Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Just how high must one's physical attributes be to achieve this level?

But that makes sense, considering he's a man who's survived so many intentional and unintentional blows from Conan and Ran, and even with Eri's cooking skills.

It's inevitable that someone with a better constitution will have some issues.

"Okay, then focus on recovering first. Contact me if anything comes up."

After receiving Sano's reply, Gin remained silent for a few seconds before hanging up the phone. Vodka, who had been eavesdropping nearby, immediately became nervous and tentatively asked, "Big brother, is...Rye...already being discharged from the hospital?"

"Not yet, he's injured and recovering."

...So, although Sano hasn't been discharged from the hospital yet, he'll be discharged once his injuries have healed, right?

I have a constant feeling that death is approaching me.

Vodka swallowed hard and continued, "So, Rye was really shot?"

"Yes, he was hit by a tram. I guess it's because he has difficulty moving around."

Gin nodded.

Vodka looked down thoughtfully at the newspaper in front of him, and after a while, he stiffened his neck and turned his head with a hesitant expression, asking, "Brother, are you sure that Rye was really shot because he was unable to move?"

Gin raised an eyebrow and looked at Vodka: "What do you mean?"

Vodka pushed the newspaper toward Gin and pointed to the large characters "Kyosuke Kazato," saying, "That name sounds like Rye's psychiatrist."

Sano's psychiatrist?

Gin's brows furrowed, and he grabbed the newspaper to examine it closely.

...To be honest, Gin no longer remembered the name of Sano's psychiatrist that Vodka had mentioned to him earlier.

After all, Gin has far too many things to focus on, and remembering the names of these unimportant people is just a waste of brain cells.

Although the newspaper did not explicitly state that the murderer, Kyosuke Kazato, was actually the psychologist for Sano, the detective, it did mention that Kyosuke Kazato was a doctor in the cardiology department of Beika General Hospital.

But if this so-called Kyosuke Kazato really is Sano's psychiatrist, then could it be...?

"Big brother, do you think Rye might have deliberately let Kazato Kyosuke hit him so he'd have an excuse to just kill him?"

Vodka spoke the words that Gin was thinking.

Gin glanced at vodka with some surprise.

Why does it feel like my henchman's mind is getting faster and faster ever since he's been spending more time with Sano?

In the past, Vodka would never have been able to construct a conjecture identical to Gin's based on such a small amount of information.

Whether this speculation is true or false is not that important.

At most, it just proves that... Sano's vengefulness is a little bit... strong.

Looking at the seemingly pitiful-looking Vodka, Gin felt like he understood what the other was trying to say, and after a few seconds of silence, he spoke.

“I will arrange his psychiatrist as soon as possible. Until then, you will stay by my side.”

Considering that Vodka had been his henchman for many years and that he had no intention of abandoning him for the time being, Gin still offered some words of comfort.

"Yes……"

Upon hearing this, Vodka, who had been holding his breath, immediately let out a long breath, and his "Yes" was trembling with emotion, almost as if he were about to cry.

...Perhaps in Gin's eyes, it doesn't matter whether Sano deliberately set up a scheme to kill Kazato Kyosuke out of revenge, but in Vodka's eyes, it is very important.

After all, in Vodka's opinion, the only thing Kazato Kyosuke, as Sano's doctor, might have offended was causing Sano to be admitted to the psychiatric ward.

However, Vodka did not forget that he also contributed to this feat.

...To exaggerate a bit, vodka should be the culprit.

If Sano really intended to take revenge on Kazato Kyosuke, how could his vodka death anniversary be delayed?

Fortunately, his older brother was willing to help him out.

Although Vodka didn't know if it would actually work, at least his chances of survival had increased.

Now all we can do is hope that Sano recovers quickly, and that once he recovers, everything will truly be alright, and he won't have any more negative thoughts about himself...

……

"Mr. Sano, have you felt unwell today?"

The next day, the surgeon in charge of Sano came for a routine check-up.

...It just so happens to be the big shot Asai Narumi.

Sano snapped out of his daze and nodded to the other person: "Everything is fine."

"Okay, if you feel uncomfortable at all, just call me anytime."

After drawing on the notepad in his hand, Asai Narumi turned and left.

After watching Asai Narumi leave, Sano's attention turned elsewhere.

