Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

...This is a live broadcast!

It wasn't until she heard Takagi Wataru and Conan calling from her other phone that Sato Miwako snapped out of her daze: "Hey, hey, I'm here, I'm here!"

"What are you doing, Officer Sato? You're still daydreaming at a time like this."

Conan complained, then got down to business: "You just said that Uncle Kurosawa... came in to help us. What do you mean? How is he going to get in? Did you explain to him the special circumstances here?"

"This……"

Miwako Sato breathed a sigh of relief: "He definitely said it, but I don't know what he was thinking, because the reporter on the helicopter just said that he filmed him... turning into a black mask and jumping into the elevator shaft."

"Ha... Ah!!"

Suddenly, Conan screamed from the other end of the phone, and Sato Miwako quickly asked what had happened.

Sano looked down from the elevator ceiling through the entrance, down into the elevator, where Takagi Wataru, just like Conan, was terrified and looked pale.

It's unclear whether he was startled by Sano's sudden jump or by his current appearance.

After deactivating his masked form, Sano spoke to Miwako Sato through the phone in Wataru Takagi's hand: "I've arrived. You don't need to worry about the rest."

"Hey?"

Before Sato Miwako could even ask, Conan asked first, "What the hell? How did you get down here? Why didn't the bomb even move?"

"They say any kind of vibration can cause an explosion, but as long as the vibration is within a certain range, it should be fine, right? Otherwise, why didn't the bomb explode when the elevator fell or when you climbed up?"

Sano replied casually while reaching out and touching the bomb.

Because there were no lights in the elevator shaft and the environment was relatively dark, Sano didn't have to worry about Conan noticing anything, so he simply put the explosive gloves on his outside without any problem. Of course, even if Conan did see them, it wouldn't matter.

There are plenty of plain black gloves.

If all else fails, it means the mask form wasn't completely removed, and the glove part was still there.

What can you do about it?

"However, to prevent too much vibration when I opened the elevator door, I still went to the top floor of the elevator to come down, which made my whole body sore."

Sano looked at Conan, then at Takagi Wataru: "You two owe me a huge favor."

"Okay, I know."

Conan suddenly pointed to something next to the bomb and then asked in a low voice, "So, what do you think of this bomb? Do you think it can be defused?"

Is this a bugging device?

No, it's being done so openly; it should be a listening device.

After Sano withdrew his gaze, his voice remained unrestrained: "Ah, it's very simple. It'll only take a short while to dismantle it, but the real problem lies in..."

"When should we demolish it?"

"……What's the meaning?"

Below, Takagi Wataru looked completely bewildered, while Conan's eyes revealed a thoughtful expression.

“I remember you guys said that in the last round, which was... a few years ago, anyway, it was Matsuda Jinpei. During that bomb defusal, it seemed that even though he was certain he could defuse the bomb, he was told that the location of the other bomb would only be revealed in the last three seconds before it exploded.”

"Right?"

"...Do you mean..."

Takagi Wataru finally realized what was happening, and from the still-connected phone came Sato Miwako's shout: "No! No matter what, you can't do this!"

"Hang up, it's too noisy."

"Hey?"

Takagi Wataru stared blankly at Sano, hesitated for a few seconds, and then hung up the phone.

So, are we going to wait until the very end?

"I asked Conan."

Sano raised his hand and tapped the bugging device: "Mr. Bomb Criminal, are you listening? I'll stay behind alone and let the two of them leave first, okay?"

"Bang—that cop has to stay."

As expected, Sano received a reply.

"Then forget it."

Conan made the decision himself and looked at Sano: "I believe in your abilities."

"Fine, if things really come to a head and I have to run away, you can go down with Takagi."

Sano said this, which made Conan slowly type out a row of dots.

Do you have to say something so unlucky?

Sano sat down quietly, and since he had nothing else to do, he started chatting with the prisoner: "Tell me, what are you thinking, Mr. Explosives Criminal?"

