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

Chapter 694 Boarding and Air Marshals (1st Update)
The afternoon sun streamed through the windows of the Mouri Detective Agency on the second floor, casting warm dappled light on the floor. Eri Kisaki sat leisurely on the sofa, a steaming cup of black tea in her hand, her face radiating a long-lost ease and contentment.

She took a small sip, savoring the aroma of the tea in her mouth, and exclaimed sincerely, "I don't have a single case on my hands, all the troubles are gone... This feeling is so liberating!" She stretched her arms as if a heavy burden had been lifted, "Now I can finally travel abroad without any worries and relax properly."

This long-lost sense of relaxation put her in a good mood. She put down her teacup, turned her gaze to Shiraishi E, who was leaning lazily against the window, looking at the street scene below, and couldn't help but ask:

"Speaking of which, Mr. Shiraishi, I really want to know, what method did you use to make those troublesome guys in Jinchuan so 'cooperative' and obediently withdraw their lawsuits and demand compensation? They are not easy to deal with, and ordinary threats probably won't work."

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi E turned her head, a nonchalant smile on her face, as if she were talking about a trivial matter: "The method? It's actually very simple. I asked Ms. Yukiko for help, to help me disguise myself as those company presidents, and then, in their capacity, I could instruct my assistants to handle the withdrawal of lawsuits and compensation procedures."

Hearing this, Eri Kisaki was visibly taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her eyes: "Yukiko... that girl... I thought she only used those strange and wonderful disguise skills she learned from that magic master back then to play pranks or evade paparazzi. I never expected that she could put them to such a... unique use in a situation like this."

Her tone carried a hint of teasing towards her old friend, as well as a touch of amazement at Shiraishi E's unconventional yet extremely effective method.

Just as the two were chatting, light and hurried footsteps came from the stairs.

Xiao Lan, dragging a small suitcase, walked briskly down from the third-floor living area with an excited and expectant smile on her face.

"Mom! Huijun! Are you ready? We should head to the airport!" Her voice was full of excitement, clearly eager for the upcoming trip to Los Angeles.

Seeing her daughter's happy expression, Eri's smile softened even more.

She stood up, straightened the non-existent wrinkles in her clothes, and nodded in response, "Alright, alright, let's go." She picked up her suitcase from beside the sofa and glanced at Shiraishi E again.

Eya Shiraishi straightened up and casually picked up a seemingly lightweight black backpack from beside her feet.

The three of them walked down the rather narrow stairs of the detective agency together.

Downstairs, a pre-booked taxi was already quietly waiting by the roadside.

The driver got out of the car and skillfully put Xiaolan's suitcase into the trunk.

Ran got into the car first and sat by the window, followed closely by Eri, while Shiraishi E sat in the passenger seat.

"Driver, to Haneda Airport," Eri Kisaki said to the driver.

"Okay." The driver replied, and the vehicle started smoothly, merging into the afternoon traffic and heading towards Haneda Airport.

The atmosphere inside the taxi heading to Haneda Airport was relaxed and pleasant.

Ran clung affectionately to Eri's arm, like a happy little bird, excitedly planning the trip: "Mom! This time in Los Angeles, I'm going to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Beach, and Universal Studios!"

“If I have enough time, I’d also like to go to San Francisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge, or maybe experience Las Vegas!” Her eyes sparkled with anticipation for the unknown journey ahead.

Seeing her daughter's excited expression, Eri Kisaki smiled gently. She patted Ran's hand lightly and asked, "The plan is quite good. But Ran, how's your English? Will you have any difficulties communicating over there?"

Xiaolan smiled a little shyly and said, "Although I'm not very good at it, not as good as the level Dad needed when he was handling cases, I can definitely handle simple everyday conversations like asking for directions, ordering food, and shopping! I've been practicing a lot!"

After saying that, Xiaolan leaned out to look at Shiraishi E in the passenger seat and asked curiously, "E, how's your English? You should be able to communicate without any problems, right?"

Shiraishi E was gazing out the window, lost in thought. Without turning her head, she casually replied, "So-so, just passable, barely passable." Her answer was as concise and somewhat lazy as ever.