[Please capture 200 criminals and send them to the police station within the mission time limit. You will receive 200 enhancement points upon completion. Mission time remaining: 719:59:59].

[Please complete 30 winery tasks within the time limit. You will receive 200 enhancement points upon completion. Time remaining: 719:59:59]

Two tasks.

All of these events were triggered after Sano woke up in the morning.

The task time limits are all quite long, and the rewards are just so-so.

The content is all not particularly difficult, but it takes a lot of time and effort.

It's like screwing in a screw factory; it requires a wet grinding technique.

Sano sighed inwardly.

Two hundred criminals and thirty tasks, which means an average of 6.6 criminals and 1.0 tasks per day.

You can't rush from one event to another like this.

Especially now that Sano is hospitalized, if we really want to do something, we probably won't be able to get it done until the night shift.

...Even if Sano hadn't been hospitalized, this kind of thing wouldn't be easy to do during the day, so the time would still have to be cut in half.

This is such a hassle.

It's troublesome, but we still have to do it.

Sano pulled the blanket over his head and went back to sleep.

There's no way around it, I have to work overtime at night. If I don't sleep during the day, I'll feel terrible at night.

……

Dr. Agasa's house.

Conan was staring blankly at the newspaper in his hand.

The headline on the newspaper was clearly visible.

[The masked superhero who walks in the darkness, the nemesis of criminals!]

For five consecutive days, every morning, unconscious criminals hanging from streetlights can be seen on the streets of Tokyo, becoming the latest spectacle!

[Imitator or original? Is Black Mask human or demon?]

Chapter 223, 222: The Black Mask Walking in the Night

[Confessions from the criminals who were hung up: The black-masked superhero with glowing red eyes appears and disappears unpredictably, is incredibly agile, and is even unhit by bullets!]

【…】

Numerous reports included photos of criminals being hung on streetlights.

Furthermore, each criminal in the photograph was also attached with a card stating the crime committed, and signed by Black Mask.

"No mistake, it's that guy, the guy from the department store earlier."

Conan's expression was both serious and excited: "I hadn't been able to find out anything about this guy. I thought maybe something had happened to him while he was acting as a champion of justice. But I didn't expect that he hadn't stopped doing this. I just don't know why his style has suddenly become so high-profile lately."

"Over five days, an average of five to ten criminals were hung on the streetlights every day... Is there some special significance to hanging them on the streetlights?"

Conan stroked his chin, pondered for a few seconds, and then looked at Ai Haibara on the other side: "Hey, Haibara, do you think it's possible for us to recruit Black Mask as an ally and help us fight that Black Organization?"

Upon hearing this, Ai Haibara, who was typing away at her computer, paused, turned around, and glanced at the newspaper in front of Conan.

I advise you not to do that.

"Huh? Why? Black Mask is so powerful. If he were willing to help us, it would be a huge asset!"

Conan asked, puzzled.

"No matter how skilled he is, how many guns can he possibly withstand?"

Ai Haibara looked coldly at Conan: "Even if he really can dodge bullets and kick a building's pillar to pieces, as you say, so what? Can he dodge machine gun bullets? Can he dodge bombs?"

"Get Kudo straight. We're facing the most dangerous criminal organization in the world. Don't involve unrelated people; it will only harm him."

"To put it even more selfishly, if this guy finds out about us and accidentally leaks it out, it will only increase the risk for no reason."

Hearing Ai Haibara's words, Conan's expression grew increasingly disappointed.

Because Ai Haibara's words actually make a lot of sense.

It's best not to involve others in such dangerous situations unless absolutely necessary, especially when it comes to individual power.

It will not have a positive effect, and may even have a negative effect.

Ugh... so annoying.

Conan started scratching his head frantically, while Ai Haibara, standing to the side, focused her attention on a newspaper from a few days ago.

Tokyo Ghost Stories News.

[A cat demon under the moonlight. Near Beika General Hospital, a girl got up in the middle of the night to water her flowers and plants, and witnessed a cat demon standing on the wall...]

Ai Haibara wasn't particularly interested in these supernatural tales, but the mention of Beika General Hospital unconsciously reminded her of a certain unreliable teammate.

...Ai Haibara was of course aware of the fact that Sano was forced to kill Kyosuke Kazato.

As for Ai Haibara personally, she wouldn't feel any strange distance from Sano because of his "murder".