Chapter 253, Seventy-Third Cycle (83)
"What's wrong?" Conan Edogawa, who was in a state of heightened awareness, immediately sensed something was amiss. He turned to look at the man beside him and asked with a smile, "Why are you so surprised that Mr. Midorikawa calls Mr. Amuro 'senior brother'?"
Upon hearing this, Midorikawa Hikaru also looked over, and his eyes met those of Wada Susumu. Their blue eyes were calm and unwavering, as if they were just exchanging glances with strangers.
Shinichi Wada lowered his head and said to Conan Edogawa, "I was surprised to hear you and that boy say that the person named Tooru Amuro is the disciple of the sleeping Kogoro Mouri, and this Mr. Midorikawa said that he works at the sushi restaurant next door. So I was very surprised to hear him call Amuro-kun 'senior brother'."
After speaking, he paused slightly, smiled as if he found it amazing, and said, "I had never heard of Detective Mouri taking on disciples before. I was quite surprised to find that they were employees of the coffee shop and sushi restaurant downstairs one after another. I'm very sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."
He twisted the focus to his own rudeness in thinking that the two were unworthy to be the disciples of the famous detective Kogoro Mouri, and tried to cover up his malice by explaining that he had no ill intentions and that even if others were unhappy, there was nothing strange about it.
After all, Amuro Tooru and Midorikawa Hikaru are indeed low-key and have never publicly proclaimed that they are Kogoro Mouri's disciples; only those who are familiar with them know this.
Conan Edogawa remained silent for two seconds, unsure where to begin probing.
Midorikawa Hikaru, however, wasn't angry at all. He pushed up his glasses and smiled, "I see. But fate is so wonderful. It's amazing that we could meet here, isn't it?"
"Yes, this trip was worthwhile. I learned about the disciple of the famous detective Kogoro Mouri before the media did, which was a pleasant surprise." Wada nodded, lowered his hat brim slightly, and stepped aside to make way.
Hikaru Midorikawa entered the coffee shop and immediately headed towards Tooru Amuro.
Conan Edogawa withdrew his gaze and turned back to observe Shinichi Wada.
He always felt that the conversation between the two was strange, as if there was a hidden meaning in their words.
Do they know each other?
Two seemingly dangerous individuals from Scotland have somehow come to know each other and even met at Poirot's Cafe. Conan Edogawa is anxious just thinking about it and wishes he could drag Tooru Amuro away immediately.
"Hey, Conan... Conan." Heiji Hattori pulled him aside, stammered out his name, and then asked, "What's going on with that guy? That idiot uncle actually took on two disciples? But I feel like these two disciples aren't simple people, they're much stronger than the idiot uncle himself, right? Even if they were misled by the media at first, now that they know the idiot uncle's true strength, is it really normal for them to still be here?"
Conan Edogawa racked his brains trying to figure out how to explain things without arousing Heiji Hattori's suspicion: "Is it alright? You know, smart people tend to overthink things. They'll imagine that Uncle Kogoro is pretending to be stupid to test and train their abilities..."
"Heiji!"
Hattori Heiji was startled and turned around sharply. Sure enough, he saw Toyama Kazuha fuming, with a helpless Mouri Ran standing behind her.
He instantly lost the will to pursue the matter further and went over to explain, feeling guilty and embarrassed.
Conan Edogawa breathed a sigh of relief.
As the case was nearing its end, Conan Edogawa refocused his attention on it.
It was only after his attention was diverted for a short while, and the case was completely solved, that he realized that Shinichi Wada, who had been standing by the door, had disappeared at some point.
Takagi Wataru, who was about to call the relevant personnel back to make a statement, looked bewildered. Then, he was surprised by Mouri Ran's explanation that Wada Shinichi was probably a pseudonym for Watson from the Sherlock Holmes series, which shocked him.
Conan Edogawa couldn't resist going to see Tooru Amuro again.
Even if Officer Takagi didn't realize it, Mr. Amuro must have known, right? As a public security officer, was he just going to stand by and do nothing? He didn't even warn him and just let that suspicious person leave.
