Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

The pain lasted only a second before I passed out.

Sano, still wearing his black death vest, stood up. Without even glancing at the young man lying on the ground like a dead pig, he grabbed the little girl by the collar and turned her around to face the two young men on the other side of the alley.

"Who else wants to taste her fists?"

Sano raised his right hand and shook hands, instantly snapping the bewildered youths back to their senses.

After a frantic shaking of their heads, the two young men scrambled to Sano's feet, dragged the lying youth along, and ran away.

...even in this situation, he was still thinking about saving his teammates.

In a sense, could he be considered a typical delinquent?

After resolving this minor, accidental trouble, Sano glanced down at the little girl who had finally realized what was happening and was thanking him. His mouth opened slightly behind his mask, but he didn't say anything more and simply turned and left.

On the road.

Sano began to wonder if his insurance settings were inadequate.

Although the central area of ​​the Black Reaper's Tokyo district has been restricted to the vicinity of Sano's den, this can, to some extent, prevent some minor troubles.

But that would cause a huge problem, not to mention...

In order to avoid causing other trouble, I can't really pay special attention to anyone.

Therefore, accidents could happen at any time or in any place.

But I am not omniscient and omnipotent. It is basically impossible to guarantee that nothing will happen. What are some relatively effective methods?

"Ok?"

Suddenly, Sano stopped in his tracks as he went up the stairs, turned around, and came to the doghouse at the bottom of the stairs, where Kuro was lying lazily.

"...Boss?"

Little Black's ears twitched, its nose twitched, and it finally detected Sano's scent. It opened its eyes, got up, and wagged its tail to greet him.

"You don't seem to go out much lately?"

Faced with Sano's question, Xiao Hei raised his head: "Well, because the cats and dogs in Tokyo have basically all been beaten up. Of course, I haven't gone to the ones that are too far away, the kind where you have to run there at dawn and back until dawn the next day... The main thing is that this can already be said to be the domination of Tokyo, so if the scope is any larger, wouldn't that be overstepping its bounds?"

...It seems this bastard doesn't know that the Black Reaper is now dominating the entire country, not just Tokyo, but that doesn't matter.

Firstly, Sano doesn't particularly need it, and secondly, the difficulty is indeed quite high.

In short, well, it's not worth it.

"You can't just sit here idly all day, can you? Look at your other friends. Erhei is on guard against me 24/7, and Dahei is either watching people or on his way to watch people all day long. But you just lie here like a dead dog after you finish your work."

Little Black blinked: "...What about the Black King?"

Sano paused for a moment: "...It's different from yours."

"How is it different? This is discrimination, boss! I protest!"

Sano slapped the barking black dog on the mouth and said expressionlessly, "It's too big and attracts attention. It's not suitable to appear outside unless necessary. Besides, it's meant to be ridden. If you're so capable, why don't you drag me for a few hundred kilometers and see if you can manage? Are you just here to eat?"

The slap brought Xiao Hei back to his senses, and he nodded frantically.

"Yes, yes, you're right, boss. I should work hard. So, what should I do?"

“From today onwards, you will follow your master closely, 24 hours a day, without leaving his side... At the very least, you must ensure that he is within your control and that he will get to work if there is any situation.”

"...Then can't I sleep?"

"Why be so rigid? Just be more flexible."

Sano said impatiently, "If you really can't figure it out, just ask me."

"understood……"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Sano's phone started vibrating again in his pocket.

Upon taking it out, he saw that it was Hattori Heiji.

"Hey, Sano, are you ready? We're on our way to your place."

"So fast?"

Sano paused for a moment, then thought for two seconds.

"Alright, come on over, I'll wait for you downstairs."

After hanging up the phone, Sano immediately called the little girl again.

Fortunately, just in case, I left a basic mobile phone with the girl on her. After contacting her, I explained the situation and asked for her thoughts.

Sano stood by the roadside waiting for Hattori Heiji and the others.

...Sano has been away on a business trip, leaving the little girl home alone more than once or twice.

I'm already used to it, so naturally there won't be any mistakes.

The only thing that might surprise Sano was that the girl's curiosity seemed a little lacking. At least, she didn't make a fuss during the two days she was sent to live at the Armed Detective Agency after the bounty was announced.

