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

Chapter 434 Bear Infestation

Anchu City is located in the southwestern part of Gunma Prefecture and is a small city with a population of less than 70,000.

This was Kogoro Mouri's first time here. Following the navigation, he drove through densely populated residential and commercial areas until he reached the edge of the city, where a mansion finally came into view.

Conan Edogawa noticed the car was slowing down. Bored the whole way, he perked up and looked out: "Finally here?"

Unlike the Western-style villa at the Kudo residence, the house in front of us is clearly in the traditional Japanese style.

Aoyagi Akimitsu closed the book and stuffed it back into his bag. He glanced at the nameplate outside the door that read "Takeuchi" and adjusted his glasses.

The car pulled up in front of the mansion and stopped. Several people got out, and before Kogoro Mouri could take out his phone to notify the client, an elderly man dressed as a butler came out.

He bowed respectfully to them and introduced himself: "Greetings, Mr. Mori. I am Kawasaki, the butler of the Takeuchi family. The young master sent me to greet you. May I ask who these gentlemen are...?"

The butler looked at the other three people with a puzzled expression, seemingly not expecting so many people to come all at once.

Kogoro Mouri explained, "This is my daughter, Ran. This is Conan Edogawa, who's temporarily staying with us. I didn't know how long I'd be staying in Gunma for this mission, and I was worried they'd cause trouble at home, so I brought them along. As for this one..."

He glanced over out of the corner of his eye and saw Aoyagi Akimitsu step forward and bow slightly: "Hello, I am Aoyagi Akimitsu. I recently joined the Mouri Detective Agency."

Aoyagi Akihiro straightened up and gave a shy smile: "I'll be Mr. Mori's detective assistant, and I'll do my best in this case."

Conan Edogawa stared in disbelief at his tone and expression, which were so different from his usual demeanor.

Is this... the acting skills of someone who has been an undercover agent? He portrayed a shy and reserved newcomer who had just started working and was meeting a client for the first time so perfectly that it didn't feel unnatural at all.

Kogoro Mouri wasn't familiar with him, so he wasn't too surprised. He chimed in, "Don't let his appearance fool you. He's actually quite clever when it comes to investigating clues. I thought he could be of help, so I brought him along."

The butler had only asked one question, but after hearing their explanations, he quickly clarified, "I didn't mean to question you. The young master said that no matter how many people you bring, we will treat them well. Now please come in with me."

They didn't take their luggage off the car yet, except for Aoyagi Akimitsu, who still had his bag on his back.

The group walked inside, and the building was much larger than it appeared from the outside. The long corridor stretched to the end, appearing wide and deep, and the floor was clean, free of dust and fallen leaves from the outside despite facing the courtyard.

Conan Edogawa looked around curiously, his gaze sweeping over the paintings on the wall: "Grandpa Butler, are these the family crests?"

The butler turned his head and glanced over there, nodding and saying, "Yes, that's the Takeuchi family crest that has been passed down from the Edo period to the present day. Besides the main family, the ones next to it are the crests of families that have intermarried with the Takeuchi family."

Conan Edogawa wasn't interested in the family crest; he was just curious about the Takeuchi family's traditions.

Family crests were originally the exclusive domain of nobles and samurai, only becoming popular among commoners in the mid-Edo period. After World War II, these crests were phased out of daily life due to their feudal connotations; even when he visited the wealthy Suzuki family, he never saw them display one.

There are many kinds of family crests, such as plants or celestial phenomena, but the crest of the Takeuchi family in front of us is...

"crow?"

Conan Edogawa shouted out his first impression.

The other four people stopped in their tracks. The butler looked at the talkative child again, wanting to explain.

But someone spoke up first: "No, this is a blackbird—almost half the size of a crow, good at mimicking, but not as cunning as a crow. It usually lives in forests and is rarely seen in cities."

After finishing speaking, Aoyagi Akihiro scratched his cheek a little embarrassedly: "That should be it. I've read some popular science articles about animals, so I know a little about them."

