Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

A hallucination is ultimately a hallucination, not a momentary illusion.

The doctor couldn't give a definite answer immediately, only saying that if Amuro Tooru experienced hallucinations again, and if they became relatively severe, it would be a problem.

It would be best to stay in the hospital for observation.

...After that, Amuro Tooru was perfectly fine and thought that he was no problem at all. He thought it was just a simple accident, and that he was just mentally disoriented because he was too tired and under too much pressure.

Or perhaps that hypnotist reached the pinnacle of his skill and did something underhanded.

But looking at it now...

The second hallucination didn't actually happen for long, and most importantly, the hypnotist wasn't around. If this wasn't a hallucination, then it wasn't a hallucination at all.

That's a bit too outrageous.

What a worry!

Do I really have to stay in the hospital for a while? But if I do that, it won't be able to be hidden anymore.

It will likely cause some negative effects, in many ways.

Amuro Tooru, whose head was throbbing, suddenly asked, "Were you talking to Gin on the phone just now? Why didn't you answer his calls earlier?"

"Ah... I didn't notice."

Sano probably knew that Amuro Tooru had two motives behind his question.

One reason is to test the flaws in their own argument.

If they're not dead, why don't they contact each other?

Of course, Sano did not actually die, so there was no such loophole.

...And of course, it's also true that she didn't answer Gin's call.

"Since we were ambushed, we naturally had to get revenge. I found those two snipers, interrogated them to find out who was behind them, and then I sneaked here... Gin's call came around that time. Even if I had noticed it, I wouldn't have had time to answer it. By the time I finished, I would have long forgotten about it."

Sano gave a half-hearted, half-serious reply.

If you didn't notice it, you really didn't notice it; if you did notice it but forgot about it, you really forgot about it.

The only difference is that the basis for this step is not only Sano's "seeking revenge" behavior, but also the events on the other airship.

Amuro Tooru, on the other hand, showed a slightly annoyed expression.

This also reveals the second thought behind his earlier question—it is true that Sano is not dead, but it is also true that Amuro Tooru told Gin that he is dead.

What category does this belong to?

It might not be considered a case of falsely reporting military information, but to say that it could be simply dismissed as a minor misunderstanding... is almost impossible.

Amuro Tooru wasn't worried about receiving any particularly severe punishment.

He is, after all, an official, and especially since this matter did not cause any particularly serious consequences, it is naturally impossible for him to do anything.

The problem is...

Will Amuro Tooru lose trust because of this?

For example, in the future, anything that comes out of my mouth will be questioned by the organization. In addition, how to explain this misunderstanding is also a big problem... I should confess that I was hallucinating.

Is he experiencing a mental health issue?

Doesn't that contradict our initial demands...?

"...So, the guys who were lying in ambush here are the ones here. Have you taken care of them all? Did you tell Gin to stop what he was doing?"

After sighing, Amuro Tooru brought the topic back to business.

...Although it seems that Gin has entrusted all the follow-up matters of the ambush to Amuro Tooru, he is in a very urgent mood and naturally cannot let him do the work alone.

The key issue is that there is too little relevant information about this matter, which leads to a large number of targets.

Amuro Tooru is in charge of a suspected faction, while Gin has also gone to another suspected faction, along with Vodka.

The three split into three groups and advanced simultaneously.

If you find something, proceed with it; if you don't find anything, move on to the next one.

That's probably what Gin was thinking.

Now, not only is the rye still alive, but he has also come to the root of the problem and taken care of it.

Therefore, there is naturally no need to continue on the other two ends.

"Yes, I've already said it, it's time to retreat."

Sano waved his hand, signaling the peripheral members to stay and clean up the mess, and then walked out. But after leaving the gate, he suddenly seemed to remember something and asked Amuro Tooru, "By the way, have you heard about the red Siamese cat that was all the rage a couple of days ago?"

"A red Siamese cat?"

Amuro Tooru frowned, his eyes flickering. "Yeah, it's been quite a big deal, so I've heard about it to some extent... What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask how you feel."

Sano said, "We know perfectly well that there's a ticking time bomb in Japan that could blow us up if it explodes, but we're here, busy with work, seemingly not caring about it at all. Doesn't that feel strange?"

Upon hearing this, Amuro Tooru fell silent again.

How could anyone not care about a ticking time bomb like a red Siamese cat?

Putting aside his own safety, even if he wasn't among the randomly selected lucky passersby, Amuro Tooru would still worry about those innocent people, especially since the deadline for the red Siamese cat announcement was only until today, which made it feel even more urgent.

