Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

The sudden assignment made Sano pause in his steps, who was already preparing to go home.

John?

Are they foreigners?

After tapping his toes thoughtfully, Sano turned around, entered his black cat form, and followed Conan and his group of four.

...It's not that Sano thought this mission was definitely caused by Conan, that jinx; it's just that he glanced at the location on the map and found that John happened to be in the same direction as the four of them.

When the group of four, along with the cat Sano, passed by the door of a two-story villa, a sudden scream broke the quiet of the night.

So they really came.

Sano quietly closed the distance and saw a panicked woman rush out of the mansion's gate, shouting in terror, "John, John has killed someone!"

"What!?"

The group rushed into the house and indeed saw a German Shepherd, even larger than Conan himself, lying on top of a young man with wide-open eyes, looking as if he had died with his eyes open, baring its teeth and appearing extremely fierce.

"John!?"

Conan asked incredulously, and Sano, who followed him in, was also stunned.

...John was actually a dog??

So the object of my suspicion is this dog?

After getting a pet dog, is rescuing dogs the next step? It brings back a long-lost sense of familiarity.

Just as Sano was stunned, John suddenly rushed down the stairs, pounced on Conan amidst Ran Mouri's scream, and then... started licking him.

Another simp.

Sano pursed his lips and began to patiently observe the situation.

Soon, the police arrived, and the details of the case gradually came to light.

The deceased, Tsuyoshi Maehara, was 20 years old and a university student living next door. He was there because the owner of the house, who was also John's owner, Itaguchi, had asked him to take care of the dog because he was going to Izu on a business trip.

The woman's name was Sugita Sanae, and she had been invited by Maehara Tsuyoshi to hang out.

Wow, young people these days really know how to have fun.

Sano couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, mixed feelings).

According to Sanae Sugita's description, she arrived at the place around 8 p.m. and then danced with the music on until 9 p.m. when Itaguchi called and said he wanted to drop John off. Maehara called out twice in the lobby on the first floor, but John didn't respond, so he had to take the phone up to the second floor.

Who knew that just two seconds after the phone was placed next to John's ear, it suddenly pounced.

Maehara was tackled by John, rolled down the stairs, and hit the back of his head against the wall, dying instantly.

...So, there are two suspects, one is Itaguchi, and the other is Sugita Sanae, right?

Sano watched as Conan and Ran Mouri kept explaining that John wasn't the kind of dog that would attack people for no reason... The two seemed to be very familiar with the dog.

However, Inspector Megure could only say that he would follow the rules and wait for Itaguchi, who was away on a business trip, to return and confirm that everything was in order before administering medication to John.

This is what is known as euthanasia.

I see, that's why the task time limit is so long.

All I need to do is find out the truth before John is drugged, right?

Sano's ears twitched, and he got up and left the scene of the crime.

...Until Itaguchi returns, the case is unlikely to develop further. Even if Sano stays here, it will only be a useless waste of time.

As for who is more suspicious between the two suspects, and how the other party used John to kill the person, Sano already had a vague idea in his mind.

"Ok?"

Nakajima Keizo, who was originally lamenting Kogoro Mouri and Conan's death-gathering abilities, noticed Sano's figure, his eyes lit up immediately, and he rushed out.

Unfortunately, by the time Nakajima Keizo chased after him again, Sano had already disappeared without a trace.

"What a pity, it was just a little short. Otherwise, if we had taken another photo, we could have really capitalized on the hype."

Nakajima Keizo put down his camera with some regret... He had made a fortune in sales and bonuses thanks to his coverage of the Suzuki family's ship incident.

If Tokyo ghost stories weren't a regular feature, and if Nakajima Keizo's reporting weren't so outlandish, he might have taken the top spot on the front page.

But it doesn't matter. Nakajima Keizo's intuition tells him that he will see that black cat again sooner or later, and the number of times will definitely be numerous.

But then again, if the "death-grim physique" really exists, then could it be that Kogoro Mouri and Conan keep running into this black cat because of it, which in turn leads to various cases?

Nakajima Keizo fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, Sano was secretly watching Nakajima Keizo.

...This guy is quite annoying. Although I knew long ago that whether it's a cat or a person, if it appears too often, it will inevitably be noticed, but this progress is much faster than Sano imagined. It's all because this guy is acting strangely.

Even if it gets noticed, it won't be a big deal.

Sano gave a soft snort and turned to go home.

The next day, Sano, disguised as a passerby using a hat, secretly approached Sugita Sanae and tested her with the Hammer of Justice. After confirming that she was indeed an ordinary person and had been cleared of suspicion, he received a call from Haibara Ai.

"...Oh, little goldfish, it's rare that you would call me."

Hearing Sano's address on the other end of the phone, Ai Haibara was initially taken aback. After realizing what the other person was talking about, her face immediately darkened: "Don't call me that!"