The butler chimed in, “It is indeed a blackbird. This place is near a forest, and the Takeuchi family has lived here for generations, so they chose this bird, which is frequently seen, as their family crest.”

At this point, he seemed to remember something important, and his expression turned serious: "By the way, there's something I need to remind you of. Recently, there has been a bear attack in Gunma Prefecture, with people being attacked by wild bears in the suburbs. Although there haven't been any similar incidents in Anchu City yet, if possible, please stay in the city and don't venture into the nearby forests."

Conan Edogawa was taken aback, Ran Mouri's face immediately turned ugly, and Kogoro Mouri frowned: "Understood, we'll be careful."

After finishing their explanation, they reached the door of the reception room. The butler knocked on the door, and a voice from inside said, "Come in." He then opened the paper door.

Inside the room, a middle-aged man dressed in a black patterned haori (traditional Japanese jacket and hakama) sat upright on the tatami mats. He showed no surprise that the detective he had hired had brought three other people with him, merely nodding slightly.
"Please have a seat. Jiangkou, bring some tea."

The group took their seats in turn, and another servant, who was waiting nearby, placed tea on the tea table in the middle before taking his leave with the butler.

Kogoro Mouri was in good spirits throughout the journey, so he didn't drink tea. He went straight to the point and asked, "Mr. Takeuchi, what is the content of your request?"

The four positions were Conan Edogawa, Akimitsu Aoyagi, Kogoro Mouri, and Ran Mouri. Conan Edogawa, sitting on the far right, also focused his attention.

At the same time, he quickly recalled more information about the Takeuchi family that he had searched for while he was bored on the way.

The current chairman of the Takeuchi Group is named Masaaki Takeuchi, and the man in front of him is Ichiro Takeuchi. Judging from his name, he is the chairman's eldest son. He is currently 44 years old and is the president of a pharmaceutical company under the Takeuchi Group.

Besides him, the chairman also has a son and a daughter, who serve as presidents of two other companies, respectively.

It is said that the purpose of this arrangement was for the chairman to observe their abilities and decide who would inherit the conglomerate if they developed their company the best.

From Conan Edogawa's perspective, this is quite fair. However, from the perspective of the eldest son, who naturally has an advantage, he is very likely to be dissatisfied.

Could it be that he's investigating his younger siblings? Conan Edogawa wondered, observing the company president in front of him, his gaze unconsciously falling on the man's hair.

Speaking of which, this president is over forty years old. Many men lose their hair at this age, but his hair is thick and black.

President Takeuchi noticed someone staring at him, but seeing it was just a child, he didn't think much of it. He took a photo out of his pocket and placed it on the coffee table.

In the center of the photo are two young women who look somewhat alike. The younger one has her arm around the older one's arm and her head resting on her shoulder. The two of them are smiling at the camera.

President Takeuchi pointed to the younger one: "Detective Mouri, I'd like you to investigate this woman. I don't know where she is right now, I only know that she might go to Tokyo in a while."

Kogoro Mouri looked at the young woman in the photo, who was about the same age as his daughter, and felt a slight headache coming on: "Excuse me, what's the reason you investigated her...?"

President Takeuchi was taken aback by his reaction, but then he immediately guessed what was going on.

"Please don't misunderstand," he said curtly. "This is an old photo from decades ago. I thought it was a bit blurry, so I used modern methods to restore it—the other person in the photo is my mother."

Kogoro Mouri breathed a sigh of relief: "Sorry. So, the person you're planning to investigate, is he perhaps a relative or friend of your mother's from the past?"

As they were talking, Aoyagi Akimitsu also took out a pen and notebook, and began to bury himself in taking notes like a proper detective assistant.

He lowered his head, his thick, black hair falling gently down, obscuring all the emotions in his eyes.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The results are out.

My only thought: The interview was a hundred times harder than the written test!!

(End of this chapter)