Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Whose things did they steal this time?

Sano stood there for a few seconds, but when he didn't hear anything, he turned around and continued walking home.

But after Sano returned home, the commotion started again.

...Although it was just a phone call from Inspector Megure.

The gist of it is that Kaito Kid has issued a notice that he is planning to steal the Suzuki family's... something egg again.

Therefore, the police planned to hold a tactical meeting, and the Suzuki Group specifically requested that Sano attend.

"...Do you have money?"

After listening to Inspector Megure's long-winded explanation, Sano chose to ask the key question directly.

Last time, when Kuroba Kaito set his sights on that Hoshino guy, Sano took a whole box of bastards from the Suzuki family.

The description of that egg this time is so exaggerated, and even the official attention to it seems to have increased a lot. I guess the commission fee will be even higher, right?

However, to Sano's surprise, Inspector Megure suddenly fell silent after he said that.

"...No way, not a single penny!?"

Sano uttered an unbelievable, soul-searching question.

"Ahem, I don't know either. The Suzuki family didn't mention it to us. Oh, Sano, can you please help me out? I already helped you with your temporary assignment before, you can't be so ungrateful!"

After complaining, Inspector Megure added, "Besides, Sano, you're only on temporary assignment right now. If you don't actively respond to the call, things might get..."

"Ok?"

Sano raised an eyebrow, his face turning cold: "Are you threatening me?"

"What do you mean I'm threatening you? These things aren't something I can decide..."

Inspector Megure's voice seemed to carry a hint of grievance.

...How come such a strong old man is acting like a little girl?

Sano pursed his lips, then suddenly asked, "Where did you say that egg was going to be displayed?"

"Osaka Castle."

"...Osaka Castle, is it in Osaka?"

"...Osaka Castle, if it's not in Osaka, could it be in Tokyo?"

Chapter 259, 258: High school detective turns into thief...

Inspector Megure was taken aback by Sano's question and for a moment began to doubt his own common sense.

Osaka Castle, Osaka Castle, if it's not in Osaka, where else could it be?

...Osaka again? I didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Sano pondered for two seconds, but still chose to accept the job. He refused to believe that even if it wasn't mentioned now, if he stopped Kuroba Kaito in a critical moment and protected that... what-what-what egg that the other party was eyeing, would Suzuki Sonoko's parents really have the nerve not to pay him?

They'll give you something, at least a token amount, right?

After hanging up with Inspector Megure, Sano immediately made another call.

"Hey, call the rest of you, let's go to Osaka!"

……

The following day, Sano went to the Metropolitan Police Department and had a meeting with dozens of police officers.

...Actually, there's not much to say. It's mainly just rambling on about the whole situation and the official response strategy.

Those above speak, those below listen.

It was similar to a mobilization meeting.

The only thing that might slightly attract Sano's attention is that the Tokyo police will be working together with the Osaka police in this operation.

As for the interpretation of the notice from Kaito Kuroba's future father-in-law, Sano believes that the accuracy rate is not high... Otherwise, how would Conan have room to perform?

Finally, Sano and Kogoro Mouri, who could be considered outside helpers, were also mentioned briefly, and then the meeting ended, and everyone went home.

The next day, the group set off early in the morning and headed to Osaka.

The team members include Sano, Kogoro Mouri, Ran Mouri, and Conan, who Sano believes will definitely go to Osaka. In addition, there is Ai Haibara, who has become particularly fond of joining in the fun for some reason, and Keizo Nakajima, who has been following Conan around recently, as well as... the three true children of the small team.

...Actually, apart from Conan, the other four members of the squad shouldn't have come to Osaka with the team.

However, Ai Haibara heard that Sano was also going, so she followed him.

The trio of real kids, seeing that Conan had run away, and even Ai Haibara had run away, naturally started clamoring to come too.

Dr. Agasa couldn't persuade them otherwise, so he had no choice but to agree.

Then, when the trio of real children discovered that there was another Sano in the group, their initial excitement was instantly dampened.

"Hi! Xiaolan, senior!"

Before even leaving the station, Sano saw Sonoko Suzuki waving at him from afar.

...In his announcement, Kuroba Kaito said he was going to steal the items that would be exhibited in the Suzuki Group's newly built art museum. As the young lady of the Suzuki Group, it's not surprising that Suzuki Sonoko would be there.

Because the number of people in the group was larger than expected, Sonoko Suzuki arranged for two cars to be parked outside.

This relieved the three kids who had been on edge the whole way. After seeing Sano get into the car, they didn't hesitate to get into another car as well.

Ai Haibara got into Sano's car, as did the two best friends. Kogoro Mouri wanted to go with his daughter, but Conan beat him to it, leaving him no choice but to get into the same car with the three kids.

Nakajima Keizo looked around and chose to squeeze into the same car as Mouri Kogoro.

