Chapter 72 Chapter 72 A series of tragic events in the wills of wealthy families (Part 2)…
"Hahaha, Guanghao, you think too much."
When Saionji Gyoon and Atobe Keigo returned to the master bedroom on the third floor, Hojo Fujitaka was lying on the bed with a smile on his face, talking to his son Hojo Hirohiro.
Hojo Hirohiro said helplessly, "It was that Detective Maori downstairs who said he was the one you, father, hired. I thought..."
Just now, he ran all the way up from downstairs, pushed the door open and rushed into the bedroom. He was surprised to find that although his father was in the same room with the unknown private detective, he was unharmed, and the housekeeper Tian Ye was also guarding beside him. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Tamane and Atobe had guessed long ago that nothing would happen to Mr. Hojo, because even if someone wanted to harm Mr. Hojo, they would not use this method of impersonating someone else to enter and directly assassinate or murder him. Assassinating an old man who was about to die of illness was obviously an extremely stupid act.
So, the two of them rescued the Maori family who were locked outside the door with great confidence, and then went upstairs leisurely.
Hojo Fujitaka's eyes lit up when he saw Kogoro Mori standing behind Keigo Atobe. "Oh, you must be Mr. Mori. Sorry, sorry, it's my fault. I misremembered the appointment time, which caused the others to misunderstand and startled Detective Mori."
"No, no, it's nothing..."
Mao Li laughed it off. The other party had apologized first, and the client was the one who paid him a large sum of money. Naturally, his attitude changed quickly.
"I don't know about this commission..." Mao Li started to speak, but he still remembered the requirement that the content of the commission must be kept confidential. Thinking of so many people in the room, he immediately stopped talking.
"Could Detective Mori please wait a moment?" Hojo Fujitaka said seriously, "I and this..." He turned to the other private investigator, thought for a moment, and then continued, "...Mr. Horikawa has something to discuss first. I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Mori, to wait a moment."
"That doesn't matter." Maori said frankly.
"Mr. Mori doesn't mind, that's great," Hojo Fujitaka said cheerfully, turning to the butler. "Tano, please entertain Mr. Mori first." He then looked at his son again and said soothingly, "Guanghao, please entertain Jingwu and his friends for me. I'm fine, don't worry."
Since the host said so, everyone had to step aside and make room for Mr. Hojo and the detective to talk.
*
"I didn't expect to meet Yuyin-san here. It's great."
After everyone moved to the sofa in the living room, Mao Lilan immediately said to Yuyin happily. Her thoughts were very simple. If it weren't for Yuyin's help, her father, her, and Conan would probably still be blocked outside, and it would be even more difficult for her father to prove his identity.
"But why are you here, Yuyin-san? What is your relationship with the Hojo family..."
Xiaolan looked past her and fell on Keigo Atobe who was sitting next to Yuyin. She was not familiar with Atobe at first, but she was deeply impressed by his performance in the last sudden incident with the psychic. He was no longer the flamboyant young master that Sonoko had introduced.
Yuyin said gracefully, "I'm currently the manager of the Hyotei Tennis Club. The club is training in Karuizawa to prepare for the national tournament. Keigo and I came here to tidy up the venue. It just so happened that Mr. Hojo was recuperating nearby, so Keigo and I took the opportunity to visit him."
What she said was well-reasoned, and Ran Mouri believed it without much thought. However, Conan, who usually liked to ask questions, did not take the opportunity to ask questions in an innocent manner when sitting next to Ran Mouri, but remained unusually silent.
It’s really not Conan’s fault. He is almost suffering from a psychological trauma when he sees Saionji Tamon.
The first time they met was at a shrine in Kyoto. Saionji appeared as a shrine maiden and interpreted fortunes for Ran and Sonoko, which left a deep impression on Conan as a complete charlatan.
The second time they met was in a mountain villa during a rainstorm. Saionji staged a so-called spirit possession. Although it was finally proved that it was a trick set up by her to trick Miss Yamanaka, it still almost surprised him.
