Chapter 67 Conan's Move: Ryusei: I'm going to throw this brat out...
Kitagawa Ryusei and Matsuda Jinpei, one big and one small, pressed themselves against the window of the ice cream shop, propping their faces up as they waited for Hagiwara Kenji.
Neither of them paid attention to the increasingly loud rustling sounds behind them.
"Conan..."
The little girl's voice sounded hesitant: "Is it wrong for us to follow people like this?"
Although the older boy wearing sunglasses did look very fierce, even scarier than the teacher who played the kidnapper in her kindergarten safety class.
But the guy next to him seemed to have a good relationship with him, and it didn't seem like he was being forced.
At this moment, Conan Edogawa was still in a daze, his brain automatically shutting out external information.
Can someone please tell him what's going on?!
All I did was solve a crime of passion, a revenge killing, and an attempted poisoning. How did Ryusei, who was so big last night and could be lifted up with one hand, become like this?
It looks like the shrinkage is even more severe than his!
His little brain was spinning rapidly, and the scene in Conan's mind quickly unfolded to "Kitagawa Ryusei's mission goes awry, he is captured by the enemy and drugged."
Genta Kojima, unable to bear seeing his friend's stunned expression any longer, decided to step in as the leader of the Junior Detective League:
"Conan, what are you doing? If you want to make new friends, just go and ask their names... There's nothing a lollipop can't solve!"
The boy's voice was so loud and powerful that it jolted Conan Edogawa back to his senses.
He was so anxious that he glared at her and kept jumping up and down, yelling, "Yuanta, keep your voice down!"
If they can't even hear this, then Kitagawa Ryusei and his companion have truly forgotten all their detective skills from the police academy instructors.
Matsuda Jinpei turned around and unexpectedly saw the child he had seen at the TV station that day, raising an eyebrow.
“I felt he looked familiar back then,” he said thoughtfully, glancing down at Kitagawa Ryusei before turning his gaze to the boy with the ahoge on his head. “This guy’s knowledge base is nothing like that of an ordinary child.”
Matsuda Jinpei deliberately ignored his initial guesses, which were too far-fetched. But now, with Kitagawa Ryusei as an example, he said with a mixture of doubt and certainty, "That kid is also a shrunken fake child, isn't he?"
Matsuda Jinpei's intuition was terrifying, and they all knew it deeply. Games like number bombs had long been permanently banned from their after-dinner entertainment.
He returned the curly-haired youth's questioning look with a look: "You've already guessed it, why are you asking me?"
Kitagawa Ryusei glanced at Edogawa Conan, who was being pushed and shoved by the three children and looked terrified, but had no intention of rescuing him.
He pushed open the door of the ice cream shop and ran to the counter: "Second year of graduate school, I don't want a rum raisin waffle, it has raisins in it!"
Just as he was taking out his phone to pay, Kenji Hagiwara heard him and drawled out, "What's wrong with raisins? Raisins taste great—"
Despite saying that, the black-haired youth still gave the person a popular ice cream, clapped his hands together in satisfaction, and turned around.
Kenji Hagiwara had just bent down when he wondered why Ryusei Kitagawa had abandoned Jinpei and run in.
Looking up, I saw my childhood friend outside the shop surrounded by a group of tiny little kids, sandwiched in the middle.
The curly-haired youth leaned back desperately, trying to avoid the human cub.
It was as if the little guys in front of him were some kind of monstrous flood, capable of devouring him with a single whimper if they even touched a corner of his clothes.
The sweet-looking little girl smiled brightly and asked, "Big brother, can I ask you what the little boy who was with you just now is called?"
Matsuda Jinpei: "..."
Even through sunglasses and glass, the two people inside the store could feel Matsuda Jinpei's stiffness.
How could he know what new name Kitagawa Ryusei had given himself? His gaze was fixed on the people watching the show inside: ...I'm asking you your name!
Amused by his childhood friend's handsome, wide-eyed face, which displayed eight micro-expressions in a second, Kenji Hagiwara burst out laughing, bending over with laughter: "Hahahaha!"
"Hagi!" Matsuda Jinpei's temples and eyebrows throbbed with bulging veins. "Try making that weird scream with that mouth of yours again!"
His expression shifted rapidly, startling the three children who all retreated in unison, leaving Conan Edogawa standing alone in front.
