Chapter 410
Even though he brought it up himself, when Usaku Saiki asked him, Hattori Heiji looked hesitant and unsure what to say.
Bo Yezaki understood immediately: "Oh—something related to girls, right?"
Hattori Heiji's dark face actually flushed slightly: "It's...it's not what you think! That's not what I meant!"
Conan Edogawa squinted at him and chuckled.
Hattori used to be so stubborn, saying that he didn't have those kinds of feelings for Toyama Kazuha. Does this mean he's finally come to his senses?
Hattori Heiji coughed. "It wasn't me... Anyway, Kazuha's been acting strange lately! She always seems a bit angry, and she won't answer when I ask her..."
Bo Yezhai hesitated for a moment: "Wouldn't it be better if you asked Xiaolan about this? Girls might talk about these things among themselves, but they wouldn't discuss such private topics with me..."
Heiji Hattori blurted out, "But wouldn't it be weirder for me to ask Miss Ran? Besides, it seems like you understand girls better, Usui-nii! You seem to be able to chat with them quite well..."
He was solving a case when he turned around and found Brother Bo Ye chatting and laughing with the girls. The saccharine feeling was something he couldn't forget.
Bo Yezhai: "..."
Conan Edogawa: "..."
Hattori Heiji broke out in a cold sweat, barely managing to stay calm as he said, "Um, did I say something wrong? I meant to praise Usui-nii..."
Usoppei suddenly smiled brightly: "It's nothing, you're absolutely right! Compared to the two of you, I'm the legendary heartthrob... oh no, I mean friend of women."
Hattori Heiji: "..."
Conan Edogawa: "..."
Why do I suddenly feel even more uneasy?
So, when they hosted a dinner for the Tokyo group that evening, Usaku Saiki sat with the girls.
Sonoko Suzuki didn't leave either; she stayed to eat okonomiyaki with everyone.
There were too many people and no large tables, so we split into two tables.
The table on the left is occupied by Conan Edogawa, Heiji Hattori, and Kogoro Mouri, while the table on the right is occupied by Saiki Usui, Ran Mouri, Sonoko Suzuki, and Kazuha Toyama.
Kogoro Mouri: "...This doesn't seem right, does it? Shouldn't that Usuoba kid be at our table?"
It's not like there's not enough room! There are only three of them! Why do they have to squeeze into the girls' table?!
Kogoro Mouri's eyes sharpened.
Since Heiji Hattori needed something from him, he could only awkwardly try to smooth things over: "Well, maybe we should talk about some fashion topics, since Usopp-kun is dressed quite stylishly."
Conan Edogawa: "...Yeah, it's very fashionable."
It seems Hattori is really anxious to know what's going on with Kazuha, he's even willing to say something like that against his will!
However, in the eyes of a middle-aged man like Kogoro Mouri, the line between being fashionable and being blind is not very clear, so he accepted the statement with some skepticism: "Ran is fine as she is now, there's no need to follow her example."
Hattori Heiji quickly started bragging about Mouri Kogoro, asking him what cases he had solved recently, successfully changing the subject.
They're praising Bo Ye's aesthetic sense and Kogoro Mouri's detective skills; he's really put in so much effort...
As for Bo Yezaki, there was no need for any preamble; he already knew what was going on and was simply here to confirm.
The topic that the girls were talking about was, unsurprisingly, Shinichi Kudo's recent confession to Ran Mouri in London.
Since Usakabe Saiki was older than them and could be considered a working adult, he didn't feel awkward discussing this kind of thing in front of boys his own age. Instead, it became a delicate matter to discuss in front of his elders.
However, Usui Saiki's enthusiastic and even more gossipy manner quickly diminished the awkwardness. Furthermore, due to his seniority, he was able to convey some of the opinions of the Kudo couple and was good at setting the pace, which led to everyone, who were initially somewhat restrained, starting to discuss things in a daze.
