Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Sano twirled the cigarette in his hand: "The reason for the current situation is simply because the other party is in an active position, while you are in a passive position."

"You need to figure out why you are in a passive position before you can get out of it, or even turn the tables and take the initiative to reverse the situation."

"...Please elaborate."

Gin was somewhat speechless. After all, he wasn't stupid; how could he not know what Sano was saying?

Sano's words were as if a battle with a huge disparity between the two sides was about to take place, and he was asking the general of the weaker side how to defeat ten thousand men with a thousand men, and the general's answer was...

"Just kill them all."

Isn't this pure nonsense?

The important thing is how to kill 10,000 people with 1,000 men; it's about the details.

"The fact that the Black Mask can accurately pinpoint your location proves that something is wrong. It's either someone or something nearby. Since we don't know which part it is, let's just cut it off."

"...You mean, cut yourself off from everything and hide away?"

Gin finally understood what Sano meant: "But isn't this the same as what I was thinking before?"

"Oh, it's different, the difference is huge."

Sano patiently explained, "Although you seemed to have backed down before, you still had the intention of getting the other party to come to you. During this time, you maintained connections with quite a few people and things."

"What I mean is to not get involved in any matters and not contact anyone. That way, he can't just lock your location out of thin air, right? Then he won't be able to do anything to you."

"Wait two or three days, then gradually return to your previous state. That way, even if problems arise again, the problem will be at the point where it first appeared, right?"

Gin nodded thoughtfully: "I see, I understand. But if that's the case, then I won't be able to do any work during this time, will I?"

"Lord Gin, has your work been going smoothly these past few days?"

Gin was speechless when faced with Sano's question.

...That seems to be true. Even if I keep forcing myself, it seems I won't be able to do any job well.

Oh well, I'll just treat it as a rare day off for myself.

It seems like it's time for me to take a good rest.

"In that case, I won't assign you any tasks for the next few days. You can take a few days off."

Bingo!

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Sano immediately raised his little fist in his heart.

It wasn't for nothing that I worked so hard these past few days, doing missions while also acting like a freak, controlling the clone to relentlessly pester Gin.

We finally managed to fool this guy.

It's not easy for me to get a vacation...

"Well then, I'll be going now."

Gin watched Sano's departing figure, feeling a little depressed.

...Based on the situation over the past few days, Sano and Vodka's team-up seemed to be going quite well, and we thought they were finally getting on track.

Unfortunately, because of his rest, not only Sano, but also most of the codenamed members of the action group had to stop their mission arrangements.

It's a waste; we'll have to find a chance to make up for it later.

...After leaving the cocktail bar, Sano prepared to go home.

Vodka, who was waiting downstairs as usual, was a little confused when he saw that Sano hadn't gotten into the car as before.

"Rye, I'm here!"

Sano turned around and realized that Vodka was unaware of the mission cancellation. After thinking for a moment, he decided he should tell him and walked over.

"The mission has been canceled, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, there will likely be a break for a while."

Upon hearing Sano's words, Vodka was immediately taken aback: "What? Why?"

"Why so many questions? Isn't it good to have a holiday? What, is it that you really don't want to part with me, Brother Jia, and want to continue doing missions with me?"

Upon hearing this, Vodka immediately shook his head vigorously, then realized that what he was doing seemed inappropriate, as if he were showing disdain for the other person, which could easily cause offense. So he quickly started nodding, then, fearing that Sano might take it seriously, he started shaking his head again...

Seeing Vodka's head spinning wildly as if he had a neck cramp, Sano couldn't help but feel speechless.

It feels like talking to an idiot.

"I am leaving."

Sano stopped teasing Vodka and waved goodbye.

Seeing that Sano didn't seem to care about his actions, Vodka breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, after these few days of teaming up, Vodka has gotten quite used to it.

...Of course, it wasn't that I got used to the tense, nerve-wracking feeling of walking a tightrope, but rather that I got used to Sano's presence.

However, if you say that Vodka has no resistance to teaming up with Sano just because he's used to Sano's presence, he definitely wouldn't agree.

During this period of team formation, although Sano did not repeat the situation of "falsely reporting military intelligence" that occurred at the beginning, his combat style remained as bold as ever.

