novelhk Page 128
Page 128
Chapter 150 Reunion with Kidd (3)
Without a second thought, Conan rushed to where Suzuki Shiro had just stepped down from the stage and pulled a nearby guest aside to ask, "Uncle, could you tell me where Chairman Suzuki, who was standing here just now, is now?"
Fortunately, the people attending the banquet today are all wealthy and influential. Even a child could be the son or daughter of a company president, celebrity, or executive.
Therefore, the guest did not ignore Conan's question just because Conan was a child. He pointed in a direction and replied to Conan, "President Suzuki just went to the restroom."
Having received the answer, Conan thanked them and, amidst the puzzled looks of the guests, quickly ran towards the restroom.
He hadn't run more than a few steps when Conan burst into the bathroom.
Sure enough, Conan found the disguise tool that Kid used to impersonate Chairman Suzuki in the restroom stall.
He glanced at the disguise mask beside him, a thoughtful expression on his face: "So that's how it is. Kaito Kid disguised himself as Chairman Suzuki to infiltrate this place!"
"Hmph!" Conan snatched the mask, a fighting spirit spreading across his face. "I have to thank you, Phantom Thief Kid! Because you gave me the perfect opportunity to unveil your fearless mask!"
……
"Huh!? You mean, Phantom Thief 1412 has infiltrated our ship and is impersonating my dad!?" Sonoko looked at Conan, who ran out of the restroom, with a surprised expression.
Even Tomoko Suzuki, who had somehow appeared beside Sonoko, showed a shocked expression.
She had been standing right next to her husband, "Suzuki Shiro," without noticing anything amiss. His physique, appearance, voice, and demeanor were exactly the same as the real Suzuki Shiro.
"Yes, I saw it in the restroom just now!" Conan explained to everyone. "I saw the clothes he wore and the disguise tools he used to impersonate Sonoko's father. The police have already started investigating this."
"Huh?" Sonoko and Suzuki Tomoko still had expressions of disbelief on their faces.
"However, we still haven't found any evidence about him!" Conan sighed silently in his heart. Although they already knew how the phantom thief infiltrated this place, no one knew where he was or what he was disguised as.
"hateful!"
Conan, wanting to find someone to discuss a solution, first looked at Kogoro Mouri, only to find that Uncle Mouri was still as unreliable as ever.
He could only sigh silently and look in the direction of Aragaki Yu.
Although Conan felt that Yuu Aragaki's orientation was a bit off, he still greatly admired his abilities.
To Conan's dismay, Aragaki Yu was only focused on chatting and laughing with Masami, seemingly showing no interest whatsoever in the matter of Kaito Kid.
"Damn it! Didn't this guy say he was interested in Kaito Kid and that's why he suggested coming here with Sonoko?! How come he's only interested in chatting and flirting now?!" Conan, feeling like he was leading a bunch of useless teammates, helplessly covered his forehead. "And what's wrong with his orientation? How come he's suddenly normal again?!"
"Huh? That's strange, where's Ran-neechan?" Conan, who was in a dilemma, suddenly realized that something was missing from his surroundings.
He turned his head and looked around, but only saw Sonoko Suzuki and her daughter in front of him, Uncle Kogoro drinking beer, and Yuu Aragaki and Masami whispering to each other about something. He couldn't find Ran anywhere.
"Wow, this beer is really good!" Kogoro Mouri downed his beer in one gulp, then looked at Conan and replied, "Because you hadn't come back earlier, she went to look for you! I was wondering if she had been kidnapped by that Number 1412!"
Yuu Aragaki, who was chatting with Akemi Miyano nearby, turned his head slightly to look at Kogoro Mouri, who already seemed a little drunk, after hearing this. A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.
Having some memory of the plot, he remembered this point very clearly—at this time, Ran had probably already been drugged and replaced by that Phantom Thief Kid.
