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

Meeting Aoyagi Akimitsu's probing gaze, Edogawa Conan awkwardly scratched his cheek.

"I……"

He hesitated for a moment, but finally steeled himself and decided to tell the truth:

"—Because the man in black who hit me with a stick and forced me to take medicine at the amusement park had long silver hair."

On the night the Scorpion incident ended and the group returned to Tokyo, Yukiko Kudo disguised herself and came to the detective agency to pick up Conan Edogawa.

They originally wanted to give him a test to see if his shrunken son's mind was affected, but Conan Edogawa reacted too strongly and suddenly jumped out of the car to escape. He also encountered Aoyagi Akimitsu, who was on his way home after buying things, and Kudo Yukiko's identity was exposed by him.

That same night, Conan Edogawa revealed his identity and the existence of the organization to Aoyagi Akimitsu.

At that time, he was unfamiliar with the organization, and his understanding of them came only from Akemi Miyano and Ai Haibara. Even the codenames "Gin" and "Vodka" were only revealed to him by Ai Haibara a few days after that confession, after he repeatedly pressed her for details.

"You only told me that you were beaten by two suspicious people, but you didn't describe their specific physical characteristics." Aoyagi Akimitsu raised an eyebrow.

"Uh..." Conan Edogawa awkwardly shifted his gaze, "Because the process was embarrassing, I don't want to tell you too many details..."

This is the truth.

Aoyagi Akimitsu appeared in his life as a teacher, and they became acquainted through shared interests. To him, Aoyagi was a combination of an elder and a friend, a very special person.

When he encounters trouble, he is willing to ask him for help; when faced with a perplexing issue (whether or not to tell Xiaolan his identity), he is willing to seek his advice.

However, if you ask him to bring up something embarrassing, he will... be very embarrassed.

"Besides, you didn't even ask me back then," Conan Edogawa muttered under his breath.

As a result, Aoyagi Akimitsu heard everything clearly.

He looked at him, somewhat helplessly: "Conan...Kudo, unless it's for work purposes, I won't let the victims describe their experiences in detail. I'll only listen to what they're willing to say."

"After all, sometimes questioning is not just about searching for clues, but also about reopening their wounds and causing them secondary harm."

Conan Edogawa was stunned for a moment. While he was stunned, Aoyagi Akimitsu picked up a bag from the side and took out a stack of documents that were only held together by clips.

"Is it him?" he asked.

The two were sitting on the tatami mats in the living room. Conan Edogawa snapped out of his reverie, his eyes fixed on the photo tucked into the front page, and he leaned closer.

Then he slumped his shoulders: "No..."

The man in the photo was indeed silver-haired, with an average appearance, looking to be in his early twenties. His demeanor was completely different from that of the organization member who seemed to have no regard for human life.

His disappointment was palpable. Aoyagi Akimitsu also looked at the photo: "I don't think so. He's the tourist who went missing this time. He's a young man who's just started college and only has one record of driving illegally... How did you mistake him for someone else?"

"Because the hair really does look similar."

Conan Edogawa sighed, sat back down next to him, his gaze still fixed on the stack of documents: "Silver hair, and waist-length hair at that, is really rare. It's easy to mistake someone for someone else with just a quick glance."

The person in the photo wasn't Gin. He was disappointed, but he quickly rallied and started focusing on the case: "How did this person disappear?"

Seeing that he was still staring at his documents, Aoyagi Akimitsu put them away again and put them back in his bag: "These documents involve citizens' privacy and are very important. I can't just show them to you. I can only give you a brief verbal explanation."

"Two people are missing: one is this silver-haired tourist, and the other is a local international student..."

A week ago, a group of university students took advantage of the school holiday to travel independently in Japan. They usually live in big cities and were already tired of the city scenery, so this time they didn't go to Tokyo or Osaka, but went to Nagano instead.

One of them had a friend studying at a university in Nagano. The student was of Japanese descent, having immigrated with his parents at a young age, but still had relatives in Nagano. Therefore, upon hearing that they were coming, he volunteered to be their guide, saying he would show them the local customs and culture.

then……

Conan Edogawa watched as Ayagi Akimitsu opened the map in the hotel room, picked up a pencil, and lightly drew a circle in the area where Nagano and Gunma meet.

"A few nights ago, they decided to hold a test of courage, with two people in each group, to see which group could cross the forest from Nagano to Gunma next door in the shortest time."

"Then one of the groups went missing." Aoyagi Akimitsu couldn't help but sigh: "It just so happened to be that tourist and that international student who was supposedly very familiar with the area."

Conan Edogawa: "..."

Conan Edogawa: "This... is incredibly audacious."

Tests of courage are indeed a traditional custom in Japan, often held in places such as shrines, forests, or cemeteries. However, these are organized activities, usually initiated by schools or related clubs, which ensure the safety of participants.

