Chapter 20 Takeda Lingyou
At the Ganapur Mansion, Yasuo Ishii invited Kogoro Mouri and his companions, along with a scientist, Ryosuke Takeda, a journalist, Noriya Ogawa, and the owner of the white Mazda RX-7 FD3S. The Ganapur Mansion also had a butler and a servant.
"Hagi, why did you accept this invitation? This place is really weird." Matsuda Jinpei spoke softly, but Cheng You, with his keen senses, could hear the gist of it.
“Since it’s an invitation from the Metropolitan Police Department, we naturally have to investigate. Everyone’s busy, so we can help answer the call.” Kenji Hagiwara smiled, and after he finished speaking, the two of them walked around the corner and came into view.
"This place is really eerie..." Matsuda Jinpei was still dressed the same as before, wearing sunglasses and with a cigarette in his mouth.
Cheng You smiled gently at the newcomer, silently noting down the key information he overheard: an invitation specifically for the Metropolitan Police Department? He couldn't help but wonder if it was a genuine invitation or some other kind of request.
Having experienced the bombing incident, Conan naturally knew the two policemen in front of him. The moment he saw them, Conan immediately recalled Cheng You's strange words and the contents of the invitation his uncle had received. He became wary and even more suspicious of the purpose of the host of the Ganapur Mansion sending the invitation.
"Dear Mr. Kogoro Mouri, I've been dealing with a lot of trouble lately, and I'm feeling quite stressed and increasingly thin. I have a persistent feeling that someone is watching my life and assets, which keeps me up at night. I've heard that you are a sharp and upright detective, a star in the detective world, and a hope for the police force. I wonder if I could invite you to Ganaburi Prefecture to investigate? I would be extremely grateful."
—Respectfully submitted by Yasuo Ishii, the current owner of Ganapur Mansion.
When Conan first saw the contents of the invitation, he thought it might simply be the old man's hallucination, or that someone really wanted to kill him and Ishii Yasuo didn't know who was behind it, so he invited Mouri Kogoro to investigate.
But upon closer examination, things are not so simple. Yasuo Ishii knows that someone wants to kill him and knows the other party's purpose. He knows the killer's ruthlessness and unscrupulousness, but the assassin hiding in the shadows is not to be trifled with. Yasuo Ishii knows this well, so he places his hopes on the famous detective and the Metropolitan Police Department.
But based on this suspicion, Conan felt that Yasuo Ishii's identity was definitely not that simple.
After a brief introduction, neither Matsukawa Jinpei nor Hagiwara Kenji mentioned that they were Metropolitan Police Department officers. Instead, Ishii Yasuo introduced them with a broad smile, "It's an honor to have the Metropolitan Police Department here. These two are officers from the Metropolitan Police Department. I didn't expect you to actually grace my humble abode with your presence." He extended his hand to shake hands with them, but their eyes were already drawn to something else.
Yuichi noticed the change in Cheng You's aura and could clearly sense Cheng You's displeasure. Hesitating about what to do, Yuichi grabbed the seemingly gentle Hagiwara Kenji just as Ishii Yasuo was about to speak and asked in a childish voice, "Why are the police officers here? Do they also want to admire the old house with us?"
"Little brother, who did you come with? You don't seem to be that boy from the Mori family." Kenji Hagiwara gently patted Yuichi's head and asked.
“This is my friend’s younger brother, he’s staying with me temporarily,” Cheng said with a smile. “I came with Uncle Mori.”
“I see,” Kenji Hagiwara said. “Since Mr. Ishii sincerely invited us, we naturally had to come.” This was in response to Yuichi’s question.
That's not the truth.
Cheng thought to himself that although it wasn't the truth, at least he could be sure that the Metropolitan Police Department's sudden appearance here was definitely because Ishii Yasuo had taken extreme measures to invite them. He really would do anything to survive.
The air pressure around them dropped a bit. Cheng You was indeed not very happy. After all, Ishii Yasuo had invited Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji. Although he knew that their arrival was accidental, Ishii Yasuo's grand introduction of the two policemen was intended to scare the murderer and satisfy himself, but it pushed Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji into danger.
