Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

The man's face went blank instantly, and he knelt down with a thud, admitting his crime.

...How the hell can it even recognize this?

Sano was speechless, because there was no evidence in this case.

Perhaps the man did move the deceased's bed and even "induced" him to move it.

But the final outcome depends on the court's ruling.

If Sano were this man, he would most likely find the most capable lawyer and try to frame the incident as "mistake" or "accident" as possible.

But now the man has directly admitted it.

That would naturally mean it could only be handled as intentional homicide.

However, this doesn't really concern Sano; if the other party admits it, then so be it.

This saved Sano the trouble of figuring out whether the truth included it or not, and of finding evidence to ensure the other party would go to jail.

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

Before Inspector Megure could even react that the case was over, Sano had already said goodbye and quickly left the house, heading towards the elevator.

"Wait a moment!"

Conan and his two friends chased after them and got on the elevator with Sano.

Sano glanced at the three of them and pressed the first floor button: "Is there something you need?"

Conan blinked, smiled, and scratched his head: "It's nothing, we just plan to go downstairs for dinner, so we don't want to wait for another elevator."

That's a really stupid lie.

But Sano was too lazy to argue with Conan.

Sano previously said he was in a hurry, but that was just a joke. Now...

Sano really had an urgent matter to attend to.

It wasn't Gin's call... well, maybe that's one of the reasons.

To be precise.

It is the "root of all evil".

Sano's calm gaze gradually turned cold, but at that moment, Hattori Heiji suddenly asked, "Kurosawa, did you know from the beginning that the phone call was being recorded? If not, what were you planning to do?"

...Just now you were calling me "Mr. Kurosawa", but now you're calling me by my first name?

He's definitely a natural at making friends.

Sano glanced at Hattori Heiji and casually said, "First, the request I received was only to find out the truth, not to put him in jail. Second, only an idiot would admit to the crime. Third, if we really wanted to put him in jail..."

"...I have a thousand ways to make him feel that prison is the best paradise."

Upon hearing Sano's inexplicably chilling words, the expressions of Hattori Heiji and the other two changed, especially Conan.

There was no way around it; Conan found Sano's words all too familiar.

That's how the Black Death was made criminals turn themselves in.

He also kicked Conan... a kick he'll remember for the rest of his life.

Like that guy who was the root of all evil in the beginning, who hit Conan from behind with a stick.

They are about the same size.

"Ding!"

Upon arriving on the first floor, Sano quickly walked out after the elevator doors opened.

What could be so urgent?

Conan and his two companions followed closely behind, and they didn't seem to be simply going to meet a client.

Is there some urgent rescue operation?

Even Jodie, one of the three, already knew from Shuichi Akai about the relationship between Kurosawa and Black Mask, so she was well aware that the person in front of her was not only a private detective but also a superhero operating in the shadows.

Therefore, this "urgent matter" is worth considering.

The three were successfully piqued and began to ponder what excuse they should use to naturally shift the focus from "eating" to a team activity.

Suddenly, Sano reached out and grabbed a man wearing a hat who was walking by, interrupting the three of them with his voice: "What are you carrying?"

The man in the hat was also taken aback, and somewhat displeased, tried to push Sano's hand away.

"What's it to you?"

"This is mine, so what business is it of mine?"

Sano frowned slightly, his eyes and tone unusually cold. He increased the force in his hand, making it impossible for the man in the hat to push him away, and he also felt a sharp pain.

What's going on?

Conan and his two companions, completely bewildered, instinctively looked toward the key point that had led to this turn of events.

The man in the hat was carrying a box covered with a black cloth...?

Conan and his friends initially thought it was a box, but under Sano's force, the hat-wearing man's hand immediately became unsteady, and the black cloth slipped off as he swayed.

It's a cage.

Inside the cage was a black cat.

...A black cat!?

Conan's eyes widened instantly as he recognized the familiar-looking black cat.

Did this cat originally belong to Kurosawa?

Before Conan could think further, the man in the hat broke out in a cold sweat and said, trying to appear calm, "Are you kidding me? This is clearly my cat, okay?"

"Then call it and see if it responds."

In addition to the coldness, Sano's tone also carried a hint of impatience.

...That's right, Sano, strictly speaking, is a copy of him in his black cat form.

I was kidnapped by this man in the hat.

And it's not some kind of animal kidnapping association that's just for fun.

Because Gin was urging Sano to go there, Sano created a clone at the deceased's house and left, entering the form of a black cat midway to avoid suspicion.

But to everyone's surprise, as soon as Sano stepped out of the apartment, he was surrounded by three people.

These three people are very "experienced" and have all the necessary tools.

This is clearly not the first time they've done this kind of "kidnapping" work.

Under the watchful eyes of the three, Sano was unable to even revert to his black cat form.

In the end, he was arrested without a doubt... Well, actually, Sano didn't want to try.

As mentioned before, even the most experienced cat catchers only have a 50/50 chance of catching a cat, and these people are no exception.

The only problem is that the cat-catching tools these people use are quite dangerous.

Tokyo previously experienced a period of intense and frenzied capture of stray animals.

Stray dogs were the main group affected.

Aside from certain special groups, most cases are simply due to the insecurity of stray dogs... although Xiao Hei's "guidance" also played a role.

Stray cats, on the other hand, don't have this problem.

Therefore, after Sano established the Tokyo Stray Animal Rescue Center, he initially focused on stray dogs.

However, this does not mean that there are no special groups in Tokyo specifically for stray cats.

Sano just happened to run into him today.

Sano might be able to escape by relying on his cat-like nature, but what if he doesn't escape?

Sano will lose one of his disguises.

In conclusion, Sano did not choose to resist, but obediently became the puppet of the three.

Anyway... it's only a matter of time before we find a few people.

Even if things go wrong, Sano can choose to deactivate the clone when the three aren't looking at him.

First, protect your identity.

I never expected to run into him here... Anyway.

Sano was a little angry.

In response to Sano's question, the man in the hat sneered and said, "This cat is such an ingrate. It acts like it's an ancestor. If it ignores me, it doesn't mean it's mine. What kind of logic is that? If you're so capable, why don't you call it?"

"Let's see if it responds to you."

Without hesitation, Sano called out, "Kuroko!" The black cat in the cage immediately got up and moved closer to him. Anyone could tell what was going on.

Seeing this, the panic on the man's face became even more obvious.

Just when the man in the hat was starting to feel the pressure, his two teammates finally walked into the apartment, which immediately boosted his confidence.

"you……"

"They don't know how to be polite."

Sano didn't give the man in the hat a chance to do something stupid.

The hand that was gripping the other person's upper arm slid down suddenly, landing at the elbow.

With a quick twist of the wrist, he grabbed the wrist with his other hand and pulled.

"Cock!"

"……ah!!!"

The man in the hat had his left arm bent at a 90-degree angle.

Snow-white bones mixed with flesh and blood pierced through the skin, and the screams were extremely piercing.

Sano caught the cage that the man in the hat dropped and handed it to the three stunned people next to him.