Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Even Ran Mouri felt that such a bug deserved to be taught a lesson.

However, the degree of "lesson" is difficult to determine.

There is a Chinese idiom that means "a crime not punishable by death".

Although Ehara didn't die, anyone would think that this level of lesson was too much... Furthermore, although as the "culprit," Ran Mouri had no right to blame Sano, and of course, she didn't intend to.

Ran Mouri was simply worried that Sano might cause some unnecessary trouble by trying to stand up for her, and that was the most important thing.

"If we don't leave a deep impression on this kind of person, how can he possibly remember the lesson?"

Sano calmly lit a cigarette, but his gaze remained fixed on Jiang Yuan, who was being helped to sit up by others, his face covered in snot and tears, and still howling incessantly.

"I want him to remember the pain he experienced today and what he did to cause this pain every time he finds that he can't move his right hand."

A cold voice came from Sano's mouth. The orange sunlight in the twilight shone on his face, making the specks of blood on his face look exceptionally eerie.

Everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.

"...You, you're a madman!"

After regaining some strength, Jiang Yuan hysterically yelled at Sano, "I'm calling the police! I'm suing you! I'm going to send you, you bastard, to jail!"

Upon hearing this, Ran Mouri's expression immediately tightened.

But a second later, he took a deep breath and spoke before Sano could, saying, "Don't joke around. You sexually harassed me first, which is why my senior took action. It was an act of heroism, at most it was just a bit excessive!"

"Besides, both my senior and I are still minors. Even if you go to the police, he won't be sentenced to a heavy penalty. On the contrary, you, because of harassing a minor, are likely to be punished much more severely than you imagine!"

Ran Mouri speaks very fast, but every word is powerful, and her thoughts are exceptionally clear.

This left most of the people present stunned.

"By the way, my mother's name is Eri Kisaki, known as the undefeated queen of the legal world, and my father is the famous detective Kogoro Mouri, who has a very good relationship with the police."

"If that's the case, are you sure you still want to call the police?"

Faced with Ran Mouri's "reasonable and well-founded" cold questioning, Jiang Yuan was momentarily speechless.

...I never expected that this usually "kind" girl would have such a side.

Sano looked at Ran Mouri with some surprise. He hadn't expected her to choose this... perhaps it could be considered a negotiation tactic of "using power to intimidate"?

To be honest, she truly lives up to her reputation as Eri Kisaki's daughter.

It feels like I'm finally starting to feel a little bit like myself.

Sano watched the show with great interest, remaining silent and letting Ran Mouri do as she pleased, displaying the lawyer genes she inherited from her mother.

However, just as Jiang Yuan was so flustered by Ran Mouri's words that he was almost about to admit defeat, a muttering voice suddenly rang out.

"But such an injury would definitely result in lifelong disability. Even if the person is a minor and has the best lawyer, shouldn't the sentence be very severe?"

The air in the hall, which had just begun to circulate, suddenly stagnated again, and everyone instinctively looked toward the muttering Konno Shiro.

Sonoko Suzuki's eyes were wide open, as if she wanted to write "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute" on her face.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Jiang Yuan, as expected, revealed a maniacal smile.

Before Ehara could even speak, Sano had already addressed Konno Shiro.

"It doesn't matter. I'm mentally ill anyway, and I won't actually go to jail. I'll be released after a while, and then I'll find him again and cripple his other hand. If he still wants to continue, then his legs will be next, until finally his... head."

...Although Sano was referring to Ehara, Konno Shiro, who was being stared at by Sano, felt his scalp tingle—he should have known better than to say anything.

But then again.

What does it mean to have a mental illness?

Brain cancer?

Because he was about to die, he didn't care about the consequences of his actions and acted recklessly... But it shouldn't be said that he "wouldn't go to jail," right?

"I'm too lazy to waste my breath on a piece of trash like you."

Sano then turned his gaze to Ehara, the person involved: "If you don't believe me, you can try it. The worst that can happen is death."

After saying that, Sano stopped talking nonsense, looked at the hotel staff behind the counter, and after the staff member shuddered, he got the room key and left first.

After watching Sano leave, the breathing of everyone in the hall finally relaxed completely.

……

Night fell.

During this time, Sano only went out for dinner, which made the other guests around him not dare to breathe loudly. Otherwise, he stayed in his room most of the time.

Of course, not everyone avoids Sano like the plague.

After all, not all the hotel guests witnessed Sano hammering people.

In fact, most of them were members of the Izu Detective Club.

Some guests may hear related rumors, but they are just rumors.

Besides, there was another guy who knew Ran Mouri, the young man who stood up at that time to try to subdue Ehara, Satoshi Maeda.

He was reportedly a karate champion from several years ago.

...No sooner had Makoto Kyogoku left than Satoshi Maeda appeared.

It's quite interesting.

I just don't know how good this guy is, and how he compares to Makoto Kyogoku... He's probably not as good, otherwise the title of Japan's strongest single combatant should be given to him.

