Conan: I'm really not the mastermind behind the scenes

The shocking live-streamed kidnapping incident by Japanese police was like a passing breeze; within days, the online buzz died down, and public discussion gradually subsided.

Many people realized that the relevant departments intervened to suppress the news. After all, it's not a good thing to talk about live-streaming the killing and the police's failed rescue, and too much discussion would cause panic.

Some people are used to it, while others understand it but still feel annoyed.

Conan Edogawa is the latter.

"...Are you going to the professor's house after school today?"

It was Friday afternoon, and the school bell had already rung.

After a two-week absence, Ai Haibara returned to school and began packing her things to go home. Not far away, Ayumi Yoshida and her two friends were excitedly discussing where to go for the weekend. After listening for a few minutes, she lost interest and turned to Conan Edogawa, who was sitting next to her, to ask him a question.

Conan Edogawa seemed to be deep in thought, but his attention snapped back to reality when he heard her words: "What happened to Dr. Agasa's house? Was the wall blown up again?"

"..."

Ai Haibara suspected that this guy hadn't been listening to what she was saying, and added speechlessly, "The Doctor has been in contact with that magician named Kaito Kuroba these past few days. He's given him a lot of inspiration, and he's made a few new pieces of equipment, all for you, so I was asking if you wanted to go take a look."

Conan Edogawa realized he had been daydreaming and misheard, and said somewhat awkwardly, "I have something to do after school, I'll go over tonight."

Ai Haibara glanced at his expression and the phone he had been clutching throughout class, then said knowingly, "You're still going to investigate?"

She used a normal volume because she knew that the three children around her, engrossed in their discussion, wouldn't care what they were saying at that moment.

Conan Edogawa fell silent upon hearing her words.

Nearly a week has passed since the police kidnapping incident.

Because it involves people he knows, Conan Edogawa wants to get involved in the investigation. He really wants to find out who instigated Nobu Kadaya to commit the crime.

Unfortunately, this incident involved the police, and he couldn't get any information from the police officers he knew in the Metropolitan Police Department—the police simply wouldn't share it with them—so he had to investigate on his own.

"No, I've been to all the places I was supposed to go these past few days," Conan Edogawa said in a muffled voice. "There are no clues."

In fact, he only had one clue: when Kadoya Shin went to the store to inquire but was suspected of being a thief, a store clerk chased him all the way to the door, and was then persuaded to leave by an unknown person.

He went to find the shop assistant last Sunday, but it was empty. The police knew the same information he did: the shop assistant had been called away for investigation on the night of the incident and hadn't returned by the next morning.

So Conan Edogawa had no choice but to go again a few days later, after school, and this time he finally found the person.

The shop assistant had been questioned by the police, and whether it was because of the trauma or something else, he was initially very rude and unwilling to answer. He even almost chased away Conan Edogawa.

In the end, it was thanks to Yukiko Kudo, who accompanied him, that the shop owner was a former fan of hers. She bought a few pieces of equipment from that shop, and the owner finally agreed to speak up.

"He was over 1.8 meters tall, with a sturdy build, an ordinary appearance and clothing without any distinguishing features, and spoke with a Kansai accent. He extended his left hand when giving me directions."

"He speaks very nicely. No, I don't mean his voice is nice, but what he says makes me feel comfortable. I was quite angry when I chased after him, but after a few words from him, I wasn't angry anymore."

The shop assistant gave a summary, then couldn't help but complain:
“It was such a simple feature, and they should have let me go after asking all the questions. But the police officer who interrogated me kept asking me if I was sure the other person was really a man, if there was anything unusual about the other person’s face or hair, if the other person’s shoes were padded, and even made me take a lie detector test. It was like I was on the wrong medication.”

Yukiko Kudo, having a suspicion, interrupted him: "They suspect he's someone else in disguise?"

“Yes.” The shop assistant paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly. “While I was having my face drawn, I heard them whispering a few words, using the pronoun ‘she.’ They seemed to suspect that the person I was meeting was actually a woman.”

