Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Only by wearing a casual hat could I avoid looking embarrassed.

That's right, the figure that fell from the sky was none other than Coron, the corn whiskey.

Didn't this guy already run away and leave the country? Why is he back?

...This scene involuntarily brought a picture to Sano's mind.

Do you think you've returned as the king?

Oh, or perhaps we could try something else—Don't move, Kizaru!

Wait a minute, speaking of which, has this guy really ever been abroad?

Sano discovered a blind spot... Could this bastard have been saying he was running away, but actually been secretly staying by Asai Narumi's side all along?

What's your name? Silently Guardian?

No, if that's the case, could Asai Narumi's unusual behavior be because he not only didn't run away, but also didn't just silently protect her?

Or did they actually make direct contact?

"Oh."

Sano's lips suddenly began to curl upwards, and the grin grew wider and wider, as he couldn't help but want to laugh... after Koren's appearance, which surprised and astonished him.

What Sano felt immediately after subconsciously thinking was excitement... This adjective might not be entirely accurate, but besides that...

Sano was at a loss for words.

Because regardless of what the original process was.

As things stand, it is now that Corinne has appeared before Gin.

This was undoubtedly a very stupid move.

Whether Coron wanted to do something or simply stay out of trouble, it didn't matter.

Gin should absolutely not know that Corin is still alive.

But Corinne stepped forward. Not only did he step forward, but he also made a last-ditch effort to save Asai Narumi when he was in dire straits. He turned the tables and pointed a gun at Gin's head, threatening him not to move. He didn't even consider that he might fail and lose his life.

This behavior is so stupid...it's fucking cool!

Just like the protagonist in anime, he gave a huge surprise in a way that exceeded everyone's expectations, like the saying goes, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river"... cough cough, anyway, he really dared to do it. Sano would give him a thumbs up and say, "You're a real man."

"...You're still alive, Coron."

Just as Sano was trying to suppress the smile on his face, Gin, who knew even less, was able to recover more quickly. However, as he spoke, he was also thinking a lot. He then asked, "When Rye said you were dead, that you were killed, were you lying to me?"

Corin's eyes flickered slightly in response to Gin's probing.

"That's right, unfortunately, Rye is actually in cahoots with me... Don't just stand by and watch. Once I make my move, Gin will never trust you again. Take this opportunity to kill them both quickly, and then retreat with me!"

Koren's acting was superb; his expressions and tone made it seem as if he and Sano had planned this all along... Of course, in reality, there was indeed a half-premeditated arrangement between the two, so it wasn't entirely acting.

However, regarding this...

Sano, however, did not move at all, still leaning against the corner of the table.

Seeing this, Gin, who already had a good idea of ​​what was going on, became even more certain.

Koren is trying to sow discord... I have to say, this guy does have some brains.

If Koren had just defended Sano, it would have looked very much like he was guilty... Even if we consider that he saw through this and started to pretend to defend him like a layered cake, he actually really wanted to exonerate him.

That estrangement will still inevitably arise.

Koren is now trying to "sow discord," and regardless of what Gin thinks, at least he has given Sano a free choice.

It was indeed a case of taking advantage of Koren's "sowing discord" to backstab him on the spot.

Let the attempts to sow discord remain attempts to sow discord, and let them continue to stay in the organization.

This is all Sano's freedom.

In other words, although Koren's appearance did cause Sano some trouble, at least he didn't intend to backstab him on the spot.

From a moral standpoint, Koren did not do anything particularly wrong to Sano.

Realistically speaking, Sano initially gave Koren a lot of face, but now...

Koren essentially returned the favor to Sano.

Chapter 617-620, White Robe

This is called reciprocity, and it is a tacit understanding among people in society.

...And Sano, who received this gesture of respect, although it seems that everyone is now even, still wants to support each other in the future.

Then naturally, we have to give the other party face as well.

In the following events, Sano was unable to go all out.

I don't ask Sano to help me retreat, I just ask that I have a backup plan and not push myself to the brink of death.

That was Koren's goal.