They had actually talked quite a bit about Ran Mouri and Shinichi Kudo on the phone, but they didn't talk about it much in person. Instead, thanks to Saiki Usaba's instigation, the conversation quickly shifted to Kazuha Toyama.
"Speaking of which, Ran and Shinichi are finally able to date. How are things going with Kazuha and Heiji?" Usaku Saiki asked casually, taking advantage of his seniority.
Kazuha Toyama blushed instantly: "Wh-wh..."
Usoba Saiki adopted the demeanor of a caring older brother and said kindly, "Do you need my help? I think I understand what boys this age are thinking better than you do."
The girls thought it made some sense.
Although Bo Ye was several years older than them, there was no generation gap when they chatted. Judging from his clothes, he was still a fun-loving and fashionable young man. Although this kind of topic was indeed embarrassing, when you don't understand what the person you like is thinking, it's less resistant to ask Bo Ye than to ask a guy your own age.
Throughout the meal, the all-male table seemed to have no appetite, glancing at the next table every now and then while simultaneously fueling their suspicions.
While Kogoro Mouri was drinking and boasting, Heiji Hattori had to use his brain to deal with him.
Meanwhile, at the table of Usoppō Saiki, people were chatting and laughing, clearly enjoying themselves.
After finally finishing their meal, Hattori Heiji followed Usuiba Saiki to wash his hands and quietly asked, "How did it go? Did you get anything out of him?!"
Bo Yezaki gave him a profound look: "I got the question out."
Hattori Heiji was overjoyed: "So, what's the reason?"
Usoya Saiki: "I can't say, I promised them."
Hattori Heiji: "...???"
Wait a minute?! Then why did I ask you to find out?!
Usaku Saiki abandoned Hattori Heiji and swaggered away. Hattori Heiji stood there stunned for a moment, then grabbed Edogawa Conan.
Why don't you use your bugging device!
"Using it to catch criminals is one thing, but isn't it a bit inappropriate to use it in this situation?"
Bo Yezaki hadn't gone far when he heard this and couldn't help but think to himself: [They're both illegal, what's the difference?]
[This is a world of detectives, how can detective work be considered illegal?] The Suspicion Value System also chimed in.
Undercover System: [He's very skilled at illegal activities; he'd be a good fit for the police force when he grows up.]
Usakabe Saiki: 【…Let’s forget about the police!】
The protagonist of a shonen manga who dreams of becoming a detective grows up to become a police officer in the public security system, which suddenly becomes so realistic that it's disheartening!
Although Usui Saiki refused to tell Hattori Heiji and Edogawa Conan what he had talked about with the girls, Toyama Kazuha invited everyone to continue their tour in Osaka the next day, volunteering to be their guide. Hattori Heiji was quite looking forward to seeing if there would be any surprises.
Kazuha Toyama had indeed made ample preparations, taking people to scenic spots they hadn't visited before.
Not long after they arrived, Yuanshan and Ye Gang said, "That place is supposedly a good spot for couples to take photos," and everyone heard a scream.
Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori, who were originally looking lazy, were instantly activated by the scream and rushed out, faster than a 100-meter sprinter.
Ran Mouri and Kazuha Toyama were used to it, so they hesitated for a moment before following along.
When Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori arrived, they discovered that nothing seemed to have happened; someone had simply collapsed on a passerby due to low blood sugar, startling the passerby into screaming.
"Uh... it seems that screaming doesn't necessarily mean a crime has occurred."
Hattori Heiji reflected somewhat uncomfortably: "Anyway, nothing happening is a good thing, right?"
Conan Edogawa: "Hmm..."
The belatedly arriving Usakabe Saiki said behind them, "It's never really fun hanging out with people who love solving cases, is it?"
The two turned their heads and saw Ran Mouri and Kazuha Toyama nodding in agreement.
"really."
Conan Edogawa: "..."
Hattori Heiji: "..."