"Hahaha, Jinpei, don't be so fierce," Hagiwara Kenji quickly ordered four more ice cream cones, and together with Kitagawa Ryusei, took them to an empty table in the store, waving towards the door: "Want some ice cream, kid?"
Compared to the frizzy, black-fuming Matsuda, Kenji Hagiwara is clearly more approachable to children; at least he's the kind of friendly older brother next door who won't be mistaken for a bad guy at first glance.
"Is it really for us?" "Long live ice cream cones!"
Ayumi Yoshida and Genta Kojima cheered and ran inside.
Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya hesitated for a moment, then said, "My teacher said we shouldn't eat food given by strangers..."
Having finally found an opportunity to gather information about the organization, Conan Edogawa certainly didn't want to let it slip away easily.
He patted Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya on the shoulder, speaking earnestly as if feigning maturity: "It's okay, they're police officers."
It's important to know that the police hold a position in the hearts of the residents of Beika Town second only to detectives.
Upon hearing this, Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, who was struggling to resist the temptation of ice cream, shouted out and bowed to Jinpei Matsuda as he went inside: "Thank you for your hospitality, Officer!"
Matsuda Jinpei, moved by their enthusiasm, took a half-step back.
Because of the child present, Matsuda Jinpei couldn't bring himself to lay a hand on Hagiwara Kenji. The curly-haired youth angrily took a bite of ice cream, unsurprisingly getting a hard time from the cold.
He silently gave the middle finger in his mind, his face expressionless: Sure enough, this kind of unscrupulous childhood friend who uses food to lure children as a shield should be thrown into the trash can as soon as possible!
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the three children's attention being focused on the ice cream, Conan Edogawa finally managed to slowly move to Kitagawa Ryusei's side.
He didn't speak rashly, but instead used all his skills as a detective to thoroughly observe the miniature version of Kitagawa Ryusei, and finally concluded that it was indeed him and not his son.
The boy's small face instantly wrinkled up like a bitter gourd.
Kitagawa Ryusei was completely unaware.
He picked at the pecan crumbs on his ice cream with a spoon, still in the mood to tease, "Why do you look so ashen-faced? How does it feel to be back in elementary school? It's nice not having to listen in class, isn't it?"
Perhaps it was because the size difference was gone, but Conan Edogawa felt closer to him when he spoke, and even dared to give him a deadpan look: "...I'm not a real child, I don't need to gain a sense of accomplishment from such childish behavior."
Rather than dominating the elementary school students, the genius detective would rather defeat the Black Organization and return to being a high school student as soon as possible!
Thinking of this, Conan Edogawa became impatient: "Has something unexpected happened?"
Last night, Kitagawa Ryusei left in such a hurry that he didn't have time to share his findings: "After returning yesterday, I asked Uncle Mori to check the surveillance footage and the photos taken by several reporters. Judging from the reactions of everyone around at the time of the incident, I suspect that Chris Vineyard is connected to that organization!"
After he finished speaking, he paused to observe Kitagawa Ryusei's reaction.
The boy sat in the chair without even frowning, showing none of the surprise that Conan Edogawa had imagined.
While the little detective was talking, Kitagawa Ryusei had already picked out all the pecans from the ice cream, gathered them together, and ate them in one bite.
“We already know about this,” he mumbled, chewing his words, before taking the initiative and asking, “And you, why were you at the meeting?”
Before the mission, Team Zero specifically checked the banquet guests, and the Mori detective whom Conan Edogawa used as a cover was not among them.
The fact that this guy showed up was truly beyond Kitagawa Ryusei's expectations.
As soon as the words were spoken, the secluded corner fell silent instantly.
Conan Edogawa's voice faltered, and what followed turned into a forced laugh: "...Haha."
I never imagined that Kitagawa Ryusei would be struggling with this issue.
At this moment, he remembered that he was only seven years old. With his innocent, light blue eyes wide open, he tried to deceive the authorities: "I just happened to be passing by with the Doctor!"
Despite also having a childlike face, Kitagawa Ryusei remained unmoved.
He took a completely different approach from acting cute; his expressionless face and staring gaze alone were enough to make the boy's hair stand on end.
Conan Edogawa, who had made a fatal mistake, immediately confessed: "I overheard it by planting a listening device at Gin's place..."