While Maeda Satoshi was somewhat dissatisfied with Sano's previous actions, he didn't harbor much hostility, especially after Suzuki Sonoko explained to them what "I'm mentally ill" really meant.

Chapter 347, Gin: You're getting something for free and you expect me to do it?

...Actually, if possible, Suzuki Sonoko and the others have always been reluctant to mention Sano's matter in front of outsiders, since it's not a good thing. However, considering the impact of Ebara's matter, they felt that bringing it up to scare him might be the best option.

Especially looking at Sano himself, he doesn't seem to care about such details. On the contrary, he is happy to bring this up for fun, or to make things easier... cough, of course, Sano is himself, and others are others.

It's two different things.

In short, Maeda Satoshi was somewhat wary of Sano, but he didn't show it deliberately. He was neither close nor distant. They only got to know each other through Ran Mouri's introduction, and he also introduced his fiancée, Akiko Sayama, an ordinary young woman.

During dinner, another thing that surprised Sano was that Jiang Yuan, after being rushed to the hospital, actually came back...

Although he was clearly hesitant and secretly gritted his teeth when he saw Sano, he obviously still wanted to grit his teeth and stay at the hotel.

Sano certainly didn't think that this guy was staying here to endure such psychological and physical torment just for half the accommodation fee.

Is that Dark Duke really that popular?

Even aside from Ebara, and the soon-to-be-married couple Satoshi Maeda and Akiko Sayama, the other members of the Izu Detective Club also made more or less proactive contact with Sano with utmost caution.

...Sano originally thought these guys might be testing him to see if he was the organizer.

It wasn't until later, when Sonoko Suzuki told Sano that his identity as a detective had been discovered and that he would definitely not be suspected of being the organizer, that he realized these guys were probably testing him to see if they had discovered any important clues.

Even so, it still demonstrates these guys' "greed" for the Duke of the Night.

In the very end, Sano heard something from Conan... well, maybe it could be considered a clue?

After checking into their room, Conan and his friends immediately looked around the hotel, hoping to find something. While alone on a balcony, Conan was suddenly attacked by "Duke of the Night".

...He turned around and found a man dressed as the Duke of Darkness throwing him off the balcony. Fortunately, the balcony was not on a very high floor, and there was a swimming pool right below, so he didn't die from the fall.

But when Conan ran up again, trying to find the figure of the Dark Duke, he could no longer see him.

She probably changed her clothes in the restroom next door and then left... This is Conan's speculation, although Sano doesn't quite understand it. Isn't changing clothes something you can do anytime, anywhere, as long as no one is around?

Why specifically emphasize the toilet?

Could it be because Conan shrunk twice before, both times in the bathroom?

Bringing himself back to reality, Sano received a text message from Gin.

"Go do a mission..."

Sano only read the beginning before immediately replying, "I can't do it."

This prompted Gin to immediately reply with a question mark.

...Before coming to Izu, Sano had been maintaining a daily routine of one mission. Later, when he was going to Izu and couldn't do the mission, he naturally had to tell Gin. Unexpectedly, this guy was actually counting down the days until he returned to do the mission. What a... heartless boss, Gin the Skinflint.

Sano mentally complained as he replied with the reason.

"I'm not in Tokyo, I'm still in Izu."

Gin replied to the text message very quickly, probably because of his fast typing speed.

"What's going on? Didn't you say you were only going for three days and two nights?"

Sano: "Ah, it was originally supposed to be three days and two nights, but something unexpected happened and I joined an interesting tour group, so I decided to stay for another three days and two nights."

Gin: "...An interesting tour group, is it the Izu Detective Club?"

Sano: "What, you've heard of him, Gin-sama?"

Gin: "I guess so. That thing seems to have used the Dark Duke as a gimmick, so the organization sent someone to investigate. It turned out that it was just a gimmick, and the organizer didn't actually have the Dark Duke."

...What? The organization has already investigated?

Sano was stunned. He didn't know much about whether the "Duke of the Night" was real or fake, so he was only half sure about it.

Unexpectedly, it has now been confirmed.

How the hell are we supposed to play this?

After regaining his senses, Sano immediately asked Gin if he had obtained the organizer's identity information. After receiving an affirmative answer, he immediately asked Gin to send the information.

This prompted Gin to send another question mark.

"You probably went there for the Dark Night Duke too, right? Now that you know it's a fake, why are you still staying there?"

...Gin had no doubts about whether Sano knew that the Dark Night Duke was a common tactic used by the organization. Although he hadn't taken Sano to these places, he wasn't a mind reader, so who knew whether Sano had actually been exposed to them?

It's like how, even though most parents haven't taught their children about certain things, they often still manage to... well, "learn without a teacher."

In Gin's opinion, Sano's reason for joining the Izu Detective Club was simply curiosity about the "Duke of the Night."

Of course, if possible, Gin also wants to think positively.

For example, Sano was worried that this matter would have a negative impact on the organization, so he personally intervened, intending to investigate the truth and take action as appropriate.