Vodka knew Sano was formidable.

But the powerful one is only the other party, not yourself!

While human beings' ability to get used to things is certainly terrifying, it's not so terrifying that one can get used to playing Russian roulette.

all in all.

This nightmarish career has finally come to a temporary end.

Congratulations! Congratulations!

……

Meanwhile, Sano didn't go home immediately, but instead turned around midway and went to find the sycophant Xiao Hei.

...Aside from completing missions and playing Gin, Sano wasn't idle during this time.

Sano has been trying to widen the training schedule for Kuro.

Although, because of that plush toy, each time it basically ended as soon as it started.

However, during this process, Sano discovered something unexpected yet perfectly logical.

That is Xiao Hei's communication ability... or perhaps you could say his "intelligence," which is significantly improving.

Sano knew very well that this was not due to his training of Kuro; it seemed to be just the result of the guy's natural growth.

From initially struggling with a few words, and not even knowing if they came from conversation, to becoming more and more fluent, he is now able to have normal conversations with Sano, and even occasionally throws out a few "idioms".

Sano did try to ask Kuro where he learned these idioms, but his answers were vague and uncertain.

Sano speculated that this was probably similar to what he had originally thought.

Xiao Hei is essentially like a child whose intelligence has been suddenly boosted by several years. While it's true that some things require human guidance, Xiao Hei itself is also learning about human society through its daily wanderings.

Conversations among passersby, images on televisions on the street, and so on.

Unbeknownst to him, Xiao Hei had already been passively learning and absorbing a lot of knowledge.

So even though Sano didn't give him any effective guidance, Kuro still grew, which saved him a lot of trouble.

The only problem might be that if Xiao Hei grows wildly on its own, the final result will inevitably differ from what its owner, Sano, wants.

This is the same principle as the situation of left-behind children whose parents work away from home year-round and who grow up in their hometowns.

Especially now that Xiao Hei's "IQ" has increased, it's even harder for Sano to fool it.

If this kid was originally a baby who couldn't understand human speech, then now he could perhaps be described as a rebellious teenager.

Trying to use brute force will definitely not work.

If you try to be gentle with him, this guy isn't greedy. With his strong body, he's already become the strongest stray dog. He's neither afraid of the cold nor hungry.

I want to be able to control this sycophant.

There's only one method left at the moment.

Sano's gaze fell on the doll.

To catch a thief, catch his king; to strike a snake at its vital point, you have to start from the key.

Chapter 299, 298 (Together) The Legend of the Distillery – Vodka

Although it seems like it doesn't matter whether it's there or not, this plush toy was indeed a major factor in why Sano's previous dog training plans had been unsuccessful.

Because this plush toy would immediately run away whenever it saw Sano.

Although Sano temporarily diverted the guy's attention with some cat treats and toys, giving him a chance to interact with Xiao Hei, he would immediately run away again once he got tired of those things.

Then Little Black followed suit and scurried along with them.

Even though Sano tried to reconnect with the doll by changing his identity, there was absolutely no sign of success.

...Perhaps it was because I was frightened by Sano's attempted kidnapping that I developed an extremely high level of vigilance towards humans.

After all, it's just an ordinary cat, not that intelligent.

Therefore, it is normal for this situation to occur.

Faced with this predicament, Sano already had a plan in mind on how to break it.

Sano moved his hands from behind his back to his chest, holding a black cat-shaped replica in his palm, his eyes filled with "righteous indignation".

That's right, Sano is preparing to use the "Beautiful Cat Plan" on that plush toy!!

It's true that this ragdoll cat currently harbors absolute malice towards humans, but if Sano were to bring out this one, it would be an absolutely... well, benevolent cat.

That should be able to neutralize the situation.

...This is a plan that Sano carried out at the cost of sacrificing his virtue, it absolutely cannot fail!

Sano walked with firm steps toward the cat and dog pair.

The cat and dog immediately tensed up upon sensing Sano's approach.

However, upon seeing Sano's appearance, Kuro immediately withdrew its wary posture and began sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail. The plush toy, on the other hand, displayed the complete opposite behavior, becoming even more tense.

Seeing this, Sano immediately pulled out the black cat in his hand, instantly causing the doll's attitude to waver again.