Chapter 528

Upon hearing what Usaku Saiki said, Furuya Rei quietly gasped.

Well... it's a bit scary, a bit expected, and a bit of relief, like "you finally stopped pretending."

I suppose I've gained a certain degree of trust from Potts.

Otherwise, people like vodka and gin would think Potts was mentally ill, and besides being wary of Potts causing trouble, they wouldn't have any other thoughts.

Rei Furuya took a deep breath, his attitude even more serious than when reporting to Rum: "I understand."

This is a good opportunity.

Previously, he suspected that Potts had done something, but there was never any evidence. This time, there was finally a preview, and even the ending was told to him. There were clues to follow, and he could observe Potts's style when he was seriously planning something big.

However, it may take a little more time...

By the time Rei Furuya came to cook dinner, the farce involving Shinichi Kudo had already ended.

Heiji Hattori's side indeed produced a photo of a person named Okita Souji who looked almost exactly like Shinichi Kudo, thus fooling the media. Those who claimed to have seen Shinichi Kudo at the scene also changed their stories, saying they might have been mistaken.

This indicates that the Kudo couple had arrived in Japan, met with the poster, and persuaded the poster to change their tune.

This also indicates that the upcoming struggle with the organization will involve Yusaku Kudo, who is considered the pinnacle of intelligence in the world.

Usaku Saiki wasn't too worried, and even planned to mark it on his schedule to visit the Kudo family when he had time.

As for how Shuichi Akai, who was still living in the Kudo family home, felt, he didn't care.

In fact, Shuichi Akai didn't say anything at all.

After returning to the Kudo residence, the Kudo couple secretly met up with Conan Edogawa and pulled him aside to discuss serious matters.

"Regarding the code in the Haneda Koji case seventeen years ago..." Kudo Yusaku said, "I think Hanakawa-kun's guess is probably correct."

Conan Edogawa stared blankly: "But, it's such a coincidence that it can be pieced together to form Rum and Asaka..."

"It's probably just a coincidence."

Conan Edogawa: "…………"

Shuichi Akai nodded in agreement: "I investigated Renya Karasuma. There are indeed many suspicious points about him. Moreover, as a wealthy man, he started from a higher point than other organizations and has a wide network of connections... This can explain why he was able to make the organization such a behemoth as it is now."

"Alright." Conan Edogawa sighed, then started to struggle again, "Did Mr. Hanakawa know something before he said it was Karasuma Renya, or did he really just visit the Golden House once and match the dots?"

Yusaku Kudo pondered: "Whichever it is, it shows that Fukami Kazumi is not to be underestimated."

It even reached a dangerous level.

However, even if he really is related to the organization, the fact that he can so casually reveal the Boss's real name everywhere suggests that he might be able to win over his side.

Shuichi Akai stated, "The FBI is investigating Fukami Kagawa... It's complicated because of the paper files and their age, but the current preliminary results are indeed a bit subtle."

Conan Edogawa suddenly looked up.

Huh?! There are already preliminary results?! Why didn't you tell me?!

What about trust between people?!

I trusted you so much! I was even the one who asked you to investigate Mr. Hanchuan!

Shuichi Akai noticed Conan Edogawa's intense gaze and coughed lightly: "I only received the news yesterday. I saw that you were a bit busy today, so I didn't have time to tell you."

"That's right, Shin-chan, you should be careful not to reveal your identity. Everyone's busy dealing with your affairs today." Yukiko Kudo pinched Conan Edogawa's cheek.

Speaking of this, Conan Edogawa also felt guilty: "I know... Don't talk about me! What are the results of Mr. Hanakawa's investigation? What's wrong with him?"

Shuichi Akai said, "First, I checked his records at the university he attended in Hakata. There were no problems. But when I asked professors, teachers, and classmates about their impressions of Shinryu Samikawa, the answers were all vague, like, 'They seem to exist, but they don't seem to have much of a presence...'"

Yusaku Kudo frowned: "While interpersonal relationships are indeed quite cold during university, especially in Japan where people don't pay much attention to others... it's hard to say that Shinryu Samikawa has no presence and doesn't leave an impression..."

"That's a bit strange!" Conan Edogawa said in complete agreement. "Mr. Hanakawa's aura is simply outstanding! How could he not be noticeable?"

There are two possibilities.

Shuichi Akai held up two fingers: "One possibility is that the person studying in Hakata is not Shinryu Samakawa himself, but someone else is there to leave others with the impression that 'there is such a person in the school.'"

Kudo Yusaku chimed in: "Another possibility is that Shinryu Sakkawa's conspicuous demeanor... is actually a disguise. Before we met him, or in private, he wasn't actually the person we knew."

Conan Edogawa: "…………"

Yukiko Kudo blinked: "I tend to think it's the second possibility. After all, you can change your image with acting skills—in fact, many celebrities have used this method, including me."

The so-called celebrity aura is a kind of inexplicable eye-catching temperament that makes people stand out from others in a crowd. It could be their demeanor, their outfit, or other elements that influence the attention of others.

The fact that many people don't realize it's the same actor playing different roles speaks volumes about the importance of this aspect.