Therefore, Yuu Aragaki's lips unconsciously curled up slightly, and he couldn't help but secretly admire, "Is this what they mean by 'no one knows a daughter better than her father'? Even something like this can be made to sound right by Kogoro Mouri."
"Huh? Aragaki, what are you laughing at?" Miyano Akemi, who was chatting with Aragaki Yu, naturally noticed that Aragaki Yu had suddenly lost focus.
"It's nothing, I just thought of something interesting, Ayami-nee." Aragaki Yu turned around and smiled at Miyano Akemi.
……
"He's not number 1412 at all!"
Suddenly, a serious voice came from behind Kogoro Mouri.
"Huh?" Kogoro Mouri turned around in confusion, only to see a middle-aged man yelling at him, "His name is Kaito Kid! Please don't get it wrong again!"
"Huh? Yes...yes!" Kogoro Mouri was clearly startled by the guy who suddenly jumped out from behind him, so he nodded repeatedly involuntarily.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man gave the group of people present another deep look before walking away to another location.
Watching his departing figure, Kogoro Mouri blinked blankly, then asked Tomoko Suzuki in a low voice, completely bewildered, "Who is that guy?"
Tomoko Suzuki smiled and introduced him to Kogoro Mouri: "He is Inspector Nakamori of the National Police Agency. He is in charge of the cases related to Kaito Kid. To be honest, he is like you, Mr. Mouri, and he is our family's hope in dealing with Kaito Kid. He is one of the knights we can trust to protect the dark star of the Suzuki family."
Upon hearing this, Kogoro Mori nodded helplessly, then turned to Tomoko Suzuki with a troubled expression and said, "However, on another note, Madam, all five hundred-plus guests attending today's banquet are wearing the star of the show, that black pearl. And apart from one that is genuine, the rest are all exquisitely crafted imitations. If you don't tell me which one is the real one, how am I supposed to protect it?"
Tomoko Suzuki showed Kogoro Mouri the pearl pinned to her chest and said with a smile, "No matter how well it's made, it's still fake. If you look closely, you'll find some differences. Some of these pearls are like the one I'm wearing, with a dull luster. Of course, some are dazzling, but they're failures."
"But no matter what, there are so many pearls..."
Seeing Kogoro Mouri's somewhat bewildered expression, Tomoko Suzuki had no choice but to continue her hint: "Alright, then I'll give you one more little hint. This dark star bewitched my grandfather sixty years ago, mainly because of its peacock green luster. So I entrusted it to the person most suitable for it!"
"The most suitable person for it?" Conan didn't quite understand what Suzuki Tomoko meant.
Tomoko Suzuki said mysteriously, "Coincidentally, out of the more than 500 people on this ship, there is only one person who can match it."
"The most suitable person for it should be a woman, right?" Kogoro Mouri looked at Tomoko Suzuki, hoping to further narrow down his search.
However, Tomoko Suzuki naturally saw through Kogoro Mouri's intentions and replied with a smile, "Haha, you'd be just as suitable, Mr. Mouri."
Chapter 151 So exciting, I really want to...
Nearby, after hearing Suzuki Tomoko's words, Miyano Akemi smiled and asked Aragaki Yu, "Aragaki-kun, do you know why some pearls are dull and lifeless, while others are dazzling?"
"Hmm?" Aragaki Yu glanced at Miyano Akemi with some surprise. Seeing the meaningful look in her eyes, Aragaki Yu understood what she meant and said calmly, "Time is merciless, and youth fades quickly. This doesn't just apply to people."
"Hmm?" Suzuki Tomoko, who was chatting and laughing with Mouri Kogoro, overheard Miyano Akemi and Aragaki Yu's conversation. Her eyes lit up, and she looked up at the two of them with some curiosity.
Just as her attention fell on Aragaki Yu, she saw the boy smiling and nodding slightly at her.
Seeing the meaningful gaze the boy was giving her, Tomoko Suzuki's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Unfortunately, Conan was still engrossed in his own reasoning and thinking and did not notice this scene.
