Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Sano raised an eyebrow again, looking at Conan with an expression as if he were an idiot: "Otherwise, do you think I killed all of Amuro Tooru's group and then fled back to escape punishment just to trick you?"

Conan: "..."

What they said seemed to make a lot of sense.

However, there is another possibility: that Sano has been cleared of suspicion, or that he reached some kind of agreement with the authorities and was released.

But in this situation...

Conan didn't think it would be done in just one or two hours.

So it turns out they arrested the wrong person after all... or was someone deliberately impersonating someone else?

While Conan was pondering, his phone rang, and he took it out to take a look.

It was Amuro Tooru.

"Hey?"

"Conan, Sano has run away!"

As soon as the call connected, Amuro Tooru dropped a bombshell on Conan.

Conan immediately stared wide-eyed at Sano... Damn it, he really did flee back to escape punishment, just to fool me?!

Fortunately, it's alright.

Amuro Tooru then added that Sano had been gone for a few minutes and might return, so Conan should keep an eye out.

...A few minutes, so far away, that's impossible?

Conan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Mr. Amuro, it seems you've arrested the wrong person."

"what?"

"Sano is right next to me."

"...I'll be there in half an hour."

After hanging up the phone, Conan looked at Sano again.

"Let him come straight to my house. I have no interest in waiting here."

Sano left after saying just one sentence, intending to leave immediately.

But just as he stepped out the door, Sano suddenly turned back and asked, "Oh, by the way, where did you get the key to open my shop?"

"what?"

Conan scratched his head again: "I don't have a key. It was open when I came over..."

"Oh."

Sano finally took a closer look at the store and successfully spotted a figure hiding behind the counter. Without saying anything, he turned and left.

It was only at this point that...

Conan then realized that Ai Haibara had suddenly muted her microphone.

He curled up into a ball, leaning against the wall, looking completely withdrawn.

...Actually, Conan can understand it too.

Whether it's fear or simple resistance, not to mention that Ai Haibara is inherently more inclined towards an avoidant personality, it's quite reasonable for her to become like this.

"...Haibara, you heard it too, right? There seems to be a misunderstanding."

Conan then tried to reassure Ai Haibara: "The real rye must be someone else."

As Sano's presence gradually faded away, Ai Haibara calmed down considerably.

"...No, he is Rye."

Looking into Ai Haibara's eyes, Conan paused for a second: "What's the logic behind this?"

"No, just a feeling."

Speaking of this, Conan was reminded of Ai Haibara's radar.

...At first, Conan was somewhat dismissive of this radar, but after some events, he gradually became skeptical and even thought it was very reliable. However, when it came to Sano, he still didn't believe it.

"There were no problems before, but now there are. Do you think that makes sense? Don't overthink it. This time it's definitely just your imagination."

Once Ai Haibara calmed down, she clearly realized that her words weren't very convincing. Most importantly, given the current situation, although she didn't quite understand, Sano really didn't intend to do anything.

There's no use in rushing, or rather, there's no point in rushing at all.

With a sigh, Ai Haibara could only watch as Conan left the coffee shop.

A sense of powerlessness and confusion welled up inside me.

Initially, due to suppressed anger, Ai Haibara lost her mind and couldn't think of anything but hatred. At most, she could only be led by Conan. But now... if Sano really is Black Rye and was indeed forced, then deliberately favoring the two of them could be barely explained. But apart from that...

Ai Haibara recalled the check-up she underwent before she shrunk.

...Perhaps, there is also guilt?

Ai Haibara couldn't help but start crying again. In the end, she felt that she couldn't do anything because she was too incompetent, both in terms of ability and mentality.

Why can't we be more resolute and hate without reservation?

Why can't it be stronger, so it can even kill rye?

Overwhelmed by self-blame and despair.

Ai Haibara felt as if she were back in that prison. If she had known it would turn out this way, she would have been better off dead...

Like a walking corpse, Ai Haibara numbly walked to the counter and reached out to pick up the short sword on the table.

"...Xiaobao."

Just as Ai Haibara was about to end it all, a hand stopped her.

The familiar voice and address made Ai Haibara lose her composure.

"elder sister?"

Looking up, Ai Haibara saw Miyasu Aiko's face, making her wonder if she was starting to hallucinate. Then, the next second, the human skin mask was torn off, revealing the real face, which made her even more suspicious.

Perhaps I've suffered too much trauma and am becoming mentally unstable...

Chapter 685 Taboos of Human Technology

Sano family.

When Amuro Tooru rushed over, the first thing he did was look Sano up and down, and then without hesitation, he grabbed two strands of his hair.

"Damn, not again?"

Sano glared at Amuro Tooru with displeasure: "Didn't we already have that before?"

"in case."

Amuro Tooru stuffed the hair into a small sealed bag. When he captured "Sano" earlier, he naturally collected his fingerprints, hair and other related information to compare with the information he had collected about rye. He didn't expect that the results from that side hadn't come out yet, and now he had to make a second one.

...It's a bit subtle.

After completing the most crucial step, Amuro Tooru immediately grabbed Sano's ear and pulled hard until his hand was freed, only then confirming that there was no problem.

"It's one thing if you don't pull my hair, but why are you pulling my ear?"

Faced with Sano's increasingly dissatisfied performance, Amuro Tooru simply replied calmly.

"Let's see if you and that Sano are really the same person."

Sano feigned confusion and asked, "Then this is his ear...is there a piece missing from his ear?"

Amuro Tooru was taken aback: "How did you know?"

Sano lit a cigarette: "That's it, I've seen this imposter before."

"Ok?"

Conan, realizing what was happening, joined the conversation: "So it really was that one?"

"Ah."

Amuro Tooru was still confused, looking at Conan: "You know too?"

"Ah... I guess you could say that."

Under Amuro Tooru's questioning gaze, Conan gave a brief explanation of what happened last time.

"...So, the difference between you two lies in your ears?"

Amuro Tooru then looked at Sano.

Sano nodded: "Yeah, I rowed it, but that guy got away."

Amuro Tooru frowned: "So now there are two Sanos, two Rye, and even without considering their simultaneous appearance and the fact that their faces are visible, there are two Black Masks... This is really quite a mess..."

...The earlier wave of black masks against the Self-Defense Forces.

Amuro Tooru did review the live stream footage afterward, and of course noticed that damned "Black Angel" character, reasonably suspecting that it was actually rye.

Three sets of dual settings.

On the surface, it seems that there are connections everywhere, but upon closer inspection, it seems that there is nothing at all, like a tangled mess that gives people a headache.

Meanwhile, Conan, who was standing nearby, was curious about the "two ryes" that Amuro Tooru had just mentioned, but unfortunately, he hadn't even had a chance to ask.

Amuro Tooru suddenly glanced at Sano again.

"Speaking of which, there are even two Black Deaths."

"...What do you mean?"

Conan, bewildered, shifted his gaze between Sano and Amuro Tooru.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Sano was actually the previous Kokushi."

Conan: "..."

Why the hell is it this "Haven't you said that before?" again?!

"Just how much information have you been hiding from me?"