Chapter 252 Seventy-Threeth Cycle (82)
Iori Muga couldn't understand why a child would discover her, a former police officer and undercover agent, and why the child was so wary of her, as if she had seen the most vicious criminal in the world.
The boy named Conan Edogawa quickly realized that his reaction was a bit too much, and immediately pretended that he had just seen something interesting outside the window. He tugged at Heiji Hattori to look at it with him, just like an ordinary child playing.
Iori Muga: "..."
He turned his head slightly to look at Amuro Tooru, who was trying not to laugh.
The blond, dark-skinned youth tilted his head and gave an innocent smile.
Obviously, that person should know why.
However, since he hasn't said anything, it's probably not a big problem.
Iori Muga withdrew her gaze and typed on her phone to inform Miss Kureha about the situation.
Even if there is no danger, being discovered by Conan Edogawa would greatly affect his plans to observe and thwart Heiji Hattori's confession.
Iori Mu is already considering a temporary retreat and instead observing from the shadows.
*
"Hey, Hattori, do you know when that person next to you came in?" Conan Edogawa whispered to Heiji Hattori.
Hattori Heiji turned his head and glanced at him: "No, what's wrong with him? But looking at him closely, he seems a little familiar... like I've seen him somewhere before..."
Conan Edogawa felt the same way, but the person's scarf, hat, and glasses covered most of their face, making it difficult to discern their features.
If he hadn't become so accustomed to noticing everyone around him who was paying attention to Mr. Amuro, he would have even overlooked that person.
The main problem was that the man's presence was so weak; he didn't make a sound, and you couldn't even sense his breath.
That alone makes him definitely not an ordinary person. His appearance at Poirot Cafe and even his apparent attempt to secretly photograph Mr. Amuro makes it even stranger.
In that instant, as Conan Edogawa and Tooru Amuro were talking together, he keenly sensed that a camera was pointed at them, which almost made his instincts to be on high alert explode.
If it weren't for this, he wouldn't even have realized that the person was so close to them.
That's already terrifying and suspicious enough, not to mention that the man also has a pair of upturned blue eyes!
Conan Edogawa was practically exploding with shock. It was so sudden that he couldn't even control his reaction, and he didn't know if he had aroused the other party's suspicion.
"Mr. Amuro, is he a regular customer?" After confirming that the man was wearing headphones, Conan Edogawa turned around and whispered in Amuro Tooru's ear, keeping his voice as low as possible.
“No.” The blond, dark-skinned youth shook his head. “This is the first time I’ve seen him here either. It was shortly after you came in.”
Conan Edogawa breathed a sigh of relief. As expected of Mr. Amuro, he noticed that person even in this situation.
Moreover, since Mr. Amuro didn't give them any hints, it probably means they don't need to care, right?
Conan Edogawa felt a little more at ease.
But it's only a little bit.
After all, the person in front of him had too many criminal records. Because he was too dangerous and only targeted him, he kept it a secret from others and faced everything alone. It was something he was capable of doing.
Clearly, this is the case in Scotland.
After talking with them, the blond youth went over to ask the man a question.
The man ordered the signature coffee and sandwich.
Conan Edogawa carefully observed the man's eyes.
Although it doesn't seem to be a typical, complete upturned eye shape, with a slight droop at the outer corner, the overall shape of the eye is still very clearly upturned. It would be entirely accurate to call it a blue upturned eye, with an exceptionally sharp look.
He spoke in a low voice, but the coffee shop was quiet, so you could still tell that his voice was very distinctive and pleasant.
The more you observe, the more it resembles Scotland.
Moreover, that vague sense of familiarity was also strange. Could it be that he had appeared around them before under another identity? Or perhaps he had been observing them all along?
No, it's too suspicious no matter how I think about it. I really want to pretend to be a child and test it out...
Conan Edogawa was deeply moved, but before he could take any action, the case occurred first.
*
The stabbed man was taken to the emergency room, while everyone else was forced to remain in the coffee shop.
During the investigation, Heiji Hattori kept checking the time, his expression gradually becoming anxious and speechless. Finally, realizing that he really wouldn't have time to go on his date and confess his feelings, he covered his face and sighed heavily.
"Honestly, it's always the same every single time. Just when I finally decide to confess, something goes wrong..."
Conan Edogawa, standing nearby, also revealed a half-moon eye: "Seriously, are you cursed?"
Amuro Tooru sighed beside him, "I feel like I'm cursed."
Conan Edogawa immediately turned to him with concern and asked, "Why did you say that, Mr. Amuro? What's wrong?"
The blond, dark-skinned youth smiled helplessly and said jokingly, "Hasn't Conan noticed? Every case I'm present in seems to be related to blood ties or misunderstandings, with only a very few exceptions."
Conan Edogawa carefully recalled that ever since he first encountered Tooru Amuro in a case on the eve of the wedding of lovers who had become siblings, it seemed that almost every case in which Tooru Amuro was present was more or less related to blood ties and misunderstandings.
Thinking about it carefully, this coincidence is so coincidental that it makes one marvel at the fantastical nature of fate.
