Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

There are still several hours until Kaito Kuroba's announcement.

"senior?"

A surprised voice came from Sonoko Suzuki.

Sano turned around and saw the figures of the two best friends and Conan.

...Kogoro Mouri didn't appear here. It's unclear whether he wasn't interested in the matter or was taken to see a doctor by some unsettling entity.

cough.

But the appearance of another figure surprised Sano.

"Oh, Kyogoku, you seem to be in high spirits?"

Black Dragon chuckled and pushed through the crowd to greet Makoto Kyogoku.

"...Why did this guy come here?"

Sano asked Ran Mouri.

"Ah, it seems that Heilong received a text message from Kyogoku-senpai and came to help. He just happened to run into him on the way, so they came together."

Ran Mouri replied in this way.

...What I really wanted to ask was how this guy had already been discharged from the hospital.

Chapters 595 and 598, Makoto Kyogoku: You actually told me to be careful of a first-grade elementary school student?

Sano scratched his head... Another point he hadn't expected was that Kyogoku Makoto, who seemed simple-minded and stubborn on the surface, actually used all the tricks and connections he could find behind the scenes.

...Could it be because what I said last night resonated so deeply with people?

Never mind, it's irrelevant now.

What Sano is more concerned about right now is that, even putting himself aside, there's Kyogoku Makoto, Conan, and now the Black Dragon. The already extremely difficult situation has become... well, no matter how you look at it.

Kaito Kuroba is someone who never returns, right?

Sano wasn't the only one with this idea; Sonoko Suzuki shared the same thought... She knew beforehand that only Makoto Kyogoku would be involved!

As a die-hard fan of Kaito Kid, even though she is Makoto Kyogoku's girlfriend and knows just how powerful this karate master really is.

Before seeing Sano.

Even Sonoko Suzuki didn't believe that the outcome of this duel was already predetermined...

Not to mention there's a Black Dragon next to her, whose skill level is almost the same as her boyfriend's, making it impossible to play at all!

……to be honest.

Sonoko Suzuki wasn't worried about her idol's career collapsing, as a fan.

It doesn't matter if the theft fails.

The problem is that it's no longer a question of whether it's possible to steal it or not.

The real question is, will they even survive?!

The most, most, most crucial thing is that this way, my bet will be broken...

"senior!"

With her mind racing, Sonoko Suzuki grabbed Sano's shoulder.

At the very least, we must kick out this most dangerous person!

"Ok?"

"...Senior, are you also planning to help A-Zhen protect the gem?"

Hearing Sonoko Suzuki's tentative question, Sano scoffed, "Of course! What else would I be standing here for? To admire jewels, of course?"

"……Too."

Sonoko Suzuki released her grip and changed direction: "But given Jirokichi's personality, he'll probably want to rely on his own strength... Makoto might be a little different, but you talked to him beforehand, senpai..."

“Your uncle has already agreed.”

Sano interrupted Sonoko Suzuki: "Besides, if it weren't for me, Kyogoku would probably have had to go through a lot of trouble to get his consent."

"Yes, is that so?"

Sonoko Suzuki's eyes darted around, and she continued her attack from a different angle: "What about Makoto? He probably wants to have a fair fight with Kaito Kid, right, senpai..."

"I convinced Kyogoku as well."

Sano continued to interrupt.

"...I heard that my mother and A-Zhen have made a bet, and my mother probably won't agree to you helping A-Zhen, senior..."

"I've already convinced your mother."

"Well, well, the time on the Phantom Thief Kid's announcement is quite late. Don't you have to go home tonight to put that little girl to sleep?"

"It's okay, you can take it and sleep here. You slept here last night."

Sonoko Suzuki: "..."

Absolutely flawless!

Looking at Suzuki Sonoko, who had turned grayish-white, Sano suddenly reached out and pinched her face.

"Ouch...it hurts! What are you doing, senior?"

Sonoko Suzuki covered her reddened face and looked at Sano with a puzzled expression.

"It's nothing, just confirming if you're Kidd."

Sano, who had withdrawn his hand, said calmly, "After all, your words implied that you didn't want me to deal with Kid, so it's inevitable that I would have some doubts... But now that it's confirmed that it wasn't an imposter, does that mean that in your heart, your thief idol holds a higher position than Kyogoku Makoto?"

"No, that's not true!"

Sonoko Suzuki hurriedly rejected the idea, her gaze drifting towards Makoto Kyogoku on the other side.

...One thing at a time. Although Kyogoku Makoto's jealousy over trivial matters makes Suzuki Sonoko very happy, it could lead to a big misunderstanding.

