Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

What's more troublesome is that the other person's behavior on the bus that day kept reminding Shuichi Akai of the troublesome person who had chased him all over Tokyo just yesterday, even though the two had no connection.

That means this is definitely not a simple character.

It's best to figure out the other party's purpose and stance first.

Seeing Shuichi Akai appear, Sano smiled, relieved that his trip hadn't been in vain.

"It's very simple, I just want to see if we can team up."

"Team up?"

Shuichi Akai frowned in confusion. Although he already had a guess in his mind, he still confirmed it verbally: "Could you explain it more clearly?"

"You don't get along with the organization... that is, the distillery, right? I happen to not get along with them either, so I was thinking of seeing if there was any way we could cooperate."

Sano's reply caused Shuichi Akai to narrow his eyes.

"I see. Then we are all like-minded."

"I don't think there's any problem; we can definitely cooperate."

Shuichi Akai smiled. Although the credibility of what the other party said was still unknown, he preferred to believe that the two sides were at least not hostile to each other, rather than the possibility that the other party was an enemy.

Regardless of the other party's attitude or their actions in the previous two instances.

This is all the case.

Furthermore, this person is quite strong, even to the point of being unpredictable, and seems to have a mysterious "intelligence source" whose background is unknown... Otherwise, it's just that this guy was unlucky twice and happened to run into those things.

Shuichi Akai, in any case, doesn't believe it.

Not to mention that this guy knows he exists and his relationship with James.

Finally, Shuichi Akai and his group were operating a cross-border, unauthorized operation, sneaking around and not daring to make a sound, for fear of giving the Japanese authorities any leverage over them. Naturally, their effective forces were not many.

The organization we have to deal with is even more terrifying.

Therefore, it would be helpful to have a strong teammate to help each other.

Why not do it?

However, before Shuichi Akai could even extend an invitation to sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk, he saw the other party smile and say, "Excuse me, you seem to have misunderstood something. I didn't come here to ask if you wanted to cooperate, but to see if you are qualified to cooperate with me."

"……what?"

This left not only the henchmen nearby stunned, but even Shuichi Akai was dumbfounded.

Sano ignored the FBI agents around him, and even the gun barrels he hadn't had time to lower, and stepped up the stairs to stand in front of Shuichi Akai.

"Is it hard to understand? I'd like to test your skills."

Shuichi Akai frowned slightly and met Sano's gaze.

How would you like to try it?

After raising his hand to signal James to calm down, Shuichi Akai decided to indulge his soon-to-be teammate's little whim and asked Sano how he wanted to "compete".

This is also a good opportunity to test the other party's abilities.

Sano stroked his chin and said, "Let's be more direct then. You try to kill me, and I'll try to kill you. Whoever kills the other first wins. If you win, I'll acknowledge your strength. That's the simplest and clearest way."

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, a henchman with a square face, almost like a gourd, immediately shouted, "Are you kidding me? What kind of competition is based on killing the opponent? Don't go too far!"

"Don't worry, Cameron, I won't die."

Shuichi Akai smiled faintly and said, "I accept this challenge."

Sano's smile widened: "Then let's find a quiet place, preferably a large one, otherwise I'm afraid you'll be dead in a few seconds."

"it is good."

Faced with Sano's taunts, Shuichi Akai accepted them without comment.

Shuichi Akai admitted that this person was... probably very capable.

But so what?

Is Shuichi Akai really that bad?

Even if it weren't for Kurosawa's ability to dodge bullets, Shuichi Akai would be confident in his ability to fight against, or even defeat, Rye, who could navigate through a hail of bullets. The reason he kept avoiding his opponent was simply because he was afraid of trouble, or rather, because there was no need for it.

Make sure you don't get killed, and stop attacking when you're certain you can kill the opponent.

This is Shuichi Akai's confidence.

...Then, the two were escorted by a group of FBI agents to a secluded area.

Shuichi Akai, who was inspecting the weapons, turned his head and saw Sano standing in the middle of the open space with his hands in his pockets, looking bored and waiting.

"Do you have a gun? You can borrow one from us if you need it."