Suddenly, Corren's eyes narrowed, and without looking behind him, he said, "You'd better not move, Vodka. Even Gin in this situation can't guarantee how he'll react before I pull the trigger, let alone you. If your arrogance leads to your brother's head being blown off by me... well, you can imagine."

Upon hearing this...

Vodka, who had finally realized what was happening and reached for the gun, was immediately covered in cold sweat.

They dared not act rashly again.

Gin didn't make any unusual move; he just looked at Sano.

"Rye, aren't you going to make a move?"

Sano blinked his eyes, which no one else could see: "How do I move?"

"……what?"

"Come on, brother, you're a hostage right now. Can't you be a little more aware of what it means to be a hostage? Even I can't guarantee I can take care of him before he fires. Are you underestimating Coron or overestimating me?"

Before Gin could speak again, Sano continued, "Are you planning to sacrifice yourself to eliminate this traitor, preparing to die together with him?"

Gin's lips twitched.

...Putting aside the fact that Gin believes Sano is fully capable of doing such a thing, even if he couldn't, there's no need to say it out loud, right?

Isn't this simply telling Coron that we've been completely manipulated by you?

It's clearly not normal for Sano to do something so foolish.

As expected, there was something fishy about what happened with Koren earlier.

However, Gin didn't care about that little trickery.

Back then, Sano had only just been promoted to a senior member, so it was inevitable that he would make some minor "mistakes" during missions. But things are different now.

...Otherwise, Sano should have done as Koren said.

This is Sano's attitude.

But Sano is Sano, and Korin is Korin.

This guy first feigned death and defected, and now he seems to have directly declared his hostile stance.

We absolutely cannot let this guy get away.

"You'd better understand that although I am a hostage, I also have hostages in my hands."

Gin glanced coldly at Coren and pushed the gun barrel, which was pointed at Asai Narumi's head, forward a little: "You care a lot about his life, don't you? But I'm different from him. If I die, nobody will care, so you're no threat to me."

"Hey!"

Sano quickly interjected, "You can't say that, Gin-sama. I can't say whether you care about your own life or not, but I certainly do. And it's not just me; Jia-ge has been with you for so long, he must care too."

As he spoke, Sano looked at Vodka and said, "You agree, right, Vodka?"

"what?"

Faced with Sano's question, Vodka was first stunned, then hurriedly and nervously pecked at the rice like a chicken, saying worriedly, "Big brother, please don't be impulsive! If you die, then there's no point in me living!"

Gin: "..."

Damn it, would it kill you to stay silent at a time like this?

However, Sano may have had ulterior motives, but Vodka is his own little brother.

He really is a complete idiot.

"See, Lord Gin, as the leader of the action team, you are still very popular with your subordinates. Many people value your life... Even I, as your former subordinate, do not want to fight you."

Koren curled the corners of his mouth, deliberately putting on a hypocritical face.

"Heh, then why are we here tonight?"

Seeing Gin's cold smile, Corin sighed: "To be honest, this is just a misunderstanding. Our real target is not you, but those guys who are trading with you... or more accurately, the ones we thought they were trading with."

"Oh?"

Gin smiled with interest: "What do you mean?"

"In black."

Gin's eyes narrowed.

Koren continued, "There are too many things I can't say, but you should know that I'm not a good person. I don't want to get involved in things that don't concern me. I don't care about good or evil, so under normal circumstances, I would never go against the organization... It's just because this black-clad person has the exact same name as our organization's old name that this misunderstanding happened, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"If I hadn't been specifically informed, I probably would have thought I was going to clash with my former employer. We were all former colleagues, so let's part on good terms and clear up any misunderstandings. I think you, Gin-sama, wouldn't want to invite unnecessary trouble... After all, I'm just a nobody, not worth you expending much effort to deal with."

...Well-reasoned and supported by evidence.

Gin's attitude on this matter will most likely not be decided solely by himself.

"Never appear in front of the organization again, and you are not allowed to mention your past identity again, otherwise... I will kill you no matter where you are."

As expected, Gin snorted coldly and finally put his gun away... He wasn't afraid that without a hostage, Corin would act recklessly, because once he was gone as a hostage, then no matter what...

Sano must be here.

They killed Coron and Asai Narumi.

"Yes, thank you for your previous guidance."