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

Chapter 705 Shopping Scandal (2 Updates)
When Yukiko walked out of the apartment manager's office, a satisfied smile finally appeared on her face.

After a series of reasoned and persuasive negotiations, she successfully obtained a considerable amount of compensation from the administrators as restitution for their serious dereliction of duty, which resulted in the illegal occupation of the homeowner's property.

This unexpected windfall somewhat alleviated his previous depression.

"Alright, the bad luck is over! Let's go to the hotel and settle down!" Yukiko waved her hand and cheerfully led everyone to a well-known high-end five-star hotel nearby.

Because of their large group, Yukiko booked a luxurious penthouse presidential suite for easy support and communication. The suite included multiple bedrooms and a spacious common area. Guided respectfully by hotel staff, the group entered the suite and placed their simple personal belongings.

After a long flight and the morning's commotion, everyone was a bit tired. After a short rest, they went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.

The breakfast buffet at this upscale hotel truly lived up to its reputation, offering a dazzling array of choices that encompassed almost all classic breakfast items from around the world. In addition to standard American breakfast items such as bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and waffles, there were also exquisite Japanese set meals including miso soup, grilled fish, rice, and natto, as well as steaming hot Chinese dim sum such as shrimp dumplings, siu mai, and congee.

Everyone took their favorite food and sat around the table by the window to eat.

However, for Ran and Sonoko, who have tasted all kinds of delicious food in Tokyo, the breakfast here, although of excellent quality, did not bring much surprise in terms of taste.

"Hmm... this waffle is not bad, but it feels similar to the one we had at the specialty shop in Harajuku," Ran commented.

"This smoked salmon is quite fresh," Sonoko chimed in, "but it's only about the standard of a five-star hotel."

Although the taste wasn't amazing, the restaurant's elegant ambiance, exquisite plating, and the Los Angeles cityscape outside the window still made them eager to take out their phones and take photos from various angles to post on social media.

After having breakfast and replenishing their energy, the next urgent task was shopping—all their luggage had sunk into the Pacific Ocean with the plane that made an emergency landing, and now it was completely empty, so everything from underwear and outerwear to toiletries needed to be bought again.

Yukiko skillfully led everyone to a large, upscale shopping center near the hotel, filled with numerous brands.

Since everyone has different needs and preferences, they naturally split into several groups: Eri and Yukiko went to select mature women's clothing and skincare products that suited their age and style; Ran and Sonoko excitedly rushed to the young and fashionable women's clothing section, cosmetics counters, and jewelry stores; and Emi Shiraishi and Conan went to the men's clothing section together.

Before parting ways, Shiraishi E did something that surprised everyone.

He pulled several tiny locators, about the size of buttons, from his pocket and distributed them to everyone: "Put them in inconspicuous places on your clothes."

Seeing this, Yukiko couldn't help but laugh, thinking he was making a mountain out of a molehill: "Shiraishi-kun, have you been watching too many Hollywood movies? This is a high-end shopping mall in downtown Los Angeles, with tight security. What danger could there be in broad daylight? Relax!"

Emi Shiraishi insisted, "It's more reassuring to take good safety precautions, especially when you're abroad and don't know anyone."

Seeing how serious he was, no one said anything more. They each took the locator and attached it according to the instructions.

Eri nodded approvingly, feeling that it was always better to be cautious.

After the groups were divided and security measures were arranged, the groups separated in the bustling shopping mall and headed towards their respective target stores, beginning their first shopping spree in Los Angeles.

Shiraishi E and Conan strolled through the spacious and bright men's section of the shopping mall, their main goal being to buy several sets of clothes, from underwear to outerwear.

Shiraishi E first dressed herself in an American-style outfit, picking up a few T-shirts and jeans and holding them up in front of her.

Conan, watching Shiraishi E converse fluently with the two white couple, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Hey, Shiraishi, your English is really fluent! You can hardly hear any accent. It's even more authentic than many foreign teachers who have lived in Japan for a long time. How did you learn it?"

