The unscrupulous detective in Conan

Chapter 1434 Ai is so cute, it must be Fujino's fault
Deeper into the cave, the tunnel was pitch black. Fujino took out his magic wand and illuminated the surrounding rock walls. The rock walls had winding and rugged patterns, layer upon layer, with various irregular protrusions that seemed to have been formed naturally.

It looks like it was formed naturally, not the kind of mold that was deliberately sculpted.

The tunnel was large enough to accommodate an adult, and there were many forks in the road along it, exactly like the forks on the map we had just pieced together.

Yoshikawa, that traitor, immediately shouted out all the directions to take at the forks in the road on the map.

Those who already knew he was the mole were not surprised.

I'm a little speechless at his decision to not even act anymore.

Following the assembled treasure map, they came to a hollow cave in the mountain.

In the very center of the hollow was a small pool of water.

The setting sun shone through the cracks in the rocks above, turning the small pool a deep red.

"What a nice view!"

Looking at the scene before her, Xiaolan couldn't help but sigh, "This place looks a lot like the Qingtian Well from before."

Hongye looked up and said, "It seems that the pool here was formed by rainwater seeping down from above when it rains."

"Look, there's a little house over there!"

Sonoko pointed to a wooden house across the small pond. "Could the treasure be in there?"

That must be it!

"The Junior Detectives' treasure hunt is a great success!"

The little ones looked very excited and started shouting excitedly towards the little house.

Despite their shouting, they remained conscious and did not make any rash moves.

Mama Gray had just given them a lecture.

At least for today, they will learn their lesson.

"Treasure isn't urgent," Fujino said, turning back to look at the entrance they had come from. "Before we get the treasure, we need to deal with those tailing us. Otherwise, we'll be in trouble if we're the ones stalking the mantis while unaware of the oriole behind us..."

"Am I right, everyone?"

Everyone turned around, but no one came out.

Fujino scoffed lightly: "You don't actually think I'm bluffing you, do you?"

"Hisamichi Takahashi".

As he finished speaking, suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from the entrance cave.

A man wearing a suit, sunglasses, and a mask walked in slowly.

He removed his mask, revealing his face, and said in a deep voice, "Yoshikawa, did you tell them?"

"I...I didn't!"

Yoshikawa immediately panicked, "I haven't mentioned this to anyone outside the family!"

"It's definitely not him."

Fujino picked up the conversation, looked at him and said calmly, "How your identity was exposed is not important. What is important is what you want to do."

"Could it be that they plan to wait for the men in our group to go ahead and scout ahead, then seize the girls and children following behind us and threaten us to hand over the treasure?"

"Hmph, you saw right through me?" Takahashi Hisamichi sneered. "Since you already know my purpose, I advise you not to meddle and obediently hand over the Kobayakawa family's treasure."

Are you... threatening me?

Upon hearing this, Fujino paused for a moment, then glanced at Takahashi, shook his head slightly, and chuckled softly, "It's been a while since I've heard anyone say that..."

At this point, his smile gradually faded: "In that case, you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."

"I could turn a blind eye to the previous kidnapping case, after all, your target was Ms. Kobayakawa, and it's not a crime for her to forgive you if you didn't succeed..."

"But if you dare threaten my people, then I'll have no choice but to send you away."

"That's not up to you," Takahashi Hisamichi sneered. "Come out, all of you!"

After he finished speaking, a large group of men in suits carrying baseball bats swarmed out from behind him.

Fujino remained calm: "Trying to use force?"

Takahashi Hisamichi said, "If you cooperate obediently, I guarantee I won't harm you in the slightest."

"is it?"

Fujino glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and said, "Miss Kobayakawa, I'll give you one last chance."

Kobayakawa immediately said anxiously, "Mr. Takahashi, if you want the treasure, I can give it to you!"

"That's quite a nice way to put it, as if these treasures were originally yours. No wonder you're from the Kobayakawa family."

"Nani?"

Takahashi Hisamichi snorted coldly: "Your Kobayakawa family has monopolized the treasure for so many years but is unwilling to contribute to society at all. You are a bunch of selfish and hypocritical bastards."