The third time they met was at the last Matsudaira family banquet. The previous murders were still within his ability to understand, but just before he left, the victim Maruyama Shoichi's accomplice Sone Tsuyoshi suddenly jumped out and overturned his scientific worldview in one fell swoop.
This also completely opened the door to a new world for Edogawa Conan, oh no, for Kudo Shinichi.
Only then did he realize that there were people with super powers in the world. He called his father to ask for relevant information, but was mocked by Kudo Yusaku, who said something like "Hey, Shinichi, you only realized this now?" He was so angry that he almost threw his phone.
For a period of time after that, whenever Conan encountered a case, he would subconsciously think about and rule out the possibility that the crime was committed by a person with superpowers before he could continue to solve the case normally.
In short, when Conan saw Saionji Tamon appear, he couldn't help but tremble all over, and subconsciously felt that something was wrong. Could it be that he was going to encounter another unscientific event this time?
"So slow..." Maori Kogoro sat there bored, unable to help but think, "Is that guy from Horio or Horikawa trying to steal my business? If he reports my findings to Mr. Hojo first, I won't get the commission."
Hearing this, the steward Tian Ye, who was standing nearby, smiled and said, "Mr. Maori, you're worrying too much. No matter what information Mr. Horikawa reports, it will not affect the remuneration you deserve."
Mao Li then realized that his client's housekeeper was right next to him. This was like saying something bad about him to his face. He laughed awkwardly and said, "Haha, that's good. It's worth my long trip."
*
We waited until lunch time.
The length of the Hojo family's dining table is also quite exaggerated, but it is being fully utilized today, with both sides of the long table basically full of people.
"What's going on? The young master of the Atobe family and his friends are fine, but who are those two men, the girl, and the little boy? What are you doing, Tano? You bring all kinds of people to our Hojo family's table." When the somewhat sharp-tongued older woman arrived at the restaurant and saw several strangers, she started to lose her temper.
"Mother, since Steward Tian Ye has invited them to the table, there must be..." A young man followed beside her, persuading her timidly.
"That's what I'm saying, aunt, Tian Ye must have asked for permission from your uncle before he dared to do this. You'd better not interfere." A frivolous voice finally interrupted.
Before, Atobe had privately explained to Gyoin the relationships among the people in the Hojo family. For example, the older woman was Hojo Kimiyo, the sister of Hojo sama, the man next to her was her son Hojo Yushi, and the last man was Hojo Hayao, the son of Hojo sama's deceased brother.
Hearing the Master's sister's dissatisfaction, Butler Tano immediately bowed and said calmly, "My apologies, Madam Kimishiro. As Master Hayabusa mentioned, these two are private detectives invited by the Master." He pointed at Takata Horikawa and Kogoro Mori. "As for Miss Mori and Little Edogawa, they are Detective Mori's family members. They came with Mr. Mori, and the Master has instructed me to treat them with great care."
Yuyin noticed that when they heard the word private detective, the expressions of the three people opposite changed to varying degrees, but they quickly concealed it.
Hojo Kimiyo coughed and said solemnly, "Since it's Big Brother's order, just follow it, Tano."
Since the master Hojo Fujitaka is in poor health, lunch is usually served in the room, so the main seat at the dining table is now empty, and everyone sits on both sides. Tamane, Atobe, and Xiaolan sit on one side, Conan and Mori sit next to Xiaolan, and the taciturn detective named Horikawa sits on the outermost side.
On the opposite side were the people from the Hojo family and the doctor Akihara Hidetoshi.
Seeing that everyone was seated, Butler Tian Ye directed the maid to serve the dishes.
The table was relatively silent throughout the meal, mainly because the bad-tempered elder Hojo Kimiyaro was present, and no one would be so foolish as to chat while eating.
After lunch, Xiaolan couldn't help but sigh with Yuyin: "It's finally over."
Yuyin held her hand and said, "Big families have more rules."