Upon hearing Shuichi Akai's question, Sano raised an eyebrow and refused, saying, "No need. I don't like using this thing. It wouldn't be of much use to me, and it would just get in the way."

...This guy is so arrogant.

Even Shuichi Akai couldn't help but frown.

As an FBI agent, Shuichi Akai also worked undercover for several years, so he naturally had considerable contact with the world outside the safe world of ordinary people.

Perhaps some of the world's top beings do have a personality that is not used to using firearms, or you could say it's a quirk, and there are quite a few of them. But to say that firearms are of little use and are just a hindrance is an exaggeration.

That's a bit too outrageous.

Unless this guy has never practiced shooting and is the kind of useless person with absolutely no talent, no matter how strong his other abilities are.

Saying that is just showing off.

However, Shuichi Akai didn't want to dwell on such a trivial matter.

After putting down his gun, Shuichi Akai rolled up his sleeves and walked towards Sano: "In that case, to be fair, I won't use a gun either."

Sano tilted his head.

What are Shuichi Akai's insights on close combat?

In Sano's memory, it seems that apart from being "the number one in sniping skills", there is no other set of characteristics... Oh well, since the other party has stepped forward, he must have this confidence, as if he has seen his strength before.

If Shuichi Akai were to overestimate himself, he would actually be no match for him.

That proves that this guy really doesn't have any other highlights besides his sniping skills.

That's all.

Sano, too lazy to argue, struck a pose, as did Shuichi Akai.

It's worth mentioning that Shuichi Akai's posture was somewhat unique.

It's like a martial art with different schools of thought.

They are completely different concepts from someone like Sano who uses unorthodox methods.

...I can't tell which school of thought it belongs to. Is it a miscellaneous style, or does the person simply not understand close combat?

Shuichi Akai was also observing Sano's posture.

After failing to discern anything, Shuichi Akai decided to take the initiative and probe the situation.

"I'd like to ask you for advice!"

The ghostly figure quickly closed in, delivering a karate chop aimed directly at Sano's eye.

...Is this... a finger jab?

Chapter 394, 393: Slapping someone only in the face.

Sano finally remembered that Gin had indeed mentioned that Shuichi Akai had practiced Jeet Kune Do when he was training him earlier.

...Sano had naturally heard of the great name of Jeet Kune Do.

After all, its developers were the childhood idols of countless Chinese children.

Who didn't shout "hoho ha hey" a couple of times when they were a kid?

Who among us, as a child, didn't get hit by nunchucks a few times in a single day?

However, Sano really didn't know what Jeet Kune Do was.

All I remember are the nunchucks.

Keke, get back to business.

Faced with Shuichi Akai's provocative probing, Sano, distracted, simply turned his head casually and dodged away.

At the same time, he retaliated by poking Akai Shuichi's eye.

That guy is fast.

Shuichi Akai's pupils contracted. Although he had witnessed the other party's ability to dodge bullets before, he should have been mentally prepared, but after experiencing it firsthand...

Shuichi Akai realized that he had underestimated his opponent's strength.

They can easily dodge their own attacks and even retaliate at the same time.

This includes reaction speed, dynamic vision, and control over the body.

How terrifying must it be?

Is this the level of skill required to dodge bullets?

After barely grazing Sano's finger jab, Shuichi Akai stepped back with his left foot and swept out with his right leg.

They successfully forced Sano to retreat, temporarily creating some distance between them.

Although it's difficult to hit such an enemy at close range, and it would probably be even more difficult at a greater distance, the chances of Shuichi Akai being hit would be greatly reduced. Otherwise, let alone attacking, just dodging and defending would be enough to make people scramble.

Seek victory through stability, gradually probing the opponent's strengths and weaknesses.

Find the breakthrough point, patiently wait for the opportunity, and make the final decision!

After dodging Shuichi Akai's whip kick, Sano quickly stepped forward and launched an attack.

Shuichi Akai reached out and blocked the straight punch, then stepped back and pulled away.

After blocking Sano's three attacks in succession, Shuichi Akai seized the opportunity to grab Sano's wrist and counterattack with a jab.