Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

As for now, Sano has become finer than a hair... Hmm?

Something about that sounds a bit off.

Forget it, let's get down to business first.

By the time Sano snapped out of his thoughts, the clone on the other end had reached its time limit and turned back into a clone doll, with a Kamen Rider keychain lying next to it.

Without saying a word, Sano switched his clothes and put on a thug suit, then entered his cat demon form.

At the same time.

The elite enhancement effect has appeared.

[Elite Enhancement Effect: Attribute bonuses are doubled, and the user can automatically enter a "liquid" state.]

This is the elite enhancement effect of the cat demon form.

Leaving aside the attribute bonus that doubles, the important thing right now is the liquid state.

...The moment Sano saw that sentence, only one thought came to his mind.

Cats really are all liquid!

Then Sano conducted crazy experiments on the actual effects of this "liquid" state, and finally discovered that this thing was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

According to Sano's original imagination, it was probably like a cat, able to make himself very "soft" so that he could pass through many narrow places that were much smaller than his body, and it should only be used for infiltration and infiltration.

The restrictions are still quite significant.

Later, after trying, Sano managed to squeeze through a window that was only a fist-sized crack, and the situation became increasingly uncontrollable...

Finally, Sano even tried to pass through a wall through a hole the size of a pinhole.

...And it actually worked!

It would take too much time to squeeze through.

Furthermore, in that "penetrating" state, once attacked, there is no way to retaliate.

Even if they wanted to withdraw, it would be very difficult to do so in time.

Let's get back to reality.

Sano raised his hand and reached into the "gap" at the fracture surface of Xiao Hei's body. His palm quickly flattened and eventually passed through like a piece of paper.

...The paper couldn't pass through not because it wasn't thin enough, but because it wasn't "flat" enough; to be precise, it couldn't be aligned accurately with the gap.

However, Sano's "liquid" state was able to perfectly fit Kuro's body, so much so that it could pass through smoothly like... hair.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Xiao Hei's hindquarters, a piece of "paper" rapidly expanded into an arm, which then groped and grabbed the cloned doll on the ground.

A few minutes later, the clone reappeared.

And what reappeared was a completely different person from just a few minutes ago.

Ah, it actually worked!

Sano curled the corners of his mouth slightly, not feeling too surprised.

Sano had this idea as early as yesterday when he was experimenting with the elite effects, but he hadn't had the chance to test it yet. Of course, even if he failed, he still had other ideas that he could try.

And what if all these ideas fail...

Sano then jumped off the plane and went back.

Damn it, Sano just didn't believe it.

Is it really that I can't handle such a small task?

However, since this most convenient method works, there's no need to say more.

Furthermore, once this approach is confirmed to be feasible, Sano will be able to perform a series of unconventional maneuvers such as counter-summoning, teleportation, and stealth.

Of course, the most crucial issue is that the problem of clones existing for a short time and not being able to temporarily change equipment or disguises as needed has also been solved.

It's just a bit troublesome.

Sano withdrew his "liquidized" arm again, deactivated his cat demon form, removed the cat demon headdress, and let Xiao Hei carry it again. Then, the clone on the other end was summoned again, sending away Xiao Hei, who was lying on the sink with an innocent look on his face.

Charging complete, everything should be fine from now on.

"Dong dong dong."

There was a knock on the bathroom door, and Vodka asked cautiously from outside.

"Rye, are you from Shanghai University?"

Sano changed his clothes back into his rye vest, unlocked the bathroom door, and pushed it open.

"Just finished class. What's up? Something wrong?"

Vodka was surprised that Sano opened the door right after he knocked, and he licked his lips somewhat awkwardly... It couldn't possibly be anything serious.

It was only because Sano had been out of sight of his "teammates" for too long that Gin "routinely" asked Vodka to come and check on the situation to prevent information from being leaked.

...But this is tantamount to telling Sano, "We suspect you may have a problem."

Therefore, Vodka certainly wouldn't dare to say that.

"Let's go."

