I'm in Conan, I'm not a gangster

Chapter 444 A Direct Visit to Kenzo Masuyama (1st Update)
When Conan opened his eyes, he saw the familiar ceiling and instinctively sat up from the sofa.

"You're awake?" Shiraishi E looked up at Conan, who had just woken up, and then put down her phone.

"Hmm. It's back to normal now." Conan looked down at his noticeably shrunken hand, sighed, and his voice was filled with obvious disappointment.

"Don't make that face." Shiraishi E smiled and reminded him, "The development of the antidote has made a major breakthrough, but it still needs time to be perfected."

Conan's eyes lit up, realizing that what the other person said made sense.

For anything, going from 0 to 1 is the most difficult.

Once the initial 0-to-1 stage is achieved, the subsequent development speed becomes extremely fast.

He seemed to realize something and cautiously asked, "However, what are the side effects of this antidote?"

Shiraishi E stood up and said, "It's not clear yet, after all, you are the first and only test subject."

He gave a meaningful smile: "But judging from the fact that you're still standing here alive and kicking, it's at least not fatal."

Conan pushed up his glasses helplessly: "So, in other words, I'm still your guinea pig."

"Don't put it so harshly... Here, have some energy." Shiraishi E pulled a piece of chocolate from her pocket and tossed it to him, saying, "This is a priceless opportunity. You know, the research on APTX4869 reversal is a Nobel Prize-winning project!"

"...That has nothing to do with me." Conan took the chocolate speechlessly, muttering as he ate, "Besides, if anyone finds out I've shrunk, I'm absolutely doomed!!"

"Don't worry, as long as you don't do anything reckless, no one will know you've shrunk." Shiraishi reassured Conan, saying, "Just wait patiently, a more effective antidote will be developed soon."

"Then I'll wait for your good news!" Conan was still looking forward to the thought of turning back into Shinichi Kudo!

"Small and large sizes take a lot of energy... Take a good rest these few days and replenish your energy. Call me anytime if anything happens." Shiraishi E waved goodbye after seeing that Conan was alright.

“Okay.” Conan nodded; he did indeed feel very weak.

Suddenly, he remembered something and said to Shiraishi E's retreating figure, "Also, I will launch an investigation into Masuyama Kenzo as soon as possible!"

Shiraishi E waved her hand without turning her head, indicating that she understood.

..............................

Upon returning to the Miyano villa, as I entered the hall from the garage entrance, I noticed a pair of high heels in the entryway.

He knew that Mingmei had returned, and after thinking for a moment, he walked towards the bathroom.

Sure enough, the bathroom light was on.

"Akami?" Shiraishi opened the frosted glass door. In the rising steam, Akami was leaning against the edge of the bathtub with her eyes closed, her long chestnut hair wet and clinging to her fair shoulders.

"Ah, you're back." Akemi opened her eyes, a gentle smile appearing on her tired face. "Did you take a shower? If not, would you like to shower together?"

Shiraishi E raised an eyebrow, unbuttoning her shirt as she joked, "Of course! I've been busy all day and haven't even taken a shower yet."

He stepped into the bathtub, the warm water immediately washing over his shoulders, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Akemi moved closer to Shiraishi E. Just as Akemi was giving Shiraishi E a massage, Shiraishi E waved her hand, signaling for Akemi to turn around.

He noticed the stiff lines on Mingmei's shoulders, reached for the shower gel, squeezed the foam into his palm, and began to gently massage Mingmei's shoulders.

"Hmm," Akemi let out a comfortable sigh, leaned forward slightly, and rested her head on the edge of the bathtub. She said slowly, "Several strange groups of customers came to the store today. They weren't interested in the clothes, but they bought the most expensive limited edition items."

Shiraishi E's fingers circled on Akemi's shoulder blade, the pressure just right: "What's wrong with them?"

Mingmei said slowly, "It's always the same group of people who come... They always use brand new consecutive-numbered banknotes when they pay, and they never ask for an invoice."

“They don’t consider any after-sales service at all, and the key is that they sell luxury goods!” Shiraishi paused, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. She took a bath towel and began to wipe Akemi’s back. “It seems your store manager is doing some interesting business.”

"You found out too?" Mingmei turned around, water droplets sliding down her collarbone, and said excitedly, "I secretly checked the inventory system, and those purchased items mysteriously returned to the warehouse the next day."

“A classic money laundering tactic!” Shiraishi Ei realized: “They use the inflated prices of luxury goods to launder dirty money. No wonder Masuyama Kenzo went to the store in person; he was probably there to audit the accounts.”

He thought for a moment and said, "Let's keep waiting, but I don't know how much longer we'll have to wait."

"Instead of passively waiting, we should take the initiative!"

Akemi turned her head in surprise: "You mean we'll come directly to your door?"

“Yes, go directly to visit Kenzo Masuyama.” A dangerous glint flashed in Ei Shiraishi’s eyes: “If he cooperates, all the better; if not…”

He made a binding gesture, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Mingmei had no objection to this, but she was a little worried: "However, so much time has passed, I can't guarantee that he will still recognize me."

“It’s alright… It’s better if we don’t know each other.” Shiraishi E smiled and said, “That way, I won’t have any reservations when I make a move.”

Mingmei snorted twice and said, "Even if we know each other, you won't have much scruples about doing this!"

"At least we'll leave him with a complete corpse," Shiraishi E said with a chuckle.

In response, Akemi rolled her eyes dramatically.

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In the afternoon, in the dry landscape garden of the Masuyama residence.

Kenzo Masuyama was sitting under the eaves, drinking matcha with the managing director of Mitsui & Co.

The tea bowl he held in his hands was a treasure from the Warring States period, its glaze shimmering with a deep, ethereal glow under the sunlight.

"Masuyama-san is still so particular about the placement of garden stones," the guest exclaimed, gazing at the newly added red pine in the courtyard.

Just as Masuyama was about to respond, the sound of wooden clogs stepping on gravel grew louder as they approached.

The butler approached and whispered in Masuyama Kenzo's ear, "Master, a young lady named Miyano Akemi, who claims to be the daughter of an old friend, wishes to see you."

The teacup paused almost imperceptibly in Masuyama's hand, then he calmly put it down: "Take her to the plum grove on the west side. I'll be there in a bit."

The butler nodded and left. Masuyama Kenzo then continued to chat with the guests for more than twenty minutes until everything was settled before he got up and left.

He pushed open the shoji door between the plum trees along the long corridor, where a woman in a work suit was gazing at the ukiyo-e prints on the wall.

Hearing the sound, she turned around and chuckled, "Long time no see, Mr. Pisco."

Akemi unconsciously clenched her handbag, trying to hide her nervousness.

Although Shiraishi E had repeatedly assured that nothing would happen, she still felt an instinctive fear when facing the organization's members.

Kenzo Masuyama smiled slightly, his face etched with the wrinkles of an elder: "You really do change a lot as you grow up! The last time I saw you" he paused deliberately, "was it at your father's memorial service?"

“You have such a good memory.” Mingmei knelt on the futon, her fingers unconsciously stroking the fabric folds at her knees, and began to reminisce: “I remember when I was little, you always brought me Lindt chocolates.”

"Hahaha~~~ That was a long time ago. I can't even remember it clearly." Kenzo Masuyama smiled, not in a hurry, and continued to chat with Akemi about the past.

This was exactly what Akemi wanted to know; she also wanted to find out what the relationship was between Masuyama Kenzo and her parents.

(End of this chapter)