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

Chapter 659 Giving Up and Taking Over (2 Updates)
After witnessing all sorts of bizarre and outlandish ways people die upon landing, Sato Miwako, Miyamoto Yumi, and Miike Naeko quickly decided to leave the place.

After walking a distance, their tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

Looking around, I could barely make out that it was a dense woodland by the moonlight, and there seemed to be faint lights of a highway in the distance.

"Finally...it's over..." Miyamoto Yumi let out a long sigh of relief, almost collapsing as she sat down on the ground. "It must be dozens of kilometers from here to Haneda Airport, right?"

"Let's hurry and find a way to the nearby highway to hitch a ride back! All I want right now is to go home, take a hot bath, and then sleep for three days and three nights!"

Miike Naeko nodded repeatedly, her little face filled with lingering fear and longing: "Yes, yes... we can finally go back... tonight was so scary..."

Although Sato Miwako didn't say anything, she subconsciously began to observe which direction would make it easier to get out of the forest, and the thought of returning to the normal world occupied her mind.

However, Shiraishi E's voice extinguished their newly kindled flame of hope like ice water.

"Over? Not over yet!" he said calmly. "The battle isn't over yet. Going home to sleep now? It's too early."

"Wh-what?!" The three policewomen were like cats whose tails had been stepped on, instantly bristling with shock and exclaiming in unison, their faces turning pale in an instant.

Yumi Miyamoto's voice trembled, and she was almost crying: "Why isn't this over yet?! Didn't they blow up the plane with their own missiles?! We've almost lost all the witnesses and evidence, and they still don't intend to let us go?! Are they going to send people to hunt us down in this forest?!"

Miike Naeko hugged herself tightly in fear: "Besides... we already parachuted, it's so dark, the forest is so big... how would they know exactly where we are?"

Shiraishi E smiled slightly, a smile that seemed somewhat unfathomable in the moonlight: "They really don't know our exact location. Trying to find us precisely in this area is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Hearing this, the three of them were about to breathe a sigh of relief when Shiraishi E's next words made their hearts sink to the bottom again.

“But our leads haven’t gone cold yet.” His eyes gleamed with a hunter’s light as he said, “Have you forgotten? The person in the control tower who contacted me on the plane just now.”

"He hung up immediately as soon as he heard the voice was off. His quick and vigilant reaction shows that he was definitely aware of the situation, and it might even be part of the operation plan!"

"He definitely knows a lot of inside information! As long as we can capture him, we'll definitely be able to extract some very important clues, and by following the trail, we can expose the top echelons of this organization!"

"They're going to arrest the people in control tower?!" Miyamoto Yumi and Miike Naeko's faces instantly turned ashen, as if they had heard the most terrifying news, and they wailed repeatedly:
"Shiraishi-kun! Please! Stop! Don't continue the investigation!!" Miyamoto Yumi clasped her hands together, almost pleading, "If you continue investigating, we really, really won't survive! We're already lucky to be alive tonight, it's a miracle! We can't keep relying on miracles!"

Naeko Miike echoed, her voice trembling with tears, "Yes...it's terrifying...we...we really can't go on..."

Shiraishi waved her hand, trying to reassure them, and said in a relaxed tone, "It's alright, don't worry. I promise you'll be safe and sound, and you'll be at the Metropolitan Police Department on time tomorrow morning, going to work as usual. You definitely won't be late."

These words, once spoken, caused Miyamoto Yumi and Miike Naeko to break down completely, tears streaming down their faces. They shook their heads and waved their hands, thoroughly giving up.

Yumi Miyamoto cried miserably: "We're not going, we're really not going!! It's so pathetic that after becoming heroes, we don't get any thanks and we still have to go to work the next day."

"Mr. Shiraishi, I'm just an ordinary traffic cop! My biggest dream is to marry a rich and kind man and live a life of luxury, shopping and drinking tea!"