At this point, Kitagawa Ryusei finally couldn't hold back and his expression changed.
He even looked bewildered, wondering if he had tinnitus: ...?
What do you think was installed where?
While they were chasing after Gin, this skinny little guy had already managed to get into the car?!
At that moment, Kitagawa Ryusei had already drafted dozens of confidentiality agreements and plans in his mind without even thinking, just waiting for Kudo Shinichi to sign them before launching a full-scale attack to defeat Karasuma Renya.
His inner monologue had already completed the great task of overthrowing the organization, while on the surface, Kitagawa Ryusei was also genuinely confused.
He gazed at the boy and asked sincerely, "If I casually tossed you out, could you just blow up in a pile of enemies?"
"..." Conan Edogawa remained silent.
Conan Edogawa cried out in alarm, "Ryusei-nii, let's calm down! I'm only seven years old!"
This is definitely not something you can use as a bomb!!
Kitagawa Ryusei said ruthlessly, "Seven years old is not a child. He can pick up garbage to eat in the slums and make a living by leading the way."
Moreover, we can sign a cooperation agreement, which means that if it is not an employment relationship and no wages are paid, it will not be considered child labor.
Conan Edogawa nearly knocked over his ice cream cone with a shiver: "..."
As they were talking, a shadow fell over their heads at the same time.
Conan Edogawa and Ruki Kitagawa simultaneously raised their heads, meeting Kenji Hagiwara's smiling purple eyes.
The young man moved closer, fitting seamlessly between the two: "The kids seem to be getting along quite well. Have they made any new friends?"
Just by looking at his expression, you could tell that Kitagawa Ryusei had probably guessed Edogawa Conan's real age and was just teasing the two fake kids.
Kitagawa Ryusei raised his head and smiled at him, but it was all fake, a rather perfunctory response.
Conan Edogawa was more sincere, offering plenty of emotional value: "Yes, and thank you for the ice cream, Officer!"
After such a long period of honing his acting skills, although he did not inherit the true skills of his mother, the actress, he has at least developed the basic quality of performing on the ground.
He said in a clear voice, "Police officers, are you here for work?"
Conan Edogawa, sucking on the ice cream cone someone bought for him, rested his cheek on his hand and casually gathered information.
"They couldn't possibly be here to spend Children's Day with Kitagawa Ryusei," the little detective thought to himself.
Unexpectedly, Kenji Hagiwara completely deviated from the expected script, replying with a smile, "No, I came to see the pandas with my younger brother!"
As he spoke, he felt an urge to lift up his weapon, but was stopped by a sharp glare from Kitagawa Ryusei, who nimbly dodged it.
The outstretched hand could only regretfully touch the back of its head. Kenji Hagiwara accurately called out the boy's name: "Conan-kun, where are your parents?"
Conan Edogawa's innocent expression was flawless: "Our neighbor, Dr. Agasa, brought us out to play. His car broke down and needed to be repaired, so he asked me to bring them in first."
Professor Agasa's little beetle car breaks down every few days; not only him, but even the three children have gotten used to it.
Wait... where are the children?!
Finally remembering the heavy responsibility he was entrusted with, Conan Edogawa abruptly turned his head.
The three little ones who were sitting obediently at the other table have all disappeared.
Conan Edogawa's pupils trembled: !!!
Having witnessed how much trouble those three guys could cause, and knowing that the zoo was too crowded today and definitely not safe for children, he nimbly jumped off his seat and tried to rush out to find them.
Kenji Hagiwara reacted quickly and caught Conan Edogawa in one swift motion.
He pointed to the ceiling and said helplessly, "Kids can totally trust our police officers. Three kids are playing a detective game upstairs, and Jinpei is with them. He's not missing."
He let out a long sigh of relief, but a certain keyword instantly triggered Conan Edogawa's detective radar, causing him to pause in his seated position: "What case?"
He looked left and right, unusually uneasy.
It's Children's Day! Hopefully, another murder won't happen...
Knowing the general situation, Kenji Hagiwara appeared relaxed, carefully choosing his words as he answered: "Um... 'The little girl's missing jewelry incident'? 'The mystery of real and fake ginkgo leaves'? 'The indifferent suspect'?"
The black-haired youth thought for a moment and summarized it in one sentence: "Don't worry, they're just some trivial cases."
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