They seem to know how Bo Ye got so close to the girls... Was it by talking badly about them?
However, as the crowd dispersed, Conan Edogawa saw the person helping a patient with hypoglycemia and suddenly exclaimed "Huh?"
"Isn't this Officer Morofushi Takaaki from Nagano Prefecture?"
Indeed, it was Morofushi Takaaki who arrived at the scene earlier than the two detectives, helped the person who had fainted, and calmed the other crowd.
He heard someone call his name and instinctively looked in the direction of the voice. He had just given Conan Edogawa a smile when he saw Usui Saiki behind him.
The silver-haired youth who met his gaze calmly smiled at him.
Zhu Fugaoming: "..."
Of course, he would never forget that it was this very person who, while he was hospitalized, came and left behind such suspicious words as, "Your brother should have come to visit, but he can't. Please accept my condolences!"
He guessed that his younger brother, Morofushi Kagemitsu, had gone undercover, and he was prepared for his brother to possibly sacrifice himself during his undercover mission, but it couldn't be such a suspicious guy who gave him such an ambiguous message!
For someone to say something like that, they must be either a member of the police or part of Jingguang's undercover organization.
After that incident, he lived cautiously for a long time and did not encounter anyone who seemed to be investigating him or anything like that. In addition, the fact that this guy named Usaku Saiki could appear so openly and confidently next to Kogoro Mouri made it more likely that he was someone related to the Public Security Bureau.
He desperately wanted to know if what the other party said last time meant exactly what he thought—Jing Guang, could it be that he had already…?
Despite his inner turmoil, Morofushi Takaaki remained outwardly calm. Once he was certain that the person with low blood sugar had recovered, he stood up and calmly greeted everyone.
Then Morofushi Takaaki smiled and looked at Usaku Saiki: "I've always wanted to thank Usaku-kun for helping us solve the case and for carrying me out of the fire. Today I finally have the chance to make up for that regret."
Bo Yezaki shook his head: "No need to thank me, I didn't really do anything."
Suspicion System: [You really didn't do anything... just helped move a few dozen meters... your colleagues did all the work!]
But how much Usaku Saiki actually did wasn't Morofushi Takaaki's concern; he just wanted an excuse to strike up a conversation with Usaku Saiki: "No, you've helped me a lot..."
Not wanting to be left out, Kogoro Mouri chimed in, "Inspector Morofushi, weren't you in Nagano? What brings you to Osaka all of a sudden?"
Zhu Fugaoming hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure whether to speak.
"Is it related to the shooting of a retired police officer yesterday?"
Hattori Heiji suddenly spoke up, explaining in response to Toyama Kazuha's questioning gaze.
"That retired policeman had been doing well in Osaka after retiring, but he went to Tokyo a few days ago and was shot dead not long after. Maybe we can find some clues here in Osaka... This seems to be the second retired detective to die."
Morabu Takaaki sighed: "I guess so, but I'm not the officer in charge of this case. I'm just... here to take a look."
He has a good relationship with one of the police officers involved in the case, so he is actually conducting the investigation in a private capacity.
After all, the deceased was a retired criminal police officer, so this matter certainly couldn't be left to detectives to handle. Otherwise, the police themselves wouldn't be able to swallow their anger. Therefore, although the detectives were eager to know the specifics of the case, they didn't dare to ask too many questions.
Conan Edogawa asked, "Is the Metropolitan Police Department handling this case now?"
"It used to be under the Ikebukuro Police Station, but now it's been transferred to the Metropolitan Police Department, so I'm going to Tokyo tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Usoppei Saiki's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
...His expression didn't change when he knew that retired police officers were dying one after another, but it has changed now?
Zhu Fugaoming noticed this, made some guesses, kept them in mind, and asked.
"The weekend is almost over. Are you all heading back to Tokyo tomorrow? How about we go together?"
Bo Yezaki met his gaze and nodded indifferently.
"sure."
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