Xiaolan thought back to the Sonoko family, whom she was most familiar with. She could only say that the atmosphere in each family was different. Although Mr. Hojo Fujitaka was very kind, the other people in his family did not seem easy to talk to.
Hojo Hirohiro, standing nearby, pushed his glasses up sheepishly. "Aunt Kimishiro is a bit serious, but she's not completely clueless. Miss Mori, I'm planning to invite Keigo and Miss Tamane for a tour around here. Would you and this little kid like to come along?"
Mao Lilan was a little surprised: "Ah, but Dad..."
Hojo Hirohiro immediately said, "Don't worry, Mr. Maori just went up to discuss the commission with my father. It will probably take quite a while. Even if the commission is concluded, my father will probably keep Mr. Maori for a while."
"Let's go," Yuyin said, holding Xiaolan's hand, "Keigo and I are planning to go to Onioshide Park. I heard that the lava ruins there are very special. I haven't seen them yet. Xiaolan, you can come with me."
If Xiaolan doesn't go, then only she, Atobe, and Hojo Hirohiro will go to visit the park. Yuyin always feels that such a combination is a bit strange. It is better to bring more people together. Xiaolan, who is also a girl, is the most suitable one.
Mao Li Ran was a soft-hearted person, and after hearing what Tamane said, she finally agreed. She left a message for Butler Tano, asking him to tell Mao Li Kogoro, and then she took Conan, Tamane and the other two to go for a trip near Mount Asama.
*
As soon as the car pulled into the parking lot of Onioshichu Park, Hojo Hirohiro received a call from his subordinate, who wanted to discuss a project with him. Due to the poor signal in the mountains, he had to regretfully say goodbye and return to his villa to work remotely.
"I'm sorry, Keigo, and Miss Saionji and Miss Mori." Before leaving, he apologized to the four of them repeatedly and urged them to return to the Hojo family home for dinner. "Keigo, please don't leave without saying goodbye."
"I know, I know," Atobe waved his hand helplessly, "My car is still parked in your yard."
"That's perfect," Hojo Hirohiro said happily, "Let me know when your tour is almost over and I'll send a driver to pick you up."
Walking on the mountain path, Yuyin said curiously, "You and Hojo Hirohiro have a surprisingly good relationship."
Atobe thought for a while and said, "Maybe it's because that guy treats me as his younger brother."
Keigo Atobe is the only son in the family. He didn't notice it in England before, but when he came to Japan, big families have many children, and the younger generation often has three or four children. Only sons like him are a minority.
"I remember you said before that Hojo Hirohiro is an only son. Doesn't Mr. Hojo Fujitaka have any other sons?" Yuyin asked curiously.
Atobe shook his head and said, "No, Mr. Hojo's wife died a long time ago, and when Hojo Hirohiro was a child, Mr. Hojo did not remarry."
Yuyin sighed, "That's rare."
"But I heard my father say..."
Just as Atobe started to speak, Mao Lilan's voice called out from the other side——
"Gamune-san, Atobe-san, come here quickly! There are beautiful flowers over here!"
Yuyin was at a loss for words: "Xiaolan's spirits have recovered really quickly. She was so scared when she saw those strange rocks in front that she didn't dare to look at them."
Atobe Keigo glanced at her sideways. "It's precisely because the rocky mountain area ahead is so depressing that the moment we see the flowers, the joy we burst out is even more intense."
"Then let's go over there quickly," Yuyin pulled his hand, and the two of them ran and jumped along the rugged mountain path like a gust of wind, "Let's see how beautiful the flowers growing from the cracks in the rocks are that even Xiaolan admired~"
Atobe Keigo looked at her smile and silently clenched his hands, "Yeah."
You are the most beautiful flower blooming in my heart.
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The author has something to say: Mount Asama is famous for its lava ruins and hot springs. I originally planned to go to the hot springs, but then I thought, I can't let Conan get away with it.
The new cover is a gift from our lovely reader [Zhang Yuyuan]\(^o^)/~
*
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2022-01-19 02:58:54 and 2022-01-20 16:58:36~
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Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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