However, although the coincidences are a bit too much, Conan Edogawa has encountered similar things quite a few times. Not to mention himself, the fact that Heiji Kobe always gets ruined by cases when he tries to confess is also too coincidental to be true. He has even gotten used to it.
Moreover, Amuro Tooru doesn't seem like the kind of person who would care about or lament about such things. He should be the kind of materialistic warrior who never believes in evil and never admits defeat.
Could it be...?
Conan Edogawa suddenly remembered the church in Nagano and a series of documents about time travel, and his expression gradually became one of surprise and uncertainty.
The police arrived quickly, this time with familiar faces Inspector Megure and Wataru Takagi.
Takagi Wataru took out his notebook and began questioning and recording the process of the case.
He was familiar with everyone in the group, except for the man in the hat, who was a complete stranger. So he specifically asked him for his name and occupation—after all, everyone in the coffee shop was a suspect.
"My name is Shinichi Wada, and I work in the medical field," said the man wearing a hat.
Conan Edogawa suddenly looked up, his eyes widening instantly.
He said... his name is Shinichi Wada? No way!!!
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the man who called himself Shinichi Wada seemed to be more careful about his appearance, even hiding the lower half of his face behind his scarf. Only his calm and sharp blue eyes were still clearly visible behind his glasses.
Especially from this angle of Conan Edogawa, even his hat couldn't block his view, and he could clearly see half of the other person's face. Even when he told such an outrageous lie as being Shinichi Wada, his blue eyes remained calm and composed, without revealing any flaws.
Takagi Wataru, who didn't know what Wada Shinichi's name was, was completely unaware that something was wrong.
Conan Edogawa couldn't help but look at Tooru Amuro, only to find him talking to Inspector Megure, completely oblivious to what was happening here.
On the contrary, the case has made new progress.
Conan Edogawa was momentarily distracted by his own guess, temporarily forgetting the urgent matter he had just been dealing with, and went to confirm it.
That's right, that must be it.
The woman and the man were actually siblings, but the sister was the illegitimate child of a politician, so no one else knew. The woman's boyfriend misunderstood their relationship and thus targeted his brother...
Conan Edogawa looked at Tooru Amuro, who was talking to Azusa Enomoto, with a somewhat complicated expression.
So, was that sentence just a hint about the case?
"Hey, Kudo." Hattori Heiji suddenly squatted down and called out his real name in his ear, startling Edogawa Conan, who was still wondering about Scotland and time travel. He wanted to reach out and cover Hattori's mouth, but first turned his head to look around to see if anyone else had heard.
Fortunately, no one was around; everyone was focused on Amuro Tooru's explanation of the case.
Completely oblivious to what was going on, Hattori Heiji continued, "Who is this Amuro Tooru? He's not an ordinary person, is he?"
He was very curious about the man who was also dark-skinned and clearly not simple, wondering when such a person had appeared by Kudo's side.
Conan Edogawa: "..."
Conan Edogawa looked at the blond youth who was talking to Inspector Megure in the restroom.
Despite being so far away, the person seemed to know everything about their conversation. When he looked over, the person raised their index finger to indicate that it was a secret, and even winked with a very bright smile.
Conan Edogawa: "..."
Conan Edogawa looked away, feeling both helpless and guilty: "Um... oh, right, he's a detective, and he even became an apprentice of Uncle Kogoro."
Hattori Heiji was speechless: "What? He's that idiot old man's disciple?"
Conan Edogawa immediately changed the subject: "By the way, Hattori, did you hear what that person just said? He said his name was Shinichi Wada!"
Hattori Heiji exclaimed, "Oh, right! How amazing! His name is the same as yours!"
Because he was quite surprised, he raised his voice, which even caught the attention of Enomoto Azusa, who was passing by.
"Hmm? But isn't Conan-kun's full name Edogawa Conan?" She bent down to look at Edogawa Conan in confusion. "How are they the same?"
Conan Edogawa was genuinely terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. His expression betrayed his panic as he explained, "Ah, um, he was talking about Shinichi-nii! He meant the same name as my favorite Shinichi-nii! Just a shortened version, hahaha—"
While speaking, he also subconsciously observed the other people.
Amuro Tooru was silently watching him.
Although this person probably already knew his true identity because of Mr. Matsuda and the others, Conan Edogawa was still a little flustered by the sudden exposure of his true identity.
He knew very well how perceptive and suspicious Amuro Tooru was, and how frighteningly efficient he was; even the slightest clue was enough for him to uncover the truth.
But this isn't a big problem. Mr. Amuro is trustworthy, so it doesn't matter even if he finds out he's Shinichi Kudo.
An even more important issue is that there was a man who appeared to be from Scotland present at the scene!
Shinichi Wada was also looking at him, his expression not changing much, but there was a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Conan Edogawa dragged Heiji Hattori to a corner and gave him a severe scolding.
The dark-skinned boy clasped his hands together apologetically, "I'm really sorry, I just can't seem to change. I'll definitely pay attention next time. It's just that when I hear his name, I immediately think of you, Shinichi Wada. Doesn't that sound like 'I am Shinichi'?"