"If the intention was simply to cause trouble, then the final hint should have been fake, right? Speaking of which, that officer from the last round actually believed that he could get an answer in the end, and that the answer would be real. You guys are really quite bizarre."

"Can prisoners and police officers still trust each other like this?"

"Beep—"

"Ha, I can't say anything about the police, but I always keep my word and never lie. Those damned police took advantage of my friend's last remaining conscience, lured him out, and caused his tragic death. I would never lie like them!"

Only after the prisoner's indignant accusations did Sano understand the other party's motives.

No, Shiratori Ninzaburo seems to have said that.

But Sano was distracted; the words went in one ear and out the other.

In short, the perpetrator originally had a teammate. The two of them only extorted a large sum of money during their first bombing crime and then kept their "agreement".

The bomb countdown was stopped.

However, due to a mistake by the radio station, they said the bomb was still on a countdown.

The prisoner then called the police again and explained how to defuse the bomb.

However, the police used this information to their advantage and tracked down the criminal.

During the pursuit, the criminal died in a car accident.

But in the prisoner's eyes, this was a complete conspiracy by the police, something they did on purpose.

So I came to avenge my teammates.

Yes, his words were righteous and eloquent, leaving Sano with no way to refute them.

Well, mainly Sano was too lazy to refute. If you're just having a chat, how can you have a chat if you make it so tense?

"...I read the report. You're that superhero who's all the rage right now, Black Mask, right? Then please, you, the epitome of justice, tell me, what exactly did my friend do wrong, and did the police do anything wrong?!"

Sano glanced at the bomb's countdown timer, finally stopped trying to fool him, and replied, "Ah, it was indeed a mistake. The mistake was not catching you in time, which is why your teammate who still had some conscience died, and why you heartless one kept running around outside recklessly. The mistake was..."

"What a fucking idiot."

After a moment of silence, a soft laugh rang out: "Ha, as expected, we're on opposite sides, but at least I'm glad we can reach a consensus."

"So, I hope that compared to these good-for-nothings, you can survive and maintain your reputation for justice, and not disappoint the audience, Mr. Hero."

"Beep".

Conan nudged Sano and whispered, "You're not really planning to wait until the very end, are you?"

"if not?"

"The threatening letter he gave me contained clues, but based on those clues, I came up with at least four or five hundred possible answers. There simply wasn't enough time to eliminate them all before 3 PM. Do you have any ideas on how to make it more precise?"

"No."

Seeing that Sano answered without hesitation.

Conan unconsciously typed another row of dots... He felt like this guy was fooling him just like he was when he fooled that bomber earlier?

Suddenly, Sano reached out and touched the bomb.

Upon seeing this, Conan immediately disregarded everything else and began to observe carefully with wide eyes.

Is this to defuse a bomb, or are they planning to do something else?

If it's the former, it means the other party has actually figured out the core of the truth.

To be honest, Conan wouldn't be surprised if this were the case.

Although he doesn't have much experience yet, Conan can at least confirm one thing.

The person in front of me is no less skilled in reasoning than I am.

Even stronger, who knows, it might even be able to compete with some annoying guy.

In addition, there are intelligence channels of unknown origin but inexplicably powerful.

Finding the truth is perfectly normal.

If it's the latter, then it at least means that the other party already has an idea in mind.

Conan doesn't think this idea is not feasible.

Although he doesn't know the details yet, as mentioned before, Conan believes in the other party's abilities.

Regardless of which of the two situations is true, it's enough to pique Conan's curiosity.

Therefore, Conan doesn't want to miss any details.

And then... no more.

After placing his hand on the bomb, Sano did not make any other move.

Time seemed to stand still.

The countdown was the only thing telling Conan that he hadn't awakened this unique superpower.

Why did it stop moving?

Conan tilted his head, his face full of question marks.

Then, Sano finally made a move—he turned his head slightly, looked at Conan who was looking at him, frowned, and raised his chin: "Turn your head away from me. Do you think you can learn my unique bomb disposal technique?"

Conan: "..."

So that's why it wasn't moving!