Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Vodka, who was sent by Gin to run an errand, sneezed on the other side of Tokyo.

"Which little girl is thinking of me?"

Vodka rubbed his nose, muttering to himself as he turned his gaze to the chocolates displayed in the shop counter next to him, chocolates whose packaging alone looked expensive: "Big brother seems to like sweets now, I'll buy some to take back... and I'll also get some for Rye, consider it a protection fee."

……

The next day, Sano was woken up by a knock on the door.

When the door opened, the person standing outside was not someone Sano knew, but someone he had called.

"Bring it in."

"Ok."

Two workers in overalls immediately carried in a box.

Next, I started assembling the computer.

That's right. Last night, after getting out of Gin's car, while on his mission, Sano took the opportunity to make good use of the organization's funds.

I bought myself a computer.

Logically speaking, Sano should have bought a computer back then.

Although it's not very useful, it's definitely something we need, regardless of whether it's useful or not.

But later I went to the computer store and saw...

They were all big-headed computers that only existed in Sano's memory, and the only games they could play were Minesweeper.

So Sano gave up on the idea.

Now, Sano does have this need, and computers have made great progress, much like the rapid development of mobile phones.

So I got one over.

"You bought a computer?"

Hearing a question from beside him, Sano, who was leaning against the door frame, casually responded with an "um," but the next second he realized something was wrong and turned around in surprise.

Amuro Tooru's forced smile came into view.

"...Boss, what brings you here?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Sano suddenly remembered the chain reaction that might have been triggered by their last meeting, and frowned. Was he here to test him?

Sano thinks this is very likely.

Amuro Tooru is a very cautious intelligence officer.

No matter how much they doubted Sano, they would not act rashly.

Gin's behavior at the time was very unusual. With just a little thought, one could have considered the possibility of a "entrapment" and the potential trap.

Of course, Amuro Tooru wouldn't just jump in carelessly.

By waiting a while and then approaching casually to probe, it is easier to lower the enemy's guard and obtain the desired intelligence.

Most importantly, the risks were avoided.

"Oh, I moved."

Amuro Tooru pulled out a bunch of keys that Sano found incredibly familiar. Before Sano could react, the other man had already given his answer: "It's downstairs from your house. We'll be neighbors from now on, so naturally I have to come over and say hello."

Sano: "..."

What the heck? Why is even this guy moving here?

If they want to spy on me, isn't that a bit too blatant?

Amuro Tooru's expression remained unchanged despite Sano's bewildered face.

Just as Sano suspected, Amuro Tooru had noticed what happened that day. It was possible that Gin had deliberately leaked the information, so he waited a while before approaching Amuro, and in order to monitor him more effectively and reasonably.

Amuro Tooru also moved in.

"No, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to move to a place like this?"

Coming to his senses, Sano couldn't help but ask with amusement.

"Why is it unsuitable? You can stay here, but I can't?"

Amuro Tooru sighed: "I've been having financial difficulties lately, and I've hit a huge hole. The money the organization gives me is barely passing through my hands. I have no choice but to come to this godforsaken place to live. Or... could you give me some financial assistance?"

"I have no money."

As Amuro Tooru wished, Sano ended the conversation without hesitation.

"So that means I won't get my salary either?"

Just when Amuro Tooru thought the topic was completely over, Sano raised another novel question from a fresh perspective. To this, he could only roll his eyes inwardly and reassure everyone that there would be no problem with the detective agency's salaries.

It's basically the kind of rule where you can't keep any money except for "necessary expenses".

Even when Sano offered to give him more money, and he transferred the extra to Amuro Tooru after he finished drawing lots, he was brushed off with the excuse that "the transaction is inconsistent and it's impossible for him to agree to it."

It must have been really tough on my boss to come up with such an outrageous story.

Sano didn't say anything more.

After seeing the two installers off, Amuro Tooru turned and left.

"In short, I look forward to your guidance in the future."

After watching Amuro Tooru leave, Sano glanced around and tried to switch identities.

no change.

Have surveillance cameras already been installed nearby?

Oh.

Sano closed the door without making a sound, and continued living his life as usual, without any apparent change.

As night fell and Sano was about to go on his mission as usual, he received a message from Gin—he was going to do a high-level mission tonight, but he wasn't going to team up with him.

Instead, it was with Bourbon.

Interesting. How did this guy manage to control the allocation of tasks?

Sano smiled with interest.

To be honest, Amuro Tooru just moved in; he shouldn't be in such a hurry to take action.

It couldn't have been a simple accident, could it?

But if it really was Amuro Tooru's deliberate manipulation, then it would indeed be considered flawless.

After closing his phone, Sano pushed open the door and went out.

Amuro Tooru, who was wearing headphones and staring at the screen in the room below, froze instantly.

...It's really out.

Amuro Tooru's expression gradually turned as cold as ice. He had indeed put in a little effort to get Rye to team up with him in a logical way.

That was a thought that didn't even qualify as a tactic.

Amuro suppressed several pieces of information that were neither too important nor too trivial. Once these pieces of information were reported, they would inevitably trigger missions. Moreover, based on his years of experience with mission allocation mechanisms, there was a considerable probability that these missions would be assigned to him and Rye.

This method is so subtle that it leaves no room for error and leaves no loopholes.

Even if Sano really is rye, the fact that Amuro Tooru teamed up with him right after moving in might raise a little suspicion, but that's all it can be.

Moreover, if this point is not understood...

That would be truly dangerous for me.

The only thing Amuro Tooru didn't expect was that he succeeded on his first try.

Probability is ultimately just probability.

Amuro Tooru had prepared several pieces of intelligence, waiting to test them one by one.

However, just as Amuro Tooru was about to exhale, Sano, who had previously left home from the surveillance footage, suddenly reappeared and returned home.

What's going on?

Before Amuro Tooru could react, his phone rang.

Amuro Tooru took it out and saw that it was Rye's phone. However, according to the surveillance footage, Sano did not make any phone call. He was just sitting at the door smoking.

Why are you smoking at the door?

Was it to tell himself that he didn't call?

With a slight furrow in his brow, Amuro Tooru answered the phone.

"Hey, rye."

"Hey Bourbon, where's the meeting point? Want to pick me up on your way?"

Hearing Rye's voice on the phone, Amuro Tooru was silent for a few seconds before tentatively asking, "Rye, have you had dinner yet? What would you like to eat?"

"What, you want to invite me to dinner... I mean, you're not thinking of asking me out, are you? Well, sorry, I'm not interested in men, especially dark-skinned ones."

Toru Amuro: "..."

Well, although I was mocked for no reason... twice, at least now I can confirm that the person on the other end of the phone is a real person, or rather, a person.

Instead of resorting to petty tricks like recording audio.

Even so, the possibility of a voice changer cannot be ruled out.

If that's the case, then I'm practically being held at knifepoint right now...

Amuro Tooru's eyes flickered. Even if Sano really was Rye, he wasn't afraid of letting the other party know that he suspected him, or even that he had already begun to test him.

Because this can be easily fooled.

...But the problem now is, if Sano really is rye.

So why would someone want to "clear their name"?

In Amuro Tooru's view, given this premise, if Sano is extremely suspicious of him, then he should deliberately reveal a flaw to lure him into a trap and eliminate him. But if the other party is not suspicious...

Why bother washing chicken feathers?