Conan Edogawa was extremely worried about his unreliable friend, and he became even more determined not to involve him in the organization's affairs anymore, otherwise, something really serious would happen.
“That’s not the problem.” He changed the subject, his expression serious. “Wada Shinichi is the Japanese name for Watson when our country introduced Sherlock Holmes. So it’s very likely that this is just a pseudonym, and he is very familiar with the Sherlock Holmes series. There may even be someone similar to Sherlock Holmes behind him.”
Heiji Hattori immediately sensed that something was wrong.
The two men kept a close eye on the man for the rest of the time, and when he suddenly pulled out his earphones, held his phone up to them, and said something, they became even more suspicious of him.
Conan Edogawa even delegated the case to Heiji Hattori and Tooru Amuro, while secretly sidling up to Shinichi Wada, trying to see the phone he was holding up, and pretending to be curious as he asked, "Hey, Uncle, what are you doing?"
Because of his height and the angle, he couldn't see the phone screen at all, but anyone could tell that the man was either taking photos or having someone on the other end of a video call watch the scene together.
—This person has become so arrogant that he no longer bothers to hide it at all.
This obvious behavior actually reassured Conan Edogawa a bit. After all, if it were someone from that organization, if it were Scotland, they certainly wouldn't be so arrogant, right?
"jingle--"
The doorbell ringing suddenly behind them interrupted their conversation.
Conan Edogawa and Shinichi Wada turned their heads at the same time, and when they saw the person who came, they even showed extremely similar complicated expressions at the same time.
"Hmm? Did something happen to Poirot?" Midorikawa Hikaru pushed open the door and came in, a worried yet shy smile on his face. He whispered, "I heard customers talking at the sushi restaurant next door, so I came over to check after I finished what I was doing. Is everyone alright? Where's Amuro-senpai?"
“Senior…brother?” Wada Shinichi repeated, a little hesitantly, each syllable filled with shock and confusion.
*
Teitan Elementary School.
It was completely dark by then.
Curaçao stayed at the school, planning to clean up the abandoned warehouse before returning.
The warehouse was dark and very quiet, with no lights on.
But Curaçao suddenly stopped at the door and didn't move.
She turned off the flashlight and used the dim light from her phone to observe.
The door lock was opened, and there were barely visible footprints on the dusty floor. The entrance to the basement was also sticking out at one corner.
Curaçao gently put down the bag full of tools, turned off her phone and put it in her pocket, then slipped into the darkness empty-handed, quietly waiting for the intruder to appear.
At the same time, she was also thinking rapidly about who would be so careful as to sneak into an abandoned warehouse at Teitan Elementary School.
Soon, a faint creaking sound came from the darkness—the sound of the rusty basement iron door being opened.
Curaçao held his breath and stared intently with wide eyes.
Because of the special nature of her brain and eyes, and the training she received while working for Rum, she became extremely sensitive to light, and could detect the presence and movements of living things even in the dark through subtle senses and experience.
She was certain that no one came out of the darkness, but the basement door had indeed been opened by a hand.
That person didn't move, didn't come out immediately, why did they suddenly stop? Why is it so quiet?
—Because the other party discovered her presence!
Curaçao didn't hesitate to attack, and at the same time collided violently with someone.
The opponent was extremely skilled, with swift and ruthless movements, remaining agile even in the dark.
After only a few moves, Curaçao narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling someone he had fought before because of a sense of familiarity.
Rachel Asaka.
After Rum's death, Asaka somehow found out and, seemingly disbelieving, came looking for him. At the time, Scotland and she were dealing with Rum's funeral arrangements when they bumped into him.
The person in the darkness now gave Curaçao the same feeling she had when she faced Asaka.
Is it a coincidence?
No, the person who possesses this ability and sense of familiarity must be her.
After all, Bourbon and Scotland are also in Beika Town, so it's not surprising that Rachel Asaka would come looking for them.
Curaçao's mind raced. Instead of lingering, she took the opportunity to run away, intending to contact Bourbon and the others first to ask them what was going on.
"Halt!" The person in the darkness seemed to have confirmed her identity, and even called out her name in a moment of urgency, "Curaçao! You're Curaçao, right? You're still alive? Why are you here? Is Scotland here too?"
"Who's there?" A beam of flashlight light suddenly shone down. "Who's there?"
The two emotionally unstable people were directly hit by the light and froze instantly.
"It's Ms. Amami and Ms. Wakasa!" Kobayashi Sumiko breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran over, saying happily, "Oh, it's you two! I thought there had been a burglar. Perfect timing, I was just looking for you, I knew you were still at school!"
The two immediately resumed their feigned harmless smiles as they looked at the newcomer, but remained wary, their hearts filled with confusion.
Sumiko Kobayashi smiled and took the two women's hands, introducing them to each other: "Ms. Amami, you probably don't know yet, but this is Ms. Rumi Wakasa, who just arrived at our school today. Starting tomorrow, she'll be the assistant homeroom teacher for Class 1-B. Ms. Wakasa, this is Ms. Yuki Amami, our class's PE teacher. She's super popular with the students!"
Curaçao: "..."
Rachel Asaka: "..."
The two looked at each other and fell silent for a moment.
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