"I became a police officer because it's a stable and respectable job, and I'm not likely to lose my job! Upholding justice and fighting crime... I... I really don't care! Waaaaah..."

While wiping away her tears, Miike Naeko confessed guiltily, "I...I also...I thought I was full of a sense of justice, but...but reality dealt me ​​a heavy blow!"

"I realized I'm not that kind of person at all... I'm not that strong and brave... I just want to be a regular traffic cop, handling traffic violations and giving directions to pedestrians."

"This kind of thing...this kind of thing that involves hijacking planes, parachuting, and almost being shot down by missiles...I'm completely incapable of doing it...I'm sorry..."

As she spoke, she lowered her head in shame.

Shiraishi E watched the two break down and confess, but showed no contempt or surprise. He seemed quite understanding.

Adults are adults after all. Life has worn down their edges, and they no longer have the reckless and impulsive spirit of youth.

They are more aware of their own capabilities, know how to weigh risks, and understand what they can and should absolutely avoid. Knowing when to let go is not cowardice, it's rationality.

Why are children always the ones saving the world in anime? Because only children, unaware of the dangers, dare to do such things!
No mentally sound adult would talk about saving the world.

Seeing that the two had completely lost interest in taking any more risks, Shiraishi turned her gaze to the last one, Sato Miwako, who had been silent all along: "Officer Sato, what about you? What's your decision?"

Miwako Sato was struggling internally and stammered.

As a criminal investigator, her sense of responsibility and justice urged her to continue the investigation.

But as a human being, everything she experienced tonight had already exceeded her psychological limits.

She glanced at her two friends, who were crying their eyes out, and then reflected on her own behavior. In the end, her sense of responsibility prevailed. She gritted her teeth and said, "Me? Of course... I'll continue the investigation!!"

However, her voice lacked confidence, and her eyes were somewhat unfocused.

Shiraishi E keenly captured that moment of hesitation and wavering in her.

He could understand that although Sato Miwako was braver than the other two, her abilities and experience were indeed lacking in this level of adventure.

Throughout the entire operation, she was not actually able to provide any decisive assistance. Most of the time, she was in a passive following position, just like Miyamoto and Miike, and might even have been a hindrance.

She is completely different from detectives like Conan and Heiji Hattori, who are born to solve mysteries and go on adventures.

If those two hear about a new clue, they'll be incredibly excited, like they've been injected with adrenaline. They'll keep investigating no matter what, and they'll even find clues on their own if there aren't any!
'Just as I thought.' Shiraishi sighed silently to herself: 'Forcing people of different skill levels to play together makes the game unenjoyable, and everyone just gets tired.' Looking at the three exhausted policewomen in front of him, their faces full of resistance, his last bit of desire to continue the game faded away.

He glanced at his watch, his tone suddenly becoming listless, even a little dismissive: "But let's forget about it."

"Huh?" The three of them were taken aback.

Shiraishi E yawned and said casually, "It's getting late, and I have to go to school tomorrow... um... I should go back."

This is like a pardon!
Yumi Miyamoto and Naeko Miike were stunned in disbelief for a moment, then they were so happy they almost jumped up and cheered! The immense joy dispelled all their fear and fatigue!

"Great!! Hooray!!"

"I can go home! I can finally go home! Waaaaah..."

The two were so happy they almost cried, and they hugged each other tightly, as if they had just been reborn from the gates of hell.

Sato Miwako breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, a complex emotion welled up in her heart.

She could tell that Shiraishi E's sudden decision to give up wasn't an excuse about "having to go to school tomorrow," but rather a way of taking care of the three of them and their feelings.

While she felt grateful, she was also filled with a bitter taste and a faint sense of shame, realizing once again how inadequate she was. In a battle of this level, she really couldn't offer any help.

--------------

The following day at noon, the sun shone warmly on the rooftop of the Teitan High School teaching building.

Shiraishi E, Ran, and Suzuki Sonoko were sitting together enjoying their lunch bento boxes.