While chatting and laughing, the taxi arrived at the modern Haneda Airport.

The three got out of the car, retrieved their luggage, and headed straight for the elegant and comfortable VIP waiting room.

As soon as they entered, they saw Yukiko Kudo and Sonoko Suzuki, who were already waiting there.

As soon as Yukiko saw Eri, she greeted her warmly and gave her a big hug: "Eri! I never thought we'd have the chance to travel abroad together! I'm so happy!"

Eri returned the hug, remarking, "Yes, I never expected to have such a leisurely time. This time, it's all thanks to... certain people." As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Emi Shiraishi, who was greeting Sonoko beside her.

Sonoko pulled Ran close, and the two girls immediately huddled together, chattering excitedly about what to buy, eat, and do after arriving in Los Angeles.

To Shiraishi E's surprise, he also saw a small figure in the waiting room—Edogawa Conan.

Conan pushed up his big glasses and explained in his signature childlike voice, "I had nothing to do at home anyway, and the professor went to some boring invention exhibition, so I came out to play with him!"

Shiraishi E was very welcoming of this, and he even patted Conan on the shoulder and chuckled in a low voice, "You've come at the perfect time! If you weren't here, I would have had a really hard time getting through this trip if I had to face the 'chattering' of these four ladies all by myself."

Conan nodded in agreement, after all, he was already finding it hard to stand just his mother and Sonoko's constant chatter.

Soon, the boarding announcement came on.

Everyone picked up their carry-on luggage and began boarding through the priority lane.

With ample funds, everyone opted for the spacious and comfortable business class.

After finding their seats and settling in, they naturally split into several groups.

Eri Kisaki and Yukiko sat together, and the two mature women quickly became lost in memories of their youth, occasionally letting out soft laughter.

Ran and Sonoko sat on the other side, still enthusiastically continuing their daydreams about their trip to Los Angeles.

Eirori Shiraishi and Conan sat in a row.

Shortly after the plane took off, Conan's sharp eyes began to wander restlessly around.

Soon, his gaze settled on a large, white man sitting alone diagonally in front of him.

He observed carefully for a moment, then leaned closer to Shiraishi E, lowered his voice, and asked with the excitement of discovering a clue, "Hey, Shiraishi, did you notice that white guy? What do you think he is?"

Following his gaze, Shiraishi glanced at him and casually replied, "I noticed it when I passed by just now. He had calluses on his hands from gunshots, so he's either a soldier or a policeman. He also had a faint smell of alcohol on him."

Conan agreed with this initial assessment, but he had clearly noticed more details, and proudly pushed up his glasses: "Good observation, but that's not enough! There's an even more crucial discovery!"

Since Shiraishi E had nothing better to do, she played along with the little detective, asking with interest, "Oh? What else?"

Conan chuckled, lowering his voice even further, with a hint of revealing a secret: "When I passed by his seat just now, I noticed an unnatural bulge under his shirt at the waist. Judging from its shape and location, I guess... it's most likely a handgun!"

"A handgun?" Shiraishi E was genuinely surprised this time. "You can just bring that on a plane?"

Conan immediately offered a professional explanation: "Ordinary passengers certainly can't. But he's different. If I'm not mistaken, he must be an air marshal on this flight! An undercover police officer who is specifically responsible for dealing with potential security threats during flight."

Shiraishi E stroked her chin and said, "Air marshal? Are you sure?"

Conan confidently analyzed, "Most likely! Look, even though he's wearing casual clothes, he's very familiar with the cabin environment, and his seating position allows him to observe the entire cabin very well."

"Furthermore, I noticed a flight attendant walk past him just now, and we made brief eye contact. It was a professional attitude of 'knowing each other but needing to keep a distance,' rather than the enthusiasm one would show to business class passengers."

"All things considered, there's a greater than 90% chance he's an air marshal!"

Listening to Conan's clear and logical analysis, Shiraishi E had to admit that this kid's observation and reasoning abilities were indeed extraordinary!
Although he has not yet received any danger warnings, he is certain that this flight will not be peaceful.

We have to thank Conan a lot. If it weren't for that kid, we wouldn't have so many shows.

(End of this chapter)