In the car, Sonoko Suzuki first introduced the driver to the group... who was actually her father's secretary, Nishino, who seemed to have just returned from abroad.

Fluent in three languages, blah blah blah.

After introducing Nishino, Sonoko Suzuki started chattering away again, describing her anticipation for seeing Kaito Kid.

"I couldn't come with you last time when you and Ran came to Osaka together, but I'm glad I could make up for it this time."

Sonoko Suzuki said with a grin, "Senior, you'd better put in a lot of effort this time. You must capture Kaito Kid for me so I can get a good look at his face!"

...That's a real shame. The thief you're a fan of actually looks exactly like your best friend's boyfriend.

Sano casually brushed off Suzuki Sonoko, but he was genuinely curious about her reaction if she actually saw Kuroba Kaito's face.

To be fair, although Shinichi Kudo's face is indeed quite good-looking, almost only slightly less so than Sano's, Sonoko Suzuki's behavior when talking about him is not exactly friendly.

Perhaps because women tend to have a less favorable impression of their best friend's man, even though Sonoko Suzuki is somewhat infatuated, she always complains endlessly about Shinichi Kudo when they talk about him, completely like a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law.

Therefore, if Sonoko Suzuki were to actually see Kaito Kuroba's face, she might feel like her idol has been ruined and immediately stop being a fan?

...On another note.

If Kaito Kuroba's face is really revealed, will there be reports later that Kaito Kid is actually the missing Shinichi Kudo?

The missing high school detective, who actually became a thief?

Haha, that sounds pretty interesting.

Otherwise, I should put in some real effort and let Kaito Kuroba show his face.

Sano curled the corner of his mouth and glanced at Conan beside him, instantly making the other man wary.

...Why does it feel like there's a strong sense of mockery and ill intent hidden in Sano's eyes?

Soon, the vehicle arrived at its destination. As soon as he got off, Sano turned his gaze to the two figures wearing helmets standing next to the motorcycle behind him.

"Hey, Blackie, you're here too."

Sano raised his hand in greeting, instantly causing Hattori Heiji, who was about to call out "Kudo," to grind his teeth: "Sano...you bastard..."

Upon hearing Sano's greeting, the others also noticed Hattori Heiji and Toyama Kazuha on the other side.

"Hattori, what brings you here?"

Ran Mouri also remembered the special gift Sano left for Heiji Hattori at the end of their last trip to Osaka. Knowing that if she did nothing, the situation would definitely become complicated again, she quickly changed the subject.

"what……"

Hattori Heiji glanced at Sano with displeasure, then, remembering that there was more important business to attend to, he began to explain.

...Actually, there's not much to say.

This operation against Kaito Kid is a joint operation between Tokyo and Osaka. As the son of the highest-ranking officer in the Osaka Police Department, Hattori Heiji is naturally aware of the inside story.

For example, Kogoro Mouri and Sano joined as outside helpers.

Putting Sano aside, since Kogoro Mouri is coming, Conan will definitely come too.

This means that Heiji Hattori can take this opportunity to have a fair and just three-way competition with Sano and Conan.

The last case involving Kiichiro Numabuchi ended abruptly midway through due to Sano's... unexpected gains, leaving Heiji Hattori with some regret.

But then some unexpected things happened, which made Hattori Heiji not even feel regret anymore. Now that he can compete again, he is naturally happy.

If I could catch Phantom Thief Kid before those two guys, I could not only prove that I am more capable, but also get my revenge for what happened last time.

Kill two birds with one stone!

Hattori Heiji, whose face and buttocks seemed to be throbbing again, glared fiercely at Sano, trying to beat him up with his eyes. Just wait, once he wins this contest, he'll definitely give this guy a good thrashing!

After exchanging greetings and explaining the situation, and with the addition of two more people, they continued into the art museum as planned, with Nishino leading the way to the chairman's office where Suzuki Shiro was located.

"...You guys don't know, Heiji has been talking about it since last night, and he was still talking about it this morning, mentioning Sano and Kudo. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were his wives."

On the way, Kazuha Toyama sidled up to Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki, the two best friends, and started complaining about Heiji Hattori's various behaviors.

Chapter 260, page 259: Who the hell brings a loudspeaker to a fight like this?!

This was Sonoko Suzuki's first time meeting Kazuha Toyama and Heiji Hattori, so she naturally didn't feel comfortable interfering in their affairs. However, that didn't stop her from gossiping and being a fangirl.

"Hey, Ran, is this the famous high school detective from Kansai that you mentioned before?"

"He seems pretty good-looking. Does he have a girlfriend?"

Upon hearing this, Ran Mouri coughed awkwardly, then glanced at Kazuha Toyama, whose expression was also somewhat strange, and quickly pulled Sonoko Suzuki aside to explain the situation.

"Hattori and Kazuha are childhood friends who grew up together. Although they often bicker, they actually have a very good relationship."