As a result, a group of foreign tourists went to the forests bordering the two counties without any guidance, protection, or even in areas experiencing bear outbreaks...

Sometimes even Conan Edogawa, who would directly chase after criminals, would think, "That's too reckless." "That's how it is," Aoyagi Akimitsu's tone softened, "If this were a movie, they would have probably already made an American horror film with a total wipeout ending. Fortunately, this is reality, and only two are missing."

Conan Edogawa, sensing his veiled sarcasm, asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Did they call the police?"

"That's what I'm going to say next."

Aoyagi Akimitsu stared at the map in front of him: "Perhaps they were taking a chance, or perhaps they were afraid of taking responsibility, but they didn't call the police immediately. That international student was quite popular on campus, and a friend of his noticed that he hadn't returned. Knowing his schedule, he contacted those people."

“At first they didn’t tell the truth. They only said that they participated in a test of courage and someone broke their leg and is currently being treated at the largest hospital in Anzhong City. The international students had already gone back. My friend didn’t believe it and kept asking. Finally, someone felt guilty and secretly told him the truth.”

"However, he did not call the police."

Aoyagi Akimitsu picked up his pen again and gently wrote in the blank space of the map:

"Actually, on the night the international student went missing, this friend received an email from him. It contained no text, only three numbers..."

Conan Edogawa looked at what he had written and read it aloud:
"911?"

"The day of the largest terrorist attack in the United States was also the day of the commonly used emergency number in the United States."

Aoyagi Akimitsu spoke softly: "That friend has a habit of going to bed early, and he only saw the email the next day. He immediately called, but the phone was not answered. He was unsure whether the other party wanted to call the police but dialed the wrong number, or whether they wanted to use that string of numbers to imply something... So in the end, he did not contact the local police in Nagano, but contacted the embassy instead."

Conan Edogawa also frowned without realizing it.

Compared to the request from Uncle Mori to investigate President Aoyagi's aunt, the case of the two missing persons is far more troublesome.

What does 9/11 really represent?
"In short, Mr. Mori has to go to that hospital to find out what's going on, and so do I," Aoyagi Akimitsu summarized and planned. "And I can't reveal my identity. If they know I'm the police liaison officer, they'll definitely lie."

Conan Edogawa nodded. He had solved many cases for the police and knew that many people, even if they were not the real criminals, would hide certain things from the police.

“I can help you.” He had a sudden inspiration. “I’m a child, and people will be more likely to let their guard down when they see me.”

Aoyagi Akihiro patted his head, a smile returning to his face: "Then I'll leave it to you."

After they finished talking, the two tidied up the room. Aoyagi Akimitsu even took out a yukata, but said regretfully, "I have obvious tattoos on my body, so I'm afraid I can't take a bath," and then stuffed the yukata back into the room.

Just as the two stepped out of the bedroom, intending to meet up with the Mori father and daughter next door, Aoyagi Akihiro's cell phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

He stopped in his tracks, took out his phone, glanced at the screen, and instructed Conan Edogawa, "I need to reply to an email first. Go over there and close the living room window."

Conan Edogawa had no objections, and asked casually with some curiosity, "Who sent it?"

"friend."

Aoyagi Akimitsu replied casually, his fingers hovering over the screen as he typed rapidly.

"Another business trip. He treats this lousy job, where he's exposed to the elements every day, like a treasure, and refuses to quit no matter what... How annoying..."

Conan Edogawa, though curious about Aoyagi Akimitsu's complaints, didn't ask any further questions.

He walked to the window, and just as he was about to close it, he suddenly noticed a shadow flashing across the horizon.

"eagle?"

Conan Edogawa's voice made Aoyagi Akimitsu look up.

He shredded the two emails he had just sent, walked over to Conan Edogawa, and looked out the window with him.

The shadow drew closer and closer to them, as if greeting them, before sweeping past their window and taking flight again, soaring into the sky.

“It’s a sparrowhawk, isn’t it?” Aoyagi Akimitsu examined it carefully for a while. “It’s a female, no wonder it looks a lot bigger than the male.”

Conan Edogawa noticed a hint of lighthearted laughter in his voice.

……

The female eagle flew far away and disappeared into the horizon.

Rei Furuya turned his gaze away from the window, placed the photo in his hand on the table, and solemnly pushed it toward the person sitting behind the table.

Kuroda Hyoue, whose true identity is a Public Security Management Officer of the National Police Agency, and who has been transferred to the Nagano Prefectural Police Headquarters to investigate some matters, lowered his head, glanced at the Asian man in the photo, and then looked back at Furuya Rei.

Kuroda Hyoue was injured in his early years, and the scars on his face made any expression look particularly ferocious. Furuya Rei didn't care about this and began to report on his work as usual.
"This is intelligence that was revealed after the FBI expressed its willingness to cooperate."

"—This man codenamed 'William' is highly likely an intelligence agent under the organization's new leader, and therefore has significant value for capture." (End of Chapter)