Daily Spy Life in the Detective Conan World

Chapter 864 She's a pretty good detective
Xia Chuan tilted his head, his hands, which were not carrying any luggage, were in his pockets. His height of over 1.8 meters looked down at this short man who was probably not even 1.6 meters tall.

"Sorry, I've heard this pickup line a hundred times. If you'd like to exchange contact information, here's my business card."

The teasing tone was a bit annoying, but Sera Masumi didn't feel offended because she was the one who was impolite first.

Xia Chuan did it on purpose. On the one hand, he was creating a persona, and on the other hand, to be honest, he didn't really like detectives, including Conan. At first, he even wanted to tease him.

This is probably because detectives often focus on reasoning before searching for evidence and clues.

As a spy, he was in contact with dangerous people, and he preferred to obtain evidence and clues before taking the next step, so there were some differences in their beliefs.

Now I've run into a fresh-faced detective who's come up to me on his own. I'm tempted to make a few jokes and maybe try to get some information out of him.

"Hey, your Japanese is so fluent."

Sera Masumi paused slightly as she accepted Natsukawa's business card.

Surprisingly, it's not the kind of name that includes a dot in the middle like in Europe and America; instead, it's just two single words, which is more like an Asian style.

However, out of politeness for their first meeting, she did not inquire further about this issue.

After all, she's not Conan Edogawa; she doesn't have that kind of abnormally absurd thirst for knowledge.

"Mr. Natsukawa, I'm so sorry. I just suddenly thought of my brother. He used to have this expression all the time, so I couldn't help but call out to you."

"Oh, by the way, my name is Sera Masumi, and I'm a high school detective. You probably saw it just now; I'm quite skilled at deduction and solving cases."

"I see. Your reasoning was quite good, just as good as Mr. Mori's."

"Speaking of which, if you miss your brother, why don't you go find him?" Natsukawa asked knowingly, also wanting to know if Sera Masumi believed, as in the original story, that Akai Shuichi was dead.

Logically, it shouldn't be the case. After all, the story of Rena Mizunashi, also known as Kir, didn't happen because of her appearance. Shuichi Akai didn't die, so it's reasonable that his death shouldn't be announced to the public.

However, we still need to confirm this.

"My brother?"

Suddenly, Sera Masumi's eyes lost their color.

She had asked her mother about this issue, but did not receive a satisfactory answer.

"I don't know where my brother is. Maybe he's already dead."

She gave a bitter smile, a smile filled with loneliness and desolation.

It's clear that Shuichi Akai held a very important place in her heart when she was young.

This is normal. Akai Tsutomu had already disappeared before Sera Masumi was even born, and her older brother, who was more than ten years older than her, played more of a fatherly role in her heart.

"Don't be so sentimental at such a young age. I don't know any high school students like you."

"is it?"

"Yes, Ran and Sonoko live very clearly. Even though she has a lot of money, she can still treat herself as an ordinary person and get along with her classmates. Even though she lost her boyfriend, she can still wait for him day after day like a waiting-for-husband stone. She can also grow up happily despite her parents being separated."

"Their mindset is much better than yours."

"."

Suddenly I didn't know how to respond.

"Besides, aren't you a high school detective? With your reasoning skills, you might have a chance if you try hard enough."

“Indeed.” Sera Masumi’s determination to find her brother grew even stronger, but before that, she had to help her second brother first.

Second Brother's adoptive father acted too impulsively and was discovered by the Black Organization earlier than Mom expected. The situation is now very dangerous, which has also put Second Brother in danger. He came to Kyoto to find a solution to the problem.

Sera Masumi was lost in thought, completely forgetting that Natsukawa was right in front of her.

This shows how much pressure this matter put on her.

Seeing this, Xia Chuan said directly, "By the way, where are you going? Although we've only just met, it's only a small favor to help someone. I can take you there."

Having all the relevant information in hand is the most basic quality of a spy, especially now that there is a legitimate opportunity to reluctantly help the high school detective in need.

"That's not good?"

To be honest, Sera Masumi has feelings for Natsukawa.

He's handsome, that's one thing, but also his manner of speaking and his expression, which is very similar to his older brother's.

"It's not a big problem."

As they were talking, a car stopped in front of them.

The driver was none other than Shinmei Kaori. She opened the window, glanced at Natsukawa, and then at Sera Masumi in the back.

For some reason, she didn't say anything.

