Detective Conan: The Superpowered Beings of the Detective Conan World

"If Shinichi Kudo were here, he would probably answer you like this: There's no such thing as winning or losing in deduction; there's only ever one truth!"

Looking at Hattori Heiji's expression, Hoshino Hikaru spoke solemnly.

"Um?"

Hattori Heiji paused slightly, then met Hoshino Hikaru's sharp gaze.

"You're right. This time, I was too focused on winning or losing, which is why I became so irrational."

Hattori Heiji chuckled lightly, accepting his shortcomings with equanimity.

At the same time, on the other side, several people from the Mouri Detective Agency also heard the conversation between Hoshino Hikaru and Hattori Heiji.

"Hoshino is absolutely right!"

As Conan listened to the conversation between Hoshino Hikaru and Hattori Heiji, a strange feeling welled up inside him. He had an indescribable feeling that if he were there, he would have answered Hattori Heiji in the same way.

"That guy, he really knows how to show off!"

Ai Haibara put her hands on her hips and smiled.

"You're right!"

Hattori Heiji lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

"Hattori, what exactly is your reason for challenging Shinichi Kudo to a duel?"

Hoshino Hikaru looked at Hattori Heiji and asked in a calm tone.

"This is probably because I want to know if Shinichi Kudo has the strength to be on par with me. Also, I want to find a rival. Although I didn't meet him this time, I still gained something. Besides, since Shinichi Kudo is a friend you acknowledge, his abilities must be quite good."

Hattori Heiji looked up, and his gaze toward Hoshino Hikaru held a special meaning.

"Hattori, don't look for Kudo anymore. He went abroad for some reason."

Hikaru Hoshino looked at Heiji Hattori, his tone becoming much more serious.

"I understand, I won't contact him again."

Hattori Heiji and Hoshino Hikaru looked at each other and nodded slightly.

If someone had told him before that Shinichi Kudo had gone abroad and was no longer around, and that he should give up the search, he probably wouldn't have listened. But now, he's willing to trust the opponent he acknowledges.

Hikaru Hoshino nodded slightly, exchanged a glance with Heiji Hattori for a moment, and then looked away.

Soon, Inspector Megure took Kimie Tsujimura, Kogoro Mouri, and the other two away, and they were about to leave as well.

Heiji Hattori did not return to the Mouri Detective Agency. Instead, he left his contact information with Hikaru Hoshino and then slowly walked towards the train station.

"Although I didn't get to see Shinichi Kudo, Hikaru Hoshino is a decent opponent. Dad's judgment is still pretty good."

With a satisfied smile on his face, Hattori Heiji slowly walked towards the train station.

Although he lost this reasoning contest, Heiji Hattori didn't feel defeated at all. On the contrary, he felt that he had gained a good opponent, or you could say a good friend.

As a young high school detective, Heiji Hattori has always been the center of attention at school. He has participated in many cases and has been praised by the police many times. While he feels satisfied, he also inevitably feels a sense of loneliness at the top.

Now that he has left Osaka, he realizes that he is not special and that there are people just as good as him, and more than one. Hoshino Hikaru's words touched Hattori Heiji and reminded him of his original aspirations.

"Tokyo is really a remarkable place. Not only does it have Shinichi Kudo, but also Hikaru Hoshino. It seems that Hakuba Saguru, who Dad praised, must be quite something too. I hope to have a chance to test my skills against him."

Heiji Hattori adjusted his hat slightly, lost in thought.

Although he had never met Shinichi Kudo in person, he believed that someone who could become Hikaru Hoshino's friend and be admired by him must be someone as outstanding as himself.

"Kudo and Hoshino are quite similar; both are high school detectives, close friends, and both know Ran. Hoshino only started acting after Kudo disappeared..."

As he was talking, Hattori Heiji suddenly stopped, his brain racing, and fragments of his thoughts began to surface.

"Judging from Hoshino's reasoning ability, he shouldn't be an unknown person. Why was he completely unknown when Kudo was still around?"

"When Shinichi Kudo disappeared before, I suspected that he might have gotten into some trouble and gone into hiding. But is it possible that he was actually disguised and acting under a different identity?"

"Shortly after I arrived at the Mouri Detective Agency, Hoshino Hikaru brought a kid named Conan over. His reason was that Conan missed Ran-neechan, but that reason wasn't very convincing. After all, the best thing for a child with a cold is either to rest or go to the hospital. Why would he come looking for a high school girl?"

"I remember that after I arrived, Miss Ran looked down at her phone. Is it possible that Miss Ran heard that I was looking for Shinichi Kudo and notified Hikaru Hoshino via text message, and that Hikaru Hoshino used that kid Conan as an excuse to come over?"

Hattori Heiji's brain started working frantically. He knew that his current thoughts were based on intuition without any evidence, but he couldn't ignore the fact that so many clues matched.

"There's only one truth: Hoshino Hikaru is actually Kudo Shinichi! He's disguised himself and changed his appearance!"

Hattori Heiji was startled by this guess and stopped on the road for a moment.

"If that's the case, then why did he do that? Was it because he offended someone that he had no choice but to do so? No, it's too early to draw conclusions. In the end, the fact that Hoshino Hikaru is Kudo Shinichi is just my speculation."

Hattori Heiji patted his cheeks and reorganized his thoughts in his mind.

"If Shinichi Kudo really had to go abroad for some reason, then one thing is certain: Shinichi Kudo has offended a very powerful person in Tokyo."

"However, given this, there's no reason for him to simply flee abroad. Although I've never met Shinichi Kudo, judging from the rumors, he's not the kind of person who would simply run away and hide when faced with danger. It's more likely that he'd try to find a way to confront it. Therefore, it's more probable that Shinichi Kudo is still in Tokyo."

"Furthermore, if Shinichi Kudo isn't Hikaru Hoshino, it's impossible to explain why Hikaru Hoshino remained so unknown before. It's not like he suddenly became a different person the day Shinichi Kudo disappeared, is it?"

Hattori Heiji pondered for a long time before finally revealing a meaningful smile:

"It seems this operation has yielded more results than I expected!"

"Shinichi Kudo, no, Hikaru Hoshino, I understand what you're thinking. You're in trouble and don't want to involve others, so you're telling me to stop looking for Shinichi Kudo. But as a detective, I'm not afraid of trouble."

"I hope that something even more interesting will happen when we meet next time. I'm looking forward to it."

Hattori Heiji pondered to himself, then strode forward, quickly entered the tram station, and disappeared into the crowd.