Chapter 48

When facing senior service students like Hoshikawa and Akira who knew many police friends, Toru Amuro's eyes were full of curiosity.

His reaction was normal. In the minds of ordinary people, being a police officer is a very common but also very unique profession.

If there is no special reason, no one would coincidentally know several policemen in a row. What is even more coincidental is that these policemen are more or less related to each other.

Moreover, Xingchuan Heming was only an 18-year-old high school student. Even if he often worked part-time and was a well-known mystery manga artist, he would not have known so many policemen like the detective did that day, dealing with them all day long.

It is very normal for Toru Amuro to be curious.

So Xingchuan and Ming also showed a very normal reminiscence expression, and at the same time with a little embarrassment, they sighed:

"I have known Officer Hagiwara for a long time. He is a bomb disposal policeman. I remember that he helped me chase away the thugs who wanted to rob me more than once. Now that I think about it, there is..."

Xingchuan and Ming thought about it carefully, and then they said with some disbelief:

"Ah, it's been almost seven years!"

Hoshikawa Kazuaki was really surprised this time. He had never thought deeply about how long he had known Hagiwara Kenji before, and it was only when Amuro Toru deliberately brought it up that his memory was activated. He actually knew him so long ago.

Also, I don’t know if it’s my illusion, but this timing seems a little weird.

Toru Amuro's face also showed just the right amount of emotion, just the polite expression an ordinary waiter would make when hearing a customer reminiscing about the past.

Even Hoshikawa Kazuaki, who is good at acting, couldn't see any unnecessary emotions from his performance.

That's amazing! he thought.

Conan is very sensitive about this topic, or rather, he is very sensitive to everything related to Hoshikawa and Akira.

Moreover, this incident also attracted the attention of Amuro Toru, a public security undercover who has a lot of intelligence. Therefore, this policeman named Hagiwara is definitely not a simple person!

So he blinked his big curious eyes and asked sweetly:

"Eh? Didn't you two already know each other when Brother Xingchuan was still in the orphanage? Then on Saturday, we will meet that police officer in the orphanage... uh uh"

Amuro Toru gently put a small piece of sandwich into Conan's mouth and said with a smile:

"It's not a good habit to talk while eating. Conan, please eat quickly. Your sister Xiaolan just called me and asked me to remind you that you have to go to school later. Don't be late."

After saying that, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the food residue from the corners of Conan's mouth.

Conan opened his mouth full of food and looked at Amuro Toru blankly. His smile was still so gentle and sunny, but why did he feel cold all over at that moment?

Only Xingchuan and Ming, who watched the whole process, had no change in expression, but their hearts were already beaming with joy.

Conan, you wanted to test someone, but you chose to test Kenji Hagiwara. He was a close friend of the black-hearted public security officer in front of you.

Amuro Toru has been trying his best to separate his peers from the Black Organization, but you are trying to pull them in. It would be strange if Amuro Toru had a good face towards you.

Nishihara Tadahiko also looked at Edogawa Conan strangely at this time, and then he seemed to be thinking of something and said with emotion:

"Greed brings misfortune. Little brother, even if you are accompanied by an adult when you go out to play, you should not be too curious about people you are not familiar with."

Conan was stunned by what he said and could only nod in disappointment.

However, after this reminder, Hoshikawa and Akira finally found a reason to include Kenji Hagiwara in the orphanage trip on Saturday.

The two first met in an orphanage. Xingchuan and Ming were always bullied children, but they were taken care of by each other. But after he moved out of the orphanage, he was no longer a worry as before, so the other party gradually felt relieved about him.

This time when Hoshikawa and Ming returned to the orphanage, they actually had every reason to invite Hagiwara Kenji to join them out of remembrance and gratitude.

This way, there are at least two rescued people gathered in this trip. I don't know if there will be some kind of scientific reaction when I meet them both at the same time, allowing me to get a glimpse of the secrets of the dungeon or something.

Hoshikawa and Ming returned to the bar and opened the phone's address book again. Considering the time, he chose to edit an email and sent it to Hagihara Kenji.

Then, when he was about to exit the mailbox page, he suddenly saw the blank number emails that almost filled his phone. Those were emails from the hacker "Xiaozhi".

This is a coincidence. "Xiaozhi" seems to be related to the welfare home, can we bring him to this party? It just so happens that Brother Ida is also going to investigate, wouldn't it be more lively if the real owner is also there?

His fingers that wanted to do something suddenly jumped up and tried.

If it were before, with a screen full of empty numbers, Xingchuan and Ming would naturally have no way to contact each other.

But now it's different. When he was flipping through the comics yesterday, he found that the comic book had foresightedly captured the email address of yesterday's new email into the comics before the other party withdrew it.

Hoshikawa and Ming, almost expecting some kind of prank, sent an invitation letter to "Xiaozhi's" number.

The other party sent me so many notices and was obviously trying to conceal his identity. I don't know what his expression would be when he saw the invitation letter I sent him.

"Well, Xingchuan, it's time for me to go too. Thank you for your hospitality today. Don't worry, I will definitely finish breakfast before picking you up at your house next time."

Tadahiko Nishihara was about to stand up and say goodbye.

Xingchuan and Ming were embarrassed again and quickly changed the topic again:

"Well, Officer Nishihara, the painting I promised you yesterday is already finished. Come and see if you like it."

Hoshikawa and Ming almost hurriedly ran to the storage rack, took out the drawing paper from their backpacks, and stuffed it into Nishihara Tadahiko's hands without even looking at it, just hoping to shut him up in time.

Seeing this, Nishihara Tadahiko stopped joking and took a look at the painting, and immediately praised it. However, when he turned to the second page, his expression changed instantly.

