books44 Chapter 313 All the resentment is real
Chapter 313 All the resentment is real
"Wow, it's such a waste of your money to treat me to a hot spring! To be honest, I've always treated Fanze like my distant son..."
"Alright, Mr. Mori, please rest assured! We will take good care of Ran!"
Fearing that Kogoro Mouri might say something else nonsense, Masato Hanzawa quickly hung up the phone, awkwardly enduring the teasing from his uncle, Hitoshi Hanzawa, in the driver's seat.
"That old man is really something, getting drunk every time he goes to a hot spring..."
Conan, arms crossed and eyes half-moon, sat in the back seat of the car, constantly fanning away the smell of alcohol from his nose, and looked at the other drunk man beside him, also half-moon: "You'd better watch out, or you'll become an alcoholic too."
"Hmm... I'm just slightly tipsy, Conan, are you still angry?"
Muttering unhappily, Kuromon Haruya leaned against the car window, resting her head on her arm, letting the breeze ruffle her hair and wash away the heat and smell of alcohol from her cheeks.
In the dim light, the thin red layer on his earlobe was barely noticeable; only his half-second sluggish reaction and misty eyes made it clear that he had indeed fallen into a drunken stupor.
"It was just asking you to perform a talent in front of everyone. The atmosphere was really lively, you should have..." As if he had sobered up, he suddenly raised his voice, "...sung a song to sober up!"
"That...that's really amazing at sobering me up." Coming from a musical family, Asagi Minoru felt his veins throbbing and nausea rising as he recalled that brainwashing music. "Sobering me up, ugh!"
"Hang in there, shop owner, don't throw up in the car!" Fan Ze Zhenren, one of the only two conscious people in the back seat, leaned over and handed over a plastic bag.
Asagi Shinji: "yue—"
Conan: Are you being polite? Is it really necessary?
Leaning against the car window for some fresh air, Haruya Kuromon stared blankly at Conan for a long time until the latter became uneasy under his gaze before slowly speaking:
"Conan, it's one thing for you to drop out of school and pester me to come along. But why are Sonoko and Ran here too? Shouldn't they be preparing for their midterms right now?"
"Brother Heimen, you're drunk. You've already passed your midterms."
Conan sighed and helped him sit up straight: "Did you forget? We ran into Sonoko-neechan at the cake shop the next day when we were discussing our itinerary. She said that the Suzuki Group was planning to develop a new resort, so we decided to come along and help with the 'on-site investigation'."
Conan: She says that, but judging from her actions, her target isn't a good tourist spot at all, but rather a good man!
"Oh! I see." Tilting his head, Yoruichi Kuromon made some connections between the points, a flash of understanding appearing in his eyes.
—With this arrangement, Sonoko Suzuki's entourage makes sense.
On the surface, the top Japanese zaibatsu are Suzuki and Ooka, among others. The Suzuki group is particularly known for its vast wealth and unpredictable business investment strategies.
The emergence of the Hanzawa clan is of great significance to Kuromon Haruya, and could very well be another passage to unlock the mystical side. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before they bring Izumo, where their clan resides, under the organization's wing.
However, it was only 1994, and tourism in Izumo had not developed at all. Even in later years, it was still one of the most rural areas, second only to Tottori Prefecture, which was the least populated.
Having been neighbors for many years, their economies have stagnated. If the organization were to rashly introduce a subsidiary for vigorous development, it would inevitably attract the attention of the local government.
"But with Suzuki Group setting a high bar and attracting attention, it wouldn't be surprising if many more companies followed suit, eager to grab a piece of the pie... This kind of caution is indeed my style."
Pretending to be sleepy, Haruya Kuromon turned to the side, using his back to block Conan's hesitant gaze, and pretended to sleep alone.
He couldn't possibly be drunk; his actions were merely a means to gather intelligence.
Ultimately, while believing Koizumi Akako's so-called "devil's message," Kuromon Yōya was also filled with doubt.
What exactly happened at the summoning ritual? What was the outcome of the ritual that Teacher Hongzi clearly predicted? What did it mean to take a portion of memories and malice as the price?
After regaining consciousness, I tried to contact her by phone, but all I received were busy replies.
The unknown represents uncontrollability, which causes anxiety.
Unfortunately, as the backbone, the thing that Kuromon Haruya absolutely cannot do is lose her composure... It's really exhausting.
"Hey, Detective Edogawa, aren't you getting annoyed by all these mysteries?"
“No way.” Conan swung his legs in the baby seat and said matter-of-factly, “For a detective, a mystery is the key to the truth, and solving the mystery is in our nature. Rather, I’d be bored if there were too few mysteries.”
"Hmph~ I see." Kuromon Haruya murmured, puzzled.
"Brother Heimen, is something bothering you?"
"It's not so much confusion as it is, it's just that as you get older, drinking makes you more sentimental." He unconsciously rubbed his empty pocket, now occupied by his phone instead of a cigarette pack. "I suddenly feel a pang of sadness; it's much happier to have important family and friends by my side than to be alone."
"Suddenly feeling sentimental?" Asagi Minoru became much more sober after vomiting a lot.
"Were you moved by us?" Fan Ze peeked out.
"Who knows~~"
"Hahaha!" Uncle Fanze's hearty laughter echoed in the carriage. "You young people shouldn't steal our middle-aged privileges. Give the kids some encouragement!" He winked at Conan through the rearview mirror. "Little Conan, judging from your words, you admire Mr. Mori and want to become a famous detective like him?"
"No way!" Conan's half-moon eyes practically overflowed with disdain as he arrogantly raised his head. "My idol has always been Shinichi-nii, he's the real..."
laugh--
The screeching sound of brakes startled the night birds in the forest, and the inertia caused everyone to lurch forward, instantly tightening their seatbelts.
The silent forest suddenly awoke from the darkness, filled with uneasy chirping sounds that echoed through the valley. Conan, rubbing his neck which was still throbbing from the tight grip, exclaimed in shock, "What's going on?!"
"N-nothing..." Cold sweat beaded on Fan Zerenzhi's forehead, his fingertips gripping the steering wheel were pale. "I must have mistaken the shadow of the tree for a small animal." He chuckled dryly, but couldn't hide the distorted voice caused by nervousness.
An eerie silence fell over the carriage, broken only by the rhythmic breathing of the passengers.
After a long pause, Uncle Fanzawa chuckled dryly and started the engine again, seemingly casually bringing up the topic: "By the way, Conan, what you just said about Shinichi...brother? Could it be that high school detective, Kudo Shinichi? Do you two know each other?"
Conan firmly remembered his own premise: "Yes! He's my cousin."
"Oh, I see. Hahaha, that makes sense then."
These words seemed to violate some unspeakable taboo, and Uncle Fanze took a deep breath.
He stared intently at the road ahead, his neck stiff and afraid to move, lest his gaze involuntarily drift to the passenger seat—where the unusually quiet Fanze Zhenren had been since earlier—and he would ask the question his family had been hesitant to raise:
'Master Fanze, have you truly let go of the past?'