As Shiraishi E tossed a T-shirt with an abstract pattern into his shopping basket, he answered in his usual slightly lazy tone without looking up, "Maybe it's because I'm a natural language genius... I learn everything quickly."

Upon hearing this, Conan couldn't help but click his tongue and give him a standard half-moon eye, feeling like he'd been unwittingly tricked again.

He changed the subject: "So, when you come to Los Angeles, is there anywhere you particularly want to visit or go sightseeing, besides accompanying them shopping?"

Shiraishi thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... I guess I'll go to Hollywood and see what it's like. It's so famous, I have to go and see what kind of place can create so many movie dreams."

His tone suggested a tourist mentality of "since we're already here."

Conan is clearly not very interested in Hollywood; he is more interested in the legends of the detective world.

His interest immediately rose at the mention of this: "Hollywood is just so-so, a tourist hotspot. I'd really like to see Nero Wolfe's house!"

Seeing Shiraishi E's blank expression, he immediately became an enthusiastic explainer: "Don't you know Nero Wolfe? He's a super famous detective in the history of mystery novels! He's known as the 'Armchair Detective'!"

"His greatest strength was that he almost never left his comfortable brown stone house, relying on his assistant Archie Goodwin to run errands and report every detail of the case to him in great detail."

"Then, Wolfe sat in his special chair, drinking beer and tending to his orchids, and solved the case based solely on Archie's description and his own superb logical reasoning! Isn't that amazing?"

Shiraishi E was checking the size of a shirt, seemingly distracted by Conan's recommendation, and nodded perfunctorily: "Yeah, impressive, really impressive."

Just then, a tall, smiling white female sales assistant walked over. She clearly noticed Shiraishi E, who had a unique temperament and handsome looks.

She struck up a conversation with her pleasant voice and, with her professional eye, enthusiastically recommended several outfits to him, which indeed suited Shiraishi E's figure and the subtle temperament she exuded.

Shiraishi E readily accepted her recommendation, and after trying it on and finding the effect excellent, she immediately decided to buy it.

The saleswoman was in a good mood after making a good sale. While packing the clothes, she boldly slipped a note with her phone number on it into the shopping bag and hinted, "You look really handsome in these... I happen to be off tonight. If I have time, maybe I can show you around the Los Angeles nightlife?"

Shiraishi E took the shopping bag, gave her a polite but distant smile, and declined, saying, "Thank you, but I'm sorry, I have plans for tonight."

A hint of disappointment flashed across the saleswoman's face, but she quickly regained her professional smile. However, when Shiraishi E handed her two hundred-dollar bills as a tip after paying the bill, her eyes widened in surprise, and she thanked her profusely, her previous disappointment vanishing completely.

Leaving the store, Conan, carrying the new clothes he'd bought for himself, couldn't help but complain, "You're so generous! You gave a two hundred-dollar tip on clothes? That's enough to buy a few more T-shirts!"

Shiraishi E, carrying several bags, said nonchalantly, "It's alright. She really saved me a lot of time choosing and matching, she's very efficient. Time is money, I think it's worth it."

He paused, glancing at the bag in Conan's hand. "Besides, didn't she pick out a few suitable items for you? It would be quite troublesome to wander around aimlessly on our own."

Conan thought about it and agreed. The sales assistant did have good taste; he liked the clothes she recommended.

He nodded and stopped worrying about the tip.

Shiraishi glanced at the time and suggested, "We've bought almost everything. Let's find a place to have a coffee and rest while they finish shopping."

“Okay!” Conan immediately agreed. Shopping was not as appealing to him as solving cases; he had been wanting to take a break for a while. The two then headed towards the coffee shop in the shopping mall.

Shiraishi E and Conan sat down at an outdoor cafe outside the shopping center, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Shiraishi E ordered a black coffee, while Conan ordered a juice.

The two sat under a parasol, watching the various pedestrians and vehicles on the street.

