novelhk Page 160
Page 160
"Hmm?" Noticing the expression on Mr. Arano Yoshinori's face, Hamano Toshiya also looked somewhat puzzled.
“You should be the person in charge of the program, Mr. Hamano.” Arano Yoshino showed the paper in his hand to everyone.
"Huh!?" The look of surprise on Hamano Toshiya's face didn't seem to be fake at all.
Even Doi Takaki showed a hint of doubt on his face, because he knew very well that such a small performance should not normally cause any problems.
His gaze lingered on Hamano Toshiya for a moment before turning to Aragaki Yu, as if trying to confirm something.
When he noticed that Aragaki Yu was also looking at him, Doi Takuki immediately understood that there must be something wrong.
After exchanging a glance with Doi Takaki, Aragaki Yu couldn't help but look at the door that Tanaka Kikuho had left through.
Although he didn't quite remember the details of the case, this woman was really suspicious.
Chapter 197 Conan, you really are a siscon!
"This is really strange!" Hamano Toshiya scratched his head in confusion.
Sonoko urged Hamano Toshiya expectantly, "Alright, hurry back to your room and make some plans!"
Doi Takaki also put away his puzzled expression and reminded him with a smile, "Don't make the same mistake again this time!"
"Sigh, this is really a headache!" Even after reaching the top of the stairs, Hamano Toshiya was still wondering what exactly was wrong.
"What am I going to do? How am I supposed to lead the team?" Naoko Kuroda seemed a little worried about becoming the acting head of the department.
Mr. Araki Yoshino said with a smile, "Oh, after all, you're just an acting head of the department, so don't worry so much. I'll go to the wine cellar now and find a good bottle of wine. Suga, you can go to the kitchen and make some simple dishes!"
"it is good!"
"Then I'll leave it to you, Miss Kuroda." Araki Yoshino nodded to Kuroda Naoko again before leaving the living room with Kama Kiyohiro.
“Well, in that case, this…” Kuroda Naoko looked at Aragaki Yuu beside her, seemingly hesitating about how to address him.
Yuu Aragaki smiled at Naoko Kuroda: "Just call me Aragaki, Ms. Kuroda. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Since it was her first time doing this kind of work, Naoko Kuroda seemed a little embarrassed: "Thank you so much, Aragaki. Could you please go to the room and check on the little brother who fell asleep because of a cold?"
"Okay, I'll go right away."
After Aragaki Yu nodded in agreement, he gave Doi Takuki a wink, signaling him to be careful of the situation in the living room, and then turned and walked upstairs.
Seeing this, Sonoko glanced at Aragaki Yu and Doi Takaki for a moment before immediately following in Aragaki Yu's footsteps: "Then I'll go and see too. I wonder how Ran is doing now!"
Naoko Kuroda didn't say much. She glanced at the only remaining piece of furniture in the living room, Takuki Doi, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Then let's put the cups and stuff on the table now!"
Doi Takaki nodded: "Mm."
……
"How are you feeling, Ran? Is Conan any better?"
Sonoko pushed open the door to Aragaki Yu's room and quietly walked in. She looked at Ran, who was still sitting by the bed taking care of Conan, and asked her a question.
"Yes, his fever has subsided now."
Yuya Aragaki followed Sonoko into the room. He noticed that Ran's expression was much more relaxed, and Conan seemed to be doing quite well.
"That's great!" Hearing this news, Sonoko felt much relieved and plopped down on the bed. "By the way, Ran, it's such a shame you missed it! Hamano performed magic! Although there was a tiny mishap at the end, it was really amazing!"
"Ah?" Xiaolan's tone was slightly regretful.
Sonoko said excitedly, "But Ran, he'll be putting on some extra shows later, Ran, come down and watch with us!"
Ran hesitated for a moment: "But Conan..."
"It'll be fine, his fever has gone down, leaving it for an hour or two won't cause any problems!" Sonoko said, pulling Ran towards the door while gesturing for Aragaki Yu, who was standing at the door, to open it quickly.
Seeing Ran's hesitant and worried expression, and knowing she needed some time to think about what might happen next, Aragaki Yu also advised, "Ran, just go. I'll stay here from now on."
"Ah, but..." Ran and Sonoko were clearly surprised that Aragaki Yu would say that.
"It's okay, I'm a bit tired anyway, and I just wanted to rest for a bit."
Yuu Aragaki smiled at the two of them, indicating that he wasn't particularly interested in the upcoming activities. Anyway, there was Kaito Kid disguised as Doi Takuki downstairs, so nothing too serious should happen.
"Then you should rest well! Xiaolan, let's go down quickly!"
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Aragaki... slow down, Sonoko!" Before Ran could finish speaking, Sonoko hurriedly pulled her out of the room.
……
Inside the room, no one knew how much time had passed.
"Lan, Lan..."
