Chapter 170 Twenty-six Vigilantes

After Chi Jiang Na Yue took over the group, all the assets under Rum's name were also taken over by him, and the manor where they currently live is one of them.

And because he was busy fighting against the Parliament, Rum rarely left the company to enjoy himself in the past ten years. He had never lived in the manor since he bought it. Only the hourly workers who came to clean and take care of the garden regularly came in and out. It was completely like a new house.

From another perspective, Rum himself completely inherited Karasuma Renya's suspicious nature.

When Akae Nazuki just moved in with her friends, she was able to find two or three disguised surveillance cameras in almost every corridor of the mansion. Rum even followed suit and built a base under the manor, just like what Karasuma Renya did in each of her hiding places.

It can be said that Chi Jiang Na Yue chose this place for a reason. At least this way he doesn't need to spend extra time building a new base. Otherwise, the base might not be completed by the time he leaves this world.

In order to keep their identities secret, even though two people have moved into the manor, everything seems to be the same as when it was empty. All the people serving here have not seen Chairman Akae in person for a month. Especially after sending Furuya Rei away in a fair and open manner, the chairman even found an excuse to give everyone a holiday.

This meant that Chi Jiang Na Yue was the only one left in the manor. Therefore, the figure still wandering outside the manor at this time was extremely conspicuous in the surveillance.

"It's right here..."

Conan was standing on a skateboard, and stopped outside a tall carved iron gate. He looked up at the brand name "Akajiang" that had only been installed a short time ago, and the doorbell that didn't fit in with the scene below, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

He was not surprised at all that the chairman would do such a thing, but when he considered the purpose of his trip, Conan felt extremely weird.

He got the address here from Akae Nazuki before leaving that day. Conan originally thought that he would have to think about it for a long time, but who would have thought that the incident of Sawaki Kouhei committing suicide out of fear of crime would happen, making him unable to sit still for a moment and so he found an excuse to come here alone.

As for why he came here to look for Akae Nayue...the reason is not complicated. It mainly because Conan had a guess that seemed absurd at first glance but was very likely.

About the vigilante who works at night and his true identity behind the mask.

Conan touched the poker card in his pocket that had been rubbed out of color in the past two days, and his expression twisted for a moment.

If you put the names Akae Nazuki and Wuming together and show them to the people of Tokyo, no one would think that they are related. At most, they would speculate whether Wuming's expensive high-tech uniform was made by Akae Nazuki for money, and there is no further information.

Isn't this normal? One is a sweet, innocent and playful young master, and the other is a taciturn guardian of order. They can't be said to be similar in any way. There is simply nothing in common.

When Conan summarized all the intelligence clues he had and deduced carefully and rigorously step by step, he finally got such a shocking truth.

Wuming's real identity is actually——

The young butler next to Akae Nazuki, Toru Amuro!

Yes, that must be the case, how could it be Akajiang Nayue herself, haha!

Skin color, hair color, and eye color can all be faked, but physical skills are difficult to acquire quickly. Previously on the boat, Conan curiously asked Amuro Toru about his age, and was shocked to learn that the other party only looked young but was actually nineteen years old.

If you just look at Mr. Amuro's face, it's okay to say he's 18 years old, right?

He had previously guessed that Wuming was of similar age to him based on his detective intuition. If he thought about it calmly, even someone like Xiaolan who started practicing martial arts at a very young age, even if she specialized in one skill, could only reach the top level of Kyogoku Shin. However, Wuming was outstanding in more than just his martial arts.

Careful thinking, smart brain, strong skills and rich experience, if Wuming lacked any of these conditions, it would be impossible to stabilize the order in Tokyo that had collapsed for a full ten years in just one week. Even if the current stability is only a superficial phenomenon, there will probably be another wave of backlash when the underground world comes to its senses, which is not easy enough.

Otherwise, why has the Metropolitan Police Department only produced a few people like Jinpei Matsuda who have been able to persevere in the past ten years? No matter who you are, when you have been on a path for many years and have paid so much but cannot see any response, you will feel despair.

Looking back at the current situation, if Toru Amuro was Wuming, everything would be explained.

Of course the chairman would support his butler, whom he regards as a family member, in his efforts to fight crime. Isn't it natural that Wuming's equipment is advanced and expensive?

Similarly, Mr. Amuro's skills were also something the chairman had emphasized several times. Perhaps there was some water in the fact that the chairman looked at people through a filter, but based on his own observations of the other party's skinny arms under his sleeves and his quick reaction speed on the boat, he was able to support his guess.

