui-san's aesthetic sense?!

Ms. Jodie noticed that Conan Edogawa seemed hesitant to speak, and thought to herself that she must be quite busy today, with so many people wanting to talk to her. She hoped that Conan-kun wanted to tell her about Akai faking his death.

So she quickly assured Conan Edogawa, "I'll be back in a bit."

Conan Edogawa: "Uh..."

As Conan Edogawa hesitated to speak, Ms. Jodie and Saiki Usaba left the arcade and headed towards the elevator.

Shuichi Akai, disguised as Subaru Okiya, was sitting peacefully drinking coffee at a café across from the arcade when he looked up and saw his girlfriend walking out side by side with Saiki Usuba.

Shuichi Akai, unusually flustered, spat out his coffee before he could even finish it: "...Ugh! Cough cough cough... cough cough cough...!"

He didn't even bother to wipe his mouth with a tissue, his eyes following the two people in disbelief, not understanding how this was going to happen.

How did Judy end up with Potts?! Does she even know that's Potts?!

Just as he was thinking this, the silver-haired youth suddenly turned his head in his direction as he turned the corner, and smiled as he gestured for silence.

The green eyes, shrouded in shadow, took on a deep, cold hue. After a single, warning glance, they disappeared around the corner.

Akai Shuichi: "………………"

—Potnis, you've finally stopped pretending, haven't you?!

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Since Shuichi Akai had basically guessed that Usui had recognized him, and the suspicion level he raised was very low, Usui Saiki simply stopped pretending.

.

Conan Edogawa: I want to say something, but I don't know what to say. Knowing too much can sometimes be a problem...

.

Speaking of the new Detective Conan movie, who's seen it? There's a scene where everyone's in a room watching a facial recognition system identify Sherry, and then Bourbon, Kir, Vodka, Vermouth... are all in the room...

In world-famous paintings, only vodka is an honest man.

Then this honest man told Kiel how to escape... he answered all his questions... uh...

Gin is really having a tough time; he can't carry this team at all.

But the only one who actually did the work, Zhenjiu, was killed by him after he ignored his messages and eliminated his rivals...