"These treasures belong to everyone, not just your Kobayakawa family!"

"Rather than letting your Kobayakawa family take over, you'd better hand it over to me so I can make a greater contribution to society!"

Fujino glanced at him, not quite understanding his thought process: "So, you're planning to steal the treasure they left behind, right?"

"These were all seized by the Kobayakawa family!"

"Oh, so they still want to steal the treasure left by their ancestors."

"I did all this for the sake of the local area..."

"If you want to rob me, just say so. Why all the high-sounding nonsense?"

Fujino looked at Takahashi Hisamichi in front of him and said speechlessly, "It's none of your business what they do with their family's treasure. If you want to take their treasure, it's essentially robbery. What's this about contributing to society? In the end, isn't it just taking advantage of other people's wealth?"

"nonsense!"

"Oh, so you're saying I'm talking nonsense? Then why don't you sell all your property and use it to build society?"

"idiot!"

"You get angry and embarrassed because you were called out, huh?"

Fujino stared at the dark mass of people, took a deep breath, and silently took out a wooden sword from his personal storage space.

…………

Ten minutes later.

Fujino, holding a wooden sword, affectionately patted Takahashi Hisamichi's face: "Mr. Takahashi, do you have anything to say now?"

Lying on the ground, Hisamichi Takahashi's eyes were dazed and filled with terror.

Just now, he witnessed this high school detective, with a wooden sword, knock down all of the dozen or so people he had brought.

Even before he arrived, he had already heard that this person was very strong in combat.

But who would have thought that this one person could take down more than ten people?
Is this still a human being?

Seeing that Takahashi Hisamichi seemed to be terrified, he didn't say anything and just swung his wooden sword down.

Then, a clear, resonant thud echoed through the cave.

Hmm, looks like a good brain.

Fujino thought to himself for a moment. Meanwhile, Iori Muga began to clean up after Fujino, dragging the group of unconscious men in suits together and keeping them in place.

Taking advantage of this moment, the group waded across the small pool.

Fujino walked slowly to the front of the small house and opened the door.

What comes into view is a small box.

Genta narrowed his eyes, looking at the small box with a hint of doubt: "Is this the treasure that can be exchanged for lots of eel rice?"

"It feels a little small..."

Mitsuhiko, standing next to him, guessed, "Could it be some kind of cultural relic, like an imperial seal or something?"

"If it's a cultural relic with historical significance, it's priceless!"

Sonoko stared at the small box with great curiosity, then excitedly said, "Senpai, hurry up and open it to see what's inside!"

"Don't rush, after all, this is the Kobayakawa family's treasure." Fujino looked at the Kobayakawa prince beside him and suggested, "Why don't you open this treasure yourself?"

Prince Kobayakawa shook his head slightly: "You should open it yourself. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to find it without your help."

Fujino was very satisfied with Kobayakawa's attitude upon hearing this.

He slowly opened the box.

The first thing you see is a letter placed inside.

The inscription read: "To be opened by a descendant of the Kobayakawa family."

Fujino felt a sense of relief upon seeing the letter.

Sure enough, it was just as he thought.

Such a treasure hunt is bound to end in a farce.

He took out an envelope and handed it to Kobayakawa: "This should be something like your family's ancestral precepts. It would be better if you opened it yourself."

"Um……"

Prince Kobayakawa glanced at the envelope with a complicated expression, and this time he did not continue to refuse.

In Japan, family traditions are highly valued.

It is indeed inappropriate to hand over ancestral family letters to outsiders.

So she took the envelope, took out the letter inside, and started reading.

"What does this letter say?" Ooka Momiji couldn't help but ask as she looked at the letter.

After all, judging from the circumstances of the treasure hunt, this letter must have been left by the ancestors of the Kobayakawa family at least a hundred years ago.

She is very interested in things with historical backgrounds like this.

“This is a family letter left by our Kobayakawa ancestors,” Kobayakawa explained, then calmly read aloud the contents of the letter: “It goes something like this… I studied under Master Yoshida Shoin, and finally understood what the treasure that will never change no matter what era comes…”

"My teacher once said that only by setting your own goals can you achieve great things. In other words, setting goals is the source of everything."