This made Conan Edogawa wonder whether the person was inherently dangerous and unsuitable to reveal their identity now, or whether Mr. Amuro was preoccupied with Hikaru Midorikawa and unable to deal with it, or even had temporarily forgotten about it.
Oh, right!
Hattori Heiji, who was almost dragged out by Toyama Kazuha to catch the train, suddenly ran back.
He crouched down, raised his hand to cover his mouth, and whispered with a serious expression, "I remember now, that guy who called himself Wada Shinichi, isn't he the butler of Momiji that we met before?"
Conan Edogawa paused, then thought carefully: "That person named Iori?"
I only met her briefly a few times when I was picking up and dropping off Hongye. I only remember that she was very tall, dressed formally, and had a thick head of long, curly black hair.
Now that I think about it carefully, those blue eyes and the voice really do look very similar.
But if she really is Ooka Momiji's butler, why would she dress up like this to come to Poirot Cafe?
Conan Edogawa looked up at Heiji Hattori, who was being pulled away by Kazuha Toyama, and fell silent for a moment.
Hmm... Could it be that Ooka Momiji found out that Hattori Heiji was going to confess to Toyama Kazuha, so she sent the butler to ruin it?
Conan Edogawa shook his head. If that were the case, then the person Iori was observing and filming must be Hattori? Was his intuition wrong? Had he become so easily frightened by recent events that he assumed the other person was observing Mr. Amuro?
Even if that's the case, there are still a few strange things.
The strange feeling in Iori and Midorikawa Hikaru's conversation still remains inexplicable.
and……
Conan Edogawa made an excuse to slip away and went to Professor Agasa's house, where he asked Ai Haibara to investigate Momiji Ooka and the butler named Iori.
"Iori?" Ai Haibara said while typing on the keyboard, "I don't know him, I've never heard of him, what happened? Why do you suspect he's from the organization again?"
“I suspect he’s Scottish,” Conan Edogawa said seriously. “He’s dangerous, plus he has those upturned blue eyes and a really nice voice—those are all Scottish characteristics, aren’t they? Even if his reasons for going to Poirot’s Café are valid, we can’t completely rule him out. Maybe he’s just making up an excuse?”
Ai Haibara remained noncommittal, quickly browsing through the information online: "Wouldn't it be better to ask Hiroki-kun and Noah's Ark for this kind of thing? They could definitely compile all the information online in no time."
Conan Edogawa sighed, "Isn't it because... that matter hasn't been resolved yet? I'm a little hesitant to go directly to them now, so I'll have to ask you for help first, Ai Haibara."
Ai Haibara glanced at him and said, "I'm telling you, if Hiroki-kun and Noah's Ark are really our enemies, then we're doomed. We're all doomed."
Conan Edogawa frantically rubbed his head: "I know, I know, but..."
However, he still couldn't understand why they were keeping it from him, why they wouldn't explain no matter how he tried to probe, and why they only expressed their friendly stance with a riddle-like attitude.
What else could Conan Edogawa do? Too many important and complicated things had happened recently, and he didn't have the energy to think about them. He could only use the safest method to deal with the most dangerous things.
Putting those matters aside for the time being actually demonstrates his trust in Mr. Amuro and Hiroki.
If Mr. Amuro and Hiroki are also enemies, that would be terrifying.
While Ai Haibara was searching on her computer, Conan Edogawa was also searching online on his phone.
Then, two news items suddenly popped up at the top of the phone screen.
[Breaking news: An international summit will be held in Tokyo on May 1st next month. The venue is located on the edge of a comprehensive resort area on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. Traffic control will be in place on the surrounding roads, and some roads will be temporarily closed...]
[Shocking! The Swan unmanned probe, which has completed its Mars sample collection mission, will embark on a journey to repeat Earth's trajectory on May 1st, with a planned landing site in the coastal area near Tokyo...]
May 1st.
Conan Edogawa twitched the corners of his mouth and sighed with his crescent-shaped eyes.