After the matter was over and I returned, I didn't ask anything.

However, Sano doesn't see this as a bad thing.

After all, a lack of curiosity means that one won't do anything reckless or cause trouble for Sano. He's not afraid of being a burden, but he is afraid of a burden who won't listen to him. A burden that is willing to listen to others is not a burden.

"squeak--"

Soon, a van pulled up in front of him, bringing Sano back to his senses.

"Sit in the back."

Heiji Hattori, in the passenger seat, rolled down the window and called out to Sano.

Sano didn't waste any words, opened the door and sat down.

At a glance, there are six people in total: Kogoro Mouri driving, Heiji Hattori in the passenger seat, Ran Mouri and Conan wearing a mask and looking somewhat listless in the middle, and Sano in the last row.

Is it Toyama Kazuha and... um?

Sano paused, looking at the smiling young man to Toyama Kazuha's right.

"……Who are you?"

"Hey, don't you recognize him?"

Hattori Heiji turned around in surprise: "Isn't he your colleague?"

……colleague??

Sano was stunned again... someone who could be considered his colleague.

Perhaps?

Sano didn't seem flustered or nervous at all, and looked at the person.

That smiling face.

This unconsciously reminded Sano of Shuichi Akai's quirks, and Tooru Amuro's quirks as well... Ito Taka might also be considered one, as expected of someone who plays with information.

Are they all smiling tigers?

Facing Sano's gaze, the man smiled after a slight surprise and said, "Didn't Mr. Amuro tell you that I'm a new employee of the detective agency? Detective Mouri originally wanted to come along on this trip, but he has other work to do, especially his part-time job at the coffee shop, so he couldn't come. That's why he called me to come and help out."

...Amuro Tooru's detective agency?

Sano raised an eyebrow, becoming even more certain that this guy was one of the organization's members.

After all, Amuro Tooru's agency doesn't actually do that kind of thing.

How could a new employee be hired out of nowhere? There must be something fishy going on.

Conan and the others on the bus, who were unaware of the situation, felt somewhat strange.

...There was no other way, so Amuro Tooru worked odd jobs everywhere, acting like he had money but not really. He said he had no money but his agency wouldn't close down, and he even hired several more employees.

What are you thinking about?

Is it purely out of interest? But which part is the real interest?

work to earn a living?

Or would you rather work for someone else than not maintain and grow your detective agency?

The car drove towards its destination.

Sano didn't say much to the man, but took out his phone and sent a text message to Amuro Tooru, asking about the new employee. The reply he received was a little vague: "Be careful not to get too close."

...If there's a problem, just say what it is. If you don't say anything, fine, but you have to remind yourself of it. It seems that being a riddle person is a common problem for intelligence people.

Forget it.

Since Amuro Tooru is unwilling to say more, Sano probably won't get an answer no matter how much he asks.

Close your phone and patiently wait to arrive at your destination.

No matter what kind of demons or monsters they are, they will eventually reveal their true forms.

On the way, the people in the car chatted amongst themselves, giving a fairly detailed account of the background of the case—it originated from a case that Conan's alter ego, Shinichi Kudo, solved a year ago in a small village.

It seems that someone involved in that case sent a letter to Shinichi Kudo, saying that his reasoning was flawed and asking him to come over. As for why this letter ended up in Heiji Hattori's hands, it's probably because he couldn't find the person... Although there were people at the Kudo mansion, it wasn't the real person.

Ok.

Although Sano wasn't a die-hard fan of Shinichi Kudo, he still had a lot of faith in the other's abilities. In his opinion, the other's reasoning, especially in small cases like this, was probably 99% accurate.

In other words, the letter is "fake".

Based on experience, the person who sent this letter is either the murderer or probably the deceased.

Chapter 649 Rum Must Die

Since the sender's identity is unknown, even Conan doesn't remember it very clearly because it's a distant memory, let alone the fact that the kid has a cold right now.

...Speaking of which, why does this guy seem to catch a cold so easily?

While it's normal to get minor illnesses in life, in Sano's limited memory, Conan's colds seemed far too frequent.

Especially when compared to others.

Well, in short, since the situation is unclear, the first thing to do is, of course, to find someone.