Sometimes when you're walking down the street and you see someone, a thought suddenly flashes through your mind: "Could this person be a celebrity?" That's when that kind of aura is most noticeable.

Even big stars don't always want the spotlight on them. When they crave some private space, they want to avoid being seen by others. In such cases, they usually adjust their demeanor and wear inconspicuous, ordinary clothes to change their overall image.

Even when fans recognize a celebrity, some celebrities can confidently say, "You also think I'm xxx? People often say we look alike," which makes fans hesitate. This is also an effect of changes in temperament.

As someone who surpasses most actors and even knows how to disguise herself, Yukiko Kudo naturally felt that the idea of ​​changing one's own temperament was very feasible.

Conan Edogawa tried to describe it: "Uh, but Mr. Kagawa's aura... is too villainous... it doesn't seem like something he could act out..."

Yukiko Kudo asked in confusion, "What are you talking about? Of course, villains are played by people too! Otherwise, would the script just cut the villains out? If others can play villains, why can't Hanukawa?"

In this regard, Yukiko Kudo is the most authoritative, and even Yusaku Kudo isn't sure if no one can portray the temperament of Shinryu Saikawa. He could only cough and bring the topic back: "Mr. Akai, is there any other information?"

Shuichi Akai nodded calmly: "I heard that he often takes leave from high school. His homeroom teacher has retired and gone back to his hometown. I haven't been able to find him yet, so it's not convenient to ask. His classmates are also hard to find. Although he's still in junior high and elementary school, the teachers don't remember him. They just say that the names are familiar..."

Yukiko Kudo was now even more convinced of her guess: "See, I told you he might have been faking it on purpose, and no one who knew him before has any recollection of him."

“Indeed, it would be a bit too much for a child to have that kind of temperament…” Kudo Yusaku’s expression was subtle.

“Then there are the records of the orphanage,” Shuichi Akai continued. “It has been closed for many years. Although there are paper records, it’s hard to say.”

Others: "Hmm..."

Well, individually they're fine, but putting them all together like this feels way too suspicious!

Shuichi Akai gave everyone a moment to think before asking, "I'm not very familiar with the recruitment process for the Japanese police. Do they not conduct background checks?"

"We'll definitely still do it... but we won't go into such detail. We'll basically just check if the academic credentials are fake and ask people we know about the person in question..." Kudo Yusaku didn't dare to give the Metropolitan Police Department's personnel department any assurances. "If the people we ask say they have some impression of the person but haven't had much contact with them, they probably just think the person isn't popular or don't want to talk about it... that's pretty normal for Shinryu Sakkawa."

"That's too low-key!" Conan Edogawa frantically rubbed his hair. "How did they manage that?!"

—Actually, when the system was creating background information, it mainly fabricated paper documents. Since it was inconvenient to directly implant false memories, it could only leave a shallow impression on others, giving them the impression that "there seems to be such a person"...

It's inevitable that this will clash with Shinryu Hanakawa's current image.

"In short, so far, there is no way to prove that the files of Hanchuan Shenliu are all fake, after all, the paper documents are complete." Akai Shuichi concluded, "But the image he has in the eyes of others is a bit subtle. He was clearly going to take the police academy entrance exam, so why did he make it so complicated? The reason is worth investigating."

Conan Edogawa was silent for a few seconds, then slowly spoke: "Could it be... his twisted sense of humor? Like, it's fun to be a cop with this kind of aura, it's fun to be mistaken for a corrupt cop, it's fun to reveal his police identity when a criminal mistakes him for one of their own..."

Others: "...???"

Yusaku Kudo was embarrassed: "Huh, is this the kind of character Shinryu Samikawa is? I did notice he has a bit of a perverse sense of humor, but to go this far?"

"I think it looks quite similar." Conan Edogawa said expressionlessly. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Inspector Hagiwara."

Yusaku Kudo nodded slowly: "I believe you..."

Although he had met with Hanchuan Shenliu a few times, he had been living abroad for many years and only spoke of his own situation. He felt that Hanchuan Shenliu was quite reliable... but he also believed in his son's intelligence!

Shinichi has excellent observation skills, so he wouldn't make such a serious mistake!

“However, we can’t focus all our attention on Shinichi Kagawa right now.” Kudo Yusaku calmed down. “Kagawa’s relationship with the organization is still uncertain, but there’s at least one member of the organization in that sushi restaurant downstairs from the Mouri Detective Agency. Let’s keep an eye on the sushi restaurant for now… Also, since Yukiko and I are back in Japan, if the organization has been keeping an eye on Shinichi, they might send someone to test us, especially since the news just came out that ‘Shinichi Kudo is actually not dead.’”

Conan Edogawa gave a guilty laugh.

In any case, the intelligence and resources they had were insufficient to support them in launching a proactive attack. They could only analyze and observe the members of the sushi restaurant organization bit by bit to see what the enemy would do first.

...This observation was destined to be a misplaced one.

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Alright, let's get ready to open a new dungeon.

If you're interested in the changes in demeanor, you can search for videos with keywords like "[It's actually the same person acting in it]".