"Dad…" Mao Lilan quietly helped Kogoro Mouri fix his tie and cuffs. "You're going to a wedding today, but you drank so much last night."
Kogoro coughed twice guiltily, picked up the electric shaver he had brought, and started scraping off his stubble with a "squeaky" sound.
"Do adults have their own way to entertain themselves?" he muttered.
Conan sat silently, hands folded on his lap, staring boredly out the window at Mount Fuji.
In the end, Kazawa couldn't go to Kyoto with them, which was a little disappointing.
He hadn't forgotten the case Kazawa had entrusted to him.
Though he heard Kazawa's supervising officer was also investigating, since the case involved corrupt police, Conan thought it unwise to dig too deep within the force. If any info leaked, Kazawa would be implicated.
He had hoped that coming to Kyoto with Kazawa, even if just briefly, would make moving around easier as an excuse...
"You too, Xiaolan, why drag that brat along?" Kogoro looked at the yawning kid with some protest. "Didn't Kazawa say he could look after him? Why not just leave him to Kazawa for now? Carrying a kid this far is troublesome."
"Dad!" Mao Lilan tugged the tie tight, making Kogoro catch his breath. "That's too much. Kazawa is staying downstairs, and he's still a student!"
"Let go, let go!" Kogoro struggled, out of breath.
What an unreliable adult.
Conan stared at the mountains outside, took out his phone, hesitated, then decided not to notify Joker by email yet.
Although he promised to notify Joker if there was news on the case, they were only leaving Tokyo for a day due to personal matters. Whether Joker knew or not didn't matter much...
Still, he tapped Kazawa's contact and sent a new email:
"Is there anything you want me to bring back? Or anything you want me to check? I can't move around much, but I'll do my best."
After sending, the train's poor signal delayed any reply. Conan closed the email and opened the file Joker sent him yesterday.
"Why are you still so careless?" Ran let go of Kogoro, who was still a little drunk, and said worriedly.
Kogoro noticed her expression and became serious. "Don't worry, Xiaolan, I'm not just a simple detective. Your father was a great police officer once. I won't get hurt easily."
"I hope so." She pouted and pulled a small spray bottle from her bag. "Kazawa gave me this — a light perfume that absorbs odors. You might need it… Look at how thoughtful your neighbor is, and you still want to dump the kid on him all day."
Conan, just reading the start of the file, heard Kazawa's name and glanced at Ran suspiciously.
Why did Kazawa give Xiaolan something out of the blue?
"That's right, Kazawa's a good guy. He also gave me several posters of Miss Yoko," Kogoro said, nodding, holding the perfume. He sniffed and smiled, "Is that ginseng? Smells nice."
Conan got more alert.
How come Uncle Kogoro also…? He really isn't interested in Xiaolan, right?
The jealous king, allergic to these thoughts, stopped reading the document and quickly sent another email to Kazawa to test.
When he opened the mailbox, Kazawa's reply was already there:
"No, nothing you need to bring. Stay safe outside Kyoto."
Conan paused, unable to continue questioning.
Kazawa seemed the kind who didn't care about money or possessions and liked giving souvenirs to those around him… Yes, Conan had gotten many things from Kazawa, including mystery novels.
That was fine.
He cleared his throat twice, pretending he never had those wild thoughts, and went back to Joker's file.
It was a popular science summary on alcoholic drinks. Joker had filtered it, listing code names of possible drinks the Organization might use.
As a kid who never touched alcohol, he needed this info to understand better. Joker also said many Organization members liked to wear black — just like…
…were those the same two men in black who just passed their seats?
Conan shuddered, almost dropping his phone.
He looked up with a shocked expression.
Weren't those the two men in black he had encountered and fought at the amusement park?
He stared at the tall, thin man's waist-length silver hair, hands trembling.
No doubt. He would never admit being wrong. It was them.
Where were they going? On a sinister mission?
The two men walked to the far end of the carriage and sat down. Gin frowned slightly as he sensed someone's gaze scanning the area.
He quickly spotted the staring kid — a small boy with big round glasses, no older than six or seven.
Gin raised an eyebrow, relaxed, and looked away.
Just a kid.
He hated public transport — kids even had the nerve to pull his hair…
Unpleasant memories flashed, and Gin let out a faint "tsk," pulling his hand away to check his watch.
Gin looked back; Conan immediately lowered his head, hid his suspicion, memorized their seats, and reviewed their movements.
Of the two, the sturdier one who looked like the unlucky Tequila who died in the explosion was probably a subordinate. He carried a black briefcase like a younger brother carrying a school bag.
The silver-haired man glanced at his watch multiple times, as if waiting.
Conan carefully memorized every detail, daring not to approach. His earlier stare had caught their attention. Approaching now would be too suspicious.
Running into these two was a huge chance. Maybe the drug that shrinks him was with them. He had to stay calm and find the right moment.
More than twenty minutes later, they stood and walked toward the other end of the carriage.
Conan, watching, jumped down and said to Ran, "Sister Xiaolan, I want to use the bathroom!"
Without waiting for her answer, he chased after them.
Reaching their seats, Conan quickly tore off a bug from his button and clipped it to their armrest.
The train hadn't arrived yet. No matter what they did, they'd probably return to their seats. No reason to miss this chance.
After planting the bug, he hurried to follow.
It was tough for a short-legged elementary schooler to catch two tall adults without sprinting. Conan only caught glimpses of their trouser legs on the stairs. Once upstairs, he lost track of which carriage they went to.
Damn it, being a kid is such a problem… He couldn't forgive whoever did this to him.
Frustrated, Conan stomped his feet and was about to search upstairs when Ran caught him by the collar.
"I knew you weren't going to the bathroom," she said, lifting him off the ground. "Stop causing trouble, Conan!"
"I'm sorry, Sister Xiaolan." Conan struggled. "I just wanted to see the scenery, hehe… I want to see Mount Fuji!"
Ran firmly stopped him. "Even if you come back with me, you'll disturb others. Let's go."
Being carried back, Conan regretted Kazawa not coming.
With Kazawa's help and an excuse, following the men in black would be easier…
He had never missed his little friend more.
Conan sulked back to his seat, hand held firmly. Under Kogoro's "I told you he's troublesome" and Ran's "Behave," Conan stayed put and silently prayed the men would return to this carriage and not waste this rare chance.
God granted his wish soon.
After a while, the two men returned and sat where Conan had planted the bug.
Good chance! Conan excitedly turned on his phone receiver. He pressed the glasses leg, and a tiny earpiece extended. The men's conversation came directly to his ears.
"Ah, finally a smoke," a rough male voice sighed. "Brother, this deal went smoothly."
"Keep it down, Vodka," a calm, cold male voice said. "You're too loud."
"As expected of Brother Gin, always cautious. Haha, it's okay. Even if others hear, they won't understand."
"..." A long breath, suppressing anger.
Conan gripped his glasses frame tightly.
Gin! Vodka!
The code names Tequila mentioned! It was them!
"This deal was easy." Vodka lowered his voice, "A suitcase for 400 million — good price. Who leaked the info?"
"Don't ask too much about intelligence agents." Gin lit a cigarette. "Have you confirmed Kumail's info?"
"Yes, news came back. It's true. His father did something shady. The police have found traces."
"..." Another long breath, unclear if smoke or anger.
"Kumail...?" Conan muttered.
This is obviously a person — a male.
He didn't know if this was a code name or real. Was there a drink named that? He'd check later.
Noting this new clue, Conan listened closely to their conversation.