Tokyo will be busy again next month...
“Found it, Kudo-kun.” Ai Haibara stepped aside to show the computer screen and turned to say, “It’s really hard to find information about Momiji Ooka, and the butler too, but we can find some information from some news articles from three years ago.”
Conan Edogawa immediately looked up.
The screen displays information that Ai Haibara has gathered from various sources.
Ooka Momiji, who has practiced karuta since childhood, is the strongest contender for the title of next karuta queen and is very famous.
She was born in Kyoto to the Ooka family, one of the wealthiest families in the area, a powerful family comparable to the Suzuki Group, with a long and distinguished history.
Furthermore, it seems that the Ooka family does not have a good relationship with Suzuki Jirokichi of the Suzuki Group. The Ooka family also knows the Haneda family and seems to be very interested in and admire the Haneda family's shogi master.
The Haneda family... Haneda Koji?
Conan Edogawa's eyes sharpened instantly.
More importantly, Ooka Momiji's grandfather was a retired former prime minister who is still very popular and powerful.
The more you look at Conan Edogawa, the more serious his expression becomes.
Given the terrifying power behind Ooka Momiji, it's not surprising that she has such a capable butler.
As for Iori... his full name is Iori Muga. He suddenly became Ooka Momiji's butler three years ago after she encountered danger. It is said that he is strong enough to be a bodyguard. No other information can be found.
Conan Edogawa unconsciously touched his chin, his glasses reflected the light in front of the computer screen, and his lips were pursed.
Although he didn't want to think that way, he kept pondering why an organization that was wreaking havoc around the world and causing headaches for institutions in various countries would place its headquarters in this small island nation, and why it possessed such terrifying wealth and power in this country.
If... he meant if, if that former prime minister was the organization's boss, if the Ooka family was connected to the organization, then... then that would be truly terrifying.
Conan Edogawa didn't want to believe this possibility and hoped it was just his overthinking and paranoia, but once he started thinking about it, he couldn't help but become vigilant.
Ai Haibara, despite knowing about the organization's boss, kept saying it was a Pandora's box that couldn't be opened, refusing to reveal any information to him in order to prevent him from investigating directly and confronting the organization's boss.
But hiding and escaping like this isn't a problem at all.
Conan Edogawa pondered, "Does Mr. Amuro know about the organization's boss? Would I be able to get an answer by suddenly probing Mr. Amuro?"
He was so stressed that he couldn't sleep at all that night, and went to school the next day with dark circles under his eyes.
Just as he was yawning and about to lie down on the table to sleep, his homeroom teacher, Ms. Lin, walked into the classroom with a strange woman.
"Everyone, this is our new assistant class teacher."
"Hello, everyone. My name is Wakasa Rumi. Nice to meet you!"
The flustered black-haired woman bowed so deeply that she bumped into the podium, causing the children below to burst into laughter. She herself touched her red forehead and laughed sheepishly.
Conan Edogawa glanced at her a few times but didn't notice anything amiss.
He was in a daze for most of the day. In the afternoon, when he and the Junior Detective Club were taken to the abandoned warehouse by the timid teacher Wakasa, an accident occurred.
There was a human skeleton in the basement of the warehouse, and it just so happened that Ms. Amami, who happened to be passing by, didn't seem to have a good relationship with Ms. Wakasa.
Conan Edogawa instantly became alert when Yuki Amami approached, and his vigilance was off the charts when he heard Rumi Wakasa say that she liked to drink whiskey.
Someone who can banter with Yuki Amami with such a strong presence and as if they know each other well must be no ordinary person!
The events that followed in the next few days further confirmed Conan Edogawa's idea.
There's definitely something wrong with Rumi Wakasa!
*
April 22nd.
Nine o'clock in the morning.
Conan Edogawa finally got to eat Poirot's new breakfast—tomato milk soup.
The tomato milk soup also included beef balls and cabbage, making it a perfect breakfast option. Kogoro Mouri had been grumbling that he didn't like sweets in the morning, but his eyes lit up the moment he took a bite, and he exclaimed how delicious it was.