So, he thought the chairman sounded strange on the boat that day, not like his style at all. Maybe it was because Mr. Amuro was doing the nameless action at that time, so the chairman was worried and acted strangely, right? Right?

It definitely couldn't be because the chairman at that time was actually Mr. Amuro in disguise, and the chairman himself was working as a vigilante outside, solving cases without a name...!

"Hmm? Conan-kun?"

The chairman's clear voice came from inside the door, but for some reason, the words sounded a little floating and seemed to come from a high place.

Conan looked up blankly, and then again, until he tilted his neck as far as possible before he saw the young chairman he had just thought of at the top of the tall fountain inside the door.

If, maybe, maybe if he was seeing correctly, the chairman was sitting cross-legged and playing with his cell phone.

In the largest fountain in the estate? Would the butler really allow it?

"I gave Brother Zero a holiday. He is probably on a plane to Hokkaido to soak in hot springs." The black-haired boy looked at him with a smile, making people suspect that he could really hear what Conan was thinking. He even shook his index finger proudly, "As long as Brother Zero can't see it, no one will know I did this."

Yes, if Mr. Amuro was here, he would definitely say "Then Master Yue, have some vegetable juice," and then stand aside and stare at the chairman with disapproval, until the chairman comes down from the fountain with a bitter face and a dejected look!

"I thought it would take a few days for you to come." Chijiang Nayue yawned and lazily shook the corner of her haori.

No one knew what measures he had taken in advance, but the luxurious kimono on his body showed no signs of being wetted by the surrounding water vapor. Akajina Yue was sitting on a stone shell that was added to the top of the fountain for aesthetic reasons, but the feather robe hanging at his side was not soaked in water, and his elbows were lazily resting on the shoulders of the stone angel next to the shell that served as the fountain's outlet.

"Forget it, wait for me to come down and open..."

Before he could finish his words, the chairman, who had just stood up, accidentally stepped on the wet edge of the shell, slipped, and fell directly from the top, which was estimated to be more than ten meters high.

Fortunately, the chairman reacted quickly and adjusted his posture in mid-air in the first moment, and Conan only needed a blink of an eye.

He only had time to see the crane-patterned feathers slightly blown by the wind before the chairman landed safely on the ground. Fearing that he might be frightened, he gave him a soothing look.

It was exactly the same scene as that day on the first deck, when Conan saw Wuming jump down and kick the gun out of Sawaki Kohei's hand in the blink of an eye. Even the posture of landing was so similar.

…

Conan covered his face in pain, unable to escape reality any longer.

What's the talent? What's the resemblance? They are basically the same person!

While he was distracted, Chijiang Nayue had already opened the door and walked up to him, leaned over and gently tapped the child on the head.

"What are you thinking about? Why are you so engrossed?" A pleasant voice asked with a smile, "Would you like to come in and sit down, little detective?"

Ten minutes later, Conan sat on the soft sofa in the living room.

"Coffee or juice?" The chairman who was walking towards the kitchen turned around and asked him casually.

"Iced coffee, thank you." Conan said reflexively, and then his face showed a hint of embarrassment.

Isn't it a bad idea to let Wuming make coffee for him? But then again, there is not a maid or other housekeeper in such a large manor of the chairman's family. Does Mr. Amuro usually handle these things alone?

Thinking of Mr. Amuro, Conan's expression showed a distorted tendency again.

In fact, Conan's initial suspicion was indeed that of Akae Nazuki, not only because of his inexplicable sense of déjà vu and familiarity, but also because Wuming's attitude towards him when they first met that day was too similar to that of Chairman Akae.

Conan himself is aware of his own situation. In the eyes of the people he meets, even if it is Mr. Midorikawa, he is just a child. Naturally, he would not ignore the look in Toru Amuro's eyes.

Only the chairman who was the same age as him, Kudo Shinichi, would not simply classify him as a child because of his appearance, but would look at him as an equal capable of having a conversation.

Not only the chairman is like this, Wuming is also like this.

After analysis, Conan clearly found that Wuming had many opportunities to send him back to the so-called "safe place" that day, or to protect him behind him the whole time and prevent the murderer from seeing him show off... but Wuming did not do so.

On the contrary, Wuming even took the initiative to reveal important intelligence and information to him, allowing him to freely display his reasoning ability and satisfy his desire to reason. It must be said that this soothed Conan's emotions very well.

Conan has been harboring anxiety since he was a child. Every time he is not believed or accepted because of his childlike appearance, his anxiety increases. He can only breathe a sigh of relief in front of familiar people who know his real age.

For example, the Doctor and Hattori, and now, the Chairman and Wuming can also make him relax a little and not have to worry about pretending to be a child.

