Chapter 38

Even though Kogoro Mouri looks like a drunkard all day long and always makes wrong guesses when solving cases, he still has a good son-in-law, Conan Edogawa, who helps him become famous.

And what Xingchuan and Ming value most now is his reputation as the "Sleeping Famous Detective".

After all, Hoshikawa Kazuaki is still waiting to collaborate with Mori Kogoro to publish a new mystery manga with his famous detective image as the protagonist.

This cooperation had already been discussed with Maori Kogoro when he came to visit on the day when Hoshikawa and Ming were poisoned, and they were just waiting for Hoshikawa and Ming to start writing.

This seems to be just a normal business cooperation, but it is related to many important plans of Xingchuan and Ming at this time.

Xingchuan and Ming now have an important task to do, which is to investigate what happened to the "Ryo Nagata from the welfare home" that the hooded man mentioned before he left.

This is not only related to whether he can catch the hooded vest again, but also whether he can find out who the murderer of the poisoning case that almost killed him is.

After all, the timing of the poisoning and Nagata Ryo's escape was too coincidental, and behind the coincidence there may very well be some kind of connection that is not visible on the surface.

Xingchuan and Ming must investigate this matter thoroughly, whether for the sake of the hood vest or for themselves.

And when it comes to solving cases, is there anyone better than Conan Edogawa? Maybe, but Hoshikawa and Akira can't move.

Therefore, enticing Kogoro Mori to take action became the best option.

He happened to remember that the director of the welfare home was a fan of Maori Kogoro. With the enthusiastic invitation from his collaborators and the eager anticipation of his fans, it was such a good opportunity to become famous that he didn't believe Maori Kogoro would not agree.

There is another important reason. Xingchuan and Ming will soon come into contact with more and more sharp-minded red teams. He needs to rely on Maori Kogoro to fill the last gap between himself and his ID card before going deeper into contact.

Hoshikawa Kazuaki is also a mystery cartoonist.

However, every manga artist has his own unique drawing style. Although Hoshikawa Kazuaki has obtained this identity, his style is still different from the original Hoshikawa Kazuaki.

Therefore, it depends on him to find a suitable opportunity to "reasonably" show the "change" in his painting style and let everyone adapt to it quickly.

And the tool person who cooperated with him to make changes was naturally Kogoro Mori.

In fact, this reason is easy to find. After all, Hoshikawa and Akira had just recovered from a serious illness and their bodies had not yet fully recovered. In addition, in order to better show the unique temperament of Maori Kogoro, it is normal that the style of painting changed suddenly.

And Kogoro Mori himself is indeed very famous!

Hoshikawa and Ming are already famous for their detective comics. If they can use the fame of this famous detective to increase the sales of their own comics, then their current financial crisis can also be solved.

With so many advantages added together, Hoshikawa and Akira now look at Maori Kogoro as if he were a super fat sheep. It would be a shame not to slaughter him to such a resounding reputation.

Taking advantage of the fact that it was still early and no guests had arrived yet, Hoshikawa and Ming took out the painting supplies they had prepared long ago and painted a portrait of Enomoto Azusa on the spot.

Since there was still plenty of time, Hoshikawa and Akira finished the sketch and also completed the outline and coloring. When they handed it to her, it was already a complete live-action manga.

Azusa Enomoto had received comics from Hoshikawa Kazuaki before, so she was very happy to receive them this time and commented:

"Xingchuan's painting speed seems to have improved a lot. I remember you weren't this fast last time."

"Oh, because I'm currently working on a project with Detective Maori, and I'm studying how to change my style to better reflect the style of Detective Maori. I've also been practicing on my own to improve my drawing speed. How about the quality of the comics after the speed is improved?"

Hoshikawa Kazuaki answered with a smile, his expression flawless.

"Eh? Hoshikawa is actually going to collaborate with Detective Mori? Is the next manga going to be about Detective Mori solving cases?"

Azusa Enomoto was originally a mystery fan. Upon hearing this, he looked up at him in surprise, his eyes full of anticipation for the new manga.

Xingchuan Heming smiled softly and said modestly:

"Yes. In the next period of time, I will learn from Detective Maori from time to time and learn more detective knowledge to match the new comic style."

Although he was introducing his next plan, his words hinted that his painting style had changed, laying the groundwork for his next plan.

At the same time, he was secretly thankful that Amuro Toru had taken a day off today, so he didn't need to make such a hint in front of him. Otherwise, with his half-baked skills, the professional undercover agent would definitely see through his flaws.

Like now, let Enomoto Azusa accept the change in his style first, and when Amuro Toru knows about it, he will be influenced by Enomoto Azusa's attitude and will be more likely to accept his own changes.

After hearing this, Azusa Enomoto looked at it carefully again, nodded and said in sudden realization:

"I see. No wonder it looks slightly different from previous comics, but I can't really tell what the difference is. It turns out they're trying to change their style."