Conan noticed that although Shiraishi E seemed relaxed, her eyes were constantly scanning the surrounding environment with a habitual observational ability.

He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Hey, Shiraishi, what are you looking at all that way?"

Shiraishi took a sip of coffee and said with a hint of joking, "Nothing, just seeing if something will suddenly happen here like in Hollywood movies—like a bank robbery, a street shootout, or a car chase."

Upon hearing this, Conan nearly choked on his juice and laughed irritably, "Please! You've been watching too many movies, haven't you? That's just for dramatic effect in movies! There aren't that many coincidences and exciting events in real life! Wake up!"

However, as soon as Conan finished speaking, Shiraishi E's gaze fixed on the distance of the street, a "I knew it" smile playing on her lips, and she gestured with her chin, saying, "Look over there... it seems to have already started."

Conan looked in the direction he pointed and saw several police officers in uniform and several plainclothes officers who were clearly undercover agents chasing a white man in a gray hoodie on the sidewalk not far away.

The fugitive was exceptionally agile, moving freely through the crowd and cleverly using passersby and obstacles to evade capture. He was about to break through the encirclement.

"Wow! It really is!" Conan suddenly became excited, his body leaning forward involuntarily, his detective instincts ignited. "Should we go over and help him? Maybe we can block his way!"

Shiraishi E, however, remained calm. He shook his head and said, "Forget it. We don't know any of the police here, and we're just tourists. If we get involved and get taken to the police station for a lengthy interrogation, the rest of the day will be wasted, and Ran and the others will definitely complain."

Conan thought about it and agreed that it made sense. Solving cases was fun, but it was really bad to delay everyone's schedule.

He had no choice but to suppress his eagerness and prepare to remain an observer.

But things often take unexpected turns. After escaping two ambushes, the fugitive ran straight towards the coffee shop where they were!
Extremely fast!

Conan immediately tensed up and hurriedly said, "Oh no! He's coming this way! What if he gets desperate and does something rash, or what if Ran and the others come out of shopping and run into us? It could be dangerous! Aren't we going to help?"

As the fugitive drew closer, Shiraishi E glanced at the entrance to the shopping mall on the other side of the cafe, her brow furrowing slightly. She felt that Conan's concerns were not unfounded.

“Hmm, that makes sense,” Shiraishi E said, making a simple yet effective decision.

Just as the fugitive was about to rush to their table, Shiraishi E casually but precisely poured her half-full cup of coffee, along with the ice cubes, onto the path the fugitive was bound to take.

The fugitive was so busy looking back at his pursuers that he didn't notice the dark, slippery area of ​​coffee stains that had suddenly appeared under his feet!
"Ouch!"

He stepped firmly onto it with one foot, then suddenly slipped, lost his balance instantly, let out a scream, and fell heavily onto his back!

He fell hard, and couldn't get up for a while.

The police officers and plainclothes officers who followed were overjoyed at the sight and immediately swarmed forward, easily pinning down the white fugitive who was dazed and confused, and snapping the cold handcuffs onto his wrists.

A tense street chase came to an abrupt end in such an unexpected way.

A white police officer, who appeared to be the leader of the team, stepped forward, gave Shiraishi E a grateful smile, and said in English, "Sir, thank you so much! Your quick thinking helped us a lot!"

Eri Shiraishi deliberately waved her hand in slightly accented, halting English, replying, "No problem, no problem. Just lucky."
The white police officer smiled knowingly, understanding that the other party didn't want to cause trouble, so he didn't ask any more questions. He simply said politely, "Have a pleasant trip to Los Angeles!" and then turned and left with the arrested suspect.

The whole process was quick and low-key, without causing much of a commotion.

Conan watched the police leave before turning around and silently giving Shiraishi E a thumbs-up, a smile of admiration on his face.

He felt that Shiraishi E's handling of the situation was perfect—she not only defused the potential danger at a critical moment, but also avoided being involved in troublesome questioning and taking statements, keeping her merits hidden.

This guy can be surprisingly reliable at times.

(End of this chapter)