Sano didn't waste any more words with Vodka and returned to his original position.

Gin deliberately chose the seat next to Sano, glanced at him, but didn't say anything.

Sano put on his eye mask: "I'm going to sleep for a while. Wake me up when we get there."

"Ah."

Gin forced a response from his throat.

"...Tsk, why are they running again?"

Sano, who had focused all his attention on the clone, turned his head and realized that Conan and his friends seemed to have found some clues and were about to flag down a taxi to move.

This reminded Sano of the scene from a few hours earlier, when he had been running around with the other person.

Unsure of the situation, Sano first went to the Mouri Detective Agency, then followed him to Professor Agasa's house, where he watched Conan and Ran hand something over to the inventor known for his Conan-esque knowledge. After that, he went to the Suzuki house...

You know, these guys took a taxi, while Sano could only run on two, no, four legs... although there was still no difference.

That guy's legs were practically about to break from running.

It's not that Sano doesn't want to take a taxi. Even if his identity makes it inconvenient, he can still fool people by using his random hat. But the problem is if he goes to take a taxi.

Then you might turn around and not find them.

Moreover, taxis are too conspicuous and easily spotted, so you can't take a taxi.

Sano had thought about taking a ride-sharing service before, and had even done so before, but this was only the first time.

Unlike when he was watching Gin, Sano knew where the other man's car was and could "get on" in advance. If he took a taxi, he could only sneak around and hang under the car when the other man stopped the car.

That would make it easy to be discovered, especially with Conan around.

When Sano was about to hitch a ride for the second time, Conan lay down and looked down. Luckily, Sano ran fast, otherwise, given the previous example of the "unfortunate black cat," he might have been "caught" by that kid.

If they waited until Conan and the others got on the bus before following, it would be too late.

all in all.

Sano didn't want to run anymore.

Without hesitation, Sano rushed out and shouted at Conan and the other two.

"Hey, you guys!"

"Ok?"

Ran Mouri, who was about to close the car door, paused and turned to look.

They noticed that the person approaching was a middle-aged man in a suit.

Perhaps he wasn't middle-aged; he seemed to be around thirty, or even younger, especially when you got closer and could see his face clearly.

This makes me feel even more that the other person is just deliberately dressing up to look more mature.

Her black, slightly wavy hair made her look somewhat similar to her senior, but when you looked at her face, it was a completely opposite impression.

Especially his sparse stubble, which is the part that most easily gives people the impression of being "mature" and "lazy," coupled with his sluggish gait and posture.

...He's a bit of a slacker.

Chapter 358, 357: Private Detective Kurosawa

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?"

Ran Mouri's tone was full of anxiety... She seriously suspected that there was something wrong with the old man she had met today, so she wanted to investigate as soon as possible and naturally had no time to chat with others.

Sonoko Suzuki and Conan, who had already boarded the bus, also stuck their heads out.

"My name is Kurosawa, and I'm a private investigator hired by Mr. Rakusetsu. Did you see him today?"

Sano first introduced himself, and then proceeded to confirm the most crucial objective.

...The body that Sano is currently using is naturally a disguise.

To be precise, it was the body that Sano prepared for his third identity, the Black Mask.

Sano had actually created this alternate identity a long time ago, right after he obtained the Kamen Rider accessory, using the points he habitually reserved.

After all, at that time, Sano didn't know that the masked form's defensive power was so high. If he was forced to deactivate it, what would be revealed...?

That wouldn't be good.

Furthermore, if someone were to wear another body disguised as a human, and were to die while Sano was wearing that body disguise, it could easily lead to a fatal accident.

The awkward situation of "one dead and two bodies".

Of course, there was also a side effect: at that time, Sano wanted to create a random passerby account to use temporarily, but later the passerby cat account came out.

I've never actually taken it out.

This time it can be used... Although, in terms of the situation, Sano's true identity is more suitable for intervention, his "true identity" is right next to Gin, so if people find out that there are two "Sano"s popping up on both sides...

That's not so easy to fool.