"Okay, little goldfish, I understand, little goldfish. I won't call you that anymore, little goldfish."

Leave Notice

I overestimated myself. I spent the whole day in a daze, plagued by nightmares, and didn't touch a single word. I need to take a day off to rest. Sorry.

Chapter 283, Section 282: Stepping on Toes, a Child's Game

"You fucking..."

Just as Ai Haibara was about to get angry, she was pulled back to her senses by the pitiful looks of the three real children next to her, and could only try her best to suppress the surging anger in her heart.

"I've come to you to discuss serious matters, Sano."

"Oh?"

Seeing that Ai Haibara could remain calm despite his provocation, Sano became interested: "Then tell me, what's the important matter?"

Then, Ai Haibara explained the situation to Sano... It was actually still John's case.

John isn't the only one who knows Conan and Ran Mouri; the other members of the squad also often play with this clever German Shepherd on their way to school.

So when they learned from Conan that John might be drugged, the trio of real kids immediately panicked.

So the three of them set their sights on Sano, the one they considered the most powerful... the most powerful in every sense of the word.

But the three of them didn't dare to bother Sano, fearing they would get beaten up, so they went to persuade Ai Haibara, and that's how things ended up like this.

Do you want me to help investigate the truth?

Sano stroked his chin thoughtfully. Under normal circumstances, he would most likely refuse such a troublesome task, but this happened to be his mission, and he had already been considering how to get involved in this case...

"Okay, I understand. I'll contact Inspector Megure."

Sano decided to accept this favor, after all, even if it was just unnecessary, he had indeed been "saved" by these four guys. If he didn't agree, who knew if Ai Haibara, that fake loli, would use it to make sarcastic remarks in the future.

After hanging up with Ai Haibara, Sano immediately called Inspector Megure and, after a long chat, successfully learned the current situation.

Itaguchi has returned home from Izu and has already discussed the matter with Inspector Megure and Kogoro Mouri.

One of the "clues" that Inspector Megure mentioned that Sano didn't know before and that surprised him was that Itaguchi was actually a lawyer who specialized in defending teenagers.

Bankou's son hanged himself when he was in junior high school because he was bullied at school.

The one who bullied Itaguchi's son was the deceased, Maehara Tsuyoshi.

It is said that at the funeral of Itaguchi's son, Maehara Tsuyoshi appeared very remorseful, weeping bitterly as if he wished he could pay with his life. Itaguchi then took pity on him and chose to forgive him and even defend him.

...My goodness, I've seen saints before, but I've never seen one this saintly.

This is truly a saintly figure; the world is indeed full of wonders.

Sano inwardly complained.

However, Sano didn't think Itagaki was an idiot, because she was a true saint, not a fake one. She was selfless and dedicated, and even if you don't agree with her, you shouldn't slander her.

Besides, those who do good deeds themselves and then demand that others do good deeds as well are rather annoying.

There are even some who only demand good deeds from others, but when it comes to themselves they find all sorts of excuses to shirk their responsibilities. They are strict with others but lenient with themselves, and are known as "saintly bitches".

That's a real idiot.

On the phone, Inspector Megure continued to explain.

After that, Maehara Tsuyoshi moved away from Tokyo because of his father's work and never appeared again until recently, when he suddenly moved to the neighborhood next to Itaguchi.

According to another neighbor of Itagaki, Itagaki seemed quite shocked at the time, but the two got along very well afterwards. Itagaki even often invited Maehara to his house for dinner. It was because of this that he asked Maehara to help take care of John when he was away on business.

With such a clue, almost anyone can figure out who the real culprit in this case is, right?

It seems that the key to this case lies simply in figuring out Itagaki's method of murder.

On another note, that Maehara Tsuyoshi was really an idiot. They had already kindly let him off the hook, and he still stupidly kept pushing his way in front of them. Wasn't he just asking for trouble?

"Oh right, Sano-kun, Mori-kun just called and said he's found a way to prove who the real culprit in this case is. I was just about to lead a team over there. Do you want to come along and take a look?"

Mouri Kogoro?

Sano raised an eyebrow. That bumbling detective was probably going to come up with some outrageous reasoning again... It wasn't that he was looking down on people, but after all, they were on a mission, and logically, the truth shouldn't be revealed before the mission deadline.

Moreover, with such a long timeframe, whether there will be any effective progress in a short period of time is a big question.

"Okay, I got it. See you later."

After the communication was completed, Sano immediately set off for the Itaguchi family.

When Sano arrived there, everyone who was supposed to be there had already arrived.

Inspector Megure and his police officers, the Mori family of three, Nakajima Keizo, Itaguchi and his dog John, and Ai Haibara and the three-person group of real children.

"...You've been discharged from the hospital?"

Upon seeing the fake loli, Sano couldn't help but ask in surprise.