"Get in the car, let's take our high school detective to where she needs to go."

Sera Masumi was pushed into the car in a daze. She looked around and found that there was nothing wrong.

The detective's intuition told him there were no alarms, which meant he was safe. Besides, Xia Chuan didn't seem like a criminal. Criminals these days wouldn't be able to afford a car worth millions as a means of transportation.

After pointing out the location to Shinmei Kaori, she asked, "I haven't had a chance to ask yet what Mr. Natsukawa does. He even has a driver."

The driver was quite pretty, and she wasn't wearing gloves or a uniform, so she probably wasn't a professional driver; maybe she was a personal secretary or something.

This put her at ease; clearly, the handsome man in front of her wasn't the kind of pervert who liked androgynous beauty.

“Miss Shinmei is not my driver, but a colleague. My trip to Kyoto is on official business, so my superiors arranged for Miss Shinmei to receive me.”

"so."

Sera Masumi clearly didn't believe it. As a detective, she could sense a significant difference between Shinmei Kaori and Natsukawa's identities. If they were truly employees of different regional branches, they wouldn't have this feeling at all.

The detective's characteristic of being nosy and inquiring into other people's secrets is a recurring theme.

"It doesn't seem like it. The relationship between Ms. Shinmei and Mr. Natsukawa is more like a direct superior-subordinate relationship. Just now when we came in, I saw that Ms. Shinmei specially adjusted the air conditioner to 24 degrees."

“The weather in Kyoto wasn’t very hot today, but she still did it. It’s obvious that she knows Mr. Natsukawa probably prefers the car to be at 24 degrees Celsius.”

She's definitely got some skills; she's not just a pretty face or a character added to the plot.

Xia Chuan secretly admired her, but on the surface he only smiled slightly and did not explain further.

No matter which detective you're communicating with, you must know one thing: the more you say, the more mistakes you'll make.

—Except for Kogoro Mouri.

Aside from occasional bursts of brilliance, the opponent is mostly a liability.

Sensing that the atmosphere had suddenly quieted down, Sera Masumi clearly realized her rashness.

It's not wrong to want to know the truth, but it's a bit impolite to try and find out when others don't want to tell you.

They haven't broken the law, nor have they had an affair or asked anyone to help them; you have no reason to expose their secrets. That's right!

In her eyes, Natsukawa and Shinmei Kaori must be having an affair.

Shinmei Kaori is definitely Natsukawa's personal secretary, handling everything day and night, no doubt about it.

However, this is actually not a bad deal for the new Miss Ming, after all, he is a very handsome guy, and it is not certain who will benefit from him.

Sensing the other person's unusual emotions, Xia Chuan did not offer any explanation. He let them interpret it however they wanted, as he would not elaborate further on their relationship.

After the car left the airport area, it was quiet for a long time before Natsukawa finally broke the silence: "By the way, I haven't asked which high school Sera is studying at in Tokyo. I have friends at both Ekoda and Teitan High Schools, so they might even be your classmates."

"friend?"

"Mr. Natsukawa must be in his mid-twenties, right? Can someone that age really be friends with a high school student?"

She spoke the last sentence so softly that even she could barely hear it, because she realized that she and Xia Chuan were now practically friends.

Xia Chuan has excellent interpersonal skills; she's not the type whose social circle can be limited by her age.

But why target high school students for friendship? Does it make you look younger?

Although he already looks very young.

Xia Chuan's face was indeed very pleasing to the eye, and after a short conversation, she did feel attracted to him.

It wasn't love, just curiosity.

"It can't be such a coincidence, can it? I just transferred to Teitan High School this week."

"Hmm? That's a coincidence. My friends are Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki. You might know them."

"I just transferred here and haven't had a chance to enroll yet."

There was no time at all. The Haneda family was in an uproar. After dealing with things at school, she rushed to the airport immediately, which led to this scene.

When we arrive at the hotel where my mother is staying, we'll need to discuss how to help Haneda Yasuharu defend against Gin's attack, so the enrollment process will probably have to be postponed.

To put it bluntly, if you're unlucky, you might even get wiped out by Gin.

Not to mention that Japan has a large number of members in the Black Organization, there are only four of them in total. If they were to fight, they probably wouldn't even have a chance to resist. Just like a few days ago, if it weren't for the mysterious person's rescue, Haneda Yasuharu would have been taken away by the Ooka family, even if he hadn't died at Gin's hands.
"I see. But it's okay. I'll say hello to Sonoko later. She likes new classmates the most, and I feel that your personality should allow you to get along well with her."