Conan was actually quite happy that the chairman was Wuming.

However, this did not affect the young detective's face, which became increasingly gloomy, and he seemed to be shrinking into a corner in despair.

Yes, if he hadn't used his Conan identity to play dumb and act cute in front of the chairman, he would have been really happy.

It is because the 17-year-old boy's instinct in Conan's heart is so ashamed of this reality that he temporarily refuses to accept it, so he tries to find some flaws to prove that the sweet chairman and the cold-faced vigilante are not the same person, to refute himself, and even brings up Toru Amuro.

Then, he was sadly convinced by the chairman's seemingly strong skills.

Forget it, give up the struggle.

Conan took the porcelain cup handed to him by the chairman and took a sip. The expression on his face was even more bitter than the coffee in the cup.

He thought to himself with a smile: The chairman is also pretending to be a sweetheart in front of him, isn't he? This is also a kind of reciprocity, right?

Hahaha……

Unlike most people, Conan doesn't really care about the huge contrast in personality displayed by Akae Nazuki's two identities. As a detective whose mother is a top actress, he never lets factors like personality, which are easy to act out, play too large a role in his reasoning.

Anyway, since he can't change the fact that he was embarrassed in front of the little idol recently, he should find a way to show his cards to the other party as soon as possible, Conan thought gloomily.

Otherwise, what if something more embarrassing happened later? He really couldn't act like a childish elementary school student in front of Wuming without any pressure! What if Wuming had a strange impression of him? !

"Ah, it's already this late." Akajiang Nayue, who was sitting opposite the sofa, didn't really care about the young detective's conflicted feelings. He looked down at his watch, then looked up at Conan, and his expression suddenly changed.

Conan stared in amazement as the eager look on the boy's face appeared.

"Whatever you want to talk to me about, you can talk about it later. Is that okay?" Akae Nazuki turned a questioning look at Conan.

"It's okay...?" Conan hesitated for a moment and shook his head.

"That's great." Chijiang Nayue smiled even more brilliantly. He clasped his hands together and tilted his head slightly to look at the little boy opposite him, and said with great interest, "Then let me make lunch first!"

Lunch? The chairman cooks for us himself?

Conan couldn't help but think of Kisaki Eri's cooking skills, which were so terrible that it shocked the world and made the gods weep, and he shuddered all over.

The chairman doesn't look like he can cook. Mr. Amuro, the butler, usually cooks. There must be no chance for the chairman to practice his cooking skills, right? Conan took on the role of himself again. Even though he was used to living alone, he still wasn't very good at cooking. He couldn't even chop cucumbers. It was conceivable that the chairman's cooking skills would not be much better if nothing else happened.

Just as Conan stretched out his hand to stop her, Akajiang Nayue had already happily run into the kitchen.

The little boy on the sofa showed a miserable expression and made up his mind.

No matter how bad the chairman's food tastes, he will eat it! This is Wuming's own food, it can't be wasted!

Chijiang Nayue sneezed as soon as he entered the kitchen. He rubbed his nose, his eyes full of helplessness.

[It looks like he's ready to go to the hospital after eating your food.] [Shu] sighed in his mind, [This is judging others by one's own experience. How unsure is he about his own cooking skills at this age?]

Chijiang Nayue agrees: [I was the chef at home when I was in elementary school. ]

Really, you may doubt him in other aspects, but it’s too much to doubt his cooking skills. Do you think the [Cooking] on his panel is just for show?

He is a reliable adult who has been cooking for 13 years since he was five years old because he has two parents who are first-rate dark cooking skills! There is no need to copy Batman in a place like this, hehe.

Conan came at a very fortuitous time, avoiding the time when Furiya Rei had just left in the morning and also avoiding the time when other staff members in the manor were on holiday. Akae Nayue had been sitting on the fountain for a while when he saw a child coming over on a skateboard. He was quite satisfied with this.

Ah, of course, he meant that he was satisfied with his handsome appearance.

It can be said that Akae Nazuki grew up watching Kudo Shinichi. He knew what this guy was thinking just by looking at his disciple, so he could also see Conan's struggle when he was deducing his identity.

So cute.

[Book] Looking at the 3 new GBs in his savior's phone, he couldn't help but glance at the poor little detective who knew nothing about it on the sofa in the living room with pity.

How pitiful.

The little detective’s dark history is not only in high definition, but can also be seen by people in the main world.