During their casual conversation, Shiraishi E casually recounted the thrilling high-altitude adventure of the previous night, as if discussing the plot of a TV drama.

Ran and Sonoko were shocked when they heard this, and they almost dropped their chopsticks.

"Eh—?!!" Sonoko exclaimed first, her voice rising eight octaves: "E! You guys went through something really exciting last night?!"

Xiaolan then looked enlightened: "So that's what that huge flash of light that suddenly lit up the sky last night was all about..."

“My dad and I saw it at the firm. It was far away, like an orange flower that suddenly bloomed, but it disappeared very quickly.”

"Dad also said it might be a big fireworks display over there!"

She stopped there; the flames meant the loss of dozens of lives, and it would be impolite to continue.

Sonoko's focus shifted to another matter, and she remarked, "But Officer Sato truly lives up to his reputation as a detective! To persist in investigating under such circumstances shows a level of willpower completely different from that of Officers Miyamoto and Miike!"

She paused, seemingly realizing that her words might have been a bit rude, and quickly waved her hand to add, "Ah! Of course! I absolutely didn't mean that Inspector Miyamoto and Inspector Miike's performance was bad!"

"They must have been terrified too... They just felt that being a criminal investigator is not something an ordinary person can do; it requires extraordinary perseverance and conviction!"

Xiaolan nodded in agreement, her face filled with admiration for Sato Miwako: "Yes! Officer Sato has always been amazing, brave and decisive."

But then, a worried look appeared on her face, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly: "But... the leader of that criminal gang hasn't been taken down yet, has he?"

"They failed this time, so many people died, and they lost planes... Won't they become even more reckless? They'll definitely target other innocent people next, won't they?"

Her kindness made it impossible for her not to worry about the potential victims.

These words immediately jolted Sonoko awake. Her eyes lit up, and her playful, nosy nature, typical of a pampered young lady, kicked in. She clapped her hands and exclaimed, "That's right! Ran is right! Since the police officers are temporarily unable to continue, how about the three of us take over this matter?!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, as if she had found an extremely interesting new game: "Let's continue the investigation and completely wipe out this damned criminal group! Let's rid the people of this scourge!"

Ran was also affected by Sonoko's emotions. Although she felt it was a bit risky, the thought of preventing more people from being harmed immediately ignited her sense of responsibility. She nodded repeatedly, her eyes becoming firm: "Yes, yes, that's right! We'll take over! We can't let them harm anyone else!"

Shiraishi E looked at the two high school girls in front of her, who suddenly became so full of fighting spirit as if they were about to go on an extracurricular activity, and couldn't help but find it a little funny. She teased, "Hey, hey, how come you two suddenly became so motivated? This isn't a trip to an amusement park."

Sonoko chuckled sheepishly and confessed, "It's because I'm so bored! Every day, besides studying and taking exams, I just go shopping and gossip... My life is just too mundane!"

"It's not easy to have something this exciting... oh no, I mean something this meaningful to do, of course I can't miss it!"

Xiaolan nodded shyly and added softly, "Besides... doing these things, stopping bad guys, and protecting others, is really meaningful!"

Looking at the two energetic, righteous, and formidable girls in front of her, Shiraishi E naturally wouldn't spoil their fun.

Compared to the two adult policewomen who chose to back down after being beaten down by reality last night, this kind of fearless and energetic spirit is more to his liking.

He immediately smiled and readily said, "Okay, no problem! Since you guys are so enthusiastic, let's continue tonight! But be prepared, this time it might be even more exciting than last night."

"Yeah!" x2
Ran and Sonoko nodded vigorously in unison, their faces filled with anticipation and eagerness, as if what was about to begin was not a dangerous criminal investigation, but an exciting nighttime adventure—and in fact, it was exactly that.

Shiraishi E is already used to taking newbies to run dungeons, and says she feels no pressure at all!

(End of this chapter)