Conan Edogawa also thought it was super delicious, but the soup was too hot for the kids, so he ate slowly and chatted with Tooru Amuro while no one else was in the coffee shop.
He raised his hand to cover his mouth and whispered to the blond youth who was bending over and listening attentively, "Mr. Amuro, did you take leave on May 1st to participate in the security work for the Tokyo Summit next week? Aren't you sure you won't be discovered by those people?"
"Yes, after all, it's a global summit, so the work of the police is very important." The blond, dark-skinned waiter leaned against the counter, resting his chin on his hand, and smiled. "Don't worry, I won't show myself directly, and no one other than the police will see me."
Conan Edogawa remarked, "Mr. Amuro, the Public Security Bureau is doing a good job too."
This person seems to put in a lot of effort in everything they do. Even when they are working as a waiter in a coffee shop gathering information, they are seriously researching new dishes and desserts. It seems that they must do every job perfectly.
"You really do enjoy prying into other people's secrets," Amuro Tooru said, looking at him helplessly. "Actually, I'm more interested in that boy I met at the coffee shop last week than the Tokyo summit next week. His name is Hattori Heiji, right? I think I heard him call you Kou—"
"Ah!" Conan Edogawa exclaimed, quickly changing the subject, "By the way! Mr. Amuro! Wasn't the mystery of the melted cake from a few days ago solved? Today's cake is perfect, isn't it? May I have a taste?"
The blond youth stared at him with a half-smile for two seconds, then looked away under his pleading gaze and turned to take the cake out of the refrigerator.
While cutting the cake, Enomoto Azusa casually told Ran Mouri about how the coffee shop cake had mysteriously melted and how the Junior Detective League had solved the mystery.
Ran Mouri couldn't help but sigh, "Smart home appliances based on the Internet of Things are becoming more and more common now. I never thought something like this would happen. Wouldn't it be very dangerous if other important machines also detected similar radio interference?"
Enomoto Azusa nodded: "This kind of technology has only recently become popular. I probably wouldn't have even thought of it. So Conan-kun is really amazing!"
Conan Edogawa smiled shyly at their gazes and attributed the credit to the entire Junior Detective League.
Only after their gazes shifted did he breathe a sigh of relief, move the empty bowl aside, and begin to savor the delicious cake specially made by Amuro Tooru.
The blond youth who had been watching him with a smile suddenly said, "Conan, you'll investigate anything to the end for things you care about and people who are important to you."
Conan Edogawa chuckled: "After all, I'm a detective."
After taking a couple of bites, he suddenly remembered something that had been bothering him.
"Huh? Where's Mr. Midorikawa?"
Conan Edogawa turned to look outside the door and asked the blond youth beside him curiously, "Usually, when Mr. Amuro comes up with a new product, Mr. Midorikawa will definitely come to try it, right?"
Amuro Tooru's expression remained unchanged: "He seems to have something on his mind lately; he took leave a few days ago."
"I see." Conan Edogawa fell into deep thought.
The prices at sushi restaurants are quite high. Kogoro Mouri only goes to eat sushi when he wins a horse race, and Conan Edogawa can't just go to the sushi restaurant next door all the time for no reason, so he doesn't really know much about Hikaru Midorikawa's situation.
After finishing his cake, Conan Edogawa suddenly exclaimed "Ah!", put down his fork, and turned to look for the blond youth.
He suddenly realized why Mr. Amuro had asked him to tell the Ministry of Justice about last week.
Today is April 22nd, two weeks after April 13th. It's normal for ordinary people to get the date wrong, but it's really strange for the strict and serious Mr. Amuro.
After all, it was Friday the 13th, and they had been discussing this topic for a long time, wondering whether or not to believe in such mystical things. Even ordinary people would have vivid memories of it, let alone Mr. Amuro.
Conan Edogawa felt something was off. Someone as meticulous as Mr. Amuro, who calculated the time for every single job, shouldn't have gotten the time wrong, right?