But the problem is... what's the use of being anxious?

With absolutely no direction, are we just supposed to wander around aimlessly like headless flies?

"...Who doesn't know what the future holds? Accidents can happen at any time. You never know when you might get into a car accident or suddenly die. But to put the present aside because of that uncertain future is putting the cart before the horse. Unless the car is already in front of you or the hospital has given a report, turning the present into the future, thinking about it is pointless, isn't it?"

Amuro Tooru expressed his opinion, while also subtly reminding Sano.

If you know anything, tell yourself and help out.

The only information Amuro Tooru currently has about the red Siamese cat is that it was involved with the Armed Detective Agency. And the sentence Sano just mentioned, "Scottish said you were hallucinating," seems to be further hinting at the relationship between Rye and Black Fox. In other words,

This refers to the existence of the Black Organization.

Perhaps this black-clad organization intends to get involved in the matter of the red Siamese cat?

However, Sano did not give Amuro Tooru's wish when faced with his subtly expectant gaze... after all, the matter had already been resolved long ago.

Sano was simply curious about Amuro Tooru's thoughts.

To be precise, it should be described as a feeling.

Actually, it's not just Amuro Tooru.

Sano also wanted to know what Conan would think if the Red Siamese Cat gang hadn't boarded the ship today. In addition, as the largest criminal organization in all of Japan, with members all over the country, if those imposters really did something, it would inevitably affect the organization's operations.

If that's the case, did the organization make any preparations beforehand? If not, what were they thinking...? Did they really intend to just sit back and wait for their fate, quietly doing their own thing?

Do these guys really have no sense of crisis?

As Sano got into Amuro Tooru's car and fastened his seatbelt, he was lost in thought... If it were an ordinary passerby, without the ability or will, making a helpless choice out of a sense of powerlessness would be normal, but for these people...

It wouldn't even qualify as a death throes.

Sano looked out the window at the scenery; the stars in the night sky were so bright they looked unreal.

After a sudden thought, under Sano's ordinary hat, because it was worn on a face that couldn't be seen clearly, the mask was also invisible.

It was put back into the backpack.

……

The problem of the fake red Siamese cats was resolved, and naturally, it made the news.

Although the authorities do not want this matter to be reported if possible.

Cooling is the best option.

But what can you do when you can't hide things from the beginning?

Not to mention that the imposters, in order to ensure the success of their theft plan, also arranged another step: regularly announcing online that they had hijacked the Suzuki airship and would carry out a terrorist attack in Osaka, spreading bacteria... Their purpose, of course, was to create chaos so that the mastermind could temporarily hire a few guys disguised as Osaka police officers to transport the Buddha statue out. Sano had forgotten to mention this part earlier.

But it's not a big problem.

Because these "temporary workers," or more accurately, temporary laborers?

Anyway, it wasn't at that time, and Sano had to ensure that he was not imprisoned.

Heiji Hattori and Conan noticed something was wrong. After discussing it, they deduced the reason. While they were stunned after learning about the announcement, they led the Osaka police directly to the Buddha statue.

They've come to wait for the rabbit to run into their trap.

In any case, the imposters' timed announcements forced the authorities to issue a swift explanation, allowing the report to be released sooner.

This successfully drew the attention of most onlookers to the black market.

He became known as a super invincible hero among the people of Osaka.

...Does it seem a bit too attention-grabbing?

Sano looked at the headlines of major newspapers; the impact of the incident was indeed too great.

Even the media outlets in Tokyo have been overwhelmed... If nothing unexpected happens, it's not just Tokyo; media outlets across the country and even abroad may follow suit, trying to ride the wave of popularity.

After closing the phone.

Sano noticed that Gin next to him had been watching him.

"……What's wrong?"

Gin withdrew his gaze, twirled the glass in his hand, and replied casually, "Nothing, I was just a little curious about what you were looking at."

Sano raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "You really enjoy snooping into other people's privacy?"

"I didn't look at it, so how does that mean I like to pry into your privacy?"

Gin asked in return... Of course, Sano knew he hadn't read it, otherwise why would he continue to so casually enjoy the report that boasted about himself?

"It's not like you have to look to be considered spying, just asking doesn't mean you're not spying."

Sano took the coffee and milk from the bartender, then suddenly looked at him and asked in confusion, "...You don't seem to be the same bartender as before, do you?"

"what?"

The bartender paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, Mr. Rye, you must be talking about my colleague. We take turns working shifts, and he's off today... but he reminded me earlier that since you don't drink, all I need to do is prepare coffee and milk for you."