……
"Oh, it really is Mr. Mori! It's been a long time!"
"Ah...!? Isn't this the guy from the Hatamoto Group..." Kogoro Mori recognized the man as he looked at him walking towards him.
"Yes, Mr. Mori, it's me, Shoji Hatamoto. I really went to a lot of trouble for you last time." Shoji Hatamoto greeted Kogoro Mori with a smile.
Conan finally came to his senses and, looking at the man who had suddenly walked over, remembered his identity.
Shoji Hatamoto bowed slightly to Tomoko Suzuki and said gratefully, "Thanks to President Suzuki and his wife's help, our store has been able to expand so smoothly. In fact, I was in charge of preparing the dishes tonight."
When this was mentioned, Shoji Hatamoto couldn't help but put on a confident expression.
"That's a real shame, esteemed chef!"
Suddenly, another familiar voice came from behind them.
"It seems that Chairman Suzuki has been so frightened by Kaito Kid that he is absent. The dish you used to flatter him is about to cry."
Following the sound, they saw a young man slowly walking towards them.
"Takuya Mifune."
The name also came to mind for Conan and Kogoro Mouri.
He was also a figure involved in the case of Shoji Hatamoto.
Although the statement had a sarcastic tone, Shoji Hatamoto and Takuya Mifune had a very good relationship, so it could only be considered a joke between the two.
"Damn it, you still love to make sarcastic remarks!" Shoji Hatamoto laughed and punched Takuya Mifune in the stomach.
"Haha, thank you for the compliment!"
"Huh? Why didn't you put it on?" Shoji Hatamoto noticed that Takuya Mifune wasn't wearing a black pearl on his chest.
Takuya Mifune shrugged nonchalantly and explained dismissively, "I have absolutely no interest in these kinds of childish games."
"However, if you don't wear it, people will get suspicious!" Kogoro Mouri reminded him.
"Sigh, there's really nothing I can do." Takuya Mifune seemed a little impatient, but out of desperation, he still took out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket, wrapped the black pearl in the box with the handkerchief, and pinned it to his chest.
This scene naturally caught Conan's attention.
He stared blankly at Takuya Mifune's movements, as if he were thinking about something.
"What? So Miss Ayako didn't come?" Ayako Suzuki's fiancé, Yuzo Tomizawa, also arrived at the group's side and said with some disappointment.
"Well, my sister had something to do, so she couldn't come." Sonoko nodded awkwardly to Tomizawa Yuzo, feeling a little embarrassed to explain to him that her sister and father had been tricked by that Phantom Thief Kid.
"Is that so? That's such a pity..." Tomizawa Yuzo's face showed a regretful expression.
With Conan's explanation, Aragaki Yu and Miyano Akemi also learned about the identities of these people.
Miyano Akemi leaned close to Aragaki Yu's ear and whispered, "As expected of the Suzuki Group, they are indeed different from ordinary families. The people attending this banquet are either ordinary people or company presidents... But Sonoko, she really doesn't show any of the temperament of a zaibatsu heiress. She's just like an ordinary high school girl."
“Yes.” Yuya Aragaki nodded in agreement with Akemi Miyano’s statement.
In this respect, Aragaki Yu truly admires Suzuki Sonoko.
……
Just as everyone started chatting, Kogoro Mouri noticed that Ran, who had gone out to look for Conan, had not yet returned, so he couldn't help but mutter, "Ran is really something, why isn't she back yet? She's so slow."
"I think Ran must have gotten lost somewhere! After all, she's terrible with directions!" Sonoko joked to Kogoro Mouri in a serious tone.
Conan was initially worried about Ran's whereabouts, but after hearing Sonoko's explanation, he couldn't help but nod and wholeheartedly agreed with her.
Just as he was about to speak up, Xiaolan's voice suddenly reached everyone's ears, forcing him to swallow his words.
"Who are you calling a directionally challenged person?!" Xiaolan, blushing, walked up to Yuanzi and complained indignantly.