The two people standing there now are Takeda Ryosuke and Ogawa Kiya, who were also invited. One of them is a member of a black organization, and if the police discover his plan, the police will also be in danger.
They introduced themselves to each other. Cheng You remembered the quiet man named Takeda Ryosuke, who said he was a scientist invited by Ishii Yasuo. However, Cheng You clearly heard his thoughts and confirmed that he was indeed a member of the Sakura Blade Pavilion organization, and that his name was fake. He focused all his attention on this man and ignored everyone else.
They were having dinner together when Cheng You overheard the thoughts of the potential culprit—the butler of the Ganapur Mansion—who also planned to act that night and kill Ishii Yasuo. Cheng You wasn't particularly concerned about this kind of case. He got up and took Yuichi away, saying, "Yuichi has a bit of a cold. I'll go upstairs and get him some warmer clothes."
"Of course, but Mr. Cheng You had better be careful. Ganapur Prefecture is full of unknown dangers." Perhaps it was the lighting, but a strange smile appeared on Ishii Yasuo's face. Cheng You's eyes twitched, and he pulled You Yi away from there.
"Brother Cheng You, do you know those two policemen?" Youyi asked casually.
"We've known each other for a long time, don't touch them." Cheng You's tone was gentle, but it contained a hint of danger and warning.
Long ago, without needing to spell it out, they both knew perfectly well. "Of course," Youyi said with a smile, "I won't hurt Brother Cheng You, or anyone who is good to Brother Cheng You."
Yasuo Ishii arranged rooms for them on the second floor. Since Yuichi was a child and had a cold, he shared a room with Cheng You.
Upon entering the room, Cheng You took a thicker sweater from his suitcase and put it on You. For the first time, Cheng You felt that children were like glutinous rice balls. You stretched out her arms, her face slightly flushed, and she pouted, "My hair got caught..."
"Ah! I'm so sorry." Cheng You tidied Youyi's hair and couldn't help but pinch Youyi's cheek when he looked at her.
Yuichi closed one eye, while the other eye shone as she looked at Cheng You, seemingly full of smiles. Cheng You almost forgot that the person in front of her was a high school student.
"Alright, let's go downstairs." Cheng You smiled.
"..." Youyi didn't respond. She lowered her head and remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, her tone serious, "Brother Cheng You, your eyes are so easy to recognize, just like the day we first met."
"Really..." The day of their first encounter, was it that time in Nishino Ward? Cheng You thought his acting skills were pretty good, and his ability to hide his emotions was excellent, but he was still seen through? Why?
"I can see the ruthlessness in Cheng You's gentle eyes, and similarly, I can see the tenderness in yours." Youyi opened her phone, smoothed her hair, and stared into her own eyes for a long time, her gaze shifting between maturity and naivety. "Cheng You's acting still needs improvement~"
The last sentence was spoken in a cheerful tone. Youyi grabbed the other person's arm, took out a small spray bottle from her pocket, and handed it to Cheng You.
"What is this?" Cheng You asked instinctively as he took the small spray bottle. It was a transparent plastic bottle that could be completely held in his hand, and the liquid inside looked like clear water, with nothing unusual about it. However, he remembered that You Yi had said that he was a scientist and a pharmacologist, and Cheng You couldn't help but have doubts about the liquid in the small spray bottle.
"Poison." Yuuichi smiled innocently. "I originally carried this for self-defense. Don't worry, it won't kill you. Brother Cheng, could you set up a lab for me? I want to continue researching drugs, and maybe I can find an antidote for this."
Is it the antidote for drug A? Cheng suddenly thought of this, but he didn't ask. He just smiled and nodded, "Sure, but things like this in a lab aren't easy to set up..."
Seeing the fleeting disappointment in Yu's eyes, Cheng You helplessly patted his head. "However, I will try my best to fulfill Yu's requests~"
"Thank you, Brother Cheng You." You couldn't suppress a smile. He hugged Cheng You's waist and rubbed against him.
Cheng You couldn't help but pat his head. "Let's go."
When the two came downstairs, everyone had already started eating. They seemed to be talking about some scary story, and there was a look of panic on their faces.
