Chapter 65 Date [VIP]

Cheng shook his head: "We don't really know each other. After all, we only interact through pseudonyms." He warned Conan, "You absolutely mustn't tell him, you hear me?"

Conan nodded helplessly: "I won't interfere in your own affairs."

Cheng You nodded in relief: "This matter, well, it's all fate~ hahaha."

[System Reminder: You have less than three hours left. Please be aware.]

The system's voice suddenly rang in Cheng You's ears. Cheng You was just about to take a nap when he realized that they were still some distance from Guangu.

But thinking that with Akai Shuichi's protection, Matsuda Jinpei shouldn't encounter any accidents, Cheng You wanted to see for himself. In his mind, even Akai Shuichi, who was upright and righteous as a member of the Red Team, was not necessarily entirely trustworthy.

However, if a fierce battle breaks out with the research institute on the way to find Matsuda Jinpei, and Cheng You is forced by the system to carry out a mission at that time, he will not be in the mood to carry it out. Besides, after he completes the mission to rescue Captain Date, he may not be able to recover to the state of combat for a while.

Therefore, it's better to carry out the mission now, since time is frozen when we rewind the mission period anyway.

This is a good opportunity to recall things related to Matsuda Jinpei while doing the mission, and see if I can come up with anything else.

Cheng mentally called out to the system: "Little Fire, begin rewinding the mission."

[Received! System will initiate a mission for you... Please select the disguised face...]

Cheng casually pinched a generic face and mentally urged the system to start the mission quickly.

Cheng You closed his eyes, leaned back, and pretended to be resting. The next second, the world spun around him, and Cheng You felt dizzy. When he opened his eyes, it was a rainy day.

It's been raining continuously.

"What time is it now?" Cheng asked in his mind.

System: [One year before the first year of the Detective Conan era, one week before the death of Date Wataru.]

"That's good," Cheng You breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the weather, he thought Squad Leader Date was going to get into trouble today. Thankfully, there's still a week left.

Seven years ago, he had only met Sergeant Date briefly. He knew that Date was an upright person, but he still wanted to meet this brave and righteous policeman in person.

Just as he was thinking about where to go next, a black figure suddenly ran past him. The person was running in a hurry and bumped into Cheng You, but he didn't seem to realize that he had bumped into someone and still ran away in a panic.

Cheng squinted at the man in front of him, hearing his inner thoughts: [Damn it, those cops actually found out...]

Oh, looks like a fugitive. Cheng You realized, and took three steps at a time, defeating the man in black with a series of moves. Cheng You sneered, "Kid, judging from your pale face and dark complexion, you must have done something bad."

The man in black glared fiercely at Cheng You, trying to break free from his grasp.

"Don't move, or I'll cripple you. Anyway, I can tell the police I acted in self-defense." Cheng had no intention of getting entangled with the criminal in front of him; he just wanted to find Ida Hang as soon as possible.

Shortly after apprehending the man in black, Cheng Youyuan saw several men in police uniforms walking towards them with walkie-talkies.

As expected, he did another good deed under this alias, and the Metropolitan Police Department specially awarded him a bravery award.

Cheng reluctantly accepted the offer.

As luck would have it, the leader of the team in charge of this case was none other than Ichikatsu Wataru.

After presenting the award to Cheng You, Ida Hang came over in person to see this brave, upright, and righteous young man.

This was Cheng You's third time meeting Date Hang, but the first time under this identity.

The man still exuded righteousness, with a toothpick in his mouth and his police uniform neatly worn.

He walked over with a smile and put his arm around Cheng You's shoulder: "Young man, it's good that you did what's right!"

"Of course, of course," Cheng replied with a smile.

“We’ve been dealing with this murder case for a long time, but the killer got away. He’s very cunning. We’re also very grateful to you. If you need any help in the future, just tell me!” Ida Hang said, patting Cheng You on the shoulder.

Cheng Youyou was a little embarrassed: "It was too heavy. I was just helping out casually. I stopped him because I saw that he was acting strangely."

The two chatted for a while longer. Cheng had given himself the name Hirata Yan. After signing the statement, he left the Metropolitan Police Department and rented a house near Date Wataru's house.

Cheng needs to create more opportunities for chance encounters before he can move on to the next step.

The next morning, as Date Wataru was heading to work, he saw a familiar figure flash past him: "Hey? Hirata Hiroshi?"

Cheng You then stopped and tilted his head to look at Date Kou: "Ah! Mr. Date, what a coincidence! I just finished my morning run and was about to go back to take a shower and rest."

"Where do you live? I've never seen you before." Date Wataru was still very meticulous. Although he thought Cheng You was a good person based on his appearance, he knew that Furuya Rei and Morofushi Kagemitsu's work required protection and was shrouded in mystery. It was inevitable that enemies would try to find out about him indirectly.