After saying that, she looked up at Xingchuan and Ming with some amusement and said teasingly:

"What a coincidence. Mr. Amuro was Detective Mori's apprentice before, and now even you, Hoshikawa, are going to learn detective knowledge from Detective Mori. So, aren't you two brothers?"

Hoshikawa Kazuaki also said with emotion: "Brother Amuro is also very powerful. I have to learn a lot from him!"

Originally, Xingchuan and Ming planned to visit the detective office directly when there were not many customers, but they were unexpectedly stopped.

It all started with the manga he drew for Azusa Enomoto.

A customer was the first to notice the unique style of Enomoto Azusa's comics. When he found out that it was actually drawn by Hoshikawa Kazuaki, and that Hoshikawa Kazuaki was actually the high school cartoonist who had always been a little famous but didn't like to be in the spotlight, he was so excited that he became incoherent.

"Hoshinokawa! So you are the mystery cartoonist Hoshinokawa who never likes to be interviewed by the media! I didn't expect you to be a waiter in this coffee shop?"

The guest's face was filled with the excitement of seeing his idol, and even the end of his voice was trembling slightly.

Then he looked at the waiter aprons on Xingchuan and Ming, and the excitement on his face froze instantly.

That expression seemed to be saying: A cartoonist also works part-time? Isn't this too cheap?

Xingchuan Heming was moved. He didn't expect that there were former fans among the guests. This was a good way to promote the company. So, he smiled and told her about his upcoming cooperation with the famous Maori detective upstairs, and emphasized:

"In order to better showcase the style of the famous detective in the comics, my painting style will be adjusted accordingly, and the readers will be surprised."

"I understand! So Mr. Hoshinokawa wants to draw better manga works, so he stays in this cafe so that he can collect materials and learn from Detective Mori upstairs at any time? It's really great! It's worthy of Mr. Hoshinokawa!"

The guest suddenly realized what was going on, and then, as Xingchuan and Ming's smiles suddenly turned awkward, he smiled flatteringly, his face wrinkled, and rubbed his hands and begged:

"Hey, well, since Mr. Hoshinokawa has already given out paintings to the shop assistants, can he draw one for me as well?"

It was hard to refuse the fan's request in person, and it was not a difficult thing to do, so Xingchuan and Ming drew a simple portrait for the other party on the spot.

The lines are sharp and eye-catching, and with just a few strokes, the characters are made to look intelligent and unique, which made this fan's eyes widen and he exclaimed, "The new style is really great!"

However, in the blink of an eye, the news somehow got out, and immediately a group of regular customers swarmed in to drink coffee, with the purpose of asking Xingchuan Kazuaki, the cartoonist who had always been "anonymous", to draw a portrait for them as well.

Hoshikawa and Ming even met some of their former classmates.

Customers who came to ask for paintings lined up and waited eagerly for Xingchuan and Ming to paint for them. However, they were too embarrassed to take Xingchuan and Ming's paintings for free, so they all took out their wallets and ordered a cup of coffee. The business of the cafe suddenly became very popular.

Azusa Enomoto had to take over the job of making coffee from Hoshikawa and Akira. She was so busy that she kept wiping her sweat. At this time, she couldn't help but say:

"I really didn't expect that there would be so many customers today. If I had known this would happen, I would have suggested to the boss that you, Xingchuan, should help with the promotion of giving away paintings for every purchase. That way the cafe wouldn't have been so deserted recently."

"I'm afraid that won't work. This isn't a studio after all. I can't work as a waiter and still focus on drawing comics. I won't be able to really give full play to my talents, and it will only make me more and more distracted."

Xingchuan Heming was already having a headache. He didn't sleep well last night, and today he had to work part-time and take time out to deal with fans who came to ask for his drawings.

You know, painting requires full concentration, but I don't have enough energy and I have to take care of work at the same time, so I can't concentrate on painting.

After seeing off another student who was hard to refuse, Xingchuan and Ming were almost exhausted. Finally, they put down their paintbrushes, stood up and said to everyone:

"Everyone, today's free painting event is over. Next, please enjoy the food in the store. I'm also very good at making coffee. Would you like to try it?"

Another half hour passed, and the customers left one after another, and the store was finally clear. Enomoto Azusa rubbed his sore arm and said to Hoshikawa Kazuaki:

"I didn't expect that I would be so tired after having so many customers. It's a pity that Mr. Amuro is not here today, otherwise I could increase the sales a little more."

Xingchuan and Ming looked at the time and said, "I'll go upstairs first," then they took a pot of freshly brewed coffee and the contract they had prepared long ago and went out to the detective agency.

Maori Kogoro had obviously forgotten the cooperation project he had agreed with Hoshikawa Kazuaki. It was not until Hoshikawa Kazuaki put the contract in front of him that he finally remembered that there was such a thing.

"You were actually serious about the cooperation plan you mentioned back then? I thought... ahahaha, of course, I've been waiting for this contract from you for a long time."