Yuu Aragaki looked at Conan, who was groggily waking up from his coma, and said calmly, "There's no Ran here, only me!"
Conan: "!!!"
Conan, who was in a daze when he suddenly heard this sentence, opened his eyes abruptly and found himself in an unfamiliar room. He struggled to get out of bed and quickly looked around. He saw Aragaki Yu looking at him with a strange expression.
"Hey Conan, you really are a sister-complex! Do you know how many times you called Ran's name while you were unconscious?"
Conan: "..."
Damn it, how come Aragaki Yu is by my side?
Because he has no idea what he said incoherently while unconscious, Conan is now too afraid to explain anything, lest he say something wrong and arouse Yuu Aragaki's suspicion.
As for Aragaki Yu's "sister complex," it's not the first time he's been misunderstood like this, and Conan doesn't want to argue anymore because he has no way to explain it. He can't exactly tell Aragaki Yu that his real identity is also a high school student!
And so, the two stared at each other, neither saying a word, and an awkward silence fell over the room…
"But, how did I get here, ouch~" Conan, who was the first to feel uneasy, rubbed his still slightly aching head.
It seems that... on the way back with my uncle, I heard on the car radio that the chat room administrator of the chat room party Xiaolan attended had been murdered in his own home, and there was a message on his computer screen that read, "[One taken care of, Shadow Mage]"...
"!!!"
Suddenly remembering everything, Conan looked anxiously at Ran and Sonoko, who were nowhere to be seen in the room, and then turned to Aragaki Yuu beside him: "Oh no, big brother Aragaki, where are Ran and the others?!"
Yuu Aragaki walked to the bedside and helped Conan, who was trying to jump off the bed: "They're standing downstairs with other people. What's wrong? What happened, Conan?"
"There's no time to explain, big brother Aragaki, something terrible has happened!"
Not daring to waste any more time, Conan broke free from Aragaki Yu's grasp, hastily put on his slippers, and staggered outside, fearing that something might have happened to Ran.
Chapter 198 The Second Victim
In the living room, the people sitting around the dining table were chatting happily.
"Are you all ready?" Kiku Tanaka walked into the living room and complained to the people around the table, "I'm exhausted! Being chosen to boil water is such hard work!"
"Come on, find a chair and sit down. You've really had a hard time, Ms. Tanaka." Naoko Kuroda quickly got up and welcomed Kikuko Tanaka over.
"Huh, where did everyone else go?" After finding an empty seat, Tanaka Kiku Kei noticed that there seemed to be fewer people in the living room.
Sonoko explained to Kikuko Tanaka, "Rigaki is currently in his room taking care of Conan for Ran, and Hamano is in charge of the entertainment. He's probably in his room thinking about what kind of magic trick to perform."
Sonoko's face showed great excitement, clearly indicating that she was looking forward to the upcoming magic show.
Doi Takaki, who was standing nearby, added, "As for Mr. Ara, he should be in the wine cellar right now."
"Phew, it's freezing cold." Just then, Araki Yoshinori pushed open the living room door and walked in, carrying a glass of red wine.
"Have the Escape King and the Shadow Mage not arrived yet?" Tanaka Kiku asked Kuroda Naoko beside him.
Naoko Kuroda nodded, unable to resist joking, "Yeah, but those two don't get along very well to begin with. Could it be that they bumped into each other on the street and started arguing?"
"They don't get along?"
Ran, who knew little about the members in the chat room, seemed somewhat puzzled after hearing what Ms. Kuroda said.
“That’s what I mean.” Sonoko turned to Ran and explained, “It seems they got into an argument about a magician…”
"Oh dear, let's not talk about these unpleasant things tonight," Mr. Araki Yoshino noticed that the atmosphere was starting to become awkward and quickly smoothed things over.
As he opened the bottle of red wine, he confidently continued, "I wouldn't dare say for sure about Shadow Mage, but I think the Chief Escape King will be here soon."
No, he won't come.
However, before Araki Yoshino could finish speaking, a weak voice suddenly came from the direction of the stairs.
"Huh?" Everyone looked towards the stairs in confusion.
"Conan?"
Conan came running down the stairs, looking out of breath.
Ran stood up from her seat in surprise. Although she was very happy that Conan had woken up, she couldn't help but frown when she noticed his weak appearance.
Then, in the next second, Yu Aragaki appeared in everyone's sight.
Yuu Aragaki helplessly shrugged at the group waiting downstairs, indicating that he couldn't stop Conan either.
Before anyone could ask anything...
Conan then explained in a weak voice, "Because he has been killed, right there in his apartment!"
"Ah!" Ara Yoshinori, who had just been confidently guaranteeing that the King of Escape would come, was startled, and his face turned pale. "You said he was killed!"
"What... what's going on, Conan?" Ran walked up to Conan, gently put her hand on his shoulder and asked. The others also gathered around, hoping to get a reasonable explanation.