So Ida Wataru also told himself that no matter what, a stranger is a stranger, and no matter how kind they seem, they may be a potential danger.

Although he hadn't seen or contacted Rei Furuya and Hiromitsu Morofushi for a long time, he didn't even know if his two old friends were still alive.

But Ida Wataru felt that since it was a secret, it was better not to ask. He should just pretend that these two people had never existed in his life, and that they would remain only in his memory.

"Ah, no, I just rented this place last night because it's close to my workplace," Cheng replied. Fortunately, he had just applied for a cashier job at a small shop in front of this residential area last night, so there shouldn't be any problems.

"I see." Date Hang smiled and patted Cheng You on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work, young man. But I think with your outstanding abilities, do you have any dreams?" He genuinely admired Cheng You's abilities and felt it would be a waste if he didn't shine.

Cheng said, "To be honest, I've always wanted to be a policeman. I came to Beika Town recently because I heard that the detectives and police here are very capable, so I came to learn. The work and the house are temporary; I will go back home in the future."

When Date Wataru heard the other man say he wanted to be a policeman, he paused for a few seconds, then smiled proudly: "Young man, you have ambition. It's good to be a policeman. The police in Beika Town are indeed excellent."

Cheng You chuckled to himself: With so many cases and such a powerful protagonist, how could your case-solving rate be low?

The two chatted briefly before Date went to work, and Cheng went home to shower and eat before going to work at the small shop.

This kind of work isn't tiring, and you don't have to worry about the Grim Reaper coming here and bringing cases. This shop has a decent flow of customers, but it's not very popular, so you can pay for one person and then take a break.

In the evening, Ida Hang stopped by the store to buy groceries. After Cheng paid his bill, the store closed for the day, and the two went back to their community together.

In the last three or four days, the two have been running into each other frequently, and over time, their encounters have gradually become more familiar.

After buying dinner after get off work that evening, Ida Hang warmly invited Cheng You: "Would you like to come to my house for a bit? A junior colleague is coming over tonight, and I'll talk to you about some recent cases. Maybe it'll help you with your dream of becoming a police officer."

Junior? You mean Takagi, right?

Cheng nodded: "Okay, thank you, Mr. Ida."

Cheng followed Date to his home and ran into Takagi Wataru in the elevator. The group greeted each other.

Date Wataru had a very high opinion of Takagi Wataru. When introducing him to Cheng You, he couldn't help but keep praising him: "Takagi is an upright and honest kid, smart and down-to-earth. I've been mentoring him, and he's sure to achieve great things in the future."

"Mr. Takagi looks very young and is quite accomplished at a young age," Cheng You added with a compliment.

"Haha, it's all thanks to your guidance, senior." Takagi Wataru scratched his head sheepishly.

Ida opened the door and called out, "Natalie, I've brought two friends."

Natalie, who was watching TV in the living room, came over upon hearing the noise and reached out to take the groceries from Date Wataru's hands: "Ah, Mr. Takagi, this..."

Because Takagi Wataru was a junior personally mentored by Date Wataru and was often brought to Date Wataru's home, Natalie naturally recognized him. This was also the first time she had met Cheng You, and she did not know him.

But Natalie quickly realized who the person in front of her was: "Ah, I remember now, you must be Mr. Hirata Hirokazu, Date Wataru often mentions you. Please have a seat."

Natalie tried to take the food from Date Hang's hand, but Date Hang refused, saying, "You can continue watching TV. Isn't that your favorite show? Leave the cooking to me."

Natalie glanced at the two guests on the sofa and whispered to Date Kou, "Oh dear, why don't you go chat with the guests? What can I talk to them about?"

Ida Ko smiled and said, "We don't care about these little details."

Natalie ignored what the man was saying, snatched the groceries, and walked towards the kitchen with a sly look on her face: "Why don't you talk to them, officer?"

Ida Kou couldn't help but smile, thinking that in a few days he would be fully prepared, and he would definitely propose to Natalie then. The thought of spending his life with this blonde girl filled him with contentment. His only regret was that two of his old friends from police academy, whom he hadn't contacted in a long time, would be absent from the wedding.

Date Wataru thought that if he messaged them saying he was getting married soon, maybe the two of them would sneak over for a quick look, leave a gift and their blessings in a secluded corner, and then quietly leave. It wouldn't attract anyone's attention, and no one would know, including Date Wataru.

Cheng You sat on the sofa, anime was playing on the TV, and there was a faint sound of water coming from the kitchen. He saw Ida Hang looking tenderly toward the kitchen.

February weather was still a bit chilly. Cheng You wrapped his clothes tighter around himself, thinking that winter would soon be over.

Spring is coming in March.