However, after looking around, he couldn't find the blond youth anywhere.
Enomoto Azusa said, "Mr. Amuro just received a phone call and went to the back to make the call with a very serious expression."
Conan Edogawa went over to take a look, but the door to the warehouse at the back was locked from the inside, so he gave up on asking about it.
Mr. Amuro has probably been too busy lately, so he's not very clear about the passage of time. It's not a big deal.
*
“Bourbon.” Vermouth’s voice, unusually devoid of any lighthearted laughter, asked him with great seriousness, “Did you see that news? If not, take a look at the picture I just sent you.”
"I saw it." The young man on the other end of the phone spoke calmly. "What's wrong? It's just a news story about an elementary school teacher accidentally subduing a criminal. Do you know that person?"
Vermouth sat down in the chair in front of the French windows with an annoyance: "I don't know the person, but that name... there are a lot of problems with it. Don't tell me you don't know."
Bourbon grunted, then finally stopped acting and said with a cheerful tone, "Wakasa Rumi, if she really did it on purpose, then she's really bold."
Vermouth wasn't in such a relaxed or even spectator-like mood. She shifted her weight to the other leg, a little annoyed, and said, "The Romanized form of Wakasa Rumi's name, [Wakasa Rumi], can definitely be linked to the code left by Haneda Koji. Anyone familiar with this matter will immediately think of [ASACA RUM], which is Asaka and Rum. If someone really studies the code a little more, they might actually uncover that gentleman's secret."
“Yes, that’s true, but most people probably wouldn’t think of that.” Bourbon’s voice still carried a smile. “So she probably did it on purpose for the organization.”
“There’s no doubt she’s trying to draw the attention of those in the organization who know about this, I wonder what she’s up to.” Vermouth clicked her tongue. “Even though Rum is dead, he left behind such a huge mess. Scotland must be too busy to bother you lately.”
Bourbon chuckled, indicating that he didn't want to talk.
“Don’t just watch the show. This isn’t just a Scottish affair anymore; you and I can’t escape it either,” Vermouth sighed. “That gentleman said we also need to investigate this matter. We have to get rid of Asaka; she knows far too much.”
“【Wakasa】is a homophone for 【若様, 若さ】, which means young and youthful. 【Rumi】means beauty and eternal youth. Therefore, the name 【Wakasa Rumi】implies the idea of eternal youth and beauty. Is she alluding to the organization’s research on 【immortality】? How much does she actually know? And why is she so frantically exposing herself to the public online?” Vermouth couldn’t help but bite her nail.
Bourbon chuckled, “Oh, and don’t forget, Mermaid Island is located in Wakasa Bay.”
Vermouth slammed her hand on the table in anger: "She did it on purpose! Her target isn't just Scotland, it's us too!!"
Bourbon laughed and retorted, "No, no, no, this has nothing to do with me. The main problem is that you're in trouble. She didn't discover the experiment I was in charge of. That gentleman didn't even let me take charge of Asaka's affairs."
Vermouth was almost amused by this fake friendship, but then her attention was completely drawn to a message that popped up on her phone.
"Bourbon." Her tone instantly became calm, and she called the other person's name seriously.
"Hmm?" Bourbon asked, puzzled.
"Gin seems to have his eye on Kogoro Mouri again. Did you know about this?" she asked.
“I know, Vodka told me before,” Bourbon said with a smile.
"Then why didn't you tell me?" Vermouth frowned, her tone becoming more serious as she asked, "Bourbon, do you remember our promise?"
Bourbon sighed helplessly: "Of course I remember, absolutely do not harm those two people, and protect their safety as much as possible, right?"
Vermouth felt a little relieved and asked, "So what do you plan to do? You didn't tell me anything, so you must already have a solution, right? I've always had a lot of faith in your abilities, Bourbon."
"I guess so." The man on the other end of the phone chuckled softly.
"The new stage is ready, and now it's just a matter of the actors taking the stage one by one. Please look forward to it."
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