Conan didn't know that he was going to be embarrassed in the main world. He sat down at the dining table with eager eyes. Every few seconds, his eyes could not help but drift to the busy back. The chairman's cooking skills are not to be mentioned, but at least the color, aroma and taste are good? Conan moved his nose, and the miserable imagination in his heart finally dissipated a little.

You can't be so pessimistic. He thought, the chairman is so happy, maybe it's really delicious?

Then his hopes were completely shattered when Chijiang Nayue placed the plate in front of him.

Conan stared at the indescribable sticky substance in the plate, and for a moment he couldn't tell what it was.

And he always felt that this indescribable thing was also watching him! Is this really okay? !

"Come and try it?" The chairman sat across from him, chin propped up, looking over at him, eyes sparkling like stars, looking at him expectantly, "My specialty - spicy crab meat curry rice! Considering that you may not be able to eat spicy food, I have specially processed it."

Conan took a deep breath, closed his eyes again, then quickly scooped up a spoonful with the porcelain spoon beside him and stuffed it into his mouth as if he was sacrificing his life heroically.

He subconsciously widened his eyes.

It turns out the chairman can cook! This curry rice doesn’t look like it, but it tastes so good?

Click.

Conan bit his spoon and looked up blankly, only to see the chairman across from him still smiling at him: "How is it? It's not quite what you imagined, is it?"

The little detective's ears turned red when his inner thoughts were exposed.

It turned out that he had misunderstood. Wuming's cooking skills were perfect... Well, it would be better if he looked more normal.

Conan lowered his head again and did not notice that Akae Nazuki, who was standing opposite him, took out her cell phone and started taking pictures quickly, even finding several angles. Only after she finished taking the pictures did she slowly start to eat the portion in front of her.

I have to say, Conan's expression when he's teasing is really interesting. Akae Nazuki thought with satisfaction: It's no wonder that he deliberately used this curry rice to tease the little detective, right?

After eating and drinking, Conan helped the chairman put his share of dishes into the dishwasher and then looked at him with an expression as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. He began to think about how to discuss "business" with the other party.

"Um, Brother Akae?" Conan sat on the chair and shook his calves.

"Just call me by my name." Chi Jiang Na Yue said in a brisk voice, "Come to think of it, you came to me to ask this, right?"

He handed the newspaper over, and Conan saw the shocking headline again. His mood, which had relaxed because of the meal, became depressed again.

The detective nodded seriously: "Does Brother Yue know what's going on? Mr. Sawaki..."

Was it really suicide?

The chairman was still smiling, but that smile was a little cold: "Yes."

“Actually—?”

"His body is in the hands of the police department. As long as the police department says it was suicide, then he committed suicide." The chairman's tone was very calm, but Conan seemed to hear the fatigue hidden under the calmness. "No matter what other truth is behind it. Little detective, you can ask me this, but don't ask this question to anyone else."

"This is dangerous," he said, his eyes lowered.

Even though Sawaki Kouhei was actually an undercover agent who entered the Parliament as a comrade who was instigated by Wuming, what the chairman said was the real situation in Tokyo.

Chijiang Nayue himself wiped the sweat off the face of his own little detective.

He knows the young detective's persistence in the case and the truth, and is willing to protect him, but he will have to leave one day, and the young detective needs to have a deeper understanding of the dark side of this city.

Conan was no fool, he could understand the implication of the chairman's words and made a decision after hesitating for two seconds.

Why not just take this opportunity to confess?

Wuming is targeting underground organizations and criminals in Tokyo, so the Black Organization that made him smaller should also be within Wuming's hunting range. Maybe after they reveal their cards, he can get more information about the organization from Wuming!

Moreover, Conan doesn't think his disguise can fool the vigilante, because if the other party investigates further, they will find that 'Edogawa Conan' is actually a fake identity. He has not been exposed so far, only relying on the chaos in Tokyo that people don't care too much about these identity proofs and verifications, and rejuvenation sounds too absurd.

"Actually I--" Conan cleared his throat, sat up straight and started to speak.

"Oh, yes, since it's still early, do you want to go out with me?" The chairman seemed not to have heard him. He stood up and lowered his head to ask Conan, "I found a used bookstore in Ikebukuro before. The manager told me that he recently bought a copy of Lippincott's Monthly, published in February 1890."

"You like Sherlock Holmes, right? So I guess you'd be interested, so I asked him to keep it."

The black-haired boy narrowed his eyes and said this. In Conan's eyes, he looked extremely majestic!

He said, "Want to go?"

Conan Doyle's "The Signature of Four" was first published in the February 1890 edition of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine.

Conan was silent, and nodded firmly and vigorously.

"want!!"

He announced that from today on, both the Chairman and Wuming were his little idols!