This lead ends here.

"...I have no other ideas, so this investigation has to be suspended." Conan Edogawa lowered his eyes and sighed softly.

His parents also left Japan after this visit. Before leaving, his father said that if there were any problems in the future, they could not only contact him, but also his uncle. Kuroba Toichi has been in Japan recently. Haibara Ai remained silent.

The deceased's identity was unusual, and she vaguely felt it was related to the organization, but the method used this time was far too high-profile, unlike the organization's usual style. Since she herself was unsure, she naturally had no right to stop Conan Edogawa's investigation on the grounds of danger.

"correct."

Ai Haibara became melancholy because of Conan Edogawa's words, but he quickly recovered from his negative mood: "Have you researched that?"

"What?" Ai Haibara asked instinctively.

Conan Edogawa glanced furtively at the classmates who hadn't left yet, and whispered, "Last time we ate cake and accidentally turned back to normal. Although we didn't get the recipe, someone told me that the cake had too much baijiu in it. Have you been researching that kind of liquor lately?"

Haibara Ai:"……"

Meeting the other person's concerned gaze, Ai Haibara suppressed her anger as she grabbed him by the collar: "No, don't take drug development so lightly, and we can't be sure right now that it was that kind of alcohol that turned us back."

Conan Edogawa, oblivious to her displeasure, slumped his shoulders somewhat dejectedly: "I see..."

While they were talking, the other three had already packed their bags. When they turned around, they saw the two of them still sitting in their seats and couldn't help but feel a little curious.

"Conan, what were you whispering about with Ai Haibara?" Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya looked at one of them with suspicion, then at the other. "Are you hiding something from us?"

"No," Conan replied skillfully. "We were just discussing Dr. Agasa. Haibara said that Dr. Agasa's blood sugar control has been poor lately, and she asked me to help persuade him to eat more low-sugar foods."

This is a topic that children aren't interested in, and sure enough, once he said that, they stopped asking questions.

Conan Edogawa didn't stay seated any longer. He quickly packed his things and walked out of the classroom with the four of them, heading towards the school gate.

"Conan, do you want to hang out this weekend?" Ayumi Yoshida invited. "A few of us want to go play baseball at the nearby park."

“I don’t have time,” Conan Edogawa said after thinking for a moment. “Uncle Mori received a request from Gunma, so we’ll be going out of town this weekend.”

As Kogoro Mouri "solves" the truth behind the murder of the software company president in the hospital, his reputation as a detective grows, and he gets more clients, including one from out of town.

“I see…” Yoshida Ayumi let out the same sigh he had just given a few minutes earlier.

The group walked out of the school and parted ways at the intersection. Since the Mouri Detective Agency and Agasa's house were relatively close, Conan Edogawa and Ai Haibara walked together for a while longer.

This time, however, the two didn't speak to each other. Ai Haibara was thinking about the dinner menu; she really needed to control Dr. Agasa's blood sugar. Conan Edogawa was holding his phone, seemingly looking at something.

He suddenly stopped at an intersection.

Ai Haibara turned her head and saw the shrunken detective who had been depressed about the case just over ten minutes ago, now giving her a bright smile: "I have to go now, Haibara, someone's coming to pick me up."

After he finished speaking, he ran across the street. Her gaze followed his back as he ran to a particularly eye-catching red sports car that had been parked on the side of the road at some unknown time.

The FBI agent he had met briefly at a previous beauty pageant stood by the car and waved to him.

Haibara Ai:"……"

She looked away somewhat uncomfortably.

For some reason, even though she didn't sense any dangerous aura from that FBI agent, she still didn't like to interact with him and instinctively felt repulsed.

In contrast to her, Conan Edogawa trusts her completely and enjoys being close to her.

They seem to be attending some game launch event this evening… It's just a launch event, they shouldn't run into any more trouble, right? (End of Chapter)