The premise is that you won't be mistaken for a man by Makoto Kyogoku.

If Kyogoku Makoto misunderstands, Natsukawa can't even imagine what might happen.

A real man would probably be even more ruthless than Xiaolan; then it wouldn't just be a simple matter of smashing a telephone pole.

I always felt that Xia Chuan's smile was a little strange.

Probably not. Mr. Xia Chuan doesn't seem like that kind of person. Besides, he's introducing me to his classmates, which is clearly to help me integrate into the new school environment. What am I thinking?

"arrive."

Kaori Shinmei's words interrupted their conversation.

As they chatted, they unknowingly arrived at the hotel where Sera Masumi was staying.

"Thanks, Natsukawa-kun. It was a pleasure chatting with you. I wish you a great work experience in Kyoto. We'll keep in touch after we return to Tokyo. I'll be going now."

The little girl flashed her signature fangs and greeted everyone with a smile.

"Okay, I hope you can find your brother too."

"Yes, I will do my best. I'll explore Kyoto properly. I've always wanted to come to Tokyo before coming to Japan, so I can't wait."

"it is good."

Watching the other person leave with light steps, Natsukawa revealed a meaningful smile: "It really came without any effort. It seems that Akai Mary should be staying at this hotel."

"Mr. Natsukawa, is there anything special about this girl?"

Normally, Natsukawa wouldn't just casually escort a girl to a hotel, even though she was also a student at Teitan High School.

As for the offense he made earlier, there's no need to take a little kid's words seriously.

"Have Shinichi investigate this hotel and find out which room Sera Masumi is staying in."

"By the way, be careful, she's a pretty good detective, so don't reveal what you're investigating."

"I see."

Kaori Shinmei nodded, then continued with the previous question: "Is this person related to the three factions in Kyoto?"

"It's related. If I'm not mistaken, it's the reinforcements that the Haneda family invited."

"In that case, should we do something?"

"It's ok."

Xia Chuan shook his head: "It'll be more lively with more people. We just need to gather information on their whereabouts, and let the dogs fight it out. We'll make plans when necessary."

"By the way, how is the Haneda family doing now?"

"Ever since Yasuharu Haneda publicly criticized the security situation in Kyoto at the press conference, the Kyoto Prefectural Police have not only sent people to search for the brewery, but also stationed many prefectural police officers at the Haneda residence. It's practically an impenetrable fortress now, and I don't think Gin will make a move anytime soon."

In the past, Natsukawa would have thought the same way, but now that Rum has come to Japan, Gin is very likely to take swift and decisive action to deal with Haneda Yasuharu.

However, this tactic is very difficult.

After all, Karasuma Renya probably wanted the prisoners alive.

With the Ooka family and Mary Akai in the way, this matter will not be easy, and may even be as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Natsukawa's objectives this time were twofold: first, to increase Karasuma Renya's suspicions about the Haneda family's identity, convincing him that the scholar was still alive; and second, to urge Gin to return to Tokyo sooner to restrain Rum.

“Gin and Vodka are very secretive about their whereabouts, and we haven’t found any clues. As for the Ooka family, Frank told us not to investigate them. After all, this is their territory, and there’s a high chance of being discovered. If we anger them, we could end up pulling them to the opposite side. It’s not a worthwhile deal.”

"Yes, Frank is right."

Mary Akai's whereabouts are basically confirmed. We don't need to worry about the Ooka family, so things are simple. We just need to keep an eye on Gin's hiding place and the daily life of the Haneda family.

"Gin has offended the Ooka family twice in a row. The Ooka family's bodyguard team alone is a very troublesome group. If I were Gin, I would not set up a temporary base in the city."

Xia Chuan stroked his chin, quickly narrowing the area down by half.

“But Kyoto is neither big nor small. Leaving aside the city itself, there are many towns and villages under its jurisdiction. Finding them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Their team only has a few people, and even with Frank's information channels, it's impossible for them to find Gin's whereabouts in a short time.

"They should be in a suburban village or mountainous area; finding them is unrealistic."

Xia Chuan shook his head. Since it was such a headache, he might as well not worry about it. He didn't need to care where Gin was. Anyway, he would most likely make a move in the next few days, and he would find out when the time came.

(End of this chapter)