Kogoro Mouri was startled when he heard footsteps coming from the wooden building behind him. He turned around abruptly and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was. "That scared me to death," he muttered to himself, trying to calm himself down.
"Are you telling some scary stories?" Cheng You asked with a smile. You Yi had warned him about his gaze, so Cheng You was even more careful about his current disguise. When he was in his cheerful college student persona, he couldn't hide any ruthlessness in his eyes.
"Yes, Mr. Ishii is talking about the terrifying ancient mansion in Ganapur Prefecture. It's really scary." Xiaolan sighed, the panic in her eyes still lingering.
"A terrifying tale from the ancient mansion?" Cheng You smiled. "I consider myself well-read, but I've never heard of such a story in Ganapur Mansion."
“These kinds of stories are passed down by word of mouth.” Yasuo Ishii smiled insincerely, his eyes, hidden behind the mask, gleaming coldly.
Cheng smiled more broadly, “There’s a saying in China: ‘If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear.’”
“I always thought this gentleman didn’t look Japanese; it turns out he’s a traveler from China.” Ishii Yasuo didn’t pick up on Cheng You’s previous sentence and quickly changed the subject, chatting with other guests about other things in Ghanapur Province.
Cheng You and You Yi sat down for a simple meal. Just now, Ishii Yasuo had expressed suspicion towards him, and Cheng You's eyes flickered; he suspected Cheng You was the one who had accepted the bounty to kill him. Ishii Yasuo had become noticeably more cautious after learning that Cheng You was Chinese.
This was something Cheng hadn't expected, but it seemed like it wasn't so bad.
Listening to the assassin from Sakura Blade Pavilion planning tonight's operation, one could hear his loyalty to the organization between the lines. He couldn't bear to see the organization decline, nor could he bear to see a heroic organization of an era disappear.
Cheng You couldn't help but smile. This kind of loyal person was exactly what Cheng You needed.
Another potential culprit is the middle-aged butler in the black tuxedo. He discovered Ishii Yasuo's shady dealings and, upon further investigation, found that he was also involved in the deaths of his relatives. Fueled by hatred, he planned a scheme that had lasted for a month and was finally going to be carried out tonight.
"Life is so precious," Cheng You sighed. As everyone stared at him in bewilderment, Cheng You chuckled casually, "Just a casual remark, hahaha."
Cheng You opened his phone and sent a message to Conan's account: "Do you know why these two police officers came?"
Given Kogoro Mouri's relationship with the police, Kenji Hagiwara and the others might give Conan's questions a serious answer.
The next second, Conan sent a question: "Why are you asking this?"
[Cheng You: Are you trying to trick me into revealing information? But I can tell you, be careful of that butler.] Cheng You didn't intend to mention Takeda Ryosuke, the member of the Sakura Blade Pavilion, since he was useful to him.
[Conan: Yasuo Ishii sent an invitation to the Metropolitan Police Department. The content is similar to the one he sent to Uncle Mori, saying that someone wants to kill him and he needs protection. How did you know it was the butler?]
[Cheng You: Intuition.]
The two didn't continue their conversation, and everyone dispersed to return to their rooms to rest. Ishii Yasuo called over two police officers and Kogoro Mouri, saying they wanted to discuss work that night, but in reality, he just wanted protection. Conan followed, hoping to hear some useful information.
Only after everyone had left did Takeda Ryosuke get up and go upstairs. His footsteps were barely audible in the dimly lit corridor. His eyes were calm, but his heart still held the desire for the mission's success and the hope for the organization's growing strength. After entering the room, Takeda Ryosuke suddenly sensed someone's presence behind him, faint and indistinct.
Someone is following him! His heart tightened; he had only just realized that the person he was looking at was also a powerful figure.
Could it be that Yasuo Ishii has discovered his identity, or... has the organization's enemies come after him?
In a flash, Takeda Ryosuke pulled a pistol from his pocket and pointed it at the person behind him.
A note from the author:
He is usually called Youyi.
Yuichi Yuichi's name hasn't been significantly changed for ease of reading.
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