That would be a disaster.

"Oh, right."

Sonoko Suzuki pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and changed the subject, saying, "I need to show this letter that I saw this morning, the one that Kaito Kid put in my mailbox, to Makoto first... Senpai, you can take a look too."

then.

The gradually heavy atmosphere eased and flowed slowly in accordance with the development of the situation.

Sano watched as Kyogoku Makoto opened the note and found it to be blank. Then, after Conan reminded him, he had someone bring a candle, heated it with fire, and the words appeared... So, does nobody smoke here?

But it's not a secret that I smoke, so why doesn't anyone ask me even once?

Why did they have to go looking for candles...? And how did they even light those candles?

Amid Sano's speechlessness and confusion, Suzuki Tomoko, who was also present, clapped her hands again as everyone watched as they couldn't figure out anything from the meaningless provocation on the note. She explained that in order to counter Kaito Kid's disguise, since men could be identified by pinching their cheeks, but it was really impolite to pinch women's cheeks, she had specially prepared a dress.

These gowns are all made by top designers and tailors, and each one is a unique haute couture piece in the world... The reason is that, given Kaito Kid's usual style of doing things, he would never take off women's clothes to disguise himself.

"...How come I remember you looking like...?"

Ran Mouri blushed immediately after being prompted by Sano, and Conan quickly denied it, saying, "No, you've got it wrong. Ran was wearing clothes at that time. Kid was just wearing a different set of the same clothes. He said that to lure us away so we could escape... I mean, is your memory really that bad?"

"Yeah."

Sano scratched his head: "There's no need to go through all that trouble. Why can't girls pinch each other's cheeks... Although I don't think pinching cheeks can solve the problem, it's too much of a loss to pay such a high price for it... This kind of high-end custom-made item must be very expensive. If we sell it, we might make a fortune."

Under Sano's muttering, the people next to him unconsciously typed a row of dots.

...Leaving aside the question of whether pinching someone's face is gentlemanly or not, behaving so mercenary in such a public place...no, it's not just mercenary, it's excessive greed...Although Suzuki Sonoko and her close associates are well aware that Sano's true nature isn't that bad.

But what if it's misunderstood, or even used against us by someone with ulterior motives?

The Suzuki family guards were fine, and the police officers, including Officer Nakamori, were also unharmed, but there were also many onlookers who were just there to see the jewels!

Especially since the news that Phantom Thief Kid has his eye on this gem has spread, a large portion of this wave of guests are there to get a sneak peek at their idol's target. If Sano really wins as the leader and becomes the number one headline figure, he might be maliciously attacked.

Obsessive fans can be terrifying...

"Alright, Sonoko, let's go change our clothes... Ran, you too."

Tomoko Suzuki reacted quickly and promptly changed the subject.

"Hey, do I have to wear it too?"

Ran Mouri was somewhat taken aback: "But I just happened to come by after school..."

"Alright, alright, let's go."

Sonoko Suzuki grabbed Ran Mouri's arm and tried to get her to change, but before leaving...

Sonoko Suzuki suddenly turned around and leaned close to Makoto Kyogoku, showing off their affection.

He said things like "you must keep going," which caused a stir among the people around him.

...Those who are unaware of the situation only think that Sonoko Suzuki is talking about the Jewel Guardian Battle, while those who know the situation think that she is talking about the bet between Makoto Kyogoku and Tomoko Suzuki.

But Sano was the only one who seemed increasingly suspicious.

I have a feeling something's fishy going on.

After watching the women go to change their clothes, Sano was just about to go outside for a smoke when a police officer rushed in carrying a large bag, saying it was a letter that Kaito Kid had specifically requested to be delivered to Makoto Kyogoku.

Inside were hundreds of blank slips of paper.

Having learned from the first experience, Officer Nakamori immediately ordered his men to roast the slips of paper one by one, but they eventually discovered that all of them contained the same meaningless provocations and narcissistic quotes as the previous ones.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Officer Nakamori looked furious.

"Senior, it's almost dinner time. Aren't you going to arrange for someone to go home and pick her up? Or should we arrange for her to order takeout for dinner?"

After changing her clothes, Ran Mouri leaned behind Sano and asked.

"Well, I had Xiaozhi bring dinner. As for whether to pick her up... let's see when we can resolve this tonight. If it's too late, we'll pick her up earlier. If we can resolve this quickly, there's no need to pick her up. After all, she didn't seem to sleep very comfortably here last night. There's no place like home."

Sano glanced at Ran Mouri and replied.