"Xingchuan! Who is this person? Where have you seen him?"

Nishihara Tadahiko held the sketch of the hooded vest tightly in his hand, suddenly grabbed Hoshikawa Kazuaki's shoulders, and for the first time, a look of anxiety and anger appeared on his face.

Xingchuan and Ming were shocked by his reaction, and at the same time they thought quickly in their minds about how to deal with the situation.

The sketch of the hooded vest was obviously something he had just grabbed and brought out accidentally.

But the sketch itself does not highlight the details. If there are only outlines and main features, it is actually difficult for ordinary people to tell who he is drawing. That's why he didn't deal with it separately yesterday.

But looking at Nishihara Tadahiko's current expression, it is obvious that he recognized the person in the painting at a glance, which is not something that can be achieved by simple familiarity.

Could it be that the hooded vest and Officer Nishihara are acquaintances? Then why is Officer Nishihara's reaction so excited?

Is he the suspect he is looking for? Is he the one who knows the identity of the organization behind the hood? Is he someone he knew in his early years? Or is there some other reason that he has not thought of?

But no matter what, he had to immediately distance himself from the hooded vest. At least until now, Xingchuan Heming's identity had to be clean and could withstand any investigation by the Red Team.

So he was stunned for a moment, looked at Nishihara Tadahiko with some uneasiness as he obviously overreacted, then immediately cooperated and looked at the sketch in his hand, and then showed a confused expression.

"This is just a character design I made. It's not drawn based on a model. Look, I haven't even had time to design the details. What's wrong, Officer Nishihara? Is there something wrong with this picture?"

Nishihara Tadahiko was also confused. He looked at the wrinkled drawing paper in his hand again in disbelief and murmured:

"It's just a character design? Am I wrong again?"

Amuro Toru had been attracted by the movement here since the beginning of the morning, and suddenly interrupted:

"Even if it's a character design, there should be a prototype. Did Xingchuan design it based on a person he had seen before?"

Conan didn't know when he got under Nishihara Tadahiko's arm, looked up at the drawing paper, and analyzed:

"Although there are no facial features, the style of the clothes is very clear, and the image and temperament are also very prominent. It must be someone I met recently, which is why Xingchuan brother left such a deep impression on me."

Xingchuan and Ming felt veins throbbing on their foreheads, but they had to put on a surprised expression, as if to say, "You actually guessed it right," and said with a hint of nostalgia:

"There is indeed a prototype. But I have never seen his face, so I am only impressed by his temperament. On the night I encountered the thief and murderer, I accidentally met this person on the way to chase the criminal. He kindly helped me chase the criminal, but later he almost made a mistake in tracking the wrong person. Anyway, I never saw him again after that."

Xingchuan and Ming spoke briefly, but when they looked up, they saw that the three people present all had a thoughtful expression on their faces.

He silently shed tears in his heart, I'm sorry, Hooded Vest, I think I accidentally let you down again.

But there was no way, who knew it would be such a coincidence that a sketch I drew casually would end up in the hands of Officer Nishihara. What I didn't expect was that he would have such a big reaction to a sketch.

Come to think of it, why on earth is he so sensitive about the image of the hooded vest?

He simply asked directly:

"Why is Officer Nishihara so concerned about this sketch? Does it look like the criminal we're hunting for recently?"

However, before Nishihara Tadahiko could answer, Conan immediately asked sharply:

"Eh? Why did Xingchuan's first reaction think of the criminal? Does Xingchuan also think that the prototype of that character is a bad guy?"

"No, I just think Officer Nishihara's expression looks scary. I've known him for so many years, and I've never seen him look so ferocious."

Hoshikawa Kazuaki glanced at Conan and then answered calmly.

"Ahahaha, so that's how it is!"

Conan rubbed the back of his head and smiled foolishly, totally failing to tell that he was trying to trick people.

Nishihara Tadahiko took another deep look at the sketch, then stretched out his hand to smooth out the wrinkles he had squeezed, and returned it to Hoshikawa Kazuaki. When he spoke again, his tone was filled with a shocking heaviness.

"I'm sorry I scared you just now. But you guessed it right. I have been looking for the whereabouts of a villain in recent years. The other party's temperament is very similar to the one you drew, so I reacted so strongly just now."

He closed his eyes, as if trying to calm down. When he opened his eyes again, he looked at Xingchuan and Ming with a hint of worry. Xingchuan and Ming suddenly had a bad feeling.

"I've heard about your experience that night from Officer Ida. Although I'm not sure whether the person who helped you is the person I think he is, it's true that you've been in trouble these days. Especially when someone is secretly trying to harm you..."

Xingchuan and Ming felt something was not right, so they interrupted him and begged for mercy:

"Please, Officer Nishihara, I have been lectured several times by Brother Date because of this matter. I will be careful in the future and will not mess around again."

Nishihara Tadahiko sighed and didn't seem to be in the mood to waste any more time. He asked again the direction the prototype of the character left last, and then left in a hurry. It was obvious that he must have gone to track down the prototype of the character who "kindly helped".

Xingchuan Heming rubbed his forehead with a headache. Just when he was about to put away the drawing paper, he turned around and saw Edogawa Conan standing upright behind him with his hands hidden behind his body. It was obvious that he felt guilty.

"What bad things are you doing again?"

Xingchuan and Ming's veins began to throb wildly again.

"Haha, it's nothing, Brother Xingchuan. I'm full and I'm going to school. Goodbye, Brother Xingchuan!"

After saying that, he grabbed his schoolbag and rushed out.

The author has something to say:

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2022-08-12 12:37:12~2022-08-12 23:56:00~

Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: Leng Yue 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 5 bottles of Who is cuter than lemon; 1 bottle of Lu Ling;

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