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

Chapter 436 Leaving dangerous items by the door can easily attract attention...

This commotion was quite loud; not only the four of them, but also President Takeuchi himself heard it clearly.

His expression changed instantly. He jumped up, strode to the door, and yanked open the paper door.

With the obstruction gone, the sounds outside became clearer. Conan Edogawa curiously looked outside and saw two middle-aged men dressed as maids blocking someone's way.

The man was young, about the same age as Ran Mouri, and bore a resemblance to President Takeuchi in his features. He stared blankly at the servants blocking his way, trying to get around their arms, but when he turned around, he met President Takeuchi's livid expression.

"What's all the noise about?" President Takeuchi said coldly.

“Young Master, it’s Young Master Yishu who wants to go out…” one of the maids said timidly.

A tree?
Conan Edogawa quickly remembered the other person's identity.

Kazuki Takeuchi, the second son of President Takeuchi, is seventeen years old this year. He also has an older sister who is studying abroad.

There are rumors that he is frail and sickly, has taken a leave of absence from school, and is recuperating at home; there are also rumors that he has a bad relationship with his father, once ran away from home, and has now been caught and is being forcibly locked up at home.

However, all of the above information was accidentally seen by Conan Edogawa on an online forum, and its authenticity remains to be verified. At least at this moment, the attitude shown by President Takeuchi in front of him is—

“The ban has been lifted, he can go out if he wants.” He said to the maid first, then instructed his son, his tone slightly impatient, “Don’t go to the forest, I’ll send someone to pick you up when it’s time.”

"..."

Takeuchi Kazuki glanced at him, then turned to look inside. After seeing several people sitting inside, his gaze lingered for a moment before quickly moving away.

He left without saying a word.

The others present remained silent until President Takeuchi closed the door again and returned to his room.

Even though Conan Edogawa was very curious about the so-called ban, seeing the other party's expression and with Aoyagi Akimitsu quietly nudging him as a reminder, he ultimately did not ask directly.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mori, you must have found this amusing."

President Takeuchi smiled again, but unlike before, this time his smile had a somewhat formulaic quality. He picked up a folder from the side, placed it next to the photo, and pushed them both to the opposite side.

“All the information I have about her is here,” he said. “Mr. Mori, please investigate each clue in detail.”

Kogoro Mouri, with his keen eyes, noticed the president's subtle weariness and, sensing that the other party wanted to see him off, readily agreed: "Then we won't bother you any longer."

President Takeuchi nodded and beckoned the butler outside to come in: "Kawasaki, take Mr. Mori and the others to a nearby hotel and arrange two of the best rooms for them."

……

Since Kogoro Mouri drove the rented car to the Takeuchi family's doorstep, the so-called "delivery" turned into Ran Mouri sitting in the back, Conan Edogawa sitting on Aoyagi Akimitsu's lap, and the butler sitting in the passenger seat to give them directions.

The group quickly arrived at the hotel, which was also in a Japanese style. The receptionist and the butler who handled the check-in were acquaintances. After a brief exchange, the butler took the key and handed it to them.

"Then I'll take my leave first." The butler bowed to them. "If you encounter any problems here, you can contact me through the front desk."

Watching him leave, Kogoro Mouri looked down at the two keys in his hand and casually handed one of them to Aoyagi Akimitsu.

"Who are you going to share a room with?" he asked, turning to Conan Edogawa.

"I want to live with Mr. Aoyagi."

Without thinking, Conan Edogawa replied directly, then realized something and looked at Aoyagi Akimitsu, who was still disguised beside him: "Is it alright, Mr. Aoyagi?" Aoyagi Akimitsu took the key and was looking around when he heard this, then turned around and said: "Sure."

Ran Mouri was about to say something when her gaze suddenly shifted to the corner of the wall, the very spot where Aoyagi Akira had just been looking. She froze, "That's... a hunting rifle?"

The hotel wasn't very big. The other two looked in the direction she was looking and immediately spotted a hunting rifle hanging on the wall, along with a lifelike brown-black bear head on it.

Aoyagi Akimitsu looked at the bear head: "This is a brown bear. Did the people here hunt it?"

"It looks like a bear cub, only about two years old. Normally, it shouldn't be separated from its mother yet, right?" he added.

Kogoro Mouri, oblivious to the details, abruptly turned to the front desk, his face grim: "There are brown bears in the forest around here?!"

Conan Edogawa's expression wasn't very good either.

The main bear species in Japan are black bears and brown bears, with brown bears mostly found in the Hokkaido region. In terms of size and lethality, brown bears are far more terrifying than black bears; the infamous Sanke Bessatsu incident was committed by a brown bear.

"Don't worry, this is what our boss caught while hunting in the neighboring Nagano Prefecture a month ago. It's his prized trophy, which is several kilometers away from here."

The receptionist smiled and comforted her.

Kogoro Mouri and Ran Mouri breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, while Conan Edogawa frowned slightly.

……

The rooms are on the second floor, and the two rooms are adjacent to each other.

Kogoro Mouri planned to rest for a while and review the documents, so he arranged to meet Aoyagi Akimitsu an hour later. Aoyagi Akimitsu had no objections and led Edogawa Conan into his room.

He put down his luggage as soon as he entered, without removing his disguise. He first walked around a few rooms, then returned to the living room, opened the window and looked out.

"This room isn't in a great location. It faces the street and you can only see people and other houses. There's not much of a view."

Aoyagi Akimitsu sighed. He noticed Edogawa Conan's silence and asked with some confusion, "What's wrong?"

Conan Edogawa no longer needed to pretend to be a child in front of him. He was about to express his concern about the bear when he suddenly remembered hearing the same phrase on his way here, and at that time—

"By the way, Mr. Aoyagi."

He instantly forgot what had just happened, and taking advantage of the fact that the Mori father and daughter were both in the next room, he immediately asked the question that concerned him more:

"Is there a picture of a silver-haired man in your bag? I caught a glimpse of it when you were getting your book in the car earlier," he said urgently. "Could you show me what he looks like?"

Aoyagi Akimitsu sized up Edogawa Conan.

Those emerald green eyes, hidden beneath the disguise, were like a clear lake, reflecting the detective's appearance.

The FBI agent was not angry about being spied on, and his expression did not change at all.

"That involves someone who is very important to me."

His attitude remained as gentle as ever, his gaze softly falling on Conan Edogawa's face.

"It's not that I can't show it to you... but what's your reason for being so curious about him?"

(End of this chapter)