"Just as the teacher said, students who aspire to make this country stronger are witnessing the historical changes this country is going through. In the future, whether now or in the future, our greatest treasure is our aspirations."

"Ambition is the most powerful force that can change people and nations."

"I wrote this letter in the hope of reminding future generations that no matter what the circumstances, they should firmly grasp this treasure that can change everything."

As Hongye listened, she stroked her chin: "A treasure powerful enough to change a country seems to mean only the surface meaning, not the physical object, but the ambition to change the country."

Xiaolan, a young girl with a love for literature, remarked, "Although it's not gold or silver treasure, a handwritten letter left by a student of Mr. Yoshida Shoin is actually very valuable in itself!"

The little ones were immediately disappointed upon hearing this.

Genta sighed, "It was just a letter. I thought it was some kind of treasure that could buy countless eel rice bowls."

"Really, treating a letter like a treasure."

"You can't say that!"

At this moment, Mitsuhiko retorted, "This is a handwritten letter left by Yoshida Shoin's disciple, so it is still very valuable!"

"What's the value of it?" Genta pouted. "You can't eat it anyway."

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is eating!"

Sonoko punched Genta on the head with her fist: "Family letters passed down through generations like this are extremely important, you know!"

Genta rubbed his forehead: "What's so important about it? It's not like it's a real treasure..."

As a fellow member of a prestigious family, Momiji understood Sonoko's words quite well and explained calmly, "Things like this, while not true treasures, are still very precious heirlooms for a family."

“Our family has also passed down a lot of such ancestral precepts and objects. My grandfather treasured those things.”

"To be honest, my grandfather usually doesn't even want us to look at his grandchildren, for fear of damaging them."

Sonoko immediately resonated with Momiji: "Our Suzuki family's treasures are just like that!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but sigh, her tone tinged with resentment: "When I was little, I accidentally broke into our family's vault and damaged a calligraphy scroll that had been passed down in the Suzuki family. My mom gave me a good scolding..."

Fujino: "..."

So, you two really did reach a consensus on something completely inexplicable...

Miss Sonoko, you've already done a good job of not being hung up and whipped by your mother and older sister for damaging the family heirloom calligraphy and paintings, okay?
Why do you still seem a little unconvinced?
Well, Sonoko is actually a filial daughter, too.

Fujino thought to himself, "This is what I'm thinking."

At this moment, Ai Haibara glanced at Hisamichi Takahashi, who was lying not far behind her, and said in a calm, teasing tone, "But if that Takahashi knew that the treasure he was looking for was actually something like this, I wonder what he would think..."

Upon hearing this, Fujino stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "I don't even want to think about it. When he wakes up later, I'll slap this letter in front of his eyes and let him see the state he's ended up in, all for this thing. I wonder what kind of expression he'll have."

Ai Haibara pondered for a moment, then crossed her arms and said, "She'll probably just faint from anger, right?"

Fujino chuckled lightly: "It's not that light, it'll all go crazy for a while."

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Fujino and Ai Haibara with strange expressions, speechless for a moment.

Stealing bamboo shoots? You get beaten up, and when the person wakes up, you have to go up and whip their corpse.

Well, all I can say is that he truly lives up to his reputation as Fujino (senpai).

As expected, he's still as cunning as ever.

Ooka Momiji, Mouri Ran, Suzuki Sonoko, and Kobayakawa Kimiko all think the same way.

As for Ai...

In their eyes, Ai is so cute, and although she's a bit sharp-tongued, how could she possibly be so cunning?

She must have been corrupted by Fujino!

Conan, with a deadpan expression, couldn't help but think to himself:

I think those two are birds of a feather!
In Conan's opinion, Ai Haibara and Noboru Fujino are practically identical.

Regardless of who followed whom, they complemented each other and achieved success together.

However, considering the two guys' vengeful nature, he ultimately didn't say those words aloud and only dared to think them in his heart.

After all, if this were to be said out loud, those two scoundrels would probably retaliate against him within the next day.

(End of this chapter)