Kogoro Mori picked up the contract and flipped through it, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"What? They're using my image as the main character? They're also promoting it for me? Wait, they're even giving me a share of the profits?"

At this moment, Maori Kogoro seemed to have seen a lot of money flying into his pocket, and his name as a detective was praised by countless people. No matter where he went, countless fans rushed to give him flowers, and even the lovely Miss Yoko looked at him with admiration and said:

"Wow! Kogoro is so amazing!"

His face instantly turned red and he became energetic. He immediately signed his name with a big stroke of the pen.

Hoshikawa Kazuaki completely ignored Kogoro Mori's exaggerated expression, took the contract calmly, glanced at it, then looked up and said with a smile:

"In that case, I wish us a happy cooperation in the future, Mr. Maori."

"Hahaha! Happy working with you... Wait, what did you call me?" Kogoro Mouri was still a little slow to react.

"Of course I call you teacher. During the serialization of the next comic based on you, I will continue to draw materials from the cases you have handled and learn from your experience in handling cases, so naturally I have to call you teacher."

Hoshikawa and Ming answered as a matter of course.

"Ah, so in this case, you will be Amuro and Toda's junior from now on." Kogoro Mori said to himself, stroking his chin.

Toru Amuro, who was being talked about by Kogoro Mori, was driving his Mazda RX-7 alone towards Haido Town.

However, he no longer had the sunshine and warmth he had at the Café Poirot.

He had earphones on his ears, and his cool demeanor could not conceal his shrewdness and competence, with a frightening gleam in his bright blue-purple eyes.

His excellence is obvious to all. He is a textbook-level top elite, far beyond the reach of others.

However, the next moment, the call was finally connected.

After exchanging a series of complicated codes with the person on the other side, they confirmed each other's identities, and Toru Amuro finally relaxed for a moment.

"Hiro, it's been a long time."

He suddenly became alive, as if the elite in the textbook had finally come to life and returned to the world from the book.

"Zero, don't worry, everything is fine here now."

The voice on the other side is still as gentle and firm as in my memory, and even after not seeing each other for a long time, he still remembers to comfort his friend carefully.

Hearing this familiar voice of comfort, Toru Amuro, or rather Rei Furutani, who was also struggling hard in the darkness, could not help but feel a sense of fatigue rising from the bottom of his heart despite his always strong will.

But both of them were experienced public security elites who had been lurking in the dark for many years, so they knew that now was not the time to let their emotions run wild. So they both immediately regained their composure and tacitly changed the topic to the most important thing.

"Zero, you took the initiative to contact me this time. Is there something wrong?"

Since that incident, the two have tried to avoid too much contact for safety reasons and just concentrate on completing their respective plans.

But this time, it was Rei Furuya who took the initiative to apply for the exchange. Morofushi Kagemitsu was as meticulous as ever and immediately noticed that something had happened on Rei Furuya's side.

"It's just that the situation has changed and the plan needs to be adjusted temporarily." Furuya Rei immediately explained so as not to worry his friends.

"I have suddenly received a mission to form a temporary team with Balvenie. I have already investigated, and the reason why he is our temporary partner this time is because he is an experimenter and knows the mission objectives best, which has nothing to do with our previous plan. As a temporary partner, I need to start getting his information. But you have always been in charge of Balvenie's affairs, so I'm notifying you in advance to avoid trouble if you bump into him later."

"I understand. But Zero, if it was just an exchange of information at this level, you didn't need to contact me in such an urgent way."

Morobushi Kagemitsu's words suddenly stopped Furiya Rei. He was stunned for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said with a sigh:

"I'm sorry Hiro, I was a little too nervous. You're right, the situation now is different from three years ago. Maybe it's because I encountered a hacker who is as powerful as Sparrow back then, which made me overreact for a while."

Zhu Fu Jingguang understood and said, "There has been no news about the hacker codenamed Sparrow for a long time, but I will always keep an eye on him. But how come you are also involved with the hacker?"

"I stole Bermode's mission. A hacker codenamed End accidentally learned the organization's secrets, but because it was not an important secret, the organization decided to recruit him into the peripheral training. Originally, the person who was to guide him should have been Bermode, but I had some other ideas, so I made a deal with her."

"Transaction?" Morobushi Jingguang on the phone seemed amused. "Well, you won't suffer any loss anyway. However, if the other party can gain your approval, having an extra hacker to help is not a bad thing. You know."

Furiya Rei's expression also became serious, and his tone became a little complicated: "Yes. I know."

After the two exchanged information quickly, the call ended quickly. As Furuya Rei drove, he recalled the information he had learned from Vermouth, and his sharp eyes had a hint of amusement.

Just like Hiro said, being a hacker is indeed useful. But can you gain my approval? End?

Or should I call you, Kagamino Satoshi?

The author has something to say:

The person who knows you best is not your enemy, but your childhood influence. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution during 2022-08-06 23:49:57~2022-08-07 23:51:37~

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 10 bottles of LT; 6 bottles of Shadow;

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!